The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 148

It was as if an old memory flashed through his mind.

Splatter!

A small trickle of blood from his arm scattered in the air like paint.

He had barely dodged in time.

“If you keep moving like that, you’ll get hit again.”

Hainel’s low voice pierced through Damian’s eardrums.

Grit.

Damian gritted his teeth, glaring at Hainel as he thrust his spear forward.

Swish!

It was a quick thrust, almost devoid of any preparatory motion.

While it might lack destructive power, it was the only way to keep up with Hainel’s movements.

But…

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Hainel deflected Damian’s spear and frowned as he spoke.

“Do you think a weak, half-hearted thrust like that will work against me?”

‘Damn it…!’

The impact from the deflection reverberated through Damian’s spear, leaving his hand stinging.

Damian leaped back and gripped his spear with both hands, steadying himself.

Huff…

He exhaled deeply, trying to calm his emotions.

For now…

‘I must survive.’

Hadn’t he vowed never to die again?

Throb.

Although the high potion had nearly healed him, his side, which Hainel had slashed the day before, still ached deeply.

He could vividly recall the sensation of the blade slicing into his flesh.

Had it gone just a little deeper, his life might have ended in that fleeting moment.

Fear crept over him, but Damian pushed it away with his fighting spirit.

And then…

Shhhhh!

A blue aura of magic began to ripple and amplify around Damian’s body.

Seeing this, Hainel also drew more power into his sword, focusing intently.

“You’re not planning to just stare me down, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Bang!

Damian stomped the ground hard with his left foot.

With a deafening boom, he launched himself toward Hainel with explosive momentum.

But just as he rushed forward in a straight line, Damian’s form blurred momentarily.

Slide.

He shifted to the side, leaving a faint afterimage in an attempt to divert Hainel’s focus.

However,

“You think a cheap trick like that will work on me?”

Hainel calmly turned his gaze and swung his sword toward Damian.

The speed was overwhelming.

Even though Damian saw the attack, his body couldn’t react fast enough.

Clang!

Barely managing to block with his spear, Damian was pushed back, biting his lip in frustration.

But Hainel was only just beginning.

“Hup!”

Swish!

Stepping forward with a powerful stride, Hainel’s sword swung in a diagonal arc, radiating an intense force that seemed poised to slice Damian in two.

‘The distance…!’

Damian needed at least a step’s worth of distance to comfortably maneuver his spear.

Yet every time Damian tried to create space, Hainel closed the gap as if he could read his mind.

Whoosh! Thud! Swish!

All Damian could do was desperately dodge Hainel’s relentless attacks.

He wanted to counterattack, but Hainel’s sword always moved first, cutting off any chance for Damian to act.

‘He’s not even using aura, yet…’

How could there be such a vast difference between them?

Moreover, Hainel’s strikes showed no mercy.

Was he relying on the high potion?

‘No.’

This wasn’t a duel meant to test resilience—it was an attack meant to kill unless Damian could block it.

Damian’s eyes suddenly gleamed with determination as he dodged.

Clang!

In an upward swing, Damian’s spear deflected Hainel’s sword.

“……!”

“I’ll kill you too.”

Damian’s spear spun rapidly, thrusting straight for Hainel’s heart.

Sensing the bloodlust in Damian’s attack, Hainel quickly pulled back his sword to defend.

But just as he prepared to parry—

Swish!

Damian suddenly altered the spear’s trajectory, aiming for Hainel’s foot instead.

Crash!

In the split second Hainel shifted his left foot back to avoid the spear, Damian slammed it into the ground.

Thud!

Grass tore up, and dirt scattered into the air, momentarily obscuring Hainel’s vision.

“You…!”

Hainel shouted, startled by the unexpected move.

With his sight hindered by the dust cloud and the distance now widened by over three steps, his sword could no longer reach Damian.

In contrast, Damian was now at the optimal range for an attack.

On the other side of the dust cloud, the violent surge of magic rippled intensely.

Swish!

Bursting through the veil of dirt, Damian’s spear flew straight for Hainel’s chest, imbued with all his remaining magic.

It was an all-or-nothing strike, free of tricks or hesitation.

Seeing this, a sharp blue lightning aura flickered around Hainel’s body.

Crackle!

BOOOOM!

“Aaaaargh!”

Damian screamed as he was blown back by the energy surge.

Although it wasn’t a direct hit, Hainel had used aura as a defensive measure to block Damian’s attack.

“Villipt!”

“Yes, my lord.”

Villipt hurried to the collapsed Damian and poured a high potion into his mouth.

Even a glancing blow from such raw power could have been lethal.

Villipt, visibly more tense than the day before, carefully examined Damian.

He hadn’t anticipated Hainel would use aura in the sparring session.

“…Fortunately, he’s okay. His internal magic circuits are slightly disrupted, but he should recover with a day’s rest.”

“Good, that’s a relief.”

“You seemed a bit startled, my lord.”

Hainel recalled Damian’s expression from earlier in response to Villipt’s question.

The demonic gaze, as if truly intent on killing him.

And the reckless deployment of magic, which momentarily caught Hainel off guard.

‘However…’

At this rate, the path ahead was still long and arduous.

“We’ll continue tomorrow.”

It was only the second day, after all.

Even so, Hainel couldn’t shake the thought—

‘…At this pace, one of us might actually die.’

With a small sigh, he turned and walked back toward the villa.

***

“…Did I pass out again?”

The familiar ceiling greeted Damian when he opened his eyes.

It could only mean one thing: he had lost again in the battle against Hainel.

He recalled the last memory before he blacked out.

Though his memory blurred in the dazzling moment—

“…It was definitely aura.”

Damian vividly remembered.

That last strike he launched at Hainel.

It had been an attack meant to kill.

Was it that fierce desperation that forced Hainel to use aura to block it?

‘That’s enough, isn’t it?’

Damian smirked slightly but soon…

Clench.

His expression hardened as he clenched his fist, his gaze turning menacing.

Was he truly satisfied just because he forced Hainel to use aura?

‘No… That’s not enough…!’

He wasn’t fighting just to land a single hit on Hainel.

If he thought rationally, Damian would face opponents even stronger than Hainel in the future.

Would it suffice to be content with simply forcing them to use their power?

Thud!

Damian threw off the blanket and got up.

He didn’t have the luxury of lying around. But just then—

“Please lie back down. You need to rest,” Villipt said as he entered the room.

“I’m fine now.”

“No, check your body carefully.”

At Villipt’s firm words, Damian frowned slightly but complied, circulating his magic lightly.

Throb.

A sharp pain shot through his lower abdomen, accompanied by a wave of dizziness.

Seeing this, Villipt handed him a cup of water.

“It’s best to rest a little longer. Rushing won’t help if you can’t do things properly.”

“…Thank you for the advice.”

Plop.

Damian sat back down, though the need for rest left him feeling irked.

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

Draining the cup of water in one go, he let out a frustrated sigh.

Hah.

He understood his impatience.

He knew it might take a year or two—or even longer—to reach the level he sought.

But the lingering dissatisfaction gnawed at him, leaving him with nothing but frustration.

And then.

“Damian, I know my advice may be insufficient, but… may I offer you a suggestion?”

“Yes? Ah… of course. I’m listening.”

Damian nodded, turning to Villipt. Villipt gave a faint smile before speaking.

“Damian, you’re already incredibly strong. Considering your age, it’s almost unbelievable unless seen firsthand.”

Villipt had seen countless prodigies in the kingdom.

Many from noble families who had been groomed and supported from a young age.

“But I’ll say this without hesitation: none of them, at your age, reached your level of skill.”

This wasn’t just true in the Kingdom of Baroque but likely across the entire continent.

However—

“Despite your strength, Damian, you’re not yet utilizing 100% of your power.”

“Not using 100% of my power?”

“Yes.”

Villipt nodded as he stood up.

Though he couldn’t wield magic himself, he had spent years observing Hainel and many other warriors.

One commonality among the best was their mastery of magic usage.

“Releasing magic forcefully through emotion isn’t always the most effective way. Efficiently channeling and utilizing it is key.”

“Efficient use of magic…”

Damian already knew this to be true. But controlling magic perfectly in the chaos of battle was an almost impossible task.

That’s why Damian focused on releasing stronger magic instead.

“Releasing magic forcefully can expose your full strength to your opponent. The moment magic is unleashed, they’ll prepare to counter it.”

“But without it, I can’t keep up with Lord Hainel’s movements.”

“You’ll grow accustomed to it over time. Remember that every magic user is mindful of this while fighting.”

“…Understood.”

Damian nodded.

Though his control over magic was exceptional, he was still leagues behind Hainel.

Seeing Damian’s response, Villipt smiled faintly.

“Everything I’ve mentioned so far is common among advanced warriors. But there’s one more thing I’d like to share with you specifically, Damian.”

Villipt paused, looking at Damian intently.

Damian perked up, ready to listen.

Villipt spoke with emphasis.

“From now on, the most important thing for you to focus on is learning how to materialize magic.”

“Materialize magic…?”

“Yes, because that is the only path to mastering aura.”