He was answered by an oncoming, invisible sword wind—traceless, formless, swift as the wind itself. This was the Song of the Wind Sword, one of the three great sword arts of the continent, renowned alongside Lily's sword technique and the Thunder Sword Style. It was the personal sword art of the Wind Swordsman, Dawson.

"Well then, let's begin." On the other side, the five-star mage Ethan also began to chant a magic incantation, while David Clark still seemed unaware that the battle had already started.

Chapter 8: The Battle to Surpass Oneself

David Clark had always wanted to know the true effects of magic power on humans, and now he had some idea.

He kept calling out in his heart, "Tianla," and realized that, indeed, with the help of magic power, humanity had begun a new evolution. Unlike technological evolution, this was a true transformation from one species to another, just like millions of years ago. The speed of it was just like—just like—just like the two people before his eyes.

William Scott and the Wind Swordsman Dawson had begun close combat, and their bodies were almost invisible to the naked eye. With the full eruption of knight-level magic power and inner strength, the winds stirred up around them could even slice through flesh.

Suddenly, William Scott and the Wind Swordsman Dawson stopped, and both drew their swords. Huh? What? They hadn't even drawn their swords before this?

"That was them testing each other. The power of a knight is not so simple," said the five-star mage Ethan beside him. After his magic forced the opponents back, he stopped advancing, and the other three seemed to be afraid of something as well, so they didn't move forward either.

"Testing? No way, I couldn't even see their bodies—was that just them testing each other?" David Clark's face showed his own unique exaggerated expression.

"What about your magic power? Haven't you comprehended magic power? You still don't know how to use it, do you? First, you should..."

As soon as David Clark heard the words "magic power," he stopped listening to what Ethan was saying and fell back into his own world of thought.

Right, I still have magic power. But what should I do? Now I can sense it, and I can even command its presence, but what's the use? Other than feeling a bit better than before, I haven't really changed at all—let alone become as powerful as Big Brother Scott. Am I using it wrong?

Use it? But what is it, really? Yes, what is its essence? I can't see it, can't measure it (David Clark had tried to measure the existence of magic power with his super watch), I can only sense it. But what is it, really? It can't possibly not exist.

Fine, I'll assume it's a kind of energy. But energy can't exist in a static state. Fine, fine, fine, it's energy—a kind of energy in space that humans haven't discovered yet. And because of Big Brother Scott's influence, I can sense it now. That's the magic awakening ritual. And since it's a kind of energy, and one that humans can absorb with their bodies, the only thing left is to use it. All right, here I go.

David Clark focused all the magic power around and inside him into his mind. Of course, because of his uniqueness, using magic power was very easy for him, and soon his mind was filled with magic power.

Okay, okay, take it slow. Start with absorption...

As soon as David Clark sent out the thought of absorption, he suddenly felt the magic power in his mind begin to decrease, and his mind suddenly became inexplicably clear. He could gradually sense every subtle feeling around him, so he closed his eyes.

Huh? The wind? Why can I sense the direction of the wind now? And I can even tell its strength. Huh? What's that smell? Is it blood? And all the sounds around me...

As if unsure, he opened his eyes. Everything around him seemed to slow down. No, it wasn't that things slowed down, but that his perception had sped up, as if he could suddenly know so much at once—that feeling of the world slowing down.

He realized he was on the right track. If his whole body could absorb magic power like his mind, wouldn't he become a superhuman? No, maybe he already was a superhuman. David Clark was filled with excitement, and he began to use other parts of his body to absorb magic power.

"...Do you understand now? Magic power is used by absorbing it. Since every level of person has different magic power, the amount they can absorb is also different. But there's one thing to note: for those in the warrior class, after absorbing magic power, their bodies will continue to absorb it naturally. Do you understand? That's what's called the magic-martial barrier. Warriors can't use magic power, because their magic power can only be absorbed within their own bodies. So, don't be upset. As someone who has just comprehended magic power at the cultivator level, no matter how much magic power you absorb, you can't reach the level of a knight." Maybe, if he knew David Clark hadn't listened to him, he would cough up blood. And if he knew the state of David Clark's magic power, he might just go kill himself.