FANSiA Originals and KakaoPage
I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan
[Author/Original: Yuin]
[TL: Dekor]
[PR: Spades]
Episode 53
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'Arrogance is forbidden.'
Great talent could be poison.
If it bred hubris.
Nordian resolved to prevent that in Christian.
He spoke coldly.
[We'll begin formal teaching of the Dark Mana Arts. Stay humble and follow my guidance.]
"Understood."
The long-awaited moment.
Christian focused.
[Listen well. This is the Dark Mana Arts' precept.]
Simon, an outsider, tactfully left.
Nordian recited the precept.
A mere recitation, yet it took hours—a long, complex formula.
"Did you memorize it?"
A labyrinthine precept of mana channels and magical constructs, memorized after one hearing?
Christian answered calmly.
"Yes, memorized."
Nordian nodded.
He expected as much.
He'd memorized it once as a child.
But.
Christian asked an unexpected question.
"Forgive me… may I ask something? Parts of the precept don't make sense."
[It's natural not to understand a new precept. Study it yourself, and ask later…]
"No, I mean the precept's flow conflicts with other parts. Did I mishear?"
[!!]
Nordian's face stiffened.
'How did he know?'
Another of his quirks.
Deliberately teaching flawed precepts.
To make learning harder.
Why such eccentricity?
'Though less efficient now, struggling builds a stronger foundation.'
Yet Christian noticed flaws after one hearing.
Chilling insight.
Hiding surprise, Nordian replied stiffly.
[Some variations were for foundation-building. I'll teach the complete precept once your base is solid.]
He stood.
[Watch.]
He extended a hand.
From the child avatar's small hand, pitch-black mana rose.
A 'Black Sword,' mana shaped outside the body.
A 3-star technique.
Trivial for an 8-star like Nordian.
But his Black Sword was different.
Not just stronger.
It held a profound principle, incomprehensible to Christian.
[This is a strike through the Dark Mana Arts.]
Swish.
A light swing.
No grand aura.
No notable effect.
Just cutting the air.
Yet Christian's spine chilled.
A dizzying shock, like a star flickering.
'Just now.'
Countless darknesses in one swing.
Destruction, death, curse, poison, illusion, and more.
Nordian's strike was all-encompassing darkness.
The power of the Dark Mana Arts, wielding Dark Mana Essence that ruled all darkness.
Nordian, seeing Christian's shock, was more astonished.
'He saw it?'
You see what you know.
How many in the clan could grasp that strike's truth?
Nordian resolved anew.
'Ordinary methods won't do. Harsher guidance is needed.'
A tower built easily crumbles.
Growth through adversity leads to greatness—Nordian's philosophy.
'First, make him grasp the Dark Mana Arts' difficulty.'
Its complexity, handling myriad darknesses, was unimaginable.
Normally, guidance was step-by-step.
"I give you one month. Based on my demonstration, refine the precept alone. I'll check your progress in two weeks."
He vanished.
Merian's surprise suggested this wasn't normal.
But.
'There's a purpose.'
Christian thought.
Unkind, but Nordian wouldn't act without intent.
Like the first task, a deeper meaning hid.
…Not at all, but Christian assumed Nordian's intent.
'Let's do it.'
Nordian's approach had a flaw.
Christian usually learned alone.
Rarely guided.
This was familiar.
He'd often mastered arts without proper precepts.
This was downright kind.
Closing his eyes, he pondered the precept.
He recalled Nordian's strike.
True darkness, embracing all.
Time flew.
---
A month passed.
"It's time."
"Yes, Patriarch."
"He's realized the Dark Mana Arts' complexity."
"…"
Merian stayed silent.
True.
The arts couldn't be learned without guidance.
'But what's the point?'
She thought.
Nordian's belief—struggle through hardship for great achievement—was outdated.
Christian likely wasted a month.
"Merian, you think my method's wrong?"
"…No."
"Heh, it's obvious. But it's necessary for him."
Nordian explained.
"He absorbed over 90%. He'll face massive walls per realm. A solid foundation prevents collapse."
"…"
"Speed isn't key. Steady, sure steps matter."
Merian spoke cautiously.
"He's in the Lord's Trial. He needs 3-star in three months."
"Impossible. With his purity, three months is absurd."
Nordian was firm.
Christian, 2-star high, would need at least two years, despite genius, due to over 90% purity.
A Lord's Trial was trivial.
Foundation trumped it.
"Let's go."
Nordian descended into the child avatar.
Teleporting to Christian's training hall.
[!!]
"!!"
Their eyes widened in shock.
Unthinkable.
Unbelievable.
Christian swung a sword in the air, wreathed in black mana.
A 'Black Sword.'
A 3-star technique.
"You… Christian? 3-star already?"
Merian's shocked tone.
Christian turned, smiling brightly at Nordian.
"Thank you, Patriarch."
[Thank you?]
"Your guidance let me surpass the 3-star wall faster than expected."
[What?]
Christian's gratitude was sincere.
"You gave me flawed precepts to enlighten me, right?"
[....]
Nordian was speechless.
He couldn't parse Christian's words.
The nonsense continued.
"Not just the precepts. Your strike showed the insight for 3-star."
No.
Nordian's demonstration had no link to 3-star insight.
Creating a Black Sword and infusing all darknesses—how were they related?
But Christian rambled incomprehensibly.
"The 3-star wall was high, as you said. But your clues let me overcome it quickly."
What clues did Nordian give?
Christian recalled the month.
It wasn't easy.
The top-tier arts were tough alone.
Flawed precepts hindered.
Like a prank.
But he focused on them.
'No reason for these flaws. They're meant to help.'
The precepts disrupted mana flow.
Why?
What intent?
He recalled Nordian's strike.
All darknesses in one.
The answer emerged.
'It's not about efficiency. Even if slower, it's about embracing all darknesses.'
Like leaves in water to prevent choking.
Not just wielding, but embracing darkness—Nordian's intent.
Christian followed.
The arts handled myriad darknesses.
He meditated on each precept's meaning.
After countless repetitions, a revelation struck.
All darknesses aligning in one orbit.
Not wielding all like Nordian.
A vague notion.
But his realm leaped.
1-star: Accumulating mana.
2-star: Projecting mana.
3-star: Materializing mana externally.
Each required unique insight.
3-star meant shaping 'intangible' mana into 'tangible' forms.
Like fixing light waves into solids.
Normally impossible.
It required shattering mana conventions, redefining perception, and handling it anew.
Higher purity made it harder. Pure darkness was tougher.
Most needed vague insight for a Black Sword, but high purity demanded perfect redefinition.
For Christian's 100% purity, even more.
Nordian's clues sparked a revelation, perfectly redefining his mana perspective.
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