Edward smiled faintly as he watched the villagers trudging between the farmlands and the mountain streams. His plan had worked. Training in full view of them, spitting blood yet never giving up, had shamed them into action.
No shameless ones among them, it seems.
If they had truly been brazen, they would have ignored him no matter what. But without exception, every villager had returned to the fields. The discipline instilled at the trial was bearing fruit.
Just sow the seeds. I’ll find a way.
A single bucket of water could barely dampen a small patch of soil, and it would take days to prepare even a fraction of a field. For now, it was like throwing eggs at a rock. Even so, the villagers carried on stubbornly, hauling water.
Edward knew he had to find the cause of the drought before their efforts went to waste.
It’s time I move on to the next step.
After finishing his training, he returned to the manor.
“Don’t let anyone disturb me until I call for you. Keep everyone else out too.”
He gave the order to Frederick after bathing.
“Yes, my lord,” the steward answered with a respectful bow.
Once, he would have pressed Edward with endless questions. But now he stayed silent. He had seen with his own eyes that intense training eased Edward’s reflux. He no longer doubted his master’s judgment.
Clack.
Edward locked his chamber door, sat cross-legged on the floor, and drew in a deep breath.
Hsshh.
He inhaled slowly, pulling mana from the air into his body.
Let’s begin.
With focus, he felt it enter him, flowing into his channels and beginning to circulate.
Good.
Absorbed mana left behind impurities after use. Most people expelled these easily, but those with reflux could not. The impurities clumped together, blocking the flow and triggering backlashes.
Much better.
When he first checked this body, every channel had been clogged with lumps. But relentless training had forced his mana to flow harder, gradually washing them out. At first the backlashes had been unbearable, but under steady pressure, the blockages had cleared.
Though his constitution would cause new ones to form eventually, for now his channels were clean.
It was time to forge a core.
The question is… which one?
There were many types. Mages forged magic circles. Knights and swordsmen favored aura stars.
In his past life, Isaac had chosen a magic circle, even though he wielded a sword. That was to use his family’s cursed “Black Soul” sorcery. And truthfully, it was the only kind he knew how to forge back then.
Now, after devouring the knowledge of the Execution Squad, he could create any kind.
Aura stars tempt me…
Too many choices made the decision harder. A person could only form one core, and it would define their path forever.
Best to go with what I know.
Strength meant retracing the path he had mastered before. In his past life, he had reached a high level, though not without regrets. This time, he could surpass himself.
I’ll forge a magic circle again.
In this life, Edward still had no core. The blockages had always prevented it. But now, with his channels clean, he had the perfect chance.
“Huuh…”
He steadied his breathing, guiding the gathered mana through his channels. Drawing on past experience, he directed it toward his heart.
Ordinarily, it took twenty years of training and a mentor’s help to reach this stage. That was why apprentices sought masters to help them form their cores.
As expected…
The impurities began to form again. But for now, they were minor.
Just a little more.
He gathered every last thread of mana. It resisted, spilling away, but he reined it in with practiced control.
Drained of mana, his body sagged with weakness. The small clots that did form sent stabbing pains through his limbs.
Almost there.
Gritting his teeth, he compressed the swirling mana into a single point. The tighter it coiled, the harder it resisted. Sweat dripped down his brow as he pushed to his limit.
At last, he traced a circle around his heart with the condensed energy.
The swirling mana bucked wildly—then stilled as the line closed into a perfect ring.
“Huuh…”
The mana began to flow along the ring, circulating smoothly. His head cleared. Strength returned to his body.
If anyone had used a spell or artifact to see it, they would have spotted a glowing circle spinning brightly around his heart.
Edward had become a first-circle mana user.
That’s enough for today.
He rose lightly, relief washing over him—
—but then fire seared through his left eye.
“Ghh!”
He clutched at it. To the touch, nothing felt wrong. But inside, it burned.
His new core spun furiously, releasing torrents of mana that surged into his eye.
“Haah… haah…”
The agony blurred his thoughts. For long moments he could only endure it.
At last, the pain ebbed.
He opened his eye cautiously. His vision was clear. His sight was intact.
What… what is this?
And then, unbidden, a memory surfaced. The answer revealed itself.
***
The Eye of God.
That was the name of Edward’s new ability. He didn’t know whose power it truly was. If not for the word “God,” he would have believed it belonged to the Demon King.
Did the circle trigger it?
Edward carried the strength of the Demon King and the Execution Squad, but his body had been too weak to wield it—he hadn’t even had a mana core. Now that the core problem was solved, a new power had awakened. As his body hardened and his circles increased, he would be able to use even more.
“What is it, my lord?”
Frederick approached with his gentle smile. Edward looked at him while keeping the Eye active. Frederick’s body turned translucent, and three bright stars shone near his heart—an aura star, a type of mana core.
Normally, one needed spells or artifacts to see another’s core. Edward managed it by focusing mana into his eyes alone. He could discern the type, number, and size of a person’s core. That was the Eye’s first power.
So he was never an ordinary steward.
Three stars meant Frederick was a three-star aura user—enough to command knights in a small domain.
Grade-3 Fighter; Grade-2 Administrator with the potential to become Grade-5.
Phrases surfaced on their own as he watched. The Eye’s second power revealed a person’s innate talents and potential. Frederick had gifts for combat and administration. The former was largely realized; the latter was not. In a backwater like this, he had simply never had the chance. In a larger organization, he would have shone.
This domain was never a big enough vessel for him.
Edward felt a fresh wave of gratitude.
And that’s why he never left, isn’t it?
The Eye’s third power showed the stain upon a soul. In his sight, Frederick’s translucent silhouette glowed white. A spotless white meant almost no miasma clinging to the soul—a person unlikely to betray their oath. That, too, was why Frederick had stayed with Griffith.
“I’m going to look over the domain.”
“Out again, my lord? It’s nearly dinner.”
“I’ll eat when I’m back. Won’t be long.”
The sun had not yet set. The villagers would still be outside.
I should be able to find one or two worth keeping.
The Eye laid bare strength, talent, and character—a perfect tool for finding people. Edward intended to use it to pick out gems among the farmers, pearls hidden in the mud.
“Good evening, my lord.”
Villagers tipped their caps as Edward passed.
“You worked hard today.”
“It’s nothing. Just our duty.”
He returned their greetings and studied them with the Eye.
Not bad.
Most had solid farming talent, and their potential there was already realized. Their souls carried little stain. Unless he ruled as a tyrant, rebellion was unlikely.
Still, a bit disappointing.
A few had military or administrative gifts, but weaker than their aptitude for farming. Keeping them as farmers would benefit both them and the domain.
Found one.
After a long circuit, he finally spotted a different pattern.
“Good evening, my lord.”
A man trudging along with his tools stopped and bowed.
“Good to see you. Your name?”
“Hans, my lord.”
“Good name. Enjoy your supper.”
“And you as well, my lord.”
Hans bowed again, puzzled.
Grade-2 Farmer; Grade-1 Merchant with the potential to reach Grade-4.
So read the Eye.
When the domain is stable, I’ll send him out.
He didn’t know it yet, but Hans was better suited to trade than tilling. Give him capital and he would multiply it.
Crash!
As Edward walked on, satisfied, a tavern wall beside him burst outward and a man flew through it, skidding across the ground.
Edward recognized the face.
“Logan?”
Logan twitched but didn’t come to.
Step, step.
A man about Edward’s age strode out through the hole in the wall—taller by a hand, with broad shoulders and iron-hard muscle. A gust caught his red hair and tossed it like a lion’s mane. From the look of things, he was the one who had smashed the wall and sent Logan flying.
Who is this bastard?
Edward opened the Eye—and saw four bright stars. A four-star aura user. At that age, it was an absurd level.
“Oh? Thought you were dead. Guess not.”
The man stared at Edward with a crooked smile, a wooden mug dangling from one hand, his eyes slightly glazed.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“What? Crawl back from your deathbed and forget your own brother?”
Edward recalled he had a half-brother named William.
The wastrel who got kicked out for causing trouble.
The manner, the words—yes, this was him. Up close, the resemblance showed.
“You never treated me like a person, let alone a brother.”
William scowled and flicked his bottle aside.
“I don’t care what that man did. You have no right to do this to him.”
“Shut up and get lost. You’re ruining my mood.”
William ignored Edward and moved toward Logan.
“Stop.”
He didn’t. As William reached for Logan—
Shing.
Edward flashed forward, drawing his sword.
Click.
Steel kissed William’s throat. William froze, then turned his head. Their eyes locked.
No fear?
Most warriors tensed when a blade touched their neck. William didn’t.
“I told you to get lost,” he said, voice cold with killing intent.
“And I told you to stop.”
“You really want to die, huh—”
William knocked the blade aside with the back of his hand and punched.
Edward twisted his head, and the fist whooshed past.
Boom!
The air where it struck thundered.
Completely insane.
To throw a punch at your own brother for breaking up a beating—clearly, something was wrong with him.
“…You dodged?”
The drunken haze vanished from William’s face. Aura made the body strong and fast; mana enabled magic but did not harden flesh. By common sense, a one-circle mana user should not be able to evade a serious blow from a four-star aura user.
Close thing.
Edward, too, was a little surprised. Instinct had carried him—but he knew it shouldn’t have been possible.
“You little—!”
William’s fists went wild.
Boom! Boom!
Aura exploded wherever his punches landed. Not one touched Edward.
So it really is the Eye of God.
Edward smiled. William’s movements seemed slower than reality. That was the Eye’s fourth power.
Cliche Novel 