Deep within the dense forest, Aslan and Alya were examining the objects they had just obtained.
"I told you, Galang. This really is the Holong Orb and the Recording Orb. I saw them at the auction," Alya said enthusiastically.
"You're right. I saw them back then too," Aslan replied.
"What should we do with them? Should we—"
Suddenly, Aslan covered Alya's mouth. "Shhh... I sense someone approaching," he whispered.
Aslan gripped his sword. His body tensed, ready to face danger. But when the figure stepped out of the bushes, he let out a sigh of relief—it was Firman. His body was covered in blood, but there wasn't a single visible wound. As soon as he reached them, his body collapsed, and he fell unconscious.
Firman only regained consciousness the next day. As soon as he awoke, Alya excitedly showed him the Holong Orb and the Recording Orb they had taken.
"Firman, look! We got them!" Alya exclaimed happily.
"What... is that?" Firman asked, still only partially awake.
"They're the Holong Orb and the Recording Orb. We're amazing, right?" Alya said proudly.
But instead of being pleased, Firman became furious.
"You... what were you thinking?! What if they come hunting for us? Have you forgotten what happened back there? People from all over the kingdoms came to that place. That orb will only drag us into deeper trouble!" he shouted. Alya could only bow her head in silence.
Seeing her reaction, Aslan stepped in to calm Firman. "Relax. I brought my master's cloak. Alya said it can conceal our presence and aura. That's how we managed to take the orbs from the corpses unnoticed. Everyone was too busy fighting."
Firman shook his head slowly. "Even with hundreds of eyes around you, that was still incredibly risky. But what's done is done. We can't turn back now. We wait until things calm down and everyone forgets this incident."
He took the Recording Orb from Alya's hand. "I'll hold onto this. If we get caught, I'll draw their attention while you two escape."
"But before that," Alya interrupted quickly, "can we watch it first?"
Firman closed his eyes, trying to hold back his frustration. He knew Alya didn't fully grasp the danger, but he also knew the contents of the recording could be useful.
"…Fine," Firman finally said.
Aslan touched the orb's surface, and a soft glow radiated from it. A projection appeared in the air, showing the image of a naked man. His hair was long, touching the ground and covering his face. He looked like a madman: filthy, covered in mud, but with a muscular, well-trained body.
Upon seeing that, Alya instantly turned red. "A-ah! I… I'll be over there!" she said nervously and hurriedly walked away.
Firman remained seated, expressionless. His face was blank, and his eyes as dull as always.
"…That swing…" Aslan murmured.
Firman frowned. "What do you mean?"
Aslan didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the recording. The man in the projection swung his sword slowly, as if practicing a basic technique. There was no sound, no explosive aura—just seemingly simple movements. But from the technique—his footwork, the angle of his wrists, the rhythm of his breathing visible in his movements—it was clear this man wasn't a novice.
"At first, I thought it was a fake, and that everyone was being fooled. But after seeing it, I'm convinced—this guy is incredible. His movements look simple, but they're heavy… weighted. They look easy, but they must be extremely hard to perform."
Firman was silent. The morning breeze blew softly.
"…You seem familiar with that movement," Firman said.
"My master once saw a perfected version of this technique," Aslan replied. He drew his sword, closed his eyes, and a moment later, his blade emitted a glow.
He swung his sword, and a wave of aura shot forward, shattering trees in its path.
"My master tried to replicate it but never perfected it. The attack looks similar, but the power is far weaker. Even so, the technique can be prepared faster than usual."
"With your skill, you've already mastered more than half of it. So why take such a big risk to get that orb?" Firman asked in a flat tone. His expression was calm, but Aslan could tell he was holding back his anger.
"Umm… I thought that by watching the recording, I could perfect the technique. Sorry for dragging us into this," Aslan said.
"…Can you teach me that technique?" Firman then asked.
"I… I don't really master it. But… alright. I'll teach you as best as I can," Aslan replied. He remembered Grandpa Erwin's advice to never teach his technique carelessly. But because he felt indebted to Firman, Aslan agreed. He believed Firman could be trusted.
They began training in the forest over the next few days. But Firman kept failing.
Aslan's explanations were actually simple and easy to understand. But putting it into practice was another story.
The essence of the Heaven-Cleaving Slash was clear: Tors energy had to be channeled into the sword in massive amounts, then unleashed toward the enemy through a sword swing. It sounded easy—but wasn't.
Because of the immense amount of Tors energy involved, it required total concentration, extreme energy control, and mastery over the flow of Tors. One small mistake, and the energy inside the blade would destabilize. The result: the sword could snap or even explode.
Another problem was the sword's energy capacity. Unlike living beings, swords couldn't evolve. Each sword had a maximum limit for energy it could contain. This technique pushed the blade beyond that limit.
Even harder was releasing the energy in a controlled burst and shaping it into a destructive wave. That stage was far more complex. Every time Firman tried, his sword exploded because the Tors energy inside clashed and went wild. Fortunately, he had many spare swords in his storage pouch.
It took Firman a full week just to keep the sword from breaking during the charging phase. But he still couldn't turn it into a proper attack. Every time an energy wave formed and shot forward, it quickly faded in the air without causing any real damage.
A week later, Firman finally managed to maintain the form of the energy wave. But its effect was still weak.
Meanwhile, Alya gave up after a week. She decided to train on her own by fighting weak monsters around the forest.
To be continued...