"So, we have wasted our time seeing that doctor?" Peniel stated.
"Not really," Jack replied. "Now, we know for sure I can activate mana awakening as long as I enter the empty mind state. We just need more instant means of getting me into that state. Say, do you know a sure way for me to learn the Mind-dooming Gaze?"
"Don't be ridiculous. That skill is the same rarity as the Void Displacement Eye. You can only depend on luck to get it. Plus, Mind-dooming Gaze only affects someone ten levels lower than the user. Even if you can find the technique book, where can you find someone ten levels higher than you who can learn that skill and is willing to follow you everywhere?"
"Since it is so, do you know any other skills or spells that produce a similar effect without the level restriction?" Jack asked.
"Hm…," Peniel gave the question some thought. "I can think of one. It is very rare, though. Your chance of getting it is worse than getting the Mind-dooming Gaze or another Void Displacement Eye."
"Sigh… So, it's all down to luck, eh? Well, I can always count on luck. Guess I will just have to leave it to fate for now."
"Are you going to do the faction's challenges?" Grace asked Jack.
"No, it is late already. I will do it after we finish the legacy dungeon. I will go back to rest. What about you?"
"I will go to help out in the Healer Society. I want to get faction points to gain more healing spells," Grace said.
"Okay. Don't stay up too late. We need to be at our best tomorrow for the ancient battleground legacy dungeon. Its cooldown is five days. If we fail to kill the herald tomorrow, we won't be able to enter another time until we return from our trip to Chris' secret location."
"Don't worry. I will only spend a couple of hours there."
"Give Andrea my regards if you meet her," Jack said.
"Will do," Grace replied.
*
After returning to the palace, Jack learned that the three players he met earlier had applied to work in the palace. All three started working immediately today. Jack went over to say hi to them before retiring to his royal chamber.
There was a large foyer in his royal chamber. This foyer used to serve as a room where the king treated his private guests. Jack had this foyer cleared out of all the furniture and turned it into a training room. He was now training in this room.
He was training his formless flowing sword style. During the first time when he was in the mana awakening state, he successfully performed the final phase of his sword art. However, after waking up from his slumber, he learned he couldn't do it again. Without mana awakening, his sword art was back to its third phase.
He had tried repeatedly while trying to grasp the feeling when he was using the final phase of his sword art under mana awakening, but he never succeeded.
Earlier today when he was in Schreber's office, he executed formless flowing sword style. He did that to capture the essence of his sword art's final phase. To understand its mechanics. Now, while the sensations were still fresh, he tried replicating it.
However, he couldn't repeat what he had done earlier. He was frustrated by this failure. It was as if an insurmountable wall he couldn't scale separated him from the final phase of his sword art.
As he continued to train, he heard knocking on his door. He opened it and found Domon was there.
"I heard the sound of your training," Domon said. "You should get some rest. Aren't we going to defeat the herald inside the ancient battleground tomorrow? If we fail to do it because you are too tired, we will not have another chance for quite some time."
Jack smiled wryly. Wasn't this the advice he gave Grace earlier?
"You are right, gramps. I will rest now… Hey, gramps!"
"Hm…?" Domon was about to leave when Jack called.
"The final phase of the formless flowing sword style, what's the secret? Don't give me those 'you should learn it by yourself' crap."
"I don't know," Domon answered.
"Didn't I just tell you not to give me that crap?"
"I'm serious. I don't know because I myself haven't mastered the final phase. In fact, no one has ever mastered it."
"Huh? Are you kidding me? If no one has ever mastered it, how does one know it exists in the first place?"
"It was envisioned by the creator of the sword art. The grandmaster who created this sword art visualized this technique until the fourth phase, but he could only actualize the third phase. The fourth and final phase remained forever in his mind. It is never brought forth to reality. For this reason, the fourth phase is considered a myth among sword practitioners. Like you said, if no one has ever used it, how can it be considered real?"
For Jack, it was real because he had performed it. Except he could only do it while under the mana awakening state.
Domon continued, "For your information, the creator of the Formless Flowing Sword Style is the creator of another technique with the final phase also considered a myth. A technique which you've learned."
"Oh? What technique is that?" Jack asked.
"The Sword's Heart," Domon answered. "The sword's heart is a sword technique where its peak mastery is never attained, even by its creator. Like the formless flowing sword style, its peak state only existed in the creator's mind."
"Some creator that grandmaster was, inventing a bunch of imaginary arts."
"The most gifted creators are largely like that," Domon said with a shrug. "Some martial experts theorized that the creator of the Formless Flowing Sword Style created the Sword's Heart to help him attain the sword art's final phase. Unfortunately, the creator also couldn't master the sword's heart to its peak mastery. Hence, the theory was never realized."
"The sword's heart?" Jack came to a realization. "I see…"
"Hm? What do you see?" Domon asked.
"Never mind, I think I understand now. I'm going to rest. You should rest too," Jack said.
"Of course, I'm returning to my room now. See you tomorrow then," Domon said.
"See you," Jack returned and closed his door.
He didn't continue his training. He knew now that it was futile. The secret of the formless flowing sword style was indeed the sword's heart. During the mana awakening state, he achieved a state of clearness and focus unlike any he had ever experienced.
The sword's heart was a state of mind. During mana awakening, this focus propelled his sword's heart to its peak condition. That's how he was able to execute the final phase of his formless flowing sword style and even controlled it to such precision that his lightning-fast slashes didn't hit a single thing inside Schreber's office.
