Sword God in a World of Magic

A couple of minutes later, Shang left the Caves and went to where Jerald was currently.

Jerald simply handed Shang several large books, and Shang left for the Caves again.

As soon as he came back, Shang read through all the books.

These books were Spell Compendiums, and they basically listed every standard True Mage Spell known to the Skythunder Kingdom.

Something like that would go for an extraordinary price, but Jerald just gave them to Shang.

Sure, these Spell Compendiums were extremely valuable, but their value was still perceived in gold.

Shang could hunt True Path Stage beasts. If he wanted to repay Jerald, he would only need to hand over a single corpse, and he would have repaid far more than he owed.

Naturally, Shang wasn't interested in learning Magic. He only looked at the Spells and how they worked to gain inspiration for his techniques.

Shang was no longer on a level where he needed to learn other people's techniques. No, he needed to create his own techniques.

Additionally, with Shang's powerful Path, he was more than qualified to create such techniques.

Over the next two years, Shang's Path didn't make much progress. He was fully focused on coming up with new techniques and trying to manipulate his Mana and Affinities well enough to actually use them.

He created a couple of duds, but he also found a couple of useful ones.

After coming up with a good framework for his future fighting style, Shang went on to make his new fighting style an actual reality.

The beginning was hard since this was a new field for Shang.

Three years later, Shang had only made marginal progress.

At least, that was how it felt.

When Shang actually looked at the Star Map, he noticed something.

The Shards that had symbolized Shang's different Affinities were starting to connect to Shang's Paths.

This didn't increase the actual progress of his Path but made it wider and more powerful.

By now, all four Paths were even wider than Mervin's Path, showing their ridiculous power.

Shang realized that he was onto something big, and his determination to continue pursuing this path only increased.

Five years later, Shang managed to fully integrate his Affinities with his Paths.

In the last ten or so years, Shang's Path hadn't advanced upward but had gotten far wider.

Right now, Shang's Path was still stuck at a bit more than 50%, but it couldn't be compared to its earlier version.

From this point onward, Shang focused on progressing his Path again with its new width.

Over the past couple of years, even more True Path Stage warriors and High Mages appeared.

Sadly, the number of deaths amongst the True Path Stage warriors rose.

They started to be sent on reckless missions or just mysteriously vanished.

Most of all, the warriors that died were all warriors that were not too happy with the Mages.

that the Council

have the power to

something they could

appeared on the critical frontlines,

expected of them but didn't go beyond. They simply did the bare

their new power or show themselves in public. When nobody knew that they existed, they

short, they had given up on the

them,

Skythunder Kingdom and

Council was forced to lower the pressure they put

no way

now that they were no longer doing these things, it

world over

the Caves, working on his

Count Sword had been

still included him, but he

actually existed, he had been only a very powerful and talented Peak Commander Stage warrior. By now, there were many Early True Path Stage

even a couple of warriors that

and even if Count Sword actually existed, he would

outstanding back then,

at the True Path Stage yet? Wouldn't he have shown himself? True Path Stage warriors needed resources and experience. Wouldn't he want to fight Mages? How could

if Shang knew about all of this, he didn't

working on

was increasing day by day, and Shang could see the sheer power his

remained deep in the underground,

later, some bad news

Ranos had died.

had most likely been

breath and

future he

and more of the few people he knew would leave

thing he could do

the most important thing to

later, Soran

also most likely been

been Shang's biggest fan, but it was still sad to see

the woman Viera, had been sent to

had gone overboard while hunting beasts and had endangered

also wouldn't stay alive

looked like the Council was systematically getting rid of

later, Teacher

for the Day of Chaos, and she had also been

her in 50

one year later, Mattheo

had hit Jerald

had been his sole heir, and he had had a

powerful Peak Commander Stage warrior and a powerful Peak True Mage at the

had probably been the most powerful person in the Commander Stage aside

that had been the

too powerful, and

the biggest threat

died, he had never urged Shang to

knew that Shang needed a

after the other left Jerald's life, and