Sword God in a World of Magic

Contestant 1 and contestant 12 looked at Lei with narrowed eyes.

They had heard of these strange warriors that didn't follow either of the two established paths, but they hadn't seen one of them yet.

"What authority do you have to call me a Barbarian?" contestant 1 asked.

"What else are you?" Lei said. "We can all agree that True Path Stage warriors are warriors, but that is where the lineage of warriors has ended in the Lightning Manor's territory."

Nearly everyone's eyes shone in understanding and recognition.

In the Lightning Manor's territory?

Now, they knew where these warriors were coming from and why they were making trouble.

This was a rivalry between Empires.

"The person that has created the True Path Stage was a pioneer for warriorkind, but the people that invented the Diamond Body Stage and Weapon Variance Stage were not."

"They were pioneers for Barbariankind and Weapon-Master-Kind."

"What is a Diamond Body?" Lei asked rhetorically. "Isn't it just an expansion of the Bloodline Infusion?"

The two contestants narrowed their eyes when they heard about the Bloodline Infusion.

It was possible that the warriors in a different territory created a True Path Stage separately, but the chances of them creating something as specific as the Bloodline Infusion were incredibly low.

This meant that the knowledge of these mysterious warriors derived from Area 23.

"Would you call the Bloodline Infusion a path of its own?" Lei asked with a smirk. "No, it isn't. It is just a basic tool for warriors. It is an addition to a warrior's power, not its own thing."

"Yet, look at you," Lei said to contestant 1 with a snort. "You refined the Bloodline Infusion and pushed it one step further. You managed to transform your spine into a storage for Mana, increasing the overall level of Mana inside your body."

"That is an amazing accomplishment," Lei said. "However, instead of using it to increase the warriors' powers, you say this is the path forward."

"At most, you are a Barbarian, but in truth, you are someone that slaughtered the golden goose that lays golden eggs. You can increase your power quickly in the short term, but you will ruin your future."

"And not just yours. You ruin every warrior's future."

"Do you know what I think of your Diamond Body Stage?"

Lei held his hand out.

SHING!

small bottle of pills

of your Diamond Body Stage," he

but he opened the bottle

looked at them, the more shocked he

in the entire world, aside from

best not to let anything show on his face, but deep inside, he felt like his world was breaking

a heavy

was more complex, the Bloodline Infusion or

Diamond Body only transformed one part of a body into Mana, while the Bloodline Infusion changed someone's entire body into something

1 still remembered when the Bloodline Infusion had become public knowledge and the sheer amount of work that was required

extremely advanced, invasive, and monumental procedure had been transformed into a mere bottle of

Something this fundamental.

Something this complex.

Something this advanced.

been transformed into a small bottle of

a bit of medicine. You only have to take it for a day, and you will

you think your so-called Diamond Body will be any different?" Lei

CRACK!

as

warrior is vastly different from the body of a True Path Stage warrior, and

the Diamond Body are monumentally

continued smirking

right," he said.

Diamond Body

1 did his best to keep

haven't done our research?" Lei asked. "You think we wouldn't notice the obvious drawback

more power, you lose

a tiny bit will fill all of your Mana Pathways.

about it. You have more physical power, but you

exactly

as his

1 to this degree before, but

Path could be considered to be an actual Path, but

In fact, he felt actually quite good right now since Lei

of all trades, master of none,"

as strongly as contestant 1 to