"One!"

A sword strike came from the side, which Martín managed to block with his one-handed sword.

"Two!"

A second attack came almost immediately, cutting diagonally downward. Martín took a step back and dodged the sword.

"Three!"

A third horizontal attack struck Martín's sword violently, making it shake on the spot. Old Alan had performed a half-turn to increase the power of the attack.

"Four!"

A kick hit Martín's right rib, breaking his stance.

THUD.

Old Alan struck Martín in the chest with the hilt of the sword.

"Cough cough cough!" Martín lay on the ground, coughing violently.

"You focused too much on my sword and forgot that I can use my limbs."

"Just... a... lapse..." Martín was covered in bruises and sweat, having been training all morning.

"A swordsman must consider all possibilities, you must observe and analyze your opponent carefully."

Old Alan extended his hand toward Martín.

"Master Alan, when will I be able to use my ability?"

"It's not time yet; you need to learn the basics on your own. Your body needs to feel and get used to these stimuli; you must understand the essence. You are forbidden from using your ethereal ability until I allow it." Old Alan looked with a satisfied smile at Martín’s wrist.

In recent days, the young man with dark hair had moved to the tavern and was living next to the food storage. He studied in the mornings and practiced swordplay at noon. In the afternoon, he worked at the tavern, and at night, he had free training. Martín used this time to train his ethereal soul by wandering through the strange world within himself.

On the other hand, he wore an unusual device on his wrist, composed of ancient symbols—or at least that’s what Martín thought. It was imbued with ether and functioned to suppress his ability by interrupting the connection between his ethereal soul and mind. If he tried to use the ability, he felt a sharp headache that prevented him from concentrating and continuing to use it.

"I understand, master." Martín got into position and raised his sword with his right hand.

"Here I come!"

Slash.

The former knight’s sword grazed Martín’s side.

Clank.

A clash of swords resonated throughout the combat arena.

Clank.

A second exchange took place in the next breath.

Clank Clank Clank.

A flurry of attacks was repelled by Martín’s sword. He kept up with the speed and fluidity of Old Alan, who attacked relentlessly, trying to overwhelm his opponent.

Thud.

Martín blocked the incoming kick by raising his knee to chest height.

"You’re improving, kid!" the white-haired man shouted with excitement, seeing his student's progress.

The exchange of attacks continued for the next hour. Martín was always on the defensive, trying to read Old Alan, who feinted and attacked with quick, powerful blows to break the boy’s stance.

"Today, I broke your stance 30 times."

"I’m improving," Martín responded in a subdued tone.

"Yesterday you broke my stance 32 times, and we've been training like this for a week. I have zero talent with a sword," the young man reflected to himself with a hint of self-loathing.

"This isekai is crap. No special gift, divine blessing, supernatural talent, or anything like that. I’m just a damned NPC you can find anywhere."

"I’ll never stop being a mere puppet for others’ amusement." Martín looked up at the sky and sighed deeply, feeling dejected for being so "average" and not standing out in anything.

During these training days, he realized that the ceiling he had touched was very low. Old Alan defeated him without breaking a sweat; his skills were on a completely different level, and it was impossible to land a hit. As if adding fuel to the fire, the previous day, a colleague of the former knight had come and brought his 15-year-old son, who was starting out as a knight. The boy wiped the floor with Martín in the blink of an eye.

"You have many openings, foreigner. Your grip tends to be unstable at times, your gaze focuses too much on the sword, and you easily lose sight of the bigger picture. You overthink when fighting."

"While it’s good to analyze and think about your moves, your body needs to learn on its own and act accordingly. Valuable seconds are lost thinking about the next action, and your tempo slows down, always staying a step behind in every exchange."

Martín looked at the floor despondently in response to the criticism. He didn’t feel bad about what his master said, but he was aware of these flaws and couldn’t correct them in a short time.

"Today we’ll open at night, foreigner, so take the afternoon off and don’t overexert yourself. Rest is also part of training." Old Alan patted Martín on the back and set him free.

The former knight looked at Martín with some concern. The boy wasn’t skilled, but he wasn’t useless either. He was in the middle, and with proper guidance, he could gradually improve. However, there was something troubling about the young man because he trained like a madman, seeking to advance quickly. Old Alan had seen similar cases in the past, and most ended up broken or deviated from their path.

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"You can do it, kid," Old Alan whispered quietly while praying for his well-being.

It was an unspoken rule among knights not to meddle in apprentices’ personal affairs; they had to rely on themselves and grow at their own pace. Masters were merely guides on their path, not the answers to their problems. Ether had its mysteries, and one of them was the "consciousness" it seemed to possess. If a mortal lost the individuality that defined them, ether would stop responding and abandon that individual. On the other hand, only gods could interfere and impose their ideals on mortals.

Days flew by, and Martín gradually improved his sword skill. His stance was broken less frequently, and his speed of thought and reaction showed notable improvements.

"Mrs. Teresa, I didn’t understand that part."

"I see, this is a fairly common problem. Did you confuse the meaning of these words?"

"Exactly."

Martín sat in a wooden chair in front of a chalkboard full of words. He was in grammar class, and Mrs. Teresa was teaching him to read and write. Although he could speak and understand people without using his ability, reading and writing were different matters, so learning this was essential before anything else.

Alice looked at the chalkboard with boredom. She had learned to read and write since she was little. However, she wasn’t good at math or history, so Martín had forced her to attend classes. He wanted a companion who would suffer along with him.

"Very well, you’re learning quickly. I don’t think grammar classes will last more than a month."

"Although I look like this, I was a standout university student in engineering," Martín praised himself mentally while listening to Mrs. Teresa’s compliments.

"Well, foreigner, I need you to solve these grammar problems in your free time and submit them next week. Now it’s time to learn history and about our world."

"That’s fine, Mrs. Teresa."

The woman nodded in response and took a book from her bag to start the class.

"Mr. Alan informed me that you are completely ignorant of the world. He said you grew up in a village on the outskirts of the nation and have been wandering from place to place in recent years."

"Yes, I’m quite ignorant about it."

"I understand, Mr. Foreign. Since you’re training to enter the world of knighthood, we’ll start with the basics regarding the topic."

"Do you know the ranking system?" The mature-looking woman with short hair glanced between her two students to see if they knew anything about it.

"I don’t know anything," Martín said immediately.

"And you, Miss Alice?"

"Well, just a few like apprentice, fighter, master."

"Very well, ranks are a way to measure individuals' strength. It’s a system created and perfected throughout history. The origins of this classification are unclear, but its results are not in doubt."

"Therefore, its reliability is taken for granted and is used openly throughout the world."

Martín straightened in his seat and began to pay attention. The grammar class had been very boring, and he had been yawning frequently.

"Finally, reliable information," Martín secretly rejoiced without showing it on his face.

He had spent weeks gathering unreliable information in the slums. He knew very little about the powers of this world. On the other hand, his friend Alice, having grown up on the streets after her father's death, also knew little about it.

"As mentioned by the lady, those who follow the path of the sword have a system composed of 9 ranks. The first three are apprentice, fighter, and master."

"The path of the sword focuses on oneself and beliefs. Knights advance by meeting certain conditions that the ether itself imposes."

"What are these conditions? We don’t know exactly, but we have a rough idea for most of them thanks to the pioneers who left behind their knowledge."

Martín stared ahead, lost in his thoughts. He hadn’t understood anything of the explanation.

"What is she talking about? It sounds like some self-improvement course sold for $1000," a trace of disbelief appeared on his face.

Mrs. Teresa noticed Martín’s look and smiled in response.

"Next is the path of magic, which focuses on facts and logic. They study the world and try to reach the truth, which varies according to the individual."

"Unlike the path of the sword, which leans towards the abstract, the path of magic is concrete. Observe and draw your own conclusions."

Mrs. Teresa extended her hand forward, and a blue sphere composed of water began to form slowly. As seconds passed, it spun faster and grew in

size until it reached the size of a football.

"As you can see, I imposed my will on the environment, and the ether responded by shaping to my desires."

"Honestly, it’s not a big deal. Rumor has it that the archmage of the royal family can make a thousand of these spheres in the blink of an eye." Mrs. Teresa dispersed the water sphere in the air without leaving a trace.

Alice watched the woman’s palm attentively, showing little surprise. She had a vague idea about magic and had seen similar things in the past.

"How did she do that!" Martín exclaimed with excitement, not realizing he was shouting.

He hadn’t paid much attention to the girl named S’wei last time, but now, faced with the urgency to become stronger and escape the grasp of that "being," he saw a unique opportunity.

"I imposed my will on the environment, or in other words, I ordered the ether to act according to my desires. However, there are limits to what I can do and what I cannot. The lower your rank, the harder it is to impose your will, and the burden on your body increases significantly."

Martín calmed down and listened attentively to each word from Mrs. Teresa. It felt like he was back in university, or at least that’s how the young man felt.

"The path of magic is composed of 9 ranks, the first three being natural, whole, and rational. I am at the third rank called 'rational.'"

Martín was lost in his thoughts, reflecting on what had happened. He felt that perhaps the path of magic was more suitable for someone like him, who always inclined towards logic.

"Once both paths are introduced, we’ll move to the next part."

The book that had been set aside was picked up again by Mrs. Teresa.

"Regardless of the path you choose, there are conditions that are absolute for any individual."

"Individuality is everything. If you lose what defines you as a person, the ether will abandon you."

"There may be multiple concepts, but their essential characteristics will never be repeated."

"Ether is eternal and unchanging. Do not manipulate it recklessly or it will punish you."

"Having said the main points, we will move on to the important part."

"There are 3 souls according to those who follow the path of the sword, or 3 bodies according to the path of magic. These are the physical body, which is the outermost and is the armor of each of us. The path of the sword places special emphasis on this body as it interacts directly with the world. Thus, techniques, strength, and other things related to the sword begin with this."

"Next is the spiritual body, closely related to the mind and knowledge. The path of magic believes that each person’s individuality lies in this body and thus it is the one that is most studied and trained throughout their lives."

"Finally, we have the ethereal body, deep within our being. Here lie each person’s experiences and desires; it is a mysterious and unknown realm that varies greatly from person to person. It is closely related to ether and the individual’s will."

"The balance between these 3 bodies is essential for anyone seeking the truth. Additionally, ether will require certain conditions to be met to allow rank advancement and increase your authority over it."

"Basically, does the ether recognize you as you fulfill its will?"

"Interesting comment; it’s one way to look at it."

Martín was deeply thinking about what had been said and was carefully digesting each word.

"I’m an idiot. I can see my problem at a glance. Damn isekai and its unclear rules." The young man smiled slightly and continued listening to Mrs. Teresa’s lecture.

Hours passed, and the class came to an end. Alice’s brain felt fried, and she looked at the chalkboard with vacant eyes. The history of ether, the ranking system, the types of bodies, the greater will of the medium, the knowledge left by pioneers— it was too much for a girl who grew up in a marginal neighborhood and was devoted to music.

"It was like Calculus IV," Martín said with a satisfied smile, feeling his head heated from the newly acquired knowledge.

"Calcu-what?" replied Alice, glancing sideways at the enthusiastic Martín. She found it hard to believe he had understood everything.

"Nothing, Alice. Let’s go get some food before my training starts."

"Alright... Martín..." The sparkle returned to the girl’s eyes, and she quickly stood up with a mischievous smile.

"Shh! I told you not to say it out loud!"

"It’s just us, Martín. What are you worried about?"

"Tch!" Martín frowned and walked out the door quickly.

"Hehe, what a grump," Alice said quietly as she watched the young man’s back.