That technique should be something I can do even without having mana anymore. Especially here in the tower where the mana is so dense, I may as well give it a try. Since the mana in the reading room hasn't recovered yet I step outside and draw Blitz.

Taking the stance as shown in the book I hold Blitz in front of me, then I concentrate. It is similar to when I channel mana, but instead of pulling it into myself I am attempting to pull it to gather around the sword. It takes me a few minutes before I get the right method down and manage to coat Blitz in a thin layer of mana.

*DING*

Congratulations! You have acquired the magic skill Mana Blade!

Mana Blade

Level: 1

Casting time: 30 seconds Duration: 5 minutes

Blade Damage: Int x 0.25 Element: None

'Huh, so it doesn't cost any power but it takes thirty seconds to cast? Interesting! The mage knight training has already paid off!'

Since it turned into a skill I don't really need to practice it anymore so I return to the room and continue reading. Apparently the mana blade training normally takes a few months, my system is such a cheat! However, this allows me to continue reading instead of having to stop and practice endlessly.

The next section of the book starts describing the combat style of the mage knights. While it isn't as powerful as supreme swordsmanship it also doesn't limit the use of other weapons. In fact a lot of the techniques in this style are usable with multiple different weapons.

This is really tempting, I miss being able to use the right weapon for the situation. However, my swordsmanship has gotten really powerful, I really don't want to have to start over with a new style. Besides, I still haven't finished learning the supreme style, it still has potential to become even stronger.

Now that I have a ranged damage spell my need to use other weapons isn't as great. What I can't do with a sword I can do with magic, especially if I gain more spells as I rank up. Even if I don't, there might be other techniques I can learn from the mage knight training.

For now I think I will stick with my current style, instead of starting over adding new techniques should work just fine. Since this is only book one of ten I think it is too early to make a decision, so I continue reading. When the mana in the room is recovered I stop long enough to enchant another set of clothes, in total I have twelve outfits to enchant.

After enchanting the third outfit, I ask Yui to send me some food, to my perception it has been six hours already. As I eat I continue reading, I am already on book three, mage knights are definitely highly capable. They have a wide range of abilities allowing them to handle many different scenarios making them very versatile.

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While a lot of these abilities are not going to be of any use to me it will be a different story for beastmen. If I can get just a few dozen mage knights before the war begins it will make a huge difference. The reason being that groups of mage knights can work together to produce massive spells.

According to this twelve knights working together can invoke a spell at the archmage level. In a war I can't think of anything that would be more useful, especially area of effect spells. If twelve can cast a spell to kill hundreds, even if only once, it can easily affect the outcome of the battle.

Even just reading the various tactics the mage knights employ has helped to increase my knowledge. Learning tactics will definitely help me when it comes to leading the armies against the demons. Although this is getting quite a bit ahead of myself, it still doesn't hurt to be prepared.

When I move on to book four it starts talking about the equipment, weapons, and other tools. To my surprise it even has some of the forging techniques used to make said equipment. Since I am a blacksmith I read this section in detail instead of skipping it, but I come across something I am not familiar with.

"Yui, what's a mana crystal?"

Yui says "When mana is condensed to a certain point it turns into a solid state. This is a mana crystal."

"It says here that mana crystals can be absorbed to boost a spell, is that accurate?"

Yui says "Affirmative. A mana crystal contains too much mana to be absorbed directly so it is instead focused into a spell. It can also be used to fuel a ritual or a magical device."

"Interesting! You wouldn't happen to have any mana crystals?"

Yui says "A few. Why?"

"Well, if possible I would like to take a look at one and maybe do a few experiments."

Yui says "Mana crystals are extremely hard to obtain, while I can let you examine one please consult me before any experiments."

"Okay."

A few minutes later I can feel a mass of energy approaching, then a spite appears carrying a crystal. The crystal itself is clear like quartz but that is hard to tell because of the intense blue glow coming from it. Even from ten feet away I can feel just how powerful the crystal is, no wonder Yui doesn't want me experimenting with it.

Just at a guess if the crystal were to explode it could potentially destroy a city. Detonating one inside a tower filled with magic might just blow up the entire mountain. I was seriously underestimating how powerful a mana crystal is, all my ideas for experimenting vanish.

The crystal is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, yet I don't take it from the sprite. All I do is lean closer to examine it, with my dragon eyes I can get information on it without touching it. After examining it for a minute I can tell that this small crystal contains about a hundred thousand mana.

"Okay, you can take it back. Thank you!"

Yui says "You don't want to experiment with it?"

"No, it is far too strong. Now that I can see what it is, it is far beyond my abilities to control."

Yui says "Ash, you surprised me. I was not expecting such wisdom from you."

"Um, thanks?"

After hearing Yui chuckle I shake my head and return to my reading, to think they used mana crystals to power weapons. Now that I understand the capacity of a mana crystal I can equate the power of such weapons to my old life. A weapon fueled by a mana crystal is equivalent to a small yield nuke, and yet they lost to the demons?

"Yui, with such powerful weapons how did the empire lose to the demons?"

Yui says "When the demon gate was open the demons were able to overwhelm even the gods with numbers. How could humans compare?"

"Please tell me the demon gate is closed now?"