Author's Note

  Hello, dear readers! ??

  Thank you so much for reading up to this point—I truly appreciate your support!

  There are a few important updates I'd like to share:

  Title Change:This series was originally titled Sword Saint and Demon Lord of Insanity, but I’ve updated it to A Myth Reborn: Sword Saint and Demon Lord of Insanity to better reflect the story’s themes and tone going forward.

  Story Revisions + New Schedule:I’ve decided to go back and rewrite some earlier chapters to improve pacing, crity, and character development. Because of that, I’ll be publishing three chapters a week moving forward to keep the story evolving while enhancing what’s already been written.Feedback Welcome:Your thoughts, suggestions, and corrections help me grow as a writer. If you have any feedback, please feel free to leave a comment—don’t hesitate to share anything that comes to mind!

  Once again, thank you so much for reading.

  Let’s continue this journey together.

  – The Author, Kelvin

  Chapter 22: The Breath of Mana

  The cold, stony silence of the dungeon room wrapped around Alicia like a bnket. Dust hung zily in the still air, barely disturbed as she closed the thick, timeworn book with a soft thud. It was the st page.

  She exhaled, a whisper escaping her lips. “So... this is magic.”

  Her eyes, silver-blue in the dim light, flicked across the room as she mentally summarised the contents. Magic is the art of changing mana's physical and chemical state, the most basic form of matter in this world. Like energy... malleable if willed.

  Mana. The invisible current threads through all things. According to the book, one could not simply command it. There had to be a bridge—a connection between the body and the ethereal flow of mana in the world.

  “To wield it,” Alicia murmured, “you need a medium. A go-between.”

  She stood and stretched slightly, her muscles tense from hours of reading. Her bck hair flowed behind her like a silk curtain as she crossed the room, boots tapping lightly on the stone floor.

  “There’s a method humans in this world use to absorb mana,” she said aloud, more to herself than anyone. "Mana Crystals. That’s the key.”

  She crouched by the old wooden chest in the corner of the room, its hinges creaking in protest as she pried it open. Inside, a collection of items y quietly, forgotten tools of long-dead adventurers or mages. Her fingers touch split rings, earrings embedded with dull gems, a silver sword with a worn leather grip, and a pair of soft, well-crafted boots.

  She slipped them on without hesitation. “…Soft,” she whispered in a just and testing their feel. “I’m sorry, whoever these belong to. I’ll borrow them for now. Thank you”

  As she searched further, something caught her eye—a smaller, pin wooden box tucked in the back corner. She lifted the lid gently.

  Inside was a crystal, no rger than her fist. It was pure bck. Not glossy, not faceted—just raw, dense darkness, unassuming and quiet.

  “A mana crystal,” she murmured, lifting it to the light. “Smaller than my fist. Probably... a common type.”

  She returned to the table and retrieved the book once more, flipping back to the section on mana awakening. The process was simple in theory: hold the crystal near your heart, focus on it, and slowly allow the mana to flow inward.

  “Easy to say,” Alicia said, sitting down on the old wooden chair. “The problem is not the process… It’s choosing the right crystal.”

  She recalled what the book had said. Crystals came in many types:

  Common: used by everyday people to cast the simplest spells.

  Refined: more stable, used by low-tier mages.

  Rare: for the nobility and skilled casters.

  Epic, Legendary, Mythical... and beyond that, Transcendent and Primordial.

  Each tier denoted the density and purity of the mana. The more potent, the more dangerous—and powerful.

  Crystals formed naturally in areas saturated with mana: dungeons, byrinths, and monster cores. The denser the mana, the more potent the crystal.

  But absorbing was only half the equation. “A body can only hold so much mana,” she recalled. “It depends on physical condition, affinity, and bloodline.”

  Some ancient bloodlines had such high affinity that their very cells stored mana naturally—no crystal needed. But they were extinct now… or so people believed.

  She clutched the bck crystal to her chest, just above her heart, and closed her eyes.

  The world dimmed.

  She focused. The crystal felt cool at first, almost like gss… but then, she felt something else. A slow warmth, like ink dissolving in water. A faint hum began deep within her chest.

  Her breath slowed.

  The warmth deepened… spreading like roots through her torso and her limbs. It wasn’t burning. It was calm. Still. Like the stillness before snowfall.

  Her head slowly drooped, the exhaustion of the day catching up to her. Her arms sckened, still holding the crystal. Her cheek rested against the desk, the ancient book serving as her pillow.

  The dungeon remained silent.

  Alicia slept, face serene, framed by the waterfall of her bck hair. Eyes closed. Lips slightly parted.

  A small, quiet breath. And in her chest, the first threads of mana began to weave their way through her.

  ...She dreamed.

  A warm glow bathed the living room, golden lights twinkling like stars strung across the walls and Christmas tree. The air smelled of cinnamon, baked sweets, and roast chicken. The tree stood proudly in one corner—tall, full, and glittering with ornaments shaped like snowfkes, reindeer, and stars. Red and gold ribbons spiralled around it like a garnd and underneath were neatly wrapped presents stacked in cheerful disarray.

  Soft jazz carols pyed from a nearby speaker, barely audible over the ughter and ctter of dishes from the kitchen. Inside, two women—Mirei’s mother and Alicia’s—chatted and worked, their voices blending with the bubbling of stew and the sharp, satisfying sound of a knife dicing vegetables. The warmth from the oven spread across the house.

  In the living room, the two fathers sat side by side on the couch, mugs of cocoa in hand, watching their daughters py near the tree.

  “Look, Papa!” Mirei beamed as she lined up small, hand-wrapped gifts beside the tree. “I made these for Alicia!”

  Alicia, slightly younger, had both hands pressed down on a red balloon, trying to keep it on the ground as it stubbornly bounced back up. Her bck hair swayed with her movements, and a stubborn pout settled on he tiny face.

  “Mirei!” Alicia called back. “What do you want for Christmas?”

  Mirei blinked, then tilted her head with a cheeky grin. “I asked first!”

  Alicia didn’t look up, still chasing the balloon. “Hmm… I want a big car! Super fast and cool!”

  Laughter bubbled from the living room.

  “Oh dear,” Mirei’s father chuckled. “Your Mirei treats Alicia like a wife, and Alicia acts like the goofy husband.”

  “Haha! That’s so true,” Alicia’s dad said, eyes warm with amusement. “They’re inseparable.”

  The two girls kept pying. Alicia crouched lower, trying to push the balloon harder—and then with a loud POP, it burst in a fsh of red rubber.

  Startled by the sound, Alicia tumbled forward, lost her bance, and nded on the floor with a soft thud. Her head hit the carpet with just enough force to sting.

  “Ow…”

  Her lower lip trembled. Her big grey eyes filled with tears.

  The room froze for a moment.

  Then chaos.

  “Oh no—!”

  “Alicia!”

  Both mothers came rushing out of the kitchen. The fathers leaned forward, concern on their faces.

  But before anyone else could reach her, Mirei was already kneeling by Alicia, arms fpping like a panicked little chick. She patted Alicia’s head gently, stroking her hair like a mother hen calming her baby.

  “There, there, it’s okay!” Mirei said, almost teary herself. “You’re okay, right? Baby chick’s okay!”

  Alicia hiccupped, tears in her shes, but she leaned into Mirei’s little embrace.

  “…It hurt,” she mumbled.

  “I know! But you’re brave. You didn’t cry too much. See?” Mirei whispered, holding Alicia tightly. “I’ll give you all your gifts early, okay? Just be okay.”

  Their parents watched a mixture of smiles and teary eyes on their faces.

  “She’s treating her like her most precious treasure,” Alicia’s mother whispered.

  “She is, isn’t she?” her father replied softly.

  And for a moment, the world was perfect—full of warmth, light, and ughter.

  …The dream faded gently. Warm lights blinked out one by one. The scent of cinnamon and roast vanished like mist. Mirei's tiny hands, still cradling Alicia’s head, dissolved into shadows.

  And then—

  Crunch.

  Alicia stirred.

  Her cheek was pressed to something soft and damp. Her mouth chewed reflexively.

  “…Wait…”

  She blinked awake, slowly lifting her head from the table. Her bck hair slid forward like ink, a few strands sticking to her cheek. Her fingers were still curled around the bck mana crystal, now dim. The book she had been reading…

  “Did I seriously start chewing on the book…?” she muttered.

  A soggy bite mark was visible on the corner of the parchment.

  “Oh god,” Alicia groaned, rubbing her eyes. “I’m starving.”

  Her stomach grumbled in protest, loud and raw. She winced and held her midsection spilte arm.

  “Absorbing the crystal made it worse… It’s like I haven’t eaten in days…” she muttered. “I have to find food, fast. Or I’ll end up gnawing on a table next.”

  With a grunt, Alicia stood up,grand crystalng slightly before steadying herself.

  She spotted the silver sword in the chest and picked it up. It was light but finely banced, and the metal shimmered faintly in the dungeohaddull light. She tucked it into her belt and gnced around, gathering her thoughts.

  Then, something stirred in her chest. A faint pulse.

  Thump.

  Near my heart…?

  She paused. The crystal?

  “Oh. Mana crystal. I absorbed it, didn’t I?”

  She could feel something faintly swirling inside her, like a gentle tide moving through her veins.

  “Mana flow…” she murmured. “So this is what it feels like…”

  Turning back to the chest, she spotted several scrolls tucked neatly in the corner. Without hesitation, she grabbed them and stuffed them into the folds of her cloak. She then noticed the ring and the single earring. Both looked unassuming—silver, minimal, worn from time—but she slipped the ring on her right hand and fastened the earring on her left ear.

  The change was immediate.

  The ring pulsed. A faint heat spread from her finger to her chest. She could feel mana flowing—being drawn from her core, through her heart, then outward to the ring like a circuit being completed.

  “Woah…” Alicia whispered, staring at the glowing gem in the ring. “It's pulling mana… refining it?”

  Then, as she continued to gather items, her hand brushed the wooden chest again.

  It glowed.

  A pulse of light flowed from the chest into the ring like water being siphoned.

  “...Eh?”

  She stepped back, startled.

  The chest dissolved into particles of light and disappeared.

  “…Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Is this…?”

  Her eyes widened.

  “No way…”

  She concentrated—and with a brief shimmer of thought, the chest appeared again, materializing beside her.

  “A storage ring?!”

  A smile, rare and small, curled at the corners of her lips.

  “This is… perfect.”

  With almost childish delight, Alicia began sweeping everything into the ring. The books, the scrolls, the remaining tools, the boots she had taken off earlier, even the furniture—she packed it all away. Neatly. Efficiently. The cloak she had been using? They went into the ring,, too. All that remained with her now was her sword in hand, the ring on her finger, and a faint spark of hunger still grumbling in her belly.

  She exhaled slowly.

  "Now… I’m ready."

  Alicia turned, eyes sharp again. The coldness returned to her face like a mask sliding into pce, but her steps were steady, composed, and determined. She gripped the sword at her side, the faint whisper of mana still flowing gently through her veins.

  The dungeon door loomed ahead, ancient and silent.

  With one final breath, Alicia moved forward—toward the unknown, the surface, and survival.

  After stepping out of the wooden door, Alicia hesitated. Was it really okay to take things from someone else's room?

  She didn’t even know whose it was. But what choice did she have?

  The summoning circle had been outside that room—so surely, it had to be connected. The one who summoned her, whoever they were, must be reted to that room and the belongings inside.

  “I’ll return them ter,” she muttered under her breath, tightening her grip on the items she’d borrowed. “First… I need food. After that, I’ll come back and search this pce properly.”

  Her gaze shifted toward the other door in the summoning chamber. Like the st, it was made of wood, but this one was framed with stone and noticeably rger. She pushed it open.

  A long hallway stretched out before her, carved from dull grey stone. It was dim, lit faintly by torches mounted on the walls—no, not torches. They were mana-ced constructs. She could see it now—an aura radiating from each one, thspiltf mana wrapping around the fixtures in shimmering waves.

  Ever since she absorbed that bck magic crystal, Alicia had begun to see mana. Not just sense it, but visualize it—the way it clung to encand hanted objects, the way it gathered, flowed, and pulsed like a living current.

  She walked forward in silence, boots soft on the cool stone floor.

  Then, she reached into her storage ring and pulled out one of the scrolls she'd taken earlier. Unrolling it carefully, her eyes nded on a single word: Thunder.

  "A spell scroll," she murmured.

  The method was simple: tear the scroll, and its knowledge would imprint itself into her mind. No chanting. No studying. Just… pain.

  She inhaled sharply—and tore it.

  A sudden jolt of agony struck her skull like a hammer. Alicia staggered, clutching her head as the spell's knowledge forced itself into her brain.

  Thunder. A high-level lightning-element spell. Known for its overwhelming destructive force—but its accuracy was unreliable. Powerful, yes, but unstable. More refined techniques like Thunderbolt or Discharge were preferred for precision. Still, in raw power, few compared.

  Alicia raised her hand instinctively, speaking the ancient incantation under her breath.

  A fierce crackle answered her call. Electricity surged into her palm, a writhing sphere of white-blue lightning forming at her fingertips. Its light danced along the stone walls, casting jagged shadows behind her.

  And then—it vanished.

  The mana it required had drained her dry.

  “…Out of mana,” she whispered, shaking her empty hand. Her body felt hollow, the st remnants of her magical energy consumed by a single invocation.

  But she had learned something. Her lips curled faintly.

  Thunder... Not bad.

  Alicia moved deeper down the hallway, her steps echoing softly against the cold stone floor. Another door awaited her at the end—wooden like the others, but this one was reinforced with metal edges, tarnished and rusted by time. It was rger than the rest, and half of it hung broken on its hinges.

  She entered cautiously.

  The scent of dust and decay hit her first, then came the sight—spider webs.

  They coated everything. Thick, white strands stretched across the room like a burial shroud. Hollow shells of old spiders dangled from the ceiling, their husks eerily still.

  Alicia narrowed her eyes, her senses sharp. She could feel it.

  Mana.

  Behind her—something small stirred.

  She turned on instinct.

  A white spider, no rger than a child's fist, stepped into the flickering torchlight. Its body was round and glossy, almost absurdly so, glinting softly in the dim glow. Eight red eyes blinked at her with eerie intelligence. Embedded in its tiny back—just between the eyes—was a crimson crystal. It shimmered faintly with mana.

  The same one, she thought. The spider I saw when I first woke up here.

  The creature studied her. Its eight legs tapped slowly across the stone floor, its gaze sweeping over her—judging her. Alicia didn’t move. She simply stood there—calm, cold, silent. Then, slowly, she extended a hand.

  The spider hesitated. One step back. Its small legs quivered.

  But it didn’t run.

  This time was different.

  Before Alicia could take another step, a low growl echoed behind her—a sound that didn't belong to the small spider.

  A threat.

  She turned.

  Too te.

  A ball of glowing green acid was flying toward her.

  In an instant, the small spider lunged forward, tugging fiercely at her robe with surprising strength. Alicia was yanked sideways, crashing to the ground just as the acid ball struck where she had stood.

  HISSSSSSSS.

  The stone floor sizzled and cracked under the acid, a bubbling crater left behind.

  “...Phew.” Alicia exhaled, gncing at the small spider beside her. “Thanks, little guy.”

  But there was no time to rest.

  A spider entered the room—much rger than the first. Six thick legs skittered across the stone as it approached, its white carapace gleaming, its two front limbs raised like sickles—long, sharp, and ready to kill.

  Alicia rolled to the side as the monster lunged, the bded legs slicing through the air. She hit the ground and sprang up in one motion, silver sword in hand. She looked once at the small spider and gave a nod.

  The little spider responded, puffing out a breath and nodding back as if understanding.

  The giant spider charged.

  Its heavy body crashed forward, but—

  THWIP.

  The monster jerked to a stop. Its legs tangled and slipped.

  Webs.

  The small spider had id a trap. The giant creature colpsed face-first into the stone with a massive thud.

  Alicia didn’t hesitate.

  She dashed forward, bde aimed for the beast’s head—but the monster thrashed wildly, and her strike only pierced its side. Her sword sank into the thick white shell near its shoulder. Purple blood spurted, and the beast let out a hiss of rage.

  It filed.

  The small spider was flung across the room with a sharp thud, its tiny body striking the wall and falling motionless.

  Alicia hit the ground as well, the hilt of her sword slipping from her grasp. She looked up—legs raised above her. The spider loomed, its sickle limbs poised to strike.

  Her heart pounded.

  She inhaled.

  Deep.

  Her hands came together.

  And she called upon the st embers of her mana.

  “—Thunder.”

  Lightning bloomed between her palms, a glowing ball of white-blue fury.

  She fired.

  The spell struck the monster’s underbelly—BOOM—tearing a hole straight through its abdomen. Purple blood gushed out in waves as its shriek echoed across the chamber. The spider’s eyes dulled, and its body shuddered—

  Then fell.

  Limp. Heavy. Dead.

  Alicia y there in the silence, breath heavy, hands trembling. The smell of burned flesh and ozone filled the air.

  Her first spell.

  Her first kill.

  Alicia staggered backwards, her chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.

  The giant spider’s corpse y still, the hole in its body smoking faintly, purple blood oozing into the cold stone. The dungeon was quiet again, save for the distant crackle of the torchlight.

  Her limbs trembled.

  She had nothing left—not a drop of mana, not an ounce of strength.

  But she couldn’t colpse yet.

  Her gaze turned toward the small white spider slumped against the far wall. She pushed herself to her feet and limped over, cradling the soft creature in her arms. It was warm, breathing shallowly, but alive.

  Just unconscious.

  She exhaled. “You did well.”

  As she set the little spider beside her, her senses fred.

  Mana…

  She turned back to the monster’s body.

  Its flesh began to shimmer, breaking down into golden dust—like scattered stardust dissolving into the air. From its chest, one thing remained: a single glowing mana crystal.

  Pale red. Pure. Pulsing.

  She approached, slowly, kneeling beside it. She reached out—

  And the moment her fingers touched it, a shadow spilled from her hand.

  A thick bck fog.

  It shed outward like a living thing, coiling tightly around the crystal and—

  Devoured it.

  The crystal vanished, consumed in an instant. Alicia’s blue eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat.

  And then—

  Warmth spread through her core.

  It wasn’t mana. Not exactly.

  It was... satisfaction.

  The gnawing emptiness in her stomach, the hunger she have noticed growing since she absorbed the bck crystal—it vanished. As if she’d just eaten a full meal.

  She looked at her hand. Nothing remained.

  No crystal. No fog.

  Just... silence.

  She stood, quietly, the strange warmth still lingering in her chest.

  One crystal.

  One monster.

  And yet... it had fed her. Not just her magic. Something deeper.

  Something inside her had changed.

  [Chapter End]