Though she had been told not to expect much, it seemed impossible for her to do so. This was Dohwa’s reflection as she recalled Seon-woo’s words.
Although it was early in the morning, a considerable amount of time had passed since Dohwa’s day had begun.
Under normal circumstances, she would be performing the sword dance or practicing her breathing techniques at this time.
Instead, Dohwa found herself in the sparring arena.
“How could I not expect this?”
Dohwa, brimming with excitement, eagerly awaited the start of the sparring match.
She was thrilled to see what kind of martial arts and sword techniques Seon-woo would display.
The shooting skills Seon-woo had shown on the day of the entrance ceremony were impressive.
In retrospect, they were undoubtedly a form of martial arts.
Though lacking in flashy effects, the power was undeniable. It was the first martial art Dohwa had seen.
Dohwa took pride in knowing nearly all martial arts in the world.
If there were any she didn’t know, they were either of such a low level that they were unnecessary to learn or secretive martial arts passed down discreetly.
Seon-woo’s martial arts seemed to fall into the latter category.
Therefore, Dohwa couldn’t help but be hopeful about Seon-woo’s words about a variety of skills.
She anticipated seeing a new martial art from Seon-woo once again.
“Um, but have I become too lazy?”
She wondered if she had become complacent. Skipping her morning practice just to watch a sparring match seemed like a sign of laziness.
For a moment, Dohwa doubted her own laziness but then shook her head.
“This is like a preliminary investigation. Since I’m going to recruit him soon, I need to know what kind of martial arts he possesses.”
Having justified herself, Dohwa’s lips curled into a smile once more.
“Hey, wait a minute. Isn’t that Cheon Dohwa?”
“Who? Cheon Dohwa?”
However, the crowd gathered to watch the sparring match was so large that even though she wore a mask and a hat, Dohwa couldn’t hide her identity.
As the youngest daughter of the Shingeomcheon and an incredibly beautiful woman, it was only natural that all eyes were on Dohwa.
But Dohwa didn’t mind. She was accustomed to such attention.
It wasn’t worth her concern. The ‘real’ people she needed to pay attention to were elsewhere.
“You must be here for the same reason, right? Professor Kang Tae-woo?”
Dohwa’s assessment that Professor Kang Tae-woo had come to the sparring arena to see Seon-woo was further confirmed when Seon-woo and Oh Gyeong-hyeon finally entered and the match began.
It was at that moment that Oh Gyeong-hyeon made a sudden strike.
Dohwa expressed her surprise a step behind the others.
Seon-woo’s sword technique was a form of magic swordsmanship.
Instead of using sword energy or sword techniques, it involved attribute-based magic in the swordplay.
Both sword energy and magic use mana. Therefore, using both simultaneously is impossible.
It’s like creating ice and steam from water at the same time.
Swordsmanship is categorized into techniques using sword energy and those using magic.
The former is the conventional martial art.
Today, magic swordsmanship is a deprecated form used only by mages who use swords as auxiliary weapons.
“To think I would see a mage swordsman, believed to be extinct, here.”
Dohwa thought as she observed Seon-woo blocking Oh Gyeong-hyeon’s attacks consecutively.
At that point, Dohwa still had a smile on her face.
But the smile soon vanished. It disappeared when Seon-woo began attacking Oh Gyeong-hyeon.
Seon-woo’s swordsmanship was clumsy and immature. It was below the level to be called a swordsman.
Yet, the technique was undoubtedly above average.
Dohwa knew the world’s strongest swordsmanship.
It was the Shingeomcheon’s unique martial art: the Pacheon Sword Art.
This martial art, created by Dohwa’s father, the current head of the Shingeomcheon, was unquestionably the world’s strongest sword technique.
An overwhelming victor, no other martial art could even match the Pacheon Sword Art.
Or so she thought.
‘What if I saw the extreme of that sword technique?’
Maybe. It might be able to compete with the Pacheon Sword Technique.
Dohwa was surprised by her own thoughts.
She stood up from her seat.
There was no longer any value in watching. Seon-woo would win this match.
‘Professor Kang Tae-woo seems to think the same.’
Dohwa thought while observing Professor Kang Tae-woo, who had a deep smile on his face.
Hastily, he drank the fox spirit’s blood, which he had hidden.
「Strength stat increased: 20 → 22」
「Agility stat increased: 24 → 25」
Good. The performance is reliable.
I wiped my mouth and smiled contentedly.
The fox spirit’s blood is a top-tier elixir.
The reason it’s called the top-tier elixir is that it increases stats ‘without any side effects.’
In the world of ‘Agora Academy,’ it’s common to get sick for a week from taking the wrong elixir.
Elixirs that only provide slight debuffs are considered advanced. Most elixirs cause permanent resistance to their effects after consumption.
Raising a couple of stats with cheap elixirs is trivial, but that would make it ineffective even with top-grade elixirs later.
The only way to resolve this is to use a Soul Treatment Potion.
If you have the means to get a Soul Treatment Potion, it’s more beneficial to just get another top-tier elixir.
So, in the game, I ignored elixirs below the advanced level.
The first class was swordsmanship practice.
I headed to the Combat Department’s training room.
The training room, where Oh Gyeong-hyeon had disappeared, was now pleasant.
Originally, he would be quitting like this, but this time, his crimes seemed severe enough for expulsion.
Something had changed after defeating Oh Gyeong-hyeon.
As I entered the training room, all eyes were on me.
It wasn’t uncomfortable. I had overcome people’s gazes during my trip to Gangwon-do.
Winning against Oh Gyeong-hyeon meant I could win even if I faced half of the Combat Department’s swordsmanship with a sword.
Were those gazes filled with competitive spirit or jealousy?
Professor Kang Tae-woo had said.
“Today is one-on-one sparring. You may spar with anyone you like. I will observe your skills through the sparring, so do your best.”
If it were free sparring, I would probably get a lot of requests. That would be burdensome.
My mana capacity wasn’t large enough to handle consecutive sparring matches, and there were more people I found burdensome.
Cheon Dohwa. Her eyes shining at the mention of sparring were extremely burdensome.
As I glanced at Dohwa, our eyes met.
This was problematic.
There was a voice that saved me.
“Since Seon-woo has already sparred this morning, he is exempt.”
Long live Professor Kang Tae-woo. I cheered internally.
I should have known by now.
Professors never offer favors to undergraduates for free.
I asked.
“What is this?”
“A mana potion. Drink it all.”
I knew it was a mana potion. I had seen many in the game.
But why was it being given to me?
Isn’t it worth hundreds of thousands?
“I will guide you.”
Professor Kang Tae-woo said, pulling out a training iron sword.
His eyes were lively with clear excitement. That emotion was pleasure.
I swallowed my complaints and drank the mana potion.
Guidance, my foot. He probably wanted to test the sword techniques he saw during his active days.
I tried to avoid Dohwa but ended up meeting Professor Kang Tae-woo.
Life is really something.
“That sword technique, is it specialized in defense or attack?”
“…… How can one measure the subtlety of a sword technique so easily?”
“Enough. You’ve asked a stupid question. You’ll understand once you face the sword yourself!”
With those words, the professor attacked me.
Seriously. I gathered my mana.
- Danpung Sword Technique Forward Style Front Wind.
Clang! A heavy weight, incomparable to what I felt with Oh Gyeong-hyeon, transmitted through my wrist.
Though he tried to control his strength, it was still hard to endure.
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped involuntarily. The professor’s jubilant expression didn’t fade.
“The next attack was probably coming from the left at an angle?”
- Danpung Sword Technique Left Forward Style Raised Wind.
It was barely visible.
Because you mentioned the attack path, I preemptively blocked it with my sword.
There’s no way I could keep up with Professor Kang Tae-woo’s sword.
This is due to the important feature of the Danpung Sword Technique being a magical sword skill.
Even if I don’t directly block with the sword, the wind will help to some extent.
So, what I need to do isn’t to block with the sword but to create a path for the wind to pass through with the sword.
The defensive forms of the Danpung Sword Technique are assigned to each direction for this reason.
The professor’s sword didn’t slow down.
“Aha. Now that I’ve faced it directly, I see. The Autumn Wind Sword Technique and its subtleties are quite similar.”
Isn’t it a bit too serious for a newbie?
The professor’s next attack was a straightforward frontal assault.
An attack that would achieve the highest efficiency if blocked with the front wind.
- Danpung Sword Technique Right Front Style, Galma Wind.
I tried to block the professor’s sword but failed.
The practice sword flew far away from my hand, and the professor tilted his head.
“You should have blocked that attack with the first form you learned. I struck with just the right force for that.”
I shook my aching wrist.
The professor’s recent attack was from the front. Although it was a front wind defense, he couldn’t use the front wind himself.
It was a limitation of the Danpung Sword Technique.
“… That’s the kind of sword technique it is. Please understand.”
“Hmm.”
After using a defensive form, it cannot be reused until three seconds have passed or until another three forms are performed.
Also, attacks coming from a specific direction can only be blocked with the form of that direction and the two adjacent forms.
For example, an attack coming from the front can only be blocked with the Front Style’s Front Wind, the Left Front Style’s Dwindling Wind, or the Right Front Style’s Galma Wind.
So, if all three forms are used and another attack comes from the front, what should I do?
Well, mix in some attack forms or side forms, or adjust my body to 45 degrees to block with a different form.
The professor nodded vaguely and pointed to the practice sword that had flown far away.
“Pick it up. This time, you attack.”
Really now. Are you not satisfied yet?
I grumbled inwardly and went to pick up the sword.
“Come at me.”
At the professor’s signal, I gathered my magical power.
- Danpung Sword Technique First Form, Sil Wind.
My body floated slightly and flew toward the professor.
A fast attack aimed at the professor’s neck, but it seemed like slow motion to him.
After a brief clash of swords with the professor, I moved past him.
The wide use of the battlefield is a feature of the Danpung Sword Technique.
However, the professor spoke in a dissatisfied tone.
“No. Not this. The magic you used to escape Hellfire Magic, remember?”
The professor seemed to be referring to the Fourth Form, Touching Wind, which is also a limitation of the Danpung Sword Technique.
You cannot use later forms from the beginning.
You must start with Sil Wind and gradually move up step by step.
Though later, with more skill, you might skip several steps, but not now.
I stopped my attack and looked at the professor with a sullen expression.
Professor Kang Tae-woo’s face showed a consoling expression, as if feeling sorry for his disappointment.
“No. What’s wrong?”
“Ju Zha said: ‘People all want to reach high places, but they do not think of stepping up from low places.’”
“Everyone thinks of reaching high places, but they don’t consider stepping up from low places. How can you rush for swift and fierce peaks in battle?”
[Scholar rate change: 10%! (Valid Opinion!) (Current Scholar Rate: 100%)]
Professor Kang Tae-woo fidgeted with his mouth and said.
“Ah, sorry.”
“I will try again.”
- Danpung Sword Technique First Form, Sil Wind.
I continued the practice at a slightly slower pace than before.
***
“Ugh…”
A powerless, dropping sound from a woman’s lips.
In that strangely crawling voice, a friend might have said something, but no one paid any attention to the woman.
“Really… so cool.”
The words were spoken with a voice that was barely audible, her head bowed low.
As if accustomed to indifference, the woman fidgeted with her hands, waiting for everyone to leave the training ground.
The training ground where Seon-woo and Oh Gyeong-hyeon had their match.
The woman stayed there alone, reflecting on the recent scene.
‘He was definitely the one who caught the Torong at the entrance ceremony.’
A strong man. But today, he appeared even more upright in character.
The way he calmly expressed his thoughts without being overwhelmed in front of so many people.
Some might say it’s all an act and click their tongues, while others might criticize him for being self-righteous.
But the man she had just seen seemed completely unaffected by such things.
‘His name was definitely Jo Seon-woo… It would be presumptuous for someone like me to even look up to him.’
“I also… want to become like him…”
In the empty training room, she voiced her aspirations in a barely audible whisper.
For her, even this required immense courage.
At that moment, the woman clutched her chest with her right hand.
“Ugh…”
After finishing her words, she clenched her teeth and remained like that for a while.
How many seconds passed? The woman exhaled the breath she had been holding and spoke inwardly.
‘I will never let you take control of me…!’
Only then did the demon residing in her heart become quiet.
The woman felt the pain fade and stood up from her seat.
The woman’s name was Freya Andersen.
While Seon-woo remained unaware, the main story was steadily progressing.
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