episode_0070

There was an empty lot behind the mansion. It wasn’t that wide, but it was wide enough for two people to clash swords, so it was practical. However, the vacant lot blended in a bit awkwardly with the landscape of the mansion, so it didn’t seem like it had been designed from the time the mansion was built.

“Are you good at using a sword?”

the chairman asked.

I can’t write well. The sword was always slower than imagined and less powerful than the mind. But I couldn’t speak honestly in front of my opponent. Although the match was a provocation, it was now a kind of pride. It was a fight he should not have lost, not because the opponent was a fellow sword user, but simply because he was Cha Ha-neul’s grandfather.

“Use it well.”

“Confidence is good, but…”

The chairman clicked his tongue and shook his head. It was obvious psychological warfare, but I couldn’t help but feel angry.

“If you’re that confident, it would be nice to see it. I’m not good at it. It’s not like I want to beat the old man.”

I was irritated when I heard people back off after provoking me. I know very well that Cha Ha-neul’s personality is hereditary. Of course, that doesn’t mean Cha Ha-neul is annoying. It’s not that it’s not like that at all, but it’s probably a complaint that has nothing to do with the current situation.

The chief secretary brought me a D-class sword that he had brought from home.

“It was a good idea to bring it, right?”

“Ah yes…….”

The voice is kind, but this person is also in the same situation. Since I had brought a sword with me, I began to suspect that the current confrontation had been planned. I suddenly became anxious. However, I couldn’t give it up now.

I took a deep breath and shook off the tension. The chairman stood leisurely while he took his stance and aimed his sword. There was no equipment.

The chairman, perhaps sensing the questioning gaze, smiled softly.

“Do you know that your achievements when you are young depend on how you control your blood? To bend when you need to bend, to avoid when you need to avoid, and to hold your breath when you need to hold your breath. Those are the abilities you need when you are young.”

But you can only get what others allow you to get.

When the chairman touched the bracelet, a clicking sound was heard and black smoke came out. A split second of blinking your eyes. Daily clothes were replaced with equipment. A system message appeared following the gaze, indicating the name and grade of the item. Each one was the price of one small building. The appearance was changed to match the fit. It was an area of ignorance. I have no idea how much money it would have cost. It was difficult to even guess what kind of power it might have had.

The tip of the sword trembled in a sense of desperation. Cha Ha-neul, who is not here now, somehow felt distant.

“If it is important to act according to the situation, when would now be the time?”

The system was manipulated without an answer.

A confrontation message popped up.

[Do Yu-geon vs. Cha Seong-taek]

[Location – 71 World Earth]

[Non-lethal mode]

[No item limit]

[No skill restrictions]

[External spectators allowed]

[No trespassing during confrontation]

[Specify space]

A line was drawn on the outskirts of the vacant lot.

“How can I use it if I can’t see the situation?”

The chairman clicked his tongue as he spoke.

The countdown has begun.

5.

Unable to endure the constant ridicule, one word came out.

“Then why don’t you strike a pose when you change clothes? I think it would suit you very well.”

It was two words.

4.

At those words, the chairman lowered the sword he was aiming at and looked at the chief secretary.

“Do you know what joke that is?”

3.

“It means that you should die quickly because it is your best bet when you get old. The clothing is about what you will wear when you die, and the pose is not a mockery.”

That wasn’t what I meant.

0.

[start]

“Is this interpretation correct?”

“Huh… Do I have to get cursed at in my face at this age? Tsk.”

The chairman threw his sword forward. Swords worth a building were lying around haphazardly.

The countdown was over, but the vacant lot was immersed in silence. I’m very embarrassed.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Is my interpretation wrong?

“Yes… that is…”

I continued to think about where I should start explaining to resolve the misunderstanding. The confrontation is not important now. Even if he looks like that, he is Cha Ha-neul’s grandfather. Nothing good comes from looking bad.

I lowered the sword I was aiming awkwardly.

The chairman looked at me with disapproval.

“No? Do kids these days curse to your face and pretend not to notice?”

“It was like that with us too.”

“That’s not what we’re talking about now, is it?”

“Still, since you are not a party, it would be right to hear the explanation. Was my interpretation wrong?”

The chairman’s gaze was so intense that I broke into a cold sweat. I looked at the chief secretary, avoiding eye contact.

“Yes. I compared it to something related to magical girls, but I misunderstood.”

“Oh. Really? I thought so.”

“yes?”

As the figure was rapidly approaching, I quickly raised my sword, even if it was in a sloppy posture. The ability to react to a sword strike was purely due to talent. The swordsmanship that relied on talent was forced to flow.

In the midst of the ensuing swordsmanship, the chief secretary’s soft words were heard.

“There’s no need to explain since the Chairman knows.”

Cowardly… … !

You can’t believe he used his position as Cha Ha-neul’s grandfather to engage in psychological warfare. I felt a sense of injustice because I had no choice but to suffer.

Amidst my complicated emotions, my body was shaken by the continued sword strikes. Even a single sword strike was heavy. The weight didn’t seem to be due to psychological warfare or item differences that were successful because they were honest. It was just the weight of the level difference. Pure power created by a stronger and more agile body. A gap disciplined according to the rules set by the system.

My posture was shaken. I let go of the sword strike once and quickly rolled back, complying with the collapsing posture. A sword strike passed over my forehead.

Using the rolling recoil, I got up lightly and aimed my sword.

The distance increased by one step.

Just one step away.

The distance is too much to even take a single breath.

But enough.

In a split second, my posture was rapidly adjusted. My shaken mind found stability. Everything found its rhythm with the flow of battle.

By the time the next sword attack arrived, the meaning of the surprise attack had disappeared. The greatest skill erased the gap in power and level.

I quickly took a few steps back, leaving a small gap that wasn’t enough to counterattack.

The chairman did not follow.

“Whew! A sudden surprise attack, don’t you think it’s cowardly?”

The chairman snorted.

“You’re fighting under fair rules, but you’re being a coward. I guess you really don’t know what cowardice is?”

“It is true that it is cowardly.”

The chief secretary quietly said. The chairman straightened his posture without much reaction. It seemed like he was trying to pretend he didn’t hear. Cha Ha-neul’s personality is truly hereditary.

A brief standoff ensued.

That leisure helped me find the contradiction. The unconsciousness organized the incongruity felt in the previous battle and brought it into consciousness.

The chairman’s level of swordsmanship and posture do not match.

Swordsmanship was not just about swinging a sword. I didn’t meet a swordsman or receive systematic training, but that’s what I realized.

When drawing a sword, it was necessary not only to swing the sword but also to maintain posture and coordinate breathing. When performing a series of sword strikes, you had to pay attention to your steps and surroundings. Only then was it possible to strike with full force.

The chairman’s swordsmanship wasn’t that good. The neat posture and calm gait had few gaps, but the advantage came only from the basic posture and gait. It was as if there were the most basic and stable posture in swordsmanship, and this was the basic posture worthy of being used as an example. If you learn swordsmanship systematically, the most important thing to learn repeatedly is.

But that’s why it wasn’t suitable for swordsmanship. It was impossible to apply it while maintaining all the basics. High-level swordsmanship cannot produce sufficient power with just the basic stance.

The magic contained in the tip of the sword and the trajectory drawn by the sword were worthy of overpowering his own swordsmanship, but they lost their luster in the dissonance. It was thanks to this dissonance that we were able to overcome the level gap. This is because inefficient swordsmanship swallowed up the difference in ability levels. But even so, I couldn’t find an opening to counterattack and stick my dagger in, so swinging the sword itself could be called a mystical state.

Intuitively, I guessed that the high level of swordsmanship was thanks to the item. Probably a sword. It was an enviable thing. I was envious not because I could use a sword like that, but because I could always see high-level swordsmanship. Even though it is something that cannot be called swordsmanship, as it does not include any other elements other than swinging the sword. I felt envious of those who were stuck behind a wall because they had no one to learn from.

If so, you can learn it now.

I rushed in.

blow. The fencing of the item reduced the variables. The advantage of going first has disappeared. Separation. The level difference was a hindrance and the initiative was taken away.

This is the expected result.

I threw away the flying sword attack. If you block it from the front, it will be overpowered. I focused on the next sword strike. I tried to read the key points while blocking the subsequent sword attacks. I inferred and imagined beyond the fragmented swordsmanship that was missing many elements. Countless false teachings emerged and disappeared from my subconscious.

None of them were correct. Just plausible teachings filled in the gaps in swordsmanship. The puzzles, full of contradictions and forcibly put together, were completed endlessly. They were meaningless and actually ruined swordsmanship.

But no.

Making meaningless things meaningful.

Making a hole called an exception to the impossible.

It’s called talent.

“what…….”

I forced myself to delve into the cacophony of swordsmanship. By digging into the gap between the sword I was trying to apply and the body trying to protect the basics, I was able to parry the sword strike and create a gap.

The blow is the strongest.

Maximum swordsmanship.

And that blow seemed to be a clue to victory.

But it was then that something strange happened. As the sword got closer to the armor, sparks flew. It was a spark that seemed to have been artificially created by the armor. The spark shattered the approaching sword and shattered it. According to the inertia contained in the blow, the parts of the sword that are closer to the armor are shattered.

My mind turned white.

The broken pieces of the blade fell to the floor, and the chairman muttered.

“Huh… I was confused just now.”

“You were really embarrassed.”

The secretary’s voice seemed to be muttering.

“You definitely didn’t deactivate it?”

“Isn’t there a conflict because the controlling bracelet is also of the same C grade?”

“Maybe so.”

I held on to my spirit and took a step back.

When I lifted the sword and checked, half of it was broken. I have nothing to say.

“Do you admit defeat?”

The Chairman had finished his conversation with the Chief of Staff and was looking at them.

It can’t end like this.

This is ridiculous.

Something outside the realm of understanding, something you don’t want to understand.

It was neither a wall that could be broken down nor a cliff that could be jumped over.

It just came and became established as a law.

“If the answer is difficult, there’s no need to do it.”

The chairman touched the bracelet, muttering, “Release control adjustment.” There was a click.

Countless magic circles and symbols appeared and disappeared on the equipment. The wind blew.

“Purification Demon Sword Assistant.”

When the chairman touched the bracelet again, it made a clicking sound. Smoke came out from the purifying magic sword and enveloped the chairman’s entire body. And everything about the chairman’s swordsmanship changed. Things that used to only adhere to the basics have gone beyond the level and established themselves as a consistent trend, becoming a single flow.

A realm beyond the realm.

Something blue burned along the magic sword.

It’s like horsepower, but it’s not magic.

It was smaller and weaker than any mystery, meaning it only went a little beyond the limits of the species.

But I applaud the possibility.

On a sword sword.

Add energy.

Call me by name.

Black energy.

It was the realm of genius.

The chairman took a step forward and swung his sword. The instinctive avoidance was lost to technique, and sword energy passed through my body. The system’s non-lethal mode was shaken and shock swept through my entire body.

[Check system interference]

[Fuel maximum value modified]

[Inserting spare fuel]

[Interference defense success]

Everything caught fire for a moment.

* * *

When I realized it, I was lying on the floor.

“I think it’s good to exercise after a meal.”

“As far as I know, exercising after a meal is not good for your health, especially for your stomach health.”

“That’s how it feels.”

There was a sword cut in half right next to it. Somehow it made me laugh. Tears came out and blurred my vision for no reason.

“If it’s bad for your health like you said, it would be better to sit still right now.”

“The advice was worth it.”

“If that is advice, then both dogs and cows are loyal.”

The footsteps and voices gradually became distant.

I wiped my tears, got up, and picked up the sword.

The black piece was cut in half.

But it’s still cut in half.

The blade is sharp and the blade surface is clear.

This is still a sword.

Nothing has changed yet.

I aimed my sword.

“Again…! Let’s do it again!”

The chairman, who was returning to the mansion, looked back at the shout. For some reason, I couldn’t tell what kind of eyes or expression she had because the tears kept coming out.

After watching for a moment, the chairman turned and walked toward the mansion.

“But I definitely feel like my stomach is full. I think it’s true that exercising after a meal is bad for your health.”

“That’s right. Then the advice is correct.”

“Not really.”

The sword I was aiming at shook slightly. I couldn’t tell whether it was the trembling of the body or the trembling of the sword. It won’t matter. This is just a tremor.

I took a deep breath, squeezed out my voice and shouted.

“Let’s do it again…!”

As he opened the door to the mansion and entered, the chairman looked back.

A moment passed.

“Don’t get angry. Don’t get angry. Nothing has changed before and after that moment. Don’t attach unnecessary meaning to it. This is a light matter, so if you want to do it again, you can do it any time. However, today is not the time, so come next time. do.”

The door was closed.

I lowered the sword I was aiming at.

really.

Nothing has changed.

I took a breath and exhaled. One emotion contained in one breath. Emotions that should not be thrown away or kept were circulated.

Yes. Nothing has changed. This is a trivial moment.

If it is not trivial, you can make it feel trivial in the future. In the end, this is just one twist in the future process.

The present moment will become trivial.

By piling up defeat and planting the flag of victory on top.

It will make it trivial.

The sky was still bright.