Ch.184Match – Aftermath (1)

After being knocked unconscious by the unidentified senior, I was only able to regain consciousness exactly two days later.

‘….Huh.’

My last memory was undoubtedly being sliced apart by dozens of sword strikes formed when that old man swung his blade. Perhaps he had controlled his strength somewhat, as the number of cuts that dug beneath my skin was limited, but the fact that I was carved up at all was the problem.

Although my wounds healed quickly thanks to the “Troll’s Regeneration” factor, the stamina and energy consumed in the process must have been the issue, leaving me unconscious for two whole days.

And by the time I opened my eyes again after those two days, the situation had long been resolved.

Most participants had already left, saying it was an enjoyable experience. Some were even expressing happiness while moving arms that had been severed and temporarily reattached—truly a bunch of lunatics.

Meanwhile, the senior who had knocked me out for two solid days…

“He left?”

“Yes, and he left this behind before disappearing.”

After the battle ended with my defeat, he apparently left something behind before vanishing. The whole situation was incomprehensible from start to finish.

Still, given that he didn’t cause any particular trouble, he might simply be someone who acted eccentrically upon seeing a fresh newbie. Well, it’s probably best to let it go for now.

To be frank, seniors whose very existence affects the surrounding air currents are a nuisance just by existing. So from a pure profit and loss perspective, their departure is clearly beneficial.

And what this senior left behind was… a book with binding quality so impressive it was surprising for this world.

Amazingly, the content of this book was a special “ancient text” containing detailed information on how to create martial arts schools.

Presumed to be a relic from the ancient empire era, it mainly described methods for establishing personal martial arts as formal schools…

This is far more useful than I had initially thought.

For example, it explains how to turn simple movements into forms and sequences to create patterns, or how to reconstruct habitual footwork into systematic stepping techniques.

Systematically organizing an individual’s habitual movements to establish them as a universal form of martial art holds tremendous value in a sense.

Because while I’m the strange one for replacing all movements with improvised martial arts, most knights typically learn specific martial art styles and base their combat on those foundations.

Take “Kingdom Swordsmanship” for example. Originating from the first king, it’s a typical strong sword style designed for defeating “slow and sturdy” enemies like heavily armored opponents or large targets. Despite being extensively researched, it’s actually an excellent sword style that even influences my movements to this day.

Other famous styles include the “Rose Sword” of the “Rose Knight” who was a master of rapier swordsmanship, or elven military swordsmanship. Some styles even cover weapons in general or are specifically designed for mounted combat.

Of course, for me, swinging as I please—responding to enemies impromptu rather than memorizing forms and patterns—works more efficiently.

However, this only works because I possess overwhelming sense and enhanced perception. In reality, the vast majority of knights fight based on the forms of specific martial arts.

For reference, these “forms” are typically techniques for wielding weapons in specific stances. While they might seem completely useless at first glance, when examined deeply, they often become the core of swordsmanship.

For instance, most forms incorporate designs that use the mysterious law of equivalent exchange, increasing the efficiency of attacks or defenses by adopting certain postures.

Thus, forms are essentially skills. While one might wonder how skills could exist in reality, when actually observed, they’re closer to counter or parrying techniques rather than flashy multi-hit combos.

I simply execute them unconsciously with the assistance of the “Sword Demon” factor, but for other types of people, these are advanced techniques that are extremely difficult to use without thorough prior practice.

Particularly, techniques like overhead cuts or angled slashes might not seem like advanced techniques at first glance, but considering the era’s standards where cultural and informational exchange isn’t as prevalent as in modern times, they’re certainly threatening.

To put it bluntly, they embody the “if you don’t know, you’ll get hit” mentality. Given the relatively high value of knowledge in the current situation and the difficulty of technical exchange, acquiring specialized martial arts is undoubtedly important.

And this book describes how to establish a martial art school with such value.

‘…What is this?’

In terms of martial arts novels, it’s a book describing how to create martial arts. Especially for warriors like me who rely heavily on improvisation, this is nothing short of revolutionary.

Until now, I’ve been forming and wielding techniques unconsciously without even realizing it, but with this book, I can create a system for them.

While I might be a unique exception where systematizing would reduce efficiency by killing elasticity and flexibility, the essence is that I can systematize the principles underlying my seemingly random movements and recreate them as a “martial art.”

To be frank, this means that this recreated “martial art” could potentially be learned by someone other than myself, which naturally made my heart race as a warrior.

Perhaps my style might be passed down and become widely known in the future…

Although this might be the result of an overly optimistic thought process, the thrill this path brings me cannot be ignored.

※ ※ ※

Thus, having recovered from my sickbed in just two days, I immediately began working to normalize the village.

Fortunately, after this deathmatch—which in retrospect was truly insane—ended, unwelcome visitors stopped coming, and the self-proclaimed “guests” accepted that we couldn’t accommodate guests for a while, with a significant number leaving.

Thanks to this, I was able to address the most fundamental reason we had to hold this troublesome deathmatch in the first place. Now I could finally tackle the various tasks that had piled up in the village and quickly restore the village system to normal…

‘…Here, if I do this like this… Ah.’

In my spare time, I was reading this excellent educational material called the “School Formation Manual” while reviewing the martial arts I had encountered, particularly analyzing the movements of that “senior.”

Analyzing the martial arts used by the intermediate-level instructors was, as mentioned earlier, for diversifying the patterns to be incorporated into the blade shield.

And analyzing the senior’s movements was purely to improve my own skills…

‘Truly, seniors are monsters.’

The enemy called “senior” whom I encountered and fought for the first time was simply too strong, leaving no room for any kind of counteraction.

Judging by his voice, he had undoubtedly weakened with age compared to his prime, yet his physical abilities surpassed mine despite my “Deteriorated Titan’s Monstrous Strength” abnormal factor…

No, considering the status of seniors, perhaps having such factors barely allows one to reach an aged senior.

Moreover, despite using what anyone would recognize as improper equipment, his movements were truly extraordinary. He wasn’t swinging his sword for technique; rather, when he swung his sword, it contained the ultimate skill—a divine swordsmanship.

Even with my vision enhanced by “Eagle Sight,” I couldn’t possibly track him and had to rely solely on intuition to move. His movements were literally like walking a precarious tightrope, weren’t they?

Especially that final movement was beyond my ability to follow, let alone counter—a movement in the divine realm. His skill, as perceived through my “Sword Demon,” was truly in a transcendent realm far beyond reach…

‘…But it’s not completely unreachable.’

Nevertheless, I sensed that with my own strength, I could reach that seemingly distant sky.

I saw the “path.” I realized what distinguishes seniors from intermediates—two groups that seem similar yet have significant differences.

Of course, that “path” undoubtedly exists in a realm of extreme difficulty—

“What are you doing, Sir Alzar?”

“Ah! Sir Alberto.”

My contemplation was interrupted at this point. After spending considerable time lost in thought, I found Sir Alberto—the intermediate knight who had been of great help this time—peering at me with his rather handsome face.

There must be a reason why he claims to have built the legendary “eight octopus legs” reputation with women, as I had been cautiously speculating…

“—Die, cultist.”

*CRACK!*

To perfectly capitalize on the element of surprise, I launched an attack even I couldn’t predict, striking his head with a mace I had casually placed nearby.

It was summer… no, winter.

※ ※ ※

‘…How did he know?’