episode_0127

‘Sword aura! Sword aura is rising from Mr. Eugene’s greatsword! Mr. Eugene was really a Sword Expert!’

Vivian, who was holding her breath and watching Eugene Schneider’s battle, widened her eyes as she recognized the sword aura rising from his greatsword.

Vivian had not only received basic education from the Duke’s family, but as an Awakened one, she was also well-versed in the theory of the field.

In the first place, interaction with Awakened ones is essential for running a trading company.

Therefore, even if they are not Awakened, the heads of large trading companies study the personalities and characteristics of Awakened ones separately.

As a result, Vivian immediately recognized the greatsword aura of Eugene, which occurred in a short moment, and was convinced that he was a 2nd Awakened who had risen to the Sword Expert level.

ㅡVwooooooooom!!

Eugene’s greatsword, which was so completely emitting the blue sword aura of a Sword Expert,

was swung vertically towards the head of Ricardo, who was at the same Sword Expert level, with a tremendous wind-splitting sound.

ㅡClanggggggggg!!

The sound of metal colliding that burst out afterwards

ㅡFsssssssssst!!

In addition to that, even the mana sparks that soared as sword aura collided with sword aura embroidered the space.

“Kuhah!!! The sense of weight is incredible! A greatsword master Sword Expert! The taste is very unique! It’s like giving a sword to a beast!!”

Ricardo, who blew away Eugene’s clod attack, creating a sword aura wind,

suddenly used his upper guard, and defended against Eugene’s greatsword that was coming down on top of his head.

Ricardo looked at Eugene’s greatsword, which he had defended against, and showed an absurd smile.

Greatsword masters are such a rare class that even Ricardo, who has considerable experience, has not encountered them very often.

In the meantime, Eugene Schneider is a Sword Expert.

From Ricardo’s point of view, he can be said to be the first type of Sword Expert he has ever experienced.

As such, the sight of the greatsword being swung like a normal sword and coming down heavily felt to him like a monster wielding a sword and attacking.

“……”

Eugene silently watched Ricardo’s appearance as he stuck out his tongue with such an excited look.

“This time it’s our turn, black-haired greatsword master!!!!”

ㅡClang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Soon, Ricardo’s attack followed.

They were not only full of precision but also linear and fast attacks.

And with each attack, he extracted sword aura firmly and pushed in.

Then, Eugene Schneider defended against Ricardo’s continuous attacks through concise mana footwork movements.

‘If I have a point of advantage in this fight, it’s that I’ve had a lot of battles with normal swords, but this guy will have fewer battles with greatsword masters, right?’

In other words, rather than trying to counterattack recklessly, he is calmly analyzing the opponent’s battle patterns.

The reason that is possible is probably due to the magical energy that has begun to rise little by little.

The change that magical energy creates in combat situations,

can be said to be a psychopathic calmness along with murderous instinct.

Even Ricardo, who is hardened by clashing swords, is showing a rather agitated appearance.

However, Eugene is maintaining such calmness with the help of magical energy, and based on that, he is frantically running logical thought circuits.

‘And above all, this bastard also,’

Flash!

At that moment, Eugene’s eyes flashed.

‘He hardly pays attention to striking techniques!’

ㅡPuhuhuhuhuhuhk!!

Then, in the midst of Ricardo’s continuous attacks that were constantly bursting out, he accurately struck his left straight.

“Kuheuaaaaaaaack!”

Ricardo, who was hit in the face with Eugene’s left straight, screamed a considerable amount.

They are Sophists who use all sorts of tricks, but if there is a unique characteristic that contrasts with that, it is none other than an uncluttered swordsmanship,

and their swordsmanship is quite orthodox.

Ricardo, along with Lucas, and his brother, were quite firmly adhering to that orthodox swordsmanship.

ㅡVwooooooooom!!

‘It’s not much different from when our father taught me.’

And Eugene knows the reason very well.

Sophists are, in the first place, a group created to gain enlightenment through the sword.

The person who created the swordsmanship that leads to that enlightenment is his father, Ulysses.

Eugene recalled that analysis and swung his greatsword again at Ricardo, whose head was thrown back by his attack.

**********

“Hmm… Father! The swordsmanship you’re showing me now seems different from what you taught the Sophist brothers and uncles!”

From some point on, Eugene often sparred with his father, Ulysses.

Of course, it cannot be said that Ulysses’s purpose was to raise Eugene as a formal swordsman.

Ulysses Schneider’s measure was to give Eugene, who had been weak since childhood, a moderate level of exercise to strengthen both his body and mind.

In any case, Eugene Schneider learned swordsmanship from his father that way.

Even though it was not a very impressive sparring session, Eugene worked really hard.

In the meantime, he mentioned the swordsmanship that Ulysses taught the Sophists and tilted his head.

“Hehehe! That’s only natural, son.”

Ulysses responded with a pleasant smile, as if he found the appearance of his son, who was sweating profusely while swinging his wooden sword and had curious eyes, endearing.

“That’s because you and they have different purposes for wielding the sword. Also, the physical conditions are completely different for other reasons.”

However, Ulysses Schneider responded to Eugene’s question with a very serious feeling.

“They already have strong bodies. So, rather than training the body itself, the Sophists’ swordsmanship was created by incorporating movements and mental techniques that help operate mana. Furthermore, it is focused on mental cultivation, so it has a more precise and uncluttered appearance with the aim of reducing distractions.”

Sophists are neither mercenaries, assassins, nor soldiers.

The reason they pursue the sword is to reach enlightenment, and as for force, it is to protect their own bodies.

Ulysses devised and systematized swordsmanship so that he could be faithful to that purpose, and he is teaching it to his disciples.

“Ummm… my uncles and brothers just say that the Sophists’ swordsmanship is the strongest…”

Eugene muttered something in a hesitant manner at his father’s words.

This is because there was a considerable difference between what he had heard from the Sophist members in passing and what his father was explaining now.

‘The Sophists’ sword, created by the greatest Sword Master in the history of the Empire, is of course the strongest, and I am learning such a strongest sword.’ This can be said to be the thought of the current Sophist members.

Perhaps Eugene also heard their words with a young heart and thought that he wanted to learn swordsmanship to become the strongest swordsman like his father.

“Hmm… that’s not so easy.”

Ulysses furrowed his brow, stroking his chin at Eugene’s muttering.

Ulysses also knows very well that Sophist members are training with that kind of thinking.

“They don’t even try to understand even if I tell them that the strongest swordsmanship doesn’t exist, and that if there is a strongest, there is only a strongest being. It’s good to be passionate, but this father is deeply concerned that it seems to be solidifying into ego.”

And that appearance causes great concern as a teacher.

When pointing at the moon, they don’t look at the moon but only at the finger of the person pointing.

He taught swordsmanship to create a body and mind that could reach the strongest existence,

but it is gradually being talked about and believed as if that swordsmanship is the strongest.

Of course, sometimes that ignorance helps.

There are times when mindless breakthroughs are needed in certain sections.

However, since they ultimately have to break away from that ignorance, Ulysses is struggling to create a solution as the head of an organization.

However, Ulysses passed away before that solution was created.

**********

‘Extremely orthodox movements, so it’s good for learning mana, and if you have to say it, it’s good for protecting your body. However, in terms of attack, it’s severely monotonous.’

His father’s words, which were difficult to understand at the time, are now understood.

To be more detailed, it was fully felt after obtaining the memories of his previous life.

Ulysses discussed the strongest with a practical mindset that was not bound by frames.

It was Eugene Schneider who had started to follow that without realizing it,

while it was Ricardo’s appearance, which still retained the reality of the Sophists, where there was no further progress from that framed appearance after Ulysses’s death.

‘But the opponent is a Sword Expert, so even if he took one hit, he won’t allow a fatal follow-up attack. The answer is to gradually erode him.’

Choooooeok!

That gap came out as Eugene’s counter left straight, which cut off Ricardo’s continuous attacks.

After that, Eugene Schneider took a stance to launch a follow-up attack on Ricardo, who was staggering.

‘Right at the leg!’

ㅡBoo woo woo woo woong!

The place Eugene’s follow-up attack was aimed at was Ricardo’s thigh, which had lost its balance.

“T, this!”

Ricardo thought that Eugene’s attack would come out in a more fatal direction.

However, Eugene Schneider’s greatsword attack began to fly towards his thigh,

and Ricardo was greatly embarrassed when Eugene’s third attack came into an unexpected part of his body.

Sasa sasa sasa sack!!

However, Ricardo was indeed a 2nd Awakened Sword Expert, and he used his amazing mana footwork like a Sword Expert to avoid Eugene’s attack.

Peeshoot!

However, he couldn’t avoid it completely.

Even if you use mana footwork, your defense power doesn’t increase.

Eugene’s brutal sword aura affected Ricardo’s thigh, which had somewhat weak armor,

and as a result, a wound occurred on Ricardo’s left thigh, and blood spurted out.

‘Okay, it went in better than I expected. The next attack should be a little deeper!’

Paaaaaaat!

He cut off about half a hand span.

In particular, since damage was done to Ricardo’s left thigh, which would be used for his subsequent steps,

Eugene calculated that he would be able to land the fourth attack sufficiently.

So he lowered his posture even further and dug in deeply.

“It’s dangerous, Mr. Eugene!!!”

At that moment, Vivian’s warning message was heard from behind Eugene.

‘Oops! It’s not a one-on-one right now!’

Squeeeeeak!

After hearing that voice, Eugene also seemed to quickly stop as if he recognized an unexpected situation.

ㅡBwoooaak! Shwaaak! Shooooook!

When Eugene’s follow-up attack went in, the other Sophists who were watching took in Ricardo’s dangerous situation and immediately intervened.

Eugene’s vision was narrowed because the fourth attack was filling his head,

and at that timing, the three Sophists who quickly narrowed the distance launched a simultaneous collaborative attack.

‘Damn it, I can’t block everything. I have to block only the attacks on fatal areas and endure one area with durability.’

The best response to that would be to avoid it with mana footwork, but it was difficult to achieve a sufficient distance to evade in a structure where he had made a sudden stop.

That’s why Eugene Schneider chose to take some of the attacks with his body.

The three Sophists’ collaborative attack flew towards him with a fierce momentum.

“!!!!!””!!!!!””!!!!!”

But their eyes suddenly widened.

“!!!!!”

Eugene was also the same, with a widened expression.

ㅡBoo woo woo woo woo oook!

This is because a brilliant mana shield was created between Eugene and the three Sophists.

Kaaaang! Kang! Kaaaang!!

As a result, the Sophists’ collaborative attack blades were blocked by that shield.