778 – 9. There is not a single day when this does not happen (28)
The rising sword strikes like a thunderbolt.
It was an abnormal sight. It was a sword that bent without any resistance or delay, and the wooden sword, which hung like metal attracted by magnetism, struck the wooden sword on the other side.
A heavy impact delivered to the wrist along with a thudding noise.
If an unexpected blow was allowed, the resulting damage should have been suffered. Nevertheless, he showed off the skill of returning the opponent’s sword straight from where it bounced.
It was not a concept of strength or semi-elasticity. Rather, it was essentially a modified shape of the force’s trajectory.
The vision of ‘sword circle’, ‘jeongjungdong (停中movement)’.
The practitioners of Heavenly Sword Mountain (天劍山) used to apply this in various directions. Although I learned the technique by accident, I have used it only within a limited range.
But not anymore.
As I controlled my breathing, there was a strange feeling of weakness in my muscles. Immediately after that, the momentum transmitted through the wooden sword made my arm bones vibrate. I didn’t reject that power.
However, the trajectory was distorted.
It was the true fear of ‘Jin (盡)’. When your entire body becomes empty, you awaken to the sensation of a space forming within it. You will be able to contemplate the power swirling inside you.
Everything ultimately passes through my body.
Otherwise, it was normal as no stimulation or shock was delivered. And the power achieved in this way swirls inside and explodes again.
‘Jin’ is the process of discovering the vortex, and ‘Jeongjungdong’ is the teaching of determining the direction in which the vortex will swirl.
It was a bit funny that I finally understood the principle.
Once realized, the usability of vision was bound to increase significantly. Even just now, isn’t my sword, which was supposed to bounce off, going back again?
It was like imitating the opponent’s move.
The outcome of the ensuing battle was soon decided.
Paak, and do it.
The tip of my sword sharply cut through the air and was aimed at the opponent’s uvula. It was a sharp strike aimed between collisions.
Seeing this, the woman standing across from me.
“As expected, you did it in just one week.”
He praised me in a tone that I don’t know whether it was admiration or an expression of frustration.
Gray hair that had been fluttering due to intense exercise falls down gently. Since victory and defeat had already been decided, I decided to take the wooden sword.
I felt a faint heat on my wrist. It was a fact that I realized again, but Seria’s skills were definitely a step forward compared to before.
Even her physical abilities.
There was no need to express it as a compliment. Just by massaging her wrist and squeezing her hand, I could convey the shock that the sparring just left on me.
“Did I win the bet?”
“Well, I never made that bet… “I have to give her the title for having surpassed her basic training in the shortest amount of time.”
I don’t need that kind of honor.
But honestly, the recognition from her junior felt good. Wasn’t she Ceria, who had maintained her cold attitude the whole time since they reunited at Cheongeomsan Mountain?
However, there was something strange about Seria today.
Glance.
Even while talking to me, she turns her eyes somewhere. This was the same during her sparring. It’s like I’m a little distracted, as if I’m distracted somewhere else.
If you trace the end of that gaze, the destination is always one.
Delphine Jurdina.
She was waving her hand at me with her grinning smile on her face. I guess that means she did a good job.
It was a sight that made me sigh.
“Oh, that…” I… “Seo, senior?”
“I told you to go back and take care of yourself, really… ….”
I heard Ceria calling me, but she was drowned out by my sigh and my voice. Seeing Ceria stiffen in shock, it didn’t seem like she was talking about anything that important.
My lament continued.
“I don’t know why I’m pushing myself so hard, even though I’m not feeling well.”
Ceria was unable to say anything as she muttered to herself while clearly looking at Delphine. She just froze, gurgled, and swallowed her dry saliva.
Only then did I turn my gaze back to Seria. Although I was preoccupied with senior Delphine, the person right in front of me was Ceria. She had such a pale face, there was no way I wouldn’t notice.
After I became a ‘master’, I started to see everything around me clearly.
My eyes met blue pupils shaking aimlessly.
“…… ? “What’s wrong, Seria?”
“No, uh, I…” ….”
I was so nervous that even when I called her ‘Seria’, there wasn’t much resistance.
Now that I think about it, did I call you ‘senior’ just a moment ago?
My memories were vague. Well, since it is a familiar name, it may come up once or twice.
It was a time when I was continuing these insignificant thoughts.
“Actually, when we sparred yesterday… I was a little excited…….”
“Ah.”
Only then did I understand what Seria was worried about.
They had a rough sparring yesterday, and they seemed to think that Delphine was injured because of it. In the past, I was anxious because I couldn’t kill him.
The saying that family gets closer as they get farther apart seemed to be true.
When I thought of the Yurdina sisters from before, a bitter smile came to my mind. Just add a word of comfort.
“It’ll be okay.”
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Seria’s body trembled as she faced my accusation. Her reaction was a bit harsh to say she was moved, but it was a problem she couldn’t find an answer to if she thought about it anyway.
Instead of thinking deeply, I continued to comfort myself.
“I’ll have to ban strenuous exercise for a while, but… “It will work out somehow.”
“Ha, but…” To my sister, my senior… ….”
To Delphine, my?
It was something I didn’t really understand. Perhaps he wants to talk about the relationship between me and Delphine senior. One way or another, Delphine had a deep relationship with me.
Since Seria’s face was so pale, I decided to console her junior a little more.
“I heard it’s okay.”
And then he smiles bitterly once again.
Looking back, I don’t have the energy to worry about such trivial issues. I had only just passed the basic stage of training. In order to become a true ‘master’, more effort is needed.
Should I visit the ‘Great Master’ soon?
“It’ll be okay…” ….”
The end of my words naturally became blurred as I was lost in random thoughts. I passed by Seria and tapped her shoulder a couple of times as if to reassure her, but there was no response.
Ceria was just trembling with her eyes tightly closed.
I wondered if he was that worried, so I added a couple more words.
“If you’re too worried, go to your accommodation later. “Senior Delphine will be recuperating there.”
“Yes, yes…” ….”
I tilted my head at that empty answer, but soon decided not to pay attention.
Because it was a problem that the two sisters had to solve anyway.
When Delphine saw me coming back from sparring, she said with a smile.
“Well done, sir.”
“What am I…?” Ah, you completed the basic training in just one week? That was lucky…….”
“Besides that, there’s this and that… Anyway, good job.”
Today, Sister Yurdina was only saying things that I couldn’t understand.
Although I was anxious about Delphine, who seemed strangely cheerful, I decided to ease my mind for now. No matter what anyone says, Delphine was Ceria’s older sister.
It was clear that she cared for her sister.
It’s just that the method is twisted.
It was probably like that.
*
“That’s great.”
After finishing sparring with Seria, it was a compliment that came to me for climbing Cheongeomsan Mountain.
Of course, this was not a compliment to my mountaineering skills. For those who spent their entire lives practicing in the mountains, such abilities had no meaning.
In ‘Sword Circle’, there is only one thing that is worthy of praise.
It was just ‘swordsmanship skills’.
“Prayer is more stable than before. Above all, the use of vision has become more flexible… “It seems like he saw the sword’s potential.”
Even after hearing such favorable comments, I could only smile bitterly.
The reason was simple. Before I knew it, the point of the old woman’s knife was nearing my uvula.
He put up a good fight, but it was still not enough to defeat the old woman with swordsmanship alone. If I could use magical power, it would be a different story.
It was a meaningless assumption. If you wanted to simply divide victory and defeat, there would be no need to use such a cumbersome method.
I wanted a clue. A very small clue that can help you become a true ‘master’.
I just hoped it was at Heavenly Sword Mountain.
“If this is enough, it will be enough to challenge ‘Cheongeomjiro (天劍之路)’.”
Ah, I did.
It was then that a faint exclamation burst from my mouth.
To be honest, I had completely forgotten about it. Now that I think about it, I was being tested like that.
I was embarrassed and had no choice but to clear my throat and calm my mind.
“Thank you for your recognition. Well, it’s an honor to take on this time-honored challenge…….”
“You’re saying things you don’t mean.”
At the same time, the old woman is laughing heartily.
In the end, I had to sigh again and clear my throat. Indeed, he was a person with a sharp side, perhaps thanks to his years of experience.
“I already knew that your interest was not ‘Heavenly Sword.’ “There is no need to force the atmosphere of Heavenly Sword Mountain.”
“It’s a misunderstanding. Of course, the interest in ‘Heavenly Sword’… ….”
“You just don’t really want it.”
My lips were tightly shut again.
I, who came from the future, advised me to obtain the Heavenly Sword, but in reality, I did not even know why I needed it. So naturally, I couldn’t help but lose interest.
Rather than that, I had a strong desire to refine my level.
The old woman who took the sword from my uvula slowly walked away. The place we arrived at was, as always, a huge trace that split the ‘Grave of the Sword’ in half.
“I understand. Because it’s just an old legend… Now even the truth is unclear. “I also have doubts.”
“Have you never seen the Heavenly Sword, Grand Master Beom?”
“Yeah, maybe it’s because I lack talent… “If you say you saw the Heavenly Sword.”
The old woman who was stroking the cliff stopped for a moment. She had a longing look in her eyes for a moment.
“Come to think of it, I promised.”
She looked back at me with a faint smile.
“Since my swordsmanship skills have improved considerably, I will tell you a story from the past. It might not be much fun, but…….”
With deeply locked eyes.
“Decades ago, a man who looked like you appeared at Cheongeomsan Mountain. He said he would challenge ‘Cheongeomjiro’.”
It was a story of memories I didn’t know about.