Chapter 142: The God of the Sword, Ehily (Part 2)
Taesan stared at the ghost who now had a physical body.
The ghost’s hair was platinum blonde, straight and silky, moving gracefully with every motion.
His appearance was that of a classical handsome man, neither too delicate nor too rugged.
His clothing was luxurious, befitting someone who once called himself a prince, yet it was practical and easy to move in, not overly aristocratic.
“This is…”
The ghost, Bardray, was still in a state of shock. His golden eyes were filled with bewilderment.
“A mirror… Show me a mirror.”
“You know I don’t carry things like mirrors, right?”
But there was something similar. Taesan cast an Ice Arrow. Bardray looked at his reflection in the ice and touched his face.
“Ha.”
A laugh escaped Bardray. Various emotions flitted across his eyes—disbelief, joy, and relief.
“This is… unexpected.”
He finally muttered, trying to compose himself.
“Is that your body?”
“Yes. Quite handsome, isn’t it? Ladies would swoon at the sight of me.”
Bardray joked, boasting a bit. But seeing Taesan’s unamused expression, he let out a wry smile.
“Don’t be so shocked. I’m just as surprised as you.”
“Is this part of the trial?”
“Probably. Given that they went so far.”
Bardray now held two wooden swords. He swung them lightly as he spoke.
“It’s likely that this body is temporary, just for the duration of the trial. Once it’s over, I’ll return to my ghost form. It’s dangerous, though. I might not want to end the trial.”
It could have been decades, maybe even centuries. The emotions of finding his lost body were evident on Bardray’s face.
“But… I have a task to complete.”
Bardray pointed his sword at Taesan.
Taesan also drew his two swords.
The conditions of the trial were checked via the system.
The first condition: Successfully land a strike on the ghost in an equal state.
“To clarify, this body’s stats are exactly equal to yours. Though it’s a far cry from my prime, it’s not bad.”
Bardray commented as he swung his sword. With each swing, his strikes became faster and more precise.
“This should do.”
Whoosh!
The sword cut through the air with a sharp sound.
Since stats directly affect the body, sudden changes typically require time to adapt, but the ghost adjusted to his body with just twenty swings.
“My proficiency is also… equal to yours.”
Bardray’s sword danced chaotically. Taesan recognized it as the Dance of the Dancer.
However, he couldn’t replicate it. The erratic movements of the sword were hard to read.
“I can only use Dance of the Dancer and Wolf’s Fang. The conditions are fair, as stated.”
“It doesn’t seem fair at all.”
Despite equal stats and proficiency, Bardray’s swordsmanship was far superior.
“That’s how trials are.”
Bardray laughed.
Taesan recalled the second condition. The use of any skills unrelated to swordsmanship was prohibited.
This meant he had to fight without his strongest cards.
“Disconcerting, but a good opportunity. As expected of the God of the Sword. He knows exactly what I need.”
Bardray twirled his sword.
“We can’t just wait around. Come at me.”
Bardray was right. The third condition: The trial does not end until the conditions are met.
Success or failure, he had to try. As soon as he made up his mind, Taesan launched himself forward.
His opponent was someone who had mastered the swordsmanship he possessed. Half-hearted techniques wouldn’t work. He had to go all out from the start.
His sword blurred as it came down like a wolf’s fangs.
Bardray admired his approach.
“That’s right.”
For someone like him, mere tricks were meaningless. He could crush and obliterate them all. So, Taesan’s choice to go all out from the start was the perfect answer.
“But just because it’s the right answer doesn’t mean you’ll always succeed.”
Bardray’s sword moved fluidly, yet sharply.
The trajectory of his sword, like a dancer’s, easily countered Taesan’s fierce strikes.
Bardray thrust his wooden sword at Taesan’s shoulder. Taesan twisted his body to dodge and aimed for Bardray’s side.
Bardray responded effortlessly. He locked Taesan’s leg with his own to restrict his movement and pushed him back.
Taesan, unable to regain his stance, was pushed back.
“This is really tough.”
Taesan muttered as he swung his sword.
Although their stats and proficiency were equal, Bardray’s swordsmanship was vastly superior.
Taesan had faced a similar situation with Malles Ten. Even with equal stats and skills, Malles Ten couldn’t land a hit on him.
This was the same. The swordsmanship Taesan learned was mastered by Bardray long ago. The teacher and the student—who would be superior was clear. Without using skills, it was impossible to land a hit.
“Are you going to give up?”
“Not a chance.”
Taesan charged again.
He tried changing his style, altering his patterns, and twisting his movements to attack Bardray.
But Bardray blocked them all.
“That won’t work.”
Bardray’s sword moved. His simple, yet chaotic movements blocked all of Taesan’s attacks.
“You can’t reach me with that.”
Bardray’s sword aimed for Taesan’s throat. With a soft grunt, Taesan was pushed back again.
Taesan immediately charged forward.
Bardray greeted him with a smile.
This time, the movements of his sword were different. Like a mirage, it was entirely different from any swordsmanship Taesan had shown so far.
“Modifications are fine, but the foundation of your movements is the swordsmanship I taught you. I’ve tried similar modifications myself. Naturally, I know how to counter them.”
Bardray blocked it easily.
“Damn it.”
Taesan let out a hollow laugh.
No matter what he tried, Bardray blocked everything. He now understood how Malles Ten felt.
Bardray, still unperturbed, spoke leisurely.
“I told you. That won’t work. You need something else.”
“Shut up.”
Taesan muttered, narrowing his eyes.
‘This won’t do.’
He had tried combining the swordsmanship he learned from Bardray with various modifications, mixing it with his own techniques.
But nothing worked. Bardray blocked everything effortlessly, as if he knew it all.
Bardray’s proficiency with the Storm Scar Sword was 100%. It meant he could wield the sword perfectly. Any variations, changes in patterns, or derivatives—he knew them all.
‘Something else is needed.’
Taesan closed his eyes. Bardray smiled at the sight.
‘As expected.’
After a hundred attempts, Taesan realized the answer. Some might say it was slow, but from Bardray’s perspective, it was an incredibly fast realization.
Taesan’s innate talent wasn’t extraordinary. Bardray could easily name dozens of people more talented than Taesan.
Sure, he had talent, but it was not unique.
However, Taesan had the ability to organize his thoughts accumulated through experience and derive answers.
And that was more remarkable than any innate talent.
The fact that he immediately came to a conclusion showed this. Taesan had said he felt stuck on the 31st floor, unable to find a way forward. It was naturally difficult to advance.
The Storm Scar Sword was Bardray’s swordsmanship, not Taesan’s. There was a limit to how far he could go with it. The proof was that he couldn’t even land a hit on an opponent with equal stats.
‘It’s powerful enough.’
With proper training and focus, he could reach a level where it would be useful even in the deeper layers.
But what brought Taesan this far wasn’t just swordsmanship; it was the various skills he possessed. Swordsmanship was merely a supplement.
‘My swordsmanship can’t beat him.’
Bardray had perfected the Storm Scar Sword. Even if Taesan reached 100% proficiency, it wouldn’t change the fact that Bardray knew it inside out.
It was his swordsmanship. He created, developed, and perfected it. For someone else to wield it better than him was nearly impossible unless they were a once-in-a-lifetime genius, and Taesan didn’t have that level of talent.
‘But I can’t discard it either.’
The Storm Scar Sword had already become part of Taesan’s movements. Discarding it completely would be harder than starting from scratch.
So, he had to assimilate it.
Just as Malles Ten did long ago, he needed to absorb what he had learned and transform it into his own.
Bardray waited patiently.
After an hour, Taesan opened his eyes.
His eyes were quietly shimmering. Bardray welcomed him with a smile.
“It seems you’re ready now.”
“To some extent.”
It wasn’t a perfect answer yet.
But it seemed enough to pass this trial.
[You have begun the creation of your own swordsmanship.]
Bardray eagerly awaited Taesan. Taesan organized his thoughts and gripped his two swords.
The system window popped up noisily, but he dismissed it. It informed him of many rewards and information, but none of it mattered now.
This time, Bardray charged at Taesan. Taesan responded, ready for him.
Bardray’s sword danced chaotically. Though it was the same Storm Scar Sword he knew, it contained nuances Taesan couldn’t fully grasp before.
Until now, Taesan couldn’t block it. The difference in their mastery was too great.
But now it was different.
Clang!
Their swords clashed.
Bardray used Dance of the Dancer, moving his sword smoothly. Taesan countered with his own Dance of the Dancer.
But his swordplay was different from before. It looked similar on the surface, but the underlying energy was entirely different.
Dance of the Dancer redirected the force into curves, flowing like a dance to deflect the opponent’s sword. However, Taesan’s movements were more aggressive and violent. The force was directed in straight lines rather than curves.
It was a sudden change, and such changes often didn’t work out well, but this time it was the opposite. Bardray couldn’t easily overpower Taesan as before.
‘But… it’s not that impressive.’
Bardray tilted his head. It was a change he could easily overcome if he wanted to. When he exerted a bit more strength, Taesan started to be pushed back again.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
During the time he had his eyes closed, Taesan had been thinking.
The Storm Scar Sword wasn’t his own. It was excellent swordsmanship, but he couldn’t wield it perfectly.
The previous battles proved this. While he used swordsmanship effectively, it was always as a separate element, never in harmony with his other abilities.
He was different from a warrior.
Swordsmanship wasn’t his main strength.
So, what was his main strength? What had he relied on to reach this point?
What should devour his swordsmanship?
The answer was clear.
[You have activated Acceleration.]