Chapter 25: The Swordmaster, Cheon Yuseong (1)
Jinhyuk slowly turned his head.
There stood a man with an exceedingly worn-looking sword… a sword Jinhyuk recognized.
It was a replica of the sacred relic displayed in the National Central Museum, the ‘Iron Sword with the Inscription of Qianlong.’
That meant this man must be the persistent challenger he had encountered throughout the Tower of Trials.
Jinhyuk scanned his opponent up and down.
Sharp features.
A solid build over 185 cm tall.
He resembled a well-honed sword.
‘In the game, he seemed like a psychopath, but in reality, he’s quite handsome.’
Well, to be precise, he was model-material. His perfect physique and sculpted face were rarely seen on TV.
Such a waste of good looks.
“Don’t you ever get tired of this?”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.
Wasn’t it enough chasing me around in the game? Now, you’ve followed me to the ruins?
Seriously, if I went to hell, he’d probably follow me there.
“That annoying look on your face… Is that all you see in me?”
The man gritted his teeth, and a murderous intent surged.
Ah, right. This guy had a huge issue with being ignored.
Dealing with him was nothing but a nuisance, but Jinhyuk had momentarily forgotten.
“Think about it. What kind of lunatic follows someone here? And if you’ve lost, just accept it already. Please.”
“This time will be different. Since I’ve started over from the beginning, there’s no way I’ll lose to you.”
Talking to him was pointless. It had always been.
Jinhyuk sighed softly and activated ‘Eyes of Truth.’
[The skill activation is canceled due to the level difference.] Obviously, there was a level difference.
But it didn’t matter.
With the added stats from ‘Song of Battle’ on top of his existing luck and adaptation stats, he was in good shape.
[Stat effects have neutralized the level difference.] [Peering through the opponent’s status window.] ——————————————————
Name: Cheon Yuseong
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Level: 29
Strength: 35 Agility: 31 Stamina: 18 Magic: 10
Stat Points: 0
Coins: 0
Class: Swordsman
Unique Ability: Song of the Sword
Skills: Lv6 ‘Soul Chaser Sword Qi’, Lv5 ‘Sage’s Eye’, Lv5 ‘Single Combat’, Lv5 ‘Protective Qi’, Lv5 ‘Choosing the Battlefield’, Lv4 ‘Soul Chaser Sword Dance’, Lv4 ‘Darkness Barrier’, Lv3 ‘Endurance’, Lv3 ‘Tenacity’…….
——————————————————
[Copying Condition: Cheon Yuseong believes he is the strongest with a sword. Overpower him using ‘the sword’ he is most confident in.] A status window longer than anyone Jinhyuk had seen before appeared.
[It seems he recognized me through ‘Sage’s Eye.’ Plus, stalking me tirelessly and thoroughly understanding me, that’s why he followed me here.] ‘Cheon Yuseong, huh?’
That was his name.
One of the most notorious players Jinhyuk knew from the Tower of Trials.
He was skilled, and those who had crossed swords with Cheon Yuseong called him a Sword Saint or a Sword Demon, either respecting or fearing him.
But,
‘Is that all there was to him?’
Jinhyuk read the status window with a nonchalant expression.
Level, skills, unique ability, stats.
Anyone else might have been astounded, but to Jinhyuk, that was all there was to it.
Of course, he acknowledged Cheon Yuseong had become stronger.
His build-up to become a Sword Saint was flawless.
However,
‘That’s the same for me.’
The gap hadn’t closed at all.
In fact, it had widened.
“If you insist on fighting, I won’t stop you, but are you sure? I’m not alone here.”
Teresa, reacting to Cheon Yuseong’s murderous intent, was quickly approaching.
In 2, 3 minutes…
It would no longer be a one-on-one situation, but two against one.
“A saint… You’ve made a useless ally.”
Hmm…
“Two things to correct here. First, Teresa isn’t an ally.”
It’s a temporary partnership due to aligned interests.
And secondly,
“I don’t carry anything useless with me.”
As soon as Jinhyuk finished speaking, the sound of slicing wind was heard.
Whoosh!
A silver shield flew in.
The surface shimmered with a gentle power.
A weapon imbued with divine power.
“Damn!?”
Cheon Yuseong hastily swung his sword.
Boom!
He managed to deflect it but seemed to struggle with the impact, his forehead bulging with veins.
Told you not to be too confident.
“Maybe you should start running before it gets worse? It’s not too late.”
“I won’t let an intruder interfere with our duel.”
[Cheon Yuseong activates Lv5 ‘Choosing the Battlefield’!] A transparent barrier began to form around Cheon Yuseong.
Jinhyuk’s lips curled up in response.
Predictable.
The barrier ‘Choosing the Battlefield’ was one of the strongest he possessed.
Whoosh!
A 50m space was newly formed.
A training ground littered with shattered marble and half-eaten columns entered their view.
‘Typical of him.’
Such consistent character… if it can be called a talent.
Cheon Yuseong gripped his sword with both hands.
“Now, external help is impossible.”
A world isolated by the barrier.
Immediately, Cheon Yuseong activated another skill.
[Cheon Yuseong activates Lv5 ‘Single Combat’! His stats increase by 10%!] [The effect of Teresa’s ‘Song of Battle’ is lost. All stats decrease by 10%.] A series of status messages appeared due to the forced debuff from ‘Choosing the Battlefield’ and ‘Single Combat.’
These two skills were why Cheon Yuseong felt confident in challenging Jinhyuk.
And these two skills were why Jinhyuk didn’t avoid the fight.
‘…Caught.’
He willingly entered a disadvantageous situation for a reason.
‘Fusion’ had a special condition attached.
- If the situation becomes overwhelmingly disadvantageous beyond the original copying condition, the copying condition is modified accordingly.
In this case…
[Copying condition is modified.] [Pre-copying, then condition fulfillment is approved. Complete within 10 minutes.] The condition changed.
First, copy the ability, then fulfill the conditions later.
“I will copy Cheon Yuseong’s unique ability.”
[Copying unique ability ‘Song of the Sword (S)’.] [‘Song of the Sword’: Understanding of blade weapons increases by 200%. The body naturally finds the most efficient sword path, and all senses are heightened to their limit.] [A necessary talent to attain the title of Sword Saint.] Until now, the fight relied on experience and reflexes.
With this ability, understanding the sword and becoming one with it became possible.
Swoosh.
Jinhyuk adjusted his grip on the dagger in his right hand and casually flicked his left index finger towards Cheon Yuseong.
“Don’t act so composed!”
Cheon Yuseong bit down hard.
Simultaneously…
Boom!
He leaped towards Jinhyuk, rapidly closing the distance.
Fast.
But…
Clang!
Jinhyuk deftly sidestepped the attack aimed at his flank.
Immediately, another attack followed.
Clang! Clang!
Within less than a second, several sword strikes were exchanged, each targeting vital points.
At that moment…
Cheon Yuseong’s face twisted even more fiercely.
“What trickery is this?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb! Your specialty isn’t close combat but mid-range fighting. Why would you engage in close combat with just a mere dagger?”
Having fought tirelessly, Cheon Yuseong was also familiar with Jinhyuk’s style.
He preferred to fight from a distance rather than up close.
He had a point.
But…
“Right now, this seems sufficient.”
If he needed to overpower Cheon Yuseong with a sword, he couldn’t use anything else.
Plus, with ‘Song of the Sword’ acquired, a dagger was enough to contend.
Of course, this was all from Jinhyuk’s perspective.
To Cheon Yuseong, naturally, this was infuriating.
“I’ll kill you!”
Enraged, Cheon Yuseong swung his sword.
＊＊＊
Clang!
Dozens, no, hundreds of exchanges ensued.
‘How is this possible?’
As time passed, Cheon Yuseong grew increasingly puzzled by the situation.
The battlefield was optimized for him.
Furthermore, his opponent had abandoned his specialty to engage in close combat.
Everything was overwhelmingly in his favor.
He should have been able to win, but…
The balance remained unbroken.
And the reason was one.
‘He’s using swordsmanship?’
Not merely imitating or mimicking.
A mastery that felt as if it spanned eons.
The occasional unorthodox techniques that punctured his defenses were, frankly, awe-inspiring.
Cheon Yuseong took a moment to catch his breath, having overexerted himself in a short time by activating numerous skills.
“I don’t know what you did, but it’s impressive. To have learned such a level of swordsmanship without me knowing.”
“I’ve been studying hard lately. More fun than I thought.”
Technically, just a moment ago.
And from him, but saying that would probably drive Cheon Yuseong mad.
Jinhyuk’s teasing further hardened Cheon Yuseong’s expression.
“Fine. Even if I underestimated fighting you with just swordsmanship, it was a mistake to think I could afford any leniency against a monster like you.”
He had to admit, he couldn’t win without giving his all.
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
A straight sword.
From there…
[Cheon Yuseong activates Lv6 ‘Soul Chaser Sword Qi’!] Pzzt…!
Blue magical energy formed along the blade, ready to cut through anything it touched. This was the essence of ‘sword qi’.
“Damn, isn’t that a bit much? Using sword qi against a swordsmanship beginner?”
“Don’t even start with that nonsense. You’re no beginner.”
Cheon Yuseong dismissed it outright.
Boom!
He launched himself at Jinhyuk, dispersing sword qi in his path.
Jinhyuk alternated his gaze between Cheon Yuseong and his dagger.
‘Facing that head-on would dull the blade.’
Even a 10-forged sword couldn’t withstand sword qi.
Why not create then?
An ability to counter sword qi, or rather, surpass it.
Jinhyuk grasped a black pill resting on a rock.
“I’ll fuse ‘Song of the Sword’ with ‘Soul Essence Pill’.”
Whoosh!
A blinding light erupted as he spoke.
[Success in fusion!] [Acquired unique ability ‘Tomb of Swords (SS)’] [‘Tomb of Swords’: Understanding of blade weapons increases by 500%. The body finds the optimal sword path, and all senses reach their peak.] [A necessary talent for the title of Sword Demon.] [The copied ability is stored in ‘Memory of the World’.] If possible…
He wanted to use this ability after absorbing ‘Frozen Tears.’
But…
If the opponent pushes too hard, he had no choice but to respond accordingly.
[The unique ability ‘Tomb of Swords’ manifests.] Those who saw the end of the sword became Sword Saints. Those who shattered that end became Sword Demons.
The strongest and worst talent.
Thus, no one remembers him.
Only a sword stuck in a nameless grave remains.
This is his story.
Kukukuku…!
An unimaginably sinister energy began to swirl.
Dust from shattered marble slowly rose into the air.
And then…
[Lv1 ‘Dark Moon Night’ activates!] A black moon cast its shadow over Jinhyuk’s dagger.
Even the light from the barrier was dyed pitch black by the crescent moon.
“What, how can such impossible power…”
Cheon Yuseong froze in his tracks, rushing forward.
This was dangerous.