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nChapter 17

nEpisode 17 (2)

nSomehow, her opponent avoided her sword piercing his heart. Thus, she found him worthy of knowing her name. However, as her sword punctured his lungs, it was inevitable that he would stop breathing soon.

nStill, the Heavenly Devil couldn’t help but admire her opponent.

n“Even warriors in the Kira Castle could only dream of surviving a blow from their master’s sword. This will be known as an honor.”

nHowever…

nChssssh-!

nWith a burst of hissing steam, the seemingly fatal wound was healed. As long as the user’s core was intact, the b Blood Pact} could heal any injury. The old woman wasn’t surprised. Instead, with a bittersweet tone, she simply remarked.

n“Yeah, that’s what this place is about….”

nAfter recovering from the wound, Yoon-seok began to carefully narrow the distance between them. He was well aware that he had just survived one fatal blow. The old woman before him was a swordmaster possessing an absurd level of skill. He was also aware, though, that he had something to counter that ability.

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n‘You have a chance!’

nClosing the distance to about three meters, Yoon-seok suddenly rushed forward like lightning. However, before his sword could touch her, the old woman struck him, sending him backward. As soon as he landed, he flew forward once more. Although the risk of injury was extremely high at this range, Yoon-seok had b Blood Pact} to depend on.

nEven if his limbs were cut off, he could recover infinitely.

nClang-!

nYoon-seok’s left arm, holding the shield, flew off. He didn’t care. On the contrary, he exploded the spray of blood that came out of his stump to distract the old woman before swinging his sword once more. But when he came to his senses…

nTuk-!

nThis time, it was his arm that was holding the sword that was cut off. Then, the old woman’s sword swooped in. Yoon-seok felt his spine stiffen. It wasn’t because of his severed and bloody arms.

nThe direction of the old woman’s sword was his abdomen.

n‘Damn it!’

nYoon-seok hurriedly dropped to the ground and rolled away. Dirt and sand-covered him, but he didn’t care. He would have died if he hadn’t done so. The old woman, standing still and looking down at him, opened her mouth.

n“The guy who didn’t mind having both arms cut off suddenly runs away when the sword aimed for his abdomen. Is that your weakness?”

n“…”

nWhen she put it that way, it was obvious to anyone that she had found out his weak spot. Yoon-seok just kept silent and recovered his arms.

nChshhh-!

nHis severed arms are soon reattached themselves. Yoon-seok once more felt that the Unique Skill he had acquired was almost like cheating.

n‘But why am I getting pushed back so much?’

nEven with this powerful, Unique Skill, the demon wasn’t good in martial arts. Nevertheless, Yoon-seok found it difficult to defeat him. When he acquired that power, he felt confident. He thought he would be unmatched.

nWith his talent at martial arts along with that fraudulent Unique Skill, no one would be able to defeat him. However, in just a few moments, his weakness was instantly exposed.

nWhik-!

nOnce again, the old woman’s sword flew forward toward his chest. Its target seemed to be his heart. However, Yoon-seok remembered the sword’s snake-like ability and rushed to his right before it could bend toward his abdomen. A twinkle appeared in the old woman’s eyes as he dodged her blow once more.

n* * *

n‘How long has it been since we started?’

n“You’re dead again, kid.”

nYoon-seok licked the sweat off his lips. The wound had already healed without a trace, but the feeling of the old woman’s sword piercing his neck still lingered.

n‘I thought I was getting more familiar with her attacks. I thought I could avoid it next time.’

n“How long are you going to rest? Come on, raise your sword!”

nYoon-seok stood and picked up his sword without saying a word. How many times had they gone through this? For some reason, despite the old woman knowing about Yoon-seok’s core, she hadn’t taken his life. She made him hold the sword again and again and gave him a chance to fight back. However, she didn’t tolerate his use of the Blood Explosions.

n“If you use that insignificant technique one more time, I’ll kill you on the spot.”

nFor Yoon-seok, who had been honing the skill through several hours of pain, it felt unfair. However, he had no choice. Also, it didn’t seem as if the old woman was toying with him.

nRather, she seemed to be teaching him.

n“Come on!”

nAt the old woman’s command, Yoon-seok burst forward, swinging his sword with all his strength. Even if the old woman could dodge it and deal a fatal counterattack, she calmly blocked his attack instead.

n“Your fundamentals are pretty solid! Have you learned swordsmanship before?”

nYoon-seok didn’t answer; he was waiting for his chance. While the old woman was speaking, Yoon-seok clenched his teeth and swung his sword once more. The old woman just laughed at his attempt.

n“Calm down! Everyone desires victory, but obsession is harmful. However, I like your spirit!”

nSuddenly, the old woman moved her sword. That was the end of it. Yoon-seok’s sword bounced off, and the old woman plunged the tip of her blade into his heart. Of course, as soon as she pulled her sword out, the wound started to recover, but…

nThe old woman looked calm as she spoke again.

n“Come on!”

nYoon-seok stood, staring blankly at her. He tried to keep the frustration from erupting out of him, but he couldn’t help himself this time.

n“Why…why don’t you just kill me?!”

nIt would only take one blow to his abdomen for Yoon-seok to die. The old woman knew that. If she wanted to, she could have killed him a long time ago. But the old woman simply laughed a genuine and happy laugh.

n“Hahahahaha! I thought you understood what we were doing, but that doesn’t seem to be the case!”

nAn ordinary person would have asked that question sooner. However, Yoon-seok, who had been ‘killed’ more than thirty times, suffered in silence. The Heavenly Devil assumed that he knew her intentions, but he must have been just fighting blindly, without giving up his will to win.

n“Please answer me!”

n“Well…” the old woman considered her words before continuing.

n“As a teacher, it’s always a treasure to meet a budding student.”

nEven when she was in Moorim, regardless of if the student was of a different sect, she willingly gave them lessons if she found them worthy.

n“You were born with a truly rare talent, kid. If we start right now, you will be able to flower quickly.”

n“You’re going to teach me? What are you talking about?”

n“Only if you wish so.”

n“You’re not going to kill me, then?”

n“Hey! You think a master like me would die in your place?”

nYoon-seok bit his lip. He couldn’t understand her.

n‘You want to teach me before killing me? Are the Moorim people all like this?’

nAt the same time, he realized that it was a chance that would never happen again. Having faced the old woman for a few hours made him feel that he had already learned something.

n“Time is finite. How long will this duel last? Could it be that you intend on wasting the precious seconds we have?”

nYoon-seok nodded at the old woman’s words. As the old woman said, this was an opportunity that would come only once in a lifetime.

n“Then, please.”

nRecalling what the Old Priest from Moorim did when they first met, Yoon-seok politely bowed before the Heavenly Devil. The old woman smiled at his gesture.

n* * *

n“The heart means enlightenment; the qi means inner energy, and the body is the vessel.”

nMartial arts were the harmony of the body and mind. The importance of this couldn’t be emphasized enough. In fact, in Moorim, it was a universal truth. But the old woman cut the fundamentals short.

n“However, in this place, there is no need to try to achieve harmony between the heart and the body.”

nYoon-seok wasn’t a warrior from Moorim, and he wouldn’t understand enlightenment. He was in a pure blank state. To the old woman, this might be his biggest advantage.

n“In this place, the only thing a warrior needs to hone is his heart. Everything else can be replaced with AP.”

nThey were challengers in the Tower of the Sky. Qi can be replaced with magic skills, and potions for strength, stamina, and agility could replace physical training. As a martial artist who had been honing her skill all her life, she felt cheated.

n“The only thing I can teach you is my swordsmanship.”

nIn a place where abilities and skill were everything, swordsmanship seemed to be a trivial thing. However…

n“Everything starts with an end. This basic skill will be your starting point.”

nYoon-seok blushed. Even the old woman with strong martial arts took this Tower seriously. He judged her by her appearance and thought an old woman like her wouldn’t understand the game-like system of the Tower. He felt embarrassed, but the old woman didn’t seem to mind.

n“Then, let’s get started.”

nAfter the long theory class concluded, her teaching began in earnest. It was a form of teaching that was closer to sparring than classroom training.

n“Come on!”

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nAs before, the old woman told him to attack, and Yoon-seok followed without hesitation.

n“The true meaning of training the basics is the process of letting go.”

nThe old woman blocked the attacks, pointing out his mistakes and giving advice.

n“You put too much force on your wrist.”

n“Why are your shoulders so stiff?

n“Right! Now, it’s worth taking a look!”

nTo reach perfection, they began chipping away at his weaknesses. If it wasn’t for Yoon-seok’s monstrous eagerness…

nIf not for the Heavenly Devil’s eye for talent…

nAn achievement that would have taken decades otherwise. Coincidence became fate. As time flowed as smoothly as a stream’s, Yoon-seok’s sword gradually became a blur, just like hers.

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