The Warrior Speaks with His Sword (13)
I let out a long sigh and sank into a corner of the waiting room, trying to catch my breath.
“I’m dying for some elixirs…”
To think that using Aura Armor once would drain my aura down to the dregs. As expected, these arts are ridiculously inefficient without proper armor. The technique was designed with at least a gambeson—no, a full gambeson—being worn, so there was no helping it.
Besides, using it on a bare body wouldn’t be all that different from the common body-protection techniques you see in murim stories anyway.
“…But where did Hye-ryeong run off to?”
I’d expected her to pop up the moment I entered the waiting room.
With another sigh, I pushed myself to my feet. I wanted to watch the next match, but given my current condition, meditation came first. My aura was nearly depleted and I was exhausted on top of that.
Studying is fine, but when it’s time to rest, you rest.
I left the waiting room and headed out.
The path to the spectator seats was quiet. Probably because there were still matches left.
I scanned the stands for Hye-ryeong, but she was nowhere to be seen. Mok-gyeong had to prepare for his own fight, so of course he wasn’t there either.
I watched Mok-gyeong’s back as he walked toward the arena for a moment, then turned away.
…Guess I’ll head back to Hainan Hall.
I made my way straight there.
Fortunately, Hye-ryeong was waiting inside Hainan Hall.
“Mister?”
“Where have you been?”
“The elder called me over for a quick chat… How did the match go?”
“I won, obviously.”
“As expected of you, Mister!”
Why are you the one jumping up and down? It’s embarrassing. Can’t you calm down a little?
Doesn’t that hurt when they bounce around like that?
“You’re back already?”
“Yeah.”
“I used a bit too much aura—no, internal energy.”
“You fought so hard, of course that would happen! So you’re heading to the training room?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded at Hye-ryeong, who was staring up at me with a face full of worry.
“So it looks like we won’t be able to grab dinner together tonight.”
“Can’t be helped… Then I’ll ask the cook to pack something for you!”
“Thanks.”
She really is the best. I met eyes with Hye-ryeong, who was beaming as she declared she would personally prepare my meal. The moment our gazes locked, she broke into a wide grin and flapped her arms excitedly.
Is this a person or a penguin?
I reached out and ruffled her hair vigorously.
“You’re messing up my hair!”
So soft. So very soft. I pulled my hand back and turned away.
It was about time to enter the training room.
“Rest well!”
“See you in a bit.”
I opened the door and grabbed the handle to the training chamber.
Then, a little too late, one crucial fact occurred to me.
I was filthy, wasn’t I?
Better wash up first.
Seated in lotus position inside the training room with my eyes closed, I slowly began to meditate. Aura flowed into my mana core, then spread throughout my body through muscle and mana pathways.
The meditation method, which had undergone countless modifications for battlefield use, had a massive advantage in rapidly recovering aura. On the battlefield, you never knew what might happen, so quick aura recovery was considered vital.
The downside was that it made increasing the total volume of aura quite difficult… but since Western meditation techniques were generally similar in efficiency, this method was still preferable.
Roman gladiators meditated while doing gymnastics, and the Greeks meditated by contemplating incomprehensible mathematical formulas in their heads…
As for Vesuvius… let’s not even go there. That place is a den of madmen.
Even the Demonic Cult would probably scream and run away if they saw those people.
…Come to think of it, all three of them are pretty far from traditional meditation, aren’t they?
Maybe I’m just too rigid in my thinking?
Still, it’s all meditation, right? The feeling is strangely ambiguous.
While I let my mind wander like that during meditation, the fight with Peng Jeoksan slowly resurfaced in my thoughts.
Even back when I was rampaging across the West, I would always review my most recent battles during meditation. It was a familiar habit by now.
…The match against Peng Jeoksan.
Right.
More than his great saber or the Five Tiger Gate-Cutting Saber, what left the deepest impression was his footwork.
Being able to move so lightly while wielding such a heavy weapon was an enormous advantage. This fight had truly driven home just how combat-specialized the footwork techniques of the Central Plains were.
In the West we do have steps, but calling them proper footwork feels like a stretch, and they certainly don’t produce the strange effects you see here. Learning something like that would be quite valuable for me as well.
The problem was harmonizing it with the arts I already knew.
…Could I make it work with the footwork from Shadowless Divine Stealth?
A thief’s footwork and a knight’s footwork.
Aren’t those two extremes too far apart?
I’ve been making decent use of the footwork tricks I picked up, but once we start talking about proper footwork or lightness techniques, the story changes completely.
The lightness skill from Shadowless Divine Stealth was designed purely for escape and infiltration. Since it wasn’t created for combat in the first place, using it felt somewhat awkward for me.
And with only my meager knowledge, there was no way I could easily modify Central Plains martial arts. To properly rework it, I’d need to collect more lightness techniques, compare them, and piece together the proper formulas.
Which meant I wouldn’t be able to use it in this tournament.
I’d have to put any thoughts of lightness techniques on hold until after the competition ended.
Next was… saber techniques, I suppose.
The only saber art I’d seen was the one used by the Mamluks, but while it didn’t look practical at first glance, it somehow still felt effective. It seemed like it would waste a ridiculous amount of aura, yet with their massive reserves it somehow became viable in real combat?
Whether because it was a high-level secret art or simply high-level martial arts, the aura consumption was terrifying. They could throw around levels of aura that were rarely seen in the West and still have plenty left over.
If I had learned that saber technique, I doubt I could have lasted even one full minute—five minutes would have been a miracle.
If I hadn’t been clearly a level above him, it would have been an incredibly difficult fight.
…I want to eat elixirs like candy and throw around aura like that too.
Feeling a small pang of envy and regret, I finished my meditation.
My mana core was nearly full again.
“…I wonder when Hye-ryeong will get here.”
My stomach was completely empty.
I opened the door, left the training room, and looked out the window. The sky had already turned deep orange as the sunset faded, and stars were beginning to appear.
It was right at the tail end of dinner time.
Maybe I should maintain my sword for a while.
I sat on the edge of the bed and began caring for my blade. After a big fight, thorough maintenance was essential.
Some time passed. Just as I finished polishing the sword, I heard a knock at the door.
“Mister! It’s me!”
“Come in.”
“Hehe.”
“You even brought a whole bundle.”
“The cook uncle said you worked hard in the match and packed a lot of easy-to-eat stuff!”
I took the bundle from Hye-ryeong and untied it on the table. Inside were steamed dumplings and stir-fried vegetables. A simple but perfect meal.
I picked up the chopsticks that came with it and popped a dumpling into my mouth.
The moment I bit through the skin and tasted the filling, rich juices flooded my mouth.
“This is the taste.”
“Hehe, it’s good, right?”
Hye-ryeong giggled brightly, then pulled out a small, long, cloth-wrapped object from her cleavage and took out a pair of chopsticks from inside it.
…Why do you keep your chopsticks there?
“I’m eating with you!”
“You didn’t eat yet?”
“I wanted to eat together with you, so I got it packed and ran straight here!”
You didn’t have to do that.
“Alright. Let’s eat together.”
We picked up our chopsticks and began eating.
We talked about the match while we ate. Then Hye-ryeong suddenly let out a little gasp as if she’d remembered something and gave me some important information.
“Mister, it looks like one side in the semifinals is going to advance by forfeit!”
“Huh? Why?”
“Group 2 ended in mutual destruction, so both of them can’t fight anymore. That’s what people were saying in the dining hall.”
Mutual destruction?
In a martial tournament?
Group 2 was the Wudang Taoist and the Shaolin monk, right?
That seemed like the combination least likely to end in mutual destruction, yet both were eliminated?
“Is that true?”
“Yes! I heard it clearly!”
“Hmm… I see. Got it.”
That means I might get to fight one less time.
Not that fighting one more would be a problem.
I chewed over the valuable information Hye-ryeong had given me and mentally adjusted my training schedule up to the semifinals.
On the day the semifinal matchups were drawn, I arrived at the arena later than everyone else.
It wasn’t intentional—I was simply the last of the three to show up.
I glanced at Mok-gyeong and Namgung Hwi, then turned my gaze to the referee. The referee cleared his throat when he saw me and immediately announced the news.
“Since the two fighters in Group 2 destroyed each other, one participant will advance by forfeit!”
Just as Hye-ryeong had said, it seemed the Taoist and the monk had both been eliminated together.
“There are only three of you left, so simply take one of the slips from the table.”
With only three people, there was no need for a drawing box. I picked up the slip in the middle and unfolded it.
Bye.
Should I be happy about this?
When I glanced at Mok-gyeong, he was staring at his slip with a face full of determination.
Namgung Hwi, on the other hand, handed his slip to the referee with a bored expression. As expected, he seemed to think this would be a dull fight, just like his original personality.
Objectively speaking, that made sense. Among the three of us in the semifinals, Mok-gyeong was clearly the weakest opponent.
First-class and Peak.
Bridging that gap was nearly impossible.
By common sense, it should be a completely one-sided match.
But…
No.
I hope you reach the Pure Land peacefully.
I silently offered a prayer for Namgung Hwi’s soul.