The Grace of the Teacher

My agility went up. I wanted to save the point for Plunder, but if I died here because I refused to spend it, that would be the real waste. So I had no regrets. I didn’t hesitate. If I could read the precursor to Tadol, that alone was worth it.

I widened my eyes and settled into stance. It was coming.

Boom. The floor split apart from the force of Tadol. Now I could see it. Only the precursor was visible, but that was enough. The difference was slight. It hadn’t created a huge opening. But even a small gap could change everything.

Shhhk! The sword strike missed. A thrust. I dodged and drove my already-swinging fist into him.

Crack! The crusader’s body tilted. I used the spin from the hook to pivot and lash out with a roundhouse kick. The crusader’s body flew into the wall.

Krrrrrrumble! Chunks of concrete poured down. I chased the crusader who had been knocked back through the debris. I would kill him right here if I could. If not, I would at least buy time.

I pulled my fist back, preparing a straight. Then—

Clang! A chilling sensation made me retract my fist and swing my elbow instead. Blood sprayed from my elbow as the blade bounced away. An attack coming from outside my field of vision. Given that my perception wasn’t exactly outstanding, it wasn’t strange that I hadn’t seen it. He knew that too. He hadn’t looked at my status window—he had figured it out while fighting me.

As expected, the crusader was dangerous.

I was aware of my bleeding elbow and the arm that was beginning to go numb despite the adrenaline, yet I still thrust my leg forward.

Baaang! A front kick. The moment he slammed into the wall and bounced back, I was already right in front of him. Both fists clenched tight. My elbow had been sliced open. Soon the bleeding and injury would stop me from moving. So I would end the fight before then.

I gritted my teeth and hammered the crusader with both fists. A left hook pounded his side. Crack. The armor split with a sharp sound. Immediately a right hook smashed into his head. A jab shot out before he could counter—the fastest, most economical strike. With his head rocked twice, his stance shifted. The instant his thrown-back head returned, he leaned his whole body forward.

Shhhhhhhhhk! A horizontal cut aimed at my neck. At the same time I dodged, my swinging leg swept him off his feet and slammed him to the floor. I didn’t rush in. The moment he tried to recover, I leaned back. The shirt over my chest tore open.

Tadol. A surprise attack from a prone position. But I had avoided it. Still leaning back, I tilted my entire body rearward, planted my hands on the floor, and flipped. Crack! From that position my leg whipped out and smashed the crusader’s head.

I slapped the floor with my palm and sprang up. The staggering crusader and I reset our stances at the same time. We moved together.

Shhhk! A straight thrust even while staggering. I twisted my torso to dodge and fired a low kick. Even as his leg snapped with a sickening crunch, the crusader didn’t retreat. His sword once again claimed the empty air. Had he grown desperate? His swordplay had grown sloppy. It was fast and concise, but unlike the one-hit-kill precision from before. It reminded me of Hyukjun swinging that machete at me not long ago. So it couldn’t touch me.

I twisted, leaned, tilted, shifted my feet, and kept retreating, dodging every strike. Every wall he cut vomited concrete shards. Crack! At the end of it all, my straight punch slammed perfectly into his head. His head snapped back hard. But—

Boom! His rear foot used Tadol. His body shot forward like a bullet, aiming for my head. The extended blade was going for my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eye. Before it could reach me, I thrust out my hand and caught the sword.

Crrrrrrk!

“Ugh…!”

My hand had been pierced. Strength drained from my grip. But I didn’t retreat. I clenched my fist. I gripped the blade tightly so it couldn’t escape and raised my other fist. The crusader had raised his fist at the exact same moment. What we both aimed for was the same—each other’s death.

Our fists collided. My ears rang. The cheek that took the hit swelled, blood pooling in my mouth. A blow to the side made nausea surge up. Still, I clenched my teeth. I twisted my head to dodge the next incoming fist and drove my elbow into his skull. A descending knife-hand. I parried it with my elbow and countered with a punch. Even as a clean hit rocked his face, he refused to let go of the sword.

In raw power he held the advantage. But in agility, I was not inferior. Crack! I swept his leg out from under him, then drove my knee into him. Kwaaaaang! I grabbed his rising head and slammed my fist down like a hammer. Cracks raced across his face. The instant I aimed another punch at those cracks—

Boom. An overwhelming sense of speed swallowed me.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang!

“Guh—!”

What the hell just—? The wall was close. Blood poured from my mouth. His body was right in front of me. His shoulder was crushing me. Tadol. He had used it while carrying me and smashed me into the wall. My fading consciousness, my blurring vision. In that moment I saw my sister rounding the corner.

The window floated up reflexively. I twisted the corner of my mouth into a grin. I forced my buckling legs to hold. I planted my feet on the floor. I yanked the hand with the sword still embedded in it. The moment the startled crusader was pulled forward—

Crrrrraaaack! I swung my elbow and shattered his. The blade finally left its master. As his twisted arm jerked, his head whipped around toward my sister. She already had the rifle shouldered and aimed, perfectly sighted.

What the crusader wanted was obvious. His rear foot stamped the ground. Tadol. I leaped off my supporting leg, caught up instantly, and kicked him.

Crack—Kwaaaaaang! The crusader’s trajectory twisted as he slammed into the wall. Taaaaang! At the same time, the rifle round struck his side. The instant he staggered, I ran past the sword that had slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor due to its weight, then drove my fist forward.

Boom! His head snapped back. Faster than he could regain his balance, my sister pulled the trigger again. Taang!

No blood flowed. Instead, every time a bullet punched into his body, it scattered chunks of flesh. Then the thing I had to do was clear. Beat him until he died, and protect my sister.

I clenched my bleeding, hole-pierced fist. Crrrrack! An upward kick snapped his head back. The moment a rifle round made him stagger, I kicked him into the wall. My sister advanced while firing in rapid succession. I swung my fists, thrust my legs, drove my knees—anything to disrupt the crusader. Bullets stormed in. No blood flowed. Flesh scattered. My sister aimed with practiced skill, making sure every round struck only him and never me.

Our eyes met. The rifle had a standard U.S. Marine Corps bayonet fixed to it. I kicked the back of his knee and deliberately opened a path. My sister’s hand brushed the selector switch. Click—Kwaaaaaang!

Tadol. His body flew toward her. Even without the sword, Tadol was powerful. A body charge alone could kill a person. But—

Crunch! It didn’t go as the crusader planned. Even at the novice level, agility 9 was clearly superhuman. The bayonet my sister thrust pierced straight through his head. The muzzle had already been aimed at his skull. She squeezed the trigger.

Ratatatatatatatatata!

A storm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of rifle rounds. The pinnacle of human weapons engineering, emptying the magazine in one continuous burst. The crusader’s body jerked and shuddered. The bullets that bounced inside him could not escape the armor that could even deflect rifle rounds. The trapped violence ricocheted through his body. Click! Until the magazine ran dry.

The bayonet was pulled free. Leaving the blood-stained muzzle behind, the crusader’s body dropped to its knees. His trembling hand reached out. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it was no longer a threat. The outstretched hand fell limp, and I saw a familiar window.

Looking at the status window that acted as if it had never been angry, I realized it. Another day had ended, and once again, the ones who survived were us.

I chose YES.

I closed my eyes after looking at the countless status windows that had filled my vision and the longsword now in my hand.

My new stats floated in the corner of my vision. The stats ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had gained from Advanced Heavy Sword Arts—on a completely different level from before. I brought my hands together and offered a grateful prayer to the Preacher and the crusader who had willingly become my teachers.

“…Oppa?”

The grace of a teacher truly was heaven itself.