Chapter 13
Chapter 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: What is Cutting?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Was your name Joo Dong-hoon?”
While I was training Bone One.
The old man asked me.
“Yes, sir.”
“Right, Dong-hoon. What do you think swordsmanship is?”
It was a sudden question.
For someone like me who had never even held a sword, it felt utterly unfamiliar.
But since an elder had asked, I had to answer.
“Hmm, swordsmanship—doesn't it mean the art of the sword?”
“That's just like you, a simple way of thinking.”
The old man nodded as if he had expected it.
But he wasn't frowning or looking disappointed.
If anything, his eyes gleamed with approval.
“You're right. No need to overcomplicate it. Swordsmanship is the skill of wielding a sword. Nothing more, nothing less.”
The old man's teachings weren't directed at Bone One, but at me.
With this, I understood.
He intended to fully unburden his own 'limitations' through me.
The old man planned to pass on to me all the arts he would teach the skeletons.
In other words, to bequeath his entire 'mastery of myriad arts' to me.
I'd suspected as much ever since he altered my skeleton with that strange technique.
“Now, pick up that wooden sword over there.”
I lifted a stick lying by the roadside.
“Grip it.”
“How should I grip it...?”
“Didn't I say not to overthink? Grip it with whatever feels most comfortable to you.”
I was a bit puzzled, but I gripped it as instructed.
“Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now swing it with all your might.”
“Like this?”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
I swung the sword through the empty air a couple of times.
A pure swing from a complete novice who knew nothing.
“That's it! Well done.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
Was this old man messing with me?
This was supposed to be good?
Was I not a genius and just couldn't understand?
Even to my eyes—
No, anyone in the world would see it as a clumsy 'cut.'
'Is this guy really a master instructor?'
Just as a crack formed in the deep-seated belief I'd held.
The old man spoke.
“Look at how you're gripping it with your right hand. How does it feel? Your thumb stands firm, and the other four fingers lock it in place, right? And your swing form? From 2 o'clock on the right to 8 o'clock on the left once. Then from 10 o'clock on the left to 4 o'clock on the right once. That's how you swung, isn't it?”
The old man described my stance in words.
“I haven't taught you a thing. You swung in what you thought was the coolest, most comfortable way for a 'cut.' And at its base lies every concept of 'cutting' you've experienced and felt in your life.”
“......”
“Do you get what that means?”
“......No idea.”
“In that swing just now, you poured your entire life into it.”
Huh?
What nonsense.
Total nonsense, but it kinda sounds cool.
Damn, is my mind going weird?
As I sat there with my mouth open, the old man continued.
“Now, tell me. If power and speed were added to that 'cut' of yours, wouldn't it be devastating?”
Hmm?
Well.
Wouldn't a traditional 'cut' from a swordsmanship master be stronger than my swing?
Like a kendo athlete.
Or a samurai.
Yeah.
Honestly, I had no clue.
“Tsk tsk, there you go with that dumb look again. Whether it's any 'cut,' adding power and speed makes it stronger—it's the same simple truth. No matter how a tiger swipes with its paw, the rabbit's guts burst all the same. Do I really have to spell it out?”
“Ah?”
I felt like I was starting to grasp the old man's teaching.
First, create my own 'cut.'
That 'cut' probably already accounts for my life experiences, body type, and everything else.
Then.
Repeat it through training, building power and speed.
And gradually, it becomes a stronger and stronger 'cut.'
“Now you're starting to get it.”
“A little.”
“Now, what happens if you repeat that 'cut' tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of times until it reaches perfection?”
This time, the old man picked up an iron sword.
It wasn't a sword from this world.
It was just an illusory sword born from the old man's imagination.
“Behold. This is the swordsmanship you, that sword, and the undead will learn.”
Snap!
The old man gripped the sword.
It was a simple, ordinary grip.
But my mind wasn't calm.
“Huh?”
An immense pressure.
It felt like a mountain was crushing my entire body.
“No need to complicate any art. Dig deep into one path, and you'll reach the pinnacle all the same.”
“......”
“Do you think I could've achieved mastery of myriad arts by dissecting them like some scholar? Hah, nonsense!”
Whoosh!
The old man's hand flashed.
An unbelievable fast sword.
I couldn't even see it properly.
There was an insurmountable gap between the old man's realm and mine.
All I could tell was that he had performed some kind of 'cut.'
“No armchair theories! Strengthen your swing. Your 'cut'! Keep evolving it endlessly! Eventually, won't everyone take your 'cut' as the standard?”
My heart pounded.
I clenched my fists.
Sweat slicked my palms, and my legs tingled.
My own 'cut'?
A 'cut' so strong it could become the world's standard?
Just thinking about it made my chest swell!
“Now, swing.”
Bone One and I instinctively gripped our swords.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The real training began.
“Swing endlessly. Keep swinging until you find the motion that's even more comfortable, even faster.”
“Yes, sir!”
I swung freely.
With no fixed form, it felt easy.
Even if my stance was sloppy.
My swing was the law, the truth—who could say otherwise!
[Ding!]
[You have acquired the skill 'Slash' (C-rank).]
[The skill can grow further.]
“......Huff, huff.”
Time passed.
My body was drenched in sweat.
The 30 minutes felt like less than a minute—an incredible state of immersion.
As always.
I didn't even feel tired.
If anything, it was refreshing.
[Ding!]
['Bone1's status is being adjusted.]
[The level of the skill 'Basic Cut' (Lv. 2) has risen by 2.]
['Bone1's Strength has increased by 1!]
['Bone1's Technique has increased by 3!]
Bone One was the same.
Stats that barely rose normally exploded upward.
Clack clack!
It snapped its teeth as if pleased.
Hey, kinda jealous?
It never did that when I was teaching.
“That's enough for today. Review thoroughly. With your persistence, you'll improve quickly.”
“Thank you, sir!”
I bowed deeply.
A gesture of thanks for the new skill I'd gained.
The old man truly was a stroke of fate.
One of the greatest strokes of fate.
A bundle of blessings.
* * *
Blue Guild headquarters.
Dark Emperor Gi So-yul visited her one and only sibling after a long time.
“Brother.”
A figure respected by all hunters in the country.
A worldwide VIP and powerhouse who built a major guild single-handedly.
Current world ranking 58th.
Famed Archer Ki Pa-rang.
“What's up? It's rare for you to come see me in person.”
Ki Pa-rang gazed steadily at Gi So-yul.
Though she held the rank of vice guild master, she had never involved herself in guild affairs.
Because she was a ranker.
Because she was family.
She was only there to lend even more weight to the Blue Guild's name.
“Hmm, actually, I have something bothering me.”
“You?”
Ki Pa-rang's pupils dilated.
He was shocked.
His sister, who normally cared for nothing but training.
“Could a D-rank hunter suddenly unleash power on par with a ranker or higher?”
“Hmm. That's a bit out of left field.”
“Quickly.”
“Well, even with a stroke of fate or a skill acquisition, it usually takes time to make it your own... Probably impossible? If that happened, the only explanation would be they were hiding their true abilities.”
“No way they were hiding it.”
“Really? Well, no ranker could evade your eyes anyway.”
As an assassin, her skill 'Detection' (S-rank) precisely gauged a target's level.
Soon, Ki Pa-rang shook his head.
“But that doesn't add up. Why? What's going on?”
“......”
Gi So-yul hadn't yet reported the dungeon incident to Ki Pa-rang.
Out of pride.
No, she had reported it, but hid the exact details.
How? The Blue Guild was tackling over ten unidentified dungeons weekly.
Most were scouted by search teams or cleared without fanfare.
It was too much for the guild master to track everything.
Plus, he only paid attention to failures or A-rank-plus discoveries.
“Hmm, never mind. So it's impossible?”
“At least within my common sense. But you know? Common sense can shatter anytime.”
“Yeah, I know.”
It had only been 10 years since the world turned into a madhouse.
Just 10 years ago, the very concept of 'hunters' was beyond common sense.
'The old man.'
Grit.
Gi So-yul ground her teeth in secret.
He was the first opponent to make her feel utterly powerless.
She had lost to other rankers before.
But that level of helplessness? Absolutely the first time.
'And for a mere porter to take down an old man like that...'
Truth be told, he had caught her eye from the first impression.
Not a heron—more like a venomous snake.
Poisonous aura.
It reminded her of herself five years ago, at age 20.
So she got curious.
A bit rudely, she even played a prank on him for the first time ever.
But that was it.
To her, a ranker.
He was just one of the countless hunters out there.
'And now this?'
Even in a dungeon where she had clearly failed.
He boldly demanded entry.
While all survivors trembled in fear.
He stayed calm, like a beast stalking prey.
She assumed he'd fail, of course.
Thought it was a waste of time.
She only gave him a shot because she liked his spirit.
'But he actually cleared it?'
She was dying to know.
So curious she hadn't slept a wink.
'Definitely someone with potential.'
If he'd shown any interest in guild affairs, she would've recruited him on the spot.
And if he gained a stroke of fate on top of that poisonous aura?
Plus being a necromancer?
Didn't that mean he had the potential to rocket to ranker status like the Dark Lord?
'I promised to let him know once I sorted my thoughts.'
Something was definitely up.
She wanted to push right now, but she'd give him time.
She had promised.
“Hmm? My little sister. Suspicious. You looked deadly serious earlier, but now you're grinning?”
“H-Huh?”
“What? Tell me. Don't leave me hanging. Weren't you the sister who cared for nothing but swinging daggers?”
“It's not like that.”
Frowning at her brother's teasing, Gi So-yul hurriedly left the guild master's office.