Swordmaster-to-Be! (3): The Sword That Only I Can Wield
In self-improvement, the top priority is establishing your motivation. To become a better version of yourself than yesterday, you have to endure a brutally tough, utterly boring life day after day—but you need a rock-solid reason why, or you'll never stick it out. In that sense, Swordmaster-to-Be's killer motivator hit the mark perfectly.
Gate of Babylon, huh? Back in the day, was there a single black sheep among us who hadn't pulled off a no-cooldown PaO character run? Witnessing that insane spectacle and getting 200% hyped up, I dove back into the Bi-Wu Field world to take her masterclass on motivation and swordsmanship.
"Alright, time for some real swordsmanship lessons!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
I shout back energetically, like a crewman ready to dive at the captain's order. Swordmaster-to-Be raises her flame sword called the Holy Flame Cross.
"From what I see, Newbie, your Hope gives off a vibe pretty similar to this Holy Flame Cross."
"...This thing?"
Hope, with eyeballs embedded in every joint, looks like a bloodthirsty demon sword at first glance. By contrast, the Holy Flame Cross lives up to its name—a cross blazing with sacred flames. No way in hell could you call these two similar, even as a compliment. I tilt my head skeptically, and she lightly floats the Holy Flame Cross into the air.
"See? When you suspend it like this, does it even look like a sword to you?"
"Uh... yeah, that's a stretch."
At a glance, the Holy Flame Cross looks less like a personal weapon and more like some totem you'd stick in the ground for an AoE buff. But then, all her other weapons are the same. Honestly, her sword collection is called "swords," but most of them make you wonder if "blade" is even the right word.
"Exactly. So standard swordsmanship won't cut it. That's why you need sword arts tailored to the Holy Flame Cross or Hope specifically."
"Even if there's some ultimate sword style out there, something custom-fit for these two would be better, right?"
"Spot on."
"But how do you learn that?"
"You ask them directly."
"Who—oh, the swords themselves?"
"Bingo."
Obviously, "them" means Hope. With her Myriad Swords Lover constitution that every sword adores, Swordmaster-to-Be can communicate directly with blades and learn the perfect sword art straight from the source.
"Ooh! Can I try?"
"That's what I should be asking. Mind if I hold Hope?"
"Of course!"
I eagerly hand over Hope. Or try to.
Shrrrrk—!!
"Wah!"
The moment her hand nears Hope's hilt, the blood-red blade stretches out long. The tip slams into the ground with a thunk, sprouting dozens of spikes like some lurker trap.
"Gah!! What the hell, you?!"
"No, it's fine, Newbie. Really."
I'm about to scold Hope in a panic when Swordmaster-to-Be stops me.
"Calm down. Holy Flame Cross, you too."
"Ugh! And what's that?!"
Suddenly, between us and the sky looms a raging pillar of fire from the Holy Flame Cross. She calms it down too. Shoooo— Once the flames scorching the heavens die down, she speaks calmly.
"Phew. Sorry about that. I treated Hope too much like a kid."
"Uh, what just happened?"
"Simple. Hope won't let anyone but you touch it. When my hand got close, it resisted fiercely—classic rejection response."
What, it's a pure-love type?
...More like a yandere obsessed psycho with destructive tendencies.
I saw it clear as day. For a split second, it extended dozens of times longer, turning the area into a spike hell. Felt like if I even glanced at another sword, it'd impale me a hundred times over—
"Heh. I can guess what you're thinking from your face, but Hope's actually pretty gentlemanly."
"This is gentlemanly? One more 'gentle' reaction and I'd be shish kebab..."
"It could have skewered me the first time. But it didn't. It showed its power clearly—drew a line saying 'stay back.' That's impressive."
Her owner (me) is still half-doubting, but conviction shines in Swordmaster-to-Be's eyes.
"I have a constitution every sword loves. It's like a law of nature. Yet Hope defied it and chose you. No matter the world, that means it has insane willpower."
"Is that good?"
"It's incredibly special. Means Hope can only be wielded by you in the whole world."
Oho. Account-bound item, huh? Thinking about how those usually have busted performance, something feels off—in a good way. But wait.
Hold up. Is this actually good?
Sure, Hope's an epic account-bound beast. Problem is, Swordmaster-to-Be can't hold it anymore. Which means—
"Wait, teacher. Then who teaches me swordsmanship? If you can't hold Hope, we can't learn from it, right?"
"Pretty much."
"No way!!!"
This isn't something you just brush off!! I blurt it out in a fluster, and she says,
"But don't worry."
"Huh?"
"If I can't teach you, just learn directly from Hope."
"...You can do that?"
"Why not?"
"Ooh!!"
As expected. She had a plan all along!
"Kya!! Knew I could count on you, Swordmaster-to-Be!!"
"Pardon?"
"You've got a technique for that, right? Something busted that lets you hear swords' voices even without the Myriad Swords Lover constitution!"
I ask, brimming with excitement. Martial God, duh—she's gotta have something like that! But,
"Nah, nothing like that exists."
Betrayed in one second.
"...What?"
Fuck, what do you mean?
"No such thing? For real?"
"Obviously. Why would I learn something like that?"
"But... why not?"
"Fish don't learn how to swim like humans. This constitution is innate for me—no need to mimic it with a technique."
Thinking about it, yeah. Flippers are for humans, not ducks; scuba gear for humans, not fish. No reason for her, who already has the Myriad Swords Lover trait, to train a knockoff.
Logical as hell. Super logical. But...
"...So how do I learn from Hope?"
I can't understand a word it says! All I get is hummm-hummm!!
But she's calm as ever.
"Hearing voices isn't the only way. I use that because I can, but you can pick another method."
"Another method?"
"Yeah. Don't misunderstand—the key to learning sword arts from a sword isn't hearing its voice."
"Then what?"
"Whether the sword wants to teach you. Even if you hear it, no point if it won't share."
Oh... right. Makes sense. Hearing the sword is just a tool. The real goal is learning the art that suits it best. Okay, got it.
"So how do I learn the damn art? I can't understand it."
"No worries there. Its reaction earlier proved it's more than willing to teach."
But how? I'm still skeptical, but she speaks with unshakable confidence.
"How? Simple. Swordsmen speak with swords. So swords speak through swordsmen, right?"
Shrrrk— The Holy Flame Cross's flames roar hotter. A blaze shooting to the sky again. Seeing it sparks a bad premonition.
"...No way, right?"
"Probably exactly what you're thinking. You've done it before."
True! I played this game once, fuck!!
"With Heaven's Mechanism Calculation, we didn't bother with chants—instead, we imprinted the art directly into your body. It didn't activate perfectly on command, but instinct triggered it like AlphaGo's techniques. Think of this as finding how to wield swordsmanship more consciously."
Her pinpoint lecture boils down to:
1. Hope only lets me hold it.
2. Hope wants to protect me.
3. The perfect sword art for Hope must come directly from it.
Put it together:
"Die in every possible scenario. In the process, remember every move Hope uses to protect you."
"Fuck... that works...?"
"Totally! This is your respawn Bi-Wu Field—you don't stay dead!"
Through endless deaths, discover the optimized sword art firsthand.
"Let's start with number one!"
Her eyes gleam with quiet intensity. And the Holy Flame Cross burns even hotter.
Holy Flame Cross – Scarlet Day Hell Garb
It scorches across the sky, devouring the world in crimson flames.
Fuck... that was my first death.
