The Sword Saint's Footsteps
Finally, the long-awaited day had arrived. The auditorium was packed with a huge crowd of students.
“Hey, aren’t you excited about Nam Doyun’s sword duel with Radeon today?”
“What’s there to get excited about? The outcome’s obvious anyway.”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”
Soon after, Nam Doyun and Radeon stepped onto the raised platform in the auditorium. Elvin stared at the pair, unable to make sense of it.
Radeon was a monster who could overwhelm even the eldest son of the Helid family, one of the most prestigious swordsmanship clans. Yet the opponent standing across from such a genius was Nam Doyun. The guy had only picked up a sword a few days ago and spent those days attending basic lessons at the training hall. That was it. And yet here he was, convinced he could beat Radeon in this match. Elvin had even heard the fool say that if he lost, he would drop out of the academy. None of it made any sense.
Elvin climbed onto the platform. He had been chosen to referee this sword duel.
“I’ll ask one last time. Are you certain you want to proceed like this?”
He directed the question at Nam Doyun.
“Yes.”
“Very well.”
The look of solid resolve on the boy’s face made it clear that no words would reach him now.
“Deon, are you really going to use that?”
Elvin pointed at the dagger in Radeon’s hand.
“Yes. This will suffice.”
The difference in reach between a dagger and a longsword was absolute. Unless the gap in skill was overwhelming, a dagger could never defeat a longsword. It was an enormous self-imposed handicap.
“Shouldn’t you be using a longsword?” Nam Doyun asked.
“I’ll pick one up if I decide it’s necessary. Don’t concern yourself with that.”
Radeon wanted to show the overwhelming difference in skill between them. Even while burdened with the massive penalty of a dagger, he would defeat the longsword-wielding Nam Doyun. He wanted to crush the arrogance of the fool who dared look down on the sword.
Nam Doyun gazed into empty space. A blue interface appeared in his vision.
Footsteps of the Sword Saint
LV 1
You can use the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship. However, due to the low level, perfect replication is impossible.
Skill Description: Allows the use of the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship. You can utilize the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship for 5 minutes. However, because the skill level is low, it will not be a perfect replication. Still, this should be enough.
This will be enough.
“Then shouldn’t you have the longsword sheathed at your waist?” Nam Doyun asked.
“...That won’t be necessary.”
“You said it yourself. You’d use the longsword if you judged it necessary. How can you use it if you don’t have one?”
“...Fine. I’ll do it your way.”
With those words, Radeon slid the longsword into the sheath at his waist and continued.
“But I won’t be using it.”
“Everyone, step back,” Elvin ordered.
Nam Doyun and Radeon put roughly a meter of distance between them and faced each other.
“Begin!”
The instant the command rang out, Radeon kicked off the ground and shot forward.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye he was inside dagger range. Radeon thrust straight for his opponent’s throat.
He smirked. It’s over.
His opponent’s sword was lowered. There was no way to block this.
Just before the dagger reached his neck—
Clang!
Radeon’s dagger suddenly bounced away. He stared in blank shock. Why had it been deflected?
He looked at where his strike had been aimed. Nam Doyun’s longsword was there.
“Oh…”
It was genuinely unexpected. He hadn’t thought the boy could react to that attack at all.
Still, it seems he isn’t completely without talent for the sword.
“I suppose I need to get a little more serious,” Radeon said.
The reaction speed had been surprising, but that was all. He had simply gone too easy because the opponent was Nam Doyun. Raise the intensity even slightly and the boy would crumble.
Swish!
This time Nam Doyun leaped toward him. Radeon calmly read his movements. A trained swordsman could predict the blade’s path from the opponent’s shoulder alone.
He watched the shoulder. A thrust aimed at the face.
“Your form is too honest.”
Radeon let out a small laugh and prepared to deflect the incoming thrust with his dagger. The moment he knocked it aside, he would drive his blade straight into the solar plexus.
Nam Doyun’s longsword flew toward his face. Just as expected.
The instant Radeon’s dagger rose to parry—
“!!!”
Nam Doyun suddenly twisted his body. The sword’s trajectory changed in a flash, now slicing toward Radeon’s right ribcage.
His dagger was already committed to the high line. There was no way to reach in time.
Radeon drew the longsword he had tucked against his right thigh.
Clang!
Nam Doyun’s blade was blocked without effort. It was a perfect defense by any measure.
“....”
Radeon stared at the longsword now gripped in his right hand. He had sworn to use only the dagger, yet he had drawn it anyway. His expression twisted.
A heavy silence fell over the auditorium. The students who had been chattering noisily only moments ago fell completely quiet. Even Elvin watched the scene with a dazed look.
He had believed that even if Radeon used a dagger, Nam Doyun would never be a match. He had been certain the match would end in an overwhelming victory for Radeon.
But the result before him was different.
The boy had actually forced Radeon to draw his longsword. It meant Radeon had acknowledged his opponent.
Nam Doyun had trained with the sword for only a few days. Yet he had earned Radeon’s recognition through swordsmanship alone. Was such a thing even possible?
What followed was even more shocking.
Clang— Clang— Clang—
Radeon and Nam Doyun were exchanging blows on equal footing. Radeon swallowed hard.
Is this really possible?
Nam Doyun had only been holding a sword for a few days. Yet he was matching sword forms evenly with someone who had trained with one his entire life?
Clang— Clang— Clang—
They continued trading strikes. Radeon desperately searched for an opening, but none appeared. More than that, the perfection of every single motion was approaching the realm he himself pursued.
“This is impossible…”
Radeon had sparred with countless knights from his family’s employ. None had been his match. Only the head of the Greville family had ever overwhelmed him with pure swordsmanship.
This felt exactly like watching the Greville patriarch’s blade.
How could this be explained? How was any of this possible?
Radeon’s face grew deadly serious. He decided to stop underestimating Nam Doyun as a weakling. From this moment on, he would treat the boy as a true rival and give everything he had. He was certain of victory once he did. He simply hadn’t gone all out yet.
Radeon kicked off the ground and sprang forward like a released spring, closing the distance in an instant.
It was certainly an impressive display. But there were still traces of immaturity. The completion of his sword forms was undeniably high, yet that was all. Radeon had participated in thousands of sparring matches. This was Nam Doyun’s first. He lacked experience. The earlier surprise was just that—a surprise. Nothing more.
With the longsword in his right hand, Radeon swung at his opponent’s face. As expected, Nam Doyun raised his own blade to defend.
In that instant, Radeon hurled the sword toward his left hand, catching it smoothly.
Swoosh—
The blade in his left hand now flew toward Nam Doyun’s thigh. Radeon was certain. This cannot be blocked.
Ting—
Yet his sword bounced away powerlessly. Nam Doyun’s blade was already there. The speed had been too fast for even Radeon’s eyes to follow.
It’s almost time. The five minutes are nearly up.
Surprisingly, the match had not been decided easily. Even with the Footsteps of the Sword Saint active, the low level meant he still couldn’t perfectly imitate the true Sword Saint’s style. Only about ten seconds remained. He had to end it within that window.
And this skill only revealed its true worth in the final moments—through the draw-sword technique that activated with ten seconds left. The strike was fast enough to be invisible to the naked eye.
Nam Doyun sheathed his longsword at his waist. Radeon looked puzzled, but saw it as an opportunity. His opponent was completely defenseless.
He swung at Nam Doyun’s head with blinding speed.
Just before the blade connected—
Swoosh—
A powerful gust of wind erupted. The blast slammed into Radeon like a hammer.
He collapsed heavily to the floor.
“...”
Not a single sound could be heard anywhere in the auditorium.