Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: King of All Weapons (2)
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***
The first strike.
In a spar or a duel, the first strike was incredibly important.
Whether one attacked first or not held great significance, enough to have a profound impact on the outcome of the fight. Broadly speaking, this held true in many other areas as well.
Acting first, being able to do something first—this in itself often carried great meaning.
And for one who wielded a spear, the first strike…
Held an even greater significance.
…
“Alright. I appreciate you saying so.”
Cheon-seong naturally accepted Leonhardt’s offer to concede the first strike.
He immediately activated his mana.
!
A faint blue light swirled around his arms and legs.
Unlike during the entrance exam, where he had imbued his meager mana into his spear, Cheon-seong now shrouded his own body in it.
It was to further accelerate his movements.
*Thump!*
The moment Cheon-seong took a step forward, his body shot out like a streak of light.
"..."
The various objects and the background flew past his vision. And his target, Leonhardt, rapidly filled his entire view.
*Swoosh!*
As he registered his target, the hand thrusting the spear moved as one with the weapon, slicing lightly through the air. Since it was a spar, he didn't aim for vital points like the heart or head.
My target now is Leonhardt's right shoulder.
In a single breath, he had closed the distance and entered striking range.
And he anticipated it.
‘He’ll react.’
The difference in traits between Leonhardt and me was clear; it was impossible for me to finish him in a single exchange.
But this was just the beginning. At this early stage, when trait levels were low, the gap between us wasn't so absurd that I stood no chance. Of course, later on, the difference would become incomparable, but for now, it meant I had a fighting chance against the protagonist.
Just as he predicted, Leonhardt met his blade with a look of surprise at his unexpected speed.
*Clang!*
A great spark flew from the clash of sword and spearhead, and the spear was deflected sharply.
Leonhardt’s gesture seemed like a light parry, yet to Cheon-seong’s hand, it felt as if he had struck a wall, a colossal force behind it.
‘As expected of the protagonist.’
He could feel the superiority in his basic stats.
But it didn't matter.
He had already expected it. There was no need to be surprised by the expected.
*Whoosh!*
He spun the deflected spear shaft, letting the force flow away, and swiftly thrust it out again.
*Clang!*
Following the first exchange, his second attack was, as expected, also deflected by Leonhardt’s sword.
That, too, didn't matter.
He had anticipated it, and this situation itself held meaning.
As proof, Leonhardt was now one step back.
‘I can't ever stop.’
His hand, wielding the retrieved spear, moved even faster as he rapidly thrust it forward.
*Clash!*
When his feint—a light jab—was deflected more forcefully than before, he used the recoiling force to slash horizontally. The sharp sounds of metal striking metal rang out in quick succession.
Thus began the encounter of spear and sword.
The clash of weapon against weapon was, in a sense, like clapping.
Just as you can't clap with one hand, you need another hand to meet it to make a proper sound.
And now.
That sound was echoing continuously.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
Thrust after thrust, his spear was relentlessly deflected by the sword, creating a sharp sound and a shower of sparks with each impact.
Even though his assault seemed to be blocked fruitlessly, his spirit burned even hotter.
‘It’s fine.’
I'm on the offensive, and he's just managing to block it. I'm not the one 'being attacked'.
It was an offensive akin to clapping, where one hand repeatedly strikes the other.
It was only natural.
Leonhardt was at a distance where his sword couldn't reach him, while I held the advantage of reach, allowing me to press a fierce assault.
Furthermore, the harder Leonhardt tried to bat his spear away, the more Cheon-seong used that force to thrust even more powerfully, preventing Leonhardt from doing anything else.
An endless chain of thrusting his spear and having it parried was forged.
And he intended to maintain this offensive until the end of the spar.
The reason he thought he could win was that Leonhardt was not accustomed to the spear.
No, no one would be.
Because only a spear could endlessly press the attack by exploiting such a clever advantage in reach.
As their eyes met, he could see it.
“……”
The apologetic look in Leonhardt’s eyes from when he had conceded the first strike was now, for anyone to see, completely hardened.
A reality different from his expectations.
It would be hard for him to know that a trait he couldn't help but look down on as Common actually had a bizarrely strong side to it.
*Clang-clang-clang!*
Before he knew it, he was thrusting his spear in a near-trance state.
Thrust, deflect, retrieve, and simultaneously thrust again.
It flowed as naturally as breathing.
This was different from the thousands of thrusts and slashes he'd practiced in the empty air for two months. The feeling of his spear ringing as it met another weapon was special, even to him.
And…
Even he couldn't understand himself.
How he could wield the spear so proficiently in his very first spar.
*Clang-clang-clang!*
Even now, it seemed Leonhardt had no opening to counterattack, busy as he was parrying his spear.
It was even clearer to his eyes, the one thrusting the spear.
Shoulder, thigh, side, arm… his spear, aiming for every part of the body except the vital points, targeted the next area that would be difficult for Leonhardt to defend in the instant he retrieved it.
Even if Leonhardt managed to parry them all, that was the extent of it.
There was no way for Leonhardt to turn the tables and launch his own offensive.
If he tried to force an opening to attack, Cheon-seong was prepared to aim for that exposed gap and choose mutual destruction.
"..."
Leonhardt, whose eyes were locked with his, must have sensed that as well.
That must be why he wore such a grim expression while defending.
At the same time, his body gradually began to feel heavy.
The relentless thrusts of his spear. No matter how much he redirected and used the opposing force, he couldn't deflect it all, and his body was slowly starting to creak.
And yet, his heart was strangely joyful.
‘Victory is already sealed.’
The moment he conceded the first strike, this outcome was like a predetermined future. And he had made it a reality.
The protagonist's trait, which would one day possess the absurd power to cleave the earth and split the heavens with a single swing.
—Sword of the Azure Sky.
That was a story for the distant future.
Right now, the sword Leonhardt swung and parried with couldn't contain such ridiculous power.
*Clang!*
The spear he thrust out was suddenly deflected with more force than before, and the hand gripping the spear trembled violently.
Realizing he was cornered, Leonhardt had made a desperate move.
Seeing the faint blue light now coating his sword, the smile on Cheon-seong's lips deepened.
‘Forcing an opening is useless.’
As the great force sent his spear high into the air, he didn't try to forcibly stand his ground.
Instead, he used that momentum and suddenly kicked off the ground.
*Thump.*
*Swoosh!*
The moment he launched himself, he saw a sword, wreathed in blue light, slice through the space he had just occupied.
Watching it with composure, he landed and kicked off the ground once more.
*Thump.*
And he began to thrust his spear fiercely again.
*Clang!*
He naturally tried to re-establish the same formation as before.
The dynamic where he launched a frenzied assault with his spear, and Leonhardt, forced onto the defensive, was too busy just parrying his strikes, was once again formed.
*Clang-clang-clang!*
As the rhythm of spear and sword clashing once again struck his ears, he thought calmly.
‘...All the way to the end like this.’
The feeling in his spear arm had long since vanished.
He had felt the weight of the spear not long after it was first deflected.
But he ignored it.
His footwork, adjusting to Leonhardt’s retreating or advancing distance, was no longer as sharp as it had been at the start.
With a mana stat of only 2, the mana shrouding his body had long since dissipated, and he could feel his movements slowing down.
Yet, as if his body had adapted, he was now thrusting his spear with movements similar to when he had been using mana.
It was hard, heavy, and exhausting. His vision was blurring.
But still, he didn't stop.
The vivid blue light imbued in Leonhardt's sword.
Watching him use the Sword of the Azure Sky, his mind grew as calm as a tranquil lake.
‘I can do this.’
He could fight on par with this world’s protagonist—no, he could even push him back.
It wasn't a dream at all.
The fear and worry about defeat he had first felt were long gone. Despite his creaking body, he thrust his spear.
Using the Sword of the Azure Sky didn't increase its reach, so there was no reason for him to be afraid.
Why would he fear a sword that couldn't reach him?
Unlike the auras in some novels, this wasn't a world where one could freely control the reach of their sword.
Although… with the protagonist's plot armor, such insane feats would become possible later on.
'But at least not now.'
*Clang! Clang!*
Unlike before, the sound of spear and sword clashing now rang out stronger and louder.
He could clearly see that Leonhardt was parrying his spear with a force close to his full strength.
Each time his spearhead was violently deflected, he calmly retrieved it and repeated the thrust.
His body was under strain, and his breathing grew ragged.
Even as his vision blurred, it was fine.
It wasn't impossible to retrieve the spear and thrust it again.
...This endless exchange of blows.
It was strangely enjoyable.
***
"..."
"..."
*Clang! Clang!*
Only the sharp sound of steel striking steel echoed, heating the training ground.
There were no other sounds.
When the spar had begun, everyone watching had expected the same thing.
From Glacia, who had arranged the spar, to Yumia, who had come with Leonhardt, and Instructor Avalanche, who was supervising—even the A-Class students in the training grounds who had gathered out of curiosity.
They had all pictured Han Cheon-seong being defeated in a matter of minutes, no, seconds.
Legendary and Common.
The gap was so vast that a comparison was laughable.
And yet.
A considerable amount of time had now passed.
It had been over twenty minutes since the spar began.
*Clang! Clang!*
The fierce clash of sword and spear had become a familiar sound, drilling into the spectators' ears, and it showed no sign of stopping soon.
Now, everyone was watching in silence.
A spar that went beyond their expectations, beyond anything they could have imagined.
A duel that couldn't even be described as a struggle unfolded—a duel that defied comprehension.
“……Is he really a Common grade?”
Then, someone uttered a single sentence.
Just as a few people numbly agreed with that sentiment.
Only 'two people' were watching the spar with different thoughts.
Instructor Avalanche, observing as a supervisor, and Glacia.
They alone watched the duel with a perspective different from the students who were staring blankly.