Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: King of All Weapons (4)
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***
There’s a term called “runner’s high.”
It happens during a long run, like a marathon, when the body is under extreme duress, maintaining a state of being at its limit. At a certain point, you forget the hardship and the pain, falling into a trance-like state where you do nothing but run.
A similar example would be accomplishing something that would normally be impossible, something that would make others wonder how it was even done.
Pain and anxiety. All of it either dulls or disappears.
It refers to the state of feeling a vague sense of happiness just by performing an action, which compels you to continue.
And that…
It wasn’t exclusive to marathons.
…
‘Better than expected.’
The more Leonhardt deflected or received the spear, the more that feeling grew.
The strength of the cadet named Han Cheon-seong.
More than anything else, the thought that he was simply ‘strong’ was being hammered into his mind.
He couldn’t dodge the spear.
He was certain he hadn’t underestimated the trait of Spearmanship.
And yet, that’s how it felt.
Blocking and parrying the spear was his limit. Trying to do anything more felt nearly impossible.
The longer the spar continued, the more Han Cheon-seong seemed like something that far surpassed his expectations.
*Clang!*
Even as he deflected the spear aiming for his left shoulder again, he still couldn’t advance.
He would parry the spear and move forward.
At first, he thought he could close the distance in an instant, but reality was different.
*Whoosh! Swoosh!*
The spear he parried would shoot back at him with an uncanny speed.
There was almost no gap between its retrieval and the next onslaught. In fact, as the spar progressed, that speed only increased.
And if that were all, he might have been able to create an opening, but…
‘I can’t get any closer.’
The spear Han Cheon-seong wielded was full of variables.
Sometimes it felt heavy, imbued with great force, and other times it felt so light that it was strange even to block it with his sword.
And now.
Above all, the moment he tried to advance, he would be run through by that spear.
He could feel it instinctively.
So he remained rooted in place, continuing the stagnant spar of parrying and blocking.
‘Don’t get impatient.’
He calmed his mind all the more.
If he acted rashly and allowed even a single blow from that spear to land, it would be over in an instant.
With a spear, there was no concept of allowing a single wound. Whether it was his shoulder, leg, or side, the moment he was pierced by that spear, his body would be thrown back.
Just the thought of it made it abundantly clear that continuing the spar would be impossible.
The destructive power of a spear meant that the moment it pierced you, it was the end.
He fought and fought against the temptation to make a bold offensive switch and end the spar in one fell swoop.
He watched the spearhead rushing toward him, blocked it, and focused on swinging his sword.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
The method of wielding the spear changed again, and it came at him more ferociously. He met it with his sword as if to gently parry it.
There was no need to rush.
He would focus on the spar itself.
And then… his heart was filled with a sense of calm.
—Sword of the Azure Sky.
The one sword that contains the blue sky.
Suddenly, his trait came to mind.
The incomprehensible principle of containing the blue sky with a single sword.
The principle of the trait he’d acquired, Sword of the Azure Sky, wasn't about how to handle a sword.
It was just a collection of vague phrases, knowledge that was not easily understood, that circled in his mind.
But now.
It felt as if he could see a small fragment of that principle.
It wasn't about what to cut with the sword or how to thrust.
It was a difference in the state of mind when wielding the sword.
—To find tranquility, like the blue sky.
And just like that, he began to enjoy the spar.
*Clang! Clang!*
As he deflected the light, rapid spear strikes as if letting them flow past, a faint smile played on his lips.
‘Good.’
This spar was meaningful in and of itself.
For him, and for Han Cheon-seong, who was facing him. So there was no need to try and end it quickly.
Because he could feel them both growing.
His trait, and Han Cheon-seong’s trait…
—!
Even while watching the spearhead thrusting relentlessly, he found simple joy in matching it with his sword.
Why he had to swing the sword, why he had to think about its principle, had been vague before. But there was a considerable pleasure in the act of matching blows itself.
At the same time, his eyes were captivated by the blue light enshrouding his sword, which was now surging with greater intensity.
His trait, Sword of the Azure Sky, was advancing further than it ever had during training.
And so, he could even feel a kind of leisure.
His thoughts were no longer fixated on just parrying or blocking the spearhead; his mind had broadened in an instant.
Han Cheon-seong.
C-Class, with a Common-grade Spearmanship trait.
Looking at the objective information alone, he shouldn’t have been that impressive.
And yet, to him, he was.
Wielding his sword against the spear, he could recognize Han Cheon-seong’s uniqueness.
‘As I thought, a trait isn’t everything.’
In this world where the idea that a person’s worth is determined by their trait was taken for granted, almost everyone thought that way. From his own family to the people he associated with, they all placed great importance and value on traits.
But he didn’t think so.
Everyone has their own role to play, and everyone has their own worth. A person's value shouldn't be limited by the grade of a trait assigned by the world.
Even though he had been granted a Legendary trait, he didn't believe traits were everything.
That’s why he could see the cadet named Han Cheon-seong without prejudice.
He didn't view him as being limited to C-Class and Common, nor did he question the strength he displayed.
An abnormal strength that was hard to believe for a Common trait. Instead of questioning it, he believed that such strength must have been born from commensurate effort, and he could acknowledge that strength.
Therefore, he did not see him as his inferior.
And with that, the impatience he felt about the drawn-out spar completely vanished.
The emotions that filled the void left by impatience were all positive.
Joy, happiness, pleasure, exhilaration—positive feelings, whatever you might call them.
Like gazing at the azure sky, not a single doubt or hesitation remained in his heart.
Suddenly, he heard a sound.
“*Pant… pant…*”
It was the sound of ragged breathing.
*Clang-clang!*
But it was quickly buried by the sound of him parrying the rapidly approaching spear.
When he finally looked at Han Cheon-seong, he could see it.
He could see what Han Cheon-seong looked like right now.
His entire body was drenched in sweat, and he looked completely disheveled.
Beneath his black hair, even his hazy eyes came into view.
‘His condition… isn’t normal.’
He was at his limit.
Anyone could see that he was at his limit, that his state was abnormal.
His face was flushed red as he panted for breath.
As if crying out in distress, every part of Han Cheon-seong’s body was screaming that something was wrong.
‘Has Han Cheon-seong been wielding his spear like this the whole time?’
He had been so focused on the furiously attacking spear that he hadn't considered what state Han Cheon-seong was in.
*Clang! Clang!*
As he strongly parried the powerful spear thrusts, he noticed another anomaly.
A faint blue aura was enshrouding Han Cheon-seong's entire body.
It was a sign, a premonition that a trait was about to reach the next level.
It was a phenomenon called the Light of Blessing, something everyone dreamed of.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
Even as he met the spear, whose speed had suddenly and drastically changed, a conflict arose in his mind.
‘What should I do?’
He was already more than satisfied with what he had gained.
No matter how the spar ended, he had no intention of dwelling on the result.
It had already held great meaning for him. But thinking of Han Cheon-seong's condition, he couldn't just stop the spar.
If he stopped, the Light of Blessing surrounding Han Cheon-seong would disappear before it could fully envelop him.
…That would mean a great opportunity would be lost for him.
The deliberation did not last long.
He had just realized the solution.
Continuing to clash sword and spear was not the answer.
The only answer was to end this spar as quickly as possible.
Whether that Light of Blessing fully bloomed and Han Cheon-seong reached trait level 4 or not, that was the only solution.
He had to end this spar with his sword.
Han Cheon-seong’s body was already creaking as he thrust his spear.
He was past his limit, a state where extreme pain was spreading throughout his body. Having pushed himself in training before, he knew what that felt like.
And he also knew how dangerous that state was.
‘Therefore.’
I have to end it.
Immediately after.
—!
Leonhardt's sword, which had been on the defensive for the entire spar, changed in an instant.
***
“……”
Han Cheon-seong’s vision was blurry.
At the same time, his mind was completely blank.
Even as he thrust his spear, he didn't know how he was doing it.
Even as he swung his spear in a wide arc, he didn't know how.
Right now, he himself didn’t truly know.
He was simply wielding his spear in a trance, continuing the spar. Han Cheon-seong was clearly pushing past his limits.
His body, his mind. All of it had surpassed his limits.
And so, Han Cheon-seong felt as if he were floating.
‘I…’
A strange feeling, as if he wasn't himself, as if his body was beyond his control.
He truly felt no sensation in his body.
And yet, as if he absolutely had to, he was just acting on reflex.
Thrusting the spear, swinging it, and when it was blocked, thrusting and swinging again…
And so, he clashed endlessly.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang…*
The intense ringing of metal striking his ears now felt natural.
Through his blurred vision, the sparks from the clash of sword and spear continuously disoriented him.
Then, suddenly, feeling returned to his body.
*CLANG! CLANG!!*
Along with a clash even more intense than before, the hands gripping the spear were pushed back forcefully, and his hazy vision instantly sharpened.
“Ugh!”
And at that moment, he saw it.
The manifestation of an immensely powerful blue light.