Late-Night Sword Guidance
Juyeon rose from her seat upon seeing Rohan's face on the camera feed.
Opening the door for a guest was more than enough by operating the device from inside.
— I'm here!
Click! As the door swung open and a spirited voice echoed through to the living room, Clara shot up from her chair without thinking.
Juyeon nodded toward Clara, urging her to go.
"Oppa...!"
With permission granted, Clara hurried to the entrance like a puppy that had only been waiting for its owner.
Soon, snippets of conversation drifted in.
Juyeon stayed at the table to give the lovesick girl some tender alone time.
She picked up the cooled mug and channeled her mana, restoring the coffee's warmth.
Juyeon took a light sip from the rim, mulling over the question Clara had tossed out.
Romance.
The word brought her parents back in Samhwa Nation to mind. They brought it up often whenever she returned.
She understood their longing for a grandchild, but Juyeon had no intention of setting down her weapon.
Too many responsibilities had piled up for a normal life. She had come too far to turn back.
I'm a failure as an instructor... and as a daughter...
Even if she left Orion Academy to return to Samhwa Nation, Juyeon would still defend her homeland on the battlefield.
As long as she lived that perilous life, the fear of inflicting loss on someone close kept deep bonds at bay.
She knew from experience how quickly grief could devour a person.
— Did you have a good time with Instructor Juyeon?
— Yeah...! She's so kind...
The two approached.
Juyeon shook off her sticky thoughts.
"Instructor! Pardon the intrusion!"
"Come on in."
Rohan stepped into the living room, greeting her and showing off the colorful paper bag in his hand.
If Juyeon's memory served right, it was an ice cream franchise that had expanded from Tigrova to Academy City.
"Couldn't show up empty-handed on a visit to an instructor's place, so I grabbed some post-dinner dessert."
"A cadet bringing something like this to an instructor's home..."
Juyeon cut herself off, noticing Clara's eyes glued to the ice cream.
She let out a soft chuckle at Rohan's question about stashing it in the fridge and nodded.
Hm?
As Rohan opened the freezer, turning his back, Juyeon's eyes narrowed.
It wasn't an illusion—the aura emanating from him felt different.
A subtle shift, one the Security Bureau might miss amid the chaos. So faint that only the exceptional would notice.
Focusing intently, Juyeon peered into Rohan and saw something familiar yet alien.
Light...? No, flames?
She knew Rohan had a fire affinity like her.
He could wield Scorching Blade, after all. But that flame had been too small to define its nature.
Now, it felt larger.
Did he gain some enlightenment amid hardships?
If he channeled mana to manipulate fire, it might appear even clearer.
For now, all she sensed was change and growth.
⋯
⋯
After the three finished dinner and dessert,
Rohan expressed regret over missing afternoon classes due to the natural disaster and asked Juyeon if she could spare a moment to check his swordplay.
Juyeon had been curious about his changes anyway.
She handed over one of her swords, and they headed outside to aid digestion.
Rohan gave his jacket to Clara, who had followed in her thin clothes. The girl seemed especially delighted.
The park in front of Juyeon's mansion.
Reserved for residents only, it was quiet.
Under the bright streetlights, Rohan stretched, rolling his shoulders as if it just occurred to him.
"Oh! Instructor, when my friends asked where I'd been, I said some work came up and I left early."
"Good call. Once the intel's sorted and we've coordinated, I'll spread the word myself as instructor. Won't take long."
The information had already reached the three nations running Academy City.
Whatever conclusions they drew, some highborn kids at the academy had likely heard already.
T-shirt and sweatpants.
Rohan bounced lightly on the spot in his casual gear, satisfied with his condition, then drew the sword Juyeon lent him.
Shing—!
He set the sheath respectfully on the ground and assumed stance.
Clara stepped back to avoid interfering and watched the two.
Juyeon, barehanded, was ready to receive like in class.
Before debuting this monumental sword style, Rohan cleared his mind.
Heavenly Sun Holy Judgment Sword is currently Level 1.
Two forms available.
First Sword: Flame Cut. Second Sword: Dawn Fall Sun.
Experience watching diverse unique skills and his instincts told him:
With higher levels matching his physical prowess and mana, new forms would unlock.
"Hooo..."
He exhaled deeply, spreading his legs and lowering his stance.
The blade infused with Scorching Blade glowed red-hot.
Hard even before swinging.
Sword skills didn't bend the body automatically upon use.
Only the basics—movements and mana circulation paths—formed in his mind.
In Abyss City, a button press unleashed flashy techniques, but now it was ambiguously active-passive.
Muscle contractions and relaxations, breathing, the instant of impact from gripping the hilt, the trajectory the empowered blade must trace, complex geometric mana flows.
Conditions avalanched into his consciousness.
Fulfill the demands—that's the first step of basics.
How much practice to surpass that and wield ideal swordplay?
Rohan grew excited for the training ahead, even if it dazed him.
For now, swing clumsily if need be.
He gripped tight.
—Tsssk! Rohan's foot pushed off, closing on Juyeon.
"Unleash at will."
"Thank you."
Juyeon waited without reaching first.
Perfect conditions for Rohan.
"Hup!"
Blade's reach. Rohan moved like lightning, mana surging.
Flame Cut
Juyeon slipped away with one step from his sword path.
Observing all the while.
Unique.
No flashy blaze, but her eyes saw clearly.
Heat rippling along the blade's trajectory, compressing with explosive potential.
A mana operation she'd never seen.
And this sword...
Not the sharp, experience-honed cuts from class.
It followed a system. Intriguing.
Growth potential palpable.
Dawn Fall Sun
Next, the overhead strike.
The blade met Juyeon's hand.
A Scorching Blade-nullifying catch, but the ground rumbled as if flames would erupt.
Reading the heat, Juyeon stomped to suppress it.
Even with just three here now, it was a shared public space.
Having countered, curiosity piqued Juyeon.
What sword style is this, exactly?
Rohan had learned some swordplay.
Did he always have it? Southern style, perhaps? What form would it take as the flames matured?
Even the unique handling made her eager for his achievements.
But that's that, and his form...
Plenty to critique. Terribly unpolished.
Rohan's face showed dissatisfaction with his own swing.
Awareness of insufficient practice.
Juyeon couldn't guide the ideal form without knowing the sword,
but she could refine basics and key improvements.
"Start over with that first strike I saw."
Juyeon spoke, extending her hand and channeling mana.
The sheath on the ground flew to her grip! Whoosh!
"Got it!"
Once more, Flame Cut.
Clack!
Before the swing fully formed, Juyeon's sheath intercepted the path.
The blade halted, blocked.
"The heat buildup's starting point is obvious. The issue is the long condensation time."
Visible start meant telegraphing, like a telegraphed punch.
"Think of a normal person swinging a fist. You read the shoulder signal before it extends."
"Yes."
"That makes dodging easier."
"You're right, Instructor."
"Same with that sword just now. The heat-gathering process isn't concise—it's like a shoulder twitch before the punch."
Rohan nodded, establishing direction from her words.
"Of course, against sharp foes, it could bait a reversal once or twice."
"Thank you."
Rohan gripped earnestly, resetting stance.
Juyeon commanded.
"Next. Try that overhead again."
What started as digestion time dragged on considerably.
As Rohan's mana teetered low, the late-night guidance ended.
Clara had passed the time blankly staring at Rohan's face.
When Juyeon asked if she was bored, she said not at all.
The next day.
Rohan bought a longsword on installment. And thanks to Juyeon's intervention, Clara got an Academy City ID.
They were asked to vacate the provided cramped room within three months.
In return for her help, Rohan promised to find Clara a solo place once his Security Bureau reward came through.
Time passed, Rohan's sword settling in.
On a certain April day, midterms looming,
Just as Rohan fretted over how Sion was faring,
the main story's harbinger appeared before his eyes.