Yeokcheon and the Fate of Regression
Until now, I believed my death was a predetermined fate. An inevitable end... one I could never escape, no matter how desperately I struggled through regression. At least, that was what I believed before I met Zeto.
The wind blows, whipping my hair across my face. I take a deep breath in sync with the breeze, then let it out.
"Hoo..."
Zeto's sword has changed. In my previous life, Zeto told me it was his master's blade. I already knew who his master was. A legendary, high-ranking female swordsman who had once made a name for herself across the lands: Sierra of the Purple Moon. Her skills were said to rival even those of the Sword Saint.
She was a precious benefactor who had taught Zeto so much. Unfortunately, judging by what Zeto had said, she seemed to have already departed from this world.
‘Why did it happen sooner than before?’ In the previous timeline, Zeto only drew his master's sword after the incident in the Labyrinth. This time, it was much earlier.
"...Is it because my actions changed?"
I muttered to myself, a quiet whisper that no one else could hear. Talking to myself was a foolish habit I had picked up after my regression.
I don't know, Zeto.
I have no idea how my actions might have influenced him. After all, the me of this lifetime is vastly different from the me of the previous ones. So much has changed that I can't grasp the thread of causality. Even though I've experienced countless times how my altered behavior ripples out to change the actions of others and the future itself, Zeto is the only one who constantly weighs on my mind.
Is it because I know that, if things continue like this, he will die?
Should I push him away, even if he tries to come closer to me?
For Zeto to never get entangled in my affairs and simply live a normal life... I knew all too well that this was the easiest and best path for him. I knew it, yet I couldn't bring myself to do it.
There had been so many failures, so many deaths. A number more than enough to completely shatter one's sanity. And yet, it was Zeto who had stood in the way of my demise.
When 'that day' approached, I had intentionally avoided him. I didn't want to drag him—someone who had become so precious to me—into this tragic story with its painfully obvious conclusion. But on that day, Zeto appeared like a hero and rescued me from danger. He was my savior.
And yet, he died. In place of a worthless girl like me.
Is it truly fate that someone must die in the end? If such a garbage fate really exists, I want to defy it. Just as Zeto defied fate to prevent my death.
"...It's okay."
I forced the words out, clinging to the mantra I had repeated thousands, if not tens of thousands of times since my regressions began, barely holding my fracturing mind together. It's okay. Nothing has happened yet.
But if Zeto has changed because of my actions... if, because of that, he doesn't come to my side this time... if he doesn't come to save me... then... I don't think I'll be okay. Even if that is the only way to keep Zeto alive, I still don't think I would be okay with it.
If push comes to shove, I've even thought about taking Zeto for myself first.
I was selfish. I disgusted and loathed myself for it. But without him, I couldn't endure.
"Ugh..."
Perhaps because of the wicked thoughts crossing my mind, the wind felt unusually cold. I wrapped my arms tightly around my aching knees.
I had never lived my life wishing for something like happiness. My life had always been about survival, survival, and more survival. I simply wanted to live. But everything changed after I met Zeto. I found novelty in the repeating days, and whenever I was with him, my mind found peace.
So, surely, I'm allowed to wish for just this much... for someone like Zeto.
I slowly stood up from the roof where I had been crouching.
‘Zeto, what are you doing right now?’
He was probably training. He was an incredibly hard worker, after all.
From the roof of the towering clock tower, everything below looked tiny. The world lay beneath my feet. It made me feel as though I possessed the power to defy fate itself. This was a place I frequented whenever I felt suffocated or anxious. The unobstructed view from here was one of the things I wanted to show Zeto someday. If he breathed in this open air, surely even he would be able to feel a sense of refreshment.
"...I'll work hard too."
I had to go see the sea with Zeto. I had to fulfill the wish he didn't even know he had.
With those final words, I slowly made my descent from the roof. The clock tower stood in the very center of the city. The platinum-blonde girl who had been sitting on its roof vanished in an instant, leaving behind a faint, crackling spark.
"Twisting the flow of mana?!" My voice rose at Sierra's absurd explanation.
[Indeed. That is the beginning of Yeokcheon. The reverse grip, and the reverse flow.]
Sierra repeated her explanation in a curt voice, as if it were no big deal.
We were deep in the forest outside the academy, a place where not a single soul passed by. Since I couldn't sense Kaen's presence either, I could converse with Sierra at ease. The reason I had come all the way out here instead of using the training grounds was to test Yeokcheon. Now that I had acquired the skill, I had to try it out.
Although I already possessed the knowledge of Yeokcheon through my status window, Sierra was right here beside me as a Demon Blade. Thus, to make the process look natural, I was currently learning Yeokcheon from her.
"My knowledge is shallow, but... wouldn't twisting the flow of mana normally cause internal injuries?"
[Since when art thou a normal person? Do not be so cowardly and just give it a try.] Sierra urged me with a nonchalant expression.
I sat cross-legged on the ground and focused on the flow of my mana. Since the knowledge of Yeokcheon was already in my head, I knew how to reverse the flow. I could feel the mana slowly circulating through my body. If I twist this in reverse...
"...Kh!"
Along with a sharp, stinging pain, blood spilled from my mouth. It was a natural consequence. Sierra approached me gently, as if she had expected this, and patted my back.
"How on earth... did you come to create such a bizarre swordsmanship style?"
At my question, Sierra pondered deeply before speaking.
[...Dost thou know how many times this Lady has been defeated by the Sword Saint?]
"Hmm... I do not know the exact number."
[Seventy-six times.]
Sierra stopped patting my back and stood in front of me. Her eyes were like those of a fierce beast—eyes filled with nothing but a wild instinct, ready to tear into its prey at any moment.
[That is the number of times this Lady lost to the Sword Saint. Since they were not battles to the death, I was able to keep my life. Perhaps, at some point, this Lady began to think of it as fate. A cruel fate that decreed I could do nothing but lose to that bastard.]
"...But you didn't give up."
[Indeed. Giving up was never an option for this Lady. However, when it came to swordsmanship, if this Lady was the earth, then he was like the heavens. The compatibility between his swordsmanship and mine was simply too abysmal.]
Sierra then raised her palm toward the sky. Earth and heaven.
[If he is the heavens... and if defeating me is the fate bestowed upon me...]
Then, in line with her words, she turned her palm downward.
[Then I shall defy it. That is the Sierra-style Yeokcheon.]
Sierra's quiet words echoed in my mind, sending a thrill through my entire body and raising goosebumps. Defying heaven. Defying fate. It was a concept that resonated deeply with me. Fate, and Eisel's death. And my own failure, which I could faintly sense... For I, too, was trying to defy fate.
[Didst thou say thy mana control is clumsy? That is actually for the better. Do not try to handle it delicately or minutely. Try reversing a larger, broader flow instead.]
Following Sierra's simplified explanation, I attempted the mana reversal once more. This time, I didn't bother with intricate, delicate control. A grand flow. A broader stream of mana. I reversed it all at once.
In an instant, the flow of mana coursing through my body reversed. The tension draining from my muscles, my body relaxed. My movements became noticeably more fluid and effortless, yet they were by no means slow.
Soon after, I stood up. The foundation of Yeokcheon was the reverse grip. With my right hand, I drew the Demon Blade from my left hip in a reverse grip. Then, I prepared to execute the first technique of Yeokcheon, which I knew through both Sierra's teachings and the skill acquisition.
The stance for the attack or the strength of the slash were not the important parts. Yeokcheon was, ultimately, a swordsmanship style that placed its greatest significance on the act of defying. Like a book, Yeokcheon was structured in chapters—Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and so on. And what each chapter sought to defy was different.
What I was about to attempt now was the first chapter of Yeokcheon. What I wish to defy is...
Screeech!
Drawing the Demon Blade held in a reverse grip, I slashed diagonally. Then, fluidly shifting my stance, I sliced through the empty air a couple more times.
Click.
Finishing the seamless sequence of movements, I sheathed the sword.
Slash! Sla-slash!
The moment the blade clicked into the scabbard, several trees in the distance were sliced clean through. Even though I had clearly slashed only empty air, leaves showered down from afar, and severed branches plummeted to the ground. A few deeply cut trees fell with a loud, splintering crash.
It wasn't because sword qi had been unleashed, nor was it because a sword aura had reached them. ...Space. I had defied space. The Demon Blade had defied the very concept of distance, cutting down trees that should have been far out of reach. This was the first technique of the Sierra-style Yeokcheon: Chapter 1: Space.
Seeing how cleanly I had succeeded, it seemed the Yeokcheon skill obtained through Ghost Swordsmanship was working perfectly.
[M-my disciple... didst thou just enter a state of absolute selflessness...?] Sierra, who had been watching intently from the side, asked me in a quiet, cautious whisper.
Judging by her expression, she clearly hadn't expected me to succeed on my very first try. Since I had the help of the status window, this was an utterly abnormal feat in her eyes. It was only natural, considering she had spent decades of blood and sweat to create this swordsmanship.
A state of absolute selflessness... A state of trance where one's concentration reaches such an extreme that they forget their very existence. Since I couldn't reveal the existence of the status window, this seemed like it would serve as an excellent excuse for similar situations in the future.
"I'm a bit dazed myself... To think it could reach a distant tree without even using sword qi... I could clearly feel the sensation of cutting through it, too." I scratched my head, playing dumb.
[It seems the target was fortunately within the range of thy Ki Sense. My disciple... thou might truly be a genius. To think thy learning would be this swift... Since this Lady is the Demon Blade itself, I could feel it. Thy Yeokcheon just now was nigh perfect.] Sierra marveled at me repeatedly.
‘I need to pace myself...’ Feeling a bit overwhelmed by Sierra's excessive admiration, I quickly changed the subject.
"Did it not hurt? Aren't you connected to the Demon Blade?"
[No matter how great an impact is delivered to the blade, this Lady feels nothing of the sort. As for the other parts... it is merely a matter of getting used to it. That time, it was simply because it was a sensation I had not felt in so long... so pray, forget that memory...]
Listening to Sierra's explanation as her face flushed red, a thought crossed my mind. Just which part of the Demon Blade is connected to which part of her senses? I don't know for sure, but perhaps I'll find out when the time comes to maintain the sword.
[That aside... what dost thou think of the Yeokcheon created by this Lady? I wish to hear my disciple's evaluation.] Sierra asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"I am simply amazed that this is a swordsmanship style created by a human."
This was no mere flattery. I was expressing what I had personally experienced, pure and unfiltered.
[Defying space, defying time. Defying whatever blocks my path. And ultimately, defying even heaven itself. That is the profound truth contained within Yeokcheon.]
"Then, the final chapter..." Yeokcheon was still incomplete, as Sierra had passed away just before she could finish it.
[The final chapter... as thou knowest, was never completed.] Sierra paused mid-sentence, then gently caressed my cheek as she spoke.
[Defying God. That is the final chapter of Yeokcheon that thou must complete in the future.]
"Defying... God...?"
[Indeed. It carries the meaning of defying the very God who handed us our fate.]
"You're speaking of things that would get you executed if the clergy heard you, haha..."
[It matters not. They cannot hear us anyway.] Sierra snorted at my joke.
Listening to Sierra's explanation, I couldn't even begin to fathom the maximum destructive power of Yeokcheon.
‘She said she made this swordsmanship to defeat the Sword Saint... but she was planning to defeat even God...’ I had heard in the game that her sheer understanding of swordsmanship surpassed even the Sword Saint's, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.
I reflected on Chapter 1 of Yeokcheon, which I had just executed. While Chapter 1 was active, my mana drained continuously. In this state, my slashes could bypass spatial distance and strike targets much further away. Thus, rather than being simple active skills, the techniques of Yeokcheon seemed to be continuous, mode-like skills.
Perhaps Chapter 1: Space could be described as a mode that allowed long-range attacks without using sword qi. Considering my Weakness Detection and the effects of my blindfold, its power would be multiplied. Since it didn't even emit sword qi, it would be incredibly easy to catch opponents off guard.
If Chapter 1 was already this absurd, what would Chapter 2: Time be like? Let alone the final chapter of Yeokcheon, Defying God—I couldn't even begin to guess what form that technique would take.
Unfortunately, I could only use up to Chapter 1 for now. It seemed to be the limit of Yeokcheon Level 2.
Thanks to Sierra's previous explanations and my skill level, I had a rough idea of what Chapter 2 would entail. While Chapter 1 defied space, Chapter 2 would defy the flow of time.
‘How many chapters are there in total?’ Since this was a skill that never appeared in the game, information was scarce. It would be best to ask Sierra directly whenever I had questions about Yeokcheon in the future.
In any case, although I could only use Chapter 1 for now, that alone was more than enough. I just had to raise my Ghost Swordsmanship level to unlock the rest. One level of Yeokcheon for every four levels of Ghost Swordsmanship. Considering its performance, this was by no means a bad investment.
I had achieved highly satisfying results. The performance of Yeokcheon, even after a brief test, was absurdly broken. If there was one problem...
"But this drains quite a lot of mana..." I said, slumping down against a tree behind me. I needed to recover my mana through my bracelet, even if just for a moment.
Sierra approached my side and spoke in a gentle voice.
[There is bound to be a difference in our realms, after all. For now, it would be wise to use it sparingly, only when absolutely necessary.]
"I will keep that in mind."
[Thou also needest to familiarize thyself with the reverse grip. Thou art still clumsy. Very much so.]
Sierra continued to lecture me for a long while after that, a proud look on her face.
‘This must be her first time teaching anyone.’ Yet, she had already become a proper 'master'.