Chapter 460: Swordsmanship Training (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 460: Swordsmanship Training (2)
The Thirteen Swords of the Blue Dragon.
At first glance, it seemed to simultaneously possess the characteristics of a Swift Sword, an Illusory Sword, and a Hegemonic Sword. But looking at the accompanying footwork, it was clearly oriented toward a Strong Sword style.
In such cases, there were two possibilities.
One, it was a third-rate swordsmanship full of flashy but empty moves sold in the marketplace. Or two, it was an unrivaled sword art worthy of being called a divine technique.
In my eyes, it was the latter.
'Was she the heir of a prestigious family?'
I looked closely at the unconscious Yoo Ah-rin.
Her delicate features could rival those of a top-tier girl group idol, and her long, slender limbs boasted the perfect proportions of a model.
Furthermore, her chest was full enough to capture any man's heart in an instant, and the hips and buttocks that flowed from her slender waist were so captivating I couldn't look away.
But what caught my eye even more were her scarred hands.
It wasn't just the calluses; even the backs of her hands were covered in old scars.
This couldn't be explained away by simple, diligent training.
If a girl is born into a prestigious family, even if she learns martial arts, taking care of her appearance is an absolute basic.
Calluses from holding a sword?
Scars from learning martial arts?
Unless she's a boy, they make sure no scars are left behind so she can marry into a good family later.
That wasn't the only strange thing.
'Her internal energy is lower than I expected... She squeezed out Sword Qi with a body like this?'
A rising star from a prestigious family would have received an internal energy transfusion from a master of the house since childhood, or consumed various elixirs to increase their power.
At the very least, she should have about thirty years' worth, but Yoo Ah-rin had at most twenty.
In other words, despite having reached a first-rate realm in skill, her internal energy was still stuck at a second-rate level.
It was highly likely that the fundamental reason she hadn't broken through to the next realm was this lack of internal energy.
Of course, she could be the heir to a mysterious sect that follows the principle of one-person transmission, never teaching outsiders.
But even in that case, a master would typically pass down their internal energy through a transfusion.
What's the point of teaching martial arts without the internal energy to use them?
It would be just as strange if she'd had a fortuitous encounter in a gorge or on a cliff.
Learning not just some third-rate technique, but a supreme divine art just by reading a manual?
If that were possible, why would martial arts masters even exist?
Of course, I can do it, but even giving her the benefit of the doubt, Yoo Ah-rin's talent wasn't on that level.
Just by looking at her posture when linking her forms and footwork, it was an undeniable fact that she had been systematically taught by someone.
Moreover, self-taught martial artists inevitably develop bad habits, but Yoo Ah-rin had almost none.
'She's clearly from a prestigious family, yet she harbors a killing intent unbefitting her age...'
It was just piecing things together, but a faint outline of her origins and background began to form in my mind.
“Ugh... Where am I...?”
Just then, Yoo Ah-rin seemed to regain consciousness and opened her eyes.
“Sleep well?”
“...Huh?”
Her eyes met mine, and she seemed flustered for a moment before looking around and shakily pushing herself up.
“...I've made a fool of myself. I apologize.”
“Don't worry about it. Having a strong competitive drive is a good thing. Besides, a martial artist needs to be more than just unhesitating when it comes to cutting something down; they need to be proactive.”
“Is that so?”
“That's my philosophy.”
I stood up and offered her my hand.
Yoo Ah-rin hesitated for a moment before taking my hand to stand.
“I'm going to teach you two things.”
“I'm listening.”
In that instant, the look in Yoo Ah-rin's eyes changed completely.
“One is practical combat training, and the other is a new internal energy cultivation method.”
“A new internal energy cultivation method?”
Hearing my words, Yoo Ah-rin's expression darkened slightly.
“Thank you for the offer, but I—”
“Feel free to refuse if you want to suffer from Qi Deviation.”
Flinch—
“...What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
For a martial artist, Qi Deviation is another form of death.
If you're lucky, your meridians will twist, your internal energy will flow in reverse, and you'll die bleeding from all seven orifices.
But if you're unlucky, you'll be completely consumed by your Heart Demon and devolve into a vicious Murderous Demon, killing your own family and even your lover with your own hands.
Then, after finally exhausting all of your innate true qi, you will meet a gruesome end.
“I won't ask about your circumstances. Our clan respects its members' privacy. But if you keep letting what's in your heart fester, sooner or later, you'll be swallowed by the demonic energy.”
“...”
Yoo Ah-rin's face hardened as she took a step back.
But it wasn't an expression of rejection or disgust toward me for speaking so presumptuously without knowing her situation.
Rather, it was closer to a defense mechanism, an instinct to reject others from digging into her secrets.
The proof?
“...What do I have to do?”
The direction of her body's reaction and the answer that came out of her mouth were starkly different.
A corner of my mouth lifted as I continued.
“It's simple. You just have to learn the internal energy cultivation method I'm giving you.”
“...Isn't it dangerous to learn two or more cultivation methods with different properties?”
“Usually, yes.”
I reached into my storage bag, opened my inventory, and took out a book.
The title 'Great Mind-Spirit Art' was neatly written on the cover.
It was a martial art I happened to acquire from the Black Market Bookstore, a Buddhist internal energy method that only the elders of the Emei Sect could learn.
“But this is a Buddhist martial art that can embrace almost any cultivation method, except for demonic arts.”
It had the disadvantage of being slow to cultivate qi, but this was the highest-level martial art of the Emei Sect, one of the four sacred sites of Buddhism.
If you circulate your qi whenever you have free time, it will be a great help in calming the killing intent dwelling within you.
Furthermore, building up pure internal energy based on a Buddhist cultivation method had several advantages, such as strengthening the power of her techniques and making it easier to break through to higher realms in the future.
“Is it really okay to teach such a divine art to me, when we barely know each other?”
“Hmm? Don't you remember the terms of our contract?”
On the tutorial floor, I had made a contract with Yoo Ah-rin through a 'Contract Scroll'.
-Party A shall not spare any support for Party B. However, the support provided must be within the bounds of common sense and can be adjusted through mutual agreement.
“...No matter how I look at it, this doesn't seem to be within the bounds of common sense...”
Thump—
I placed the manuscript of the Great Mind-Spirit Art on top of Yoo Ah-rin's head as she muttered to herself.
“First, memorize the oral formula. Once you've memorized it all, I'll help guide your qi. And be careful—if you get even a single character wrong, you could suffer from Qi Deviation.”
“...Hk.”
At the mention of Qi Deviation, Yoo Ah-rin's expression darkened slightly. I thought she was emotionless, but it turns out she's surprisingly fun to tease.
“I'll be back in half a day, then.”
“Where are you going?”
Click—
Leaving Yoo Ah-rin behind, I opened the door to the training hall.
“To teach my second-period class.”
*
Currently, our party consists of two vanguards and three in the rearguard.
The vanguards are Lucifer and Yoo Ah-rin.
The rearguard is Lee Serin, Wi Ryeong-ah, and me.
Of course, the details are a bit different.
Normally, I act as a mage in the rear, but until we recruit a pure tanker, I can also take over the vanguard depending on the situation.
In that case, I would cover the front, while Lucifer and Yoo Ah-rin attack the enemy's flanks and protect the rearguard simultaneously.
As for Wi Ryeong-ah, her primary role is to attack the enemy with her sorcery, but depending on the situation, she can also command her ghost spirits to take over Lucifer's and Yoo Ah-rin's roles.
Finally, Lee Serin is, without a doubt, our supporter and healer.
Click!
“Hyun-woo!”
The door opened before the knock had even finished, and Lee Serin greeted me with a bright smile.
As expected of a former celebrity, her beauty was still hazardous to my heart.
“You weren't waiting at the door for me, were you?”
“...How did you know?”
At my words, she avoided my gaze and glanced around nervously. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
She was definitely the oldest, aside from Lucifer, but her actions made her seem more like a cute younger sister than an older one.
“Just a lucky guess.”
“Ah...”
I stroked Lee Serin's head as I entered the room.
She must have decorated a little, as the room now had a bed, some trinkets, and an overall interior design.
“The room has a cute vibe. It's charming and suits your personality well.”
“I-It does...? Hehe...”
“Can I sit on the bed?”
“Ah, yes!”
There hadn't been enough time to bring in furniture like a sofa or a desk, so the room felt a bit empty overall.
Still, it was better than my room.
All that's in there is a four-person bed.
Flop—
As I sat on the bed, Lee Serin immediately sat down right next to me.
“Ahem... S-So, what are we going to do now...?”
Lee Serin glanced at me from the side, her face blushing.
Her light brown eyes trembled slightly, sparkling strangely, as if she were anticipating something.
Seeing her like that, I felt a sudden urge to tease her.
“Well?”
As I leaned my face in close, Lee Serin hitched her breath.
Even though I was the one who should have been reacting that way.
'Damn, she's ridiculously pretty. Was she an idol, not just a singer?'
“...H-Have you finished training with Ah-rin?”
“More or less. There's a lot of theory to cover, so I left her to self-study for now. By the way, I see you're calling her Ah-rin. You two must be on casual terms now, huh?”
“Hm? Ah, yeah. We're going to be seeing each other all the time, so it would be bad if things were awkward.”
“Looks like you'll have your work cut out for you.”
Lee Serin was probably the only one in our clan who could handle Yoo Ah-rin's cynical personality without any issue.
No matter how close I got to her, I was still a guy, and Wi Ryeong-ah had just joined, so it would be hard for them to get close overnight.
'And Lucifer is out of the question.'
She wasn't the type to dislike her clanmates, but she also wasn't one to laugh and be friendly, so others probably found her even harder to approach than Yoo Ah-rin.
It was no exaggeration to say that Lee Serin was the clan's mood-maker.
“No, not at all. Ah-rin is just shy and gets embarrassed easily. She's actually really sweet.”
Looking at her bright smile, I slowly shook my head.
“No, I think we would've been in big trouble without you. The clan's atmosphere would've been more than just down; it would've been downright gloomy.”
“I-It would...?”
Lee Serin blushed, looking embarrassed by my words.
As I stroked her hair, I suddenly remembered what had happened this morning.
There was no real reason to bring it up, but I was too curious about her reaction to just let it go.
“By the way, Serin.”
“Hm? What is... Aah?!”
Thump—
I pushed Lee Serin down onto the bed and whispered in her ear.
“What were you thinking when you saw me with Lucy?”