Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Swordsmanship
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“What's your relationship with Wol Ha-yeon...?”
“Uh... well.”
I froze solid at the completely unexpected question.
No way, is she suddenly swerving the conversation like this? The vibe was perfect—we were smoothly talking about magic, naturally leading into finding a research partner, and wrapping up on a peaceful note!
I'd thought we could end the chat neatly, grab lunch, and part ways perfectly.
But out of nowhere, with zero warning, this curveball variation on a classic question?
Even the evaluators would get roasted if they pulled something like this on an exam.
“...”
Was I just that flustered?
I couldn't muster a reply, desperately avoiding Sophia's eyes, which shone with an intensity that felt overwhelming.
But Sophia adjusted her glasses, narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she kept staring at me.
“Hmm... I heard rumors that you two looked pretty intense during practical class. So... is there really something going on?”
“...Look, yeah! I just happened to run into Wol Ha-yeon in the training room by chance, and somehow I ended up learning some swordsmanship from her. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Hmm~ Is that so?”
Sophia nodded meaningfully, her words trailing off.
“But you know, saying 'nothing more, nothing less' between a guy and a girl? That's pretty dangerous.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
“Usually, when people say that, something's already going on.”
“...”
Her absurd speculation left me speechless.
Wow... what part of this do you have to twist to come up with such nonsense?
I hurriedly shook my head and waved my hands.
“I'm telling you, it's not like that. Calm down and think about it—why would Wol Ha-yeon, with everything she's got going for her, get tangled up with a guy like me? It doesn't make sense.”
“Hmm~ I don't think it's impossible at all? For starters, take me...”
“What?”
“...Ahem, nothing. Anyway, I was just curious because of all the buzz. Wondered if there was really something there.”
Sophia, who'd seemed about to say more, cleared her throat awkwardly and turned her gaze back to her notebook.
But for some reason, her earlobes looked a little flushed.
“...”
Of course, I pretended not to notice.
No point digging deeper and risking a bigger misunderstanding.
A brief, awkward silence settled between us.
“...Anyway, let's get back to the research talk.”
Sophia picked up her pencil again, as if changing the subject, and started scribbling in her notebook.
“Sure.”
I nodded and turned my eyes back to my notes too.
Fortunately, Sophia didn't probe further about Wol Ha-yeon and me.
After that, we stuck purely to discussions on magic structures and rune arrangements.
As the cafe started filling up around lunchtime, Sophia handed me a sandwich she'd brought.
“I don't usually eat out for lunch, so I made this. When you're deep in research, time flies without you noticing.”
“...You prepared this too?”
“Taking care of your assistant is a researcher's duty.”
Sophia grinned nonchalantly and took a bite of her sandwich. I chuckled and did the same.
And so, our impromptu meeting with Sophia wrapped up surprisingly peacefully.
Not to mention the solid gain of accelerating the completion timeline for the Form Pattern formula.
...We did gain something, right? This ominous feeling is just my imagination, yeah? Yeah, definitely just imagination.
I gazed at the sunlight filtering into the cafe, hoping this unease was all in my head.
Two days later, Monday morning.
I woke early as usual, finished my mana meditation, grabbed the sword I'd picked up over the weekend, and headed to the sparring ground.
Wol Ha-yeon was already there waiting, so I greeted her cheerfully.
“Hey hey.”
“You're here.”
After the curt greeting, she scanned me head to toe and tapped the scabbard.
“I thought about it over the weekend. What swordsmanship to teach an aspiring magic swordsman like you.”
“Oh... really? And?”
“No matter how I crunched it—your physique, little habits, even your grip—sticking to ordinary swordsmanship just seemed inefficient.”
Wol Ha-yeon spoke matter-of-factly and drew her sword.
“So I made a new one tailored for you.”
“...What?”
I doubted my ears for a moment.
I knew swordsmanship wasn't something you could just whip up on a whim.
Yet she'd created one in just two days—for someone else, no less. How could I not be shocked?
But then I remembered one of her traits, and it clicked how she'd pulled it off.
Oh, right... That overpowered girl has the S-Rank trait called Sword Ghost, which is like Swordsmanship Predator on steroids.
Sword Ghost
True to its name, a being possessed by the sword—or a sword-maddened spirit.
It boosts every sword-related action, ensures you never forget a technique after seeing it once.
And it lets you combine learned swordsmanship to create new ones. Total cheat of a cheat trait.
“You're seriously making swordsmanship from scratch for me... I owe you so big, I don't even know how to repay it...”
“I have expectations from you too, so that's how serious I am. Don't disappoint me.”
Wol Ha-yeon said that and immediately demonstrated the swordsmanship.
Short, concise motions, yet the flow from slash to thrust was unbelievably fluid.
“This swordsmanship is called Flowing Ink Sword.”
“Ooh, Flowing Ink Sword...”
“As the name implies, it's swordsmanship that flows like water. No hitches even if you weave in magic midway, and it holds up fine as pure swordplay too. Perfect for a magic swordsman like you.”
Continuing her explanation, Wol Ha-yeon demonstrated once more, lightly.
The initial slash was rigid and strong, then smoothly curved into a thrust, her footwork like a beautiful dance.
“......”
Stunned by the sheer beauty, I stood there slack-jawed, watching the woman perform her sword art.
This was made in two days? No way. Even for an S-Rank Sword Ghost, that's straight-up balance-breaking.
Finishing her demo, Wol Ha-yeon sheathed her sword, spotted me standing there dumbfounded, and chuckled as she continued.
“See? You could weave in a few spells mid-flow without any awkwardness.”
“For example... that Ice Spear from our last spar. Launch it after drawing their eyes with swordplay, and your hit rate skyrockets. Or infuse wind into the blade to boost speed.”
“...You want me to try it?”
“Yeah.”
Just three days into learning basics, and we're skipping ahead to practical combat? I was a bit tense.
But I swallowed hard and slowly assumed the stance she'd shown.
“...I'll give it a shot.”
As I raised my sword, Wol Ha-yeon smiled oddly and watched silently.
I took a slow deep breath and began performing her swordsmanship step by step.
The first couple moves felt decent, but on the third, my footwork tangled, throwing off my balance.
Wol Ha-yeon was there in an instant, grabbing my arm and wrist to correct the angle.
“Don't tense up here. Just let it flow. Imagine water running through your head.”
“...!”
Whoa.
The sudden skinship startled me briefly.
But matching her calm instructions, I resumed the motion, and this time, the swordplay and magic connected smoothly.
“Oh...”
As I paused, marveling, Wol Ha-yeon muttered as if she'd expected it.
“As I thought. It's perfect for your body.”
“......”
Her words pleased me, but this level of kindness felt overwhelmingly burdensome somehow.
What's her deal...? Why is she so invested in me? This isn't just teaching for fun.
Noticing my contemplation, Wol Ha-yeon added,
“I'll keep correcting your form until this swordsmanship is etched into your body. Of course, blending it with magic to make your personal style? That's on you.”
“...Aren't you basically taking me as your disciple?”
At my half-joking remark, she shrugged.
“From the moment I decided to teach you, you were my disciple. So I'll take responsibility to the end.”
“...”
Her utterly sincere response left me speechless, staring blankly at her face.
...That was just a throwaway joke, why take it so seriously? Was Wol Ha-yeon always like this?
As my mind grew more tangled, she casually sheathed her sword and spoke.
“Alright, that's enough for today. First artificial dungeon eval is Wednesday—save your stamina.”
“...Oh right, totally forgot.”
The first main story arc kicked off the day after tomorrow, and it'd slipped my mind completely.
Impressive, Hyun-sol. Real smooth.
I'd bound myself with the Vow of Purity just to see the game's end.
Twisted myself into knots avoiding the heroines, only to blank on the most crucial main story. My head spun.
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Wol Ha-yeon continued calmly.
“Truth be told, I figured we'd just spar. You know this eval's basically mock battles between students in an artificial dungeon, right?”
“Sure, there are monsters, but F-Rank? Nothing to worry about. Still, prep a little, yeah?”
“True, but it's not even a real F-Rank Dungeon—just an artificial one. Even if I'm off-condition, no big deal.”
She had a point.
The first main story was just Kim Do-yoon properly linking up with the heroines—nothing to do with me, so no need to stress.
“Still, first eval. Prep hard.”
“What?”
Misreading my thoughtful expression as eval nerves, she patted my shoulder lightly.
“Seemed tense. No need to worry—it's a simple one.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Train hard, see you tomorrow morning.”
I nodded slightly, and she smiled satisfied, leaving the sparring ground first.
The morning training ended with even greater gains than I'd expected.
"...."
Watching Wol Ha-yeon leave to the end, I glanced down at my sweat- and callus-covered palms, lost in thought for a moment.
It'd already been a week since possessing this otherworld body.
And here I was, slacking off already without even doing much... But thanks to Wol Ha-yeon, my head was clear now.
"Hoo... Don't forget your goal, Hyun-sol. You even took that constraint."
Staring into space, reaffirming my objective, I roughly cleaned up the sparring ground and headed back to the dorm.