Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Old Man Who Sharpens Iaido (1)
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Orbis's team PvP training.
Teams of three compete to defeat another team of three.
"For this training, we'll randomly draw teammates instead of using your usual groups."
A cheer mixed with boos erupted around the instructor at his announcement.
The ranking matches were over, and the students' skill levels had been clearly sorted out.
[Team 5: Lee Han-su / Hwang Yung / Seong Ji-seong]
Hwang Yung was someone I knew, but Seong Ji-seong was a new name to me.
Half calling him Seong Ji-seong, huh.
"Nihao."
"Hwang Yung, I'm pretty confident in my Korean."
Hwang Yung quickly spotted me and came over.
That was when it happened.
Someone was striding toward us.
It was a burly male student with a hammer slung on his back.
A familiar face.
The guy who had quietly pulled his weight during midterms and wrecked the remedial class.
"Nice to meet you. Two warriors and one supporter? Solid combo."
The rules for this team PvP training were simple.
One of the three holds an artificial relic.
The opposing team wins by stealing it.
If luck's on your side, it ends in one grab. If not, you have to take down all three.
That was when the instructor spoke up.
"No need to hold back in this training."
The area buzzed in confusion at his words.
The skill gap between students could be pretty wide.
If I unleashed my full Iaido Technique on Hwang Yung right now, he wouldn't be Hwang Yung anymore.
"The goal of this training is real combat experience. We have five mages on standby, plus ten 4th Grade Heroes or higher in case of emergencies."
The instructor continued.
"We'll also be using a 2nd Grade relic, so don't worry."
[2nd Grade Relic: Tears of Ars]
It was on another level, as expected.
A top-tier 2nd Grade relic, five high-grade mages, and 4th Grade Heroes on top.
This level of investment just for combat prep training. That was why it was called the world's top hero academy.
A few students laughed at his words, while the lower-ranked ones looked grim.
"Whew..."
Hwang Yung let out a sigh too.
As the supporter, he was the most likely first target.
Stepping into the mana barrier gave an unsettling, jelly-like sensation.
"Urban area."
Seong Ji-seong scanned the surroundings and spoke.
Live combat training took place in various zones, and we'd drawn the urban one.
About the size of a school field.
And our opponents...
[Team 8: Han Ain / Sato Kenta / Jo Sung-il]
Mage, warrior, warrior combo.
Ding-!
The start signal rang out, and I moved fast.
The opponents split left and right, each marking me and Seong Ji-seong.
Hwang Yung stuck with Seong Ji-seong.
Buffs didn't work on me anyway.
I turned to spot Han Ain.
She was chanting from afar, prepping her magic.
Then someone shouted from the side.
"Not so fast!"
A sword swung at me simultaneously.
I twisted my body to dodge.
Turning, I saw a long-haired guy.
"You're not getting to our mage."
Sato Kenta straightened his stance and said.
"I'll buff you right at the start."
Han Ain said to Sato Kenta.
His role was to mark the enemy ace, Lee Han-su.
While he kept Han-su busy, she and Jo Sung-il would quickly take out the other two.
If Seong Ji-seong or Hwang Yung had the relic, victory on the spot. If Han-su had it, their numbers advantage made it doable. Simple plan.
A buff hit Sato Kenta at the start.
'Blessing of the Wind.'
She hadn't even chanted properly, and she wasn't a support mage, but a buff beat nothing.
'Light... No need to hold back on power, right?'
As expected, Kenta swung his mana-infused sword at Han-su charging the mage.
Faster and stronger than usual.
Shiiiik-!
But disappointingly, Han-su dodged with ease.
"You're not getting to our mage."
The moment he finished speaking, Sato Kenta lunged at Lee Han-su.
And what followed was his 'technique'.
"Consecutive Strike Shatter."
Dozens of strikes poured toward Han-su in an instant.
The air whistled with deadly slashes.
Shik! Shik shik!
The targets: legs, shoulder, knee, head...!
Shiiik!
But Sato Kenta's sword never touched Han-su.
'...Fast.'
Sato Kenta cautiously backed away.
'That speed means he's strong up close too.'
Han-su hadn't even drawn his sword yet.
Sato Kenta gripped his hilt tighter without realizing.
'The gap was this big...'
Time to change plans.
Abandon taking down Han-su; just keep him from the mage.
Dragging it out favored their side with the mage.
"..."
"..."
A brief silence.
Sato Kenta shifted to a defensive stance.
Han-su lowered his posture too.
'A clash...!'
Sato Kenta swallowed hard.
'No, that's Iaido Technique.'
Quick-draw was for drawing from seated or standing, focused on defense and counter.
But Han-su's stance wasn't that.
'I'm the one who has to parry...'
Iaido Technique honed pure speed and lethality over refinement.
"Hoo..."
He inhaled deeply.
Braced for the incoming strike.
Sato Kenta wrapped his body in mana.
Planning a full-body parry 'technique'.
He was always better at defense than offense anyway.
'Parry it!'
Steel ing himself, Sato Kenta widened his eyes.
-Use the storage ability.
Tyrfing whispered to me.
I had an attack pre-stored from yesterday.
'Can't use that now, can I?'
-You can.
Mana surged from my training sword simultaneously.
I instinctively knew.
The 'storage' was now on this blade.
I stood straight up.
No reason to draw now.
Iaido Technique would drain me with the penalty.
"?!"
Sato Kenta's eyes widened.
An afterimage behind me drew its sword.
Movement identical to mine...
Kwaaaaaang!
And power.
"N-No way... I didn't even see the draw..."
Han Ain sensed something was wrong.
The plan was to quickly take Seong Ji-seong and Hwang Yung, then Han-su.
But Seong Ji-seong held out longer than expected, delaying things a bit.
Not that it mattered much.
"Huh?"
Something flashed, passing through Han Ain's body.
Thud!
Her heart sank, pupils dilating.
Cold sweat drenched her.
'D-Death...'
Bam!
Something blocked her death at the same time.
Thump...
Han Ain collapsed there.
A brightly glowing blue droplet hovered above.
'...'
The relic had saved her.
Beep-!
The end-of-training signal blared.
The training replayed live in hologram form.
Everyone thought Han-su had drawn his sword, but he hadn't.
Just a faint afterimage behind him.
"Huh?"
The slash cleaved the city.
Yoo I-seol watched closest of all.
Her red eyes gleamed.
'Couldn't even see it.'
The draw itself invisible.
Even to Demon Eyes...?
'...'
Yoo I-seol gripped her left wrist unconsciously.
Heading back to the dorm after training, an old man blocked my path.
"Fine Iaido Technique you got there."
A one-armed geezer with two katanas at his waist.
"The students here are all so boring... Same dull swordplay from everyone."
His eyes widened suddenly.
"Iaido Technique is the pinnacle of sword arts, common sense... And the first student I've seen here with any common sense."
Madness gleamed in the old man's eyes.
The one-armed old man, Ian Korpe, believed the world had gone wrong.
Mana had revived countless martial arts.
Techniques once impossible became real.
Iaido Technique was no different.
People called it impractical, but mana made it viable.
Yet for some reason, it never caught on.
A few created their own 'techniques,' but they weren't true Iaido.
"Iaido Technique...! It must be pure quick-draw...! Drawing only at the start makes it just swordplay...!"
True Iaido Technique was draw-only.
He tried to prove it.
Devoted his life to it, became a hero, saved countless lives.
Even survived the Red Gate incident, earning 2nd Grade Hero status...
But Iaido Technique never flourished.
Doubt crept in.
What if... Iaido Technique was just weaker than other 'techniques'?
Mana use varied by hero.
Simple at first, but refined impossibilities into realities.
But...
He hated to admit it, but maybe Iaido had limits.
He'd never broken past 2nd Grade to 1st.
Occasional students begged to learn, but none had the talent, so he refused.
"Iaido Technique... must be the strongest...!"
One day, he stumbled on Orbis practical exam footage.
"No, fuck, that's Iaido Technique!"
He scoured every video of Lee Han-su after that.
Practical exam, rankings, all Orbis training clips released.
"Excellent. Nothing but Iaido Technique."
Ian Korpe rushed to Orbis and became an instructor.
As a 2nd Grade Hero, it was no issue.
His sole purpose: prove Iaido Technique supreme.