Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Sharpening Iaido Technique, Picking Up a High School Girl
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Iaido Technique.
The motion that signals the beginning of swordsmanship.
But just as every person interprets a work of art differently, there were those who interpreted iaido in their own unique way.
"You probably know this already, but iaido is the ultimate sword art."
Ian Korpe's iaido was a sword art that ended the moment it began.
"Don't draw your sword and then think about what comes next. Iaido is the fastest sword art there is. A swordsman who doesn't trust their blade is weak."
It was the kind of mindset that utterly dismissed every sword art besides iaido.
Ian Korpe fiddled with his sword as he spoke.
Was he getting the itch to practice iaido just from talking about it?
"Swordsmen who look ahead after drawing their blade only see what's next. But iaido focuses solely on the moment of the draw. It's the difference between caring about the most crucial beginning or not. That's why iaido surpasses all other sword arts."
That's when a question popped into my head.
"What if it gets blocked?"
Ian Korpe laughed as if I'd just spouted nonsense.
"Didn't I just say not to think about what comes next? But there are exceptions, of course."
With that, he suddenly unleashed an iaido strike into empty air.
Iaido Technique
Kwaaaaaaang!
"If even the ultimate sword art can't overcome the difference, the answer is simple. Just sheath your sword and draw it again."
This guy's dizzying.
I spent quite a while discussing iaido with Ian Korpe.
Unfortunately, I couldn't draw my sword anymore today, so practicing swordsmanship was out of the question.
"You've put on the 'Shackle.' Not the best choice... but don't worry. I'll make sure you can unleash iaido to your heart's content."
With those words, Ian Korpe wandered off somewhere.
Shackle.
In other words, a penalty.
A system where you sacrifice something to gain what you desire.
Shackle of the Sword, Curse of the Sword.
In exchange for drawing your sword only once a day, your stats rise.
It boosts your stats at the cost of limiting usable skills.
Something like that.
The downside? High risk, low return.
Gaining what you want is never easy.
But it has its uses.
Like when you're just one step away from reaching the pinnacle.
If you've hit your growth limit, you discard something to take that final step forward.
You might even have to gouge out both your eyes for that one step.
And it applies to skills too.
That's the vibe of Ian Korpe's iaido.
Instead of resheathing, its power surges dramatically.
Of course, still high risk, low return.
The payoff doesn't match the risk.
Hm?
On my way back to the dorm, I spotted a familiar face.
Well, not that familiar, but her features were too striking to forget.
Pink hair and a pitiful, dog-like face.
As I stared in disbelief, she seemed to sense my gaze and looked my way.
"…."
"…."
We were on the same wavelength.
Your name is...?
"Chad?"
"Who are you?"
"…."
I played dumb, and Pinky's face grew even more pitiful.
"Uh... ah... ooo...."
Just as she turned to leave, a chilling sensation crept over me.
"...No, it does feel familiar...."
Pinky kept her head bowed, but her eyes were fixed on me.
.
.
.
Choi Seo-hyun returned to her dorm.
"…."
Her face flushed bright red.
She'd realized she'd grabbed a stranger by mistake and caused a misunderstanding.
"Wuu...."
Sudden sadness washed over her.
She'd blurted out his name without thinking.
Even if she went back, she'd say the same thing.
Because she'd sensed the flame in him too.
Someone else who'd received power, just like her.
Was there another person like her in Orbis Academy?
'No way....'
One fact she'd been desperately ignoring resurfaced.
Demons could bestow their power on humans.
And that mysterious voice she'd heard back then.
You've burned your senses.
Choi Seo-hyun pinched her arm as hard as she could.
"…."
It didn't hurt.
To be precise, she couldn't feel a thing.
Something was seriously wrong....
.
.
.
The next day, after desperately racking her brain, Choi Seo-hyun decided to track down the guy she'd met yesterday.
She'd sensed a power similar to hers in him.
The emblem on his uniform marked him as a first-year, so she headed straight to the first-year floors.
'Which... which class....'
It was a real dilemma.
Guess she'd have to check Class 1 first....
Peeking into Class 1, she spotted the guy from yesterday.
'Heh, lucky.'
Found him on the first try!
But then a huge problem hit Choi Seo-hyun.
'How do I call out to him....'
Just walk up and shout? But what excuse...?
There's something hot between you and me.
It's like a flame.
'Ugh.'
Saying that would be a total disaster.
That's when it happened.
"Excuse me?"
Someone called out to Choi Seo-hyun.
Turning around, she saw a familiar face.
It was Seo Ji-ho, one of the more famous first-years.
"Looking for someone?"
"…."
Choi Seo-hyun silently pointed at Lee Han-su.
"Ah, hold on a sec."
"Hey, Han-su."
"?"
"Someone's calling for you."
Wondering what was up, I looked where Seo Ji-ho pointed and saw Pinky.
"Good luck."
Seo Ji-ho said that and headed back to his seat.
.
.
.
"I heard you were looking for me."
I stepped out into the hallway to meet Pinky.
"Yeah, that's right...."
"Mind if I ask why...?"
"You've changed somehow, just like me, right?"
"Pardon?"
I asked what she meant, and Pinky suddenly rolled up her uniform sleeve.
Revealing her snow-white, slender arm.
"Pinch it once."
"...?"
"Quick, as hard as you can."
I had no idea why, but she insisted, so...
Pinch.
"Kyaa! Kyaaa!!! It hurts! Waaahhh!"
Pinky burst into tears the moment I pinched her arm.
No, what the hell!!!
Why the meltdown!
"Whoa, why are you freaking out like that?!"
"Sob sob... It huuuurts!!!! ...Why is this happening...."
Her sudden scream drew stares from everywhere.
No choice—I had to move us somewhere else.
"Waaah...."
Pinky was still crying, staring at her now-red arm.
Then she stuck out her tongue and licked the spot...
Wait.
"...? What are you doing?"
"This makes it hurt less...."
She's a handful.
"Is this why you were looking for me?"
Her bizarre behavior sparked an irresistible curiosity.
Light Priesthood... a pack of total lunatics...
"No... that's not it. My sense of pain is gone...."
"?"
"See?"
With that, Pinky pinched her other arm—hard.
She did it with surprising bravery, nothing like the blubbering mess from before.
"So you were faking it earlier?"
"No...."
I asked, and she shook her head emphatically.
"I thought maybe you'd received the flame too...."
"…."
Lee Han-su's expression hardened in that instant.
"Did you receive the 'flame' inside Orbis?"
"Yeah."
Sudden realization hit me.
"Who gave you the flame?"
"Uh...? A club senior...."
The puppeteer was crafting a new puppet.
Click, clack.
Footsteps echoed from behind me.
"Uh...?"
Pinky seemed to know exactly who it was.
No way...
"Senior?"
Ah.
"Hm... caught me, huh?"
A voice came from behind.
Not one voice, but many layered together.
From masculine to feminine, boy, girl, grandfather, grandmother.
All merging into one.
"Brother, good to see you."
It was the puppeteer's voice from the [Prayer Space].
I turned slowly.
A single ordinary-looking male student stared back at me.
"I saw you two heading off somewhere and followed."
He said he saw.
Did he have a puppet in first-year too?
"Shall we talk for a bit?"
Clap-!
A clap echoed, and darkness enveloped us.
Entering [Prayer Space].
"Mm, much more comfortable here."
The student, who had looked like a boy moments ago, was now a woman.
Long red hair and eyes brimming with madness.
More precisely, eyes mad with 'faith'.
"We shall welcome the Archbishop."
She bowed deeply.
Creeeak, creeeak.
Something creaked in the distance.
The puppeteer had already turned, bowing reverently toward the endless void.
Creeeak, creeeak.
Something approached from afar.
Clank-!
Not quite large, yet too big to call average.
Clank-!
Ten arms protruded from its back, all folded in prayer.
Clank-!
Three faces instead of one, and in its most radiant hand, it clutched a 'holy scripture'.
Thud-!
It finally arrived before us.
A being with twelve arms and three heads.
Less human, more machine.
A book rested in its left hand.
The cover bore a faint human face—not for reading, but for praise.
I knew its title—no, its name—at a glance.
The book's name was...
1st Grade Relic: Human Skin Holy Scripture