Reforging the Infinite Tool Sword
I stepped out onto the training ground and faced Yurek.
The Old Sword Tiger opened his subspace and dumped dozens of swords onto the ground.
"Wooden swords? Or real steel?"
"...I'll use my own sword."
"Oh ho, the Moodra sword, eh? Fine piece. But use this instead. Wouldn't want to ruin yours."
What Yurek handed me was a plain iron sword without a sharpened edge.
Yet its balance was astonishingly perfect.
It felt tailor-made for me.
As if he'd prepared it in advance.
"Come on, show me what you've got."
"What sword style?"
"Hm? Oh, right. Yeah, you learned from Leonir, didn't you? Heh heh heh..."
When I asked, Yurek blinked in confusion before bursting into empty laughter.
He shrugged and replied.
"Any style you've mastered is fine. Whatever feels comfortable and confident. But opportunities like this don't come often, so choose wisely?"
"..."
The style I was most comfortable and confident with was naturally the Thousand Illusion Martial Sword.
I'd drilled it relentlessly these past few days, even in my dreams.
But if this was a chance to elevate my swordsmanship to the next level, that changed things.
The Thousand Illusion Martial Sword is already so refined there's hardly anything to fix.
I rivaled anyone in sword theory, but the Thousand Illusion Martial Sword had almost no flaws.
I'd simulated spars against various opponents in my mind, but nothing stood out as weak.
The Extreme Ring was the same—its creator was a mystery worth pondering.
In that case—
"I'll use our faction's basic sword art, the Infinite Tool Sword."
"...?"
The Kirchheis family currently housed twelve factions.
Naturally, a hierarchy existed among them, updated monthly under the guise of "faction capability evaluations."
In other words, faction rankings.
As expected, the Eternalism faction had languished at the bottom for ages.
Various reasons contributed, of course.
But in my view, the biggest issue was the inherent limitations of Eternalism's foundational sword art, the Infinite Tool Sword.
It's too middling. Neither heavy nor swift.
Strength, softness, speed, illusion.
Ulfrik's swordsmanship encompassed all attributes, shifting like the seasons.
As heirs to his teachings, Eternalism's swordsmen should reflect that.
They didn't.
It was a pitiful completion, barely half of the Allmaster's insights.
If we tweak the foundational art just a bit, the ripple effect on all subsequent Eternalism sword styles would be massive.
I'd felt that deep regret, as it was the starting point influencing everything that followed.
And now, opportunity knocked.
A chance to refine the Infinite Tool Sword using the lazy Yurek's expertise.
He might spot flaws I missed. No downside.
That was my calculation.
But the Old Sword Tiger tilted his head, gazing at me intently.
"The faction's basic sword art? Isn't that what all the other trainees learn too?"
"Yes."
"And you're okay with that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Correcting someone else's style wouldn't weaken me.
No—if changes rippled out, it'd give everyone headaches.
They'd have to relearn mastered techniques.
Guess they'll have to tough it out.
I lightly swung the iron sword and assumed the Infinite Tool Sword's starting stance.
Immediately, gazes poured in from behind me.
Not just the kids, but Professor Rapens and Obri, who'd appeared out of nowhere.
Professor Rapens, especially, stared at me with wide-eyed surprise for some reason.
"..."
What?
"Miss Libiel, do you happen to know how many sword styles Kirian has mastered?"
"Um... about five? Sir Lamoff taught him two as discipline captain, then he learned two more entering Eternalism... "
"And recently, one more from Duke Leonir?"
"Yes, but sometimes he shows moves he's never been taught."
"..."
Professor Rapens inwardly clicked his tongue at Libiel's words.
He'd focused on magic in his training, so he wasn't exactly a sword expert.
But he was confident in 5-star level, more than enough to guide first-years.
He'd thought he could teach them until they got dedicated sword professors upon advancing.
That notion had just shifted.
I've mastered six myself, and this 13-year-old boy already knows five...
That alone bruised his pride.
Regardless of achievement.
And Kirian went a step further.
Asking to correct Eternalism's basic art, the Infinite Tool Sword?
Does he already know its flaws?
Truthfully, the Infinite Tool Sword had been flawed from birth.
Due to ancient internal faction strife and conflicts.
Back when Eternalism held far more power.
The faction's swordsmen had taken a massive gamble.
To counter claims that their swordsmanship hadn't evolved beyond the Holy Hero Ulfrik's achievements.
Even the records make it absurd.
They'd first extracted the finest elements from the Holy Hero's styles.
Then forged new ones from their collective insights.
Finally, they sealed the originals to prevent regression.
Irrational choice.
Even that process hadn't been smooth amid rival swordsmen's claims of superiority.
The Infinite Tool Sword was the result.
Time had brought some improvements, but issues persisted.
Yet Kirian couldn't know that—
"Shall we begin?"
He'd requested improvements to the Infinite Tool Sword from Yurek.
As if sharing insights with the others was no big deal.
No, he was declaring it openly for all to see.
A sudden flash of insight struck Professor Rapens.
He instinctively sensed the deficiencies. And used his chance to elevate the faction's sword art.
A misconception, somewhat distant from truth.
As Professor Rapens misunderstood—
"Heh heh, well, it hardly matters. Your choice, so I'll respect it. Now, unleash what you've learned to your heart's content."
Yurek grinned broadly and took his stance.
Kirian drew a slight breath and leveled his sword.
The children watched with unprecedented focus—
Flash!
In an instant, Kirian's form scattered like a mirage.
Silver arcs began weaving endlessly across the training ground.
A sword art derived from the Allmaster's, refined over ages by Eternalism swordsmen striving to embody the "endless sky."
Yet ultimately failing, fragmented and incomplete.
Bounded by an invisible wall, the infinite heavens unseen.
"..."
Each of the Infinite Tool Sword's 36 forms was flawless in isolation, but together, they felt awkward.
Now, everyone watching Kirian could sense it.
The energy flow, meant to continue endlessly, leaked and broke visibly.
Clack.
Finishing the demonstration, Kirian lowered the iron sword.
Having poured maximum focus into every motion, thick sweat beaded on his forehead.
Only after sheathing did the boy exhale, while Yurek, equally concentrated, groaned and scratched his brow.
Their conclusions aligned.
"Came with light intentions, but you dropped something massive on me."
"If you correct even one motion, Professor, I'll be satisfied."
Refining the Infinite Tool Sword was no easy task.
Tied to Eternalism's long history, it had been polished as far as possible—
Now requiring a fresh perspective for true improvement.
Thus, an outsider like Professor Yurek was ideal.
"Focusing on motion cycles sacrifices sword speed."
"Agreed. At least through the fifth form, prioritize speed over flow."
"That means cutting mid-motions?"
"One way, but adding motions can enhance speed too. Like this."
"Oh, yeah. I see. Then... Hm?"
Yurek blinked, nodding.
Debating now?
Anyway, ideas to overhaul the Infinite Tool Sword piled up in the Old Sword Tiger's mind.
The verdict:
"We'll need far more time. Might spend a full day on just one motion, as you said."
"Doesn't matter."
"..."
Obsession. Or conviction. Maybe stubbornness.
Yurek had seen countless disciples ruined by it.
Yet with Kirian, it looked entirely different.
He's utterly confident in his choice.
As if he could fix it himself, even if Yurek failed.
An illusion, of course.
Yurek shook off the thought and spoke.
"Then let's get serious. Modify and perform the Infinite Tool Sword as I direct."
"Yes, Professor."
And soon after—
Yurek found himself thinking the same again.
"Professor, for this turning motion, wouldn't pivoting like this be better? What do you think?"
"Oh, good idea. Improves linkage."
"And here, inverting the approach might work better..."
Why another debate?
No—now Kirian led the overhaul of the Infinite Tool Sword.
Utterly baffling.
I caught my breath, gripping the iron sword.
Hierniorn, who'd been watching, muttered.
Is it alright? Thou lookest quite exhausted.
Yeah. Combat's easier, honestly.
Yurek's claim of a full day rang true.
The sword guidance, started at dawn, dragged on until sunset.
Stamina aside, the endless puzzling over improvements throbbed in my skull.
Yet Yurek showed no fatigue.
He'd fetched a chair for his aching knees, pointing with fingers, his expression growing ever more delighted.
"That part. Again."
"This?"
"Yes, the reverse-grip parry flow. How to fix? You first."
"...Leaving it as-is seems fine."
"Right, exactly. That's the answer. Heh heh heh..."
At some point, roles reversed: I refined the Infinite Tool Sword, Yurek verified.
Fine by me—it tailored to my taste.
And one more thing.
"Mihaden, what about that last part?"
"Kirian's judgment seems right again. Needs to link to the next motion untouched."
"Totally agree!"
Libiel, Mihaden, Lorang.
The three kids had skipped meals, glued to the training ground, watching Yurek and me.
Unexpected.
Once refined, it'll be public anyway. Why watch the process?
I tilted my head inwardly.
Then Hierniorn, perched on Libiel's shoulder earlier, chuckled.
Thou shalt know soon enough. All hath purpose.
What is it?
Thou shalt learn anon.
Finally, as the sun dipped fully beyond the mountains.
I could rest my leaden limbs.
The lazy Yurek rose from his chair, clapping my shoulder.
"That's enough for today. Good work, Kirian."
"Yes, Professor. Thank you."
We'd refined about 20% of the full art.
Beyond my expectations.
Impossible without pooling our heads with Yurek.
Elevating this worn relic to this level—the continent's top sword instructor lived up to his fame.
If only we could fix the rest.
But mathematically, that'd take three more days.
Time to call it.
Swallowing regret, I bowed to Yurek, who gave a wry smile.
"A shame. More time would've been nice."
"I agree, Professor. We could've refined the Infinite Tool Sword further."
But Yurek shook his head.
The Old Sword Tiger's eyes shifted subtly.
"Truth is, I'm not that fussed about the Infinite Tool Sword. Just enjoyed witnessing your talent. But swordsmanship's not your main focus—magic is?"
"...Yes, Professor."
"Heh heh. Where'd a kid like you pop from? Goddess's gift? Fascinating."
I bowed silently and withdrew.
The kids swarmed forward.
Probably to decide tomorrow's recipient.
But an unexpected question emerged.
"Professor! Can we continue refining Kirian's Infinite Tool Sword?"
"...?"