The Weight of Legacy
When Lee Shin sensed the omens of disaster, the second set was already well underway.
In the center of the arena, light flashed as the two clashed.
Park Su-bin swept his hand forward while the Blue Sky Sword Emperor, Namgoong Min, charged with sword in hand.
Park Su-bin’s magic power seethed, making his black mink coat flutter wildly as his light orbs hurtled forward with even greater ferocity.
Facing the flashing onslaught of the charging orbs, Namgoong Min swung his blade, his cloud-patterned martial uniform whipping through the air.
It carried the essence of dominance. It carried the essence of weight.
And when it touched the very source of strength, one truly became the master of the blue sky.
Namgoong Sega’s secret art.
Emperor's Sword Form
The instant Namgoong Min murmured those words, the moment his supreme sword became enveloped in light.
At the same time, every light orb that had stood between Namgoong Min and Park Su-bin… simply vanished.
KWAAAAAANG———!!
The canyon sky came into view.
All the clamor disappeared.
The world had been perfectly reorganized with Namgoong Min at its center.
“Whoa…”
Park Su-bin let out a pure gasp of admiration.
Not a single trace remained. No fragments of magic power, not even a lingering echo. Every speck had been erased without mercy.
Had anyone ever wiped out his light orbs so completely?
The more he watched, the more astonished he became.
“Just like Representative hyung said, it really wasn’t a simple wide-area skill. Resistance, gravity, physical property alteration, domain domination… It incorporates so many different studies. And this is probably…”
“??”
“Well, in my opinion, it seems like an ability that keeps building on itself. Am I wrong?”
“!!”
He was right.
Chinese guilds possessed a fascinating trait that matched their unique culture: the ability to “inherit” traits.
The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Heavenly Demon Domination, Shaolin’s Muscle Tendon Changing Classic, the Huashan Sect’s Purple Cloud Divine Art, and now Namgoong Min’s inherited Emperor’s Sword Form.
And Park Su-bin, as Lee Shin’s disciple, had grasped the core of that inheritance.
“You keep refining it. If a flaw appears, you fix it… How should I put this? Ah, learning! It constantly learns and evolves the ability further. An ability that learns? That’s incredible!”
Park Su-bin clapped his hands in awe.
In contrast, the Blue Sky Sword Emperor Namgoong Min had gone rigid.
“You… are a truly remarkable child.”
He had heard the rumors of Korea’s iron wall.
The player who contributed the most during their undefeated league domination. The dragon’s final barrier who had even blocked the divine archer’s arrows that rivaled the Heavenly Demon himself.
And in the first set, Namgoong Min had confirmed every rumor was true.
A child who had mastered defense.
A genius born with the talent to protect.
Nineteen… no, he was twenty now? When Namgoong Min thought back to himself at that age, he felt both envy and jealousy.
Perhaps that was why Park Su-bin’s words, delivered alongside his attack, cut especially deep.
“You possess such an incredible ability. So why do you rely on mere items like that?”
“…So you knew after all.”
He had suspected it ever since the mental buff had struck his weakness, but the boy truly knew.
The worst possible situation—an opponent who had identified the weakness. Yet Namgoong Min’s sword remained perfectly steady as it aimed for Park Su-bin.
It sliced through the swirling light orbs summoned by Park Su-bin’s gestures.
It pierced the wall of light created by his clap.
And finally, the moment the milk-white giant’s fist collided with the sword of light.
A deafening roar erupted as the shockwave swallowed the entire area.
―――――!!
Through the colliding currents of magic power, the two men stared at each other.
“I just don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“At first, I thought you were a bad person, Sword Emperor.”
“Haha. And?”
“…But you’re not. You’re a strong and upright man.”
“Thank you, child.”
“Then why are you doing something so dangerous!”
The ultimate point of defense was not attack, but piercing the opponent themselves.
Park Su-bin had unknowingly reached that pinnacle.
That was why the question burned even hotter. The Namgoong Min he saw was not the kind of person who would resort to such tricks.
Perhaps it was the young genius’s sincerity. A faint smile appeared on Namgoong Min’s face.
In that instant, Namgoong Min’s sword split the sky while Park Su-bin’s giant let out a roar.
Pazjuk!
Magic currents exploded like fireworks around the two combatants.
They clashed with ferocious intensity, yet at the eye of that storm, the pair continued their calm conversation.
“Child, have you ever heard this saying? A name shapes the person.”
“I’ve heard that position shapes the person.”
“It is similar. In our Zhonghua, the first thing one does upon joining a sect is discard their old name. It means forgetting the past and becoming a member of the family. At that moment, we receive a new name and inherit the ‘martial art’ you spoke of—the inheritable ability.”
If the name given at birth decides one’s fate, discarding that name bleaches that fate clean.
And by inheriting the martial art, the empty space is engraved with the ‘sect.’
“Our Namgoong is rooted in the sword of dominance, the heavy sword, and the strong sword. That is why Namgoong warriors revere power and never shy from battle. Just as you said—upright.”
“The reason you’re telling me this…”
“Child, you asked me, did you not? Why I rely on such tools.”
“!!”
Wasn’t it strange?
Why did the mighty Namgoong Sega, which had built such a powerful force, lack someone to serve as its head?
Why did individuals with such outstanding martial prowess become strange when gathered together, turning into charging dinosaurs the moment they saw a battlefield?
“And why, despite knowing this problem for years, they have offered no solution.”
“Don’t tell me…?”
“Your guess is correct, child. The moment we receive a new name alongside the martial art, we also inherit the personality contained within it.”
“!!”
Pazik!
The two were flung to opposite sides.
Park Su-bin’s eyes widened as he skidded across the ground, while Namgoong Min’s gaze had grown heavy.
“That’s ridiculous! How can that be true?! People change based on their abilities?”
“Why do you think it cannot be? Even if our case is extreme, such things are common. No need to look far. Do you truly believe your defensive talent and your gentle heart have nothing to do with each other?”
“……”
“It is all the same.”
Namgoong Min flicked his hand as he spoke. Park Su-bin bit his lip and charged.
The giant’s descending fist met Namgoong Min’s sword.
“Dominance, weight, strength. Our root can only be reached by emptying the mind. It is completed through action rather than thought. Simplicity is both our greatest weapon and our heavenly curse.”
“…Then even though you know that item has side effects—”
“Is there anything in this world obtained without cost? Heh. Lately the four of them have begun behaving similarly.”
“That’s dangerous!”
“I know. Those four know it as well.”
At best it provided intellectual assistance, but viewed differently it was mental interference.
In other words, mental magic continuously assaulting the brain. Naturally, it could not help but exert direct and indirect influence on the user.
Park Su-bin spoke with an angry, accusatory tone, but Namgoong Min simply deflected the giant’s fist.
“So what would you have us do? Must we remain ramming dinosaurs forever, struggling as you say?”
“No matter what, this isn’t right. The artisan grandfather I know said that if that thing is mishandled even slightly, it becomes a demonic sword. Then it would be no different from a monster…!”
“Then I shall cut it down. And afterward, I will take responsibility with my life.”
“!!”
Park Su-bin faltered from the shock. In that instant, Namgoong Min’s sword flashed, aiming for the opening.
A strike aimed precisely at the neck.
A split-second from death.
Then a targeting line unfolded across the ground. Immediately afterward, the Mountain King’s bombardment split the two apart.
KWAGWAGAGAGANG——!!
The pair emerged from the smoke and once again faced each other in a standoff.
Namgoong Min smiled as he looked at Park Su-bin across from him.
Yet for some reason, that smile looked sorrowful.
“Child. I am Namgoong.”
“…Is that really so important?”
“It is beyond important. Do you weigh the gravity of fate?”
It was his name. It was his foundation. His family was there. Everything he was belonged to ‘Namgoong.’
Therefore—
“Child. If you wish to stop me, the Blue Sky Sword Emperor Namgoong Min, then break the sword of Namgoong.”
The torment vanished from Namgoong Min’s eyes as they opened once more.
When he raised his supreme sword, the atmosphere trembled again.
Park Su-bin bit his lip hard. Then, as surging magic power roared upward, the giant’s eyes blazed.
A swordsman struggling against fate and a boy coming to understand it.
The two collided, each keeping the other firmly in their gaze.
―――――!!
— “Starting with the monster Park Su-bin and the Blue Sky Sword Emperor Namgoong Min, every lane is fiercely contested! Mir Guild versus Namgoong Sega! This is exactly the high-level laning we expect from the Asia Finals!”
— “That’s right. They are the champions of China. They’re the formidable opponents who climbed all the way to the top of Asia. Even though we won the first and second sets easily thanks to the opponent’s throwing, we must never let our guard down. Mir Guild!”
— “Just looking at sets one and two, Namgoong Sega’s condition clearly wasn’t great today. But in the third set, they seem to have regrouped and are making far fewer mistakes!”
In the first set, Lee Shin had used the mental buff he prepared to secure an easy victory. In the second set, the neurotoxin he provided had disrupted the four players’ connection, leading to another win.
Of course, Namgoong Sega had countered with magic resistance items and the poison-resistance elixir. In this return to the third set, they were finally showing relatively normal performance.
A fierce battle of wits unfolding beneath the surface!
However, the commentators and viewers who had no way of knowing this simply assumed Namgoong Sega was off their game today.
It wasn’t uncommon for players to show worse performance than usual on the finals stage.
No need to look far—several years ago, the Kirin Guild had reached the finals with incredible bracket luck, only for Flame Queen and several others to choke badly and lose.
That was why, even though the match was tilting somewhat in one side’s favor, the commentators couldn’t relax and kept raising their voices.
— “Mir Guild is putting pressure on top. Hwarang times it perfectly, and the Mountain King cuts off the escape route. This is a familiar sight for us—top dive!”
— “Wait, wait a second! Namgoong Sega is preparing a bottom dive too!”
— “They’re going in immediately!”
— “Aaaah!!”
— “Namgoong Jin, the Little Dragon of the Sword, is dead! Our Yu Ri-ra tries to twist her body somehow but… she dies as well.”
— “Ugh… it was literally a leaf’s width!”
The commentators let out regretful sighs.
They had always maintained minimal neutrality even against foreign teams, but today there was none of that.
How long had it been since they last won the Asian championship? It was a trophy they hadn’t held in nearly ten years.
It was only natural for the two commentators to lose their minds.
Of course, they still couldn’t compare to the real Yongbungs.
4:0 isn’t fun? It feels empty?
You want a close match befitting the finals?
Shut your mouths. We need to win. Victory is the greatest entertainment.
So…
Please choke! Throw the game just one more time!!
Just as the Chairman said, winning is the best match. We are perfectly satisfied with your performance!
The Yongbungs typed furiously at their keyboards, screaming from the bottom of their hearts.
But despite the wishes of ten million Yongbungs, Namgoong Sega displayed the dignity of champions and somehow dragged the game to a 5:5 team fight in the late stage.
— “Both guilds are gathering around Fenrir. This is the turning point of the set!”
— “If you die at this timing, it’s over.”
— “Mir Guild is setting up their formation. Park Su-bin at the front, Hwarang right behind him, the Mountain King and Baek Yeon-woo in the middle, and Yu Ri-ra at the very back providing sniper support.”
— “Namgoong Sega’s movement is excellent too. They’ve placed the Blue Sky Sword Emperor at the front and spread out in a fan formation. It looks like they’re one single body. It’s beautiful even though they’re the enemy.”
— “While the Mountain King uses stumps and Yu Ri-ra uses sniping to check the opponent, Namgoong Sega is using talismans and throwing swords for their checks.”
A 5:5 standoff.
Both guilds probed each other’s formations with long-range attacks.
A tense tug-of-war. A battle of patience.
The side that lost composure first would be at a disadvantage.
But at that moment—
Baek Yeon-woo, who had exchanged glances with the Mountain King, suddenly hurled a glass bottle at his own head and shattered it.
The contents spilled over him, and the instant Baek Yeon-woo was enveloped in light—
— “Wha—wait a second!! Namgoong Sega is charging!”
— “Uwooooooh?!?”
— “Four players rushing toward Baek Yeon-woo! The Blue Sky Sword Emperor shouts but they’re sucked in as if possessed!”
— “UAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
No one could understand the situation.
Why? Why so suddenly?
But to Lee Shin, the reason was extremely simple.
“After all, it’s just an ego sword. It’s an AI.”
The ego sword that, through long training, performed the most ideal and correct plays.
However, being close to the correct answer did not mean it was the correct answer.
In a tense standoff, killing Baek Yeon-woo, whose stats had plummeted due to the debuff potion, was clearly the fastest route to victory…
“Vita.”
But if that path was blocked.
For example, if the World Tree stood tall right there…
Only death awaited ahead.
White despair rained down.
DOUBLE KILL
TRIPLE KILL
QUADRA KILL
Watching Namgoong Sega collapse, the Blue Sky Sword Emperor fell to his knees in vain.
※ Guild War Asia Final
3rd Set
3 VS 0
They had reached the Asia championship.
Now only one set remained.