Sword God (5)
Baek Yeon-ho returned.
Complex emotions lingered on his face, yet somewhere in it there was also a look of quiet relief.
When asked what he had done, he said he hadn't killed the man.
He had, however, thoroughly threatened him that if he ever showed his face again, he really might kill him next time.
That's about perfect.
Hyun Si-woon was satisfied.
It went both ways. As long as Ha-wol stayed at Si-woon's side, Yu Jae-jun would never surpass him no matter what tricks he tried. If the man still had the nerve to come swaggering around after that? It might not end with just a broken leg.
"Well done, Yeon-ho hyung."
"Yeah. Honestly, I wanted to kill him for real, but I managed to keep my head. Hah."
Baek Yeon-ho took a deep breath and continued.
"Forget the small fry. Let's just keep walking our own path."
After a light exchange of greetings, they began roughly surveying the abandoned building, looking for rooms each of them could claim—spaces that were relatively free of drafts and somewhat clean.
"But why are we camping outside?"
Baek Do-hee asked.
"TC is expensive, sure, but hunting one monster a day covers it. Wouldn't the camp be safer and more comfortable?"
Worry and reluctance about outdoor living—especially lodging in a ruin like this—were written plain across her face. The dark, gloomy atmosphere. The constant unease of not knowing what might appear from where. Perfectly natural reactions.
"Don't ask why. Just trust me."
Explaining the complicated truth right now would be hard to make them understand. To tell them about things like alligator heads, he would first have to tell them far worse things.
"Come on, noona. We promised. We follow the leader's call."
After watching Si-woon casually take down both a Ghost Horse and a Rupture Fiend, Baek Yeon-ho had decided to place complete faith in his strength and judgment.
And Kang Si-a?
Thump, thump!
She was already off to one side, unrolling a sleeping bag she had somehow found and shaking the dust out of it.
Damn.
Already finding gear and adapting like that?
"Si-a, you're fine with a place like this?"
Baek Do-hee asked, curious.
Kang Si-a shrugged.
"I spent a lot of time in the mountains with my father. Sleeping somewhere like this was nothing special."
She moved with practiced ease, gathering usable branches and planks to make her sleeping spot a little more comfortable.
Ah. Father of an Olympic gold medalist. Exactly what kind of life did you raise your daughter into?
Hyun Si-woon quietly admired Kang Si-a's adaptability and survival instincts. Experience like that would be a huge asset climbing the Tower. He liked it a lot.
"All right. Everyone pick a decent spot and get some rest. We start training tomorrow."
"Training?"
Yeon-ho hyung asked.
"Conditioning, strength work, that kind of thing. Keep at it and your stats go up."
At that casual answer—
"…For real?"
"What?"
"Really?"
All three wore stunned expressions. It was something they had never experienced, and the idea hit them with fresh shock.
"Yeah. Once we've built a solid foundation, we'll challenge the third floor."
The schedule was simple.
Once a day, the person on duty would head to the camp to buy food and water for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Everything else?
Training.
Mornings were group sessions of conditioning and strength work. Afternoons were individual practice.
Hyun Si-woon began learning archery from Kang Si-a again, just like before. He asked her to teach him for only two hours a day.
"Would you like to try holding it?"
"Sure."
Si-woon took the bow and settled into a natural stance. Feet shoulder-width apart, back straight, the arm holding the bow fully extended. He regulated his breath and drew the string. Muscle memory from previous regressions—when Kang Si-a had taught him directly—remained in his body.
It wasn't perfect, but no one would have believed this was someone holding a bow for the first time.
"Huh? Have you learned archery before?"
"Hm?"
"Your stance is really stable. Almost no arm shake, and your breathing too… It doesn't feel like a first try."
Of course not. You taught me.
"I picked up a little a while back."
"There are still plenty of things to fix, but you're pretty good! At this rate you'll improve fast."
"I'm counting on you."
"Yes, of course."
Twang! Thwick!
Where once the arrows had gone completely wild, now they at least flew near the target.
Still a long way to go.
If he couldn't even hit a stationary mark, he would be useless in a real fight. He needed to be able to hit at least a moving enemy.
And at night—
He returned to the corner room they had claimed in the abandoned building and trained breathing techniques with Ha-wol.
"—But listen."
Ha-wol spoke up then.
"Yeah?"
"—This lady is saying this because it's frustrating, so don't misunderstand."
"Go on."
"—Those comrades of yours. At this rate, how do you expect them to properly climb even the middle floors of the Tower? From this lady's eyes, aside from that girl with the bow, none of them look like they could manage a proper ascent."
"Mmm."
Si-woon rubbed his chin. Ha-wol's criticism was accurate. Simple stamina or sense alone would never punch through the higher floors. He felt bad for them, but the most important thing was talent. They needed at least as much potential as Kang Si-a.
"Still, it can't be helped. Hidden routes throughout the Tower require a team, and they're family now."
"—That is not what this lady means to say."
"Then what?"
"—In the world this lady once lived in, even without talent, one could reach the peak by mastering martial arts suited to their nature."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"—Teach them martial arts."
"…!"
Hyun Si-woon's eyes flew wide.
"—True peerless arts like Moon Spirit Swordsmanship would be beyond them, but this lady knows a few rather useful ones."
"Really?"
Martial arts remaining in the Sword God's memory would certainly be extraordinary.
"—Indeed. Nothing grand, yet if they train diligently, it will give them a solid foundation for climbing the Tower. For example…"
Ha-wol seemed to choose her words carefully.
"—That large fellow has good durability and the strength to endure. The external cultivation method called Rock-Solid Body Art, once used by the Iron Fist Sect, along with the basics of Diamond Fist, would suit him. Techniques specialized in maximizing defense and power. Train consistently and he will become as hard as a moving boulder."
Crazy. She's the Sword God, and she knows external arts too?
"—And that healer woman would be suited to the Clear Heart Origin Restoration Art passed down in Hundred Herbs Valley. It excels at regulating energy, clearing the mind, and supporting others."
Si-woon was beginning to understand why Ha-wol called herself a genius. She hadn't merely mastered her own arts. She had studied every martial school of her world and used that knowledge to reinforce her own.
"—Lastly, that talented archer already has her foundation. She needs to raise her agility and precision further. If she learns the Spirit Cat Steps—a footwork used by this lady's loyal subordinate Chu Pung—and the basics of Eagle Claw Divine Archery, it will give wings to that tremendous talent of hers. Moving soundlessly like a cat, aiming for vital points with the precision of a hawk's eye. The very essence of archery."
The great opportunity hadn't been somewhere else. To Hyun Si-woon, Ha-wol herself was a complete opportunity package.
"Can I learn those too?"
"—Nonsense."
Ha-wol's eyes blazed.
"—You will master only this lady's martial arts. This lady will not allow her disciple to soil himself with such miscellaneous arts."
"…"
That part was a little disappointing. Si-woon had wanted to handle all six of the weapons he had chosen early on with equal skill.
But whatever.
It didn't matter.
Those weapons with the question marks aren't only on the second floor.
In Si-woon's mind there were others besides the sword. On the fourth, sixth, seventh, eleventh, and thirteenth floors, a spear, shield, bow, blunt weapon, and staff were hidden in similar fashion.
If my guess is right…
They were likely weapons containing the souls of other Rankers the Tower King had exiled.
He asked just in case.
"Ha-wol."
"—Hm?"
"Are there a lot of other exiled Rankers besides you?"
"—Of course."
Ha-wol nodded.
"—Rankers are born in countless numbers and sealed in countless numbers. Becoming a Ranker by climbing the Tower is not the end. The world of the strong devouring the weak continues. Of course, to be banished as deep into the Path of the Dead as this lady was, one must be a Ranker of considerable renown."
Ah. That only strengthened his conviction. The souls sealed in those weapons would be no ordinary beings either.
"—But why do you ask?"
"No reason."
Si-woon kept the rest to himself. He already knew she got a little sulky whenever he talked about learning anything other than her swordsmanship.
"Anyway, thanks."
"—For what?"
"For offering to teach my comrades, even if you call them miscellaneous arts."
"—That is only natural. Even when this lady climbed in the past, she could not do everything alone. The strength of trustworthy comrades is greater and more important than one thinks. If you mean to lead them higher, is it not only right that they possess power worthy of that path?"
There was genuine sincerity born of experience in her words. Si-woon understood the deeper meaning and offered his thanks.
"—Tsk. Idle chatter. Who fills their mind with distractions while circulating breath! Your path is still long!"
Ha-wol deliberately cleared her throat and launched back into scolding, but Si-woon only smiled faintly.
The next morning.
"Starting today, I'm going to teach you how to breathe."
Si-woon postponed the physical conditioning.
"Huh?"
"Breathe?"
"A breathing technique?"
At their questions, Si-woon nodded. Of course, making them believe in the existence of internal arts required a little acting.
"Right. It's a breathing method I learned from my grandfather when I was little, and I've been practicing it steadily. After the world changed like this, the effects got really good. Train hard enough and you'll even be able to feel qi."
"…Like the martial arts in wuxia novels?"
"Does that stuff actually work?"
"It won't be exactly the same, but the principle seems similar. I felt myself getting stronger with it, after all."
"Ah."
Baek Yeon-ho was the first to fully accept it.
"I knew it! Your movements never looked ordinary!"
"The way you breathe and the posture will be different for each of you. Nothing to lose by trying, so I hope you'll all follow along."
Starting with Baek Yeon-ho, then Baek Do-hee, then Kang Si-a, Si-woon guided them into the internal art postures Ha-wol recommended. Of course, Ha-wol was the one setting the postures. Si-woon simply relayed what he saw her do.
A good start.
This life felt right somehow. Train like this for a few weeks… then challenge the third floor?
It would be perfect timing.
Roughly two more weeks passed that way, and then one night—
Notice has been updated.
Please check the community.
"Huh?"
Si-woon's concentration, deep in his breathing, shattered.
"—Again, again, again, again!"
Ha-wol's scolding began, but—
Swoosh.
Si-woon raised a hand to stop her.
"Hold on a second."
A notice?
He had never seen a message like this before.
He needed to check it immediately.