Chapter 74
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Observing Eye
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The sparring arena at the back of the lecture hall.
Lee Se-hun, having changed into his training clothes, lightly stretched his body. Standing opposite him, Ma Kwang-su wore a puzzled expression.
'That guy... what the hell is he thinking?'
The newly completed 'Tuan' boasted one of the most tricky difficulties among all the techniques he'd created so far.
Even he, its creator, failed 2 or 3 times out of 10. And yet, this kid wanted to demonstrate it without a single practice run?
'No matter how I look at it, he doesn't seem to have that kind of talent...'
As Ma Kwang-su gazed at him with a complicated expression in this utterly baffling situation, Lee Se-hun finished warming up and turned around.
"How would you like me to show it?"
"...Just activate it first."
Tuan was an eye-strengthening technique, one rarely used in the field.
Eyes were weaker than other organs and easily affected by mana, so imperfect control could lead to side effects.
"If it feels wrong, stop immediately. You could end up living with hallucinations forever."
Eyes were especially hard to heal once damaged, unlike other parts. Lee Se-hun nodded at Ma Kwang-su's warning.
"No need to worry."
"Worry? ...Just get on with it."
Lee Se-hun chuckled softly at Ma Kwang-su's grumbling urging, recalling the activation method he'd been taught earlier.
'The activation itself isn't that hard.'
Simply channel a set amount of mana along a fixed path.
Of course, that path was extremely narrow and complex, and even a slight failure in mana control could cause injury.
'Spirit Link Magic.'
For Lee Se-hun, who could freely divide his body, it was practically child's play.
Click—
A temporary mana circuit formed perfectly along Tuan's path, and mana soon seeped into it.
Whumm!
Gray mana floated on his retinas.
The special mana, altered by Tuan's operation method, swirled faintly over his pupils before adhering like a lens and stabilizing.
Confirming Tuan's activation, Lee Se-hun slowly examined his altered vision.
"Hooh..."
His vision turned like a black-and-white photo.
From the lecture hall ceiling to the arena floor, everything was monochrome—except for one thing that retained color.
Ma Kwang-su's body opposite him. Inside it, gray light traced steady paths, moving through his internals.
'So that's how it looks.'
Tuan's most basic function, 'Observation.'
It specialized in detecting mana in living beings, which was why the arena's facility mana wasn't visible.
'Hmm. Less like sensing mana... more like sensing the mental image embedded within.'
As Lee Se-hun pondered the familiar sensation, Ma Kwang-su gaped at the sight.
'He actually succeeded...?'
He rubbed his eyes, but the silvery pupils and the gaze tracking his own mana confirmed Tuan's activation.
On the first try, and far more skillfully than himself.
Ma Kwang-su's expression grew serious at Lee Se-hun's beyond-expectations talent.
'This kid... I need to test him properly.'
Until now, he'd thought he'd only be useful after graduation, but at this level, it was like an enforcer entry test.
Adjusting his view of Lee Se-hun, Ma Kwang-su scrapped his plan to analyze a simple sword technique and took his stance.
"Can you see how my mana moves?"
"Not in detail, but I can see the main flow."
"Good. Then I'll show you a sword technique now."
Gripping a training sword, Ma Kwang-su slowly assumed his stance and looked at Lee Se-hun.
"If you can see through this sword technique accurately, you pass. Think you can?"
His attitude had shifted markedly from when he'd doubted his abilities earlier. Satisfied, Lee Se-hun replied.
"Of course."
"Here I go."
The sword pointed loosely at the arena floor.
It looked utterly sloppy on the surface, but through activated Tuan, Lee Se-hun saw differently.
Whumm—
Mana raced through his body the moment he took stance. As his entire body took on a silver sheen, he began moving forward.
Swoosh.
His right foot glided smoothly, skimming the ground.
Normally, he'd swing the sword in sync, but for some reason, it remained pointed at the floor, unmoving.
Like a broom sweeping the floor rather than a sword technique. An odd motion anyone would notice, yet Ma Kwang-su moved with grave seriousness.
Swish swish.
Smooth footwork paired with a sword that never left the ground.
Staring intently through Tuan, Lee Se-hun suddenly spotted something off.
'Afterimage...?'
A faint silver afterimage trailed ahead of Ma Kwang-su.
Realizing that was the 'true body' of the sword technique Ma Kwang-su mentioned, he sharpened Tuan's senses.
Whumm!
The black-and-white scenery now appeared as a black backdrop with white lines, and the mana filling Ma Kwang-su's body grew vivid.
From the forward-stepping foot, up through knee, hip, spine, shoulder, elbow, to the sword tip—mana surged.
And the moment that light stream extended outward.
Whoosh!
The silver sword cleaved the afterimage, slicing through empty air.
"Done."
Stopping his step, Ma Kwang-su looked at Lee Se-hun.
"Got it? What sword technique was that?"
"Hmm..."
Lee Se-hun pondered briefly before extending his hand.
"Lend me the sword, please."
"...Here."
Catching the tossed sword, Lee Se-hun slowly mimicked the stance he'd seen.
'A bit looser than this...'
Relax the body, spin the mana sharply.
Ma Kwang-su admired yet felt regret watching Lee Se-hun match the preparatory stance perfectly but only move his feet.
'He only saw the prep stance, after all.'
With that talent, he'd hoped he'd grasp his secret technique 'Shallow Charge Sword' at once, but it was overly optimistic.
As Ma Kwang-su swallowed his disappointment and scrutinized for flaws—
Swoosh.
Lee Se-hun's ground-pointed sword naturally swung toward the sky.
"What...?"
His feet followed Ma Kwang-su's steps, the sword in his hands traced the afterimage he'd seen.
Whoosh!
Body and mana harmonized naturally, chasing the sword, and Lee Se-hun's slow body began accelerating.
'Not quite. Reduce the error between body and mana more...'
Based on the demonstrated motion, he trimmed inefficiencies and refined it.
Improving a technique after one glance wasn't easy, but this time was different.
'I saw the core clearly with Tuan, so just align it properly.'
Tuan let him glimpse the opponent's mana and embedded mental image.
Using that as the frame, he filled it with the sword of Ma Kwang-su he'd repaired endlessly before regression, and the 'traces' engraved there.
"Hup...!"
The technique, meant for one execution, repeated naturally, polishing with each iteration.
And when mana surged from toes to fingertips, forging into a single sword—
Crack!
The forward-swinging sword shattered to pieces.
"Hoo... hoo..."
His motion interrupted unwillingly, Lee Se-hun caught his breath up to his chin and stared at the sword in hand.
Only the hilt remained, utterly pulverized. Frowning at the hollow sight.
'Damn shoddy craftsmanship.'
He hadn't expected the sword to give out like this.
As he frowned at the half-baked end—
You have acquired the skill 'Tuan (A)'.
You have acquired the skill 'Shallow Charge Sword (S)'.
"...?"
Two alert windows popped up before his eyes.
Acquiring Tuan made sense, but the one below filled his mind with questions.
'Shallow Charge Sword... isn't that Ma Kwang-su's secret sword technique?'
Before regression. The bizarre sword art he'd heard was impossible even after death and rebirth, quit after failing to grasp it despite multiple lessons.
Dazed at acquiring it, Lee Se-hun looked at Ma Kwang-su.
"Uh..."
"You acquired it, right?"
Ma Kwang-su's question, as if he knew already, made Lee Se-hun pause with an ambiguous expression.
"Seems like it...?"
"'Seems like'? Come on..."
At Lee Se-hun's clueless look, Ma Kwang-su sighed in exasperation, recalling the scene.
'It cut off midway, but... that was definitely sword aura.'
Not ordinary sword aura, but the unique Shallow Charge Sword aura he'd created, which no one else could replicate.
Stunned by the unexpected result, Ma Kwang-su stared at Lee Se-hun before deciding.
"You pass, anyway. I'll help you."
"Thank you."
He'd not only seen through the sword technique but executed it, so a natural outcome.
A bit bewildered but satisfied he'd get help from Ma Kwang-su and his contact, as he tried to accept—
"But from today, you're my direct disciple."
"...Pardon?"
"Tuan aside, you learned my secret sword technique, so you pay the price."
He shows it himself and now this? Lee Se-hun stared incredulously, but Ma Kwang-su waved it off knowingly.
"No need for thanks. But mastering the secret technique won't be easy, so brace yourself."
"..."
"And from now on, call me Master and show respect. Got it?"
At Ma Kwang-su's smug declaration, Lee Se-hun stared briefly before concluding.
"No thanks."
After Lee Se-hun left. Alone in the lecture hall, Ma Kwang-su flopped onto the bed, frowning.
"Ungrateful brat..."
Not just accepting him as direct disciple and learning his secret Shallow Charge Sword? How could he say no?
Even A-rank and S-rank heroes now had begged him as students, and he'd rejected them—not the reverse.
'Beat him until he agrees to learn? No, from those eyes, he'd fight back relentlessly like me, not bow to learn.'
Seeing a bit of himself made persuasion tough. After agonizing, irritation surged, and he bolted up.
"Wait, why am I stressing? If he doesn't want it, I won't take him!"
He yelled as if protesting to himself.
But before the echo faded, the image of Lee Se-hun acquiring Tuan and Shallow Charge Sword in one go resurfaced.
"Urgh..."
Sitting on the bed, agonizing long, Ma Kwang-su muttered irritably.
"If only he didn't have the talent..."
Transmitting Shallow Charge Sword and finding the doppelganger would be far easier with his help.
Now that he knew, he pondered handling this foul-tempered kid.
'First... handle the promised matter.'
He's materialistic, so feeling his influence might make him change attitude and beg to be disciple.
Decided, Ma Kwang-su grabbed his phone from the side table and dialed.
-Late.
Connected after one ring. At the waited-like reply, he frowned.
"Watching?"
-Not watched, watching. Ludwig's away, so holes everywhere.
At the leisurely woman's voice, he scowled. Then a mocking tone from the phone.
-World's full of surprises. High-nosed Ma Kwang-su calling me to cater to a kid.
"...Shut up."
-Shut up? I'm dying laughing.
His eyes twisted viciously at the sly voice, then he sighed deeply.
"A favor."
-Valmut or those guys?
"Yeah."
-Fine. Messing with promising sprouts? A little lesson's okay.
He inwardly sighed in relief at her ready agreement.
If reasons lacked, he'd have suffered to fill them.
"Then once the protection list is set..."
-Ah, but conditions.
At her belated condition, he frowned, sighed again.
"What?"
-That kid earlier. Seems discerning.
Interest toward Lee Se-hun. Startled, he asked.
"No way... gonna teach him?"
-Not yet. Send my grandnephew next time, make a spot.
Implying she might teach depending on results. At the unexpected response, he hesitated before answering.
"Got it. I'll arrange when he comes."
-Good. Ah, S-rank alert. Hanging up.
Cut off before reply. Staring at the phone, Ma Kwang-su wore a strange expression.
'Not ordinary, huh...'
Spotlighted right away by Ha Baek-yeon, the Summit Climber 'Far-Seer' with the pickiest eyes in the world.
Amazed, yet oddly uneasy—his fame paled against a Summit Climber's.
"...Anything else?"
First direct disciple candidate ever. To not lose this talent, Ma Kwang-su grumbled, racking his brain.