One Swing Sparks the Challenge
-? -Huh? -I swung it once though? -Isn't it glitched? -Dialogue error maybe? -Swap the NPC pls.
"Whoa...."
Stunned viewers and a dumbfounded Yeonwoo. Hanbit gradually relaxed his focused mind.
"Phew."
He hadn't aimed for absolute perfection. He'd simply poured everything he had into that single motion. A true swordsman like Baldor would notice something was different. He was certain of it deep in his chest.
Swish—
Baldor set down the sake jug, gripped the wooden sword from the table, and rose to his feet. As he stood directly in front of Hanbit, a message appeared.
*Ding—*
[Quest completed.]
[Linked quest unlocked.]
[Quest]
Spar with Swordsman Baldor.
Difficulty adjusts to player's level and stats.
Objective: Win the spar.
Rewards: 500 gold, Basic Swordsmanship training manual (1-rank ?-grade), 1 stat point, 200 EXP
-No shit lololol -It really cleared with one swing? -Fucking trash game. -This ain't a bug;
The quest popped up, proving it wasn't a system glitch. The swordsman before him had a serious face, his drunken flush completely gone.
"This time, it's a spar. I'll match your level, but just blocking my sword will be a challenge."
"Sounds good."
-About to not sound good soon. -Stat correction or not, you're getting wrecked. -If you block till the end, you get Rare. -Twist your whole body to graze once for Hero. -Block with your head for Rare. -We call that getting hit anyway.
The spar had a notorious reputation, but the rewards were generous. It was just that blocking the swordsman's attacks even once felt impossible to most.
"Oh, the prize money!"
Yeonwoo snapped out of his daze. Then an alert chimed, and a message appeared.
[SwordGod donated 10,000 won.]
[Ask and double? Block two attacks properly with the wooden sword for success. Fail and mission void.]
-Pathetic, so pathetic; -Two? Bullshit. lol -Look how desperate he is. -Ask and double? (Pls do it) -No way in hell. Can't even block one; -NPC ain't a stationary target lol -Moving suuuuper high-grade dummy.
"Huh? Ask and double?"
Yeonwoo scratched his cheek, eyeing the challenge mission.
[Success within 25 min. Fail and no cash—cliff bungee jump go.] [Prize: 975,000 won]
The pot had swelled to nearly a million won. Swordsmanship players were thick on the ground, after all.
"Hyung, what do you think? But honestly, blocking attacks is brutal."
"...Double's 2 mil?"
Hanbit's eyes widened at the massive sum.
'Blocking two attacks...'
As a game character, precise movements required serious mental effort. The more finesse needed, the greater the disconnect between mind and body.
'Gotta nail this.'
Even with those limits, Hanbit trusted himself. Mental fortitude and focus—things people tossed around lightly—enabled more than they realized. His countless survivals on the razor's edge proved it.
"Alright. Let's do it."
"...For real?"
-Not passing on this; -Just take it man. -Yeah, don't give it to him. -Black Dragon's gonna get fucked. T_T -Even the original mil's slipping away;
The shocked viewers leaned toward pity. But then—
*Ding—*
A message from viewer 'SwordGod' shifted the tide.
[SwordGod donated 1,000,000 won to the challenge mission.]
-This guy's actually insane? -All-in on his life savings? -Won't clear it. (Pls) -Safe bet? -Black Dragon might tho. -You don't get it lol
Motivation maxed out. Hanbit, more serious than ever, readjusted his grip on the wooden sword.
"......"
The two faced off in silence, swords aimed, eyes probing each other's intent. The swordsman moved first.
Thud—!
With a light step, he closed the gap in an instant.
Whoosh—!
The attack flew from his narrowed field of vision, no openings. Hanbit, having read the trajectory, twisted his torso to pull the wooden sword inward—but the character's response lagged slightly.
Slash—!
The swordsman's wooden sword grazed Hanbit's forehead hair. Hanbit kicked back and retreated.
-Whoa, thought he'd block right away; -No chance. -You think Swordsman's a joke? -But he almost did? -Nah, nope.
The swordsman moved scaled to Hanbit's level and stats, so reading attacks visually was easy. The issue was executing the response with the body. To pull it off, he had to move as if anticipating.
'Lucky I learned Swiftness.'
The skill from Liora gave a tiny speed boost. But that sliver made all the difference—like tightening a loose screw in his mismatched senses.
"Hoo."
Hanbit deep-breathed, zeroing in on the swordsman's body. Arms, legs, grip on the sword, fingers. Power in his stance, torso twist to preparatory motion timing. With perfect eyes and mind, he had to see it all.
"You look deep in thought."
The swordsman, under scrutiny, murmured quietly.
"You too."
"...That leisure won't last."
Thud—!
The swordsman closed in again.
Whoosh—!
Another low attack from narrowed vision. But Hanbit, fully focused, was certain: Feint.
Swish—!
As he raised his wooden sword right, the real attack came.
Clack—!
A crisp sound rang out. Hanbit's first block succeeded.
-Whoa. -This dude's nuts? -Didn't fall for the fake; -Watched guides, still can't tell fakes. -Even if you know, you're supposed to eat it;
"......"
The swordsman blinked wide and retreated, brows furrowed in discomfort. Hanbit wasn't fully satisfied either.
Thud—!
The swordsman lunged again.
Whoosh—!
This strike was a tad faster. Hanbit ramped up his focus.
Whoosh—! Swish—!
Sword slicing air filled the silence. The swordsman consciously avoided clashes, speeding up relentlessly.
'Getting antsy now.'
This swordsman brimmed with pride and self-respect—strict with himself. Failing to overwhelm with pure skill stressed him out.
Swish—! Whoosh—!
Attacks grew brute-force heavy. "Matching your level," "stat correction"—those words lost meaning. Now he had to surpass skill and raw physique.
'Just a bit more.'
Situations like this needed an opening. One chance to flip the gap and strike.
Whoosh—!
Then, fully immersed, the swordsman thrust at Hanbit's neck. He read the tell.
'Now.'
Thud—!
Hanbit charged forward instead. Caught off-guard, the swordsman instinctively moved—into an awkward guard.
Clack—!
The wooden swords crashed loudly. But—
Whirl—!
The swordsman spun into a counter, killing intent like wielding a real blade. The raw emotion made it readable.
Swish—!
His sword tip's path was obvious. Hanbit leaned back slightly and slashed horizontally.
Crack—!
The clash boomed. Hanbit's wooden sword, unable to withstand, flew away.
The swordsman's eyes changed.
"Ugh......"
Face twisted, he seemed to realize what he'd done. Ultimately, raw power had crushed skill. Self-loathing, rage, humiliation etched his features.
Hanbit sighed briefly, checking chat.
"Two blocks. Success, right?"
-Uh... yeah? -Wait, hasn't he learned swordsmanship yet? -More like, where's the stat correction? -Swordsman's eyes flipped the second Black Dragon blocked first. -And he still cleared the mission? -Black Dragon, reveal your real job first. We'll understand if you're a hitman. -Otaku taken to extremes looks like that....
"Hyung, you ever do sword stuff IRL?"
Viewers and Yeonwoo just gawked. For Hanbit, it was a revelation on multiple levels.
*Ding—*
[SwordGod donated 100,000 won.]
[Mission cleared gg when's tutoring?]
-O. -Tutoring lol -Man who teaches SwordGod. -2 mil get. -Well deserved. -Beyond jealousy, this is insane;
"Thanks for the 100k donation! Grabbing the prize now!"
Excited Yeonwoo moved fast.
[Challenge mission success.]
[Prize of 2,253,000 won received.]
-Whoa -Insane. -Black Dragon's only been streaming two days? -And it's not even his channel lol -Don't worry, mission prizes all go to Black Dragon~
"Holy shit......"
"Thanks everyone! Special shoutout to top donor SwordGod—come back anytime!"
Hanbit, genuinely awed, and Yeonwoo thanking nonstop. Hanbit double-checked the amount, then addressed viewers.
"Thanks a ton. Tutoring though... how would that even work?"
-Why so serious lol -It's a joke, joke. -Nick says he really wants lessons.
[SwordGod donated 10,000 won.]
[Just swing the sword a ton. I'll learn watching.]
The man himself chimed in. Easy request—swords were Hanbit's favorite.
"Will do. But first... gotta wrap this up."
Hanbit turned to the momentarily forgotten swordsman.
'Time to send him off.'
His body trembled, emotions raw. A flaw for a swordsman, but he walked his path steadfastly. Probably itching for more training already.
"Spar's over?"
"...Yeah. Wait a sec."
The swordsman gave a heavy reply and entered the cabin. He returned with a yellow book.
"Take it."
*Ding—*
[Quest completed.]
[Rewards maximized per Baldor's evaluation.]
[500 gold → 3,000 gold.]
[Basic Swordsmanship training manual (1-rank Unique) granted.]
[Stat points 1 → 5.]
[EXP 200 → 700.]
[Level up.]
[1 stat point granted.]
[Standard sword granted.]