Graduation (3)
Unforgivable.
Not only had they dared to raid the Eastern Merchant Guild, but they had the audacity to insult her Master right in front of her.
Rage flared white-hot in Sowol's chest. Baring her teeth, she tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword—then caught herself with a sharp jolt of awareness.
Tranquility. I must maintain an empty, tranquil mind.
'Easier said than done.'
She had never imagined it would be this excruciatingly difficult to keep her mind serene while facing down a vile enemy. Was this why Master had constantly hammered the importance of an unclouded mind into her? Slowly, deliberately, the feverish agitation stirred by her fury began to cool.
Watching the girl regain her composure, the black-robed man sneered with a twist of his lips.
"Quite impressive for a mere slip of a girl. Though I've already heard plenty about you..."
"You've heard about me?"
"The prodigy of the Eastern Merchant Guild. Rumor had it you could already wield sword qi despite being a mere teenager. Such a pity, truly."
"And what, pray tell, is so pitiful about that?"
Fixing him with a steady gaze, Sowol dragged her foot slowly across the stone paving. She needed to gauge the exact distance. If she engaged him in conversation, she could tease out an opening in his posture. Had he noticed her intent? She couldn't tell. But for now, all she could do was play her part.
"With your talent, you could have eventually risen to the rank of bishop in our sacred order..."
"My, my. I have no intention of settling for a measly bishopric."
"Hahaha! Ambitious, are we? Of course, study under my tutelage and you might even reach for archbishop. How about it? Care to serve under this humble bishop?"
"I doubt an outfit of paupers raiding a merchant guild for pocket change could even afford my daily wages."
Flashing a radiant, mocking smile, Sowol eased her fingers on the hilt. The space between them was shrinking. Realizing she had finally stepped within striking range of the Moonlight Sword Style, she circulated the mana within her core and swept her gaze over the surrounding courtyard.
The warriors of the Eastern Merchant Guild were holding their ground admirably. And Lee Hyun?
'Just as expected of Master.'
He was hurling barrages of Moonlight Flashes while weaving ancient spells, effortlessly swatting down the wyverns gliding across the night sky. Which meant only her foe remained.
When Sowol's icy glare snapped back to him, the black-robed man—a bishop of the Asura Cult—grinned and raised his curved blade.
"Are you looking down on our sacred order?"
"Honestly, aren't you worth looking down on?"
Now then, time to begin. A real battle starts the moment you bait your opponent into losing their cool. In that case, what was the most effective phrase to use here?
"Asura is a dog bastard."
"...!!"
In an instant, the smug smirk froze rigid on his face. His religion, his faith, his entire reason for existing—how could any fanatic maintain his composure when his deity was cursed out so casually? Sowol's provocation hit the bullseye. The bishop's eyes rolled back in psychotic fury as he shrieked at the top of his lungs.
"You filthy little bitch—! How dare you blaspheme Lord Asura?! I will tear you limb from limb!!"
An enemy who had lost their calm was nothing to fear. Look at him. Could anyone miss the gaping vulnerabilities laid bare across that massive, charging frame? Unlike her frantic foe, Sowol remained completely cold, her lips curving into a tranquil smile.
This fight was already won.
Well done!
Ripping off the wyvern's wing and shattering its dense scales until the tender flesh was laid bare, I drove a Moonlight Flash straight into its vitals and silently cheered Sowol on. As expected, teach that girl one thing and she naturally grasps two or three more.
I had always drilled into her how vital it was to maintain a tranquil, empty mind in the heat of combat. Not only did she adhere to the teaching, but she actively baited her opponent into a blind rage to force an opening. She might be my disciple, but damn, she was brilliant.
"Aaaargh!!"
"I truly pity Asura! Any god worshiped by a pathetic scrub like you must be completely worthless!"
"Shut up! Shut your mouth, you wretched wench!!"
"Asura is a dog bastard!"
"Gaaagh! I'll rip that foul mouth of yours to shreds!!"
To think calling Asura a dog bastard would produce such spectacular efficiency. If the original game had featured a dialogue command like that, I would have spammed it on every cultist boss until my fingers bled.
I watched as Sowol practically toyed with her adversary. It was a prime opportunity to see firsthand just how much she had grown. So while keeping the remaining stragglers occupied, I monitored her every shift in posture.
Her fundamentals were immaculate. The speed of her thrusts was crisp and decisive, with not an ounce of hesitation in how her limbs moved. Her steps, light and graceful as a dance, fluttered like butterfly wings to effortlessly deflect the bishop's frantic swings.
"Incredible..."
Lyla, who had slipped beside me at some point, let out an involuntary breath of admiration. It was just as she said. Truly incredible. Building upon the bedrock fundamentals forged during our grueling training, Sowol was evolving at an astonishing pace.
"At this rate, in just a few years, I might not even be able to beat her with a blade."
My own martial prowess, cobbled together through bug exploits, rare elixirs, and fortuitous encounters, arguably fell short of true orthodox perfection. But Sowol was different. Rooted in flawless basics, she was soaring on the wings of boundless talent. When a prodigy of that caliber refuses to stop putting in the effort, such monstrous growth is only natural.
"Is she really that extraordinary?"
"Well, if I throw everything else in my arsenal into the mix, I'd still win, of course."
"Hahaha..."
While Lyla and I exchanged brief banter, Sowol was drawing the enemy entirely into her domain. The Moonlight Dance. The third form of the Moonlight Sword Style, which she had learned only recently, was visibly sharpening into exquisite perfection with every passing exchange. With every clash of steel, she grew stronger. It was so evident that even a layman could see it.
Who on earth could look at that and believe she was a girl who had held a sword for less than a year?
It seemed I wasn't the only one who realized it. The guards of the Eastern Merchant Guild, having dispatched the lesser raiders, gathered around to watch in stunned silence.
"Y-You wench...!!"
And even Sowol's opponent was trembling in horror at her terrifying rate of growth. Realizing that he was serving as nothing more than an experience grindstone for her technique, the black-robed bishop frantically attempted to regain his wits. But it was far too late. Sowol's Moonlight Dance had already reached completion.
"Haaah!"
With a sharp, piercing kiai, Sowol's blade surged skyward. Unable to withstand the increasingly rapid and immaculate onslaught, the cultist tried to leap backward, but Sowol's silver arc gave him no quarter.
"Guh...!"
The clash ended with a clean, deep furrow carved across his throat. Dropping his sword and desperately clutching his ruined windpipe, the bishop staggered before collapsing to his knees. Sowol delivered a swift, merciless finishing blow, then slowly exhaled a steady breath of mist. Bathed in the pale moonlight, her pink hair fluttering amidst the splatters of blood, she looked breathtakingly beautiful despite the gruesome carnage around her.
"Milady!!"
"Magnificent!"
Yes. Magnificent indeed. So magnificent that once I impart the fourth form of the Moonlight Sword Style, I'll finally be able to leave without any lingering regrets.
Although we had eliminated all the intruders who stormed the Eastern Merchant Guild, it couldn't be said we had emerged unscathed. People had fallen during the initial ambush, after all. Pained by the sight, I poured myself into treating the injured.
"Thank you, Master Lee."
"Don't mention it. You're hardly strangers, and I couldn't just stand by and watch people suffer. Besides, I wasn't the only one tending to them."
Once word got out that this had been an assault by an evil sect—and the Asura Cult at that—reinforcements arrived from the Church. Thanks to that, my healing skill count was conserved, and it was a genuine relief that healers far more specialized than myself were on hand.
"More importantly, what will become of those who perished?"
The raid had claimed lives. A small number compared to the wounded, but casualties nonetheless. Thinking of them left a bitter taste in my mouth. This world was built on the foundation of a game, but it was not a game. The dead did not respawn. Of course, one could technically raise them as undead, but that hardly counted as living, so it wasn't worth considering.
"A merchant must weigh what is gained alongside what is lost."
Seated across from me, So Jung-yang took a calm sip of his tea. He was furious as well, but a merchant remained a merchant to the core. Calculating profit and loss even in a moment like this. Suppressing his rage so intensely that his knuckles turned white, he pushed a document across the table.
It was an itemized ledger of the spoils confiscated from the fallen attackers.
Let's see here... Oh. Not bad at all. At this valuation, even after deducting generous compensation for the bereaved families, the guild wouldn't be operating at a net loss.
"By slaying a bishop of the Asura Cult, our ties with the Church have deepened considerably."
"That isn't bad news."
"Furthermore, to guard against potential future incursions, the Church has pledged to station additional forces on our premises."
In other words, Church paladins and clerical personnel would be permanently stationed within the Eastern Merchant Guild. For a modest merchant band, that would merely mean extra mouths to feed, but for an economic titan like the Eastern Merchant Guild, the equation was entirely different. They could use this divine backing as a springboard to scale even greater heights.
"If Church personnel are stationed here, it means you will gain direct trading channels with the holy order. The Eastern Merchant Guild will grow even larger."
"Indeed. We must apply ourselves with even greater vigor. And if Master Lee would remain at our side throughout it all, nothing could bring me greater joy. Hahaha..."
Listening to his hollow chuckle, I shook my head. So Jung-yang had certainly heard that Sowol had brought down an Asura Cult bishop entirely on her own. And he already knew my objective: the moment Sowol's training concluded, I would pack my bags and depart. That was why he made such an offer, but there was no way I could stay rooted in one place.
"If it is another talented pupil you require, what about Lyla?"
"If I search high and low and still find no one, I suppose I'll take Lyla as my disciple."
"Haah. I truly wonder how many children in this world possess talent on par with our Sowol."
I wondered the exact same thing. Did they even exist?
"In that case... when do you plan to impart the final sword form to Sowol?"
Hearing So Jung-yang's bittersweet tone, I took a slow sip of tea. When, indeed...
"I shall begin tomorrow."
After concluding my discussion with So Jung-yang and returning to my personal quarters, I combed through the letters that had arrived during the day. I had commissioned the Information Guild and several other underworld networks to investigate potential prospects with extraordinary talent.
"Seriously, after dumping all that coin, how have they still not found a single lead?"
"What are you looking for, Master?"
"Ah. You're here?"
Sowol, for whom visiting my quarters had become as natural as breathing, stepped inside with a radiant, beaming smile. Quickly channeling a spark of flame to reduce the confidential missives to ash before she could catch a glimpse, I turned to examine her. Following that brutal clash in the courtyard, her aura had settled into remarkable harmony.
"It's about time I taught you the final form of the Moonlight Sword Style."
"Truly?! It feels a bit bittersweet, but I'm so happy!"
The feeling was entirely mutual.