Chapter 116
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Lesson 24. Where's a New Student Like You? - 4
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―Clang! Clang!
"So you're saying you'll advertise your on-campus date with that girl once a week on the main channel."
"Huff, huff... Yeah, that's right... But let's talk about that after the match, haa... Don't you even need to breathe?!"
Right after the fierce clash, Ban Yu-won distanced himself from Dokgo Yeon, panting heavily.
The sword in his hand trembled violently, spewing out the shock from the impact.
"Controlling your breath is basic discipline for any swordsman. Hup."
―Clang!
Dokgo Yeon, who dismissed nearly every swordsman at the academy as fools with a single word, suddenly uttered a shallow kiai and flicked her shortswords once near each shoulder.
The two longswords that had circled behind for a sneaky strike to exploit her blind spot were sent flying powerlessly, spinning lazily in the air.
The first and second rain lines of Storm Sword had failed their attack.
"This won't cut it."
"You're still a hundred years away from fooling my senses."
"Tch."
Ban Yu-won steadied his breathing, summoning his two longswords back to his side as he let out a sigh.
Simply using the two swords to attack the opponent without deploying Swordsmanship himself, he could control as many as twelve blades.
But if he was deploying Swordsmanship himself while having the controlled swords also execute Swordsmanship and the subtleties of Martial Arts at the same time, then two was still his limit.
"So, how was the Swordsmanship?"
"Hmm... I felt a resolute [Pierce] intent from those two swords, as if they meant to run me through. The spirit infused within was nothing to sneeze at, and the idea of channeling Ghost Shadow Arts energy to move the blades stealthily was a good one. But."
"But?"
"That's martial arts for humans. Not for swords floating aimlessly in the air."
At that instant, Ban Yu-won felt like he'd been smacked hard over the head.
Dokgo Yeon nodded faintly upon seeing his realization, then stepped back on the spot and said,
"This time, no funny ideas. Come at me together. Full power."
"Got it. ...Here goes!"
Against an immeasurably superior master like Dokgo Yeon, neither deception nor trickery would work.
His only shot at inflicting major damage on her was an all-out charge with everything he had.
As Ban Yu-won lunged forward with the Executioner's Longsword, his two longswords soared in behind, radiating sharp sword intent poised to skewer Dokgo Yeon at any moment.
'What Dokgo Yeon wants from me is the potential in this combat style. In that case... as fast and hard as possible!'
For this moment alone, regard her as an enemy who must be slain.
Convey unified will to the two rain lines and strike her simultaneously with perfect timing!
The spirit originating from his dantian flowed into the Executioner's Longsword and onward into the resonating pair of longswords, pushing the blades toward their utmost limits...!
And,
Pierce!
―Kaaang!!
Even though all three swords targeted different vital points, there was only a single sound.
Dokgo Yeon glided lightly on short steps, her sword paths a mystery even when tracked in real time through his All-Reading Eyes.
―Clang! Clang-clang! Kaaang!
The three longswords, shrouded in dark blurs from the infused spirit and slicing through the air to trace delicate lines, were all flicked away by even denser black streaks.
Even after coordinating several more assaults with the two rain lines, Ban Yu-won failed to pierce her elegant defense. He fell back, hands throbbing from the backlash as he caught his breath.
Even at full throttle, he hadn't breached her blade. Another defeat for him.
"Huuu... No clue how much spirit I burned through in that short burst."
"Your raw power is impressive as expected. Speed was serviceable, and the motion flow felt natural."
Dokgo Yeon nodded with a satisfied look.
"Controlled by will and packed with solid energy—no one unfamiliar would hesitate to call it Sword Control with Qi."
"Ah, that technique's pretty famous. In terms of Martial Arts, how's it different from my Storm Sword?"
"You call that a difference?"
Dokgo Yeon shot him a look of utter disbelief.
Ban Yu-won, aware of her immense pride in the martial world and its arts, started to apologize, but she sighed and surprisingly explained with patience.
"I told you before—a swordsman must harbor their own sword within their heart? Master that internally and externally, and you reach the realm where intent and inner power let you wield the sword freely. It demands tremendous inner power, so the force it imbues in the blade is incomparable to what you're handling now."
"So if I just ramp up my mana pool, I can catch up?"
"Ha! The enlightenment embedded in the sword is leagues beyond yours..."
She paused mid-sentence, deep in thought, then shook her head with a faintly frustrated expression, as if denying her own words.
"Steady training will grow both sword realm and inner power, so your Storm Sword will mirror that perfectly. Pitted against a swordsman at your level using Sword Control with Qi, your easier control would give you a crushing edge. Your authority really is absurd."
"You're terrible at hiding it..."
"Hmph."
Dokgo Yeon snorted and turned away.
Ban Yu-won noticed then that her left hand—which wasn't gripping a sword—lightly clasped her right wrist.
Even for her, deflecting three heavily infused swords in succession had strained her wrist.
Proof his Storm Sword style posed a real threat.
"Hey, if it hurts, don't tough it out—just say so."
"Who said...!"
Ban Yu-won handed her a potion from his pocket and quickly added, before she could snap,
"This one's sweet."
"..."
"One sip and you'll be good as new. It's booze, so don't chug it."
This was the very potion from the prior 30-room run, infused with the concepts of [Blood Wine] and [Regeneration].
With its alcohol concept, he could've just added it to water and it'd turn boozy, but why not make it tasty? So he'd applied it to high-sugar grape juice...
―Gulp
"...It is tasty."
"Told you. Suits your taste, right?"
As expected, the moment Dokgo Yeon sipped the potion, a faint smile tugged at her lips—Ban Yu-won didn't miss it.
"Well, your knack for crafting sweets is at least worth acknowledging..."
"Weren't you just praising my fighting earlier too... Ow."
Dokgo Yeon delivered a knife-hand strike to his forehead, then cleared her throat with a 'hem' and shifted gears.
"Basics are solid. Now it's about crafting martial arts to fit the form. Spot the path yet?"
"...Yeah, more or less. Even if I can wield martial arts, it's totally different from gripping and swinging myself. Thanks, teacher."
"Hmph."
Dokgo Yeon snorted at his persistent playful title and flicked his forehead in reprimand.
"Ow."
"Wincing at that while calling yourself my disciple."
"Sorry my discipleship is so weak, teacher. Ow!"
Lately, these casual roughhousings had ramped up. Was this her personal brand of affectionate skinship?
If so, Ban Yu-won was fully prepared to weather it—even if it meant grinding the [Fortress] concept hard for the foreseeable future.
As he clutched his forehead in pain, Dokgo Yeon sheathed her shortsword and turned back.
"I can read your thoughts these days, you know. No need to rush. Mastering Phantom Body Art to near-completion in just a month since starting is miracle enough."
"Not that near. The body concept conversion's got a ways left. Can't call it an achievement till that's wrapped, right?"
Ban Yu-won stowed his sword and the two rain lines into his Inventory as he replied.
The beatings during spars with Dokgo Yeon did accelerate the conversion nicely, but his body concepts still sat at [Body 150(??? - 350+)]
Once fully converted, would that birth a body concept over 500 in depth?
Just two months ago, he'd marveled at Irecto's body hitting 300. Now, his own growth made that seem quaint—and he could scarcely believe it.
"No, from what I see, it's close now. Don't fixate on the visible metrics. Attain enlightenment and the realm; your flesh will adapt naturally. The new martial art will emerge organically then."
"Yeah... If you say so."
Her offhand remarks hinted as much, and completing Phantom Body Art seemed the swiftest route to perfect harmony between body and inner power—straight into birthing a new martial art.
Yet pondering the martial art itself advanced the art's mastery too. In the end, it was all interconnected.
"...Ban Yu-won."
"Yeah?"
Perhaps struck by some insight while he mulled over Phantom Body Art and the new martial art, Dokgo Yeon blurted,
"I'll share a few common martial arts circulating the jianghu. Use them as reference for honing your sword and inventing your own."
"Again?"
Ban Yu-won gaped in shock, but Dokgo Yeon pressed on coolly, sassy expression intact.
"Just don't want to see my self-proclaimed disciple strutting around proud of some half-baked art. Besides, these are really common—no big deal."
If she stressed 'really common' that hard, these were no doubt priceless treasures...
Ban Yu-won was convinced of it, but spotting her flushed ears, he wisely held his tongue.
"Guess I'll have to draw again after just sheathing. I'll demo each once and explain—burn it into memory."
"Roger, locked and loaded!"
Dokgo Yeon proceeded to demonstrate the arts for a full five hours straight, finally halting as deep night brought moonlight filtering into the training hall.
"Huu... Got them all?"
"Every one. All top-notch. ...Gonna need time to dissect them properly, though."
"I'd be stunned if you didn't."
Ban Yu-won chuckled unwittingly at her earnest words, then peered out the window and clocked the late hour.
"Let's call it. Head back to your room late, and Lucelle'll hound me forever about what we were up to."
"No, let's wrap up that unfinished talk first."
"...Huh?"
Unfinished talk?
As Ban Yu-won tilted his head, Dokgo Yeon narrowed her eyes and glared.
"The video thing. Isn't swapping it for 'stalker disposal' too lopsided a deal?"
"Ah."
Ban Yu-won finally cottoned on.
He'd half-expected Dokgo Yeon to circle back to it eventually.
But the math was already done.
"Uploading once a week? If it's purely for Rebellion viewers, sure, could look like a loss."
"Obviously, boosting the student council's profile long-term benefits us too, but it feels like we're the ones getting dragged around."
She hated the vibe of the student council meddling in Rebellion.
Classic Dokgo Yeon—and oddly heartwarming that she valued Rebellion so much.
"This one's a big win just for forging friendly ties with the president. I get where you're coming from, but honestly, I see it the other way."
"Other way?"
"Yeah. Consider... Mira, the one filming, is on our side."
Dokgo Yeon scowled at first.
"Clarify upfront—what's your deal with her exactly?"
"...Kinda snowballed into something Lucelle-like. No, not a slave thing. She was just... mentally shaky?"
"You became her anchor."
Were mind-reading powers tacked onto those cross pupils?
Ban Yu-won met her cross-marked gaze squarely and nodded without a shred of denial.
"No real explanation and you nail the crux. How are you that sharp without my authority?"
"Felt it from the first glance."
She started with, When the heart leans, the body follows, then elaborated.
"Every time she looks at you, her posture tilts ever so slightly your way. Lucelle does it too—hilarious when you're all together."
"...That obvious?"
"Point is, zero betrayal risk on her end. Yeah... that flips it. We hold the reins. She said once a week would be nice—not mandatory."
Dokgo Yeon nodded to herself, mulling it over, then flashed a satisfied smile.
"Rebellion, plus the student council. To outsiders clueless about the academy, our channel'll look like the academy rep."
"Bit of my own hopes mixed in, but it'll sway next year's freshmen too."
To reiterate:
YouTube spanned all dimensions.
Ban Yu-won was the exception, but anyone talented enough for Union Academy admission would know of YouTube—and be able to watch it.
No doubt their influence would surge within the academy by this time next year.
―To the point even full professors couldn't ignore it.
"Student council vids on our channel... She had no options, so that's her play—but it hands us stake in exchange for their visibility boost."
"Stake swap, technically. But I don't see it as a loss."
"Convinced. Wasn't selling us out for your girl, then."
"As if I'd ever..."
So that's why the death glare!
If Dokgo Yeon went there, Lucelle and Light would be worse. Tomorrow morning'd probably vanish soothing those two...
Mid-thought, Ban Yu-won realized he wasn't annoyed by such back-and-forths at all—and startled himself.
Why am I so used to placating sulky girls? I came to the academy to reclaim Babel Tower—what the hell am I even chasing here?
"So, Ban Yu-won. One last question."
"Yeah? What's left?"
As he cocked his head, Dokgo Yeon fixed him with flashing crosses in her black eyes and asked,
"How strong did the student council president look?"
"Ah—."
Ban Yu-won trailed off, no quick answer coming.
Dokgo Yeon smiled, pleased.
"I see. This'll be fun."
Even Dokgo Yeon had lost sight of Ketra for a split second; the president had seemed overwhelmingly stronger.
Dokgo Yeon probably couldn't take her.
He tried masking the thought, to no avail.
Ban Yu-won fretted she'd be rattled, but she seemed fine.
――This week's dungeon crawl's gonna suck; thinking of it like someone else's problem, he headed to his room.
Light, who'd stayed up waiting, threw a whiny fit—so bedtime ran twenty minutes late.
Yet the key clue for crafting his martial art—one surprisingly vital—came to Ban Yu-won from the last place anyone (least of all him) expected or intended.
―Bwoong! Wooong!
"Feel the aura? You sense it, Student Ban Yu-won?"
"Uh... Yes."
"...What?"
Who'd have thought you'd actually learn aura this way!
...Total lie.
With All-Reading Eyes parsing and dissecting everything, he'd known the second the prof started proudly swinging his several-meters-long aura blade around.