Chapter 24
The Hawkbat Family.
One of the three ducal families of the Empire—no, perhaps the fastest swordsmanship family in the entire continent.
The ancestors of the Hawkbat Family had made a contract with the Spirit of Wind, and it was said that this pact had been maintained to this very day.
‘And over the years, they created a swordsmanship that maximized the power of wind.’
Along with their swift swordsmanship came the speed of their steps.
Thanks to their agile movements, the Hawkbat Family had produced many of the Arium Empire’s most talented intelligence agents.
‘Balmuth handles the Empire’s military power, Hawkbat manages its intelligence, and Isrinbloom enforces the law.’
The three ducal families each oversaw one of the Empire’s core functions.
Well, that aside—
‘He’s seriously fast.’
Jason, who had moved behind the Quadra Arms, swung his saber.
The saber cut across the monster’s back, but its skin was so thick that the attack didn’t deal much damage.
“Krhhh…”
The Quadra Arms turned its massive body, trying to grab Jason.
However, Jason’s quick footwork let him slip out of its line of sight in an instant.
Losing sight of Jason, the Quadra Arms turned its blades toward me once again.
“Mm.”
Four blades came slashing my way—but somehow, I managed to block them again.
Its power was impressive, but nowhere near the level of Lisa’s strike.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
Four blades continued to swing at high speed, forcing me to parry nonstop without a moment’s rest.
Two came from the front at the same time, followed by two more from either side—I had to block them all at once, somehow.
‘Still, I’ve got to admit—I’m kind of amazing.’
I was the one blocking, but even I had no clue how I was managing to defend against four swords simultaneously.
If it looked this incredible even to me, how would it look to others watching from the outside? That thought crossed my mind for a moment.
Anyway, I continued deflecting and blocking all four blades, keeping the Quadra Arms’ attention entirely focused on me.
That way, Jason could keep attacking without being interrupted.
“Fuuuh…”
I deliberately closed the distance, pressing closer to the Quadra Arms.
It was to keep its gaze locked on me.
The tactic worked perfectly its attacks were entirely concentrated on me.
And in that moment, Jason—
“Ughhh!”
He swung his saber at incredible speed, striking and retreating repeatedly.
“Grrraahhh…”
The Quadra Arms seemed to be losing its composure.
Jason moved in and out of its vision at lightning speed, while I stayed constantly within its sight, glued to its front.
It wanted to grab me quickly, but my defense wasn’t something it could easily break through.
‘This plan’s working.’
I drew its aggro and absorbed all of its attacks, while Jason used quick hit-and-run strikes to build up damage little by little.
The only issue was that Jason couldn’t deal massive damage in a single blow—it would take time to bring the Quadra Arms down.
‘Well, as long as we win in the end, a bit of time isn’t a problem.’
I figured this was a good chance to practice.
Who knew—one day, I might have to face multiple opponents at once.
If that day came, it would be worth having practiced parrying and deflecting four swords at the same time.
With that mindset, I continued blocking the Quadra Arms’ relentless attacks, while Jason steadily carved wounds into its body.
Then, from behind, Luke’s voice rang out.
“The plan’s good! But don’t drag the fight out too long! You need one big strike—something powerful!”
Luke had quickly caught on to our strategy and pointed out its flaw.
I couldn’t disagree—and at that moment, an idea flashed through my mind.
‘A powerful strike… if it’s a powerful strike…’
Something I wanted to test suddenly came to mind.
‘Last time, I mimicked Sara’s swordsmanship using this body. If that worked, then maybe…’
Four blades came slashing toward me once again.
I blocked them all swiftly as usual—but this time, instead of pressing forward, I stepped back.
Not just a few steps—I widened the distance considerably between myself and the Quadra Arms.
“Hmm?”
Jason, who had been darting behind the monster at high speed, tilted his head in confusion.
It was understandable.
I had been clinging to the monster, defending stubbornly until now, so this sudden move must’ve seemed strange.
I felt a bit sorry for him, but I wanted to test this idea while it was still fresh in my mind.
“Come on…”
I gestured at the Quadra Arms with a curl of my finger.
It was a taunt—an invitation to come at me.
‘Let’s think. Mimicking someone else’s swordsmanship just by seeing it once…’
A long time ago, I’d read a post written in English by a foreign player.
He claimed he had discovered a hidden skill within the Swordsman route.
‘Sword Copy.’
A skill that allowed one to copy the swordsmanship skill tree of a swordsman they had fought against once.
He said that afterward, you could either delete or retain the copied skills, developing up to three different swordsmanships of your choosing.
Of course, the copied skills were all inferior imitations compared to the originals, and even the higher sword techniques that branched from them were the same.
Because of that, not many players took the post seriously.
As mentioned before, most players preferred to specialize in one sword style to its utmost limit, it was simply more efficient.
In any case, the prerequisites for this skill were: Basic Swordsmanship maxed out, and…
‘The Attack Prediction Skill mastered.’
The Attack Prediction Skill heightened one’s senses to their limit, allowing them to perfectly read the opponent’s movements and predict their next attack—that was roughly how it worked.
Maybe that’s why it was a prerequisite for Sword Copy.
‘The key point is, I’ve already met those conditions.’
It wasn’t intentional, but after receiving the Defensive Swordsman’s skills, I had reached the state where Sword Copy was possible.
That must’ve been why I was able to mimic Sara’s swordsmanship and use the Isrinbloom family’s secret technique before.
If I truly could copy others’ swordsmanship, then I needed to make the most of that ability—alongside my defensive style.
With that thought, I raised my sword and fixed my eyes on the Quadra Arms before me.
“Rraaaahhh!”
The moment our gazes met, the Quadra Arms roared and charged straight at me.
With its rush, crimson dots appeared before my eyes—indicators of its attack trajectory.
Normally, I would’ve taken my defensive stance to block the strike.
But this time, I shifted into a different stance.
‘If I remember right… it went like this.’
Gripping the hilt with both hands, I lifted the sword over my shoulder.
Recalling the sword technique that had once struck me, I tried to mimic it as closely as I could.
Surprisingly, my body moved easily, as if it wanted to cooperate in replicating the technique.
“Huh?”
“That’s… Lisa’s…”
I heard Jason and Luke’s surprised voices nearby.
And from a distance, Sara’s voice followed.
“What the hell is he doing?”
She sounded utterly dumbfounded.
But whether they liked it or not, I had to choose this path.
I might’ve inherited the skills and weapon of a Defensive Swordsman, but defense alone wasn’t enough to survive.
To be precise—if I only defended, there would surely come a time when I couldn’t do anything on my own.
That kind of situation happened quite often in the early stages of the game, too.
Now that this world was my reality, I had to maintain my Defensive Swordsman concept while still creating other options for myself.
‘Not the strength of the arms, but the strength of the back—and focus the power in the lower body, not the upper.’
That was a line I remembered from the Balmuth family’s swordsmanship guidebook.
Recalling that, I lifted Mistcatcher higher.
‘…Now.’
Crimson dots marked the incoming attack points of the Quadra Arms.
At the right moment, I twisted my body sideways to evade the strike and slashed at the monster’s wrist.
“…Ah.”
I struck with all the strength I could muster, but failed to sever the wrist completely.
Even so, my blade sliced halfway through.
Mistcatcher dug deep into the middle of its wrist, and the Quadra Arms let out a pained, ear-splitting scream.
The Quadra Arms, with one wrist dangling loosely, swung its remaining three blades at me—but I had already widened the distance.
“Kreeeeaaagh!”
It screamed, staring at its injured wrist in agony.
Because of the pain, it didn’t even notice Jason approaching from behind.
“That was good just now, Gideon.”
Jason swiftly thrust his saber into the Quadra Arms’ neck.
The skin was too thick for the strike to pierce deeply, but the monster shrieked even louder in pain.
“Eek?”
Maybe because he had approached too openly this time, Jason couldn’t slip back out of its sight after his attack.
As a result, the Quadra Arms went berserk, wildly attacking him.
“Whoa?! Hey, hey—calm down!”
Jason used his speed to dodge and parry, but it was clearly overwhelming for him.
After all, facing a monster that wielded multiple swords at once wasn’t something even a skilled swordsman could handle easily.
But for me, that didn’t apply.
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
“I’ll handle it.”
“Oh, thanks, Gideon.”
I stepped in midway, blocking the attacks for him. In that opening, Jason slipped behind the Quadra Arms once again.
“Raaahhhhhh!”
“…Yeah, this kind of thing is something only I can do.”
It was difficult to deal with the Quadra Arms using pure swordsmanship alone.
However, for me—a swordsman who specialized in extreme defense—it wasn’t all that hard.
I blocked the multiple blades flying toward me from different directions and held my ground.
‘Let’s try it again.’
After deflecting the swords, I lifted Mistcatcher back over my shoulder.
This time, faster and more precise than before—
“That’s enough! Stop there!”
Just as I aimed for its neck, Luke’s voice rang out.
Then, Kara—who stood beside Luke—waved her hand, and the Quadra Arms froze in place.
“You both did well. You would’ve won for sure, but I stopped it because…”
“Because it would’ve taken too long, right?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
At Jason’s words, Luke nodded.
“Jason, your speed’s improved, but your sword’s power hasn’t changed much. Against humans, a quick thrust to a vital spot would work—but…”
“Yes, I know. It’s a problem when facing anything non-human.”
“Then your goal this year should be building strength.”
“Ah, come on, Professor. I told you, I hate push-ups.”
“You need to focus not only on your lower body but also strengthen your upper body a bit.”
Jason gave a wry smile, and Luke soon turned his gaze toward me.
“That just now—you were mimicking Lisa’s swordsmanship, weren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And that was your first attempt?”
“Yes. You said we needed a powerful strike, so… I improvised.”
“I see. Honestly, there are plenty of things I could point out—but for a first attempt, it was good. To think you could even partially imitate the Balmuth Family’s swordsmanship…”
Luke looked at me with a curious smile.
“You’ll definitely be an interesting student to teach. I can tell—you’ve got the potential to wield multiple sword styles, just like me.”
That afternoon’s class came to an end.
The other students went their separate ways, dispersing after class.
“Hey, Gideon. You were amazing today. The more I see you, the more impressed I get.”
Jason and I were chatting for a bit.
“How’d you block all four swords without missing a single one? I tried blocking just for a moment and it was insanely hard. I could manage a little since I’m fast, but normally that’s impossible.”
“Yes, I’ve heard rumors that even knights struggle against the Quadra Arms.”
“Figures. I doubt even Sara could’ve handled it easily.”
“Why am I suddenly being dragged into this?”
Sara, who was nearby, shouted in disbelief but Jason ignored her completely.
“Your defense skills are seriously amazing. No kidding—if you keep improving like this, there’ll be no one in the Empire who can match your defense.”
“I think that’s… a bit of an overstatement.”
“No way. I’m telling you, no one’s getting through your guard. I guarantee it—someday, you’ll be famous across the Empire.”
Jason’s voice was full of confidence.
Well, it wasn’t a bad thing that Jason thought highly of me.
If I got close to him, I could use that connection later to gather information.
“So yeah, let’s stay close from now on. I like capable people—and with your skills, I’m sure later you’ll…”
“Jason, come on. Are you planning to keep the Princess waiting? She’s probably wondering where we are by now.”
“Ugh, fine, I’m coming. Anyway, Gideon, great work today. See you tomorrow.”
“Take care on your way back.”
With my farewell, Jason left the gym with Sara.
After confirming that the two had gone, I stretched a bit and sat down on a nearby bench.
“Ughhh, what a rough day.”
I hadn’t expected to face the Quadra Arms this early.
For players who followed the swordsmanship route, it was one of the most troublesome monsters to deal with.
‘Guess my defense really is pretty solid.’
According to the lore, there were few swordsmen in the Empire who could withstand the Quadra Arms’ four-blade style with pure swordsmanship alone.
But I’d managed to endure it head-on, so maybe it was fair to rate my defensive swordsmanship a little higher.
‘And about copying other sword styles… I should think about that more too.’
Copied sword techniques were far weaker than the originals.
If the original had a power level of ten, the copied one would only reach two or three at best.
But that was enough for me.
All I needed were a few effective offensive techniques that could work against mid-level enemies.
“…Alright, I should get going too.”
Club activities were supposed to start next week, but Lisa had contacted me during lunch today.
She said she’d start teaching me my duties from today onward.
So tonight, after dinner, I had to head to the Disciplinary Committee’s room.
‘But before I start the committee work, there’s something I need to handle first.’
I glanced into my bag.
Inside were bottles containing the purple Elixir I had recently made.
I’d spent a lot of time last night thinking about how best to use this precious potion.
I could save it for emergencies, but that felt like a waste.
After all, this potion was one of the most powerful healing agents in this world’s lore.
After much thought, I came up with the most efficient way to use it.
‘That girl—she’s taking the management class, right? The first-years’ management lectures should be held in…’
I traced my memory and started heading toward the management classroom.
When I arrived, students were just leaving as the class had ended.
‘Short black hair, petite but curvy figure. If I remember correctly, she should be a first-year like me.’
I recalled her characteristics and scanned the students exiting the classroom.
And I spotted her sooner than expected.
“Miss Serma, right?”
“…Who are you?”
The black-haired girl tilted her head slightly, looking at me.
But after briefly scanning me up and down, she nodded.
“White hair… first-year… You must be Sir Gideon Kyrgram, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“A famous noble like you—what business do you have with a commoner like me?”
“I have some matters to discuss. Besides, Miss Serma, you’re not exactly an ordinary commoner, are you?”
I smirked and whispered quietly into Serma’s ear.
“Daughter of Tazera, the owner of the black market and one of the most influential figures in the underworld—calling you a commoner seems a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
At my words, Serma flinched and trembled slightly.
But soon, she looked at me with a firm expression.
“…Follow me.”
Without a word, I followed Serma to a deserted corner of the hallway.
Then suddenly, she pushed me against the wall.
My Attack Prediction Skill activated, but I didn’t bother dodging.
I was certain Serma wouldn’t actually harm me.
“Tell me everything you know.”
Serma drew a dagger from under her skirt and aimed it at my throat.
“How do you know about Tazera—and how do you know about me?”
“If you put that away, we can talk calmly.”
I smiled faintly.
Seeing this side of Serma confirmed it—I’d definitely found the right person.