Chapter 64
Leaving the Guardian’s Sword with Chiwoo Workshop, huh.
Helena must have only said that to persuade me to go there with her.
But those few words struck deep in my mind.
If this were a game, I would’ve laughed it off as nonsense, but this was reality.
In the game, Chiwoo Workshop was nothing more than a cash-item shop, but here, it was a real blacksmith’s forge — a place that crafted custom-made weapons for its clients.
And who was it that made Baek Hyun-joong’s sword, the original model of the Guardian’s Sword?
It was none other than the master craftsman, the owner of Chiwoo Workshop, who had forged countless endgame-grade items.
Of course, the master himself had now stepped away from the front lines and only accepted special commissions, so it might be difficult to ask him directly to work on the Guardian’s Sword...
But since he had disciples, it might still be worth a try.
“That sounds good. Yeah, let’s go together.”
“Alright. Then let’s all go to Chiwoo Workshop this weekend. The midterms are coming up anyway, so it’d be nice to get a proper weapon before then, don’t you think?”
Now that she mentioned it, midterms were indeed approaching.
The practical exams wouldn’t be a problem, but I’d need to study for the written ones.
Too many things had happened recently — I’d completely forgotten.
If I didn’t want to repeat a year, I’d have to study at least a little.
While I was chatting with Helena and Park Siwoo, the Sword Empress approached us.
“You all waited patiently, huh? And Chun-woo didn’t run away either.”
“Don’t say useless things. So why did you tell us to stay behind? Not just me, but the others too.”
“That rude tone of yours still hasn’t changed. And it’s not like I wanted to come here, you know? Why would I come all the way to this Academy just to see you?”
I tilted my head slightly.
Her words carried the nuance that someone had sent her here rather than her coming of her own will.
Now that I thought about it, she’d hinted at that in her speech too.
That she was here because the Academy had told her to be.
And the only person who could order around the Sword Empress would be...
“Your grandfather heard about your recent accomplishments and told me to come and check for myself.”
“My grandfather?”
“Yes.”
Though the Swordmaster had expelled Dan Chun-woo from the family, that was only to correct his behavior.
He still cared deeply for his bloodline.
Especially for someone like Dan Chun-woo — who was more or less his sore spot — so it made sense he’d worry.
Even in the game, when playing as Dan Chun-woo, letters from the Swordmaster would occasionally arrive.
Then one question naturally came to mind.
“Then why did you tell us to stay behind?”
“That was just my own curiosity. They say only four of you took down a high-ranked Demon — of course I’d be curious.”
“So that means…”
“I figured, since I was already here to check Chun-woo’s progress, I might as well gauge your abilities too. How about a guided sparring session? But if you’re uncomfortable with it, you can refuse.”
I whistled inwardly.
An unexpected stroke of luck.
A training duel with someone on the Sword Empress’s level — that was an opportunity that didn’t come often.
And it was just the right time to test the progress of my Asura Divine Art.
Ever since I decided to pursue the ultimate warrior build, I hadn’t once neglected my training.
But lately, there hadn’t been any real chance to use the Asura Divine Art at full power, which was frustrating.
If my opponent was someone like the Sword Empress, though, I could go all out.
The others seemed to have the same thought, as they readily accepted her offer.
“Good. Then shall we move to another place?”
We headed to Hanul Hall.
“It’s been a while. Glad to see this place again. It hasn’t changed at all.”
Hanul Hall was a multi-purpose gymnasium used mainly for sparring classes.
When we opened the door, the vast training area and the racks of weapons came into view.
Perhaps because the award ceremony had just ended — or maybe because she’d rented out the entire place — there wasn’t a single sign of another person.
“Was it like this?”
She deftly operated the nearby console, and in an instant, a sparring arena materialized before us.
“Good. It works fine.”
Stepping into the arena, she gestured to Dan Chun-woo.
“You’re up first. Dan Chun-woo, step inside.”
Dan Chun-woo frowned but drew his sword and entered the arena.
His expression looked like that of a beast being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
Then Park Siwoo, standing next to me, asked,
“They’re both using real swords — is that okay?”
“Don’t worry. That’s normal for the Swordmaster Family.”
“Seriously?”
“In the Swordmaster Family, once a child can stand on their own, they’re made to wield a real blade.”
Park Siwoo looked dumbfounded and turned to Helena.
“Then what about you?”
“Only the monsters from the Swordmaster Family make kids wield real swords at five years old. Normally, you start by taking elixirs to build up your body first.”
Then a floating sign appeared between the two combatants, and a countdown began.
As the numbers ticked down, we all held our breath, waiting for the duel to start.
Though their levels varied slightly, Dan Chun-woo, Park Siwoo, and Helena were all close in skill.
So even if they weren’t fighting directly, watching a duel between people of similar ability could offer valuable insight.
When the countdown, which had started at ten, reached five — a black subspace opened behind the Sword Empress, and three swords emerged, circling around her.
The Sword Empress’s fighting style relied on Sword Control Art, a dazzling form of combat.
Her control technique was truly astounding.
In the later parts of the game, she could command up to a hundred swords simultaneously, each performing different techniques.
With so many blades, she could launch wide-area attacks or even targeted strikes — truly an overwhelming offense and defense in one body.
I still remembered how helpless I’d felt when I first faced her in the game.
It was just pure cheating.
Of course, that didn’t mean she had no weakness.
No matter how skilled the Sword Empress was, she couldn’t manifest perfect Sword Intent across a hundred blades indefinitely.
The more swords she controlled, the shorter the duration of her Sword Control Art became.
Thus, in most battles, she would use at most ten swords at once.
Any more than that, and she’d only summon them for massive AoE techniques — situations like a Wave.
I watched the duel between Dan Chun-woo and the Sword Empress.
To my surprise, Dan Chun-woo held his ground fairly well.
He moved swiftly across the arena, deflecting her three swords with just one of his own.
He must have been trying to increase his movement to avoid facing multiple swords head-on.
It was a solid strategy.
But at that pace, he’d burn through his stamina fast.
And of course, Dan Chun-woo must have known that too.
The guy headed toward the corner of the arena.
He was cornering himself.
A deep blue aura burst forth from his sword.
Bang!
With a loud explosion, his sword clashed against the Sword Empress’s three blades.
For a brief moment, her swords lost control and were flung away.
That was another weakness of the Sword Control Art.
If struck by a sufficiently powerful blow, its control would momentarily falter.
Dan Chun-woo didn’t miss that chance — in an instant, he became a streak of light, charging straight toward the Sword Empress.
Though she quickly regained control of her blades, Dan Chun-woo’s speed was faster.
His sword gleamed blue.
The blade, radiating stronger energy than ever before, aimed straight for the Sword Empress’s neck.
Even if she was his older sister, to go for her throat without hesitation…
He must’ve been holding quite a lot of resentment.
The Sword Empress’s expression hardened as she saw that.
The moment she stepped into Dan Chun-woo’s attack range—
He swung his sword without an ounce of hesitation.
A blue flash carved through the air.
Park Siwoo frowned slightly at the sight.
But unlike before, there was no violent explosion.
Dan Chun-woo’s body stiffened.
A cold voice flowed out.
“Are you done?”
Dan Chun-woo’s full-powered strike had been stopped by her bare hand.
Her fingers, wrapped in magic power, held the blade in place.
No matter how hard he tried to pull it free, the sword wouldn’t budge.
Yeah, this was why the Sword Empress’s so-called weakness couldn’t really be called a true weakness.
The Sword Empress.
A high-ranked Hero.
Even without her swords, her body alone was absurdly strong.
Very much so.
A dark shadow fell over her face, and Dan Chun-woo’s body flinched instinctively.
Dan Chun-woo’s duel ended, followed by Park Siwoo and Helena’s matches.
After the sparring was done, all three were lying flat on the ground, gasping for breath.
Dan Chun-woo, in particular, was a complete mess — he was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, but still twitching occasionally.
His face was covered in dark, swollen bruises.
Traces of the “pure violence” that had followed the duels.
The Sword Empress lightly brushed off her hands and began giving feedback, showing no sign of fatigue.
“Helena, I noticed hesitation in your control of power. In real combat, that hesitation leads directly to death. Be mindful of that.”
“Yes, Sister.”
“And as for you, Siwoo…”
Her sword lit up with blue magic.
The faint blue flame grew stronger and stronger, immense mana gathering around her blade until it began to tremble.
At the same time, the burning sword aura began to spin.
“Hup.”
With a short exhale, her sword aura swelled even larger.
Park Siwoo’s eyes widened.
Mine did too.
“Star Sword Summon?”
What she just did looked almost identical to Park Siwoo’s strongest skill — Star Sword Summon.
Even Park Siwoo looked startled, staring at the now-enlarged blade surrounded by mana.
Then the Sword Empress released the spell.
“This is how that technique of yours worked, right? You called it Star Sword Summon, I believe? Pretty name. Seems like a downgraded version of Sword Aura to me.”
Her sharp gaze swept over Siwoo.
Completely exhausted, dazed, and barely conscious.
“Usually, those who can wield Sword Aura are said to have reached the Transcendent Realm. Which means— using something like that when you haven’t reached that realm yet… you’re forcing your body to exceed its limits.”
A precise observation.
That was why Siwoo always collapsed after using his ultimate.
“You’re already using a technique beyond your current realm. It’ll take a huge toll on your body. If that keeps up, even when you eventually reach the proper level, your body will be too damaged to use Sword Aura properly. I’ll teach you a method to lessen that strain — learn it first.”
As expected of someone from the Swordmaster Family.
The youngest high-ranked Hero — in just one spar, she’d pinpointed their weaknesses and ways to improve.
But what impressed me most was how she analyzed Star Sword Summon.
In the game, unique skills were meant for one person alone.
Yet she had instantly replicated it.
Weren’t skills supposed to be unchangeable — their acquisition, mastery, and risk all fixed?
I had thought I’d shed my gamer mindset since living in this world, but…
It suddenly felt like something that had been blocking my thoughts just shattered open.
Truth be told, even I had hit a wall while training in Asura Divine Art.
No matter how much I strained my body or circulated my mana, I’d felt like my progress had stagnated.
But now I understood.
The reason my Asura Divine Art had been growing so slowly— was because I was still bound by the game’s logic and system.
I had been treating it like an idle game: training endlessly and expecting the art to grow on its own just because I was grinding and equipping gear.
I’d become obsessed with ranks and mastery levels while ignoring the essence of martial arts itself — the curiosity and exploration of the art.
While I was lost in thought, the Sword Empress, having finished her feedback, turned her gaze toward me.
“So you’re the last one.”
“Seems like it.”
“Do you know why I saved you for last?”
I tilted my head at her sudden question.
Hadn’t she just picked the order at random?
When I asked, she gave me a dangerous smile and licked her lips.
“Because I like to save the tastiest for last.”