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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…It’s been a while, Benefactor.”
“…Congratulations on reaching the main tournament, Mokgyeong.”
“Thank you.”
He hadn’t expected to run into him here.
They had met by chance in a small garden tucked away in a corner of the Wulin Alliance.
Now, they were both staring blankly at the garden, at a loss for words. William had intended to take a stroll and review the matches, but… sigh.
“…I’ll be going then.”
“No, I should be the one to leave.”
“No, you don’t have to do that because of me.”
“I shouldn’t be making you leave because of me.”
…What was with this situation?
To think he would experience something straight out of a comic…
Life was full of surprises.
He wasn’t fond of this kind of atmosphere with another man.
“Since we’re here, let’s just sit down. We can chat.”
“…Alright.”
William sat down on a garden bench and stared blankly at the artificial pond.
The sight of large carp swimming around was perfect for spacing out, so he continued to gaze at it in silence, despite having initiated the conversation.
“…”
This was suffocating.
Mokgyeong wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, so William knew that if he didn’t say anything, they would just sit in suffocating silence until he had to flee the garden.
He had to start the conversation…
“How were the preliminaries?”
“I almost got eliminated. I was surrounded and attacked by multiple opponents… If they had been even slightly coordinated, I would have been out for sure.”
…That was true.
Both in the original story and in reality, those who noticed Dan Mokgyeong’s extraordinary skills had ganged up on him.
The result was that Mokgyeong had evaded their attacks with his exceptional footwork and overpowered them with his superior swordsmanship.
Although his realm was still at the first-rate level, this protagonist, with his absurdly high talent, was someone who could reach the peak expert realm in a few months after consuming a single spirit herb. His growth rate was insane.
So if he could build a relationship with him… huh?
William turned to look at Mokgyeong.
…He seemed a bit shorter than described in the original story, or maybe not.
Was it because William was too tall?
“…Do you have something to say?”
“Um… you just seem smaller than I expected.”
“…Aren’t you just too big?”
“That’s not wrong.”
Even those considered large were smaller than him, so Mokgyeong wasn’t wrong.
Even by modern standards, he was considered a giant.
He was over six cheok tall and muscular…
[T/N: Korean unit of measurement]
“…Did you come here alone, Benefactor?”
“As you can see.”
“I don’t see the lady you’re usually with.”
“Ah, Hye-ryeong went to train. I’m just taking a walk.”
“I see.”
And so, the outdoor library opened once more. They were technically in a benefactor-beneficiary relationship, but they weren’t particularly close, and neither of them was what one would call “social.”
…He should just make a quick escape.
William stood up and turned around.
“I’ll be going then. Enjoy your ti—”
“…Benefactor, may I ask you a favor?”
A favor?
Suddenly?
William, caught off guard by the protagonist’s unexpected request, turned back to look at Mokgyeong.
He was looking up at him with an eager expression, asking,
“Benefactor, could you spar with me?”
…Spar with the protagonist?
It was an unexpected request, but not a bad one.
It was a chance to spar with the most talented promising disciple in the Central Plains, and it would be beneficial for him as well, since he was also considered a promising disciple.
But he was curious why Mokgyeong was asking.
“Why do you want to spar with me?”
“…I rarely get the chance to request a spar from someone stronger than me. I’m just an ordinary member of the Patrol Unit, with no connections…”
“An ordinary member, yet you can afford to relax here?”
“I was given some free time for the main tournament.”
Ah, so they were willing to extend that much consideration. It would be beneficial for the Patrol Unit to recruit a talented individual, and since he was just an ordinary member, it wouldn’t be a big loss if he was gone for a while.
“Well, if that’s the case… as for the location… hmm. There’s a spacious area at the Haenam Sword Sect’s lodging. We can spar there.”
“…Thank you, Benefactor.”
Mokgyeong bowed his head in gratitude.
“Don’t mention it. Sparring is a way for martial artists to improve, so it’s not just you who will benefit.”
William nodded, readily accepting the offer.
The two of them arrived at the empty lot on the west side of the Haenam Sword Sect’s lodging and faced each other, creating some distance.
It wasn’t a particularly large area, but it was enough since they weren’t going to be using Qinggong.
“This is a nice place.”
“It’s only natural, since it’s the lodging assigned to one of the Nine Great Sects.”
William and Dan Mokgyeong drew their swords as they looked at each other.
A longsword and an ordinary iron sword with no special features.
William stared intently at the iron sword, something that could be easily found in any marketplace.
‘He really is in the early stages of the story. He’s still carrying an iron sword…’
He still remembered how Dan Mokgyeong had used that iron sword until it broke in the original story, so he was a bit excited to witness it firsthand.
Even though it was just a fictional story he had read, it was fascinating to actually cross swords with the protagonist.
Especially since he was in a position of seniority.
“I’ll yield the first move.”
“I’ll gladly accept.”
He might be the protagonist, but he was still a novice.
So William willingly yielded the first move.
“Here I come.”
“Come.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Mokgyeong’s figure shot forward.
His movements were as light as a cat and as sharp as an eagle. William met his incoming attack in the Ox Guard stance.
‘The Yunnan Dan Clan’s swordsmanship is a flashy, ever-changing style centered around circular movements.’
Based on the information that came to mind, William focused on the tip of Mokgyeong’s sword.
All changes in swordsmanship originated from the tip of the sword, so by observing the tip, he could predict how the swordsmanship would unfold.
As he expected, the tip of Mokgyeong’s sword began to move, leaving afterimages.
Up. Right. Left.
Three sword strikes came at him simultaneously.
‘Two are feints. One is real.’
They all looked real, but only one was the true attack. William judged that the attack coming from the right was the real one and angled his sword slightly to block it.
‘It’s light.’
A light attack for the first move.
‘He must have seen me fight.’
Mokgyeong’s judgment was accurate, to the point where William couldn’t help but reach that conclusion.
Powerful attacks inevitably created openings.
‘Benefactor’s swordsmanship is specialized in deflection. I should fight him with a relaxed grip…’
If William had been aggressive, it wouldn’t have mattered whether the attack was light or heavy; the match would have ended in a single move. But this was a spar for mutual improvement. So William maintained a relatively passive stance and didn’t counterattack.
They exchanged several moves. Mokgyeong stepped back, catching his breath, then assumed a stance and declared,
“I’m coming again.”
“Come.”
Mokgyeong shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. His speed was lightning fast.
William tracked his movements and changed his stance as he swung his sword.
Pflug.
Mokgyeong countered the unfamiliar stance with dozens of sword strikes.
‘Central Plains internal energy cultivation techniques are the epitome of flashiness.’
Western arts also became flashy when they reached the level of secret techniques, but they were different from the Central Plains martial arts, so William couldn’t help but be impressed.
‘It’s said that when perfected, this swordsmanship can tear an enemy to shreds with a thousand swords, hence the name “Thousand Swords”… he’s still unrefined.’
Even an unparalleled genius couldn’t easily overcome the difference in realm.
William took a step forward, his vision enhanced by aura, and thrust his sword.
It might have looked like a move of mutual destruction, but a clumsy, incomplete move like that couldn’t counter a sword that had accurately intercepted his path.
Mokgyeong gritted his teeth and pulled his body back, his sword stuck against William’s longsword.
But William, as if refusing to give him any space to escape, lightly stepped forward and pressed his sword closer.
“…I concede.”
Mokgyeong sheathed his sword, stepped back, and spoke with an impressed expression.
“…You’re amazing. To think you could counter a swordsmanship you’ve never seen before in a single move. I didn’t think it would be countered so easily.”
“…The scenery looks different depending on where you stand.”
“The scenery looks different depending on where you stand… I see. That’s what it was… I shouldn’t have only considered my own perspective…”
‘…Huh?’
William was speechless, staring at Mokgyeong, whose aura had suddenly changed.
‘Is this even possible?’
Dumbfounded, William sheathed his sword.
There was no need to continue the spar.
Mokgyeong had closed his eyes and entered a state of enlightenment.
“…I’ve never seen someone enter enlightenment from a single sentence.”
‘Is this what it means to be the protagonist? Is this even allowed?’
“Mister? What are you doing…?”
“…Hye-ryeong, shh.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s stand guard for a while.”
Hye-ryeong’s expression changed from annoyance to surprise, then to seriousness as she noticed Mokgyeong in his state of enlightenment.
It was a golden opportunity for a martial artist.
Even though she felt a twinge of jealousy, Hye-ryeong, as a fellow martial artist, agreed to stand guard with William.
This unexpected situation lasted for an hour.
Mokgyeong opened his eyes, his aura now more stable than before, and bowed deeply to William, saying,
“Thank you! Benefactor, I will never forget this debt!”
“…Um… okay.”
William awkwardly nodded his head.
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[Your Text Here]
William will just have to make do without the standard protagonist cheat