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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Benefactor…”
“Mokgyeong, a martial artist speaks with their sword. If you have something to say, say it with your blade.”
“Yes, Benefactor.”
‘To think I’d be sparring like this with the protagonist.’
William looked at Mokgyeong with a nostalgic expression.
‘I must focus on the match.’
Mokgyeong looked at William and calmed his mind.
While he felt some unease about fighting his benefactor, this was a sparring match, not a life-or-death battle, so he quickly composed himself.
William’s swordsmanship naturally came to mind.
‘Benefactor’s swordsmanship is characterized by parries and fluid movements. I’ve seen it countless times, so if I’m careful, I have a good chance of winning.’
To think the sparring sessions while preparing for the tournament would be so helpful.
Mokgyeong watched William assume his stance, unsure whether to be happy or uneasy about this unexpected turn of events.
‘Ox.’
A familiar stance.
It was the stance William adopted most often, so Mokgyeong knew its strengths and weaknesses.
‘That stance allows for both offense and defense in all directions, so using a decisive strike would be pointless.’
A strong attack would simply be deflected.
He understood this better than anyone in the Central Plains, so the beginning of the match was a static standoff.
A battle was essentially a choice between finding and exploiting an opening or forcefully creating one.
But that applied to William as well.
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‘Now that he’s a peak expert, he’ll be more difficult to deal with.’
The number of swords he could manifest might increase from fifteen to a hundred.
That level of proficiency would require considerable training even for a peak expert, but that was only true for ordinary martial artists.
This didn’t apply to Mokgyeong, who possessed unparalleled talent.
‘My opponent is the protagonist, favored by this world. He might even grow stronger during the fight. And…he’s very familiar with my swordsmanship. This might be the first time it’s countered.’
Through their sparring sessions, Mokgyeong had likely grasped the strengths and weaknesses of longsword techniques.
That alone put William at a disadvantage.
‘…But the match has already begun, so I must clear my mind of distractions.’
William maintained his stance and observed Mokgyeong.
A familiar stance.
And a familiar gaze.
‘Should I attack? Or should I wait for a counterattack?’
Since this match had to end eventually, inaction wasn’t an option.
Unless this was a friendly exchange, someone’s sword had to be swung. William shifted his weight.
‘Do what needs to be done.’
His Captain’s words, repeated countless times during his swordsmanship training, echoed in his mind.
Remembering those words, William swung his sword towards Mokgyeong’s waist.
A direct, unwavering attack, the longsword aimed straight for his center.
Mokgyeong immediately raised his sword to block, feeling the vibration through his palm.
‘Neither heavy nor light. A probing attack.’
Only fools went all-out with their first move. William retracted his sword and swung again, this time aiming for Mokgyeong’s chest with a diagonal downward strike.
It was easily blocked.
The clang of their swords resonated through the arena.
This pattern continued—William attacking, Mokgyeong defending.
While it wasn’t a flashy exchange of sword qi and elaborate techniques, the audience watched with bated breath. They could sense the subtle probing and anticipation between the two.
Such a calculated exchange was rare in this tournament.
‘He’s trying to wear me down with simple attacks.’
The core of longsword techniques was to maintain the initiative by chaining attacks through stance transitions. But Mokgyeong wouldn’t easily relinquish control.
‘He’s wary of me closing the distance. He doesn’t want to give me an opening for grappling.’
Understanding that being grappled meant certain defeat, Mokgyeong refused to fall for William’s subtle attempts to bait a counterattack.
‘Is this a battle of patience, or should I press harder?’
The Thousand Swords technique, when perfected, overwhelmed the opponent with speed and illusion. Now that he was a peak expert, if he lost the initiative completely, he would struggle even with a difference in realm.
So, William decided to take a gamble.
‘If I coat my feet with internal energy and release it in short bursts, I can move much faster.’
A technique described in the Shadowless Divine Thief’s secret manual.
Failure would be disastrous, but he just had to avoid failing.
William feigned a transition to the Pflug stance, then launched himself forward.
‘What?!’
A sudden charge.
At such close range, it was difficult to evade with footwork. Mokgyeong hurriedly parried William’s thrust, but he couldn’t avoid being grabbed by the collar.
“You surprised me.”
“I’m more surprised than you are.”
‘He’s not budging. Is this the legendary Thousand-Jin Weight?’
Thousand-Jin Weight.
A technique that used internal energy to increase one’s weight.
Long-forgotten knowledge resurfaced as William retreated three steps and returned to the Ox stance. He had no choice. Mokgyeong’s sword had grazed his chest.
“I apologize, but I’ve already figured out your technique.”
“Yes, I figured as much.”
William had anticipated this, so he accepted it calmly. He, too, had seen and experienced the Thousand Swords technique.
‘He’s not falling for the Klamppringen easily. I’ll have to give up on grappling.’
William closed the distance again, his swordsmanship becoming lighter and faster now that grappling was off the table.
He couldn’t afford to create openings for a counterattack.
His constantly shifting stances and techniques pressured Mokgyeong, preventing him from attacking recklessly. But Mokgyeong calmly parried the attacks, constantly analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of William’s swordsmanship.
‘The middle section.’
The middle of the sword.
He saw an opening.
A sliver of vulnerability.
The moment William retracted his sword, Mokgyeong closed the distance in a flash.
An unexpected approach. William parried the ten swords aimed at his vital points, his eyes fixed on Mokgyeong.
‘He’s finally going on the offensive.’
But William wouldn’t be caught off guard so easily.
‘But I won’t be defeated so easily.’
Immediately after parrying the attacks, William’s longsword lunged towards Mokgyeong like a predator pouncing on its prey.
A sharp, precise thrust aimed for Mokgyeong’s throat. Mokgyeong ducked, narrowly avoiding the attack, and swung his sword at William’s legs.
But this, too, was familiar to the knight.
As if anticipating the counter, William’s sword descended, blocking Mokgyeong’s attack.
“Your swordsmanship is sharp.”
“Yours as well, Benefactor.”
“I still have much to show you.”
“I look forward to it.”
‘He hasn’t entered a trance yet. Does that mean he’s not in danger?’
He didn’t know the exact conditions.
He only knew that Mokgyeong’s monstrous talent, bestowed by the heavens, would allow him to enter a trance-like state until he reached the Transcendent realm.
Therefore, William intended to subdue him before that happened.
‘It’s time for my final gambit.’
The moment they returned to a standoff, William charged forward once more.
While his movements weren’t flashy or acrobatic, the combination of his size and skill created an overwhelming pressure.
Mokgyeong calmly adjusted his grip, preparing to meet William’s charge.
‘You intend to seize the initiative again, but…!’
As if trying to halt William’s charge, Mokgyeong’s sword began to multiply.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Forty.
Fifty…
One hundred!
One hundred swords descended from all directions, threatening to shred William to pieces.
It seemed like he had to stop his charge.
But instead of stopping, William adjusted his grip, holding his sword like a short spear, and plunged into the wave of swords, aiming for the single, true strike among the hundred.
‘He’s gripping the blade?’
Sparks flew as William’s foot slipped between Mokgyeong’s legs.
Pressing close, William twisted his body. Mokgyeong’s sword, tangled with William’s, was caught in the motion.
Using Mokgyeong’s off-balance body as a pivot, William spun around, positioning himself behind him.
The sequence of movements was instantaneous, leaving Mokgyeong no time to react.
He had never seen or heard of a sword technique that gripped the middle of the blade and used it like a short spear.
“…I yield.”
Feeling the cold blade against his neck, Mokgyeong admitted defeat.
“The winner of this match, the champion of the tournament, is the Blue-Eyed Lion, Wi Lieom!”
And so, the champion was decided.
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Wtf! That was fucking anticlimactic
Doesn’t always have to be the most epic thing in existence.
William was in a higher realm, had more combat experience n some.
He was only wary of some sudden power-ups, that’s why it was finished like that.
I liked it personally.