10. I Need My Own Swordsmanship!
From that day on, Jeong Seong-min didn’t even show his shadow in front of Han Seol.
It was because Han Seol had forcefully made an agreement to hand over the data card on the day he graduated, on the condition that he wouldn’t catch his eye.
From Han Seol’s point of view, having him chase away the flies in his place was much more beneficial than kicking him out.
‘The psychology of such guys is obvious.’
Even if he disclosed the data card and expelled Jeong Seong-min, it was clear that another fly would take his place.
Whoever became the 2nd year fly boss, Han Seol honestly didn’t care.
The problem was that he thought it would be troublesome if a fly boss who knew nothing showed off his power and bothered him.
When he graduated, Han Seol would also become a 3rd year.
So if he just held out at the top, Han Seol could quietly do what he had to do without the touch of his seniors.
The effect was certain.
Since that day, Han Seol was able to do his best in his training without any surrounding noise.
* * *
Right after finishing the 1st year final exams in 1st place.
Han Seol realized his big problem.
‘It’s a bigger problem than I thought.’
In his previous life, Han Seol had lived his entire life in Rohan’s body.
That was only natural.
It was impossible for one person to use two bodies in their lifetime.
Because of that obvious fact, he hadn’t realized it.
No, rather than not realizing it, he couldn’t understand it.
The fact that there were things that didn’t work out even with effort…
‘Certainly, my body from my previous life and this body from my current life are different. It’s impossible to unfold swordsmanship or magic like in my previous life.’
The swordsmanship that he could naturally unfold in his previous life without being conscious, like breathing, now often put a strain on his body even when he consciously unfolded it, unable to fully do it.
The reason he didn’t realize this at first was because he thought it was simply a difference in proficiency.
Compared to his previous self who had mastered the sword and magic, it was natural that this young body of only fifteen years old had not yet adapted to the swordsmanship and magic of his previous life…
He had mistakenly thought that it would work out if he put in the effort.
Fortunately, it was a stroke of luck that he was able to realize early on that it was a misconception.
If he hadn’t been able to erase that misconception and had just believed that he could do it if he worked hard and trained…
He might not have become stronger, but rather his body would have been ruined and he might have had to lie in bed for the rest of his life.
* * *
During the year he became a 2nd year, Han Seol focused solely on fixing his swordsmanship, even putting his magic training on hold for a while.
He newly realized that the swordsmanship created by the sword genius, Jebius von Tristan, was the supreme swordsmanship that lacked consideration and understanding for ordinary people, let alone finding even a speck of it.
That was only natural.
Because he wanted the strongest swordsmanship that only he could use and created it.
So as soon as Han Seol became a 2nd year, he spent the entire year throwing away all of the emperor’s swordsmanship.
Discarding swordsmanship meant breaking the form, style, and transformations.
It wasn’t easy to break the swordsmanship that was deeply imprinted from the head to the soul.
However, Han Seol, who had desperately worked on it for the past year, finally succeeded in discarding all the forms, styles, and transformations of the emperor’s swordsmanship, leaving only the root that formed the foundation.
Only after leaving the root did Han Seol realize.
The fact that he was a monster among monsters that could not be explained simply by calling him a sword genius…
Han Seol unhesitatingly threw his evaluation of Jebius, whom he had fought and felt at that time, into the trash can.
‘I thought I at least made him use his full power… Not only did he not use his full power, but even that wasn’t his true self?’
Fortunately, the fact was that Han Seol could also use this ‘root’ that formed the foundation of the emperor’s swordsmanship.
This root was a very good foundation.
It was such an excellent basic skill that, although it was infuriating, it could be evaluated as impossible to find a better foundation than this.
‘Even if you graft a third-rate swordsmanship that a wandering mercenary would learn onto this, it would be reborn as a first-rate swordsmanship.’
However, Han Seol had no intention whatsoever of planting a mere third-rate swordsmanship in this good root.
‘If he created his own strongest swordsmanship based on this root… I will also make use of it. I will create my own swordsmanship with the root you created!’
Fortunately, Han Seol had the experience, knowledge, and effort to create his own swordsmanship.
As he laid this foundation, Han Seol had already become a 3rd year before he knew it.
During the time he became a 3rd year, Han Seol never missed 1st place in a total of four midterm and final exams.
Thanks to that, he was able to acquire four copies each of {Aura(D)}, {Aura Recovery(D)}, {Aura Consumption Reduction(D)} so far.
Han Seol kept all those skill books without using a single one.
It was to sell them when needed and add them to buy divinity skill books.
Of course, even if he sold all the aura-related skill books he currently had, it was only enough to buy one D-grade divinity-related skill book, but even that much was a big help to Han Seol.
* * *
And time passed, and the 3rd year midterm exams arrived.
“I absolutely won’t lose this time, Han Seol. This time it’s for real!”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
As it was two years ago and last year, the main event of interest in this midterm exam was also the confrontation between Han Seol and Han Ji-woong.
The level of this confrontation was so high that from last year, the teachers started recording the matches of the two separately to use for video education for the students.
Han Ji-woong’s guard was, as expected… no, much more solid than expected.
Moreover, Han Ji-woong, who had independently studied Han Seol’s tanking and adapted it to suit himself, now had skillful knacks in addition to a solid guard.
In other words, it had become difficult for even Han Seol to guarantee victory in a 1:1 match.
Was that why?
A smile formed on the lips of Han Seol, who was strategizing against Han Ji-woong while sweating heavily.
It was because among his peers, Han Ji-woong was the only one who could stand as his equal, not asking for his teachings.
Of course, if he overexerted himself and abused his body to unfold Jebius von Tristan’s swordsmanship, he could easily achieve victory.
But that would be meaningless.
The confrontation with Han Ji-woong was a way of finding his own sword path from the ‘root’ that was becoming obsolete in his swordsmanship.
He was in the process of finding a swordsmanship that suited him.
‘Now!’
Han Ji-woong intuitively caught Han Seol’s movement, quickly turning without leaving a gap to dig into his blind spot.
Unlike the past, Han Ji-woong was able to predict his movements in reverse because of his too honest movements.
Of course, that was a read that was possible because he had the experience of sparring with Han Seol whenever there was an opening.
Whoosh!
“…!”
Han Seol widened his eyes at the mace that pierced in front of his path and urgently twisted his body.
At that moment, a very brief… stiffness that would not be visible to others’ eyes grabbed his body.
Han Ji-woong never missed that moment.
“Strike!”
With a short and thick shout, Han Ji-woong’s round shield popped out like a wall and charged at Han Seol.
The reason Han Ji-woong switched from a tower shield to a round shield was due to Han Seol’s advice.
For Han Ji-woong, who not only had a large physique but also outstanding reflexes and ways of using his body…
Han Seol’s advice was that even if the defense was somewhat reduced, widening the field of view and freely using the body would rather increase the overall defense.
And that advice was clearly proven through Han Seol himself now.
‘Ugh!’
“Where are you going!”
Han Seol tried to minimize the damage from the charge by bouncing his body back as much as possible, but Han Ji-woong, who had read that move, extended one foot forward and swung down his club.
It was a linked attack that would never have happened if there was no premise that Han Seol would react to his charge by bouncing his body back.
However…
While skillfully deflecting the falling club, Han Seol twisted his body at the same time and attempted an armbar by grabbing Han Ji-woong’s arm.
Han Ji-woong, who already knew painfully that Han Seol’s whole body was a weapon, would not allow the armbar.
But the armbar was just a bait.
The real aim was to make him pull his arm towards his body to shake off the armbar.
Han Seol, who had already fallen from his arm, quickly lowered his posture and turned his body.
The target was Han Ji-woong’s ankle.
Noticing that, Han Ji-woong curled up his body and lowered his shield to protect his ankle, but the expected attack didn’t come.
Rather, Han Seol’s real aim was Han Ji-woong’s…
Thwack!
Face, which was empty as both arms were blocked downward.
Han Seol delivered a roundhouse kick to Han Ji-woong’s face instead of his shield, putting rotational force into it.
Han Ji-woong’s head was thrown back, bleeding from both nostrils, but that alone was not enough.
If he had let his guard down, Han Ji-woong might have been knocked out in one blow.
However, the opponent was Han Seol, whom he had sparred with countless times, officially and unofficially, over the past 2 years.
That meant he was fully prepared for an unexpected blow to come from a place he didn’t expect.
Thanks to that, even after taking an unexpected blow, Han Ji-woong, who had endured and stood, opened his eyes wide and searched for Han Seol, but…
Thwack!
At that moment, the second consecutive attack strongly struck the back of Han Ji-woong’s head and buried his face in the ground.
It was a consecutive attack that would not have been possible if he had not expected Han Ji-woong to sufficiently withstand his counter.
This meant that not only Han Ji-woong understood his opponent.
Splash.
Han Seol poured the bucket of water that Seong Yu-ra had brought onto Han Ji-woong’s head.
Then, Han Ji-woong, who got up with a surprised look, looked around and asked Han Seol after grasping the situation.
“…Did I faint again?”
“Strangely.”
Han Ji-woong expressed strong regret to Han Seol, who answered while extending his hand.
“Ah, damn it! I really thought I could win this time!”
There were only two chances left, and losing one of them was bound to be regretful.
Especially this time, unlike last time when it was just bluffing, he was really close to victory, so the regret would remain even more…
“This time, I was definitely tense too. That’s proof of how much you’ve grown.”
“Even if you praise me like that, it’s not pleasing at all. But you…”
“…?”
“No, nothing.”
Han Ji-woong was about to tell Han Seol that somehow his skills seemed to have regressed compared to before, but he swallowed his words.
Rather than regressing, he felt that Han Seol was deliberately not doing what he could do and trying something new.
‘If that attempt was a joke, I was going to pour a bucket of curses on him… But somehow, that guy also seems to be desperate. He’s really an unpredictable guy.’
Then Han Ji-woong made up his mind.
If such a monster was desperately working hard to become stronger, and he himself didn’t work harder than this, it would be impossible to surpass Han Seol, let alone catch up to him.
