Go Hyeon-woo let his sword hang so low that it almost touched the ground.
The wind that had been swirling around him also fell into a calm.
He took in the sight of Jang Sam rapidly closing the distance and, once again, lifted his foot off the ground a half-beat too late.
Suddenly, a fierce wind blew towards Jang Sam.
As if riding upon that wind, Go Hyeon-woo merged with its flow and charged forward.
He swiftly closed in on Jang Sam and swung his sword in a swift motion.
In a flash, two swords and their wielders crossed paths.
Whoosh!
Jang Sam and Go Hyeon-woo stood back to back, each with an empty hand stretched forward.
Belatedly, a short piece of a sword blade buried itself into the ground beside Go Hyeon-woo.
And then small fragments fell to the ground with soft thuds near Jang Sam.
Both men remained still in their places, enveloped in silence.
I grasped the outcome of the battle and nodded my head.
Well done.
In their first clash, Go Hyeon-woo had reacted a half-beat too slowly.
His delay was not due to a lack of ability; it was a deliberate choice.
He wanted to more accurately assess the distance between them, the other party’s speed, and the internal energy within his iron sword.
The second clash also had an experimental aspect to it.
I speculate that the technique called “Rapid Current” was originally intended for a different purpose.
but it seems he slightly modified it for use as his final gambit.
Through these trials and errors, albeit gradually sustaining damage, Go Hyeon-woo finally completed his preparations.
He then staked everything on his last sword attack.
Using a momentary gust of wind to maximize his speed, he increased his speed and focused the blade of the wind at the tip of his sword, creating a strike comparable to Jang Sam’s swift sword.
The result of exchanging their best moves was,
A draw with both unable to fight.
Both were rendered unable to continue the fight at the same time.
Even now that they are standing still, they appear to be unharmed on the outside, but their physical condition must be close to the breaking point.
This is especially true for Go Hyeon-woo. Considering the internal injuries he accumulated earlier, he is likely in a more critical condition.
“……”
“……”
Even attempting Qi circulation exercises brought no comfort, yet they forced their bodies to move despite this.
It seemed they were trying to say something to each other.
Predictably, it would be something about how great the match was or how impressive a technique had been.
Martial artists often stake their lives on such trivial matters.
While I acknowledge there’s a certain romance to their way of life, leaving them to speak would likely result in them coughing up blood instead of words.
So, I decided it was time to intervene.
“Stop. Don’t speak.”
When I used [Wind Force] gently, both of them collapsed to the ground as if they were falling.
“Start with Qi circulation.”
“……”
“……”
Perhaps it was the abrupt end to the moment, but both complied and began sitting in meditation to circulate their internal energy.
The scoreboard displayed the match result amidst this.
[Kim Ho and Go Hyeon-woo Win]
vs
[Wang Pil and Jang Sam Lose]
Wang Pil was sent flying across the arena and with Go Hyeon-woo and Jang Sam entering Qi circulation, I was the only one left standing. So this was a natural result
Their match was a draw, but the game was a win.
In truth, he lost the match.
Objectively speaking, Jang Sam should have been declared the victor.
The moment he first revealed his skill and successfully landed a thrust with his awl was essentially when the match was decided.
If it had been a one-on-one situation, I wouldn’t have been able to assist Go Hyeon-woo with [Wind Force], and he likely wouldn’t have even noticed that the other party was concealing his true abilities until then.
The subsequent exchanges, three in total, were largely Jang Sam accommodating Go Hyeon-woo’s style.
There were brief moments between the clashes where they would readjust their stances, and from Jang Sam’s perspective, there was no need to wait; he could have pressed the attack and finished the fight.
Yet he chose to wait, perhaps out of curiosity to see what Go Hyeon-woo’s final move would be.
Considering all these factors and still resorting to a draw indicates that their skills were not equal.
It was a reaffirmation that Go Hyeon-woo’s abilities are still just shy of being considered a promising student.
For now.
There’s no need to rush.
Go Hyeon-woo has only just begun his growth and reaching his current [Core] rank is merely the first step in a long journey.
Although he has made significant progress over the past two weeks, in the grand scheme of things, it’s just one among many skills and traits.
Nonetheless, Go Hyeon-woo’s rise to nearly reach the level of the promising students through the growth of his core alone was beyond my expectations.
If Go Hyeon-woo were to face Han So-mi or Jo Byeok again, the outcome might be the same, but he would undoubtedly give them a much harder time than before.
I was convinced that someday he would surely surpass them.
I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Go Hyeon-woo’s still-pale complexion.
It seemed that more time was needed for his Qi circulation.
“……”
Instead, it was Jang Sam who opened his eyes first.
His internal injuries were less severe than Go Hyeon-woo’s, so he recovered more quickly.
When he opened his eyes, his first action was to check the scoreboard.
“We lost.”
“Yes.”
He accepted defeat with a calm attitude.
From the moment he adhered to the Three Movements Sword Technique, it was clear that he was not the type to dwell on scores.
But there was something else he cared about…
“I have something I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“……”
Though Jang Sam said he had a question, he remained silent for a long while.
He frowned and moved his mouth as if it was not an easy question and then asked the question with much difficulty.
“…Was it that obvious?”
Even though he tried to act nonchalantly, it seemed that my immediate recognition of his true abilities had been nagging at him.
I nodded my head without a moment’s hesitation.
“Very much so.”
“……!”
“It was the excessive attempt to look ordinary that gave you away. That made it easier to spot.”
“It was so ordinary that it was easy to spot? What does that mean?”
“Think about it. What kind of place is this school?”
A gathering place for aspiring heroes from all around the world.
Where being unremarkable would make admission impossible, so ordinary itself became a distinguishing trait.
Realization dawned on Jang Sam and his eyes widened.
“Indeed. I thought I had been passing unnoticed until now, but I overlooked that aspect.”
“That’s what you think, but others might already be suspicious.”
“What should we do then?”
I pointed out the unnatural aspects one by one.
“First off, let’s change your names to something less tacky. Don’t you think Jang Sam and Wang Pil is a bit too plain? And try not to dress so plainly. You don’t always have to carry an iron sword, either. A simple D-rank would suffice, really. And then—”
Every time I said something, Jang Sam would flinch as if I had hit the nail on the head and he eventually grew disheartened.
Anyone who heard something like, “You really don’t know how to dress”’ to their face would have a similar reaction.
Nevertheless, my advice was meaningful and Jang Sam expressed his gratitude.
“That was helpful. I’ll take it to heart.”
He then tentatively asked another question.
“About the [Ghost Dance] technique…”
“I said, ask after you win.”
“…. Right.”
An impossible request.
Win or lose, I had no intention of sharing it.
Jang Sam said with a hint of lingering regret.
“I’ll challenge you again next time.”
“Suit yourself.”
Mentioning the [Ghost Dance] was a calculated move from the start.
They can come back to me later.
At that time, I can set up a rematch between him and Go Hyeon-woo or make a deal like the cube one I did with Park Na-ri or whatever he wants.
“…….”
“…….”
The conversation stopped for a moment and there was an awkward silence.
Naturally, Jang Sam’s and my gaze shifted towards Go Hyeon-woo.
His complexion was just beginning to regain some color. This meant that he would need more time to recover.
Unable to wait any further, Jang Sam got up.
“I would have liked to exchange a few words before leaving, but time does not permit. Convey my appreciation for the good match.”
“Sure. He would say the same.”
“Until next time.”
With that, Jang Sam made his exit.
As expected, it took Go Hyeon-woo quite some time to finish his Qi circulation.
He had overexerted himself so his condition was still not great but he had recovered enough to move around.
Just like Jang Sam, the first thing he did when he opened his eyes was check the scoreboard.
“We won. That guy…”
“He left earlier. Said it was a good match.”
“I agree. What did you think, Kim-hyung?”
“You fought well. Two testing rounds and then a decisive move at the end, it was good.”
These were not empty words but his honest impressions.
To be honest, I had predicted there was a considerable chance of losing, and the fact that he managed to drag the fight to a mutual defeat strategy was an encouraging achievement.
Given the situation Go Hyeon-woo was in, I believe he couldn’t have played it any better.
Go Hyeon-woo’s face lit up. He was seemingly pleased to have earned my recognition.
“As expected. I thought Kim-hyung would recognize it.”
However, as he took a careful look around the arena, his expression grew complicated.
He walked over to one side and pulled out a broken sword tip that was embedded in the ground.
The fragments of the iron sword emitted a final crackle before breaking down into smaller pieces.
As he watched the number of particles scattering around, Go Hyeon-woo murmured to himself.
“…. This is troubling.”
“Because of the weapon?”
“Yes. It’s something that can’t be ignored forever.”
The greatest weakness of Go Hyeon-woo at the moment was his sword.
It was an iron sword that would easily break at the slightest chance.
The martial arts he had mastered generated sword energy that could stir winds across an area and manipulate the surrounding environment.
In a way, it was almost as if he was stepping into the realm of magic.
Due to the immense power wielded, the consumption of internal energy was huge and ordinary weapons couldn’t fully contain this energy.
If typical martial arts were like picking up a stone with chopsticks,
Go Hyeon-woo’s martial arts were akin to lifting a rock with them.
So the chopsticks would of course snap each time.
F-rank weapons were provided indefinitely by the Dragon Slayer Academy, so it didn’t matter if they were used like disposable items.
It’s likely that the number of iron swords Go Hyeon-woo carried in his inventory reached the double digits.
The problem lay in the inevitable openings that arose during the process of replacing a broken iron sword with a new one.
“It was dangerous when you faced Ilgong.”
“It was.”
Ilgong’s skills were about half to one move lower than Go Hyeon-woo’s, and even though he was overwhelming Ilgong, his iron sword broke and he was forced to go on the defensive for a while.
As was proven in his match against Jang Sam, this opening proved to be even more fatal against opponents whose skills were similar or stronger than his own.
It would be wise to address this now.
Since I’m going to be traveling with Go Hyeon-woo to search for Hidden Pieces in the future, it was crucial to mitigate this weakness as much as possible.
In life-and-death situations, if your weapon breaks, you simply die.
“It’s not just a day or two that you’ve been dealing with this problem, so you must have some thoughts on it. What would you like to do?”
“The solution seems simple, doesn’t it? Use a better sword.”
The higher the rank of the weapon, the better the metal used and the less impurities it contains.
As a result, the durability also increases proportionally, making it clear that E and D-rank swords would undoubtedly last longer than those of rank F.
“But…”
“They’re expensive.”
As the rank of the sword increases, so does its price.
While acquiring one or two might be feasible, using them as expendables like the iron swords would lead to a steady drain of gold coins from one’s purse.
There would be no need to worry if he just used the long sword that was said to be his sect’s sacred artifact, but it didn’t seem like he was qualified to use it yet.
In the end, the conclusion was that he had to use swords of a moderately higher rank but it seemed his sect wouldn’t be able to solve that problem for him.
I could grasp that from the gloomy expression on Go Hyeon-woo’s face.
“I’m ashamed to say this, but my financial situation isn’t too great.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? My entire fortune is 10 silver coins.”
I had blown my initial 5 silver coins at the slot machine, earned another 5 silver coins from the entrance ceremony quest, and won 5 silver coins from the bet with Shin Byeong-cheol.
That left me with just 10 silver coins.
Hearing this, Go Hyeon-woo’s face softened into a slight smile. Perhaps he found some comfort in my words.
“Besides, there’s no rule that says weapons must only be bought with money.”
After all, weapons are just items and there are countless ways to acquire items at the Dragon Slayer Academy.
And what might be the most accessible method among them?
I pulled out the student store catalog.
“How many points do you have?”
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