A single day…
Much too little time to prepare!
"Buying armor and weapons. Buying for less than 1 gold coin."
"Looking to buy an unlimited number of herbs and food materials. Please sell them cheap."
Weed bought these items in great numbers.
Mapan had left his party and Weed could understand the reason why.
"I'm going to have to teleport through a gate because I have to go hunt in a faraway place for the quest."
"Congratulations, by the way, am I able to come as well?"
"Well, I have to go alone…"
"That's too bad. I wanted to go along with you…"
"It's Difficulty Rank is B…"
"…Good luck. Bye."
Mapan specialized in trading skills.
Weed did not have the required skill to be a merchant.
However, bringing Mapan along would have been a bad choice.
He was too weak to keep up with him, so Weed headed to the Church of Freya for the rest of the day.
Inside the church were the High Priest and the group of Paladins.
"Hello. It is good that you have come."
Weed trembled when the High Priest finished his sentence.
What were the odds alone? I thought High Priest Ossan was supposed to be a benevolent person. (It either the high priests name or a suffix in Korean, remember having heard that somewhere…don't know what's it in this case though)
It was a staunch and dense situation, without the slightest opportunity to escape from.
Weed was not going to give up the quest unless it was in the worst case possiblity with no return.
However, the day before, the high priest had said:
"This is a very important quest. I cannot predict the future of humanity. However, I do know that this matter is urgent. This could change for the worse in a matter of days."
Weed wanted to nod.
Personal circumstances!
This could not be any worse.
Depending on the circumstances that arise, he could very well never be allowed to come back to the church.
However, the High Priest placed him in an even worse situation.
"I founded this Church of Freya in this town. I trust that you are the Hero of the legends and that you will find the relic as quickly as possible."
"What do you mean?"
"This time tomorrow, when you arrive, a priest of this church will be at your command. If you return with him safely then you will be rewarded based on how much stronger he has become. Do not be anxious about tomorrow and we will see you soon."
"…"
Everything was set up so that he could not escape.
Somuren Liberty City, with the liberty lost! It was now like a prison without bars.
The Crown of Fargo had been stolen from the Church of Freya and Weed was not allowed to get help from other players. Weed was only allowed to use the people that the High Priest had provided.
"Now, I will introduce you to the person that you will rescue the Paladins with."
The High Priest opened a door with a small key. Inside was a small boy that was wearing a white hat and white priest robes.
"This is our church's candidate for the next Pope, Alveron. Thank you for your help."
"It's a pleasure, Weed."
Alveron wasn't a user, but an NPC.
Weed and Alveron headed deep into the church. In the center of the capital of the Kingdom, there existed a complex rune that had been engraved into the ground and served as a teleport-gate.
Kkolkkak!
Weed swallowed.
Riding the teleport gate would instantly send him to Morata. But he had not forgotten that the province of Morata was inhabited by the infamous True Blood Vampire Clan that was frighteningly powerful.
Not the entire Versailles continent was full of users.
Adventurers had discovered the Northern Continent but people did not approach it because the monsters were too strong.
He stood there and they began to start the teleportation.
"We absolutely must rescue our knights."
The High Priest and the priests gathered large amounts of mana to operate the teleport gate.
Light came out of the gate, surrounding Alveron and Weed, and soon both of them disappeared from the Church of Freya.
150 years ago, the Nipplehaim Empire in the northern continent was destroyed by monsters. While the nobles were busy fleeing, the Templar army was wiped out. Afterwards the Nipplehaim Empire became territory infested by monsters.
A single law governed here.
The survival of the fittest.
The strong takes all.
"So this is Morata."
Weed appeared at the opening of a cave.
The Church of Freya's teleport gate and the cave were connected.
"Ohh, its cold!"
As soon as Weed arrived and went out of the cave, he felt a severe chill.
The terrain and climate on the continent differed enormously depending on the location.
Morata, in the northern continent, belonged to the cold regions.
In this zone, all seasons long, it was a perpetual ice zone.
"Never thought it would be so cold…"
Weed's body began to shiver more and more from the cold.
His body began to shrink back from the random wind that was blowing into his collar.
-You have caught a cold. The body has become more rigid and the physical ability has reduced by 5%.
The speed at which satiety is reduced has increased by 25%.
In order to overcome the cold, it is recommended to wear thick clothing or sitting near a fire.
If the severe cold were to continue for a long period of time, then it may worsen.
Shivering shivering.
The message had said that the cold could get worse.
But he could not stay around in the cave!
He had to look around and scout the area.
He looked around the snow-capped ridges.
Past the devastated city.
The deserted, lost city.
Across the center of the second of third rows of houses was the mansion of the nobility.
Over the rooftops with snow heavily piled on top, the collapsed ceiling of the buildings could be seen.
Though the interior was seemingly empty, there was random furniture inside. It seemed that the houses had been uninhabited for a long period of time without anyone to maintain the buildings.
"This must be Morata Village."
Weed gazed across the town.
A black gigantic structure.
It had a large fence and didn't have any lights on; the windows were also closed.
Crows flew over the roof.
The castle of Morata.
The black brick castle was covered in white snow. A strange combination that sparked a slight bit of inspiration inside of Weed. Jet black crows were circling around the top of the castle.
Usually, birds would easily freeze and die, but crows were tougher. The crows had been turned into vampires.
Because the crows had been turned into vampires, they could not die and were still able to move their limbs.
"It seems that this is where the True Blood Vampires are. This really won't be easy."
Weed finished scouting and returned to the cave.
-Temperature has risen slightly.
The cave with the teleport gate was a little bit warmer. It was fortunate that the cold winds did not blow into the cave.
"So this is the province of Morata."
At an earlier time, the uncle of the Queen Natalya, Archduke Morata had ruled the province.
It had once been known for the outstanding quality of its leather and cloth and was quite prosperous, but now it had succumbed into a desolated village.
Humans were nowhere in sight, it was a ghost town!
In the capital city of the Nipplehaim Empire, Mordred, all the inhabitants had been killed.
Rescue the paladins, get rid of the True Blood Vampire Clan from the city, and find the Crown of Fargo.
That was all he had to do. It was a simple, easy plan.
But Weed was frustrated at the reality of it.
He was the Legendary Moonlight Sculptor.
To expect to do such a high level quest, he would need to have an amazing class to make up for the 68 levels he was short. He regretted that he had not gained more experience before returning to the ground from the flying city of Lavias.
"Now what am I going to do?"
Weed went back into the cave to ask Alveron some questions. Fortunately, the NPC Alveron had absolute trust in Weed and listened to him.
"So, before I start, I want you relax and sit down. I don't believe that I have properly introduced myself. My name is Weed. I am older than you so address me respectfully. Okay?"
"Yes."
Weed spoke a little bit more politely as he asked carefully.
Alveron looked like a very young and fairy like boy, so he didn't want it to get awkward if he was overly polite.
'A kid…'
Weed wanted to ease the difficulty of hunting the monsters.
"This is a very difficult so I will need to know what level you are…"
"It's 320."
"…"
The candidate for the next Pope was at an enormous level.
Weed had not known that a NPC could be so high.
Even so, priests did not have much combat ability, an area in which he excelled in.
The question this time was not about levels but about fame. From completing the quest, Weed's fame had risen to over two thousand.
"Your level is fairly high. But I want to know how truly you have lived your life. How high is your fame?"
"Let's see, 150,002."
"…"
Weed tried not to sound condescending when he spoke to NPCs.
However, because Alveron looked like a little boy, he had forgotten that he was a master level candidate for the position of next high priest.
Ad by Valueimpression
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing, rest for now."
Like a good child, Alveron went and sat in the corner. Sitting in his white robe, his posture seemed to indicate that he was engrossed in a pious prayer.
"Now that the small tasks have been taken care of, it's time to start."
Weed laid a blanket on the floor.
Blankets were, in fact, essential items for travelling because they could prevent the chilling effects.
'I did not realize that I needed to prepare clothes.'
Rosenheim Kingdom and Someuren Liberty City all belonged to the warmer provinces so there had been no need to carry additional clothing. He had never thought that such a difficult problem would arise from not carrying around basic travel clothing.
Weed's body trembled as he flipped open his backpack and called out commands to retrieve items from his inventory.
He retrieved the weapons and armors worth 1 gold he had stocked up on in Liberty City.
Kwajijik!
Weed struck the breastplate with his fist firmly. He struck it several times here and there until it broke in several places. The items were cheap, with weak armor and durability, so it broke quickly.
"Now I do this."
Weed pulled out a hammer he had bought from the blacksmith shop to repair the breastplate's durability. With it, the power of blacksmithing and related skills increased by 10%!
He had purchased it in Somuren Liberty City.
"Repair."
He hit it on the breastplate.
Fixing a breastplate's durability was hard. He hammered the steel plate a few times until the damaged area was fixed.
Weed then continued to break and repair the armor.
About 10 minutes later, a message window popped up.
-Repair skill proficiency has increased.
Due to the repetitive damage, the durability of the breastplate has dropped permanently.
-An item has been lost due to frequent destruction.
The breastplate that Weed was holding in his hands had been destroyed and had finally been torn to shreds.
Repairing broken equipment could contribute to skill in some cases, but if it was frequently broken artificially, then you would have no use for a breastplate made of inferior steel.
Weed continued to break all the breastplates, then the leg guards and once those were broken, he took out the helmets.
8 hours later!
Weed was able to earn 10% repair skill proficiency.
At the cost of 100 gold, the items of broken debris were piled up to the ceiling.
[Repair Skill: Level 9 89%]
Only 11% more until the repair skill reached the intermediate level. Then the durability of equipment could be repaired to maximum.
"Ah-choo!"
He had been repairing items without taking a break. Weed sneezed. He had a runny nose and soon thereafter he also had a sore throat.
-You have caught a cold.
20% reduction of the body's abilities.
30% reduction of skill effects.
The cold can lead to other problems.
Reduced maximum health and mana.
There is a possibility of damaging a sculpture while working due to the cold.
"…"
Weed was at a loss for words.
He had only had a little cold but now it had gotten worse. He had been sitting in one place for far too long without moving.
"Damn it!"
There were three tragic things to look out for when one slept alone.
Hunger, the cold and sickness!
Struggling with hunger was harder in cold climates since barley bread was no warm food.
The cold had affected his skills since it made his body more frigid. Weed was depressed that he had caught the cold.
'It's unbelievable.'
Weed sighed.
Life had been so difficult ever since he started this game. He had gotten a class that he hadn't wanted; he had also gotten into all sorts of trouble like the present cold.
Weed took comfort in the fact he wasn't alone though.
'Alveron's probably is the same.'
Alveron was sitting over in the cave dressed in his white robe.
'He's probably feeling colder than I am because he's only wearing his robe'
Weed felt a little bit of satisfaction, being better off than someone else put him in a good mood.
However, he didn't know that Alveron's robe had a special option, preventing the cold to penetrate.
Lee Hyun exited his capsule so he could start cleaning the house.
He swept the corners, wiped the window, scrubbed the bathroom sink and changed the lights.
Today was cleanup day.
"Make sure that grandma's house isn't too messy."
Lee Hyun mumbled as he continued to mop the floor.
His grandmother told him while she was still in the hospital. It looked like she had a disease.
Degenerative arthritis.
Working too much when young could put a lot of strain on the joints.
The hospital's doctors told her not to worry.
Modern medicine can fix this degree of joint damage without any trouble. Don't worry about it.
Lee Hyun was willing to pay for the medical bills. Expensive drugs were required for joint regeneration.
Grandmother's illness, however, was beyond what was diagnosed. Because she had not received regular health checkups, the disease in her body had grown significantly. The test result stated that cancer cells had spread throughout her body.
In modern times, there was no longer anyone dying from cancer. It does, however, require surgery and several months of hospitalization.
'I need to keep saving up money; I can't stop earning.'
Aside from the money from the high school festival, Royal Road brought in a considerable amount of many.
The entire process was faster than originally planned.
Thanks to hunting in Lavias and the Royal Road item trading site.
When Lee Hyun finished cleaning the house, his sister came home from school.
"The house is so clean today. Were you cleaning?"
"Come on, let's not waste time. Grandma is waiting for us to visit."
Lee Hyun took his sister to the hospital to see their grandmother.
"Hello."
"Grandma, were you lonely?"
Hyun spent most of his time in the game capsule and his sister was at school. It was difficult to hire a caretaker for his grandmother since he didn't have that kind of money.
Lee Hyun cleaned up the room and threw away the trash. After he finished, he sat next to the hospital bed and took his grandmother's hand.
"I'm sorry, dear. You're always coming to see me."
"…"
"I hope it's not too much, but can I ask you a favor, dear?"
"Yes, go ahead and ask anything."
"They say it's never too late to learn. I would have loved it if you had been able to finish high school normally…will you get your GED?"
He could understand what she meant.
When Lee Hyun quit high school, his sister had cried. When he had insisted that he should drop out of school she hadn't said anything else.
Being harassed and humiliated by loan sharks at school, such an education was far from normal.
It was a disappointment that he had failed to get his education.
Lee Hyun replied.
"I will get my GED."
Lee Hyun headed home alone while his sister stayed behind at the hospital. The next day was a holiday so she could stay longer.
Lee Hyun would have preferred to stay and enjoy the moment. But he had work to do.
'GED…what do I need to study?'
When he had gone to school, his grades had not been that bad.
'Reference books and textbooks from the bookstore…no, it's better to buy them used from the bookstore.'
He went to the used bookstore that he remembered in the city. It was right next to the swordsmanship dojo he had attended in the past.
The swordsmanship dojo was still there.
"Yiyahap!"
"Tahat!"
Excited shouts.
Lee Hyun was intrigued and headed to the dojo.
"There doesn't seem to be that much talent."
Ahn Hyundo complained about the performance of his students.
"Even since I put down my sword and started teaching…"
Ahn Hyundo had locked his heart in depression. No matter what he did, they did not understand the way of the sword.
'The sword… will soon disappear and there will be no one for me to talk swords with.'
Ahn Hyundo's heart ached as he looked over to the swords on the wall, when he had opened the dojo with a passion. It had been 10 years since he started the dojo where he taught adults instead of children.
Ad by Valueimpression
"Master!"
"What is it? What's so important that you're making so much noise about?"
"He's here!"
"Is it those guys…?"
Because everyone was talking at once, he was unable to understand anything since it was incomprehensible.
Then, at that moment, Ahn Hyundo thought about a familiar face.
'That young man! The one I was going to make my successor!'
Lee Hyun.
Lee Hyun would have been chosen.
He had never disappointed him since the moment he showed up at the dojo.
Ahn Hyundo stood by as he listened to what was happening.
"So he's here at the dojo?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Come on, let's go."
Ahn Hyundo had wanted to see him again. He wanted to see what the person he chose as his successor was capable of!
"But, there is a problem."
"What is it?"
"He is asking to spar with people."
"So what's the problem if he wants to spar? I don't know what could be the problem since they should be strong enough."
"Yes, I judged it the same way, so I had Dog Sun spar with him but it was a one sided victory by Lee Hyun."
"Ah ha!"
Endless training.
The practitioners at the dojo all have been coming for more than three years. Even in such a limited amount of time they had achieved some grade of proficiency.
So the students were tough opponents.
In sparring, beginners tried to avoid major injuries, but experts controlled the flow of the fight.
"I cannot believe that Dog Sun was defeated…"
"Yes, it took less than 2 minutes."
"I'm sorry for Dog Sun but, for something as little as this, what does it matter?"
Ahn Hyundo asked Chung Il Hoon about what was wrong.
"Well after Dog Sun was defeated, Lee Hyun asked the others to spar as well."
"Those guys have been learning the sword much longer than Dog Sun right? So who did he fight with next…?"
"Chang Guk."
"He's been learning the sword for over six years now. He was careless to fight after he was tired from fighting Dog Sun."
"I tried to get him to reconsider but…"
"So he's badly hurt?"
"No. This time too he won."
"Oh!"
Ahn Hyundo had not been wrong when he had seen him.
'He can't hide his fighting spirit. His will to become stronger…the desire for strength!'
That quality let him win the fight against Chang Guk.
"But the real problem is that Chang Guk was just one of those that he sparred with."
"Who else?"
"Yes, well, six practitioners."
"You mean he continuously fought six men?"
"They were all unable to do anything to him."
"Come on, let's go take a look."
The dojo instructors and practitioners gathered to watch the sparring.
"Such incredible stamina…!"
"That's the ninth one that has lost!"
"He's using the right amount of force…no matter how much stamina one possesses, it's not easy to fight nine people consecutively."
"Never mind fighting one after another. Just fighting against another practitioner is difficult enough."
"But how can he win like that?"
"Strength and technique, it seems that he found a compromise in the middle of the two of them. He reduces the amount of unnecessary movements of his lower body. Even so, he would have to train his lower body for a long time to achieve such skill."
"But how he is able to fight like that?"
The practitioners had overseen Lee Hyun's training when he attended the dojo as Chung Il Hoon and Ahn Hyundo had. Ahn Hyundo took a look and nodded.
"I know why he seems to be fighting."
"Why is that Master?"
"When you are bored, you want to fight whoever you can."
The practitioners looked over at Ahn Hyundo.
"Then it's just to relieve stress, Master?"
"When you're up against opponents, it feels good to hold and swing the sword, doesn't it?"
"Well, I guess…"
"Sometimes I would want to let loose and fight without reason. But we do not want to know these strong primal instincts. Nowadays, swords hang on walls and because of that the view about yourself changes inevitably. Now few have the instincts of a hunter, the fighting spirit of a wild beast."
Kwajik!
Another practitioner was forced to kneel down in front of Lee Hyun. Lee Hyun walked towards him with his wooden sword.
"Stop, stop! I lose."
Lee Hyun stopped the sword in front of the trainee's forehead.
"Who's next?"
Lee Hyun's potential was astounding. His uniform was soaking wet with his sweat, showing off his powerful chest.
A drop of sweat flowed down the wooden sword and fell onto the floor.
But he did not seem tired. In his eyes, his fighting spirit seemed to be burning.
Those were eyes intent on the hunt!
Just a lone wolf's silent roar threatened the position of the others.
More than 100 of the practitioners in the dojo were feeling the intimidation.
"Let me move away."
"Call out the masters!"
The trainees could not take the heated challenge and Chung Il Hoon just shook his head.
"Seriously you guys…"
"Masters!"
"If the rumor spreads that 10 people lost, then the dojo's honor will decrease. I will fight him."
Chung Il Hoon was going to fight directly. He won silver medals at the Worldwide Swords Fighting Tournament twice, he was an expert.
Practitioners had never seen him fight seriously and only seen him teach others how to fight.
'The masters are going to fight'
'Are they really going to fight?'
The practitioners looked at Lee Hyun anxiously. He should give up because there was no guessing what would happen to him if he decided to fight.
They were speechless.
Lee Hyun held the end of his sword towards Chung Il Hoon. Chung Il Hoon was also ready to fight.
After the two of them picked up their swords, Ahn Hyundo yelled.
"Stop!"
"But master, if this guy leaves, then the pride of the dojo will…"
"I know that he beat 9 or more guys, but he is from our dojo so it will not damage the pride of our swordsmanship."
"I suppose…"
"If fact, to fight a weary opponent would be a disgrace to us instead."
Ahn Hyundo tried to preserve the peace in the dojo. Fighting a student and fighting an instructor were two entirely different things. Chung Il Hoon decided to stand back and talk. But Ahn Hyundo smiled as he said.
"Don't you think that it would be fairer if an old man like me fight a tired opponent?"
"Master!"
"Master you…!"
The entire dojo was brimming with excitement.
Even though Ahn Hyundo was old, no one thought he was weak.
Ahn Hyundo was the World Swords Fighting Champion for four consecutive years.
He was not someone anyone in the country could beat even if he only had a stick.
The entire dojo was quiet as Ahn Hyundo walked to the center of the dojo.
"We're going to see the Master's swordsmanship…"
'Such a small opportunity comes around once in a lifetime?'
The practitioners in the dojo held their breaths for the confrontation between the two fighters. If Ahn Hyundo's swordsmanship were to be seen it should be in a more glorious manner. However, each of the instructors was perplexed by his actions.
'Even if Master was interested in the kid, to think that he would personally take a look at the matter himself?'
'If this keeps up, then everyone will want to challenge him…'
The Master was the pride of the Republic of Korea when it came to swordsmanship but he did not speak his mind much.
Lee Hyun had defeated nine people, even though they were practitioners. There had been a big gap between the practitioners and the challenger. But the difference was huge between the practitioners and the disciples directly taught by Ahn Hyundo.
No matter how many practitioners Lee Hyun defeated, the instructors were not agitated in the least. They admired his swordsmanship, his amazing stamina, and his fighting spirit.
But there was another problem.
Chung Il Hoon thought.
Ahn Hyundo was fighting.
This was unusual.
'Perhaps he won't get serious?'
Chung Il Hoon shook his head back and forth. Ahn Hyundo came by at least once a week to compete with him in the way of the sword.
Endlessness.
Despair.
And awe.
Ahn Hyundo had reached the pinnacle. Only those below him could see that. Chung Il Hoon could not even dream of even reaching the level where he could touch his collar. There was no way Ahn Hyundo could lose.
'There is no way that I can do anything. He will fight his favorite disciple moderately. Good luck, Lee Hyun.'
Chung Il Hoon's eyes were cold as ice as he exhaled.
Hyun's Lee's stamina had already reached its limit. His willpower had lasted this long, but soon it would be shattered.
Chung Il Hoon saw that as the problem.
With his stamina gone as the practitioners had fought him wholeheartedly, no matter which practitioners he had fought, Lee Hyun's body had reached an extreme state because of fighting 9 men.
Chung Il Hoon thought that his overwhelming skills had come to an end.
'Master doesn't have to do much to subdue a guy that's already done for.'
However, Chung Il Hoon was completely mistaken.
It was a heartwarming scene as their eyes met as Ahn Hyundo said to Lee Hyun.
"Do you like a wooden sword? I have a wooden sword in my hands but wouldn't you want to fight with real swords?"
"This is ridiculous!"
Chung Il Hoon screamed.
He had never stopped Ahn Hyundo's decisions before but this time he couldn't stand by.
"The opponent is a beginner. Beginner swordsmen do not know how to properly use a sword in a fight!"
"Argh, Hoon! I did not ask you. I was talking to my opponent! You are going to interfere with my duel!"
Ahn Hyundo's voice rang throughout the dojo.
Honestly, nobody could stop Ahn Hyundo. If they tried, then they would be subject to a severe repercussion.
They could not afford to take that risk.
The instructors were silent, glancing to Lee Hyun to reject the proposal.
'It is better if you flee now than to get beaten.'
Competing with real swords.
When fighting with real swords, literally anyone, no matter how skilled, would be scared witless.
However, Lee Hyun stood his ground.
Ahn Hyundo applauded him.
"That's good. You didn't back off. Just like a real man. Sun Hoon, go up to my room and bring the two swords on the wall. Do you know where they are?"
"Boss…"
Matter had gotten worse.
The iron swords were great at cutting.
Chung Il Hoon sensed that the outcome of the fight would be relentlessly horrible.
'Sword'
Lee Hyun stood holding a sword.
He felt as though his mind was clear and he had woken up.
'Huh, why am I here?'
Lee Hyun had come from the hospital to go to the bookstore.
Then he saw the dojo.
He was not there to fight.
He just wanted to clear his mind of a little frustration.
Training and working up a good sweat was refreshing.
Challenging the dojo.
To compete with the sword.
Lee Hyun did not object.
Wooden sword vs. wooden sword.
It was a fair match.
There was no reason to refuse.
The first opponent was a little weak.
He felt that the opponent's technique was a little weak. Strength training was not necessarily the path to become stronger.
One should use the potential power of the muscles properly. It emerges when one utilizes breathing and core body flexibility.
The first opponent was lacking in that area.
Another challenger had appeared after the first opponent lost. Against a sword expert with a lot of experience, Lee Hyun looked for weak spots.
Defense-orientated swordsmanship.
However, it was not perfect.
In that very moment, he was able to find the flaw.
Considering the speed of the movement of the opponent's sword, Lee Hyun used that difference to attack the weak point.
'It's thanks to Royal Road. I've been fighting over tens of thousands of times.'
Virtual reality games.
In Royal Road, if everyone became a sword master, then the world would be full of strong people.
Most users typically relied on skills and the game instead of their own bodies to fight. Someone like Lee Hyun who had earnestly learned the sword to play the game was a rare find.
So he knocked down the second practitioner.
But then another challenger appeared.
'Why don't you want me to win? Why do they want to beat me?'
He was angry.
He did not know that his eyes were like those of a hungry wolf, provoking the others.
Tough like a beast!
Using all his strength until they were cornered.
He grasped the sword.
'Cool'
Lee Hyun shook his head as he took the sword.
As he took the sword, he could not remain still. At that moment, it felt as if every cell in his body was latching onto it.
Until now, he had felt as if he had been seeing everything at about 20%, about 5 times less than he was now.
Early in the morning, his body was normally extremely sensitive to everything around, he was stressed and in an agitated mood.
Lee Hyun calmly collected his breath.
He felt as if by simply holding the sword his mind had been cleaned.
Ahn Hyundo did not attack immediately.
Thanks to that, he was able to rest for a brief moment.
A very short moment.
He rested his muscles and blood vessels. The heart spread oxygen throughout his entire body.
In his hand, the sword felt very cold, but heat in his chest kept rising.
'So this is how it feels to hold a real sword.'
He did not seem to know why he was here and in this situation.
He had just come to have a sweat and could not believe what had happened.
'Surrender'
It was not worth it. There was no need to fight without having something to fight for and he could easily get injured holding the sword.
He apologized and admitted defeat, laying down the sword.
Then Ahn Hyundo examined Hyun Lee's eyes and said.
"Are you scared? Don't have the courage to fight? That's okay. The law of nature states that in the wilderness, wild beast turn tail and run when they meet someone stronger than them."
Lee Hyun was enraged.
He wanted to fight.
In a moment, a sharp came from his chest as he wielded the sword. (A sharp what?)
He had unwittingly decided to pick up the sword despite having fought over nine times.
Chaeaeaeng.
The sword let out a metallic sound.
The metal sword let out incredibly clear sounds.
Ahn Hyundo also took his sword lightly as he stepped back a step.
"It is better to put down a sword that you cannot swing. You have swung it once already but you swung it too hard. Care to try a second swing?"
Instead of answering, Lee Hyun swung the sword. It was about 60 percent the speed of the original swing but it was a good attack.
Jjanggang.
Gripping the iron, he could feel the subtle vibrations flowing to his fingertips.
Lee Hyun could hear the good, clear sound of the sword in his hand.
'This is a good sword.'
From listening to the sword, he felt as if it was part of his body. To some extent, he could tell how sharp the sword was and the small difference that made it a good sword.
Ahn Hyundo blocked Hyun Lee's attack very gently, and then raised the speed of his sword to attack.
However, because of the concern over bodily harm, it was possible for Lee Hyun to prevent the attack.
If there were swords flying towards the body from the front, then there was plenty of room to let them graze past.
Ahn Hyundo struck away Hyun Lee's sword like a tyrant.
His sword swung away from him. He pounced towards Lee Hyun as if he was a wild beast to kill.
Ahn Hyundo's sword came stabbing towards Hyun Lee's heart.
The sword!
'I do not want to die.'
Lee Hyun struck Ahn Hyundo's sword to interfere with its path.
His consideration toward his opponent's wellbeing had disappeared.
He struggled to avoid being hit with his colossal will to live.
A clear sound of the wind.
A flash of light would appear over their chests as the iron swords clashed.
The practitioners had their mouths hanging from their fierce attacks.
"In..instructors! This needs to be stopped, doesn't it?"
The practitioners asked anxiously.
Chung Il Hoon could not believe the current situation.
It was very difficult to subdue Lee Hyun without injuring him.
However, for Ahn Hyundo's level of proficiency, it was possible.
For him, it was a simple task of hitting the wrist, the sword hilt, or temporarily immobilizing by hitting a vital point on the forehead.
It was simple for Ahn Hyundo to put Lee Hyun in that state, but he did not have the slightest intention of letting him do so.
With goose bumps all over his skin, he was barely managing to survive.
'Instructors, think of something! Surely you have an idea of what to do…?'
'I don't think so. But why am I so anxious?' (first option)
Chung Il Hoon had not known what would have happened once the swords were brought into the situation. Once they were brought out, it was dangerous to try and stop the situation.
But soon he was able to relax and watch. The swords continued their exchanges.
Ad by Valueimpression
Hyun Lee's strength was being dragged out by pushing his will to live in front of a strong opponent.
More vigorously, stronger, faster.
These thoughts gradually awakened.
Lee Hyun had complete control of his own body. This caused his body to rebel.
Chung Il Hoon watched as Lee Hyun changed by beginning to penetrate deeper into the way of the sword.
The skilled practitioners could see it with their eyes but soon even the others began to feel something.
"Huh?"
"It's a little different."
"What has changed?"
Ahn Hyundo cut a path to prevent the attacks.
Diagonal slicing sword.
Lee Hyun lowered his body at the same time to avoid being stabbed by the sword, moving on instinct rather than thought. Lee Hyun struggled against Ahn Hyundo's outrageous sword fight without hesitation.
'Why are you having fun? This is a dangerous moment…!'
The corners of Hyun Lee's mouth curled into a smile.
Not knowing why himself, he decided to focus on the duel.
Sword fighting. Challenging others to a fight. The fight itself was good.
'I've been thinking too much. When I'm faced with a fight, I do not need to think…'
Swinging the sword felt good; when Lee Hyun moved towards Ahn Hyundo he swung his sword. His body began to show an unsteady reaction.
Lee Hyun let go of his sword completely exhausted, he had terrible muscle pain and his legs gave out and he could not stand.
"Drink this. It will calm your body down a little."
Ahn Hyundo gave him a cup of tea that had a deep and profound smell.
"This is good."
"Yes. This is wild ginseng tea from Baekdu Mountain."
"The price would be expensive…"
"There is nothing more precious than the body, don't you agree?"
"Yes, that's right."
Lee Hyun unreservedly drank the tea. He mixed a bottle every day.
It was good for the body.
"That's some good drinking. Have some more."
"Thank you. I'm thirsty and tired."
Lee Hyun drank five cups of tea.
Ahn Hyundo took the time to start a conversation.
"Ahem, I'm curious. This is the first time you have held a sword, correct?"
"Yes."
"You did not panic very much. However, for the dignity of the nine men you beat, did you learn the sword anywhere else?"
"That's not it. I learned the sword…"
He brought up the story of Royal Road.
How he mastered the sword while hunting monsters and how he had hit the scarecrow.
Lee Hyun did not trust others easily.
He did not open up to others because of the memories of how he had lived up till now. However, he seemed to somehow trust Ahn Hyundo.
During dark times, people tried to hide their problems. Ahn Hyundo helped people in need and people came to trust and rely on him. A man who believed that training was more valuable than a thousand words.
"I see. You must have had a difficult struggle to develop your swordsmanship."
"However, thanks to it, I have managed to learn the basics up to this extent."
"So you're telling me that there are really monsters? Living, moving monsters that you can catch for items and money…and you gain experience? Are there dragons?"
"Yes, yes there are."
"For now, you are tired, so go rest. I hope that you can come by the dojo sometime later so we can spar again sometime."
"Goodbye."
Lee Hyun finished his break and then left the dojo. Then Chung Il Hoon was surprised.
"Master you don't want to get him? So you have changed your mind of having him be your successor then."
"No, he's busy with his game."
"So you will just let him leave?"
"Leave him be for now. In time his skills will mature. I will watch him for the time being and guide him. However, this thing called Royal Road…"
When Ahn Hyundo was young, the idea about a fantasy world had been rampant. The idea of modern people traveling to another dimension to establish a fantasy kingdom!
Or meet the talented hero of legend. His journey as he travels the world with only his chivalry and practice his swordsmanship.
"There are monsters…and Wyverns and Dragons! So there are even Dragons too?"
"Yes? At least that's what I've heard. Nobody has managed to catch one yet though."
Chung Il Hoon replied a little nervously.
He seemed to have guessed what Ahn Hyundo was planning to do.
"Go into a fantasy world, become a hero of men, defeat Orcs, slay the dragons. Emperor? Becoming the Emperor? …hmmm!"
Ahn Hyundo's chest rose arduously.
It was the best place to learn the sword. The real question was how useful the sword actually was. Having learned the sword did not meet the desire for fame and riches.
"To fight monsters…Monsters threaten the humans so…Hoon!"
"Yes, Master."
"It requires a capsule right?"
"Yes it does."
"Order it!"
"Yes sir!"
Chung Il Hoon quickly took out his phone and ordered to have the capsule installed, which usually took two to three days most of the time. He made them install it the same day.
The capsule was installed just as he had demanded.
However there were 5 capsules instead of one.
"What is this?"
Under Ahn Hyundo's sharp gaze, Chung Il Hoon confessed.
"It is the duty of the disciples to follow the Master, is it not?"
"So you mean that you and the other guys are going to follow me into Royal Road?"
"Yes."
The instructors replied courageously.
"What about the dojo?"
"It's not like we're going off to a foreign country, and aren't there the secondary instructors?"
Ahn Hyundo chuckled.
"So it's such a nice game that you want to play as well huh?"
"Master! Please give us permission!"
"Then my name will be Geomchi, so Il Hoon you make yours Geomchi2."
"Yes sir."
"And you will be Geomchi3. Next, you can be Geomchi4 then."
"Yes."
In the Republic of Korea, the username of the disciples of the sword style was in numerical order.
"Keukkeuk."
"So I'm called Geomchi4…"
The other instructors tried to conceal their bursts of laughter, but they could not avert their fate either.
"Then the next name will be Geomchi5."
They leaned forward and gave their thanks to the teacher.
However, cold sweat broke out on their backs.
'What a childish name…'
'I would be so embarrassed to tell anyone my name wherever I go!'
Ahn Hyundo entered his capsule and made his account and character. Then he told his disciples his name and that he was starting in the Citadel of Serabourg of the Rosenheim Kingdom.
"Oh, this is surprising."
Geomchi accessed the world and stood in a single spot for a while.
"I've never had this feeling before."
He could feel everything. He could see and hear the people chatting and laughing in the completely medieval city.
All sorts of talk could be heard.
"Need to find four more people of the same level."
"Selling steel axes for cheap!"
"Leaving to the southern villages to trade, looking for other merchants to come along."
Sniff.
Geomchi's stomach growled as the smell of delicious food reached his senses.
He turned his head and saw someone making food.
"Selling delicious food made with beginner cooking skill level 7, delicious Mung Beans!"
Geomchi swallowed. He wanted to eat it but he didn't have any money.
Then the others logged on.
Geomchi2, Geomchi3, Geomchi4, Geomchi5!
"Master, so you logged in first."
"So you're here!"
"Yea, you're here as well!"
He had enjoyed teaching his disciples how to use the sword, but seeing them in Royal Road left a different impression.
Geomchi4 was startled when he looked inside his pockets.
"Oh, Master!"
"What is it?"
"I have 10 pieces of bread and a canteen in my pocket!"
"Yea, that is incredible. Let us taste the taste of bread here, shall we?"
Ad by Valueimpression
Geomchi2, Geomchi3, and Geomchi5 pulled out the bread from their pockets and took a bite.
The bread was very stale and hard to chew, like a stone.
"Twe, twe! It's not very edible. They eat this when they go out to hunt?"
"I did a little research on the internet; there are large numbers of different types of food. Advanced level foods are so delicious that it almost melts in your mouth. It's supposed to be heavenly."
"As expected of one that I named Geomchi4! You're a very bright kid."
"Hehe, I get that a lot."
Geomchi4 laughed, pleased because of his teacher's praise. Back in the dojo, he was well liked by the other practitioners for being somewhat blunt and eager to help.
The mood of the Geomchis that logged into Royal Road was unusually pleasant and lighthearted, they often smiled.
"So to eat it, we just have to keep chewing it? Even though it's hard, it's like eating a biscuit."
"It looks like it's made of barely. Barley bread?"
"Geomchi2 and Geomchi3 ate their bread and took a drink of water from their canteen."
"So, let's get started?"
"What do you mean? We have to go to the training center."
"Hyun Lee, no, Weed said that you can't go outside for 4 weeks."
"Well, let's go see whether or not the training center is any good!"
The Geomchis found the training center. There was an incredible amount of people wandering around in the Citadel of Serabourg so they had to ask around a few times to find the training center.
Inside the building a small number of people were using their skills on a scarecrow.
"Oh! So this is the way they do it."
"What an outdated training method they have in this dojo. It seems to be a systematic training in order to improve stamina."
"Geomchi2, it's not the facilities that matter is it? That is not important to a man that follows the way of the sword."
Geomchi2 and the other Geomchis began to hit the scarecrows with the wooden swords. They had also listened to Weed's story.
"So it's a must to do this?"
"Yiyahap!"
"Boom!"
Geomchi2 and Geomchi4 felt a bit of nostalgia from swinging the sword like this again.
Constantly hitting a fixed object was like the training method practiced ten years ago, a training method that had long been discarded.
"Argh! Shout louder!"
"Yes! One million twenty one! One million twenty two!"
The Geomchis eagerly beat the scarecrows.
Doing so left a good feeling inside them.
Though others would think they were crazy, they did not rest.
Learn the sword first.
Later on the sword could be used to slay exciting monsters.
Their strength and other abilities continued to grow.
'I will kill the monsters of Royal Road with my sword.'
With that thought, their eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"By the way, I'm starting to get really hungry."
"Master, we have two pieces of bread left!"
"So it seems. Can I eat it?"
"Sir."
Geomchi ate the bread that was left. The last two breads were depleted.
"I feel full thanks to the bread now!"
"Oh, yea! Geomchi4 you look quite proficient now."
"Master, when we feel hungry the satiety falls!"
"Geomchi3, you are right."
"But what happens when the satiety keeps falling, now that we have no more bread?"
"…"
Silence surrounded the group after what Geomohchi had just said.
The atmosphere became tense after those words had been said carelessly.
The Geomchis began questioning.
"This is a serious situation. What do we do?"
"I think I know."
"Geomchi2, tell me your idea."
"What would you do? For example, when we hunt we can pick up items and make money. Then, if there is nothing more delicious, we can eat barley bread."
"Oh, so we could do that…"
The rest of the Geomchis were smiling, but Geomchi4 shook his head.
"We can't leave the city for four weeks so it looks like we're going to starve."
"…"
The Geomchis lowered their heads. They did not have an answer to this frightful situation. Usually others with more gaming experience would go do a quest. However, they did not even imagine that they could do quest for NPCs. Their only solution was hunting, but they could not exit the city.
Then Geomchi held his wooden sword and exclaimed.
"We will continue swinging our swords. Only concentrate on swinging the sword!"
"Yes Master! We will focus on the sword."
"Oh, Master how admirable."
Geomchi2, Geomchi3, Geomchi4, Geomchi5 applauded.
Then the five of them continued to beat the scarecrow. Even though they were hungry, it gave them more willpower.
"Heotheoeho."
The Training Center Instructor smiled heartwarmingly.
The Training Center Instructor was glad to see such enthusiasm from the practitioners.
"Hey, would you like to join me for a meal?"
The instructor invited them to have lunch. However, Geomchi swallowed his saliva and refused the invitation.
"No! Don't we have our pride and self-respect that we do not need the charity of an NPC?
"Isn't that right men?"
"That is correct! We live only for the sword."
Khoreureuk.
"Now that I look at these scarecrows, they look pretty tasty."
They started to sound ridiculous.
Their satiety level was forced to drop since they had no more barley bread.
Less than 3% satiety! Moving to hit the scarecrow became arduous as they no longer had any stamina.
-You have died of hunger. You cannot sign in for 24 hours. Since it was a simple state of death, no items or levels will decline.
Death, they died due to hunger…like dogs.
It was difficult to die in the starting state so it was extremely rare to die in the first four weeks.
The self-respecting Geomchis died in such a way.
In front of so many people, they died such a humiliating death.
Ahn Hyundo, with Chung Il Hoon's help, held a meeting in the dojo.
"Royal Road is an entirely new form of civilization, but we were too indifferent to its influence."
"Yes, that's right."
"If more practitioners spend more time training in a place where they can fight monsters, then their motivation will increase and inspire them further."
"I think that's true. Fighting monsters and proving their skills will draw out their attention."
Ahn Hyundo and Chung Il Hoon died the same death as the other instructors.
"Direct combat could be a good opportunity for them to realize the true power of the sword!"
"We will get the disciples to volunteer and they will easily get enlightened on the way of the sword. To travel an unknown continent with nothing but their sword, this is a good idea Master."
However, the only female and secretary of the entire place, Ahn Hyundo's niece, put both hands on her waist and said to them.
"Effort is all that matters! You said that having an opponent was a tool that helps you grow. That's what you always used to say!"
"Argh! What else is there then? What have we overlooked?"
"…!"
"So, our plan was to let all the formal practitioners join in so how many people is it?"
"500."
"With an order of 500 capsules…they can discount it right?
"They will be able to install it tomorrow, it should be fine."
Chung Il Hoon replied confidently.
The capsules for the 500 disciples were received from the Immigration Control and Refugee Bureau. Ahn Hyundo's dojo had a reputation all over the Republic of Korea. They received funding from the World Kendo Federation and the Athletic Association. They received a large amount of money from the disciples and among them were several that were in the Immigration Control and Refugee Bureau.
Geomchi4 smiled and muttered quietly.
"That means that we are going to get 5000 more barley bread."
"…"
"…"
"Keukeum!"
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT