NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 1008
<1008 – Eastern Chronicles (7)>
If there’s a Sword Examination in the Eastern Region, then the Western Region has its famous swordsmanship families.
Though a considerable number of noble bloodlines have been absorbed by the Empire’s nobility, their roots remain their roots.
The vast practical swordsmanship and the finely honed vision swordsmanship are the reasons why these sword families have survived and thrived until today.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“What in the world is the vastness of that swordsmanship!”
While the official troops possess vast swordsmanship, they lack depth.
Even if there were a handful of treasures collected from swordsmanship across the Eastern Empire, they are classified as advanced secret techniques for the Heavenly Sovereign’s direct armed forces.
The chance for an ordinary official to access advanced martial arts is as rare as finding a needle in a haystack.
However, right now.
There’s only one way to explain the dazzling swordsmanship of the official troops: it can only be attributed to the rare chance of a miraculous achievement.
“Did the official troops awaken the vision of the sword examination?!”
“All the betrayers of the sword examination must have been killed by the shadowy assassins of the sword examination…”
“Hey, shut your mouth!”
“Yikes.”
Sadi stored the information she received through the terminals neatly in her memory vault.
While Oknodie was overwhelmed with the desired information pouring out from a veteran player’s guide, such information obtained this way would be invaluable for someone like Sadi, who was on her first life.
“Who’s next!”
Meanwhile, the official troops’ Jang-Sam, who doubled as Sadi’s precious information source, couldn’t hold back his joy as he showcased the magnificent rising swordsmanship and boldly provoked the enemy.
As a result, an enormous applause echoed from inside the chamber, loud enough to ring in the ears.
Clap, clap, clap!
The widespread sound, reminiscent of hands clapping against ears, was infused with profound inner strength.
“Even martial arts masters have ranks. Lower-ranked martial arts masters teach sword forms, while intermediate-level masters teach sword energy movement.”
“Master Son Tae-Hyung!!”
“That person, the youngest ever intermediate master?”
“Now he can barely save face.”
“Though swordsmanship may slip out at times, the heart method is another story. The study of secret techniques takes place within the limited library even among the sword examination. While passing down orally by memorizing and teaching, there will definitely be a difference in the depth of inner strength!”
It wasn’t just trust in Master Son Tae-Hyung.
This strength has been built over hundreds of years in the Eastern Empire’s swordsmanship and has leaped as a family of sword examination, forged through the essence of a state-sanctioned armed group recognized by the Heavenly Sovereign. This was trust in Sonbaek Sword Examination and Sonbaek Heart Technique.
“Ugh… is that heart technique again?”
“That one which even the top masters of the official troops have succumbed to…”
The morale of the official troops visibly wavered.
As much as the longstanding history of the sword examination, the long-standing honor of the official troops had been tarnished.
However, today, there were two prodigies among them.
The mind exchanger Sadi.
And the supreme swordsman Sing.
“Heart technique. Can you share it?”
“It’s not a family heart technique. But I acquired the Mana Flow Technique from the Gift Academy. It won’t fall short.”
Sing discovered valuable martial arts and heart techniques with his profound knowledge amassed.
The understanding of the heart technique, which he analyzed and integrated into his swordsmanship, surpassed that of a master.
That supreme realm melted into Jang-Sam’s body and soul through Sadi.
‘My body is crying out. As if it’s urging to channel inner strength here!’
Jang-Sam’s eyes brimmed with emotion.
It was a divine being.
The divine being had blessed him, imparting heavenly heart techniques.
‘As long as the divine being is with me, today will mark the end of the official troops’ long humiliation!’
Before all one hundred varied transformations of Sonbaek Heart Technique could be unleashed, Jang-Sam’s Mana Flow Technique granted his brain a momentary acceleration of comprehension.
Heat surged in his head, feeling as though his brain was heating up, but that was just in an instant.
By the time the moment of acceleration ended, Jang-Sam’s sword had already sliced through Master Son Tae-Hyung’s sword energy and sent it flying far away.
“It can’t be! An official surpassing the sword of the sword examination, that’s impossible!”
The masters rushed in to avenge one another, but the result was the same.
The experience points from the swordsmanship and Mana Flow Technique, reinforced through Sing’s skills and Sadi’s transmissions!
The synergy was so exceptional that even Oknodie couldn’t help but lick her lips.
“If I had known this good method since last year, I could’ve used it beneficially. It’s such a pity!”
“Is this really it? At best, it’s just indirectly learning someone else’s technique with a delay equal to the speed of thought transmission, always lagging behind two steps.”
From Sing’s perspective, who honed his swift swordsmanship, this level of delay was unacceptable.
“But just by sharing it in my head, I can indirectly experience that skill, and by capturing the remaining senses, I can permanently enhance that ability, right?”
The training fiend Oknodie saw it.
The hidden benefits of this ability.
The more talented the person, the more terrifyingly quickly they can raise their functional experience points.
A person who retraces “the path once taken.”
Such individuals have an even greater advantage.
They can be given the justification to elevate the function.
However, the prerequisites were harsh.
Sadi Chocolate.
She had to earn her absolute goodwill or establish a position of absolute supremacy to function as a mind exchanger!
“This opponent is no joke.”
While Oknodie pondered how much experience points she could amass, Sing’s expression hardened as he watched from outside the hall.
An unusual competent person had emerged as Jang-Sam’s opponent from Sonbaek Sword Examination.
Clang!
According to the swordsmanship that Sadi had implanted and the one Sing had envisioned, a sword strike that should have been easily deflected shattered with an ominous sound.
The sword that was supposed to bounce off stuck closely to Jang-Sam’s sword.
If Sadi hadn’t discovered the appropriate counter after picturing Sing’s thoughts, the linking technique that could have led to instant death would have been wasted.
‘Fast!’
It was like walking in a dense forest; just as one faltered, there would be three more pitfalls following it.
Counterattack?
Even defense was urgent.
Sing felt it.
This was the real deal.
At least it should be at this level for it to be worth fighting.
Sing envisioned the Ascendant Martial Art in his mind.
Sadi transferred that comprehension directly into Jang-Sam’s mind.
‘Huh? This feels like it could end badly?’
Jang-Sam hesitated.
The demonstration of the Ascendant Martial Art could quickly turn into a self-destructive martial art that threatens the body with even a slight miscalculation.
But Sadi showed no mercy.
Jang-Sam was a tool.
A mere plaything of hers.
While she forcibly pressed down on the swordsman’s instincts, she led him to the next technique.
As a result, his vital energy exploded, causing blood to gush out from Jang-Sam.
“Aaaah!”
“What a horrifying thing!”
“Jang-Sam spared his life, so how could such a thing happen!”
The screams and anger of those witnessing the horrific scene erupted.
Sadi, instead of confessing honestly like Oknodie, “Oops! My mistake!”, sensed the advantageous flow of events and quickly buried it.
As a result, both Sing, a true supreme expert, and Jang-Sam’s opponent were left in confusion.
“It wasn’t me!”
“So you’re saying Jang-Sam willingly destroyed his own blood vessels and committed suicide?! Such a shameless guy!”
“To insult the divine being who bestowed such exceptional swordsmanship! They must surely be the root cause behind the turmoil in this region!”
Thanks to this, only Son Yo-Woon was left in a state of disbelief.
Suddenly, the martial arts masters faced public humiliation, and considering that they only stepped forward to restore their momentum, to fall alone while executing a self-harming farce was beyond cowardly!
There was no doubt the official troops must have resolved to act with cruel intent.
Son Yo-Woon’s mood grew darker.
The official troops’ rising martial arts were the direct forces of the Heavenly Sovereign’s <Golden Guard>.
A martial arts master of the Golden Guard had collapsed, harming himself.
Tarnishing the honor of Sonbaek Sword Examination, jeopardizing the reputation of the successor, and creating a justification to overthrow the sword examination.
Could it be that this was the will of the Heavenly Sovereign?
“It’s a misunderstanding. I swear it’s a misunderstanding!”
At that moment, while Son Yo-Woon’s heart grew anxious, he was trapped in a nonexistent trap.
Far away, from the abandoned training room of Sonbaek Sword Examination, a terrifying aura burst forth, and with a sound akin to a cannon, someone crashed through the door.
“That aura, it must be from the Dark Sorcerer!”
Pitch-black eyes.
An ominous black energy enveloping the whole body.
The appearance of a warrior comparable to a demon’s descent left the Sonbaek Sword Examination warriors in shock.
“Is that… the master?”
“Given they emerged from the meditation room, it must be…”
“Ugh. That energy. It’s strong, but so foreboding.”
“What on earth is going on?”
Unlike the confused warriors, there was not the slightest confusion in the person who emerged from the training room.
Son Yo-Woon couldn’t hide his anger upon seeing him.
“Master. In the end, you sought power and formed a vile pact, putting Sonbaek Sword Examination in peril, losing your mind and even casting away your very soul!”
The master, fearing for his position due to Son Yo-Woon’s terrifying growth, had grasped the hand of a divine being intending to outshine his own offspring.
His fall was leading to the birth of numerous weird creatures within Sonbaek Sword Examination’s sphere of influence.
Son Yo-Woon was so focused on halting the master’s corruption and preventing the birth of that ominous thing within him that he had no time to care for the people.
But now.
With the battle against Sadi Chocolate, the mental state required to maintain the forbidden formula was greatly shaken.
Seizing the opportunity, the dark shadow reclaimed control over the master’s body.
<Amhyeol> seized the initiative.
‘So, that’s it?’
Sadi Chocolate, having caught wind of that information through the terminals, wore a smile on her face.
‘Then what will you do about it?’
Sadi seeded impulses into Son Yo-Woon’s heart.
Anxiety towards the Heavenly Sovereign’s intentions.
Anger towards the master’s appearance.
And suddenly sparked solutions.
Son Yo-Woon’s eyes widened, then clouded with contemplation.
“Master! You, seeking power in a competition of prowess, must have resorted to invoking the vile powers while attacking the official troops!”
“…I don’t understand what nonsense you’re talking about, but they can die without consequence. Swordsmen of Sonbaek Sword Examination! Draw your swords and annihilate the official troops turned servants of the Dark Sorcerer.”
The plan of Amhyeol aimed to obliterate the officials along with the forces of Sonbaek Sword Examination!
However, the outcome diverged starkly from his intentions.
“Our Sonbaek Sword Examination shall no longer follow your strange commands!”
Listening to the master’s order and killing the Heavenly Sovereign’s direct subordinate would equate to treason, leading to the downfall of the family and the master meeting his end on the execution ground.
vs
Becoming a loyal servant of the Heavenly Sovereign, not falling for the master’s evil schemes, fighting alongside the official troops, inheriting the master’s position, and living well.
A balance game that was shattered from the outset.
Son Yo-Woon chose to take the risk.