Isn’t It Meaningless Now?'

“……”

Gulp!

I swallowed dry saliva.
I knew something was coming.
Yes. It was clearly perceived.
The sword qi wasn’t transparent or confusing to the eyes.

Just a slashing strike in a shape I’ve never seen before, connected by four straight lines.

‘…What on earth is that?’

Should I call it a rhombus?
Or a perfect square?
Or just lightning connected by four straight lines?

I don’t know.
I really don’t know.

‘Focus.’

I activated [Unprecedented Sense] with full power.
The sword’s trajectory became even clearer.

However.
But.
Even so.

‘Uh, where should I dodge?’

I couldn’t figure out where the attack was coming from.
The thought that I might not even be able to use my skills and my neck would be cut flashed through my mind.

I thought about forcibly blocking it.
At that moment, the Sword Empress’s voice rang clearly in my ear.

“Yu Seha, it will slash to the right.”
“…!”

When the final destination was mentioned,
I was finally able to discern it.
Hurriedly, I raised the [Sword of the Saint]…
Ah, no, I can’t.
Its power is insufficient.

‘Slasla!’

[‘Slime’s Armory’ is activated.]
[Immediately switched by the ‘Switching’ ability.]

With a swish sound, a two-handed sword was grasped in my hand.
I focused power into the ‘Notung’ sword in my hand.
I barely managed to block the strike by slashing down as if to break it.

“Ugh!”

No.
Correction.
I couldn’t block it all.

One strike cunningly aimed at my abdomen.
I heard the sound of my clothes being cut.
And just before it touched me, it vanished like a lie.
It disappeared because the Sword Empress withdrew her power.

I thought.
What if this had not stopped and pierced inside?

‘…Could I have blocked it?’

The word ‘defeat’ came to my mind.
I imagined the horrible sight of a torso cut in two with the insides falling off, rolling on the ground.
I can guarantee you that if it was a real fight, it would have happened like that.

‘…I have died once now.’

Sweat dripped down my jawline.
Tap.
Sweat stains spread as they touched the floor.
I bent my knees.

‘…Huff, huff…’

I wanted to let my wildly pounding heart rest a bit.
But the Sword Empress didn’t seem to think so.

“I still have a lot to show you. Get up.”

She spoke plainly, but it was an extremely harsh statement.

In the past.
I seemed to understand why Peng Jin-ah said, ‘The Master is scary when angry.’

I met her gaze.
The preventive measure she mentioned earlier.
I realized what it meant.

‘She’s trying to cram as much as possible into me.’

She shows me this mysterious sword technique.
And wants me to adapt to it.

I clenched my fist.
I don’t really know.
I don’t know why she wants me to adapt.

But I realized this is not the time to be weak.
I struck the floor and stood up vigorously.

“Yes! Bring it on anytime…”

Shuuk!
Thud.

I sat down again.
This time, I fell flat on my butt embarrassingly.

Awkwardly I wiped my neck.
Of course, there was no damage done to my body.

In less than 0.1 seconds.
I stared directly.

The future image of my neck being cut and rolling on the floor.

Grinding sound!

“…?”

A subtle noise was heard at that moment.
I turned my head.
It made me surprised.

A straight line.
A thin crack was drawn across the entire training ground.

It naturally healed, but the fact it was cut did not disappear.

What on earth is this?
What is it doing and how?

‘I can’t use it at all.’

I thought I had reached a high level without arrogance.
But I felt like I was blocked by a huge wall and fell down.
Literally, a wall beyond the heavens.

And the Sword Empress’s voice came again.

“Sorry, Yu Seha. You’re still far from it. Get up and take your stance.”
“Yes, yes…”

Hmm?

I finally noticed.
She was tired.

I looked closely.
Her wrist was swollen.
A bluish tint surrounded it.
She definitely had bruises and injuries here and there.

The Sword Empress was in pain.
This meant something simple.

‘This technique. Just using it causes such recoil?’

It means the sword technique causes recoil even to the Plum Blossom Sword Empress.

The Sword Empress noticed my gaze.
She said nothing more than looking at me.
Instead, she took ointment from her bosom, applied it to her wrist, and gripped her sword again.

“Let’s go. This time, above the head.”
“…Yes!”

Shuuk!

“This time, the side.”
“Yes, yes!”

Shuuk!

For about two hours.

Except for the <Twin Head Troll>, I had never felt the sensation of death even once, but today was a monumental day where I experienced death about 45 times.

“…What on earth is this?”

I stretched out and asked.
The Sword Empress sitting beside me smiled gently and answered.

“It’s the Ghost Shadow Sword.”
“…Ghost Shadow Sword?”
“Yes.”

Ghost Shadow Sword?
Sounds familiar somehow.

A brief moment of thought.
I realized from the Sword Empress’s following words.

“Do you know the name So Hang-woo?”
“…Are you talking about the Sword Ghost?”
“Yes. That’s the technique used by that damn old man.”
“…”

I thought while looking at the Sword Empress who was telling me the names of the techniques.

Many questions.

Why is she showing me this as I first felt?
And how does the Sword Empress know this?

It’s a millstone I usually turn well.
This time too, I started spinning it to piece together the situation.

‘…The damn old man the Sword Empress mentioned before the sparring started.’

She said she learned some swordsmanship and entered <Paeng family>.
Putting it together, I roughly got an estimate.
My thought was confirmed as true by the Sword Empress who pre-empted me.

“That’s right. I’m that person’s disciple.”
“…?!”
“Even though I’m a disciple, I was forcibly kidnapped as a child and learned from him. Actually, most of the techniques I showed you were self-taught by analyzing and chasing him to catch him… so they probably differ a lot from the original.”

The Sword Empress said calmly.
I felt simmering anger.
I thought there must be something.

I didn’t ask deliberately.
Because this must be an important personal matter for the Sword Empress.

The Sword Empress smiled as if finding me cute,
and raised her hand to pat my head.

“Good child~”
“Ah, no. But… the reason you’re showing me this is because the Sword Ghost is involved in this raid…?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s hard to guess that old man’s whereabouts. But I thought I should teach you at least once.”

Let me say beforehand, I don’t intend to underestimate Yu Seha.
But I guarantee.
If you met him without knowing, you’d be useless and dead.

I agree.

The battle scenes shown in the game screen in ‘GAL’.
Patterns and strategies against the character called Sword Ghost.

‘…No.’

The thought that I could win easily just collapsed moments ago.

The Sword Ghost was a monster beyond my imagination.

Since I had opened my mouth, I asked about swordsmanship.
Actually, this was what I was most curious about.

“Um, you said it’s the Ghost Shadow Sword. What exactly is it? Is it really a sword technique that manipulates ghosts or shadows?”

“No~ There was no such sign, right? The name Ghost Shadow Sword was given by sword users who couldn’t figure out its true nature.”

“…Then what exactly…”

The Sword Empress smiled gently.

She explained about this mysterious and exquisite sword technique.

I listened silently until the end.
And I couldn’t hide my astonishment, opening my mouth blankly.

At the time Yu Seha was experiencing various deaths with the Plum Blossom Sword Empress.

At the unmanned pub beneath the dormitory.

Peng Jin-ah and Su Ok-bin were drinking.

The two were lightly dressed.
They were owners of slender, voluptuous swordsmanship and blood-sucking pouches.

With alcohol in their bodies, their flushed skin emitted a seductive charm.
Fortunately, this place was a facility attached to a private dormitory.

Except for the serving machine that delivers food,
No one else was present, so there were no eyes watching.

“So when will you tell me why you called me?”
“Oh my, you’ve only had one drink and you’re already leaving?”

Peng Jin-ah frowned.
She wasn’t very close with Su Ok-bin.

If anything, she considered their relationship more like rivals.
She was just accompanying because there was something to talk about.
She didn’t intend to drink and party all day long.

“…I should be planning more sword lessons for Yu Seha instead of this. If you just called me to drink, then I’ll be going-”
“-Is there anything left to teach?”

Startled.

Peng Jin-ah trembled.
A sharp remark hit her.
She clicked her tongue involuntarily.

As pointed out, Peng Jin-ah had nothing more to teach Yu Seha.

[Overlord Sword technique] is a skill normally honed around second year and learned by the end of the year.

What could she possibly teach to an overwhelming genius who mastered it perfectly in just four months?

“…”

Peng Jin-ah thought.
Yes, this is it.
Peng Jin-ah disliked this aspect of Su Ok-bin.

An intelligence that concludes with excellent observation and judgment.
In some ways, similar to Yu Seha.

But the difference was clear.
Yu Seha was considerate.
If the other might get hurt, he conveyed it as gently as possible.

But Su Ok-bin had none of that.
Even though she could have, she delivered it sharply as if poking.

Peng Jin-ah glared.
She bit her lip.
She said resolutely.

“…I am Yu Seha’s teacher!”
“Oh my. A teacher, right? Who’s going to say otherwise?”
“Eek!”
“Don’t clench your teeth so hard. You’ll break~”
“If you’re going to joke, I’ll immediately-”
“-But how long can you keep deceiving like that?”
“…What?”

Su Ok-bin gulped down draft beer.
Thud.
She put down the glass and continued.

“Yu Seha is certainly strong but still inexperienced. As a teacher, just being by his side, coordinating, sharing swords, and teaching about society like dungeons and gates will help.”
“…Yes, that’s right. As a teacher, I-”
“-So how long will you keep deceiving like that?”
“…What have you been trying to say all this time!”

Su Ok-bin sighed softly.

“Always a teacher. As a teacher. Because a teacher, for the disciple. Roughly these words. Isn’t it meaningless now?”

“…What?”

“Ah, ah. I really can’t be like Yu Seha. I’ll just say it directly. <Overlord Sword>.”

Peng Jin-ah blinked, not understanding.
A thunderous word reached her ears.

“A man.”

You see Yu Seha as a man.

You.