Chapter 27 - Sword Control Technique

“There is some truth to your words, Ji-han.”

As expected, mentioning my personal safety was effective.

My father was already a person who worried a lot about me, and recently he had even experienced an assassination attempt, so I thought this kind of reaction was natural.

“However, there is a condition.”

That there would be a condition was also something I had expected.

No matter how much I was the son of the Family Head, I would still need a minimum level of qualification to lead a sword unit.

“Please tell me.”

“You still have too little of a career to become the leader of a sword unit. You might be able to get the title with the background of being the son of the Family Head, but that alone will not earn you the recognition of others. It seems you need an achievement that can overturn that perception.”

“What method are you thinking of, Father?”

“The simplest would be to win a Bimu against someone of a certain caliber.”

“Do you have a suitable opponent in mind?”

“As it happens, a proposal came from the Muwon Sword Family. And it was specifically for you.”

“That’s surprising.”

“Former Family Head Han Byeong-cheol showed interest in you today.”

The look that old man gave me in the meeting hall was unusual. He was truly an obstinate character.

To come and talk about such idle things to a father who had just sentenced his own brother to death today.

“Of course, you can refuse. You, Ji-han, have yet to even have your debut match. You would probably want to choose your opponent for your first stage yourself.”

“It doesn’t matter. I will accept that Bimu without having to rack my brain to choose an opponent.”

“Without even asking who it is?”

“Because I trust that you have judged them to be a suitable opponent, Father.”

“Strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say it's tough rather than suitable. It is by no means an easy opponent.”

Of course, I knew that.

The Muwon Sword Family had already suffered a great humiliation by pitting their only daughter, Han Ye-ji, against our Shin Ah-yeon, and they would want to make up for that humiliation as soon as possible.

In that respect, I was a very suitable prey.

First of all, I, Seo Ji-han, was a direct descendant of the Main Family, and a person with a question mark on his skills to the extent that he had not gained any fame before his debut.

And yet, I had gained some fame from this assassination incident, so I was clearly a desirable Bimu target they would want to go after.

“But who is it? The opponent that former Family Head Han Byeong-cheol wants to pit against me.”

“She is said to be a promising talent that the Muwon Sword Family is ambitiously raising. A female swordswoman named Min Ha-rin.”

“I see.”

Of course, I didn't know her.

I didn't have the time to look into their promising talents when I was investigating the Muwon Sword Family.

“It seems the Muwon Sword Family wants to strengthen their friendship with us and expand their exchanges. That’s not a bad thing for us either, so when that Bimu proposal came in, I replied that I would think about it.”

“So my ready agreement is a good thing for our family as well.”

“That’s right. So you can go into this Bimu without any burden. Even if you lose, I will grant your request if you win against a suitable opponent in the next Bimu.”

“I can’t let that happen. I really hate losing fights. I will win no matter what.”

Me losing my debut match. That was out of the question.

Suddenly, a memory from my Johan Raven days came to mind.

My glorious debut match where I swung a sword with my small, fern-like hands and defeated the eldest son of the neighboring lord, who was two heads taller than me. The me of that day was truly amazing, even thinking back on it now.

And that history would repeat itself once more.

“Will fifteen days from now be alright?”

“That’s enough.”

It was clear that the more time I was given, the easier it would become, but fifteen days was not a short amount of time.

I would have to pull myself together and start hard training again.

“It’s truly a strange thing. The words you’re saying now don’t just feel like empty bravado.”

“I will show you with results.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“And separate from the sword unit, I have one more thing to tell you.”

“Speak.”

“It is about the Muyoung Sword Style.”

A few errors in the Muyoung Sword Style and ways to improve them.

In fact, I had been contemplating when to bring this up.

Now was not a bad time.

Since I had just learned the Haewon Sword Style, which could be called the root of the Muyoung Sword Style, I was in a position to see the Muyoung Sword Style from a new perspective.

My father began to listen to my story with a serious expression.

In fact, if he were a rigid person, it would be a situation where he could have gotten angry.

Because a young upstart was blatantly criticizing the sword style that had been passed down through the family for generations.

“Are you saying you started having these doubts while learning the Haewon Sword Style from Ji-won?”

“That’s right.”

In truth, it had nothing to do with the Haewon Sword Style.

I could feel it immediately just by watching Choi Ho-joong use the Muyoung Sword Style.

Which parts had flaws, and which parts were being misinterpreted.

“Then show me yourself. Why the error you mentioned is an error.”

“I understand.”

Right now, my father was not fully accepting my words.

In fact, that was only natural.

To find out that the sword style he had been using without any problems his entire life had an error?

Even I would have found it hard to believe.

Seuk!

I drew the Reapersword.

The four stars embedded in the sword began to shine even more brightly under the moonlight.

Shwaak!

Shwaaaak!

Then, a part of the Muyoung Sword Style’s forms was embroidered in the night air.

Once, as the original form.

Shwaak!

Shwaaaak!

And the next time, as the form I had improved.

In fact, unless one had a very good eye, it would be difficult to feel much of a difference.

Because the error in the Muyoung Sword Style was not so large as to be immediately noticeable.

For that reason, no one had discovered it until now, but in swordsmanship, this small error could create a big difference.

Especially in a life-or-death situation, that difference would feel even greater.

I was certain.

That my father had discovered what the difference was between the two forms just now.

If I didn't have that faith, I wouldn't have brought this up now.

“I can’t believe it!”

Just as I thought.

That bewildered look that was rarely seen on my father.

He had clearly noticed the difference between the two forms.

“I will take that as you acknowledging my words.”

“How can this be! I don’t know what has happened to you to show such a surprise!”

“The Haewon Sword Style I newly learned was very profound. As a result, it feels like I have opened some kind of new eye.”

That's what I said, but it was a kind of genius setting.

Because I had discovered at once what no one who had learned the Haewon Sword Style until now had discovered.

Of course, since it was an undeniable fact that I was a genius in reality, I had no guilty conscience at all.

“Then have you perhaps found any other such errors in other forms?”

“Yes. There are a few more.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes. However, I have not yet found a way to improve them. In the future, when I form my own sword unit, I plan to find a suitable method while training the unit members.”

In this way, I secured one more justification for my sword unit.

“I really can’t believe it! There have been one or two things that have surprised me because of you recently, but this is quite a shock!”

“When I complete the improved Muyoung Sword Style, I will then reveal it to everyone in the family.”

There would be more surprises to come.

This was just the beginning.

***

One week until the Bimu.

The key, as expected, was mana.

Although I was accumulating mana by going in and out of the Abyss every day to heal my body, my mana was still at a sesame seed level.

Therefore, from today, I tried to increase the time I spent in the Abyss a little more.

It didn't matter if I postponed training the Haewon Sword Style a bit more anyway.

What I lacked was mana, not swordsmanship.

In the end, by the time I returned home, it was already late at night.

The lights of the family estate were being extinguished one by one.

“Are you only just returning from the Abyss now?”

The one who greeted me was, surprisingly, Seo Ji-won.

“Don’t tell me, you were waiting for me?”

“Who do you take me for. I just stopped by your annex on my way past.”

He looked like he was annoyed from waiting.

Well, it was none of my business, though.

“What are you doing here?”

“I heard from Father. That you’re going to have a Bimu with a promising talent from the Muwon Sword Family soon.”

“Yeah. That’s right. So?”

“I came to check if you were slacking off on your training. It would be a problem if you lost the Bimu and brought shame to the family.”

“You were worrying about something unnecessary.”

“Unnecessary worry? I think it was a good thing I came to see for myself. Haven’t you been in the Abyss all this time?”

“That’s right. I’m on my way back from there.”

“I heard that the Spring of Elixir is improving your condition, but I think sword training is more important right now. You don't seem to agree?”

It turned out he had come to nag me.

“I told you. It's an unnecessary worry. I will never lose.”

“It seems you haven't looked into your opponent, Min Ha-rin.”

“I’ve looked into her to some extent. She’s a pretty promising talent, right? And she’s only twenty years old.”

“There’s a part of that you shouldn’t overlook. Why Min Ha-rin is a promising talent.”

“It’s obvious. It means she has pretty decent qualities. And her development speed would be fast.”

“That’s the exact point. Your opponent might be much more skilled than our family has assessed! It means she could be tougher than you think because she’s on a steep upward curve.”

I thought there was some truth to Seo Ji-won’s words, but a steep upward curve?

I wondered if it could compare to mine.

From my reincarnation until today, I had been changing day by day.

A week from now, on the day of the Bimu, I would be different from today as well.

“I’ll tell you for the third time. It’s an unnecessary worry.”

“What if you act so arrogant and then lose?”

“I will withdraw cleanly from the competition for the Haewon Sword Family's succession.”

“What?”

“You’ve been noticeably conscious of me lately. Are you flustered because my proposal is too tempting?”

“Crazy bastard! Do you think it makes sense for me to be conscious of someone like you?”

“If not, then it’s not. Why are you getting so worked up? You’re even spitting.”

“Don’t frame me! When did I ever vulgarly spit?”

“Anyway, I’ve wagered something huge, so what will you wager if I win the Bimu, brother?”

“I will help you once, for sure. No matter what dungeon you enter, or what quest in the Abyss you undertake.”

“You’re not betting the successor competition. You’re scared of that, huh?”

“Because it is not something so light as to be wagered on a whim!”

“That’s a sophism. Anyway, I accept your condition as well. It’s only natural that I’ll need help at some point in my life.”

As I said that, I flicked a 500-won coin into the air.

The coin Han Byeong-cheol had thrown at me. For the past week, whenever I felt this thing in my pocket, the memory of that day would come to mind.

Han Byeong-cheol’s skill of changing the direction of a coin that had left his hand with perfect mana control.

That event at that time had sparked an inspiration in me.

‘What if I apply the same mana control not to a coin, but to a sword?’

That was the thought.

“Why are you suddenly throwing a coin!”

“There’s a reason for it.”

I had been practicing in my spare time for the past week.

The thought that there was no reason I couldn't do what Han Byeong-cheol did.

After three days, I was able to gain an insight.

Although it was just controlling a small coin, I was able to achieve some results.

It was still rudimentary, but my plan was looking much further ahead.

After I recovered my past strength, I planned to try flying a sword freely, not a coin.

If I reached a state where that was possible, I would be able to see an even higher ultimate of the sword.

I already had a name in mind.

Sword Control Technique.

That’s what I planned to call it.

Hwing!

The coin that had floated up into the air slightly changed its direction and began to descend.

With this speck of mana, I had finally succeeded in slightly controlling a single coin.

“Success!”

“What are you talking about. So suddenly.”

Of course, I still had a long way to go.

Because it was still difficult to control even this one small coin.

As expected, one way or another, the key was mana.

If I had just a little more mana to support me, I could do it much more easily.

Chwaak!

I retrieved the coin and smiled with satisfaction.