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Translator: M.S
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Experience
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Iodine Serom.
Until yesterday morning, she was the sole direct disciple of Laitena Celsius, the world's greatest swordsman.
She had much on her mind.
“A second disciple with an unknown background… Everyone must be grinding their teeth…?”
It was no exaggeration to say that Glowingsteel, the city of knights, was built by the power of one man: Laitena Celsius.
Knights who wanted to cross swords with him, even just once,
Knights who respected him,
Knights who wished to learn from him,
Such outstanding knights gathered, and where outstanding knights gathered, other knights followed, forming a town.
Where knights gathered, people flocked.
This was because the knightly sort were wealthy and consumed vast amounts of equipment and luxury goods.
To supply them with the necessary goods and services, merchants and artisans gathered, and as people gathered, farmers and laborers came to provide the essentials.
Thus, the town gradually grew into a city.
The entire city was, in essence, looking up to the single giant that was Laitena Celsius.
Therefore,
this city was teeming with people desperate to become Grand Duke Laitena's direct disciple, or those who wanted to push their relatives, children, or students to become his disciples.
How would Lansen Vanroah appear to such people?
Iodine Serom knew all too well.
After all, she herself had overcome all sorts of envy, jealousy, and hatred to finally establish her current standing.
“Everyone must be waiting for the Exchange Meet. They'll be foaming at the mouth, trying to humiliate him and find fault in any way they can.”
The Exchange Meet, held twice a year, was an event that all the young knights and apprentice knights of the city yearned for.
There were numerous academies in this city.
Starting with the Horizon Knight Academy founded by Grand Duke Laitena Celsius himself, there were private academies, swordsmanship research societies, fencing schools… all sorts of institutions.
The students of these places all longed to participate in the Exchange Meet.
For a month, the Horizon Knights would directly lecture, conduct joint training, and hold practical drills for young knights and apprentices under the age of 30 who applied.
The Horizon Knights were the most renowned and powerful knight order in the world.
Learning from them, who were personally selected and taught by Grand Duke Laitena, was, in a sense, like indirectly receiving the Grand Duke's teachings.
Moreover, if they performed well, they could even get a chance to join the Horizon Knights, so it was only natural that everyone would rush in with fire in their eyes.
The problem was,
‘The last day of the Exchange Meet.’
The direct disciple's swordsmanship demonstration.
And the sparring matches.
That was the tradition. That was the problem.
“Huu… Junior Lansen will have to give a demonstration this time, too… And all the sparring requests will probably be directed at him, won't they?”
In truth, Lansen's martial prowess itself was not an issue.
Iodine knew that well.
Just thinking about the power he'd shown in the cultists' chapel…
She doubted whether her current self, now an Expert-rank Senior, could even win against him.
The problem was that his swordsmanship was, in some respects, ‘cheating.’
‘Everyone will find fault.’
They'd say he was nothing without his unique constitution.
That his understanding of the sword itself was pathetic.
And what's more, it was true.
That was why Iodine's worries only deepened.
“Chegeom. He has to learn at least up to Chegeom, somehow. He'll still be criticized, but at least he'll be able to save face.”
No matter how she thought about it, that was the answer.
But…
“But how can someone who's just at the entry-level of Expert learn Chegeom? In just two weeks…?”
Iodine tore at her shimmering blonde hair.
No matter how hard she thought, no breakthrough came to mind.
“I have to do something… I can't let Master's name be tarnished.”
Human jealousy and malice were vicious things.
Some madmen would even openly insult her master.
*Look at the state of his disciples. Has he gone senile in his old age?*
Having experienced it herself, Iodine knew better than anyone.
Though her master didn't care about such things, Iodine couldn't stand it.
In fact, it was a trauma of hers.
“It's fine if Junior Lansen and I are criticized. But for Master to be brought into it… No. Absolutely not…!”
*Thump! Thump!*
Iodine worried to the point of banging her small, round head against the wall.
Though the night was deep, the thumping from her room showed no signs of stopping.
***
Morning training.
I was lightly warming up when I saw Iodine's approaching face and flinched in surprise.
“Senior? Didn't you sleep?”
Somehow, Iodine looked even worse than I did, and I had stayed up all night.
Her face was haggard, and dark circles stretched down her cheeks.
As always, she wore a crisply starched shirt and pants with gleaming boots, but her hair was quite disheveled, as if she'd forgotten to comb it.
Her habit of striving for perfection while always missing one detail was remarkably consistent.
‘…Well, she looks stressed. I'll just pretend not to notice.’
But as if oblivious to my consideration, Iodine shot me a sharp glare.
Then she sighed to herself and tossed me an iron sword.
“That's a rather poor-quality training sword. For the time being, you'll train only with this. Let's start by trying to raise Sword Ki even with a blade of such low quality.”
After saying that, she muttered to herself again.
“Huu… This isn't the time for this… Even an advanced course wouldn't be enough… But there's no other way…”
What was with her?
I was curious, but I just let it go.
Right now, I was captivated by the joy of learning a new swordsmanship in earnest.
*Ting—*
I drew the sword.
She'd certainly been right about it being a poor-quality training sword; even the sound it made was dull.
A sword with very low latent potential.
But a sword was still a sword,
and a sword was bound to have its spirit.
‘It's actually in better condition than the one I practiced with last night.’
*Woooo—!*
*Woooong—!*
Despite it being an unfamiliar sword I was holding for the first time, it didn't take long.
As I felt the Sword Spirit and stimulated it, a sharp, shimmering haze rose from the training sword.
The results of my all-night training were clearly visible.
The Sword Ki, which I hadn't been able to draw out when demonstrating for Iodine yesterday, now appeared distinctly.
‘Good. I've completely gotten the hang of it.’
*Shing—*
*Swish—*
After swinging the sword—which was sharply exerting its full potential—through the air a few times, I looked at Iodine.
‘She's still at it.’
She seemed to have a lot on her mind.
Still, work had to be done.
“Senior! Senior Iodine!”
When I called out loudly, Iodine finally startled and focused her eyes.
“Uh, um? What is it? I told you to practice forming Sword Ki…”
“I've formed it.”
“What?”
“I did it. The Sword Ki.”
I took a step back and swung the shimmering sword from left to right.
*Shing—*
The sword cut cleanly through the air.
“Uh…?”
Iodine blinked.
“Uh, uh…?”
Her eyes widened.
“Uh, uh, uh?!”
She turned her gaze to me.
“How did you do it!?”
“What?”
“No. You couldn't do it just yesterday, right? How, in a single day…!”
“I practiced all night.”
“No matter how much you practiced, that's impossible… Even for the most talented, it takes at least a week…”
“Well, it worked for me.”
Iodine gaped a few times.
She shook her head vigorously, then grabbed my hands.
She seemed somewhat excited.
“This is good. In any case. This is really good. We can move on to the advanced stage right away.”
The advanced stage!
Wasn't that a most welcome phrase?
*Shing.*
Iodine drew her sword and faced me.
“Once you can freely draw Sword Ki from any blade, the next step is to awaken the Sword Spirit even further. You must draw out the sword's full potential and build trust between yourself and the blade.”
“How do I do that?”
The moment I asked that question, Iodine's atmosphere changed.
“Sparring that is close to a life-and-death duel is the best way. We will fight without using Sword Ki, focusing solely on conversing with the sword.”
The somewhat dazed feeling she had completely vanished, and before me stood only a knight, honed like a sharp blade.
Nice.
She said she'd become an Expert-rank Senior, and her presence was indeed completely different from when we'd last met.
I slowly raised my sword and aimed it at Iodine.
I was curious anyway. How far could my current self stand against the ancient swordsmanship?
The moment Iodine's and my gazes met,
*Kaaaaang!*
*Claaaaang!*
Blade met blade, sending sparks flying.
***
*Murmur, murmur.*
The training ground where Lansen and Iodine were fiercely exchanging blows.
The members of the Horizon Knights, who had been doing their own training, stopped one by one and began to watch the duel.
“…Why is he fighting so well?”
“Does that make sense? Isn't he just an Expert-rank Junior? The path the sword shows him should be extremely limited.”
“Iodine's the one being pushed back, right?”
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to defeat someone of a higher level with innate sense and superior swordsmanship.
But there was a limit to that.
His opponent was Iodine, who had reached the Senior rank of Expert.
No matter how talented, an Expert-rank Junior should have been blocked before they could even properly extend their sword.
Just like how the old Lansen, despite his superior Aura and physical condition, had been stymied and struggled against the cult leader…
But the current Lansen was completely different.
“He's seeing right through Iodine.”
“When she uses her swift sword to break through, he uses his footwork to disrupt her timing and aim for a counter. When she tries to receive it softly, he strikes elsewhere with his own swift sword.”
“He's completely sealed off all of Iodine's weapons.”
A duel of pure swordsmanship, without Aura or Sword Ki.
And in it, Lansen was actually overwhelming Iodine.
“How can he do that?”
They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
The deeper one's level, the more vast the information conveyed by the Sword Spirit.
Given the difference in level between Lansen and Iodine, it was practically as if Lansen was fighting blindfolded.
And yet, Lansen was overwhelming Iodine in a battle of wits and tactics.
A gruff voice struck the backs of the confused knights' heads.
“Can't you tell just by watching? You pathetic fools.”
“Co-Commander!”
A man with the build of a bear and a long scar on his face stood with his arms crossed.
Brook Denar.
The Commander of the Horizon Knights.
He was a superhuman who had reached the level of Sword Master, an absolute powerhouse who would surely occupy a spot if one were to name the ten strongest knights in the world.
He twitched his face into a grim smile and assessed Lansen.
“That kid, his experience level is incredibly high.”
“Experience level, you say?”
“That's right. I don't know the details, but he must have survived all sorts of hellish battlefields. He must have crossed the threshold of life and death several times. That's why he can react like that. He's overcoming the difference in level with his innate sense and the tactics gained from experience.”
“But…”
“He looks to be in his mid-to-late twenties, but he has that much combat experience…?”
Amidst the knights murmuring in surprise, Brook's gaze settled.
‘That's not all… It's an unfamiliar style of swordsmanship I've never seen before, but it's the sword style of a very historic and distinguished school. I can tell just by watching.’
Lansen was slowly cornering Iodine with a sword style that precisely pierced his opponent's weaknesses.
In the end.
*Kaaaaang—!*
“Iodine. So she's finally brought out Geomtak.”
Iodine's responses, which had been falling half a step behind, suddenly quickened.
She swiftly repelled Lansen's pressure with a reaction speed approaching zero.
The state where the sword finds its own path and extends itself, Geomtak.
Facing such fearsome movements, one should feel frustrated, as if caught in a net…
But Lansen's eyes instead shone, and a smile bloomed on his lips.
He could be seen deepening his concentration, conversing more deeply, more intensely with his sword.
‘He's even growing in real-time, right at this moment…? Is something like that even possible?’
Brook Denar was astounded.
He had never seen a knight like that.
It seemed even Grand Duke Laitena, called the world's greatest swordsman, couldn't have grown that quickly…
“That's my lord for you. He's picked up another incredibly interesting one, hasn't he?”
As Brook watched Lansen, his eyes filled with deep curiosity and favor.
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