Chapter: 5
Yord Decker was a gifted individual who graduated at the top of his class from the Academy of Swordsmanship.
Though he was the son of a lesser knightly family without a noble title, he was confident that his swordsmanship skills could rival those of any noble family.
How else could he possibly have risen to the top of a department filled with remarkable talents in swordsmanship?
This was proof of his capabilities.
He held a strong conviction that he could become the best in the prestigious Silver Lion Knights, the kingdom’s elite order.
“There may be some formidable seniors, but they’re not on a level I can’t surpass. Give me five years—no, two years—and I will surpass them all.”
Driven by a strong ambition for success, Yord’s immediate goal was to become the vice-captain of the Third Division of the Silver Lion Knights, which was split into three generations.
Of course, considering that the current captain of the Third Division was an Aura User, one of only three in the kingdom, surpassing him was still a distant dream.
Thus, his short-term goal was to become the vice-captain. To do so, he needed to create an opportunity to catch the captain’s eye.
“Senior Lee Han…”
A senior knight named either Lee Han or Ri Han caught Yord’s attention.
Rumor had it that he was a common soldier who had emerged to become a knight, and within the order, he was seen as rather unconventional.
In truth, when Yord first heard about him, he was taken aback.
He had heard that he hadn’t even mastered the basic “combat techniques.”
There’s a wall between those who have mastered combat techniques and those who haven’t, as stark as the difference between a cat and a lion.
“Of course, he must have something going for him to still be in the knightly order. I won’t be complacent.”
Yord held no regrets.
Being from a minor knightly family with no suitable title or land, he found no one to look down on, and instead, he felt a degree of sympathy for Lee Han.
But sympathy is just sympathy.
Yord intended to use him as a catalyst for his own rise to success.
So.
“Don’t call me heartless, senior!”
Yord didn’t underestimate him, but he was confident he wouldn’t falter.
It took less than five minutes to realize how arrogant that assumption was.
“Huff! Huff…!”
“Just hang in there a bit longer. Your body isn’t warmed up yet.”
“Huff, huff!”
“…Your stamina is too weak.”
His opponent was toying with him.
Jake and the other members of the order watched the match between the newcomer and Lee Han intently, shaking their heads as if to express their disbelief.
“Such a cruel guy.”
“He’s completely toying with people.”
“…Still the same.”
Thud, thud!
As before, Yord was the first to charge in.
With a quick sword style based on Quicksilver, his movements were swift and full of countless variations.
It was breathtaking, almost hypnotic, causing a few knights to frown as they pondered how to block such dazzling swordplay.
Indeed, it was the skill befitting the top student of the Swordsmanship Department.
If he weren’t from a lesser family, he might have easily made his way into the First or Second Divisions of the Knights.
But his opponent simply wasn’t ordinary.
Had he faced someone else, he might have shown better prowess or at least made a more impressive display.
“He’s blocking every single one of those.”
Lee Han displayed only defensive moves, either parrying or deflecting all of Yord’s blows without returning a single attack.
While some wondered if he was really lagging behind, if he could withstand five minutes without a single hit landing on him.
Meanwhile, the attacking Yord was pouring sweat, and yet the defender showed no signs of fatigue, standing his ground resolutely amid Yord’s furious assault.
This was practically mocking him.
“Wow, your swordsmanship is amazing. What do you call that style?”
“Huff! Huff!”
“Um, yes, how about you don’t answer right now? You might just pass out.”
“Gah!”
Though to outsiders it sounded like mockery, the members knew it was genuine praise.
And with that sincerity came an even greater humiliation.
“I’m trembling because of that guy.”
Anyone who had fought Lee Han understood.
He wasn’t just a genius finding easy counters to sword skills, nor was he a master overpowering adversaries with experience.
He simply…
“Watches closely and blocks.”
Or just reacts and blocks.
It was a ridiculous statement that would baffle anyone wielding a sword, let alone the onlookers.
If someone thinks blocking is simple without ever wielding a sword, they must be some naïve simpleton or just a fool with a big mouth.
What Lee Han was doing now was akin to acrobatics or a circus act.
It was absurdity incarnate.
To perform such feats required a body in perfect harmony with one’s thoughts.
And thus, he…
“Why did he have to pick a fight with that guy and end up in this humiliation, of all people?”
Jake shook his head, feeling pity for the new recruit.
“I’m gasping for air, and it’s like my mind is fading.”
Yord felt a deep desire to lie down—regardless of whether it was dirt he landed on—and he grew increasingly restless, feeling his sanity slipping away.
“What… is this guy?!”
Is he impressive? Skilled? Talented?
He didn’t fit into any of those classifications.
He was just…
“Strong. Just strong…!”
Simply strong.
His techniques weren’t anything extraordinary, nor did he project an aura of having mastered some special swordplay.
And yet, he was strong.
“Yikes!”
Whoosh!
Yord flung himself in a dramatic manner, unleashing the Phantom Arm Blade technique.
It was one of the sword styles from the Phantom Swordsmanship, where countless variations created by movements of the wrist and feet made it seem as if there were several swords in play.
At the end of the technique, it would create an optical illusion—making not just the sword but his entire body seem to multiply.
However, right now, such dazzling transformations were utterly futile.
Just look at him.
Even with Yord’s wild movements, this fellow was still observing everything without blinking an eye!
“My eyes… are fixated on him.”
Even a moment’s lapse might have been understandable, yet his gaze remained locked on Yord until the end.
He didn’t just watch the sword; he observed Yord’s entire form to anticipate the next move and block it perfectly.
Boom!
But Yord’s strikes weren’t lacking in power either.
Having mastered combat techniques, his physical ability was equivalent to ten soldiers combined.
Yet even with that brute force being straightforwardly blocked, Lee Han showed not a hint of struggle or fatigue.
He simply remained quietly blocking with nothing but a curious glance.
In that instant, Yord felt as though his spirit was about to shatter.
A despair he had never felt, even from his father’s demeanor, washed over him.
A sense of helplessness made it seem as if all his efforts were for naught.
This feeling crushed Yord.
“—Aren’t you being too careless?”
“……What?”
“I said, aren’t you being too careless? Did you challenge me to a duel because you wanted to win?”
“W-What…?!”
The remarks pierced him like thorns.
Yord had no time to gather his composure; he was continuously jabbed by these words.
“That’s correct, right? You probably heard the rumors. There’s a knight in the Third Division who couldn’t even master combat techniques. You thought that someone like him would be an easy match?”
“…Th-That’s…”
“I’m not accusing you of anything. What I’m getting at is that maybe after about a minute into our duel, you thought, ‘Oh? This guy is not so weak,’ right?”
“…….”
That was spot on.
Those who know, know.
In the first minute of sparring—whether it’s a fistfight or a sword clash—you can feel it.
Whether the opponent is strong or weak.
And Yord felt the immense weight of reality at their first clash, realizing he had miscalculated.
This guy was anything but weak; he was certainly skilled.
“Yeah, I guess it’s fortunate I caught on. But… did you say that because you heard it from someone?”
“I… I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Kid, are you that thickheaded? Knowing he’s no pushover, you should’ve lunged in, going all-in with a single strike. With your most confident stance and the resolve to win unconditionally.”
“…….”
“And yet, why do you keep hopping around like a rabbit while sulking about?”
“!!!”
Yord’s expression froze as if he had been hit hard on the back of the head.
He was utterly shaken.
That statement was so precise that he couldn’t muster a single rebuttal.
Yes, Yord knew well that his opponent was decisively stronger, yet he still flitted about without laying it all on the line.
His opponent was still showing no signs of exhaustion and didn’t view him as a threat at all.
The embarrassment of recognizing his own arrogance was overshadowed by a different kind of humiliation.
Being aware of the opponent’s strength yet remaining arrogant—or, rather, being foolish—made Yord feel pathetic.
Instead of drowning himself in despair, he should have just charged in with everything he had from the beginning.
If he had done that, it would have been a refreshing feeling.
“……I just showed a foolish side of myself.”
“Well, at least it was worth explaining. It’s good to know you’re not completely brainless.”
“Uh… yes.”
Yord responded, positioning the tip of his sword forward with determination.
He was grateful.
That brash and foolish guy had given him a significant revelation, even as he felt sunk in despair.
So!
“Roar!”
“I will give it my all.”
“Oh.”
Lee Han exclaimed.
No, even the watching members were astonished, wide-eyed with awe.
Yord’s body and sword shivered, resonating as if in harmony.
Though it was just an ordinary sword, in this moment, it felt like its blade was razor-sharp.
“Shing!”
A resonance phenomenon occurs when the frequencies of the sword and the wielder perfectly align—a feat that only a select few talented swordsmen can achieve.
A sword that showcases this resonance can amplify its destructive force to the extreme, defeating opponents with substantial skill gaps.
For swordsmen, this is as decisive as a finishing blow.
And at this moment, Yord raised the resonance of his sword, driven by pure determination and disregarding everything else.
Whoosh!
Yord’s sword demonstrated a speed unmatched so far, reaching right in front of Lee Han in the blink of an eye.
An extreme swift style of swordsmanship.
Abandoning the Phantom Swordsmanship, he aimed to determine the outcome purely through speed.
And…
“Okay, that’s good.”
Lee Han continued observing Yord’s motions till the end, smiling.
“BOOM!”
…Thud, thud, thud.
“A cruel bastard.”
Everyone bore witness.
The outstanding new recruit, who had even displayed sword resonance, had seemed ready for a grand finish but ended up…
“…Cough.”
In a brutal climax.
Yord became like a skipping stone, bouncing three times on the hard ground before crashing into the wall, quaking and losing consciousness.
And the one who had treated him like a mere skipping stone…
“Ahh, refreshing.”
With a contented expression, he smiled broadly.
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