Chapter 13

 
Rankers often say the same thing.

– “Looking back, I think I started on a completely different level.”

They were the first to discover dungeons on the server and cleared them before anyone else, or they stumbled upon rare opportunities, like falling off a cliff only to find a legendary artifact.

They all claimed to have received special encounters that ordinary players could never dream of experiencing.

And those encounters played the biggest role in them acquiring legendary classes or weapons.

Yet, there was one thing they all had in common when starting in the beginner village.

– “I went through special training.”

That very same “special training” was now being conducted by Yuhyeon at the beginner’s training ground.

The requirement for receiving this training was simple—gain the instructor’s approval.

At first glance, it seemed easy. But in reality, it was anything but.

Every instructor had a different personality, a different past, and thus, different criteria for approval.

Some were recognized for their natural talent or martial prowess. Others earned approval by helping the instructor with a difficult task. And in some cases, they were chosen because their beliefs aligned with the instructor’s own.

In other words, the conditions couldn’t be documented in a strategy guide.

Even with hundreds of millions of players passing through the training ground, only about ten thousand had ever undergone special training.

– “The difficulty was absolutely insane. But the rewards made it worth it.”

The special training was designed so that the difficulty skyrocketed with each stage.

But in return, the rewards were just as significant.

– “One thing’s for sure—the rewards from that training propelled me forward.”

Now, that very same opportunity stood before Yuhyeon.

THWACK!

The crisp sound of a wooden sword echoed through the training ground.

A powerful strike landed on the scarecrow’s head, sending shockwaves through the air.

The impact was so intense that the scarecrow disintegrated into ashes.

[ 1st Stage Scarecrow has been defeated! ]

Olsen’s eyes widened in shock as he watched.

“Y-you… What the…?”

*  *  *

[ 1st Stage Scarecrow has been defeated! ]

The familiar notification popped up before Yuhyeon’s eyes.

‘I did it.’

The moment his strike connected, the scarecrow crumbled into dust.

Yet, the weight of the wooden sword’s impact still lingered on his wrist.

‘I actually did it.’

His grip strength, the angle of both arms, even the depth of his breath—all of it had been perfect.

He had repeated this motion over 400 times, and now, he had executed it flawlessly.

A perfect strike.

The sheer catharsis of clearing the trial washed over him.

Just as he clenched his fist in triumph—

‘He took it down in a single blow…?’

Olsen stared at the now-vanished scarecrow in disbelief.

This trial was used to train apprentice knights. It was known to be one of the most difficult tests in the game.

An apprentice knight, by standard, was around level 30 for outsiders. Even they struggled to get through this trial.

In fact, anyone who reached the 4th stage of this test as a beginner was considered a genius among geniuses.

Across the entire server, no outsider had ever reached the 5th stage.

That was why Olsen had said reaching even the 2nd stage would be proof of talent.

For an average outsider, clearing even the 1st stage was nearly impossible.

‘One missed attack and the scarecrow unleashes a relentless counterattack.’

The wooden training sword given to Yuhyeon had the exact damage value as the scarecrow’s health.

In theory, a perfect strike could take it down in one hit.

But that was only in theory.

If the form wasn’t flawless, he wouldn’t be able to deal maximum damage.

And if the scarecrow survived, it would counterattack.

At that point, the difficulty would spike exponentially—since defending and attacking at the same time was no easy feat.

That was why this test was determined by a single factor—how much damage was dealt on the first strike.

‘Most outsiders had to land three or four additional hits to barely scrape through… and even then, they were hanging on by a thread.’

Only one person had ever cleared it in two strikes.

That was the legendary prodigy, Hwarang.

He had an exceptional body that allowed him to dodge counterattacks effortlessly.

Even with a sword he had never used before, he naturally assumed the correct posture.

But now, someone had broken that record.

Even Hwarang, hailed as the heaven beyond heavens among outsiders, had needed two strikes.

Yet Yuhyeon had cleared it in just one.

With a perfect form.

A strike that landed precisely on the scarecrow’s head, dealing maximum damage.

‘Even to my eyes, that was flawless.’

Olsen had spent his entire life mastering the sword, and even he recognized Yuhyeon’s technique as perfect.

It was the exact kind of strike he had longed to see.

The purest form of a true cut.

It was the embodiment of everything he had preached about the importance of fundamentals.

“Well done. You’ve successfully cleared the 1st stage. But the 2nd stage will be much harder. Will you still challenge it?”

“Yes, I’ll take it on.”

Yuhyeon nodded firmly.

From the start, his goal had been to reach the 3rd stage.

Backing down now wasn’t an option.

Snap!

Olsen snapped his fingers.

At that moment, a new hologram materialized before Yuhyeon.

‘This one’s holding… a hoe?’

The 2nd stage scarecrow wielded a long-handled hoe that reached Yuhyeon’s shoulder.

It was just a hoe, yet its sheer size and range made it feel overwhelmingly threatening.

“Starting from the 2nd stage, the scarecrow will attack first. Oh, and it moves too, so be ready for that.”

Olsen offered his final piece of advice.

“Always remember—true swordsmanship is both offense and defense. That’s all I’ll say.”

“Yes, sir!”

Han Yuhyeon gripped his wooden sword tightly and spoke: “Alright, let’s begin!”

At Olsen’s command, the scarecrow started creeping toward him.

Squeeze.

Yuhyeon adjusted his stance, his gaze sharpening with focus.

‘I need to figure out how that scarecrow moves and what kind of attacks it’ll use.’

Fighting something rooted to the ground was entirely different from fighting a moving opponent.

On top of that, unlike in the 1st stage, he no longer had the opportunity to strike first.

He’d heard that most people failed at the 2nd stage. If he made a reckless move, he could be taken out in an instant.

That meant he had to stay calm and analyze his opponent first.

‘I’ll watch and wait for now.’

Step. Step. The scarecrow had already entered Yuhyeon’s range.

Then, it raised its hoe above its head, preparing to swing down mercilessly.

‘A downward slash stance! In that case…’

The instructor had always emphasized that every sword stance contained both attack and defense.

That meant the stance he had learned today must include a way to both attack and defend against the 2nd stage scarecrow.

Yuhyeon’s mind worked quickly.

‘The answer is… an upward slash!’

If attack and defense were one and the same, then a downward slash could be neutralized with an upward slash.

He swiftly adjusted his stance and swung his sword upward to intercept the hoe descending toward his head.

Clang!

A harsh metallic sound echoed as the wooden sword and the hoe collided.

At the same time, Yuhyeon’s expression turned even more serious.

‘Ugh, that was fast! If I had been even a little slower, I would’ve been hit.’

The scarecrow’s attack was so quick that even tracking it with his eyes was difficult.

If he hadn’t instinctively reacted with an upward slash, he would’ve been done for. Even a delay of a single second could have been fatal.

‘The difference between this and the 1st stage is ridiculous!’

Now he understood exactly why most players struggled at the 2nd stage.

Luckily, his body had reacted faster than his brain due to his repetitive training. Trying to block such a relentless attack purely by sight would have been nearly impossible.

However, he had just gained an invaluable piece of information.

‘The scarecrow’s body leaned way back.’

When he deflected the hoe with an upward slash, the scarecrow’s entire body tilted backward from the impact.

That meant it was momentarily defenseless.

And a defenseless scarecrow was no different from the one in the 1st stage.

If his theory was correct, he could attack whenever he wanted.

‘One more time.’

The scarecrow adjusted its stance and once again swung its hoe down at his head with brutal force.

Now was his chance.

Clang!

His counterattack sent the scarecrow’s body tilting back once more.

Now that he had confirmed it became defenseless in that position…

‘In this stance…!’

With his sword already raised from the upward slash, he naturally transitioned into a downward slash, using the momentum of his previous motion.

It all flowed seamlessly.

Just like riding the crest of a wave.

And the moment his wooden sword struck the scarecrow’s head—

THWACK!

A crisp yet heavy sound rang through the training ground.

A perfect downward strike, executed with absolute precision.

And in that very moment, as he realized he had achieved the perfect cut—

Thud.

The scarecrow dropped to one knee, gazing up at him.

Its bewildered expression was an unexpected bonus.

‘So this was the answer.’

A small smirk played on Yuhyeon’s lips as he adjusted his stance.

‘Come at me. No matter how many times you strike, I’ll deflect them all.’

*  *  *

After finishing his training and a session at the cathedral, Yuhyeon logged out.

Meanwhile, at Charles’ house, dinner was in progress.

The clinking of utensils echoed through the long silence.

Charles turned to Olsen and asked casually, “Olsen, how is the musician doing?”

There was deep concern in his eyes as he questioned his son.

He worried that Yuhyeon might have gotten injured during training—or worse, that he had realized he had no talent for swordsmanship and fallen into despair.

“Well…”

“Is it that bad?” Charles sighed. “I suppose it wouldn’t be surprising. In my entire life, I’ve only ever seen one musician skilled in swordsmanship.”

His eyes narrowed.

‘Music and martial arts are completely different realms.’

No matter how gifted Yuhyeon was in music, it was unreasonable to assume that talent would carry over to swordsmanship.

The battlefields they belonged to were different. The weapons they wielded were different. It was only natural.

He had merely recommended hunting, hoping Yuhyeon would take an interest in it, like other outsiders. Now, he wondered if he had made a mistake.

As Charles mulled over his thoughts, Olsen finally spoke: “No. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”

“…The opposite?”

“He possesses a genius-level talent for swordsmanship.”

“W-what? Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Olsen recalled the events at the training ground.

Specifically, he remembered when Yuhyeon had taken down the 2nd stage scarecrow.

[ The 2nd stage scarecrow has been defeated! ]

‘Parry and strike. Parry and strike. He repeated that sequence over and over.’

The purpose of the 2nd stage was to train parrying—to make one understand the unity of offense and defense in swordplay.

In other words, Yuhyeon’s decision to parry the scarecrow’s hoe and immediately follow up with a downward strike was the best possible approach.

‘Easier said than done. Parrying an attack is no simple feat.’

Humans instinctively flinch at something as small as a wasp flying toward them. Deflecting a hoe larger than one’s head, coming down with full force, was something only a select few could do.

It required keen perception to track the movement, sharp reflexes to respond in time, and above all, the courage to put one’s life on the line to execute the parry.

Yet, Yuhyeon had done it—five times in a row. And he had even looked like he was enjoying himself.

‘I was starting to wonder what goes on in his head.’

The 3rd stage had been no different.

The scarecrow, wielding rakes in both hands, launched a relentless assault. Yuhyeon countered by deflecting the attacks with horizontal strikes before immediately following up with upward slashes.

He was caught off guard at first by the unpredictable angles of the attacks, but once he grasped the scarecrow’s attack patterns, he adjusted his stance and responded accordingly.

His keen observational skills and ability to execute his thoughts into action were truly remarkable.

‘If he hadn’t been using a wooden practice sword… would the outcome of the 4th stage have been different?’

Yuhyeon had ultimately stopped at the 4th stage.

In terms of progression, he had stopped at the same level as Hwarang. But their approaches had been vastly different.

Hwarang had realized his attacks wouldn’t land and had chosen to end the training on his own. Yuhyeon, on the other hand, had continued parrying until his wooden sword broke.

And that distinction was significant.

‘Hwarang is an outsider known as an unmatched genius…’

If Hwarang had reached the 4th stage through sheer natural talent, then Yuhyeon had reached it purely through perseverance and fundamental skills.

If Yuhyeon could gain actual combat experience and awaken his innate battle instincts, then what he might become in the future was beyond imagination.

“He has the instincts, the talent, and every quality needed to become a warrior. And on top of that, his perseverance and tenacity are extraordinary,” Olsen spoke in a grave tone. “He could even walk the path of a knight and achieve greatness.”

“Whew… To think Mr. Yuhyeon possesses such abilities.”

Charles’ gaze sharpened.

For his son, a lifelong knight, to say such words—

It was the highest form of praise.

‘I knew Mr. Yuhyeon was special… but to think he has talent in combat as well.’

How long had it been since Charles had last seen a musician skilled in battle?

As far as he could remember, there had only ever been one.

‘No way… Could it be?’

As that memory surfaced, a thought flashed through Charles’ mind.

“Could it be… that the musician has the same potential as that person?”

“I believe it’s possible.”

A profession that had existed only in legends for a hundred years.

“Could it be that an heir to the legacy has finally appeared?”

For the first time, Charles wondered—

Perhaps, just perhaps, Yuhyeon was the one.
 

To be continued

Join the GS Discord to stay updated on the latest chapter releases:

https://discord.gg/PRZEAJZE3J