Chapter 171

Blood cannot lie. Wolves are naturally curious and inquisitive. Watching the wolf persistently follow him around and pester him, the old man finally threw up his hands in surrender. The wolf’s deep blue eyes stared intently at him.

“Teach me.”

“What exactly do you want to learn?”

“Anything. Something useful.”

The old man swallowed a groan and finally spoke.

“Inseok. Does it make sense for a Master to seek teachings from others? What is a Master? A Master is someone who has already achieved self-mastery. You can learn from others, but you should never follow their path.”

He scolded, saying that one must forge their own path, not cling to him. The old man, Geher, was a master at lecturing others. But he wasn’t as tenacious as the wolf.

“I want to get stronger. But I don’t know how.”

“Isn’t that something you have to find for yourself? It’s like climbing a mountain. The higher you go, the harder it gets. Once you reach a certain height, just surviving and returning is praiseworthy.”

The old man scratched his head. This kid was truly annoying.

Countless people dream of reaching the level he achieved before even becoming an adult, and now he seeks even higher realms. But one thing had to be acknowledged. This kid was serious about getting stronger.

“In the past, a swordsman without a master abandoned all his desires and chose to become one with nature. He walked a path where the movements of the heavens and man blended seamlessly.”

Five hundred years ago, before the empire was founded, there was a swordsman who roamed freely. Heron was an extraordinary person. If the Demon King is the strongest being known to all, that swordsman was something mysterious and beyond comprehension.

Their duel never happened, and future generations could only speculate on the outcome. But one thing was certain. That man possessed strength comparable to the Demon King, who had lived for eons.

Yet, no one in later generations could follow his path. His path was not standard, and there were reasons for that.

Even Roka and Xerox, who could be considered his closest successors, couldn’t follow his footsteps. They only inherited fragments of his enlightenment and made it their foundation.

“But can you or I walk that path? A human sword becoming a natural sword, and eventually transcending even that to become a divine sword. I don’t understand what that means. I think only he could have realized it.”

Fascinated by the strength of that path, reaching out recklessly would only lead to wandering in the unknown. For a swordsman, the ultimate goal is right before their eyes. Once, even Geher was captivated by the path of the masterless swordsman.

And even now, everything remains unclear. He now knows. The ultimate is not one, and the path he should pursue is not following Heron.

In the end, a warrior’s destiny is to make their own path the ultimate. If there are ten thousand people, there are ten thousand paths. Similar paths may exist, but no two paths are exactly the same.

Even Heron’s path is only a reference, not something to be followed. Let alone Geher’s path.

Only fools would boast about their path in front of another Master. There’s nothing more foolish and immature.

Roka must also walk her own path. Geher judged that. Having already reached the level of Master, she clearly has the qualifications.

“Inseok. If a Master goes around seeking teachings from others, people will mock them. Go back, close your door, and think deeply. Surely, you have your own path.”

“But still, tell me something. Something I can refer to.”

“If a young kid like you only thinks about stealing others’ methods, you’ll never amount to anything.”

Geher clicked his tongue. But if he didn’t tell him something, the wolf wouldn’t leave until sunset.

The desire was immense. Greed isn’t just for wealth and power. Any warrior understands. The desire to become stronger sometimes surpasses even the attachment to life.

“Fine then, do you want to learn how to hold a sword?”

Without paying any tuition, the wolf nodded, ready to learn anything for free. Seeing the wolf’s eager eyes, Geher brought out a sword.

“First, I’ll teach you how to hold a sword. Lightly place your thumb and index finger, and grip with your middle finger with moderate strength. Yes. Don’t grip too tightly or too loosely. Apply a bit more force with your ring and little fingers.”

A Master can wield a sword haphazardly and still produce power. But that can only defeat weaker opponents, not stronger ones.

Bridging the gap with stronger opponents. That is technique and secret arts. Trying to grasp this through battle without learning would take an unpredictable amount of time.

This is where Geher can assert himself compared to the masterless swordsman. His sword embodies the flow of heaven and earth, not human skill.

In other words, Geher was far superior in techniques like swordsmanship. After all, he was the masterless swordsman. It’s only natural.

If the former mercenary king, who was human, was surpassed in swordsmanship by someone who learned the sword by observing nature, that would be unacceptable.

“When using a sword, never forget the five basic stances. The first is the middle stance. It’s the most basic stance and the standard when facing an enemy.”

“The second is the high stance, useful when the enemy strikes. The third is the low stance, used when retreating and slashing. Mastering the left and right stances allows you to wield even a heavy sword freely.”

Heron compensated for his lack of technique with his own strengths. His understanding and harmony with magical power allowed him to overcome his shortcomings.

But Roka lacks such capability. And she has no technique either. Everything Geher taught was basic, but it was all new to her.

“Of course, sword techniques have stances, but they also don’t. What I mean is, observe the enemy’s movements and adjust your stance accordingly, always maintaining a position advantageous for striking.”

“The high stance can become the middle stance by lowering it slightly, and the left and right stances can become middle or low stances depending on the position. Remember, the primary goal when holding a sword is to strike the enemy in any way possible.”

In his youth, Geher, using the alias Hans, reigned as the mercenary king. He was called the Weapon Master for his proficiency with all weapons.

He was also highly skilled in swordsmanship. He even taught the sneaky techniques used by mercenaries. Now he’s old. He won’t take these secrets to the grave.

“Charge with your whole body, endure persistently, and prepare for a face thrust. Pointing the sword at the face makes anyone tense and lean back. Knowing how the opponent will react gives you a means to win. Remember the face thrust.”

Roka nodded repeatedly. It was a technique that suited her perfectly.

When hunting, wolves bite the prey’s vital spots to kill quickly and efficiently. They don’t engage in fair fights with their prey.

Biting the deer’s neck is essential. Attacking non-vital spots only leads to getting kicked and injured. Wolves must be cunning in hunting. Those who aren’t have already starved to death.

The wolf clan certainly shares this trait.

Being sneaky isn’t important. What matters is victory. People like Roka and Kisea would throw sand in their opponent’s eyes to win. A sneaky victory is better than a fair defeat.

*****

“Teach me the Void Sword.”

Around the same time, the quiet Leyman scratched his head. Watching Princess Ardein demonstrate the Void Sword, he shook his head awkwardly.

“Your Highness. The Void Sword isn’t a martial art or anything. It’s just a technique created to overcome the Primal Demon King by reaching into nothingness.”

“Even so, can you teach me?”

“Hmm… That’s a difficult request.”

After pondering for a while, the old man drew a sword and swung it.

Where the sword passed, magical power was pushed away, leaving a vacuum. Magical power rushed in from all sides to fill the void. A brief gust of wind messed up the princess’s hair.

“Just as infinity is a fiction, nothingness is also a fiction. But concepts like infinity and infinitesimal are things we can recreate. The Void Sword is a technique that wields the infinitesimal. To contain it, you need a mind as clear as a mirror.”

Leyman chuckled and shook his head.

“If a human’s mind is completely empty, it’s no longer human. Even I, the creator, haven’t perfected the Void Sword. How can I teach you this?”

“But your Void Sword is clearly…”

“Everything is relative. Compared to yours, it’s much closer to nothingness. But relatively so, there’s still much within. How can I, who still fears the Demon King, have the right to teach you?”

Leyman shook his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but he lacked the ability. No matter how much she tried to persuade him, his stance didn’t change. The princess had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

“Is there any way?”

She muttered, pulling out the Dragon’s Sword. The dragon inside looked troubled.

[Wielding nothingness is a foolish idea. Is that human Leyman really trying to go that far? He should stop. Emptiness is dangerous.]

“Dangerous how?”

[Emptiness is a concept. A law inherent in the universe. It exists, yet it’s nothing. A law that should be nothing but exists.]

Having watched his kin research emptiness, the dragon warned seriously.

[If it gains consciousness, it becomes an Ancient God. A more bizarre Ancient God than any we know. Continuously stimulating the law of nothingness at the universe’s foundation could give it consciousness, and no one can predict what would happen next.]

“Would an Ancient God-level being awaken just because I practice the Void Sword?”

[Probably not.]

The princess shrugged. The dragon admitted it. The consciousness of an Ancient God doesn’t arise so easily. If it did, it would have happened long ago from the experiments of his kin.

[Still, it doesn’t hurt to be careful.]

She nodded, but her thoughts didn’t change. She couldn’t break through her current limits with existing methods. Ardein was already captivated by the power of the Void Sword.

Even if the whole world practiced the Void Sword, it would barely scratch the surface. The laws of the universe are that vast.

She might soon face the Demon King. If unlucky, she might have to swing her sword at him. There’s not much time left. She must somehow raise her strength to a level where she can deliver a sword strike against him in a short time.

“Sir Leyman. Sir Leyman! I’ve come to seek another teaching.”

Unable to resist the princess’s persistent knocking, the old man opened the door with a frown.

“What is it now?”

“I heard you’ve crossed swords with the Demon King. Tell me about the Primal Demon King.”

Ardein asked seriously, bowing her head to gather information.

She had only heard of Grimudo but never faced him. She hadn’t even seen his monstrous subordinates. Rumors are no different from ignorance.

“About Grimudo…? There’s nothing I can’t say. But sometimes, knowing can be a poison. The chance to not know is now. Do you still want to know?”

Seeing the woman nod, Leyman slowly clasped his hands behind his back.

Soon, his mouth opened. Thud. The door closed. Such stories aren’t for many ears.

A little later, the door opened again, and the princess walked out with a dazed expression. Only one thought crossed her mind.

How am I supposed to beat that?

[Don’t worry. They’re just ground-dwellers.]

The dragon, who had never faced the Demon King, shrugged.

[That old man exaggerates too much. Humans are the problem. They can’t be objective.]

Dragons are nothing without pride and confidence. Azahadaka had great pride in being a dragon. He believed there was an insurmountable gap between dragons and ground-dwellers.

But dragons and humans. While dragons may start ahead, the end is unknown to anyone.

The Demon King is living proof of that.