“Hello, Professor.”
“Hmm! Nice to see you. Let’s train hard today!”
Whoosh!
Professor Heruj eagerly greeted with her fluffy squirrel tail wagging.
This is her professor’s research room… to be exact, it was her exclusive training hall.
“From now on, every Thursday afternoon! I will teach Sion the Yulseo Sword Technique!”
“… Thank you in advance.”
Sion took a stance with a wooden sword in hand. Her sword technique was useful. Especially since she received one of the famed “13 Sword Techniques,” she couldn’t afford to mess around.
Since he was going to learn anyway, Sion wanted to master the sword properly.
‘Right after the Black Magic Club ends, it’s straight to training… not easy.’
After being tormented by Professor Grangshar and Professor Kaela, he arrived at Professor Heruj’s training hall right after lunch. It was quite a demanding schedule, but a smile never left Sion’s face.
Finally, he would learn how to wield a sword today.
“What I’m going to teach you today is… ‘Acorn Slash’!”
“Acorn… Slash?”
“That’s right! It’s one of the basic sword techniques of the Yulseo Sword Technique. I’ll demonstrate!”
Swish!
Professor Heruj drew her sword. Last time, they had learned the ‘Yulseo Step,’ which embodied the characteristic movements of rodents. Now, the anticipation for a proper sword technique was building in Sion.
“Now! Keep your eyes wide open and watch closely!”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Professor Heruj began to display peculiar movements. It seemed to be a broken rhythm of odd motions. That was the footwork that could be said to be the foundation of the Yulseo Sword Technique, the ‘Yulseo Step.’
And then… after holding still, she started to swing her sword.
Whoosh—!!
“…!”
Sion became entranced, forgetting even to blink, admiring her sword. Contrary to the somewhat cute name ‘Acorn Slash,’ the technique was breathtakingly beautiful. It was like a sword dance, a splendid swordwork that drew graceful curves in the air as her body moved violently.
“Phew… That’s it for the demonstration.”
“… Amazing.”
“Haha! Thank you for the compliment. I will explain a bit more about the Acorn Slash!”
The Acorn Slash.
Unlike the Yulseo Step, which sought instantaneous speed, it was a technique that moved the sword without resisting the body’s movements, flowing with inertia.
“Have you ever heard of a chaotic pendulum?”
“Ah… yes, I have.”
“It feels like that.”
“……?”
Professor Heruj’s explanation was lacking… but Sion had actually seen a chaotic pendulum before. A friend had decorated their home with one as an interior piece.
The chaotic pendulum is a unique pendulum where two rods of different lengths are attached in a ‘T’ shape. True to its name, when you tap the rods, it swings back and forth erratically, making its movement completely unpredictable, hence the name ‘chaotic pendulum.’
“So… you mean that while following the unpredictable movement of the Yulseo Step without resistance, you attack your opponent in an unconventional manner?”
“Good summary! As expected, Sion is quick to understand.”
“But if you rely entirely on the movement of the Yulseo Step… it might be difficult to attack as you wish or to defend against an opponent’s attack.”
Relying on unpredictability means that you can’t handle the sword with your own intention. It was practically the same as swinging the sword haphazardly, like handing a balloon figure a sword on Earth.
Professor Heruj answered his doubts.
“The chaotic pendulum relies on 99% randomness. But the Yulseo Step does not. It moves with intention.”
“… Yes?”
“Try swinging your sword at me. I will block it.”
Seeing is believing.
Sion immediately assumed a stance.
It’s always faster to understand with one’s own eyes.
He swung the wooden sword towards Professor Heruj.
Thud!
“…!”
Professor Heruj used the Yulseo Step to block all of Sion’s attacks. No matter where he attacked, up, down, left, or right, she easily blocked each one. She didn’t even dodge once.
The secret lay in the Yulseo Step.
“… You adjust inertia with the Yulseo Step to defend?”
“Correct! You make your body move with the Yulseo Step so that the sword can move on the desired trajectory.”
“That’s an insane technique…?”
If I take the example of the balloon figure again…
The balloon figure on Earth moved erratically according to the wind blowing from underneath, which also caused its arms to move. However, Professor Heruj was saying that one should control their own ‘body movements’ to swing the arms.
It sounded easy, but it was practically a high-level technique akin to hitting a target with a whip.
[Technique Name:???][Style:???][Attribute:???][Rank: 3rd Circle][Description:???]
[You have witnessed a combat skill from a circle higher than your own.][All information except for the rank of the combat skill is restricted.]
‘… I managed to learn the Yulseo Step, but I can’t learn the Acorn Slash.’
This would be the second skill he was trying to learn, but it was already at the 3rd Circle. It wasn’t a type of skill that Sion could learn.
After all, Sion’s heart was still at the 2nd Circle.
Combat skills from a higher circle than your own couldn’t be grasped just by observing them.
“Now, it’s time for you to try it out!”
“… Can I really learn it?”
“I only managed to learn it through bloody practice. So Sion can do it too! Come on, give it a try!”
“Yes….”
Sion started to swing his sword without much enthusiasm.
He swung with the Yulseo Step, but of course, it was awkward.
Since the combat skill hadn’t been added to the skill book, it was only natural.
“Hmm… it seems you’re having trouble getting a feel for it.”
“Ugh… is that so? Hah…”
“Aha! I have a good idea.”
“… Yes?”
Swish.
She lifted her sword.
It was just a wooden sword, but even the fact that she was holding a sword sent chills down Sion’s spine.
Unconsciously, Sion started to step back.
“Hm? Where are you going?”“Um? No, it’s nothing. More importantly, why the sword…?”
“There’s a professor from the Academy’s Combat Department that I’m close with. That professor once said this.”
Professor Heruj grinned.
“Some students say they learn through the threat of d*ath!”
“…!”
“I’ll test it on you, Sion!”
Swish!
Professor Heruj’s wooden sword came flying at him without mercy.
‘This crazy!’
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Sion concentrated with all his might, barely managing to evade the attacks.
Even if he couldn’t do the Acorn Slash, he could still use the Yulseo Step.
However, Professor Heruj, with a grin on her face, increased the speed of her sword.
“Why are you hesitating? You can’t learn the Acorn Slash if you just dodge without swinging your sword!”
“Ugh! Ugh!!”
Sion gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
“You’re using too much strength! You need to relax and only put in the minimum necessary power. Otherwise, your muscles will tire quickly!”
“…… Hah, hah.”
“You must trust the sword.”
Swish—!!
The relentless rain of wooden swords kept coming.
The air was filled with a menacing swish.
If it hit, it clearly wouldn’t just be a simple pain.
‘How am I supposed to learn a 3rd Circle technique? What the…?’
In the blurred vision from the dire situation, a translucent window flickered before his eyes.
[Technique Name: Acorn Slash][Style: Yulseo Sword Technique][Rank: 3rd Circle][Description:???]
[You have witnessed a combat skill from a circle higher than your own.][All information except for the rank of the combat skill is restricted.]
[Through efforts in skill usage, you can acquire the combat skill.][Current Acquisition Rate: 86%][All information except for the explanation is revealed.][You can acquire the combat skill upon achieving 100%.]
‘… Acquisition rate?’
Sion’s eyes widened at this new concept.
He had previously thought simply that any skill below the 2nd Circle was learnable through observation, while skills of the 3rd Circle or higher couldn’t be learned.
But Sion’s expectations were shattered.
‘Sure. This is only natural.’
A smile crept onto Sion’s face.
All this time, he had obtained magic and combat skills simply by ‘observing.’
He had completely forgotten the very obvious fact.
That whether it be magic or combat skills… they could be acquired through effort.
And finally.
“Don’t let yourself get distracted during battle!”
The wooden sword of Professor Heruj came flying at an unavoidable angle.
Sion was facing that wooden sword head-on.
Just as Professor Heruj’s wooden sword was about to strike Sion on the forehead,
Thud—!!
Sion’s sword dove perfectly into the gap between them.
Two wooden swords met at a miraculous timing.
Sion spun his body and completely deflected the attack.
“Haah!”
“…!!”
Clang! Thud!
With that one exchange, the tide of battle shifted.
The Yulseo Step elegantly unfolded alongside the Acorn Slash.
It was still awkward, but it was undoubtedly the ‘Yulseo Sword Technique.’
“Haah!!!”
“Ugh!”
Thud—!!
With all his might, Sion struck.
Professor Heruj took a good hit on the forehead.
… Wait? Did I really hit her?
“… P-Professor?! Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine…”
Professor Heruj, holding her forehead and teary-eyed, looked astonished.
Though he had swung with all his power, he never imagined it would hit her.
Was his strike that sharp?
“I’m sorry….”
“It’s fine! I was careless. I should have been able to block it.”
“Why…?”
“Because… I was so happy.”
Even while clasping her forehead, she chuckled.
“I can’t believe I have such a fast-learning apprentice in just one day….”
“……”
“If we had met sooner, I could have taught you more, but it’s a shame! I will teach you everything I can!”
“… I’ll cast a healing spell first.”
“You can also use healing magic? Please, do.”
Fwoosh!
Sion placed his hand on Professor Heruj’s forehead.
The swelling that had just begun to swell went back down immediately.
While treating her, Sion looked down at his wooden sword.
‘I really did it. Acquiring a 3rd Circle combat skill….’
Up until now, he had only tried to acquire spells and combat skills of the 2nd Circle or lower.
After all, he could learn just by observing, so there was no need to put in effort.
But now, skills of the 3rd Circle or higher could also be learned through effort.
‘Perhaps… judging by how quickly I learned today, my learning speed might be quicker than that of a regular person.’
For skills of the 2nd Circle or lower, he mastered them just by observing.
For a 3rd Circle skill, he could probably acquire it in a few hours of effort.
And for a 4th Circle skill, maybe in a day or a few days.
Though slower than just seeing and learning, it would still be an incredibly fast speed compared to regular folks.
‘If that’s the case, it’s possible. To grow stronger.’
While it’s impossible to raise a Circle overnight, mastering skills of the 3rd or 4th Circle was achievable through effort.
Realizing this fact, a smile never left Sion’s face.
“Now it doesn’t hurt!”
As if the pain had flown away, she cheerfully got up.
She was just as smiling as Sion.
However, when Sion met her gaze, for some reason, he felt a chill.
… What is this ominous feeling?
“It seems Sion learns even faster when faced with the threat of d*ath!”
“… Yes?”
“So we’ll keep sparring! If you keep dodging and striking, you will become even stronger!”
Step by step, Professor Heruj approached Sion.
Unknowingly, Sion took a step back from her.
“Ah… I want to, but I lack stamina, and I have some muscle soreness…”
“Just take a recovery potion for stamina. You can use the healing spell we did earlier for muscle soreness.”
“……”
“Why are you hesitating?”
For each step back Sion took, Professor Heruj stepped closer.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Sion’s cheek.
The moment that bead of sweat hung from his chin and dropped to the ground.
“I’m sorry!”
Thud!
Sion turned and fled.
“Ah! This time we’re training for a situation where you run away? Good! I’ll count to five and then take off!”
“Eek!”
“5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Now!”
Thud—!!!!
With a beam of delight on her face, Professor Heruj fiercely chased after him.
Sion had to do everything in his power to evade her.
… In the end, he had to continue the training dodging and striking back.
