Chapter 13

What is a Cut?

“You, you said your name is Ju Dong-hoon?”

While Bone One’s training was underway.

The Old Man asked me.

“That’s right, Old Man.”

“Yes, Dong-hoon. What do you think swordsmanship is?”

It was a sudden question.

A question that would feel foreign to me, who had never even held a sword.

But since an elder asked, I had to answer.

“Hmm, since it’s swordsmanship, wouldn’t it be a skill using a sword?””

“Indeed, a simple thought befitting you.”

The Old Man nodded as if he expected it.

But he wasn’t frowning or looking disappointed.

Rather, his eyes showed he liked it.

“You’re right. There’s no need to think complicatedly. Swordsmanship is the skill of handling a sword. Nothing more, nothing less.”

The Old Man’s teaching was directed at me, not Bone One.

I grasped it then.

He was trying to completely resolve his ‘resentment’ through me.

The Old Man intended to teach me the skills he would teach the Skeletons.

That way, he would pass on all of his ‘Myriad skills’.

I knew it from when he changed my skeleton with that strange major art.

“Now, pick up that wooden sword over there.”

I picked up a piece of wood lying on the side of the road.

“Grip it.”

“Grip it… what way should I grip it?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Don’t think complicatedly. Grip it in the most comfortable way you can think of.”

I was a little bewildered, but I grabbed it as he said.

“Did you grab it?”

“Yes.”

“Good, then swing it with all your might.”

“Like this?”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

I swung the sword a couple of times in the air.

A pure swing from a novice who hadn’t learned anything.

“That’s right! Well done.”

“Yes?”

I tilted my head.

Is this Old Man kidding me?

He’s saying this is good?

Am I not understanding because I’m not a genius?

Even by my eyes.

No, anyone in the world would say it’s a clumsy ‘cut’.

‘Is this really a top instructor?’

The faith that had been deeply rooted in my heart was slightly cracked.

The Old Man opened his mouth.

“Look at the way you’re gripping with your right hand. How is it? Your thumb is stubbornly sticking out, and the other four fingers are giving strength to fix it, aren’t they? And how is your swinging form? Once from the upper right at 2 o’clock to the lower left at 8 o’clock. And again, once from the upper left at 10 o’clock to the lower right at 4 o’clock. You swung it like that, didn’t you?”

The Old Man was explaining my posture in words.

“I didn’t teach you anything. You swung it in the most wonderful and comfortable posture you could think of for the word ‘cut’. And at its base, there would be all the concepts about ‘cut’ that you have experienced and felt while living.”

“……”

“Don’t you know what this means?”

“……I don’t know.”You put your life into that swing just now.””

Huh?

Sounds like bullshit.

It sounds like bullshit, but it also sounds kind of cool.

Damn it, is my mind going crazy?

As I was gaping, the Old Man continued.

“Now, I’ll ask you. If power and speed are put into that ‘cut’ you unleashed, would it be powerful?”

Hmm?

Well.

Wouldn’t a traditional ‘cut’ swung by a master of swordsmanship be stronger than the way I swing?

Like a Kendo athlete.

Or a Samurai.

Um.

Honestly, I don’t know.

“Tsk tsk, you’re making that stupid face again. Any ‘cut’ becomes stronger when power and speed are added. Do I have to explain the simple logic that it’s the same as how a tiger’s organs burst no matter how it swings its forefoot for you to understand?”

“Aha?”

I felt like I understood the Old Man’s teaching.

First, create my own ‘cut’.

Maybe my life, body shape, and so on are all considered in that ‘cut’.

Next.

Repeat and train it to add power and speed.

Then, a stronger and stronger ‘cut’ will be created.

“Now you look like you understand a little.”

“A little.”Now, what happens when that ‘cut’ is repeated tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of times and reaches its peak?””

This time, the Old Man picked up a steel sword.

It wasn’t a type of sword that existed in this world.

It was just an imaginary sword created in the Old Man’s imagination.

“Look. This is the swordsmanship that you and that sword-wielding undead will learn.”

Swoosh!

The Old Man grabbed the sword.

It was a simple and ordinary grip.

But my heart was not simple.

“Heo-eok?”

An enormous pressure.

It felt like a mountain was crushing my whole body.

“There is no need to understand all skills in a complicated way. No matter what path you take, if you dig in one place, the peak is the same in the end.”

“……”

“If I had delved into all the skills like scholars, do you think I would have achieved Myriad skills?” Hmph, nonsense!”

Whoosh!

The Old Man’s hand flashed.

An incredible speed sword.

I couldn’t even see it properly.

There was a distant wall between the Old Man and my realm.

All I could know was that the Old Man had ‘cut’ something.

“There is no need for armchair theory! Strengthen your swing. Develop your ‘cut’! If you keep doing that, won’t everyone take your ‘cut’ as the standard?”

My heart was pounding.

I clenched my fist tightly.

My hands were sweaty, and my legs were numb.

My own ‘cut’?

A ‘cut’ so strong that it could become the standard for everyone in the world?

Doesn’t your heart swell just thinking about it!

“Now, swing it.”

Bone One and I instinctively grabbed our swords.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Full-scale training began.

“Keep swinging. Keep swinging and find a groove that allows you to move more comfortably and faster.”

“Yes!”

I swung it to my heart’s content.

Since there was no set frame, it was comfortable.

Even if the posture was clumsy.

What could anyone say when what I swing is the law and the truth!

[Ding!You have acquired the skill, ‘Slash’ (C-grade).]

[This skill has room to grow further.]

“……Heo-eok, Heo-eok.”

Time passed.

My whole body was soaked in sweat.

The 30 minutes felt like less than 1 minute, it was such an incredible immersion.

As usual.

I didn’t even feel tired.

Rather, I felt refreshed.

[Ding!]

[The status of ‘Bone One’ is adjusted.]

[The level of the skill, ‘Low-grade Cut’ (Lv.2) increases by 2.]

[‘Bone One’s’ Strength increases by 1!]

[‘Bone One’s’ Technique increases by 3!]

Bone One was the same.

Stats that didn’t usually increase so much were increasing explosively.

Clack!

He clashed his teeth as if he liked it.

Hey, I’m a little sad?

He didn’t do that when I taught him.

“That’s it for today. Review thoroughly. You’ll improve quickly as long as you have perseverance.”

“Thank you, Old Man!”

I bowed politely.

A sign of gratitude for gaining another skill.

As expected, the Old Man was a stroke of good luck.

A stroke of good luck among strokes of good luck.

He was a blessing.

‘Parang’ Guild Headquarters.

Dark Emperor Gi So-yul visited her one and only sibling after a long time.

“Oppa.”

A being respected by all domestic hunters.

A worldwide VIP and tycoon who built a large guild with his own strength.

Currently ranked 58th in the world.

Archery Master Gi Parang.

“What’s going on? It seems like it’s almost the first time you’ve come to me directly.”

Gi Parang stared at Gi So-yul.

Although her position was Vice Guild Master, she had never participated in the guild’s internal affairs.

Because she was a Ranker.

Because she was family.

She was only with him to make the name ‘Parang’ heavier.

“Um, actually, I have a concern.”

“You?”

Gi Parang’s pupils widened.

He was surprised.

Wasn’t she his sister who originally had no interest in anything other than training?

“Is it possible for a hunter of D-grade level to suddenly exert power beyond a Ranker?”

“Hmm. That’s a bit of a random question?”

“Quickly.”

“Well, even if you get a stroke of good luck or a skill, it usually takes some time to make it your own… it would be difficult, right? If there is such a case, the only answer is that they hid their abilities.”

“They definitely didn’t hide it.”

“Really? Well, even if they were a Ranker, they wouldn’t be able to escape your eyes.”

Her skill as an assassin, ‘Search’ (S-grade), accurately grasps the level of the assassination target.

Soon, Gi Parang shook his head.

“Then that doesn’t make sense. Why, what’s going on?”

“……”

Gi So-yul had not yet reported the Dungeon-related incident to Gi Parang.

Because of her pride.

No, in fact, she did report it, but she hid the exact facts.

How is that possible?

In the first place, ‘Parang’ is participating in more than ten ‘grade unknown Dungeons’ every week.

Most of them are identified or cleared by the search team.

It is difficult for the Guild Master to grasp everything.

Besides, he tends to pay attention only when he fails or discovers a Dungeon of A-grade or higher.

“Um, no. Anyway, it’s impossible, right?”

“For now, that’s what my common sense tells me. But, you know? Common sense is something that can be broken at any time.”

“Yeah, I know.”

It has only been 10 years since the world became so bizarre.

Just 10 years ago, the existence of ‘Hunters’ itself was an out-of-the-ordinary concept.

‘Old Man.’

Grinding.

Gi So-yul secretly gritted her teeth.

He was the first opponent to give her a sense of powerlessness.

She had lost to the same Ranker before.

But it was definitely the first time she had tasted such powerlessness.

‘But how could a mere porter do that to such an Old Man…….’

In fact, she was concerned from the first impression.

Iri? No, a man with eyes closer to a viper than an Iri.

Venom (toxic gas).

It felt like she was looking at herself five years ago when she was a 20-year-old adult.

So she was curious.

It was a bit rude, but she tried joking for the first time in her life.

But that was it.

At her level as a Ranker.

He was just one of the many hunters.

‘But what’s this?’

Even in the Dungeon where he was obviously failing.

He confidently demanded entry.

Even when all the survivors were trembling with fear.

He was calm, like a beast aiming for prey.

She naturally thought he would fail.

She thought it was a waste of time.

However, she gave him a chance because she liked his spirit.

‘But he actually breaks it?’

She was so curious.

She was so curious that she couldn’t sleep until now.

‘He’s definitely someone with potential.’

If she had only been interested in the guild’s internal affairs, she would have recruited him unconditionally.

If he actually got a stroke of good luck with that venom?

And if he was even a Necromancer?

Wouldn’t that mean he has the potential to grow into a Ranker in a short period of time like a Dark Lord?

‘He definitely promised to let me know when he sorts out his thoughts.’

It was clear that there was something.

She wanted to urge him right away, but she was planning to give him enough time.

Because she promised.

“Hmm? My sister. You’re acting suspicious. You had such a serious expression a while ago, but now why are you smiling?”

“Uh, uh?”

Gi So-yul, who frowned at her brother’s affability, hurriedly left the Guild Master’s office.