Chapter 219 – #49_Retrospection(3)
#217
1.
The plate armor made of shadows.
When Siwoo first conceived it, he modeled it after the armor in RPG games, which made it seem impractical at first glance.
Even excluding the unnecessary decorations, it was structured to cling so closely to the body that it could hardly disperse any impact.
However, it was precisely because of this structure that Siwoo had received so much help from the black armor.
It moved as one with him without being cumbersome, and it also served as a powered suit that assisted his physical strength.
The armor’s original role of absorbing impact was taken over by the laws of the shadow, a new material that was unlike anything else in the world.
It was the number one contributor that had saved Siwoo from the brink of death and enabled him to perform so many times.
Siwoo knew his own strength well.
He knew that if he wore this armor and had enough time, he could demolish a large building with his bare hands.
He also knew that the sword he wielded while wearing the armor was so ferocious that it could cut a cargo truck in half.
Therefore, the question of whether it was okay to wield this weapon against the delicate-looking Tiferet arose instinctively.
The sight of her holding a sword as long as his own body made her look so frail that he forgot that Tiferet was actually a duke of the 23rd tier.
However.
The moment Tiferet took hold of her sword and assumed a stance.
He realized that all his worries were nothing more than laughable concerns.
Her body’s center was unwavering.
Her whole body’s muscles were relaxed but tense enough to react at any moment.
Her straight eyes were trying to discern his movements without wavering.
“Come.”
Even after hearing Tiferet’s quiet declaration, Siwoo could not easily move his body.
He had thought that he had become somewhat proficient in ‘swordsmanship’ after swinging his weapons haphazardly until now.
He thought he was not lacking in his ability to instinctively spot an opponent’s weakness, or in his ability to wield his sword and shield as freely as his limbs.
He thought he wouldn’t be considered lacking anywhere.
But there was no visible weakness at all.
She was only holding her sword diagonally with one hand, but there was no room for attack.
As Siwoo stood there blankly, Elroa urged him.
“I won’t let you get hurt. Show me all the moves you can.”
“…Understood.”
He lightly extended his front foot to test the distance and swung his sword.
Elroa’s response to this was very simple.
Before Siwoo could fully swing his sword.
The blade that was thrust out as if to cut into the trajectory completely killed the momentum of his swing.
“Ugh…!”
His attack was stopped before it even began.
It wasn’t a difference in strength.
As far as Siwoo could observe, Tiferet was not using a great deal of magic power.
If he calculated it backwards, it was about half of half of the power Siwoo could use.
She had simply blocked his attack with about a quarter of his power combined with technique.
“Again.”
-Clang!
As Tiferet swung her sword, the blades that had clashed fell apart, and Siwoo carefully measured the distance again.
He abandoned his clumsy showmanship and created a shield this time.
He carefully searched for an opening while covering half of his body.
“Hoo…hoo….”
He had barely moved, but he was starting to sweat.
It was like being crushed by thick cotton.
Even though he knew he wouldn’t actually get hurt, the pressure made Tiferet’s size seem to swell.
“Hap!”
Siwoo’s body hit the floor faster than the sound.
This time, he swung his sword with all his might from the start to prevent it from being blocked haphazardly in the middle.
He aimed for the midsection.
He swung his sword with all his might, thinking of cutting her in half at the waist.
-Thud!
Siwoo was bewildered by the sound that followed.
He had clearly swung with all his might, and Tiferet had raised her sword to block it.
Usually, if they clashed with this much force, there should have been an explosive sound like ‘Kwang!’ or ‘Bang!’
But the only sound he heard was a small sound like plucking a stringed instrument.
Not only that, but the recoil felt in his hand was close to zero.
But he had no intention of backing down.
Even in the midst of the bewildering result, Siwoo’s body and mind were already searching for the answer.
In the same position as he had swung, he now performed an upward slash in the completely opposite direction.
It was an unreasonable movement that seemed to ignore inertia, but the support of the black armor made it easy.
This time, it was a complete miss.
Tiferet didn’t even raise her sword, she just tilted her head to avoid the tip of the sword.
-Whoosh!
That was what Siwoo was aiming for.
What Siwoo was wielding was a sword of shadows.
Its length, thickness, and weight could be instantly changed as desired.
It was possible to adjust the distance without the cumbersome method of re-gripping the hilt.
The slightly lengthened blade struck down at Elroa again.
If she tried to block it by moving her body carelessly this time, she could suffer a fatal blow.
-Thump!
It was the same phenomenon.
Elroa’s sword, which had slowly risen upwards, deflected the strike without any recoil.
“Hap!”
He had expected this much.
The moment Siwoo judged that his sword had been blocked, he immediately scattered the sword of shadows.
And he immediately brought his shield forward to block Elroa’s view.
From the blind spot created by the shield, he transformed the shadow into a spear and made three consecutive thrusts.
Not only had the distance changed, but the weapon itself had been switched.
The fact that he had only used slashes until now was a setup for this thrust.
A technique he had learned by watching the White Knight.
The moment he thrust the spear, he used the snap of his wrist and the rotation of his waist.
The spear, with its unique rotational movement, created the illusion that the tip was bending.
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
And Tiferet’s response was enough to make Siwoo dumbfounded.
A deadly triple strike was created using at least three setups and tricks.
Moreover, the spear with the bending tip was a tricky attack that had troubled Siwoo many times.
But…
“…Isn’t that too much?”
Elroa had accurately blocked all three thrusts.
She had stopped the spear in mid-air by precisely matching the tip of her sword to the tip of the spear.
When the last thrust was finished, the two people’s weapons were stopped in mid-air with their tips touching.
It was difficult for one person to match the tips of two chopsticks in both hands, let alone do the same with a weapon that someone else was wielding.
It felt like watching a circus performance.
The person who had performed such acrobatics had lowered her sword with an indifferent expression.
Tiferet had not counterattacked even once.
From the beginning, this sparring match was meant to gauge his level.
When the series of matches was over, Tiferet could feel it.
A very, very great disappointment.
Rapi was a genius.
She was not only well-versed in magic but also in martial arts, and she had gained the combat power to hunt homunculi just by inheriting the contract of the King of All Diseases.
That’s why she had some expectations.
She thought that the man who had inherited the vessel of the genius Rapi would show some decent skill.
But was it because her expectations were too high?
No, even if she thought about it calmly and objectively, it was terrible.
His body movements were being controlled by his equipment.
He was using the power of the contract to create a seemingly plausible appearance, but there was no law, no mystery, and no enlightenment in it.
She had hoped to see even a fragment of Rapi’s splendid sword dance again…
Elroa looked at him without showing her deep disappointment.
“I understand that you are not used to it yet. You will need a little more training.”
“Is that so? Actually, it hasn’t been long since I started using it consciously like this…”
“Take off your armor.”
Elroa reverse-summoned her contract sword.
Siwoo also released his shadow armor.
Siwoo, who was soaked in sweat, walked out of it.
It seemed to prove that he had done his best during this taste-testing training, even though it was a short match.
“You need to practice how to handle your body first. Originally, equipment is just an extension of your limbs.”
“Are you saying you’re going to spar with me barehanded?”
“That’s right.”
If she had seen even a small sprout of talent.
If he had handled the ‘contract’ even a little more skillfully.
Tiferet would not have bothered to teach him the basics.
But Tiferet, who had lived for a long time and had met many martial artists, could quickly realize it.
His talent for martial arts was ambiguous.
Even if he inherited the contract, and even if he received Tiferet’s teachings, it would not be very effective.
The wall of talent was so heavy and thick.
Since he was said to have outstanding talent in magic, she thought that it would be more helpful for him to focus on that to become stronger.
Even if she had to provide a different reward for the ‘compensation for the accident caused by misunderstanding’ that she had promised before.
But she had already made a promise.
Even if he gave up halfway, she would refine him to the maximum level she could.
“I don’t know how to teach you kindly one by one. The way to use your body is something you have to learn with your body.”
Elroa clenched her fist and took a stance.
Siwoo clumsily followed her.
“If you’re not prepared, you probably won’t be able to keep up.”
“I’m prepared.”
“We’ll see about that.”
A soft push on the floor.
Elroa closed the distance between the two in an instant and dug into Siwoo’s side.
Even if she didn’t have a weapon, the ‘contract’ reacted.
In order to take advantage of the two people’s reach, Siwoo instinctively threw a punch at Elroa, who was rushing in.
The moment Elroa deflected the blow with her elbow and grabbed Siwoo’s wrist…
“Ugh!”
Siwoo’s body was reversed.
His body, which had floated into the air, fell roughly onto the ground, back first.
He had no idea what had happened.
When he looked up, he saw Tiferet looking down at him with cold, crimson eyes.
“Using your body as you will, as you wish. If that is not the basis, then no matter how profound the technique or strategy is, it is meaningless.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“There are too many openings in your attacks.”
Siwoo dusted himself off and got up.
Siwoo, who was unable to strengthen his spirit through magic, could only use the strength of a healthy man.
Without the support of the armor, just being thrown around caused a great shock.
But if he was going to be knocked down by this much, he wouldn’t have asked for training in the first place.
This time, Siwoo rushed in first.
His outstretched fist was blocked by a hand blade in mid-air, and Elroa’s palm lightly touched his stomach.
A counterattack that seemed to push his abdomen.
“Cough!”
Thanks to the fact that she had used the force of his rush as it was, Siwoo’s body leaped into the air.
It wasn’t as bad as the terrible pain he had experienced from time to time, but it was enough to draw out stress and tension.
“Prepare for when your attack is blocked. Think about the next move.”
“Ugh, yes. It hurts a little.”
“Pain is a great catalyst. If you remember it with your body, you won’t try to make the same mistake next time, will you?”
After that, Siwoo attacked Elroa several times.
“If the time it takes to extend your foot is constant, it’s easy to read the distance.”
“Don’t stare too intently at the place you’re trying to attack.”
“Get rid of the habit of pushing in with brute force. How do you plan to deal with someone stronger than you?”
“Always keep your center of gravity in the middle. Your center of gravity is shaking, so you’ll fall over even if someone just trips you.”
Tiferet gave advice with each exchange.
After about two hours, there was no part of Siwoo’s body that was intact.
Tiferet had thrown, pushed, and lightly tapped Siwoo’s body without rest.
To put it simply, Siwoo had not been able to touch even the hem of Elroa’s clothes from beginning to end.
Siwoo lay sprawled out on the rooftop floor, panting.
The sweat that had flowed profusely had already soaked not only his top but also his underwear.
“I think we should stop here for today.”
Without feeling any new disappointment, Tiferet announced the end of the training.
She had controlled her strength.
She had no intention of causing any major injuries.
But if he lacked talent, lacked tenacity, and lacked perseverance, Siwoo would be the first to drop out.
Perhaps that would be a better path for him.
“Yes, thank you… for today.”
Siwoo, who was barely trying to get up, flopped his head back onto the floor and closed his eyes.
