Imperial Guard - Chapter 101



Only Krnovel

“···Do you really have to come all the way here?”

Rael looked around with a bewildered expression.

A place filled with lush trees and thick magic.

It was the site of a special guard unit.

“It’s been a while since I’ve given my disciples some teachings, so I should do it in a proper place.”

The Thousand-Year Sword Master looked around and smiled.

I don’t know about other people, but he liked it here quite a bit.

The grounds of the special guard unit, filled with the demon king’s magic and ghosts, resembled a battlefield.

I remembered the time when I exchanged swords with the Demon Tribe and my swordsmanship reached a high level.

“Draw your sword, Rael. It is a cause for celebration that you have reached the state of ascension and accepted the flow of the times, but compared to your talents, you still feel slow.”

“You should teach me properly before you say something like that, Master Hosoin.”

Do you know how many times Rael has been taught by the Thousand-Year Sword Master so far?

It was only once, excluding the first meeting.

It’s likely that Ghent has taught him more words than he has taught him the sword.

Maybe we should call Ghent our teacher instead.

“I couldn’t help it. I had to stop the demons’ activities.”

“···Is this the demon tribe’s activity?”

“For some reason, demons and beasts have begun to multiply in various places in Alheim. I tried my best to block them, but sometimes I missed some. The great war will begin soon, so you’d better prepare yourself.”

“···.”

Rael felt a sense of responsibility for some reason.

The movements of the demons that are different from the original may be a butterfly effect that they created themselves.

“The Thousand-Sal Sword is a sword that cuts the sky. In order to cut down the tenacious demons, I had to create a sword that was stronger than any swordsmanship.”

The Thousand-Year Sword Master raised his sword.

Rael looked at the bright, burning embers of his sword.

‘It’s clearly the same sword as mine… but it’s much sharper.’

His sword, which was slowly blossoming, began to flow as if riding the wind.

Rael blankly stared at the Thousand-Year Sword Master’s swordsmanship.

If it were him a year ago, he wouldn’t have felt anything from that sword.

‘Bend the sky···.’

Rael raised one corner of his mouth.

I was annoyed because I thought I could understand the words of the Thousand-Year Sword Master, who was grasping at clouds.

“Entering heaven and ascending to heaven are the basic techniques of the Thousand-Slayer Sword.”

Sling-

A sharp, though not flashy, sword unfolded before Rael’s eyes.

The Sword of Ascension and the Sword of the Sword that Rael had to concentrate and pull out seemed light and fleeting to him.

“If you have ascended to heaven, the next step is to firmly set the ground. That is the third form. Stepping on the heavens.”

The Thousand-Year Sword Master’s sword has become lighter.

His sword moved as if dancing, cutting through the air in unexpected places.

“···?”

Lael stared blankly at the Thousand-Slayer Sword Lord’s sword cutting through the air, then quickly turned his head away.

The Thousand-Year Sword Master raised his sword and pointed it at the other side.

“Lael. You must have mastered the magic of the sky, and in the realm of Dapcheon, you must surpass that magic.”

Choaaaaaaah!

At that moment, the air was torn apart with an explosion of tremendous magical power.

The sword that leapt over space made a loud noise and cut down the forest several tens of meters away.

“···uh?”

Lael blinked as he watched the trees that Ghent had worked so hard to nurture being destroyed.

I didn’t see anything.

When did the Thousand-Sale Sword Lord cut down those trees?

Rael didn’t notice until the end.

“What? What just happened?”

The Thousand-Year Sword Master quietly put his sword in its scabbard.

“Rael. The sword is a fight against time and space. I told you clearly.”

“Yes. I remember.”

“Not touching the opponent’s gap, but making them enter your gap before they can react. That is swordsmanship. However, the monsters beyond the forbidden Alheim tend to ignore such common sense.”

“···.”

“The third form of the Cheon-sal-geom was created to overcome that, Dap-cheon (踏天). It is a sword that treads on the sky.”

Rael couldn’t understand what he was saying.

But, I knew what I had to do.

Rael carefully raised his sword.

The Thousand-Year Sword Master, who saw that sight, offered some advice.

“Lael. Just as in the realm of ascension, you must borrow the magic of the heavens, in the realm of answering the heavens, you must step on and surpass the heavens.”

“Don’t joke around. You can just shout out to Dapcheon again.”

“What on earth are you talking about? This is something that transcends the five senses. It is to tread on a sky that does not exist. That is the homework given to you.”

“The third form of the Thousand-Slayer Sword. Stepping into the Heavens.”

Rael ignored the Thousand-Slayer Sword Master’s words and swung his sword.

However, he was unable to transcend his own black space.

“All is one. And, one person is underground and ten thousand people are above ground. This is the state of mind to reach the realm of Dapcheon.”

“The third form of the Thousand-Slayer Sword. Answer the Heavens!”

“Lael. The Dapcheon is not a sword that can be mastered by shouting.”

“···.”

Rael stared at the Thousand-Year Sword Master.

Isn’t this how it’s done?

So what have we learned so far?

“Let me explain it a little more simply. Think of the sky as this world.”

“This world?”

“Trampling this world, rise above it. Let the eyes of all heaven be upon you. That is the way of the answer.”

“So what does that mean?”

Rael looked at the Thousand-Sale Sword for a moment and then turned his head.

The Thousand-Year Sword Master smiled faintly, as if satisfied with his own explanation.

“I am satisfied that I have given you a hint of enlightenment. Think about it, and I will give you another hint soon.”

“Hey, Thousand-Year Sword Master. Don’t prepare to run away… Hey! Where are you going!”

Tadadadadot-

The Thousand-Year Sword Master left those words behind and disappeared beyond the forest.

Rael shook his head as he looked at the back of the crazy old man.

“Can you explain it in more detail? Can’t you do something like eye-level education?”

Rael sighed and picked up his sword.

In the end, it’s all about training.

To master that crazy sword, I must recall the old man’s appearance and swing the sword again.

“Are you teleporting the sword? No, you should at least explain the basic principles. Tsk. Why is this the answer? It has nothing to do with stepping on it.”

It was the same in Ipcheon, Seungcheon, and Dapcheon.

It was clear that the name was a reflection of the taste of the Thousand-Year Sword Master.

Rael complained about the training environment being worse than a street mercenary training camp, but there was no one left to listen to his complaints.

“I don’t really have a clue about this… hmm. Let’s give it a try.”

I had a feeling that I would enter and ascend.

The realm of Dapcheon felt like nothing.

“He said, ‘Trampling this world, rising above it, and let the eyes of all heaven be upon you.’”

Even though I didn’t understand it even after hearing the explanation, the Cheon-sal-geom was originally that kind of sword.

Maybe if you swing your sword, you’ll find a solution in a strange place.

Is that what enlightenment is?

‘Jump over the sky… Tread on the non-existent sky… Tsk.’

Rael swung his sword, recalling the movements of the Thousand-Slayer Sword Master.

The training began when the moon rose and continued until the moon disappeared behind the mountains.

“What the heck… You don’t know anything.”

But this time, it was different.

As I swung the sword of the Thousand-Slayer Sword Master, I felt something in the realm of entry and ascension.

But no matter how many hours he swung his sword, he could not surpass Dapcheon’s realm.

“···Haa. I’m so tired I could die.”

Lael just lay on the floor.

After swinging my sword for hours, my whole body was drenched in sweat.

‘I don’t think I can go to a daycare center or Ms. Sara’s inn… I’ll just sleep like this.’

It’s too late, if I go now I’ll just be causing trouble.

I was pretty used to sleeping on the street, so it wasn’t difficult.

It would be better to fall asleep now and train a little more when you wake up.

Rael closed his eyes, looking at the sky slowly brightening.

*

The warm sunlight shone on his face.

“Hmm, that’s really interesting, Reina. I don’t think it was you who did it.”

“You came in with me, you idiot Gent. And how could an elf touch a tree?”

I slowly came to my senses to the sound of voices around me.

Although my body was still tired, I could hear the conversation clearly.

“Then who destroyed all the trees I had been pruning and decorating for months?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? There’s a criminal sleeping here with a sword.”

“Hmm, I see. There’s only one culprit here. He must have fallen asleep from exhaustion after running wild with his sword. Feel the pain of the trees, too. Rael.”

“···.”

Rael’s senses sensed danger.

Rael opened his eyes and immediately raised his hand as he saw Gent holding a shovel.

“Put it down, it’s not me. Gent.”

“Rael. If you lie, you will be punished more severely.”

“Don’t be a jerk. That was done by the Thousand-Year Sword Master, so don’t take your anger out on me.”

“Well, I thought that might be possible, but… is it really?”

Gent put down his shovel with a slightly regretful expression.

The thought of tending those trees again made him sigh.

“Ghent. Look at this. Vermeil III is dancing on my head.”

“Wow. That’s great.”

“···Are you a psychopath? Trees forget in an instant.”

Rael sat up as he watched Reina speak out of nowhere.

In fact, Vermeil III was rolling around above her head.

I don’t know what that means, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.

“Ghent. What time is it now?”

“It’s 10 o’clock in the morning.”

“Oh, dear. I didn’t get much sleep.”

Rael yawned and stretched.

The Thousand-Year Sword Master came late at night, so by the time I finished training, it was already late at night.

“Lael. But why were you sleeping here? Did you really become a beggar after hanging out with beggars? If you don’t have a home, do you want to come to my house?”

“···No. I just fell asleep while training.”

Rael shook his head as he looked into Reina’s pure eyes.

“Training. Training with the Thousand-Year Sword Lord? How enviable.”

“What are you jealous of? That old man is so unfriendly. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him, and he doesn’t even teach me properly.”

Rael sat down with his back against the tree next to the hammock where Reina was lying.

And he talked about the atrocities committed by the Thousand-Sal Sword Master.

I wanted other people to know about this frustration.

“Well, Rael. What you’re saying is… you practiced the swordsmanship you learned last night all day, but you still haven’t gotten the hang of it.”

Gent listened to Rael’s words and nodded with his arms crossed.

“Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you could explain it to me a little more kindly.”

“Rael.”

“huh?”

“You’re trying to figure something out after learning a new swordsmanship for only a day? Even a day robber wouldn’t be that kind of day robber.”

“You crazy giant. Is this my fault?”

“It is actually harder to go from 95 to 96 than it is to go from 50 to 80. Rael. Geniuses tend to think that the walls that everyone else goes through are unfair.”

Ghent shook his head.

He also likes great warriors, but this is not right.

“No, is it really my fault?”

Rael writhed in resentment.

[Trampling this world and rising above it.]

Does that mean that the teacher who taught me this kind of thing called swordsmanship is not at fault?

Ghent seemed to have admired the Thousand-Sale Sword Master since long ago, so it was clear that the two had a warrior cartel or something.

“Admit it. Admit it. Rael is weird sometimes.”

“···.”

But even Reina, who was lying in the hammock, blamed Rael.

I don’t know about Ghent, but I can’t believe I heard something like that from Reina.

This time it was the Jangseongjong cartel.

“Rael. Don’t be too hasty in your decision. There is a teaching among the Giants that if you run too fast, your side will hurt. Take it easy.”

“···Your teaching is so intuitive.”

Rael looked at Ghent with a hollow laugh, then smiled.

Yeah, maybe I’m being too hasty.

Maybe we can take it a little slower, one step at a time.

“Ghent. Since you said nice things to me, I’ll put up with it for a bit.”

“What are you talking about?”

Rael smiled as he looked at the giant who was tilting his head.

I decided to hold back on the story about the Belmoth family, descendants of the giants.