Chapter 181
Episode 59: The Legacy of the Spirit Sword (4)
Swish, swish, swish…!
For exactly five hours, Jin swung his sword ten thousand times. Each strike was perfectly identical from start to finish, leaving Garmund dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.
“Phew, I’m done.”
Jin wiped the sweat from his brow and spoke calmly.
Tantel, who had said he’d leave early, stood rooted to the spot, watching the relentless sword strikes. Around the three-thousandth swing, members of the Myungwang tribe—who had caused a commotion at the arena gate yesterday—gathered to watch as well.
By the time Jin reached five thousand swings, Garmund’s face had turned pale. At seven thousand, cold sweat dripped down his temple.
When the ten-thousandth strike finally landed, Garmund had no choice but to admit he had underestimated Jin.
It was truly a shocking realization.
‘No way he could pull that off… I never even considered this possibility. What do I do now?’
“Wooooah!”
Whether they sensed Garmund’s turmoil or not, the Myungwang tribe nearby erupted in cheers. Most ordinary warriors held a different stance from the Myungwang champions in the arena.
They hoped, in any way possible, that this new heir—who had appeared for the first time in a thousand years since Temar—would continue to succeed. They wanted to believe their own frozen time wasn’t meaningless.
“Garmund, why so silent?”
Jin smiled slyly, prompting Garmund to clear his throat awkwardly. Ahem, ahem! While the other brothers were so delighted, he felt embarrassed for having secretly wished for Jin’s failure.
“Impressive… I never thought you’d do so well.”
“No, that’s not the kind of lukewarm praise I want to hear.”
“Hmph! Then what do you want me to say?”
“Admit that you’re ready to teach me. In person.”
Jin wasn’t provoking Garmund without reason.
All the ordinary warriors watching nearby were Jin’s ‘backers.’ Jin could tell Garmund was already glancing at them, gauging their reactions.
Garmund was known among the Myungwang for his strong brotherhood. If he refused to acknowledge Jin now, his fellow tribesmen would be deeply disappointed.
“Tch, fine! I admit it, Jin Runkandel. You are a worthy heir of the great Myungwang tribe, ready to receive the secret teachings of the Spirit Sword from me, Garmund, the Paltu King.”
“Wow! That’s awesome, Brother Paltu King!”
“Paltu King! Brother Garmund!”
As the ordinary warriors chanted Garmund’s name in unison, he blushed shyly. His heart seemed to glow a little brighter—an emotional response, it seemed.
“Alright, everyone, time to step back. The real training begins now.”
The Myungwang warriors retreated, giving thumbs-up and cheers. Jin waved energetically in thanks.
Soon, only Jin and Garmund remained in the training ground.
“How old are you, heir?”
“Sixteen. I’ll turn seventeen after December.”
Garmund’s eyes widened.
At sixteen, few among the Myungwang could match Jin’s level. Jin had already entered the realm of the Spirit Sword.
‘Now this is getting interesting.’
Swish!
Garmund smoothly drew his sword.
“Is this a sparring match?”
“Ha ha, you’re overestimating yourself. Sparring only happens when the levels are somewhat equal.”
Jin had no idea how to gauge the strength of the champions and kings.
“How big is the gap between us?”
“You can’t even move my sword.”
No sooner had Garmund said this than Jin thrust his Spirit Absorption Sword toward Garmund’s neck.
Clang!
Garmund calmly raised his sword to block, sparks flying from his eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“You said I couldn’t move your sword, so I wanted to test if that was true. But you did raise your sword just now.”
Garmund’s expression twisted in frustration—utterly bewildered.
‘If he can’t answer, I was going to tell him to try striking my sword once…’
Indeed, when Garmund said, “You can’t move my sword,” he meant in terms of power. There was no longer anyone transcendent enough to block Jin’s attacks without moving their blade.
“…That’s not what I meant. I meant that no matter how hard you strike, my sword won’t budge.”
“Oh, that’s what you meant? No wonder it felt off. I didn’t catch your deeper meaning, Garmund.”
Of course, Jin fully understood what Garmund meant.
He just wanted to fluster him a bit. Leaving a strong impression wouldn’t hurt.
‘Besides, this guy’s got a bit of a teasing streak.’
Jin didn’t dislike that kind of person.
“Hmph, anyway, try again. Don’t aim at me—aim at my sword.”
“Understood.”
Stepping forward, Jin swung the Spirit Absorption Sword.
Shing!
‘Whoa…!’
This time, Jin genuinely admired the strike.
‘It felt like hitting a fortress wall, not just a sword! And it’s not just brute strength.’
Though he hadn’t infused it with aura, it was a powerful blow. Yet Garmund’s sword didn’t move an inch, holding its exact position.
Naturally, Garmund’s stance remained unshaken. Jin, however, was bounced back, losing his balance briefly.
“Hah!”
Garmund snorted, as if he’d expected this.
“Didn’t I say you can’t move my sword?”
“I’ll try again.”
“Hit me as many times as you want.”
Jin stepped back and steadied his breath.
Then, closing his eyes, he focused his mind. Blue aura blossomed from his grip, wrapping tightly around the Spirit Absorption Sword.
Inhale!
This time, his strike was sincere.
It was a blow he couldn’t use in real combat—who would wait for you to close your eyes and focus?
Shing!
The clash of swords rang out thunderously.
But Garmund’s sword didn’t waver, and Jin was knocked back half a step, tumbling to the ground. A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
“Ugh…!”
Garmund had planned to mock him mercilessly. He was sure Jin wouldn’t move his sword and would be sent flying looking pathetic.
‘But… that strike almost broke my sword.’
For the first time in a thousand years.
Garmund felt as if his hand was about to be torn apart. The burning pain in his palm even brought a smile to his face.
By human standards, that was a strike close to 8-star level.
Jin was still 7-star, but thanks to the unique strength of the Runkandel clan and his achievements crossing the Great Desert, he could unleash such power for a moment.
‘Still, I can’t just go around calling this Paltu King Garmund “cute” just yet!’
They had only arrived in Laprarosa a day ago.
If he spoiled this arrogant kid now, who knows how far he’d climb. It was time to show him who was boss.
“Perfect a strike strong enough to move my sword.”
“You’re not going to tell me how?”
“Didn’t the three mirages already teach you? It’s about faith.”
“Faith?”
Above all, the Spirit Sword required ‘faith.’ The core was transforming the belief that nothing in the world is uncuttable into spiritual energy.
This was similar to the mental sword techniques used by ordinary warriors, but the Spirit Sword’s uniqueness lay in its ‘expandability.’
It wasn’t just for cutting targets effectively.
“Yes, you have one week. Strike my sword again and again for a week. Push yourself until your hands tear and your teeth break. You need to grasp the basics of the Spirit Sword.”
Jin’s eyes narrowed.
‘One week, huh? He probably set the deadline tight on purpose again. If I finish this in time, I’ll definitely earn his favor. Hopefully, he won’t pretend to be indifferent then.’
Meanwhile, Garmund thought:
‘Maybe a week is harsh? He is impressive, but this time I can’t go easy. Rise again and again after every failure, second heir. Then I, and the brothers, will gradually accept you.’
Is that all you’ve got, heir?
If your faith wavers, your sword loses power. Don’t you know that yet?
And you still claim to be Solderet’s contractor?
Hmph, what’s with that look? Not ready yet, huh?
Temar did this in two days. If you knew that, you wouldn’t have announced your name so boldly in the arena…
With thoughts like these, Garmund had prepared many harsh lessons.
He planned to block Jin’s strikes thousands of times a day with an immovable stance, driving him to despair.
…But disaster struck after only three days.
Crack!
On the 17,560th strike, Garmund’s sword broke, and he had no choice but to lower his outstretched hand.
All the harsh lessons he’d prepared failed to shake Jin—except the fact that Temar had done it in two days.
Jin looked joyful after every one of the nearly 17,000 strikes, while Garmund was the one burning with frustration.
“You took one day longer than Temar.”
Jin picked up a shard of Garmund’s broken sword and said with a grin.
For the first time, a shadow crossed his usually cheerful face. He was displeased that he had finished a day later than Seonjo.
“Damn it, if I’d just focused a little more, I could’ve broken it yesterday.”
Watching Jin sigh deeply, Garmund blinked his large eyes in silence. He had expected it to take a month, not just three days…
Of course, compared to Temar, it was still late.
“But considering he succeeded with the disadvantage of the Spirit-Absorbing Sword, and his age… a one-day difference is nothing. In fact, this might be an even greater achievement.”
Jin had come to this land already a fully formed warrior. There might not be much left for the Mingwang clan to teach him.
Garmund couldn’t help but think so.
Bang, bang!
Garmund slapped Jin’s shoulder heartily and laughed as he said, “The second successor, Jin Runkandel. Honestly, I was annoyed at first, but in the end, you’ve moved me.”
“Are you finally admitting it?”
“I am. And soon, the other Otuwang brothers will open their hearts to you too. They won’t be able to resist the pure, strong spirit of a true warrior.”
Jin gave an awkward smile at Garmund’s sudden change in attitude.
“There’s one favor I’d like to ask.”
“A favor?”
“May I be the first to taste the fruit of your achievement?”
“Taste it…? What do you mean?”
“Answer me.”
Looking into those earnest, sparkling eyes, Jin couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
“I don’t know what it is, but go ahead.”
Garmund gently took the sword fragment from Jin’s hand.
He then chewed it thoughtfully and swallowed, patting his chest with great satisfaction.
“It suits Lafrarosa perfectly. Starting tomorrow, the Otuwang brothers will join us in the training grounds.”