Episode 19
Chapter 9: What Exactly Is the Eye of the Mind? (Part 2)
What on earth is this “eye of the mind”?
Every time Jin finished training with Luna and returned, his head would fill with that very question. The longer he pondered a problem without an answer, the more his head ached and his chest felt tight.
His worries lingered well into the next day.
There had to be some effect from Luna’s training. After all, a “genius among geniuses” wouldn’t put him through pointless drills.
“Ugh, thinking about this eye of the mind all night has left me feeling stiff. I should just sweat it out in sparring and clear my head.”
As he made his way to Garon’s training grounds, Jin wondered if Luna had gone through the same training when she was fourteen.
With a nineteen-year age gap between them, he never got to see her grow up firsthand. But he’d heard plenty about the intense adolescence she’d endured.
“Well, whatever it is, she must think I’m capable if she’s putting me through this.”
At seven in the morning, cadets began gathering at the training grounds. Today was sparring day, and a tense atmosphere hung thick among them.
Sparring results were a major factor in evaluating the Guardian Knight cadets.
And good results meant higher pay and special treatment as elite Guardians. Naturally, the cadets sharpened their focus to the point of ferocity.
“The tension’s thick. Everyone’s got that look like they’d kill their opponent halfway through. But Bellop… huh.”
Jin’s gaze shifted to Bellop, who was crouched in a corner.
As expected, the timid boy kept glancing around nervously, like a prey animal desperately searching for a hiding spot from a predator.
“What’s his problem? How did someone with that personality even pass the Guardian Knight cadet exam?”
Bellop must have been called a “genius” outside, having passed the exam. Yet Jin couldn’t understand why he was so timid.
“Maybe he thought he was a genius until he came here and saw so many better ones, and got discouraged. Or maybe that’s just how he is…”
Jin shook his head sharply.
“Luna alone is enough to keep my head spinning. I’m not going to waste energy worrying about that guy. Besides, I’ll make sure he never gets expelled!”
As Garon arrived at the training grounds, the cadets quickly lined up in formation. After some light warm-ups and stretching, Garon began announcing the sparring order and schedule.
“Today, each cadet will spar three times, switching partners each round. The top ten victors will each face Lord Jin in a one-on-one match.”
“Yes, Instructor!”
No cadet in Garon’s class had yet defeated Jin. So every sparring day, Jin faced multiple opponents in succession.
“Garon, when will I move up to the intermediate class?”
From the intermediate level on, the instructors were no longer Garon but senior veterans of Runcandel. Also, sparring with real swords and using aura was allowed, marking a huge step up from the beginner class.
Jin was eager to advance.
“Lady Rosa said that if you defeat all ten opponents today, it would be fine to promote you early next year.”
“Is that so?”
Jin said it casually, but facing ten top cadets from Runcandel in a row was no easy feat.
These weren’t just any cadets—they were on a whole different level from those in other kingdoms’ sword academies or mercenary training camps.
“Eddington, Mark! You’re up first. Get ready!”
Two boys locked eyes in the center of the training ground, their gazes burning with fighting spirit. As Garon signaled the start, Jin carefully observed their movements.
“As expected, they’re pretty good.”
Their movements were fluid yet powerful. Even under pressure, they calculated their moves calmly. These boys had earned their spots for a reason.
Swish! Swish!
Though wielding wooden swords, the sharp sound of air slicing through was unmistakable. Without a blade, a solid strike could still shatter an untrained opponent’s skull.
“Ugh!”
Eddington’s wooden sword struck Mark’s side hard. The crack of ribs breaking echoed as Mark collapsed, trembling.
Runcandel’s medics rushed over and loaded Mark onto a stretcher.
That was how sparring worked: you had to completely subdue or incapacitate your opponent to end the match.
“Winner: Eddington. Rest over there. Next up, Fields and Sierra…”
Nine matches passed like this, and the tenth was Bellop versus a girl named Mesa Milkano.
Jin watched Bellop’s match closely.
“Bellop’s still just barely defending.”
Mesa relentlessly pressed the attack. As one of the top cadets, it was no surprise she dominated.
It was a familiar scene—Jin had seen Bellop spar before.
“Come on, Bellop Schmidt! Are you just going to run away like a coward?”
Mesa shouted as she swung her wooden sword. Suddenly, Jin realized Bellop’s movements were better than he’d thought—and that was because his “eye” had improved.
“Bellop… he’s not just getting pushed around. He’s holding back on purpose!”
Jin jumped up without realizing it.
Though Bellop seemed barely blocking attacks, there was a subtle ease in his movements.
“In twenty moves, Bellop had at least three chances to counterattack. It wasn’t luck—it was a deliberate setup. But why?”
Why was he only dodging?
While Jin pondered, the other cadets only cared about when Mesa would finish Bellop off.
They thought there was nothing to learn from such a one-sided match—especially one involving Bellop.
“…Could it be?”
Jin focused again on Bellop’s posture, his defensive style, even his expression.
Bellop’s face was grim. His eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty, and his tightly pressed lips seemed desperate to escape.
Yet his movements were better than Mesa’s. Though he appeared overwhelmed, the space between his motions showed he could turn the tide anytime he wanted.
Still, he didn’t launch a counterattack, and that gap confused Jin.
No one else seemed to notice.
Then Jin found the answer.
“He’s not afraid of getting hit or losing.”
People don’t fear opponents clearly weaker than themselves. And Jin believed Bellop was stronger than Mesa.
“Bellop’s afraid he might hurt his opponent. That’s why he fights so passively.”
Otherwise, this strange sparring made no sense.
“Knowing his personality, he wouldn’t be holding back out of arrogance. He’s just so unsure of what to do that he ends up defending, which looks like holding back.”
Just as Jin reached this conclusion, Bellop’s wooden sword was knocked to the ground. Mesa lunged forward and struck Bellop’s jaw with her knee, ending the match.
“End. Winner: Mesa. Rest over there.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
After a couple more hours of sparring, it was finally Jin’s turn. From the 24 winners, Garon had selected the top ten to face him.
“Get ready, youngest lord.”
“Understood.”
As Jin stepped into the center, the cadets’ eyes sharpened. To them, Jin was the youngest lord of Runcandel and a terrifyingly skilled prodigy.
Watching Jin’s skill during sparring was the highlight of their training.
“Eddington, Sierra, David, Mesa… face Lord Jin in that order.”
Jin gripped his wooden sword and prepared for his first opponent.
“So I have to defeat ten people, huh.”
His personal best was eight.
If he beat two more today, he could move up to the intermediate class early next year.
Of course, in real combat, he could handle twenty or more opponents. But in sparring, he couldn’t use spirit energy or magic.
He had to rely purely on swordsmanship—and of course, he couldn’t kill anyone.
“The Tona brothers moved up to intermediate a year ago.”
They hadn’t advanced because they were better than Jin.
They’d only dominated him early on. After a year, Jin often soundly defeated them in sparring. The brothers had earned their promotion by completing missions with other cadets.
Jin also believed he still had things to learn in the beginner class. After seeing Bellop’s movements today, he was more certain than ever.
“Let’s go, Lord Jin.”
“Alright, Eddington. I’m counting on you.”
Whoosh!
Eddington charged like a bullet, thrusting his wooden sword at Jin. A surprise attack—he knew he had to seize the initiative or lose.
But it was a mistake.
Jin stepped forward into the strike, meeting the wooden sword with his chest. At the same time, he twisted sideways, stepped on Eddington’s foot, and swung his sword upward toward the back of Eddington’s neck.
But Eddington wasn’t just lucky to become a cadet of Runcandel. He had reflexively twisted his neck to dodge Jin’s attack.
“Ugh!”
Still, he didn’t avoid it perfectly. Jin’s wooden sword grazed right past Eddington’s ear instead of his neck.
‘Missed, but not bad.’
Putting some distance between them, Eddington gripped his sword again. However, the strike near his ear had left his eardrum ringing, and his sense of direction was temporarily off.
If it had been a one-on-one spar, Jin might have waited a few seconds.
But there were nine more opponents to face. Jin pressed forward immediately, ending the first match quickly. Since Eddington had already lost his bearings, there was no need to break bones or cause serious pain to subdue him.
“…I lost, Young Master Maknae.”
“You did well, Eddington Weds. Go see the medical team and have your ear checked.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Next up, Sierra! Begin the spar immediately.”
At Garon’s command, the second match began.
“Please take care of me, Young Master Jin.”
“The pleasure’s mine, Sierra Kamaro.”
The second match didn’t end as quickly as Eddington’s. The ten opponents Garon had chosen were arranged in order of increasing strength.