Regression Is Too Much

To be honest, I haven’t really felt like my abilities were lacking recently. Sure, I’m not on par with the top players, but my basic stats have always been impressive. This text is hosted at novel⸺fire.net

Objectively speaking, I was strong.

“Huff, huff…”

But now, I’m feeling the sting of inadequacy in my abilities. No, to be precise, I’m realizing just how insufficient my swordsmanship really is.

While Choi Ji-won’s swordsmanship follows a balanced path of both offense and defense, mine is focused solely on attacking, emphasizing swift and precise elimination of the enemy. It’s a skill honed by defeating the relentless monsters on the 4th floor, so in a way, it’s only natural.

Because of this, I aim to infuse every strike with killing intent, aiming to take down the opponent in a single blow. If I fail to subdue them in one strike, they counterattack, and then, there’s a high chance I’ll be forced into regression. In martial arts, my sword style could be considered of Gang* philosophy — a powerful, forceful technique.

However, my clone’s sword is of Yu* philosophy. His blade is light, fast, and without a tangible form—like ‘Infinite Change.’ His sword style is unpredictable. Though it looks like he’s swinging without any set form, every strike is deadly. Even with my reflexes sharpened on the 3rd floor, it’s almost impossible to dodge him.

The reason my clone’s and my swordsmanship differ so greatly is simple. I trained my swordsmanship against monsters on the 4th floor, while my clone trained his against me on the 5th floor. His style was honed solely to defeat me.

“Damn…”