Chapter 230 : Chapter 230
Chapter 230 - The Youngest Son of the Haewon Sword Family (3)
After much thought, what I chose was the swordsmanship manual of the Steiner Family.
There was a reason for that.
During my days as Johan Raven, the most troublesome opponent I had ever faced was Ryan Steiner, who came from that very family.
‘We fought for almost half a day.’
The reason I had struggled to an unprecedented degree was partly because I had been young at the time, but more than anything, it was because Ryan’s realm was that of a true Sword Master in both name and reality.
I still vividly remembered that day, when I collapsed from exhaustion after cutting open his chest with my final strike.
The sharp tip of his sword, which had shot toward me brilliantly throughout the duel, had been the greatest crisis of my life, one I had never experienced again afterward.
Ryan’s own ability had been outstanding, but the swordsmanship he had learned certainly possessed depth.
In addition, there was one more reason I had chosen this swordsmanship manual.
The Haewon Sword Style was characterized by its specialization in direct, forward-moving motions. I thought that if the swordsmanship of the Steiner Family were added to it, it would become the perfect complement.
My friend! To be honest, did you not choose this swordsmanship manual more because of your personal curiosity?
‘That is not true!’
Of course, I could not say there was none of that at all.
“Have you already chosen the swordsmanship manual?”
“Yes, Father. Would you like to take a look?”
“Somehow, I look forward to it.”
When I handed him the book, Father began turning the pages with a smile.
But his smile lasted only a moment. Soon, his expression became more serious than ever.
Before long, he straightened his posture and began reading intently.
Although he had now stepped away from the front lines, I could feel that the hot blood of a swordsman still flowed within my father’s body.
‘He recognized the true value of this swordsmanship manual immediately.’
And so, a long time passed in silence.
“I am sorry. I became so absorbed in reading that I held onto the book for too long.”
“Not at all, Father. Rather, it was good to see.”
At my words, a smile bloomed again at the corners of Father’s mouth.
“How was it?”
“It was fascinating swordsmanship. And the Abyss’s way of writing, explaining the principles and philosophy of this profound swordsmanship in an easy-to-understand manner, was truly astonishing.”
“It seems you liked this swordsmanship manual very much.”
“It was a book containing the pinnacle of the sword. You said it was Kalia’s swordsmanship?”
“Yes, Father.”
“That place must have many swordsmen as outstanding as those on Earth.”
“……It probably does.”
Speaking with Father about Kalia like this gave me a strangely peculiar feeling.
“Then let us begin training in swordsmanship.”
“Yes, Father. I will read it properly as well.”
“But before that, is there not one sword style you must train in first?”
“……Pardon?”
I understood what he meant only a beat later.
“I mean the latter half of the Haewon Sword Style.”
I had already received Father’s promise, but when the moment actually arrived, an indescribable sense of reverence surged within me.
To speak coldly, the Steiner Family’s swordsmanship might not truly fall behind the Haewon Sword Style.
But that was not what mattered now.
Father’s heart, as he tried to pass the Haewon Sword Style on to me by breaking the family’s long-standing principle, was conveyed to me, and the blood within me began to boil.
“I only hope it will be of even the slightest help on the journey that lies before you.”
“It will be. As I told you, I intend to adorn my final path with the Haewon Sword Style.”
I slightly lowered my head to Father and offered the courtesy due to a master.
“First, will you show me the first half of the Haewon Sword Style that you have learned?”
“Yes, Father.”
I firmly adjusted my grip on the Holy Sword Bastian and began unfolding the techniques of the Haewon Sword Style.
The realm of no-mind that I had reached in the Tower of Causalitas.
I emptied my heart completely and entrusted every fleeting instant to the sword as I continued drawing each stroke.
The essence of the Haewon Sword Style was engraving the memory of swordsmanship into mana.
The philosophy of the Haewon Sword Style, that one should unfold swordsmanship unconsciously, was precisely in line with no-mind.
SWISH!
SWISH!
A single painting was being drawn in the empty air.
I could feel it myself.
My swordsmanship at this moment was unfolding more perfectly than ever before.
Even without consciously trying, my own figure formed in my mind, and it matched exactly with the ideal image I had envisioned.
Father, too, looked deeply moved by the sight of me.
‘What a relief.’
There had, in truth, been one concern lingering in my mind.
I had wondered whether my realm might become a kind of deception toward Father.
But that had been nothing more than needless concern.
Father, rather, looked relieved.
After I finished all the techniques of the first half of the Haewon Sword Style, silence continued between the two of us for quite some time.
And Father’s words, which broke that silence, were entirely unexpected.
“Thank you, Ji-han.”
“…….”
It was not praise, nor admiration, but simply gratitude toward me.
“For what?”
“For proving with your own sword that my choice was not wrong.”
That was why my heart stirred even more deeply.
“I am the one who should be grateful to you, Father.”
“Now I think you need only prove it once more. That only your sword can show the most ideal form of the Haewon Sword Style.”
From what he had just seen, Father might have vaguely grasped my realm.
He was someone who had spent his entire life delving into the Haewon Sword Style alone, so although it had been only the short techniques of the first half, its degree of perfection must have been fully conveyed to him.
“I promise that I will certainly do so.”
“I am glad to hear you say that. Then, Ji-han, will you watch my swordsmanship for a while as well?”
“Yes, Father.”
Until now, I had never once seen Father properly unfold his swordsmanship.
I had only heard that he sometimes trained in the Haewon Sword Style at a private training hall.
However, what I knew through my qi sense was that Father’s realm was at the level of Sword Expert.
“Watch carefully. This is the latter half of the Haewon Sword Style.”
Father gripped his sword indifferently and infused it with mana.
SWISH!
His sword began moving like the wind.
The opening was, as expected, a familiar sword path.
Each stroke connected into disciplined movements, embroidering a powerful picture in the empty air.
There was no need to compare it to my swordsmanship.
Father was unfolding his own Haewon Sword Style and creating his own universe.
‘As expected, he is a master craftsman of the Haewon Sword Style.’
Then the latter half of the Haewon Sword Style immediately followed.
A new extension was drawn onto the Haewon Sword Style I had known, and the vague image I had imagined overlapped with reality.
Although he had not reached the realm of Sword Master, that did not mean Father’s swordsmanship looked shallow in the slightest.
‘Rather, in some ways……’
There were even aspects as profound as those of a Sword Master like old Master Heo Gyeong-woo.
If he had not withdrawn from the front lines at such a young age and had remained a little longer in the field of the Abyss, he would surely have been able to look toward an even higher realm.
In that sense, this trip to the Abyss might become a good stimulus for Father.
SWISH!
And with the final stroke embroidered into the air, Father’s swordsmanship came to an end.
What I could clearly understand was the profundity of the Haewon Sword Style.
If I trained it to the ultimate peak, I felt certain there would be nothing I could not cut.
“How was it, Ji-han?”
“I felt a warm radiance.”
Because Father’s swordsmanship just now had been performed with love for his son.
***
The journey through the Golden Library that I had cleared together with Father ended successfully.
It was different in many ways from the Abyss I had experienced before.
The quest was neither cruel nor desperate, and it waited for us to train in swordsmanship comfortably without imposing any restrictions.
Thus, I obtained the Haewon Sword Style, and Father was able to return after learning a peak sword style of the Kalia Continent.
‘And the portal map of Kalia as well.’
After finishing an Abyss clearing whose rewards were even gracious, I returned to the Haewon Sword Family and decided to look around the Chamryongdan.
As usual, the ones responsible for the Chamryongdan were Choi Ho-joong and Shin Ah-yeon.
Although I was the one who had founded the Chamryongdan, their contributions had been great in raising it this far.
That was why I was confident that even if a situation arose in which I was absent, this sword unit would continue operating without difficulty.
I stood at a distance and watched them train for a long while.
The memories from the day I had first recruited the members until now flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern.
So many things had happened during that time.
Above all, the Chamryongdan had developed and grown together with me.
Just like my once-sickly self, this sword unit had begun as something insignificant, but in the end, it had grown into a respectable flagship sword unit representing the Haewon Sword Family.
I called the two contributors, Choi Ho-joong and Shin Ah-yeon, separately and arranged a meeting.
“You called for us, Unit Leader. What is the matter?”
“I have something to give you.”
“Pardon?”
“Why do you look so frightened? Do you think I would give you something impossible?”
“Th-that is not it, but you are suddenly acting so solemn.”
Now that I thought about it, Ho-joong had reason to be frightened.
Usually, when I called the two of them with this kind of atmosphere, I gave them harsh assignments.
But what I was giving them today was a gift.
And one I had prepared with care.
“Take one each.”
I handed Choi Ho-joong and Shin Ah-yeon one booklet each.
“What is this?”
“Turn the pages.”
The two of them carefully began turning the pages, not knowing what was going on.
The contents of the books were my personal analysis of the two of them, and a brief swordsmanship guide written based on that analysis.
I had greatly referenced the writing style of the swordsmanship manuals I had seen in the Golden Library.
It was so they could easily understand it even when training alone without a teacher.
Of course, since they were custom-made, every detail in the books the two of them received was different.
After a while, both of them closed their books at the same time and silently looked at me.
“Why are you making those faces?”
“……I was wondering by when we have to complete the instructions in this booklet.”
Choi Ho-joong. This fellow seemed to have misunderstood firmly.
“There is no such thing.”
“Pardon?”
“There is no deadline.”
In the end, because of him, I found myself offering an explanation I had never expected to give in my life.
Swordsmanship was something one was meant to train in while looking across an entire lifetime.
The swordsmanship guide I had handed the two of them had been written with the meaning that they should polish their swords over a very long breath.
Only after that explanation ended did Choi Ho-joong and Shin Ah-yeon let out sighs of relief.
“But why would you suddenly give something like this to us……”
“You dislike it?”
“That is not it. It is just that when you act like this, Unit Leader, it feels as though you are about to leave for some distant place.”
“That is not wrong. I am planning to leave for the Abyss again.”
“But you will return soon, right?”
Choi Ho-joong’s question.
On an ordinary day, I would have simply scolded him once and let it pass, but for some reason, today was a day when answering was difficult.