In front of the academy was an area reserved for students to chill. However, its purpose had flipped to the whims of the Marshal. A circle of people was formed with two individuals standing as the centres of attention.
One in a Templar uniform, one in a cerulean blue tunic with flaps and chainmail on top.
‘Open status,’ Sun-young said to herself.
[ Status: Yoon Sun-young
Class: Intermediate Swordsman
Level: 26
HP: 240
HP/Minute: 24
MP: 384
MP/Minute: 48
Attack: 167
Defence: 86
Attributes
Strength: 51
Resilience: 48
Agility: 71
Deftness: 53
Vitality: 48
Magical Might: 48
Magical Mending: 48
Distributive Points: 37 ]
Her stats and level were fine. Even the strongest player of the Templars couldn’t be significantly above her. There was the matter of skills, however.
Majin-ken's anti-magic properties disabled her fire-based skills. A huge waste in her opinion. By equipping the Intermediate Swordsman Class, she gained Stamina Surge Lv. 2. One extra skill wasn’t good enough. She needed more.
When it came to swordsmanship with Majin-ken, she had two skills: Intermediate Sword Proficiency and 10th Geup Kumdo. The latter was a semi-useless skill that increased her agility by ten points during usage of Kumdo. While inclined to it as it was the third skill she had ever unlocked, often leaning on it in order to gain an explosive edge in combat, it wasn’t enough. It just wasn’t.
Against Jack, 10th Geup Kumdo was useless. Against anyone with a modicum of power and experience, it was useless. Ten measly points would not help her win. She needed to diversify her skillset.
‘I have thirty seven points to spend on the Intermediate Swordsman Class.’
She went ahead and acquired all the fire-based sword skills. The essence of magic—that was what Sun-young thought she was missing. She wasn’t able to capture the same creativity that others did. Marta and Kazi were excellent examples of those immersing themselves in magic, but it was Jack that opened her eyes. Her sword skills could only carry her so far. She needed to be better. She needed to evolve.
[ New skill learned : Super Ember Strike ]
[ New skill learned : Super Speed Lv. 3 ]
[ New skill learned : Ignition Blade ]
[ New skill learned : Cinder Haze ]
[ New skill learned : Blaze Whip ]
[ New skill learned : Fire Up ]
Each skill cost six points, totalling up to thirty-six points. One point remained. ‘Might as well put it into deftness.’
[ Status: Yoon Sun-Young
Class: Intermediate Swordsman
Level: 26
HP: 240
HP/Minute: 24
MP: 384
MP/Minute: 48
Attack: 91
Defence: 86
Attributes
Strength: 51
Resilience: 48
Agility: 101
Deftness: 84
Vitality: 48
Magical Might: 48
Magical Mending: 48
Distributive Points: 0 ]
Sun-young speed had reached another level. The skill Super Speed Lv. 3 was a Passive Skill that increased agility by thirty points. Already, she felt a spring in her step. Sometimes, she wondered how numerical values could alter a person’s body to the level it did. It was fascinating as it was scary.
A high attack value, absurd agility, and minimal endurance, Yoon Sun-young was a specialized swordswoman with an affinity to ending battles in one ultimate attack. On paper, she was a player every guild would want to recruit. That was the issue. She had high-specs in just the right stats and the Marshal seemed to want to expose it in broad daylight. Sun-young didn’t want to give her that satisfaction and decided to hide her trump card.
She opened up her inventory and switched Majin-ken for Drop of Volcano, letting her raw attack value drop in exchange for her old fire-based skills. She didn’t think it would be a huge downgrade. Her new Fire Up skill increased the effectiveness of all fire-based attacks by 30%. If she played her cards right, her damage output could rival the natural universal effectiveness of anti-magic.
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‘I’ll be fine,’ Sun-young said to herself, casually swinging the cracked longsword. The damages it earned from the battle against the Ronin had grown bit-by-bit. 'This might be Drop of Volcano’s final battle. I should give it everything I have.'
At last, she peered over at her opponent. As his class suggested, Cillian was a shieldsman, who readied his defensive weapon; a white kite-shaped shield with the Templar cross on it.
“Alright, people, yes, this is a duel. No, there will be no killing. No low blows either.” Marshal Margaret gestured to Sun-young, then Cillian. “Are the two of you ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
To contrast the quiet young man’s agreement was Sun-young’s nod.
“On the count of three.” The Marshal’s voice echoed. Sun-young went into a Kumdo stance, her skill flaring up. Her black boots crushed the dirt and grass underneath. Cillian raised his shield up. “One, two…three!”
She blasted from her spot. She crossed ten feet in what seemed to be in the blink of an eye and smashed against the shield with a Super Ember Strike. The action was so fast and sudden that Cillian’s eyes went wide and he failed to properly keep his shield in place.
The bottom of the shield struck the ground and Sun-young lifted her longsword upwards and stopped at the touch of his chin.
Her sword was still hot and hissed against his flesh. Cillian gulped.
“Oh.” The Marshal behind her was astounded. “The winner is Sun-young.”
‘That was easy. The sword didn’t even break like I thought it would.’ She removed the sword from Cillian's throat, who let out a gasp of air.
The crowd of Templars were equally as gobsmacked as the loser was.
“What the hell—”
“She’s crazy fast!”
“There’s no way she’s a new player!”
“He didn’t get to activate a skill!”
Echoes and claims of that sort persisted for a couple minutes. Sun-young figured that Cillian would be stronger. Guess not.
‘With Kumdo, my agility is over a hundred points. It must have been too much.’
Sun-young didn’t want to offend the Marshal by asking if Cillian really was their strongest Templar. That seemed rude, so she kept to herself.
“Even I didn’t think that would end that fast,” Marshal Margaret muttered. She turned to the audience. “Okay, is there someone from the Return Program that would like to participate? I would really appreciate it.”
The players of the Return Program were instantly eager. A few students came up to the Marshal, convincing her to put them in. But a male with the voice and appearance of a gravelly homeless person pushed through, wooden spear coolly behind him.
“I will.”
“Oh!” The Marshal looked him up and down, noting the wear and tear of the Templar uniform. “Uhh, what's your name?”
“August,” he replied, to the horror of the two Knights failing to convince the Marshal.
“August!” Marshal Margaret approved of him on the spot. “Go ahead. But remember—”
“Do it in the name of the Lord, yeah, yeah, I know.”
“I meant to say be careful but that works too.”
“Don't worry, I won't be.”
‘Did I hear him right?’ Sun-young swung her sword left and right, fully warmed up. ‘Not that it matters. My opponent is using a spear. Distance is my biggest danger.’
“On the count of three.” Glance, glance. August lazily brought his spear down while Sun-young went into a basic Kumdo stance. Everything about the spear was made of a light-brown wood, save for the tip which shined silver. The Marshal smiled, almost giggling, and started the countdown. “One, two…three!”
Sun-young detected a jolt of magic from August as he sprung forth with an electric-enhanced spear. The silver tip rushed by the side of her waist as she narrowly escaped the blow.
Her first thought, ‘He's faster than me!’
Her second, ‘Dodge!’
His second strike came upon her. Her body in panic mode, she failed to activate a skill and was on the defensive. Clang! Clang! Clang! Her blade hit the wooden shaft, deflecting it left and right. The continuous weight and momentum was too much, so when he went from thrusts to a two-handed push of the spear aimed at her nose, she conjured a block that sent her sliding across the grounds. A failed block that nearly crushed her nose.
Coos and hoorays followed. Sun-young had no time to think as he jumped her again. He was like a ferocious bunny with claws. Agile and throwing strikes that would inflict lethal damage.
“Haha! Not bad!” August wore a big grin, knees bent and his long spear doing its work. Dodge, block, deflect, that was all Sun-young could do against the electrified thrusts. Two metres away, she was unable to formulate a counter.
There was a beat. A significant moment where his hands came together and went for one strong thrust.
‘Super Ember Strike!’
The weapons clashed, a buzz of magic emanating from the point of contact. The tip of the spear had struck the front of the blade. It was a clean block.
“I knew it. Super Ember Strike,” August said. “It's way too early to be having that skill. Either you're a genius or plain lucky. If you ask me…”
He let out a grunt, smiling, and coolly overpowered her. Her feet pushing back, Sun-young funnelled the totality of her strength to hold him back.
“...you look like a plucky fledgling!”
August jumped and slammed his foot into her temple. Jam packed with electricity, he blasted her away and made her tumble and roll a dozen times over. Sun-young forced herself to stop and smoothly went on all fours. She had lost her longsword during the tumble and struggled to flex her fingers. That kick was nasty. Her brain and hands felt scattered as if her very nerves had been disrupted. It was a miracle her vision wasn't blurry.
Acting as if he had won, August exited his stance.
Marshal Margaret had the audacity to ask, “Do you think you can keep going?”
Giving up wasn't an option, not when she still had breath in her lungs. Sun-young took a swipe of the blood rolling down her temple. Her hands and fingers were weak. Her arms and legs were not.
‘Take a deep breath. Relax. He might be faster but I can still react. I've lost my sword too, so this isn't a sword fight either. I can dodge and block if I focus.' Sun-young drew in a breath. 'Still, being on the defensive won't help to open up a counter. His spear gives him too much distance. I need to be innovative. I need to evolve. I need to get him in range.’
“This sword of yours is almost broken anyway.” Having the mental and physical advantage, August walked three long strides and casually kicked the longsword away. “I'll give you a second to equip something.”
Sun-young did not respond and examined him top-to-bottom. She could see; therefore, she could react.
She observed the tip of the spear and judged the distance between it and her sword. Barring the use of her anti-magic sword, the chances of successfully grabbing it were astronomically low. Unless…she just went for it. Sun-young grit her teeth and ran towards the Drop of Volcano, an arm stretched out towards it.
August intercepted her halfway through.
“Maybe you're stupider than I thought!” August laughed, his spear coming right for her head.
Miss.
She predicted that he would go for the head and swept to the side accordingly. August attempted to bring his spear down diagonally to smack the wood of the weapon into her shoulder. Another accurate prediction. See, in that instant, momentum was temporarily lost. Sun-young seized that momentum for herself, grabbing the spear with her own two hands, pulling the wielder close, and headbutting him in the nose.
‘One, two, three!’
Sun-young hit him with a basic three-hit combo. Jab, jab, cross. It worked and August was momentarily stunned. Rather than overstep her boundaries, she stopped and ran over to scoop up her sword.
The Drop of Volcano was back and she immediately lit it up with flames. Her whole body swelling with magical energy, her fingers returned to normal. Triumphant, she faced August once again.
‘Thank you William for the lessons!’
Meanwhile, August wiped the blood dripping from his nose. According to William, a direct punch to the nose disrupted breathing and caused the eyes to swell.
“Jesus!” August pinched his nose and blew out the mix of blood and muck. “You're just full of surprises, aren't you?”
They readied themselves. As one, they rushed towards each other. The speed advantage hadn’t shifted yet something had changed. She wasn’t losing.
‘I can see.’
Block, deflect, shift.
‘I can see his moves.’
No, it went beyond seeing. She was dismantling his movements. Grasping them for herself, understanding them, then finding weak points.
The former player didn't understand what was happening even as he broke off the engagement. August was unable to fathom why he was feeling so stilted. So meek. As if his every move was a dead giveaway.
This time, it was Sun-young that charged. This time, it was her pressing the offensive.
“Ngh!” August grit his teeth. His stance put his weight mainly on his rear leg, with the knee bent at around a ninety degree angle. His hands were in front of his body, close to the chest, with one gripping the spear and the other extended as if to strike. The hips rotated and faced the directions of her attacks, a position granting quick, powerful thrusts and quick, agile movement.
But…
‘Got him!’
Very minimal defensive. If it wasn’t for his speed and grown instincts, he would have lost a long time ago. Therefore, he was subjected to Sun-young's most powerful sword attack.
‘Ignition Blade!’
The cracks in her sword were filled with lava. August's eyes went wide. He knew what this was. Despite knowing, there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The blade touched his shoulder—
Boom!
What the Templars had witnessed was perhaps the greatest sword prodigy that had walked the Jacques Sanctum.