Jiho and Taehoo had once stood atop the white training grounds, but now Namjin and Namgoong faced each other there, swords drawn.
It was an entirely different intensity from when Taehoo and Jiho had once wielded wooden swords.
The same place felt completely transformed. The two men, both at the pinnacle of this era, dominated their surroundings.
“So, have you trained diligently for this past year?”
His voice held not a trace of warmth. It was completely different from the tone he used with his grandchild.
It almost sounded as if he were scolding a disappointing child.
Who in this world would dare call Namgoong disappointing? Only Namjin could take such a stance.
Namgoong did not reply. He simply infused his beloved sword with Aura.
The blade, once polished and gleaming, now absorbed darkness as if swallowing ink, turning jet black.
It was Namgoong’s Aura, named Demon King Sword for its resemblance to the coming of the Underworld.
“So, your Aura’s color has improved a bit.”
Aura, the very symbol of a Sword God, varied in color based on the user’s disposition and character.
Moreover, the higher the user’s skill, the deeper and richer the color became.
In other words, Namjin was simply commenting on the color as proof of Namgoong’s level.
“It’s improved, but you’ve still got a long way to go.”
A blood-red Aura bloomed from Namjin’s sword.
Blood Sword.
The sword that had vanished into history was revived in his hands.
“Come.”
With that single word from Namjin, Namgoong lunged at him, swift as lightning.
However,
Namjin anticipated Namgoong’s movement before he could even swing his sword, moving his own blade at the same moment.
Sssht!
The sound of something being sliced echoed, and Namgoong’s beloved sword was split in two with a single strike.
The upper half of the severed blade pierced several centimeters into the reinforced outer wall of the training ground.
Namjin’s remark about “a long way to go” was proven just minutes after they’d crossed swords.
Namgoong was one of the top Hunters of the current generation.
And yet, the difference was overwhelming.
Namgoong had never once defeated Namjin. He hadn’t even managed to leave a scratch.
“If you keep this up, you’ll have to give up your position the day I come down from the mountain.”
Clang!
Without any emotion, Namgoong tossed the broken sword to the ground.
“Father. I never coveted this position in the first place. Please, take it back.”
Namjin clicked his tongue in disapproval. The chill in the air was so strong, you’d hardly believe they were father and son.
“That’s enough. Coming down from the mountain, my foot. Just make sure you turn the youngest into a proper man by my birthday next year.”
He was talking about Taehoo.
As expected, Namjin was pleased that his grandson had passed his test.
However, the untrained body was still a problem. Namjin immediately pointed this out.
“Yes. I’ll do as you wish.”
Namgoong did not argue with Namjin’s orders. He simply obeyed.
“Hmph, good. I’ll be heading back tomorrow morning. I expect you to show some improvement next year as well.”
That ended the conversation between father and son, and Taehoo, who’d been listening outside, thought to himself.
“Tomorrow morning? What should I do, I don’t intend to wait a year.”
The next day.
Namjin vanished as suddenly as he’d arrived—and Taehoo disappeared along with him.
“Where did he go?”
That was Jiho’s thought as he sat down to breakfast.
While Jiho was looking for Taehoo,
Taehoo was wandering through the forest, trailing after Namjin.
[Times like this make me really glad I retained memories of my past life.]
It was precisely because of those memories that he knew where Namjin was headed and could follow him.
‘Even so, my connection with forests is ridiculously strong.’
In his previous life, he’d wandered through forests just like this, and now, right after his regression, he was doing it again.
‘Thanks to that experience, I can follow blindly like this without much trouble.’
Taehoo gripped the sword he’d brought from his clan. He watched the thick undergrowth for a moment, then swung his sword in a short arc.
The softer stalks were sliced cleanly by the blade.
He slowly stepped forward.
‘I never thought I’d be playing hide-and-seek like this again.’
[Man, I bet the forest I used to hide in looked just like this.]
And now, he was doing it together with the very person who’d made him play hide-and-seek in his past life. He never would have dreamed it.
[Isn’t coming back to life after dying even more like a dream?]
Well, that was true.
‘Haa, but this is seriously exhausting.’
Even with years of experience helping him find the easiest paths, this was still fundamentally a jungle.
No matter how easy the route, it was still a tiring journey.
And here he was, hacking through it with a sword half his size, in a body that hadn’t even been trained yet. It was anything but easy.
[Hey, don’t you have that sword talent or whatever, that Constellation-level ability? Why aren’t you using it?]
After crashing through the brush for several hours, Ba’al spoke up in a tone as if he were picking his nose.
‘Huh?’
Taehoo’s face looked as if he’d just been smacked on the back of the head.
He still didn’t quite feel like a Hunter, so the thought hadn’t even occurred to him.
‘But how do I use it?’
Naturally, Taehoo didn’t know how.
This was one reason why the Sword God’s abilities were considered special.
Most Hunters, upon Awakening, intuitively understood how to use their Skills. But the Sword God’s abilities had to be mastered entirely on one’s own.
That’s why the ways to sense Mana and create Aura varied so widely.
It was also why Taehoo was so obsessed with finding a proper Master.
Just as a great blacksmith is needed to forge a high-quality sword, the Sword God’s abilities required careful tempering—and thus, a great Master.
It was truly a Skill where effort was everything.
So even if he thought about using Mana, there wasn’t a clear solution.
‘Anyway, now’s not the time to worry about this.’
No matter how much you pine for a pie in the sky, it won’t fall into your hands.
Taehoo tightened his grip on the sword.
He was about to thrust it into the undergrowth again when—
[I can help you with that, you know?]
A voice he couldn’t ignore rang out.
‘How?’
[I’ve got a pretty good idea about those kinds of Skills.]
Ba’al sounded as if Taehoo should just trust him.
Should I really trust this guy?
A flicker of doubt passed through Taehoo’s mind, but he had nothing to lose.
‘Either way, if I want to enter the place I hid in during my past life, I’ll need some tricks.’
With that, he decided to listen to Ba’al.
[Hold the sword upright and close your eyes.]
He stood in front of the thicket he’d meant to cut and closed his eyes.
[Now, breathe in… exhale. I can’t see your post-Awakening stats in detail, but there’s definitely Mana in your body. Focus and try to sense it.]
Ba’al’s flippant tone was annoying, but Taehoo followed his instructions and calmed his breath.
The instructions transmitted directly into his mind were vivid, as if he were breathing himself.
Thanks to that, it wasn’t hard to get a feel for it.
With each inhale, he sensed something foreign entering his body. Soon, he realized it was Mana.
As he chased that sensation, he found the flow within himself.
‘This is Mana…’
[That’s it! That’s what I’m talking about! At least this much, come on…]
He could feel it. Mana began circulating through his body like blood.
[The Sword God’s Skill ‘Infinite Sword Talent’ is activating!]
The more he focused, the more Ba’al’s voice receded.
For the first time since his Awakening, a message announcing Skill activation appeared before his mind’s eye.
[Picture the image of tempering a sword…]
Ba’al’s voice filtered through intermittently, only when necessary.
‘The image of tempering…’
Taehoo pictured Mana striking his sword.
[The Sword God’s Skill ‘Aura’s Blessing’ is activating!]
[Proficiency is rising rapidly thanks to the Advice of the First Demon!]
Even with his eyes closed, Taehoo could feel the positive flow from the messages.
[Aura strength increases by 3%!]
[Aura lethality increases by 3%!]
[Ba’al’s power is infused into your Aura!]
[Skill is evolving!]
‘What?’
A string of incomprehensible messages followed.
[The effect of the Title ‘Coexistence of Good and Evil (Temporary)’ activates intermittently!]
[Skill ‘Black and White Aura’ is being created!]
‘Being created?’
Instead of acquiring a Skill, one was being created? It literally meant Taehoo was forging a new Skill.
[Black and White Aura]
-Origin: Sword God, Ba’al
-Description: A Skill created by the Title ‘Coexistence of Good and Evil (Temporary)’! Your Aura is infused with the power of two Constellations! The two opposing forces combine to grant even greater strength. Aura’s physical attack power increases by 5%!
Taehoo checked the Skill.
At the same time—
Kaaaang!
With a resounding sound, black and white Aura, split down the middle, erupted from his sword.
‘What is this?’
His concentration wavered for a moment.
[Ignore the messages! Close the Skill Window! Focus on what you’re doing!]
Ba’al barked sharply.
Snapped back to reality, Taehoo heard Ba’al’s voice clearly.
Thankfully, his breathing hadn’t faltered too much, and he managed to regain his focus. He pushed aside all distractions and concentrated once more.
[You’ve got the Aura creation part down now.]
Even at this level, it wouldn’t be hard to cut through the forest as he moved forward.
Just touching the plants’ stems with his Aura-clad sword would slice through them like tofu.
But Ba’al wasn’t about to stop there.
He read Taehoo’s mind and quickly checked the Skill as well.
Ba’al could sense that, one way or another, his vassal was drawing close to something special.
Such moments don’t come often. When opportunity knocks, you have to seize it.
[Now, try to sense the Mana outside your body, not just inside. Find the direction you need to go. You’ll see it, I promise.]
Taehoo steadied his breathing completely.
He reached out with his senses, feeling the Mana spread around him instead of inside his body. His range of perception expanded.
How long did he stand there like that?
From where he stood, Taehoo could sense Mana gathering far up in the highlands.
[Just as I thought. You’ve got the sense. That’s right, head that way.]
With his eyes still closed, Taehoo took a step forward.
The sword, coiled in black and white Aura, traced lines through the air—painting a picture.
The trajectory was graceful, then wild, then suddenly bounced with energy.
As if nothing was predetermined, his sword moved freely.
He cut through the undergrowth, felled trees, and sliced through the cold winter air.
At this moment, nothing could block Taehoo’s path.
With each breath, he felt no fatigue.
Ba’al watched Taehoo’s progress.
[You… you’re something else!]
All he’d done was teach him a basic breathing method. Just how to sense things.
Yet, with that tiny bit of instruction, Taehoo was forging his own path.
[I can’t understand how someone with this kind of talent could have wasted away in his past life.]
Ba’al didn’t realize that Taehoo’s gift was a product of a life spent constantly on edge, always struggling, always pushing his senses to the limit.
As the First Demon, Ba’al had been born with everything, and could never relate to what it took to earn such things.
[This is an unprecedented talent.]
That’s how Ba’al understood Taehoo—he called it “talent” and left it at that.
But that wasn’t the whole story.
Taehoo had clawed his way through life, having lost even the protection of his family.
He’d lived like a dog, working harder than anyone because he didn’t want to die.
The Sword God’s singularity wasn’t about talent—it was about an ability that required effort.
The Constellation granted great rewards to those who trained and worked harder than anyone else.
Truly, it was a Skill where effort was everything.
It had become the perfect fit for Taehoo, who had struggled for decades.
[Title ‘Effort Devoted to Life’ is granted!]
[Level Up!]
All those years of endurance were being rewarded now.
Taehoo was already in a trance, cutting his way through the forest.
[You have entered the Special State ‘Trance’!]
[‘Sword God’ is watching your state with satisfaction!]
[Stat increase rate is boosted due to the Trance effect!]
How many times did he swing his sword?
[Your Strength has increased by +1!]
[Your Agility has increased by +1!]
[Your Mana has increased by +1!]
Stat increase messages continued, a benefit of Trance.
But, like a midsummer night’s dream, it all shattered in an instant.
Because of none other than a third party.
“So you’re the one wrecking someone else’s property…”
Bang!
A massive presence swooped in and slammed Taehoo’s head down.
[Ah! Right when things were getting good, dammit!]
Ba’al lamented inside Taehoo’s mind as his head was slammed into the ground.
Taehoo was unleashing the greatest power of his life, but it wasn’t enough.
He was caught in a grip and couldn’t move.
However,
“So it was my own grandchild. My grandson was tearing up his grandfather’s home.”
The words reached his ears, and even in his trance, Taehoo could tell who had subdued him.
“G-Grandfather?”
Only then did Taehoo snap out of his trance and come to his senses.
“That’s right, your grandfather. Judging by your state, you don’t even know what you’ve done, do you?”
Namjin looked at Taehoo, whose expression was like someone waking from a long sleep.
“You ridiculous brat.”
He was so dumbfounded that he didn’t even bother to ask how Taehoo had found this place.
Instead,
Namjin lifted the now-calm Taehoo.
“Now, take a look at what you’ve done to my home.”
Only then did Taehoo see the forest he’d cut down.
Everything the sword had touched was sliced apart. Dozens of meters had been cleared into bare ground.
Here and there, the corpses of beasts caught in the sword’s path could be seen.
Taehoo’s sword had left deep scars all across the forest.
Why did you come looking for me? If you can’t answer properly, you’ll have to pay for turning this place into a mess—
That was the implied threat in Namjin’s intimidating voice. Taehoo’s own voice squeezed out like water wrung from a dry rag.
“I came to ask you to be my Master.”
It was a strained sound, but he spoke clearly.
And with that, Taehoo fainted.
“Kuha, kuhahat!”
Namjin laughed heartily, wondering how he’d explain this amusing incident to his son.
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