Chapter 145: One Strike Decides

The swords that met each other clashed.

Clang.

There weren’t many clashes. They simply aimed their swords at each other, brushing past the strokes they drew like a master calligrapher drawing a line.

A well-crafted sword dance. A leisurely exchange between two people, yet on one side—

‘Not bad?’

‘…As expected.’

Mutual admiration was embedded within.

The reason why a duel between masters was decided in a single exchange was one.

Because even in a single clash,

the level was divided and victory and defeat were decided.

For the sake of that one decisive moment.

Swoosh—

Without pause, a master’s duel involved unleashing countless sword strikes and swinging to paint the picture each desired.

A master was someone who could paint the move they wanted, the situation they wanted.

A lower-level fighter could only predict at most the next move or two.

‘He’s drawing out about thirty exchanges. Deep.’

A few exchanges, or a few dozen.

A master’s duel involved drawing out the situation even after those moves.

Whoooong—

With a single swing, they painted the situation tens of exchanges later, seeking the desired outcome.

Thus, a master’s single swing was equivalent to drawing dozens of sword edges!

To a lower-level fighter, understanding this situation, or even grasping the sword’s edge itself, was impossible.

That’s why it was deep, and that’s why—

‘I can see how far he’s advanced.’

‘He’s reached this level… Ah…’

Dividing swords, dueling, and sharing life and death entails an understanding of each other.

Swoooosh—

Only by understanding the opponent’s thoughts melted into the swung trajectory—

“But still shallow.”

“=”

—Was it possible to subdue the opponent.

‘Isn’t it inevitable to complete that mutual understanding?’

It wasn’t a long time.

It was the early dawn, when the sun had yet to show its face.

There were no excessive explosions, no murderous sword trajectories. In the silence, the only observer was—

” “

Sian, brightening her eyes and watching intently, determined not to miss a single move.

To call it just a sword dance created by two people—

“Amazing. You reached that point without a moment’s rest, right?”

“Yes. I tried hard not to be ashamed.”

“…It’s truly amazing. So much so I could say it several times.”

A near-perfect, splendid duel quietly came to an end.

The result seemed light, but—

‘…Did he take a step forward?’

A single trajectory remained in the heart of Gajei, who had shared swords with Rayrn.

It was the seemingly light single sword strike that Rayrn had swung.

“I’ll have to put in effort too. I might get caught up at any time.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Heh heh, is that so? Still, your speed is faster than expected.”

“Phew, that’s a welcome thing to hear.”

“That’s because you, Gajei, put in enough effort.”

As if confirming that his choice of Gajei was not wrong, Rayrn’s face showed a gentle, satisfied smile.

“Hoo… Hoo.”

Gajei’s breathing was still rough, but Rayrn, positioned opposite him, was the exact opposite.

There was no sign of strain, no change in his breath.

He was the same as when they started.

Considering his movements from the long journey here, he should have been quite exhausted.

It was by no means an easy duel.

It was a duel with depth.

Gajei’s realm was at least that of an Aura Expert, upper class. Moreover, it was not the Aura Cultivation Method of this world, but one he had risen through with the martial arts personally taught by Rayrn.

He had endlessly sparred with the Iron Fist clan, learning things while teaching them.

He had swung his sword countless times, aiming to break Hoden’s War Sword.

It was a supreme sword that even worked against the knights stationed at this fortress.

‘He swung everything without restraint.’

He scattered such a sword without pause, aiming at Rayrn.

As if understanding Gajei’s heart, which seemed to want to express everything, Rayrn smiled a contented smile and accepted all of Gajei’s swords.

He accepted everything and taught him the expression. So inevitably, a trajectory remained in Gajei’s heart.

‘…That is the path I must advance on.’

It was a trajectory left by the depth of Rayrn’s life and his sword.

It was teaching Gajei the path forward.

But Rayrn’s depth—

“Those who work hard deserve a reward, of course. Sian. And the one behind you, Hoden.”

“Did you think you were hidden?”

“You’ve been there for a while. I’ll show this specially to just you three.”

“It is an honor.”

“I will watch.”

***

He had yet to show even half of it.

The depth of the realm Rayrn possessed was so great that he couldn’t show everything through his duel with Gajei alone.

Rayrn knew his own realm as nearing the peak of absolute transcendence, the Hwagyeong.

But the reality was different.

He was walking a new path by combining magic with Jinbeop, creating new types of magic, and integrating martial arts.

Therefore, comparing him to a general realm was nonsense.

In reality, it was akin to pioneering a new path.

And so—

Shiiiing—

The sword he drew again held a different weight than when he faced Gajei.

Whoong—

The depth he had created was expressed in his sword.

The energy called Aura in this world, and Internal Energy in Murim, erupted like a sprout.

Gooooo—

An energy so vast it filled the enormous space.

“…!”

“Where is that!?”

An energy so immense it could be felt by the wizards working far from the Academy!

Yet the one who created that colossal energy, Rayrn, was—

“Heh heh, watch carefully.”

Maintaining a relaxed expression throughout. And at one moment—

Swoooosh—

He inscribed another vast trajectory.

Deeper than even the trajectory planted in Gajei’s heart.

It was the trajectory of one who pioneered a new path in this world.

A trajectory that forced everyone in Machinery Castle who read those all trajectories and traces of Aura to tremble alone.

Rayrn himself couldn’t know how each would interpret it.

“Ah…”

“…Crazy. That’s possible?”

“Hmm.”

It could end in surprise, or it could become a single guiding trajectory.

Also, some might despair at the perceived gap.

Regardless of which, Rayrn was certain of one thing.

‘They are not the kind to fall into absolute despair. They will take another step forward. No, they might even take several steps.’

It was the conviction that the people he had chosen would surely move forward.

Leaving the three standing dazed, Rayrn sheathed his sword.

‘It might be time to make a true leader for the Iron Fist.’

He was forming a new resolution.

“Uwaaaaah!”

Returning was good. Plenty of people welcomed him immediately.

But the problem was that he was short on bodies.

‘Should I capture a Doppelganger and study it? To increase my bodies? Hmm. That’s actually a good idea.’

It was a useless thought, but he was seriously considering it.

Everything was waiting for Rayrn.

The first thing to run out was the magic items.

The Enchant Magic Tower was trying, but they were still at the level of copying the blueprints Rayrn had left.

‘If I teach them a few methods I acquired this time, the situation will change, though.’

Creating something new that hadn’t existed before, or special order products, could still only be done by Rayrn.

“The stockpile is also depleted.”

“Wasn’t it still plenty? I made quite a bit.”

When he had left for the dungeon,

Rayrn had created several new products to replace the ones he made himself and then departed.

Yet the supply ran out faster than expected.

There was a culprit.

“There were a lot of orders. Especially from the Royal Family, demanding them in the name of a Royal Decree. We had no choice but to hand some over.”

“Damn those royals.”

It was the Royal Family.

Even if not Rayrn himself, the administrative officers running Machinery Castle couldn’t simply ignore a Royal Decree.

Since they were exploiting the Royal Decree, they had no choice but to sell a few.

Still, the administrative officers put what they had learned from Rayrn to very good use.

If hit once, they struck back twice!

Even when selling items, they didn’t just sell them normally.

“And the price?”

“We charged them properly. We gouged them several times over.”

“Pfft, well done.”

“On top of that, we subtly sold them the ones you left aside on purpose. You know, the ones that go boom if you adjust the output a little!”

“Oh, excellent! I’ll reward you handsomely.”

“Heh heh, of course, my lord. I’ll humbly await your generous reward.”

They jacked up the price, and considering that the Malexia Magic Tower would try to research them, they even added a booby trap.

‘As expected, I taught them well.’

The Royal Family had probably experienced a few explosions by now.

If they received Rayrn’s magic items and tried to research them, a careless move would cause an explosion!

And they wouldn’t even be able to complain.

‘As long as they don’t play tricks, nothing will explode.’

They shouldn’t just take other people’s things without permission. Everything comes with a price.

Still, the workload didn’t decrease.

“So, how many items were ordered?”

“First, ten. The urgent ones. He left the order placed before he left.”

“Damn.”

There were quite a few magic items that needed immediate processing.

Unlike the others, which were made like mass-produced goods, the ones Rayrn personally crafted had to be on a different level.

‘Meaning they’re the ones that are hard to make, even if I try to take it easy. Tch.’

Accepting custom orders was a measure to activate commercial activity in Machinery Castle.

Making a few each month was no big deal.

But letting them pile up became a significant task.

“…I’ll get them done within a week.”

“Is that possible?”

“I have a lot of work, so what else can I do? Just wait.”

“Yes!”

It was his own doing, so he had to take responsibility.

‘I need to raise the level of the Enchant Magic Tower wizards quickly. As soon as the work is done, it’s special training starting with Ruan.’

While thinking about something that would make the tower’s people unsure whether to be happy or afraid—

Wooooooong—

Rayrn activated his mana.

To craft the magic items!

“…“

Sssss—

He had washed away the fatigue from his body with Aura, but the spent mana did not return. The mental exhaustion was also considerable.

Rayrn had performed the impressive feat of creating ten magic items in a week, but even during that week, a significant amount of work had piled up.

However, Rayrn used that stress on—

“Next!”

“Second class of the Academy, Hosanna, reporting.”

“That’s a peculiar name. Your weapon is a sword?”

“Yes!”

“Then this will be even faster.”

Schiiing—

—dealing with the Academy students.

If he normally used 1 unit of his power, now he was using about 2. In other words, mercilessly.

Thump.

“Ugh.”

Meaning he swung his sword.

“Weak upper body. Keep your center stable. Your Aura is a bit better, though. And here and here.”

Poke. Prod.

“Guh. Ugh.”

While jabbing at the weak points—

“Focus on your training. If you keep using cheap tricks like that, you’ll lose your depth.”

“Kuh… I will keep that in mind.”

He pointed it out directly, without sugarcoating.

It was a teaching from a master like Rayrn. Even a single session like this would inevitably bring a significant boost in skill.

-…He’s scary.

-He seems more violent than before.

-Phew, let’s not relax. Stay alert.

Even if their skills improved, thinking about the pain involved, they couldn’t help but tremble.

“Next!”

“Guh.”

“Next!”

Rayrn conducted the lessons ruthlessly.

Furthermore, while accepting the next batch of Academy cadets, he didn’t forget to—

“Gajei, let’s try learning something new this time.”

“Yes!”

—impart teachings to those who were practically his close confidants.

‘…What’s next after this?’

Rayrn was moving to settle all the tasks at hand.

However, a different scheme was waiting for him.

“Heh heh…”