Chapter 20: Seventy-Four Swings
Chapter 20: Seventy-Four Swings
With my widened eyes filled with disbelief, the old man chuckled and spoke with a proud smile.
"How was it, Princess? Was it a good strike?"
He looked pleased, even though I felt resentful inside.
I truly believed he had used a mid-tier sword strike.
Still, I calmed myself and responded with shock, wearing the same expression of amazement and disbelief a girl might show when deeply impressed.
"Yeah... it was amazing."
"Right, but I can tell you're not convinced it was really a low-level sword strike, are you?"
"Um!"
"Well, I understand your reaction. Many people have misunderstood my technique because of this. You don't have to be so considerate, Princess."
I wasn't being considerate at all. I was genuinely angry that he had deceived me.
That was what I truly thought, but I waited.
I wouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly. I was still clueless about swordmasters and swordsmanship in general.
I wasn’t born with it, after all.
So all I could do now was pretend to be confused and wait for him to explain.
He cleared his throat.
"Cough... cough... Let me explain why my strike looked so advanced and flawless. You're probably confused and thought it was profound, but in reality, it's not all that special."
"Eh? Why?"
As if expecting my confused expression, he continued.
"Well, simply put, because of the vast difference in our power levels, even if I use my weakest skill, it will naturally appear unpredictable, lethal, and unreadable to your eyes."
"Wow! Really?"
"Yes."
So that was why I couldn't properly follow his movement or his strike. For some reason, it all looked too fast, too sharp.
The real issue was the unbreakable rule of power gaps. The difference in our realms made his skill impossible to comprehend.
If that was truly the case, then the thought was terrifying.
If I fought him in my current realm, it would be useless.
It would be like an ant trying to take down an elephant.
No matter what I did, I could never defeat him right now.
Was that what he meant?
Even if my superior path was more powerful and advanced than theirs, I still couldn't touch him because my realm was too low. I was only at the half-step of the first stage in the Primordial Path.
It made sense that I couldn't bridge the gap between the two. No matter how strong my path was, it would be meaningless unless I reached several major realms above.
Only then could I possibly contend with him.
But even that idea felt so far away it was almost unreachable.
And if that really was the case, observing and copying his low-level skills would be nearly impossible. It was like an elementary student trying to cheat in a university-level exam.
The only way I might copy it was if he deliberately revealed the technique to me.
In simpler terms, I needed the old man to repeat the skill slowly, breaking it down so that my eyes could properly follow and capture everything.
I could try asking, but doing it without reason might be embarrassing. He might even get offended without a proper excuse. Thankfully, I had one.
"Umm, old man, can you slow it down and repeat the strike a bit?"
"Hmm."
As expected, his expression looked displeased, but he responded calmly.
"Why?"
"Um... it's because I want to study it properly and understand its essence. I almost caught it midway, but once you reached mid-motion, your blade rotation sped up. It felt like you triggered a spatial flaw, making the movement unstable and impossible to follow with the naked eye. That's why I want to see it in a more human pace. I'm really curious about what caused it."
I hesitated on purpose, pretending to be a little shy.
I closed my eyes and twirled a lock of my hair, then spoke faster, as if embarrassed while begging.
Through my narrowed gaze, I saw his face soften.
He smiled.
He looked impressed.
He seemed amazed by how observant I was. I had seen this reaction before. Back when I first joined the company, the manager had worn the same expression.
As expected, this kind of move worked well.
"Princess, you really do have sharp observation. In my younger days, very few could notice that level of detail in a single swing. As expected of His Highness’s bloodline. You’re truly different."
He nodded in approval. He looked satisfied. I was glad it worked, though I hadn't expected him to take it in this direction. Human emotions really are unpredictable.
If you're not careful, things can go wrong quickly. Thankfully, his train of thought was easy enough to follow.
I pretended to be shy at his praise, scratching my head as I replied in an embarrassed tone.
"Um... I’m not really that good, hehe."
"You’re too modest, Princess."
I didn’t answer. I simply smiled bashfully and waited for his response.
"Well, I’m in a good mood right now, so I’ll do as the Princess wishes."
"Really?"
"Yes. I will demonstrate all of my low-level skills again, equivalent to a third-rank sword skill, but this time with slower movements so you will not have any trouble studying them."
Hearing that, I finally smiled, unable to hide the excitement in my voice.
"Thank you, old man. Please, show me. I really want to see it."
"Alright."
He stepped over to the next training dummy, the one beside the target he had previously sliced clean in half.
His steps were unsteady, his body once again trembling with age.
For a moment, I doubted whether he had truly made that flawless cut.
But the moment his hand wrapped around the sword, he changed completely.
The weakness vanished. In his grip, the blade turned him into something else entirely.
He no longer seemed like an old man.
He felt like a living force.
It would have been foolish to underestimate him now.
I watched carefully as he adjusted the dummy and then returned to his position.
His expression remained calm and sure. He lifted the wooden blade with steady hands and took the same stance as before, preparing to strike.
The air around him felt tighter, like the space itself was holding its breath.
I swallowed hard. This was my chance. I had to absorb every single detail.
He closed his eyes. Then, with one hand, he swung the sword in a plain, almost casual arc.
The speed was nothing special. It looked like the swing of an ordinary man.
Yet the effect was terrifying.
The dummy split cleanly in two, as if the blade had cut through space and time itself.
The motion had a delay, like the strike had landed before the mind could even register it.
The impact came after the swing, as if reality had just caught up.
This time, my divine eyes captured it perfectly.
Ding
⚔️
【YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED A LOW-TIER SWORD SKILL: TRUE STRIKE】
So it really was a low-tier skill, the same level as a third-rank sword technique.
I had suspected as much, and now the system confirmed it.
The old man hadn’t lied.
It was just a clean, simple sword swing.
When my divine eyes copied a skill, it also unveiled its entire essence.
And now, I understood exactly what gave the strike its power.
It was never about complexity.
What made it powerful was how completely the wielder poured themselves into it.
In that single moment, all of their strength, will, focus, and belief were condensed into one clean motion.
There was no magic.
It was raw conviction, shaped into something deadly.
Their sword energy wasn’t born from technique, but from the deep resonance of soul and intent.
That force clung to the blade like a second edge, born from flawed humanity and perfected through sheer determination.
It wasn’t just a skill. It was a reflection of who they were.
This world’s rules fascinated me. I never imagined that sheer willpower could create an energy so real, so destructive, without any external catalyst.
Could I do the same?
Maybe.
But not yet.
To wield that kind of force, I would need a body capable of enduring the pressure.
Without the proper strength, attempting it could tear me apart.
Even the smallest mistake might prove fatal.
That explained the heavy builds of the knights I saw earlier.
Their bodies had been molded through discipline and pain to handle this sword energy.
The Sword God who created this path must have been a true visionary. Her method was powerful but dangerously unstable.
The deeper you went, the greater the risk.
I couldn’t imagine the kind of suffering she must have faced to reach the ninth realm of the sword path.
Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.
This wasn’t my path. It was filled with torment, emotional scars, and endless demands on both body and spirit.
Thankfully, I chose the Primordial Path. I could use it when I needed to, without burdening myself with something so grueling.
All I had to do was copy as many sword skills as possible.
My path valued adaptability.
The more techniques I gathered, the better I could prepare for whatever lay ahead.
Smiling, I turned to the old man. He was watching me, clearly waiting to see if I had learned anything.
I had, and before he could ask, I spoke.
"Um... old man, can you show me the next sword skill? I already understood the one you just demonstrated. Please, show me more."
My voice brimmed with anticipation. But instead of replying immediately, the old man stared at me in surprise.
His hands trembled slightly, and his eyes widened.
"That’s impressive, Princess. That was one of my ordinary sword strikes, yes, but it is also one of my original skills. I developed it while studying the Sword God Monuments. I didn’t expect you to grasp it so quickly. Truly impressive."
His praise finally made sense.
If True Strike had been born from the Sword God Monuments, then it was no wonder I understood it so clearly.
My divine eyes didn’t just copy form. It captured essence.
I had lucked into something far more valuable than I realized.
I clenched my fists in excitement and nodded with energy.
"Then please, old man, let me see the next sword skill. I want to learn as much as I can."
"As you wish, dear Princess."
Without another word, he lifted his wooden sword again and began performing one technique after another.
Each move stayed within the range of natural human motion, making it easy for me to track and memorize.
Two hours slipped by like a dream.
One system notification followed another, each skill falling into place within my memory.
Eventually, the old man collapsed into a chair inside the warehouse, exhausted.
I didn’t stop him. I had already gained more than I expected.
DING
⚔️ 【YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED A LOW-TIER SWORD SKILL: ARC SLASH】
⚔️ 【YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED A LOW-TIER SWORD SKILL: PIERCING THRUST】
⚔️ 【YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED A LOW-TIER SWORD SKILL: IRON GUARD】
⚔️ 【YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED A LOW-TIER SWORD SKILL: QUICKSTEP SLASH】
⚔️ 【YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED A LOW-TIER SWORD SKILL: RISING EDGE】
...and many more.
I had copied over seventy-four sword skills in total, far exceeding my expectations.
Fifty-nine were offensive, while fifteen were defensive.
That ratio felt natural. In the chaos of battle, attack would always outnumber defense.
At first, I had planned to copy only ten. But today, luck was clearly on my side.
With this many skills, I would be on par with a third-rank sword practitioner in both offense and defense.
Even if I could not defeat my opponent, the same would hold true for them, meaning they could not defeat me either.
Grinning with satisfaction at that thought, I looked up at the sky.
By the sun’s heat, it had to be close to midday. There were no clocks in this world, but my instincts were sharp.
And I could not afford to miss another meal.
I was pregnant. I had to take care of my body, more than ever now.
As much as I enjoyed stealing sword skills from this old man, my health came first.
I decided to head back and return tomorrow. I had already gained more than enough, but more knowledge would only make me stronger.
With a full heart and a mind buzzing with new ideas, I turned away from the training field.
My steps felt lighter.
My excitement grew with every pace.
Tomorrow would come soon.
And I would be ready to learn again.
•••
