Chapter 11 – Qualities of a Martial God (4)

Chapter 11 – Qualities of a Martial God (4)

Today, the infantry training ground was heating up.

About a hundred new soldiers belonging to the Sword Infantry were gathered together to form a circle. This was because it was the day to select captains from twenty-five groups.

Through thorough sparring, the strongest becomes the leader. The rule was that you win if your sparring sword touches the opponent's body. The cheers and shouted from each group echoed here and there.

Surprisingly, the speed of progress in sparring was the fastest in the Sixteen Dynasties. This was because the skills of So-mu, Il-gwang, and Cheong-hae were outstanding.

Recruits who met them lost their will from the beginning. Most of them end up collapsing in a matter of days. Before we knew it, only three people were left.

Il-gwang and Cheong-hae stood facing each other in the middle of the training ground, each clutching their weapons and glaring at each other. Whoever won among them will face So-mu.

“Brother Il-gwang, cheer up!”

“You have to ask! You have to win!”

Usually, you cheer on the person who defeated you. But it ended up hurting Il-gwang's heart. He expected everyone to support him.

Il-gwang frowned grimly and glanced at the new recruits.

“The guys who just invited and cheered, they’ll be gone later! I made sure to check it out!”

But the soldiers did not stop. Contrary to his harsh words, he never once harmed others.

“If you ask, you can do it!”

“Cheer up, you have to ask!”

Just as Ilkwang was about to shout again, Cheong-hae's attack began first.

“You can’t let down your guard!”

As Cheong-hae's sword shot towards Il-gwang's chest, the embarrassed Il-gwang instinctively laid his upper body back. I saw the sword of Cheong-hae passing over my chest.

Wow!

"this guy!"

Il-gwang quickly flipped his upper body once, lowered his stance and attacked Cheong-hae's legs. However, as if he had already anticipated his reaction, Cheong-hae's new model hit the ground. Cheong-hae's attack, throwing his sword in the air three times, was sharp and fast.

Everyone expected that Il-gwang would not be able to block this attack. However, his instinctive fighting sense made him reflexively go on defense. Il-gwang's talent was that his body reacts faster than he thought. This was his quality that So-mu valued most.

Kang-! Cancan!

Il-gwang barely blocks it and took a step back. Cheong-hae's onslaught against him continued.

Everyone was impressed by Cheong-hae's ability to make three or four attacked in one breath. But what was even more surprising was the movement of Il-gwang. It was amazing to see the huge body move like a flying squirrel. Il-gwang's movements, with his entire body's blood vessels irritated, were faster than those of most martial arts people.

Kang-! Kakakang-!

With the training swords clashing non-stop, Il-gwang finally got his chance.

The Il-gwang's counterattack began. His sword was aimed at Cheong-hae's left shoulder and chest at the same time.

Cheong-hae, who was calmly twisting his upper body to make an evasive move, narrowed his eyebrows. This was because the sword of Il-gwang suddenly changed direction and the attack point changed to the right. For the first time, admiration appeared on So-mu’s face.

'her. ‘It’s quite an anomalous attack, isn’t it?’

Cheong-hae never imagined that Il-gwang would make an anomalous attack. There was no way to strike the sword. There was no way. Cheong-hae's new model rolled on the floor ungainly.

An expression of conversion appeared on Il-gwang’s face. I couldn't miss this opportunity.

‘You guy, don’t blame me!’

The sword of Il-gwang quickly approached and was hurled one after another towards Cheong-hae, who was trying to stand up.

Deep! Deep! Deep!

As Il-gwang's sword pierced the ground like catching a mole, Cheong-hae had to squeeze through the gap and keep rolling. It was the evasion movement of Nareotagon , which was considered the most humiliating move by the martial arts people. Cheong-hae was in mixed feelings as this continued to unfold.

After rolling around for a while, Cheong-hae managed to correct his posture and pulled out his secret trick. Cheong-hae's sword, moving quickly, cut Il-gwang's waist horizontally. And as he expected, Il-gwang used all his strength to strike down Cheong-hae's sword.

At that moment, a seemingly invisible smile appeared on So-mu’s face.

‘I got caught up in a trap.’

Kaan-!

The moment the swords collided, Cheong-hae used the repulsion force to quickly rotate in the opposite direction. His eyes saw a perfectly empty side of Il-gwang. There was no way to block the Il-gwang anymore. Cheong-hae's sparring sword struck Il-gwang's side, emitting a dull noise.

Wow!

“Ugh!”

Because it was a sparring sword without an edge, there were no injuries, but pain in the side was inevitable. Il-gwang grabbed his side with his left hand and threw away his sparring sword.

“Oh, such a despicable bastard. There will be no next time.”

This was the first time for Il-gwang to experience loss and loss. With his experience now, he would never fall for the same trick again. When Il-gwang meekly admitted defeat and retreated, the new soldiers comforted him.

“Brother Il-gwang was great too!”

“It was such a shame. We could have won!”

Il-gwang glared at the new soldiers as if his anger never went away.

“It’s already too late. Everyone, get ready to roll.”

The dazzling brilliance of the sun shone brightly on the Il-gwang baldness. The recruits could barely suppress their laughter at the sight of Il-gwang with his shoulders slumped. This was because I thought that if I burst out laughing here, I might actually get beaten up.

Il-gwang, who returned to his seat, tapped So-mu on the shoulder and said.

“The only one I can trust is you, So-mu. If they lose even you, how easy will these things be for us from now on?”

Among the sixteen new recruits, So-mu and Il-gwang were the only ones over the age of thirty.

This was Sunlight, who has grown up in the back alley ecosystem since he was a child. I could never tolerate anything that seemed easy. Since he was defeated, So-mu had to win.

So-mu, who was keenly aware of his feelings, suppressed laughter and quietly let out a word.

“Leave it to me.”

As So-mu walked in front of Cheong-hae, the recruits began to cheer. Their voices were louder than ever.

“Brother So-mu has finally arrived!”

“Wow!”

“Brother, you must win!”

Strangely, there was not a single new recruit cheering for Cheong-hae.

It's never because I hate him. Who was the person who guided their sword training with his natural talent? So-mu was like a teacher in their hearts. Deep down, everyone was desperately hoping that he would become the team leader.

And no one doubted So-mu’s victory. Everyone has been watching him swing his sword at the training ground. His movements and swordsmanship were becoming faster and fiercer with each passing day.

The recruits never noticed. It was So-mu's intention to naturally expose his power little by little. Because we cannot know what kind of danger will come in the future, we have made our own arrangements.

So-mu silently picked up the sword that Il-gwang had thrown from the floor. Cheong-hae, who had already completed the initiation ceremony for the Heavenly Martial Sword Technique, silently glared at So-mu. So-mu was just lowering the tip of the sword he was holding with his right hand to the ground.

‘It would be good to make the hierarchical relationship clear.’

So-mu's quiet eyes gazed at Cheong-hae.

“Come.”

Cheong-hae thought he wasn't ready yet. This was because there was no action. However, it was impossible to just wait.

“I’m going.”

Cheong-hae pulled the sword over his right shoulder. He finally launched his attack.

Cheong-hae quickly approached and thrust his sword between So-mu's eyes. The tip of the sword as it cut through the air seemed as if there was life in it. It was One Sword Limitless , this form of Heavenly Martial Sword Technique.

Cheong-hae was giving its all from the beginning. Since the battle with Il-gwang consumed his stamina, he was trying to finish it quickly.

The new recruits were impressed by the perfect Cheong-hae movements. At the same time, he looked at So-mu with concern. This was because he did not make any evasive moved, let alone defend himself. So-mu was just shaking his head to the right.

Paang-!

The tip of Cheong-hae's sword passed by his face just an inch away, blowing out a cool breeze.

Just as the new soldiers were heaving a sigh of relief, Cheong-hae quickly retrieved his sword and attempted to attack again. But So-mu no longer existed in front of him.

He didn't use any martial arts. I only moved one step. However, that one step allowed us to occupy the side of Cheong-hae.

‘This was ridiculous… … .’

Cheong-hae had the illusion that the entire space where he was standing was being dominated by So-mu. It was an incomprehensible situation.

When So-mu twisted his wrist, the wide sword surface was revealed, bathed in sunlight. Soon after, it gently struck Cheong-hae's side, revealing a loophole.

Wow!

A dull shock was delivered to Cheong-hae, but he did not even groan. This was because the mental shock was greater than the pain in my side.

No matter how much his opponent had natural martial skills, he never expected that he would be defeated so vainly. While the new recruits cheered, Cheong-hae asked in a voice filled with self-destruction.

“How did you do it?”

"what?"

Cheong-hae couldn't think of what to reply. It was not that he displayed great swordsmanship, nor did he use flashy footwork. All I had to do was simply dodge and hit. So, I cannot understand the current situation.

“Why did I lose?”

“Because I’m stronger.”

“So how…”

“How do I explain that I am stronger than you?”

"phew……."

So-mu's eyes turned to Cheong-hae, who was heartbroken. If I left this guy like this, I was afraid I would fall into self-destruction again. However, I can't just talk about it. So-mu, with a sly expression on his face, looked up at the sky and muttered.

“Whenever I feel confused, the best thing is to listen to poetry. There is a poem that suddenly comes to mind. Would you like to listen to it?”

Cheong-hae nodded silently. This was because last time, I accidentally came to enlightenment while listening to a poem he recited. When I listened to So-mu's poetry, my mind strangely became clearer.

“Where is my space? How far is my space, and how far is your space?

If I take away your space, where will you be left to stand?

“If all of these places were my space, then what space was there that I can’t go to?”

So-mu looked sideways and secretly examined Cheong-hae. He appeared to be thinking deeply about something with a serious expression on his face.

‘He’s a smart guy, so he’ll understand soon. If you can’t protect your space, it’s already a lost battle.’

The sparring of the sixteen ancestors has ended.

Leaving Cheong-hae motionless, the new soldiers dispersed to watch the sparring of other groups. However, nowhere else could one feel the same level of tension as the Sixteenth Temple.

After one more boring time, the sparring ended. And twenty-five leaders elected from each group. Red badges symbolizing honor were hung on their shoulders.