System vs Rebirth

Chapter 224 Swordsmanship Training

”Donʼt be impressed yet. You can imagine her clearly and do it better because youʼre inside your consciousness thanks to my help. If you go out right now, I doubt you can do it. For now, I want you to use those twenty chances to get used to it and continue practicing it outside.”

”But is this truly Ardagan Swordsmanship?”

”Yes, it is. Ardagan is a living spirit, so heʼs matching your own body since all humans are different. Depending on your situation, Ardagan Swordsmanship will adjust itself and create a form that matches completely your body and movement. In other words, you can pursue your own swordsmanship and that Imaginary Battlefield will be your first step.”

”My own swordsmanship… Now that I think about it, when I tried to awaken my spirit, I had to ask myself a question… What is my goal? Is it truly a revenge? If my goal is a revenge, then Iʼll be empty or even kill myself after achieving it. So, my goal is not revenge.” Noel looked at his sword. ”Then, what is actually the goal of my swordsmanship…”

Noel fell silent in an instant as if he came to a realization. Even the Sword Saint who observed him this whole time was stunned.

ʼIs this guy for real?ʼ The Sword Saint couldnʼt help but recall the memory when he was traveling with Simeon and his sister.

Simeon was swinging his sword as always and he couldnʼt help but ask, ”Simeon. Isnʼt it time for you to stop swinging? Itʼs so late already.”

Simeon glanced to him and chuckled. ”Haha, a bit more. I havenʼt reached my goal yet.”

”Goal?”

”Yes. To accomplish a big goal, I have to create a small goal every day. Unlike you, who pursues a pure swordsmanship, my sword will swing for my own goal.” Simeon smiled.

”Goal, huh…” The Sword Saint muttered in a low voice. Suddenly, Simeon swung the sword three times. The first swing was a downward swing with killing intent and Spiritual Energy, the second swing was formed after him taking a step back as if he was moving to someone and protecting him, the last swing was a diagonal one that was similar to the first swing, killing the second attacker. ”Huh?”

However, Simeon suddenly dropped to the ground while pressing his chest.

”Kh.” Simeon gritted his teeth.

”Oi! Are you alright?”

”Y-yeah.” Simeon took a few deep breaths to calm him down. ”I didnʼt expect that… To think the person I saved actually stab me on the back. If I have to swing my sword, I have to consider everything. Thatʼs why my sword exists… No, this is the identity of my sword.”

The Sword Saint closed his eyes, never expecting that the sword Simeon talked about was his true Swordsmanship.

And the Sword Saint could actually feel it again right before his eyes.

When Noel swung his sword, there was a trace of anger and killing intent in that swing. It was so small that normal people wouldnʼt feel it, but he, who mastered the soul, could sense it easily.

ʼHuh? This is like Simeonʼs… No, itʼs different.ʼ The Sword Saint thought for a moment before asking Noel. ”Kid! What is your goal? No, tell me why did you bring that lass when she actually asked her father to execute your family?”

Noel was baffled by his question but still answered. ”I simply donʼt want to owe her anything. She was the one prompting your tombʼs existence, so it would be unfair to her if she couldnʼt go in because this was related to my family.”

”Even though she killed your parents? Well, I mean, theyʼre not dead, but before coming here, you believed theyʼre dead.”

Noel shook his head. ”When I thought about revenge as my goal, I realized that it wasnʼt the goal because…”

Noel fell silent, making the Sword Saint curious. He couldnʼt help but continue Noelʼs words. ”Because you will feel empty?”

”No. Because I feel like Iʼm free. Iʼm free from my hatred, Iʼm free from my revenge, Iʼm free to choose whatever I want from that point on.” Noel smiled.

”!!!” The Sword Saint widened his eyes in shock. ”So, the reason you brought her…”

”Yes. I donʼt want to owe her anything. If you owe someone, youʼll feel restrained, right? As if you have to repay them. Itʼs different if you make others owe you, youʼll be free to do whatever you want because they owe you. Thatʼs why I donʼt want to owe anyone.” Noel smiled.

His explanation couldnʼt help but put a smile on the Sword Saintʼs face. He was indeed different from the Ardagan he knew, but Noel seemed to have his own path. Although it was still something vague in his head, Noel would surely bring that path alive.

The Sword Saint said, ”Interesting. If thatʼs the case, Iʼm allowing you to swing thirty times for this first phase. Iʼll continue to the second phase after youʼre done.”

”Second phase?”

”Yes. This Imaginary Battlefield is just one level for your Ardagan Swordsmanship. The other one is a bit different. I donʼt know if youʼre aware of it, but Ardagan Swordsmanship is split into three. The first one is just basic swordsmanship while the second part is filled with Spiritual Energy usage. Iʼm trying to give you another Spiritual Energy utilization for Ardagan Swordsmanship.

”Itʼs called Spirit Weaponry. Do you know why there are no runes embedded in Ardagan while my sword has several of them? The answer is simple. Ardagan is already perfect.

”So, I will teach you this Spirit Weaponry that allows you to slash the Spiritual Energy itself. In other words, whether your enemy use lightning, fire, or water, you just have to swing your sword to cut them. Ardagan is the only one that can do this and itʼs also the reason why your ancestor never put a rune in that sword.”

”Spirit Weaponry.” Noel thought this was indeed something he needed. ”Certainly, if there is lightning coming at me, I usually dodge it or block it with my own. If I have this, I might be able to do something more.”

”For now, continue with that swing. After youʼre done, weʼll move to the second phase.”

”Understood.”