chapter 17

‘It must have been a week at most…… ‘

A sliver-haired old woman.

No, Cheonma looked at Yoon-Seok with a complex expression. Yoon-Seok at that time became surprisingly emaciated to a degree. There was no other choice.

The waiting room whereas to heal the body and the amphitheatre is different. This place where hunger and thirst can be felt and overlapped exhaustion can happen.

Yoon Seok, however, did not sleep and was immersed in training, except for the occasional faint spell. It had already been a week.

‘It is astounding, astounding!’ Who could have predicted that?

Yoon Seok who had the mental power for two weeks abstained from all food and water and still had the mental strength to wield a sword. But there is something else that is also really surprising. That admirable malice, its tenacity.

But…. ‘Now you see that level of malice was nothing! ‘ Brilliantly, blossomed blinding talent.

when watching my rapid growth, even Cheonma was amazed. ‘You said, you first caught a sword here, right? ‘ When she first heard the words, she thought the child was lying to brag about himself. Even from the perspective of Cheonma, who grew up listening to the words of geniuses, Yoon Seok’s basic skills could not be formed in a day or two. After seeing Yoon-Seok growth with her own eyes in real-time, she realized what was previously said was true.

‘even though you’re not the same, you possess excellent unmanned talent compared to any other kid. ‘ It’s simply about talent, not just talking about perseverance.

Facing a military stance, the desire, a curious mind, and the nature of truly enjoying the achievements is indicated by sweat.

‘If I hadn’t met you here, I would have brought you in as a disciple….. ’

Cheng!

Just in time blocking Yoon-Seok’s sword that flew, Cheonma awoke from her thoughts.

Unlike the previous day, the momentum was heavy.

“you have already accomplished another achievement, breaking the composure of this master!”

Cheonma did not hide her expression of admiration but… Yoon-Seok was just silent. As he always did before, he moved his sword continuously. Right now, Yoon-Seok was like a beast wielding a sword.

“Haha! Here, take this, too! “

Cheonma also now sparred with Yoon Seok and did not point out the lack of intellect or give advice. There was no reason to do so. Yoon Seok had already become a warrior, and there is no need for long conversations between two warriors. When there was a part needed to be fixed, Cheonma spoke with her sword, which was enough. Just by exchanging swords, Yoon Seok’s sword had evolved to make up for what it lacked on its own. The look in Yoon Seok’s eyes, however, remained the same. A look of longing for something, hence Cheonma asked.

“Are you not satisfied yet?”

Extreme hunger, thirst, and the difficulty of continuous sparring without taking a break.

Even though he is desperate for a sip of water and even a single wink sleep is worth a thousand gold, but this was something he looked forward to for the first time. At best, he would split some bread or something else.

“What is it that is lacking? What is it that makes you like that? “

In a cracked voice, Yoon-Seok replied. “I don’t want to lose anymore…….”

“You don’t want to lose? “

It was a completely unexpected driving force. Rather than wealth, honour, or even If he said it was for the sake of survival, she would have easily understood it, even if it was for a realistic reason.

What he longed for was victory itself.

What the hell had happened in this child’s life?

What on earth made this child like this?

For what reason is he so obsessed with victory? In fear of defeat?

It is not known. It was not important.

“Then try to stop it!”

Cheonma roared and stretched out her sword. Yoon Seok took advantage of this and used his sword to pull it aside. (*) In the process, there was no distinctive sound when the swords met each other.

It is based on the mystery of the sword class, which is the way it is used. (T/n* even for a native Korean this sentence baffles them)

Swords on both sides glued together as if one sword. Perhaps that is why Yoon Seok’s personality is so tenacious that only Cheonma leisurely changed the flow of the sword with ease and took the offensive. Yoon Seok, however, was also formidable.

He immediately realized that he could no longer grasp onto it and sent Cheonma’s sword to the side without hesitation. Cheonma was astounded at the situation.

“If you knew how to use the power you let go, you wouldn’t be short of it.”

No one will believe if you compare Yoon-Seok a week ago to the Yoon-Seok now. How is this the same person?

'spill, used transferred power” (**) Suddenly Yoon Seok who was rushing forth stopped moving. then he muttered to the still Cheonma during the time of the battle, this was a common occurrence, so Cheonma kept silent accustomed to the silence. ‘How many times has it been already……… The more you look at it, the more speechless and ridiculous it is.’

When Yoon-Seok fell into meditation, he often achieved one of the two achievements, taking clues. And surprisingly, Yoon-Seok was usually the former. And the latter was a new realization by having a battle. This time it was the latter.

“you know, you don’t know… more, we will have to see …..” eyes, which had been closed as if dead, opened

It was at the same time that the sword that was pointing to the ground was raised again.

Cheonma recited quietly.

“Time has run out now.” It’s already been two weeks since they last thought it was a week.

As mentioned earlier, hunger, thirst, and fatigue build up in the field of dueling. But not eating and not sleeping will not kill you. That’s how the space itself was designed in the first place

Although Cheonma knew this fact through an experiment, Cheonma anticipated this for a week.

This is because there are limits to human mental power. In fact, when she was busy exploring this space, the challenger who had kept her from committing suicide because she went crazy in a week.

I lost all Izzie(***) because I was begging for him to kill me. Cheonma had been with him for a month since then, and after further exploring the space, he killed her and did not know what happened next.

“I can do more……”

“The guy that can’t even speak properly?” The word thirst is insufficient.

the throat was so parched that it could not even make a proper sound. Every single word you spit out will make you feel the pain like scratching against iron. Also, how about hunger?

Human beings get sensitive even if they starve for a day, but Yoon-Seok starved for as many as 14 days. Maybe if he wants to put dirt in his mouth he can. There you cannot even sleep properly. Staying conscious has been a difficult headache all along.

“It’s all right…”

This place does not really follow the laws of reality, thus there is no limit to pain. The pain that ordinary people can’t even taste because they are already dead. like compound interest on welfare, swells up endlessly. Still, Yoon Seok says it’s okay. He can hold on.

At this point, I am afraid that the mental strength is more than the brilliant talent….. Cheonma shook her head firmly.

“It’s not about mental strength. Your stamina has reached its end.”

Even if you don’t eat, don’t drink, don’t wrap up, or can’t sleep, this place you don’t die. However, when you run out of stamina, you die.

Injuries during battle that can be restored easily with a <blood>, but the loss of stamina is not zero. Additionally, Yoon Seok who wielded a sword without sleeping properly for two weeks, his stamina has reached the bottom.</blood>

From now on we’ll have to see each other maybe once or twice.

“So, the battle ends here.”

Yoon-Seok expressed his disappointment at the firm words that did not even leave him any room.

A chance to be free from pain, and you’re disappointed? Now Cheonma just decided to do it.

If it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t have been able to hold out. So she prepared the last present.

No one else knows, but this will be a satisfying gift.

“Now this sect leader will kill you”

Cheonma raised her sword, the sword clenched in her hand contained bloodthirstiness.

Yoon Seok shudder.

“if you don’t want to die….”

Life and death (生死決) *(T/n. it translates to life and death struggle)

Not a battle, but a life-threatening duel.

What provoked something that deep?

A click came from somewhere and simultaneously at the same time…….

“Kill the religious sect leader!”

Yoon Seok’s sword was also filled with life.

* * *

This was different from the previous battle.

Maintaining a distance between the sword until an opportunity occurs.

Saving the moves until a chance to break the stalemate.

“…….”

An ease off in the flow of silence and life.

The posture of Cheonma was unchanging. With one hand, excellently holding the sword, while the other behind her back, motionlessly facing Yoon Seok. However, Yoon Seok’s posture was minutely continuously changing. He held the sword with both hands, held it with one hand, and sometimes turned his body sideways as if he were fencing. there was a simple reason.

“You have a lot on your mind,” he could not see a gap.

As much as I know, I can now see how ignorant my opponent’s presence is.

She was a mountain, a sea, and a sky.

There is no way to win as a domineering human being, something so natural or divine.

“How many times have you died already?”

He had died countless times.

In fact, it was all a hypothetical battle drawn in his head, but not once wielded the sword, but……… if you come at it a hundred times, you die a hundred times.

“I will ask you again. What was the number?” A question that does not look so different from the first one.

However, Yoon-Seok could immediately understand what Cheonma was saying. So he answered straightforwardly.

“Three times…” Merely three times. Which ceremony did he select? No matter what way he did it, he could not go beyond three exchanges and he died.

This was only once at first, but it increased to three times while changing positions on the way.

Cheonma giggled. “you will receive this sect leader’s sword three times…….”

Regardless of how powerful the avatar is, it is too arrogant to say the words of a prosecutor to someone who has only been holding the sword only less than two weeks.

Another name that the old woman has lived with for half her life is none other than Cheonma.

“Prove it.”

“……?”

“If you can injure the body of this principal. No, it is your victory if you can receive the sword of this lord three times.”

“……” Yoon Seok did not answer. He was just thinking.

Do I really think I can get three? It was possible in a fight drawn in my head. Of course, pure swordsmanship was not enough, and even that was the result of drawing all kinds of techniques.

There is also a very high possibility of being different in practice. But……. ‘it’s not whether you can do it or not.’

There is something I had to do in the world. Yoon Seok would live a miserable life because he turned a blind eye to it under the pretext of lack of courage.

As it turned out, winning and losing didn’t matter. The world hasn’t changed a little bit at all for that. Yoon-Seok, who cleared up bad news on Earth, now knows it.

Nevertheless, the last time the Cheonma asked what made you like this, Yoon-Seok replied, I don’t want to lose anymore.

This is because the target was none other than himself. It’s okay to lose 10,000 times.

If only I hadn’t lost the fight against myself. If only I could be confident without a single point of shame.

I’ll be able to recover in the future without breaking it.

“…….”

With a smile on his face, Yoon-Seok quietly opened his eyes. And it is more than anything else, it was a good answer.