"Right, what was I saying? It was about why this old man told you to become his disciple. You said you couldn't focus on the sword unless you heard it."
"That's right."
That was the condition Yeon-woo had set when he barged into the headmaster's office. Actually, it wasn't even a condition. It's the teacher's responsibility to convince their student why they should become their disciple.
He could have just lied, but at least this man didn't seem like the type to lie about swordsmanship.
"The reason is…"
"The reason is…?"
Gulp. Yeon-woo unconsciously swallowed his saliva. Tension filled the clearing. Finally, Yuri opened his mouth.
"It's because you have absolutely no talent."
"…Huh?"
"Ah, don't misunderstand. The talent this old man is talking about is solely for the sword. I have no interest in talent in other areas, so maybe you're a genius in some other field."
"I, I see…"
Is that supposed to be a compliment? No, it just sounds like… "Let me help you waste your life on talentless swordsmanship."
Yeon-woo, starting to feel a little uneasy, looked back on his past. Really? Is this really the right path, Choi Yeon-woo!!
"You look confused, young one."
"...Sigh, yes. I am. Especially the part about possibly having talent in other areas. ...But somehow, it seems like you're certain that I'll wield the sword, Elder?"
Yeon-woo spoke honestly to Yuri, who was grinning mischievously. After hearing such words, he wanted to know why he should dedicate his life to swordsmanship. Somehow, that all-knowing expression on his face irritated him.
"Because this is the fastest way for you to become strong."
"…"
Yeon-woo silently stared at the old man in the guise of a boy. In response to his gaze, Yuri replied playfully.
"I don't know exactly what it is, but you're hiding something and you know something. The young lady from the Ice Palace might not know, but that doesn't mean you can fool this old man's eyes. I won't ask what you're hiding. But you won't get a better opportunity than this."
He thought he had acted perfectly natural, but he had no idea where he had been caught. Being suspected wasn't a problem, but what exactly was the issue?
"You look like you're wondering what the problem was."
"Yes, that's right. What was the problem?"
He was being honest, but so what? If someone was going to find out eventually, it wasn't so bad if it was a strong person.
"Intuition, young one. I took a guess and it was correct."
"...Are you serious?"
Is this guy a fraud?
He wanted to say that, but instead, he understood. The boy before him was a Sword Master who had achieved the state of reverse aging. A master's intuition sometimes sees even the unseen and defies the laws of the world.
"...Fine, what can I say. Just teach me the sword."
"Alright, but remember one thing."
Saying so, the man was holding a sword.
When did he…?
It wasn't simply that his sword draw was too fast. Yeon-woo clearly saw the moment the man slowly drew his sword. Even when he retraced his memory, it was definitely so.
However, it felt like his brain couldn't recognize that action as the act of drawing a sword.
...What the…?
"I've been asked countless times what's most important in the path of the sword. Talent, a good teacher, superior swordsmanship. When I asked back, I received numerous answers."
Yuri's aura was… strange.
It wasn't about the colorless and transparent magical power swirling around his body. It felt like looking at someone from another world through a transparent veil.
"Sword Stars are all such children. Children blessed in every way. As if chosen by the god of the sword, they live on the sword as if it were natural."
Yeon-woo briefly observed Yuri as he spoke longingly about even the unnamed Sword Stars.
It was obvious. Yuri was a man who had collected all the swordsmanship techniques in the world. Then, wouldn't those techniques include those of other Sword Stars? In fact, one couldn't claim to have collected all swordsmanship without including the techniques of Sword Stars.
This man knew all the Sword Stars. Even Yeon-woo, who had heard a lot about them, didn't know them well.
"But does lacking talent or anything else mean you have to give up the sword? This old man doesn't think so. Even a talentless fellow like you can walk the path of the sword. The path of the sword should be open to anyone, even those without arms."
He felt short of breath. It felt like the air was thinning.
What is this…?
Yuri had already drawn his dark-colored sword and was holding it lightly, the tip almost touching the ground. The fact that he wasn't threatening despite wielding a blade created an unbearable sense of incongruity, distorting his perception.
"Have perseverance. Above all else, I saw that talent in you. The talent to strive without fearing death. The talent to walk towards death yourself. If you don't lose that talent…"
Swish.
At first, he thought it was the wind. The sound of Yuri swinging his sword was that light.
The sight that unfolded as a result was both breathtakingly beautiful and devastating.
Far away, beyond the horizon in the depths of the universe, the rising sun split and fell.
The world went dark.
The Earth momentarily switched off.
He blinked, not understanding what had happened.
The sun, as if it had never disappeared, revealed its massive form and roared with a golden light.
He thought it had vanished. The moment the sword cut the sun felt like reality. But it wasn't. It was just his spirit, or perhaps—.
'Heart Sword…'
"Did you think I cut it? Even for this old man, let alone the First Sword, such a thing is impossible. It's just…"
Yuri gestured towards the sky with his chin. Yeon-woo looked up. He saw a cloud split in a straight line as if someone had grabbed both ends of cotton candy and ripped it apart.
"I'll make you strong enough to cut the sky."
The boy, with a smile as old as his age, grinned.
