'…What?'
It was incomparable to the dreams of sword master Baan. Even knowing that these were dreams, it was real enough to make him doubt they were dreams.
It was a white space. The only things that existed were Lucas and his short sword.
But despite that, why did the world feel so complete.
[Synchronizing with the Sword's voice.]
[The memory preservation rate of this sword is 'low'.]
[The memory playback is fixed to one perspective.]
Baan became Lucas. It was a whole different feeling from absorbing the memories through holding the sword.
It wasn't a recall of a memory through the sword's arc.
The arc itself was the sword's memory.
Right now, he was Lucas.
He swung the sword multiple times. Stabs, downwards strikes, upwards, and sideways. Mixing in feints, blocked multiple strikes, and cut a zig-zag.
Perfection.
It wasn't out of the question. Right now, it was Lucas, not Baan, that was swinging the sword. But at the same time, it was also Baan. It was a strange feeling. It was as though the boundaries of self-consciousness were becoming faint. It was as though Lucas was him, and he was Lucas.
Again, the sword flashed.
The world was still white. And because of that, his sight didn't need to diverge. As he was focusing on just the sword's tip, the weight of the sword weighing down on his palm…
"Huh…"
"Awake?"
Dolby glanced down at Baan.
"Wake up. It's dawn."
'Ah, I should've hugged my sword while sleeping.'
Baan swallowed a sigh. He hadn't imagined the sword's voice activating in sleep.
The biggest surprise was the feeling in the dream. It wasn't as simple as a feeling of swinging a sword, it was the why, how much strength, and even Lucas' thoughts.
He could say it was a moment of complete understanding of Lucas' standard. As he said, he was Lucas.
It was an annoyance nagging at him as he improved more and more. His and Lucas' body conditions were too different to completely take in. His and Lucas' body sizes were similar, but there was nothing to be done about the slight difference in arm length.
But now it was ok. Seeing Lucas' thoughts meant that he understood the foundations of Lucas' swordsmanship. And because of that, if he dreamt a few more dreams, it wouldn't be hard to fix Lucas' swordsmanship to fit his needs.
'If 'Low' level memory recall is like this… how good is 'medium' and 'high'?'
Pondering on that, it wouldn't be bad to ask for a famous swordsman's sword from WooRyong. It meant he could reach the level of the famous swordsman by training with it for years to come.
He already drank, but it was still thirsty. Every time he rested his horse, he stood in place and swung his sword. His legs were quivering from gripping onto the horse the whole day, but he was afraid he would forget Lucas' swordsmanship he saw.
[Sword's voice is with you.]
[You are about to completely understand the swordsmanship of the 'Swordsman with an Overflowing Talent']
The alerts flashed in the corner of his sight and disappeared. Baan didn't bother with them and quietly swung the shortsword. It was different. If he normally followed Lucas' swordsmanship, now it was slightly…
'… This is what it means to swing a sword.'
It was enough to make him embarrassed to call himself a swordsman. He wasn't swinging the sword as a swordsman, he was just a copycat copying them. Of course, people didn't hesitate to call him a genius for his mimicry…
He didn't dislike the embarrassment. Baan couldn't help but laugh. The more he lacks, the more he could improve. Because he knew the happiness of becoming strong, he was just thankful that he knew how much he lacked right now.
And WooRyong looked at Baan with a peculiar eye.
"… Are you interested in that boy?"
WooRyong's Knight, GintNell asked. He was a man with a flourishing sand-color mustache hiding his lips. WooRyong smiled and answered.
"Jin. You should know right? Those that can become Knights, and those that cannot."
"You realize potential when you become older."
"What do you think of his potential?"
WooRyong kept his eyes on Baan and asked. GintNell quietly looked over at Baan. It was a sharp swordsmanship. It was hard to say it was a complete swordsmanship, but it wasn't hard to see the talent hidden within the feints.
"If he developed that much in an outskirt village, he would grow wings in the proper environment. It wouldn't be hard for him to become a Knight. He doesn't look as though he has only trained for one year."
"Right?"
WooRyong smiled happily. He liked Baan. Even his absurd dreams of 'world's best swordsman'. And the sweat fitting of achieving those dreams.
WooRyong waited until Baan finished his training. And as soon as Baan sat down to wipe his sweat, he walked over and handed him some water.
"Hot isn't it?"
"Ah, thank you. Yeah, it's a little hot."
"Don't train too hard. You do realize we're still on the run?"
"I'm just warming up."
"That's good."
It was a little bit more than just warming up, but it wasn't a lie. Baan hasn't skipped a day of climbing mountains since he was young. Riding uses up a lot of stamina, but it wasn't comparable to hiking. Thanks to that, he was still full of vigor.
"I was thinking. How can I help you achieve your dream?"
"Do you have a way?"
"Once this is over, I'm planning on going to the Academy in the capital. It will be full of those from famous bloodlines and people like you that are talented. Will you go with me?"
"…Me?"
"Obviously you would have to take some tests, but if you dream of becoming the best, you wouldn't fail the test. I'll become your sponsor. Are you ready to leave the village and head to the capital?"
It was a question that didn't need much thought. Baan looked up at WooRyong with eyes still burning.
"I guess it's not possible to become the best inside the village."
To say they were involved in this form of a chase and to be chased battle of pursuit, they rode rather peacefully. Baan slept hugging his sword and trained every day. Even the guards that knew him were terrified of his diligence.
'Close to 2 stars.'
His intuition as a swordsman was telling him. The wall he has been up against is nearing the end.
When he reached 1 star as a swordsman, the biggest difference between a 1 star and 0-star swordsman was knowing how to swing the sword. Then what level is a 2 star at. To reach a level past simple as cutting and stabbing.
Every time Baan dreamt, he knew the answer or used to know, and once he woke up, he forgot. Every time that happened, he swung his sword all the more. He thought, and he felt. And in every one of those moments, Baan lost his boyish-ness and became slightly more of a swordsman.
It was just a day until they reached the Cho family land. Baan hugged his sword just like always and slept. And by becoming Lucas, he swung his sword.
The moment he became Lucas in his dreams after his nightshift was over, Baan was abruptly pulled out of the white space he occupied. The first thing he saw was the lifeless campfire and the barely visible face of Goad. He said with a nervous face.
"Get up. The pursuers are here."
"…The pursuers?"
"Put your ears to the ground. You'll hear horses. It'll be at least five. Come to your senses."
"Do we have to fight?"
"The horses are still tired. We don't know how lively their horses are… but it can't be less than ours. It's better to lie in ambush. Dolby! Hide the horses. So the dirty rebels don't know where we are."
"Yes, Understood!"
"Baan. You come with me and install the traps. You should have a good night-eye since you went up the mountains every day."
"Yes."
Baan gripped his sword and got up. Enemies are coming. Just that was enough to make the sleepiness disappear. Enough to make him wonder if he was really sleepy in the first place.
Maybe it was because he used to be a hunter, but Goad was at ease in the woods more so than Baan. Tying rope between the trees, Goad mumbled.
"Fuck. I guess nothing is easy in my life. Hey, Baan. If you're done just get a ranch like Dolby. What are you going to do once you're the best? Life is better to live comfortably and easy."
"Vice-Captain gets to say things like that because you've lived your life. I'm still able to dream."
"The mind of the younglings these days…"
"I'm going to the Academy. There, I'm going to learn a proper swordsmanship, hang out with wonderful people… I'll leave my name in history."
"As if. Let's go. It's time to hide."
Soon, everyone hid in the brushes by where the ropes were hung. Aidan looked over to WooRyong and asked. He acted as though he was fine, but he showed up with serious injuries. It was unlikely he was fully healed.
"Can you fight?"
But WooRyong laughed.
"This captain doesn't seem to know what it means to be part of the Cho family. These scuffs are nothing. The enemy is the ones that should be worried. This Cho WooRyong is only injured this much."
"…It would be good if the traps work. Goad. Are you sure the enemy is only five?"
"There should be six horses at most. I should be correct unless they have two per horse. And if they over exerted their hoses like that, they wouldn't have been able to follow us in the first place."
"If you say six… one person needs to take care of one each."
He didn't know the skill level of the opponents, but it wasn't going to be an easy fight.
Baan gripped his shortsword. The battle he'd been waiting for is near.
If he wins, he can go to the Academy. It was something to think about after.
He wanted to swing his sword. He wanted to show what he was capable of. His palms were slightly wet from the sweat. It was the most dangerous moment in his life.
But why didn't he dislike this nervousness?
Baan curled his lips like a wolf.
"…They're here."
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