Master Swordsman’s Stream - Chapter 74

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 74

In the Combat Tournament, players are given a brief window to change their characteristics when each round ends.
Since matchups are random, it’s unavoidable to start the first round at a disadvantage.
That’s why they offer a chance to turn it around.
This waiting period was a crucial element that made the Combat Tournament more than just a test of raw physicality—it was also a game of strategy.

-That was an impressive show of overwhelming control
-This is what real skill looks like!
-Honestly, wouldn’t someone this strong be a pro player???
-I’m tired of being amazed lol
-That technique to destroy even the veterans so easily
-Did he mimic Salma in the middle there?

The defeated opponent’s body vanished, and Seo Jun was summoned back to his starting position as well.
The next round would begin in two minutes.
“Yeah, I did mimic Salma partway through,” Seo Jun confirmed, opening his characteristic window.
He answered and immediately pulled up the characteristics menu.

-Why’s he opening that?
-Looking to change it?
-Honestly, it’s awkward to just stand around

The viewers naturally assumed Seo Jun wouldn’t change his characteristic at all.
Given that he hadn’t changed it during the Raids or escort quests, it wasn’t easy to imagine him suddenly deciding to switch builds now.
“Well, I’m thinking of trying a different characteristic. You’re wondering why the sudden change?”
Seo Jun paused to think through his reasoning.
The thing is.
During the waiting period, you have to anticipate your opponent’s moves.
The rankers know all the standard builds and their matchups, so unless you bring an overpowered sect that has a matchup advantage, any given fight is essentially like rock-paper-scissors.
You can also push through with a good build even if the matchup is unfavorable.
But what if someone who’s been playing it safe suddenly throws scissors?
“The opponent probably expects me not to change, so switching now might create a bigger impact, don’t you think?”
The reason for picking a new characteristic was simple.
“Other players will also stop trying to counter me on a whim. Heh heh.”
He wanted people to understand it was a strategic advantage, not some malicious impulse.

-That’s evil lol
-Now that’s strategy
-The intellect of the Korean server!
-Not ‘lower will,’ intellect lol
-Finally invested in INT!
-The opponent’s happily preparing to run away—then gets hit with this!

Seo Jun started by selecting the minor characteristics first.
The ones you could choose without picking the core characteristic.
Options like basic attack power increase, for example.
These had only minor effects on playstyle—they were entirely a matter of personal preference.

-Build-tinkering grandpa is on
-What kind of brilliant build will he bring this time
-Now, where did this whole ‘build’ thing come from…
-Abbot! Let’s go ranged!

“Ah. Everyone, this time I’m doing something orthodox.”
Seo Jun’s finger moved to the core characteristic at the end of the tree.

[Incomplete Heavenly Demon Divine Art]

“Let me try experimenting with this.”
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was depicted as a supreme technique primarily used by the Heavenly Demon.
In the Jianghu world with the Demonic Cult, it was naturally essential and the developer had included it, but it wasn’t a popular choice among players.
In terms of gameplay mechanics, it lived up to being the supreme ascending technique—all actions using Internal Energy were enhanced.
When Sword Energy clashed, it could swallow the opponent’s Sword Energy, and if you gathered Internal Energy in your feet to perform a Lightness Skill, you could trigger a stun and deal area damage.
The setting wasn’t betrayed—it remained a supreme technique. But there was a problem: the modifier that preceded the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

-It was weird that the Heavenly Demon hadn’t been using this all this time
-So he’s finally pulling out the Heavenly Demon Divine Art…
-???: I was trying not to use this
-I’m sorry, master
-Curious what penalty he’ll pick lol

Incomplete.
Because the scripture wasn’t properly transmitted, choosing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art meant you had to pick a penalty from below.
‘That’s the Demonic Cult for you.’
He realized how they adjusted balance this way.
This penalty was something people truly despised.
“So… what should I pick?”
There’s a term called “Glass Cannon.”
It’s a combination of “glass body” and “cannon”—typically referring to builds that deal massive damage like a cannon but have the durability of glass, so they’re fragile despite the high output.
Choosing the Heavenly Demon’s first penalty would let you experience being a Glass Cannon.
The characteristic name was.

[Body Collapse]

Supposedly because it was incomplete.
If you picked this characteristic, you could fall into critical condition from a single hit.
Even recovery techniques like the Absorption Grand Technique were disabled, so even the Demonic Cult’s rankers never touched this unless the skill gap was enormous.
“The second one’s a mystery since I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m torn.”
The second characteristic was even worse.

[Cognitive Dullness]

It was the perfect side effect of an incomplete Demonic technique.
In his past life too, Demonic Cult members typically lost their reason and had their heads scrambled, causing all sorts of trouble.
So wouldn’t their leader experience it even more?
Of course, it didn’t actually slow your cognition—instead, it made your body sluggish.
In other words, choosing this would let you experience moving with a heavy, unresponsive body.
You could think of it as a constant slow debuff.
“I heard it’s not so bad that you can’t fight, though. Is that right?”
The description said your maximum speed would be like swinging a sword with all the strength drained from your arms.

-Seo Jun, buddy. People usually call that ‘can’t fight.’
-Go with the Glass Cannon instead—at least don’t get hit once
-With the Abbot’s skill, not getting hit seems possible
-Unless you love suffering, don’t pick the second one.
-It’s frustrating just watching that characteristic lol

Hmm.
“One minute left. Let me think this through.”
Seo Jun lowered his hand and turned his entire body toward the chat window.

-???
-You think one minute is a lot?
-Aren’t you going to think about the other minor characteristics?
-Again, again you only make us frustrated

Seo Jun smiled brightly and spoke.
“I actually saved it as a Preset.”
A Preset was essentially a convenience feature that let you save and load configurations in advance.

-Oh it was all predetermined lol
-I wonder which debuff he picked?
-What preparation haha
-So the detail setup at the beginning was bait too
-It was never not the Heavenly Demon Divine Art!

Seo Jun chuckled and pressed the Preset button.
How much time was left anyway?
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is right.”
The preset values appeared, and Seo Jun’s chosen debuff was revealed.

[Cognitive Dullness]

“Let me show you what a real Blunt Sword looks like.”

[Game starts in 10 seconds]

-What’s with that personality?
-Why does he enjoy suffering lol
-This is going to be good
-What’s a Blunt Sword?

* * *

Seo Jun didn’t move from his starting position and instead slowly swung his arm.
The starting position wasn’t safe, but he needed to adapt to his altered body before facing his opponent.
“……”
With a silent kiai, Seo Jun swung his arm from left to right with maximum force.
Whoooosh.
The blade reached its endpoint more slowly than usual.
“It’s faster than swinging underwater but slower than swinging relaxed. I’d say about that speed,” Seo Jun said, adjusting to the sensation of increased air resistance as he moved.
He continued speaking while adapting to each movement.

-Have you swung a sword underwater before?
-What kind of training have you been doing in real life…?
-Is there a game where you swing a sword in water?
-Probably not lol if the sea was the backdrop you’d grab a harpoon lol

Whoooosh.
Whoooosh.
There was virtually no difference between swinging it relaxed and swinging it with full force.
“Well, it’s actually better than I expected, to be honest.”
Seo Jun left the rocky starting area.
Clop-clop.
Fortunately, his movement speed was unaffected.
‘So it only affected attack speed.’
Lightness Skill would be faster when used, he’d heard.
Since it was an act of using Internal Energy, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s effects applied.
As he rounded a corner, a wide-open ridge of blue vegetation and his opponent came into view.
“Come at me once more,” Seo Jun called out.
He kept one hand behind his back and raised his sword in front of his eyes.
Sapa’s Pride, ranked fifth, chose to walk forward slowly instead of rushing in recklessly like before.
More cautious. His vigilance had intensified.
Seo Jun waited quietly.
Moving first would be too risky.
When the distance closed to arm’s length, Sapa’s Pride suddenly accelerated and swung his sword—and Seo Jun blocked.
Clang!
A clash between the fastest and the slowest attack speeds had begun.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The opponent attacked as if wielding three swords, slashing and thrusting left, right, and vertically.
Seo Jun moved his blade in the simplest, shortest path to avoid damage, blocking with a sluggish deliberation.
His movements naturally became more economical, more restrained.
Meanwhile, the opponent pressed forward with noticeably more force and speed.
Gritting his teeth, controlling the speed to its limit.

-Wow there’s quite a speed gap but honestly I can’t really feel it
-So he’s limited to just defending?
-Use your Sword Energy!
-Can’t he think of Sword Energy? The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is all about Internal Energy!

Scrape-scrape-scrape!
Seo Jun pushed away the opponent’s extended blade with his own, using his palm to support the flat of the sword.
Scrape!
But his cheek was grazed. The slight pain the capsule allowed gave him a thrill.
Close. Too close.
The attack speed gap felt even larger than anticipated. It might have been amplified by the opponent being Salma.
‘Either way, it’s good.’
While Seo Jun found joy in the clash, his opponent didn’t seem pleased despite landing a hit.
Rather, he sensed a wariness in the opponent’s stance.
The opponent was.
‘Waiting for the moment.’
The moment for what?
‘He’s pressing hard, but his feet aren’t advancing deep.’
Seo Jun’s eyes absorbed every detail of his opponent in each instant.
Every movement he took in at a glance, the placement of his feet, the angle of his elbows, his wrists.
And as he read his opponent, he shed every unnecessary motion, gradually growing accustomed.
To this speed, to this restrained style of combat.
Clang!
The blades met and separated.
In that brief gap—while Seo Jun had been focused on defense—he spotted an opening.
A seam that even at this slower speed could be forced open and exploited.
One doesn’t survive as a strategist by missing the tiniest fracture.
The supple movement that arose from a solid center never let such a gap slip away.
Seo Jun’s blade moved forward.
No—it appeared to move forward.
In truth, it wasn’t moving that slowly at all.
Speed is relative.
Because until just moments ago, Seo Jun’s efficient, minimal movements had inadvertently masked his slow tempo, and the viewers had seen him parrying Salma’s fastest strikes, the fastest-attack-speed class—when Seo Jun’s blade now commanded the viewer’s full focus, they felt it.
They felt it—the slowness.
That great arc Seo Jun drew now seemed impossibly, unbearably slow.
And so.
The viewers naturally began to wonder.
‘How can’t he dodge something that slow?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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