The God-Possessed Swordsmanship Genius - Chapter 23

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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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The Swordsman Blessed by God, Chapter 23

Allen turned the pouch upside down without a word.
Then something astonishing happened.

Thud, thud-thud-thud.
Clink-clink-clatter.

Gems and gold coins spilled out, along with a handful of glittering artifacts.
Pedrok’s eyes grew wider and wider. His mouth fell open, and before he knew it, drool was dribbling down his chin.
Staring at the treasure heaped across the floor, Pedrok slapped his own cheek with a sharp ‘smack!’ Only then did he seem to come to his senses, and he asked belatedly.

“Y-young master. What, what is all this?”
“I’ve set aside what I’ll keep. Everything here is for selling.”
“All of it?”
“Roughly five hundred thousand gold, I’d guess. Use the gold coins to pay off our debts right away, and pay the servants their overdue wages with interest. The artifacts can be sold slowly. They’re not stolen goods, so don’t worry about it. You can get the full price for them.”

Pedrok still wore the face of a man who couldn’t tell whether he was dreaming or awake. He was probably wondering where on earth such a fortune had come from.
His gaze finally came to rest on the subspace pouch in Allen’s hand.

“There’s no way all of this fit in that pouch… Wait, is that a subspace pouch?”
“It is.”
“Good heavens! That alone would fetch a million gold.”

And that was hardly all.
Once a Star Flower reached the market, its value couldn’t even be converted into money.
Of course, the most valuable treasure had already gone down Allen’s throat.

“Did you get all of this from the dungeon in the Villerman Viscountcy?”
“I was lucky.”
“With the curse lifted, your future looks bright, young master.”
“I hope so. Oh, right, there’s one thing I need this money for.”
“What is it? Just say the word.”
“I need to find someone. Cost doesn’t matter. The sooner, the better.”

Allen described the distinguishing features of the person he wanted to find.
All he knew was a name, a general appearance, and an occupation, but that was enough.

“With that much, we shouldn’t have too much trouble finding them. The family’s information network should be able to locate them as well.”
“That won’t do. This is someone I want to find quietly.”
“Understood. Then I’ll keep your identity under wraps too.”

Pedrok grasped exactly what Allen wanted without him having to say a word. Indeed, he was a capable head butler.

“Then I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to me. Heh heh.”

At the very end, unable to hide his delight, Pedrok clutched a gem in his hand.
He already wore the look of a man lost in imagining where and how he would spend the money.

The financial trouble of the separate residence was resolved.
On top of that, he began tracking down the next item he needed after the Star Flower.

‘With this, tracking the Demon Sword has become possible.’

Demon Sword.

One of the renowned swords said to rival the Five Great Swords of the Continent, the very blade Bishuken and the Empire have been scouring the land for.
The whereabouts of that sword were exactly what Allen was looking for.
Above all, there was a reason Allen had prioritized securing the Demon Sword.

‘This was still a time when no one had found the Demon Sword’s whereabouts. If I move now, I can keep it from being taken.’

As it turned out, Bishuken had lost the very Demon Sword it had sought so desperately to another faction. It was a humiliation that would not have seemed out of place in Bishuken’s own records.
Worse still, the sword would eventually fall into the hands of demons in the distant future.
And not just any demon, but one of the Ten Great Demons.

Either way, I had found the Star Flower and settled the annex’s finances.
I had also begun tracking the Demon Sword’s whereabouts, so for now, I’d more or less finished what needed doing.

“So busy, honestly.”

Now that the drowsiness was catching up with me, a yawn slipped out.
Everything was fine, but I figured I should rest for now.

* * *

Late at night, in Chong-geom Pavilion, located north of the main estate.
Hairen, Chief Captain of Geomdae, was startled by something unexpected.
It was because of the person who had come to see him.

“Lord?”

Akshion Bishuken.
The man who led the vast house of Bishuken had come to see him in person.
Akshion, having come directly to Chong-geom Pavilion where Hairen stayed, spoke with a wistful nostalgia.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
“Why didn’t you summon me instead…?”
“It’s too late in the evening. Care for a drink?”

He had even brought liquor along.
A strong, potent spirit. It was exactly to Hairen’s taste.
Seeing the Lord arrive without a single guard in tow, Hairen quietly arranged a drinking table.
By a window where moonlight poured in, the two of them sat down over a simple side dish and shared a drink.

Glug-glug-glug.

Akshion poured a drink for Hairen.
The two of them traded cups back and forth, each drinking a glass in turn.

“Time flies. It feels like only yesterday you were serving under me.”
“Which yesterday are you talking about?”
“The day I first became Squad Leader of Bigeomdae. You were my deputy back then.”
“You’re bringing up an embarrassing past.”

Hairen let out a hearty laugh.

“Do you know what I honestly thought back then?”
“Tell me.”
“‘That baby-faced brat is my squad leader?'”

At Hairen’s words, Akshion burst into laughter. Hairen was one of the few people who ever saw Akshion laugh for real.

“That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Honestly, I had no idea how much I looked down on him in my heart. I thought that brat was only above me because of his bloodline.”
“When did that opinion change?”
“Probably on my first mission. We ran straight into those Amheukseong bastards, and that baby-faced Squad Leader of ours is the reason I’m still alive.”

They talked freely, with no one else around.
The two of them had grown this close thanks to the years they had spent fighting side by side on the battlefield.
Hairen chuckled and raised his cup. Now that they were getting older, there was no better drinking companion than old memories.
As they traded cups and reminisced about the old days, Akshion spoke up.

“Our second son is joining Bigeomdae.”

Hairen nodded at Akshion’s words.
As the General Commander who oversaw all the Geomdae of Bishuken, he already knew where Allen was headed.

“I heard. He’s coming in ten days as Squad Leader of the Second Squad. The whole Bigeomdae has been in an uproar over it.”
“I thought as much.”
“Did that brat’s curse actually lift?”

Akshion nodded.

“So it seems.”
“That’s astonishing. Isn’t it more of a constitution than a curse, really? That’s why they said it couldn’t be cured.”
“That’s how I understood it too.”
“Of all the unlucky bastards in history, that one has turned out to be the luckiest.”

One question had been answered, but another still lingered.

“Then does Allen really have what it takes to become Squad Leader?”
“Hmm.”
“Excuse me?”

Of everything, that answer struck Hairen as the most surprising.
Hmm, he said.
Akshion didn’t seem certain of his own judgment. And this from the Head of the House, who had always looked so flawless.
Akshion lifted his cup and gave a short laugh.

“That kid told me he’s going to become a swordsman stronger than me.”
“…To your face, Lord?”

For a moment, Hairen doubted his own ears.
Could something like that really happen? Even if he was glad the Curse of the Bima had lifted, that was pushing arrogance too far.

“I think I need to confirm that I saw what I saw.”
“Confirm what, exactly?”
“You judge for yourself.”

Akshion finally revealed why he had come looking for Hairen so late at night.

“Compare him with that fluffy-cheeked brat from before, and tell me which one is better.”

* * *

Ten days until the Squad Leader appointment ceremony.
Allen spent his time busily.

Swish-swish-swish!

Allen unfurled a footwork technique, crossed the training grounds in a blur, and swung his sword.
With the speed of the Baekryeonbo added, the sword’s force grew considerably stronger.
His proficiency was still far from high, but after repeated practice, it had reached a level where he could use it in real combat.

Pak-pak-pak, Allen stepped through the Baekryeonbo again and again.
In the blink of an eye, he kicked off from empty air and leapt high, then swung his sword downward in rapid succession.

Seongsin Style, second form.
Downpour.

Kwaaaaaaek!

A downpour of sword qi came crashing down.
The hard training ground floor was gouged apart, and dozens of sword marks carved themselves into the center of the yard.
Whirring through the air, spinning several times over, Allen touched down on the ground.
The mana that had burst from his heart gathered into his blade.
Allen’s eyes blazed hot.

Seongsin Style, third form-.

Just then.

“Young master!”

A servant’s voice rang out from beyond the training yard.
Fearing he might get caught in it, Allen quickly scattered the mana he had gathered in his blade.
Still crouched on the ground, Allen caught his breath and turned his head.
The servant, who must have been calling for him for quite some time, spoke in a hurried voice.

“It’s time.”

He had told them to send word when the hour came, so he wouldn’t be late for the investiture ceremony.
It was an important day, and he couldn’t afford to be late.

“Got it. I’ll be there in a moment.”
“I’ve already drawn your bath water. Would you like to wash up before you go?”
“I suppose I should.”

Allen sheathed his sword and steadied his breathing.
His last glance drifted to the sword marks on the training ground.
The power of his Downpour was beyond comparison to before. It was the strength of Seongsin Style at Fourth Stage.

The past ten days.
Through sword practice and the Baekryeonbo, he had come to understand a few things.

‘I never imagined Youngan would be worth this much.’

When he first obtained Youngan, he hadn’t quite grasped what kind of ability it was.
But the more he trained in the Baekryeonbo, the more Allen realized how Youngan ought to be put to use.
Before Allen’s eyes appeared faint traces stamped into the training ground floor.
They were the lingering marks of mana left behind at the very moment he had unfurled the Baekryeonbo.

‘My stride was far too wide here. I got greedy and closed the distance too much.’

By using Youngan, he could view himself more objectively, as if seeing himself through someone else’s eyes.
Thanks to that, his mastery of the Baekryeonbo came along far faster. Not long after he began treading the steps while circulating mana according to the verbal formula, the Baekryeonbo had already reached Second Stage.

That was not all.
Youngan’s true power lay elsewhere.
It was efficiency.

‘I no longer waste mana needlessly, and so I can achieve high efficiency with a smaller amount of mana.’

His very ability to control mana had risen by leaps and bounds.
Even the slightest disturbance in the flow of mana became visible to him at once, so his skill at manipulating it had naturally surged far beyond before.
Because of this, Allen could now unleash far more powerful forms, and far more often, than he could before.

“You’ve come into a tremendous stroke of fortune.”

What would happen if the existence of this eye became known?
There were all sorts of people in the world. It occurred to him that some lunatic might come charging after him, lusting for his eye.

About a month had passed since the Regression.
Not a very long time.
Allen could feel that he had made tremendous progress in that short span.
Before entering the Geomdae, he had meant to make at least the minimum preparations, but the results had exceeded his expectations.

Shwaaaa.

Allen washed away the sweat he had shed since morning in a hot bath.
When he stepped out after bathing, clothes had been laid out beyond the bathroom door.
He had never seen them before. He reached out and unfolded the neatly folded garment.
A garment emblazoned with two swords.
It was the attire that symbolized the Squad Leader of the Bigeomdae.

Allen put on the clothes without a word.
He tied the garment snugly, turned to the side, and looked into the mirror.
The moment he saw his reflection, a surge of exhilaration welled up inside him.
In both his previous life and this one, it was the first time he had ever worn the Geomdae’s attire.

‘This is the beginning.’

He stood at the starting point he had longed for.
What kind of path he would walk from here depended entirely on what he made of it.
Leaving the detached quarters, Allen’s steps carried him toward the Geomgak.

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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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