Chapter 57: Advancing Forward
The martial artists of the Geoncheon Guard and Martial Discipline Office drew their swords at the same time.
Clang!
One hundred real swords left their sheaths together.
The sound alone changed the atmosphere of the training ground.
First Elder Yu Gwangcheol stepped back.
“Begin.”
The first martial artist stepped forward.
I thought to myself,
No matter what, it's only ten exchanges per person.
There was no need to be overwhelmed by the number one thousand.
I just had to endure them one at a time.
One opponent after another.
But...
that naive thought shattered the instant the first exchange began.
CLANG!
I barely managed to block the sword that suddenly pierced into my range.
There was no holding back.
The strike carried full force, as though I were a genuine enemy.
More attacks poured in immediately.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Geoncheon Guard warrior relentlessly drove me back.
His sword never stopped, as though he had no intention of giving me even a moment to think.
He's strong.
My body instinctively tried to retreat.
Then I remembered the condition.
No retreating.
Tch!
Just as my heel was about to push off the ground...
I forcibly twisted my body.
Not backward.
Sideways.
I slipped toward my opponent's right side and swung my sword.
CLANG!
Our blades collided again.
I kept advancing and continued my sword techniques.
My opponent didn't panic at my counterattack.
He immediately blocked my sword path.
Several more exchanges followed.
Then...
“Stop!”
At Yu Gwangcheol's command, the martial artist in front of me froze his sword.
Ten exchanges had ended in the blink of an eye.
My opponent withdrew without so much as changing his expression.
“Switch.”
The next martial artist stepped forward.
“Begin immediately.”
Only then did I understand.
...One thousand exchanges won't be easy.
“Next.”
Every ten exchanges...
the opponent changed.
Before I knew it, I had already faced more than twenty people.
I was breathing a little harder...
but it was still manageable.
The others seemed to be in similar condition.
Hyeongwon stood with his spear raised, teeth clenched.
For someone whose competitiveness was second to none...
he was actually obeying the condition.
He didn't attack first.
He focused entirely on defense.
Blocking.
Deflecting.
Enduring.
Yu Seola was the same.
Inside the circle drawn on the ground, she exchanged techniques with one opponent after another.
The sword path of the Snowflake Sword Art flowed endlessly within that restricted space.
As for Myeongjeon...
“Aaaagh! Easy! Please, take it easy!”
He dodged frantically.
“We're all from Kunlun, aren't we?! Come on!”
He was "working hard" at running away...
No.
At surviving in his own way, using both his mouth and body as busily as possible.
Everyone looks like they're dying.
But I had no time to worry about them.
A new martial artist was already thrusting a sword toward me.
Let's do this.
I stepped forward again.
...
...
...
“Next.”
...
...
...
“Next.”
Ten exchanges.
Then another ten.
Every time the assigned number ended...
the opponent changed again.
When I passed twenty people...
I thought it was still doable.
After forty...
my arms grew heavy.
After fifty...
my legs started feeling like lead.
But the force of the swords coming at me never changed.
They were just as sharp as they had been at the beginning.
If anything...
they became even more precise as they noticed my exhaustion.
“Haa... haa....”
Rough breaths escaped me.
My body had become heavy.
For one instant...
my concentration slipped.
And my opponent didn't miss it.
Slash!
The fifty-seventh martial artist's sword tip grazed the edge of my robe.
A piece of cloth was cut away.
A chill ran down my spine.
Han Mujin, what the hell are you doing?
Wake up!
I pulled my scattered mind together and swung my sword again.
“Next.”
By now...
that word itself sounded terrifying.
A change of opponent no longer felt like a break.
It felt like the beginning of a new hell.
“Next.”
Sixty.
My elbows began to stiffen.
I tightened my grip before my fingers could lose strength.
“Next.”
Eighty.
My thoughts began slowing down.
At some point...
I started swinging almost entirely on instinct.
“Next.”
Eighty-five.
My vision narrowed.
“Next.”
Eighty-nine.
My fingertips trembled.
“Next.”
Ninety-two.
My mind went numb.
Then finally...
I reached the hundredth opponent.
CLANG!
The final collision ended.
“Stop.”
At Yu Gwangcheol's command, the warrior before me lowered his sword.
“Huaaa....”
My breath burst out all at once.
My legs gave way.
I collapsed onto the ground.
“It's over!”
Myeongjeon's emotional voice reached my ears.
I turned my head.
The others were visible nearby.
They too seemed to have completed the gauntlet against all one hundred martial artists.
Every one of them was sitting on the ground, panting just like me.
Then...
“Again.”
...What?
I raised my head.
Yu Gwangcheol stood above us with one corner of his mouth raised.
Then he spoke slowly.
“Hyeongwon.”
“Yu Seola.”
His eyes sharpened.
“Both of you broke your rules.”
He pointed toward the dazed Yu Seola.
“Seola.”
“You stepped outside the circle.”
Yu Seola's eyes shook.
“At the end, I lost my footing—”
Yu Gwangcheol didn't even listen.
He turned toward Hyeongwon.
“And you mixed three attacks into your defense midway through.”
Hyeongwon lowered his head with a stiff expression.
Yu Gwangcheol looked at all of us solemnly.
“You failed.”
“As promised, the thousand exchanges begin again.”
Then he added,
“All of you.”
Myeongjeon's hand shot up.
“W-Wait!”
His expression was desperate.
“I'm fine, aren't I?”
“I followed the rules you gave me!”
Yu Gwangcheol answered shortly.
“You're one group.”
“If one person fails, everyone goes again.”
“B-But....”
Yu Gwangcheol's voice became firm.
“Get up.”
“We begin immediately.”
The air over the training ground grew even heavier.
We had to do this ridiculous gauntlet...
again?
But a promise was a promise.
It wasn't like I was going to beg him to let us off just once.
I gritted my teeth and forced myself upright.
Hyeongwon picked up his spear again.
Yu Seola bit her lip and nodded.
Myeongjeon...
“This is a dream.”
He stared blankly ahead.
“There's no way we're doing another thousand exchanges.”
“Yeah.”
“It has to be a dream....”
Ignoring Myeongjeon's attempt to deny reality...
I faced forward.
There wasn't even time to sigh or complain.
“Begin.”
The moment Yu Gwangcheol gave the command...
the Geoncheon Guard and Martial Discipline Office warriors raised their swords again.
I tightened my grip around my sword.
Fighting spirit flared inside me once more.
Fine.
Let's see this through to the end.
...
...
...
“Stop.”
With Yu Gwangcheol's declaration...
the second thousand exchanges of the day finally ended.
The four of us collapsed on the spot at the same time.
We couldn't even speak properly.
Complete exhaustion.
I didn't have enough strength left to move a single finger.
Yu Gwangcheol looked down at us.
“This time, you completed it properly.”
He nodded.
“Good.”
“That's enough for today.”
At those words...
Myeongjeon muttered tearfully,
“Sniff... I didn't even make a mistake...”
His voice trembled.
“Why did I have to do two thousand exchanges too...”
"..."
Yu Gwangcheol let out a short sigh.
Then said,
