Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 78

The Deep-Rooted Tree

Before Harang began a battle, there was something he always did.

He would observe his opponent’s basic actions, analyze them, and construct a simulation in his mind.

Even with just simple movements, Harang could gauge how they might move, how they would act, what types of attacks they favored, how fast they were, and how strong they seemed. His simulations had never strayed from the margin of error he predicted.

That is, until now.

‘…This is completely unpredictable.’

In this world, simulations didn’t work perfectly. This was due to the existence of superhuman physical abilities and unconventional sword techniques.

Faced with countless possible outcomes, Harang abandoned the simulation.

‘If I can’t predict it, I’ll force them to reveal their hand and gather data!’

[Kaladan Swordsmanship: First Crescent Form]
[Flying Butterfly Quick Sword: Moon Leopard]

Harang’s body blurred, like a shadow concealed by the crescent moon. Then, like a cheetah springing towards its prey from the darkness, he charged swiftly.

“Ho, quite a fast sword technique. A form I haven’t seen before…”

Even as Terandal let out a brief murmur of admiration—

Clang!

“…But, it’s far too predictable!”

With ease, Terandal blocked Harang’s sword strike, appearing like a gust of wind.

Krrrng! Sparks flew as the blades and cross guards clashed, grinding against one another.

They were locked in a bind, their swords pressed together as they competed for strength.

Harang’s eyes gleamed, unfazed by the situation.

‘A bind should be ended quickly!’

[Kaladan Alveric Style: Spinning Flow]
[Serpent Draw]

Harang’s sword, like a serpent, coiled around Terandal’s blade, pulling it towards his own body. Normally, such a move would be akin to suicide.

“—Oh!?”

Even Terandal was momentarily taken aback, almost losing grip of his sword as he was abruptly pulled in by the force.

‘But no, that won’t work!’

Though it was an unfamiliar technique, Terandal skillfully freed himself from Harang’s blade.

Or so he thought.

[Serpent Thrust]

Until Harang executed his second move, even Terandal believed he had completely escaped.

Clang!

The moment Terandal broke free, Harang forcefully pushed his sword, making Terandal stumble. In the next instant, Harang’s blade was aimed at Terandal’s now unstable neck.

‘…Oh!’

In a normal situation, given his compromised stance, it would have been impossible to block. But Terandal raised his left hand and, with aura enveloping the solid back of his gauntlet, deflected Harang’s sword.

And then, he retaliated by swinging his blade towards Harang’s throat!

Thunk!

“Hah, this is quite impressive.”

As Harang barely managed to parry Terandal’s attack and retreat, Terandal expressed his admiration, albeit slightly.

When an opponent’s stance crumbled, many would assume they had the advantage, letting their guard down and neglecting their own defense. But even in the final moments, Harang maintained the bare minimum of a defensive posture.

Moreover, considering the stance he took, it shouldn’t have been easy for him to block Harang’s strike, yet his sheer physical strength was also quite remarkable.

‘Oh-ho, now that I see it, he’s supporting the flat of his blade with his thumb, which is why he was able to withstand my strike. An unusual stance… Do they teach that kind of technique nowadays?’

But—

“—The blade is still too soft!”

Since Terandal had received one strike, now it was his turn to return one.

Without using any complicated or intricate swordsmanship, Terandal swung his blade in a simple manner. It was the very sword technique that the Kaladan family often used!

Whoosh! Harang saw the sword slashing diagonally toward his neck, and he raised his sword to counter with the second form. But suddenly, he felt his sword get entangled and pulled, forcing him to quickly jerk his head back.

Shnk!

“Ugh…!!”

A part of his bangs was sliced off, and Harang’s eyes widened as he clenched his teeth.

‘Without using any sword technique, he… used a technique like this?’

Though it wasn’t the same technique that coiled like a snake, the feeling of his sword being drawn in, like it was magnetized, was undeniably similar to the winding swordsmanship Harang had used earlier.

“Surprised? That bastard Kaladan could use all the techniques you use, even without any special skills!”

“…!”

Harang felt a chill run down his spine.

With the intent to cut his throat, Terandal’s sword was swung fiercely. Harang barely managed to deflect it and stepped back three paces. But Terandal gave him no room to breathe, relentlessly thrusting his sword again.

There were no openings, no chances to catch his breath, and no opportunity for a counterattack.

It wasn’t about sword techniques or forms.

This was fundamental, ‘basic swordsmanship,’ that transcended the categories of sword techniques.

Even without employing sword forms, each swing contained the meaning and intention behind them. The level of this fundamental swordsmanship was so perfect that it showed overwhelming power and technique, comparable to an advanced sword art.

‘I never imagined the difference would be this vast…!’

Despite using sword techniques, Harang found himself being overpowered by basic swordsmanship. He gritted his teeth and began rapidly increasing the synchronization rate of the [System’s Blessing].

[Synchronization Rate Exceeds 20%]

Harang’s eyes began to gleam with a cold light, like the pale moonlight.

Once the synchronization rate in virtual reality surpasses 20%, gamers experience a rather special phenomenon. It creates an illusion as if the world is moving slower, while their mental processing speed accelerates!

In a game, this might have been manageable, but in reality, rapidly increasing the synchronization rate placed a heavy burden on Harang’s brain… Yet now wasn’t the time to worry about such things!

Clang-!

“—Oh?!”

Up until now, Harang had been preoccupied with defending, but for the first time, he parried Terandal’s strike and extended his sword forward, causing Terandal to emit an aura of excitement.

‘Has he gotten faster? No, his reaction speed and decision-making have become sharper!’

Even before Harang could consciously assess Terandal’s sword, his own blade was already thrusting forward.

Even Terandal, who had faced many descendants of Kaladan over the years, couldn’t help but feel a hint of admiration for Harang’s sharp judgment and quickened reaction time.

When one’s reaction speed and decision-making became faster and more precise, it meant only one thing—he was ready to use swordsmanship.

Clang! As their swords clashed, a brief lull settled in. Terandal anticipated that Harang would soon employ sword techniques, so he leaped back, putting distance between them.

However, even the Sacred Sword Terandal, who had gained so much experience battling Kaladan’s descendants over the years, couldn’t have predicted what happened next.

He never expected that Harang would charge in without even preparing any sword techniques, relying only on basic swordsmanship!

‘What…?!’

Boom!

Harang charged, thrusting his sword toward Terandal’s defensive stance, and spun his body with all his might, landing a kick to Terandal’s abdomen. A shockwave rippled out as Terandal slid back three steps.

Clang! Shing! Sching!

Harang then smoothly followed up, swinging his sword up and down three consecutive times, before spinning his longsword—longer than his own height—reversing his grip and planting it firmly into the ground.

Blocking Terandal’s counterattack with stability, Harang rotated around the sword and launched a flying kick. Terandal quickly raised his left arm, absorbing the impact with his forearm as he stepped back.

‘Heh, I’ve never encountered a Kaladan descendant who fights like this before!’

However—

“You’re still inexperienced!”

“…!”

Whoosh! Seeing the sword aimed at his throat, Harang hurriedly jerked his head back in alarm.

Terandal hadn’t even employed any special sword techniques, yet he spiraled his sword, twisting it to exploit the opening!

If basic swordsmanship was this formidable, what would happen if Terandal decided to use sword techniques?

At Harang’s current level, it was beyond imagination to fathom the overwhelming mastery of sword techniques that Terandal could unleash.

‘…Right, this is it. In the end, the pinnacle of all swordsmanship is built upon solid and firm fundamentals.’

Even with his synchronization rate raised, making Harang sharper than before, Terandal moved with far greater agility and swiftness, once again overwhelming him.

The swordsmanship that Terandal was now displaying was the very same that Kaladan had wielded in the distant past.

That swordsmanship, imprinted in the memory of the Sacred Sword, was now unfolding before Harang’s eyes.

It was the perfect, singular swordsmanship that, even after the passage of time, had not been lost.

Why did Duke Kalel, the strongest living swordsman, known for being the closest to Hero Kaladan, continue to pursue basic swordsmanship?

It was for this very reason.

Harang, who had been preparing to take a sword technique stance, subtly adjusted his posture.

“Oh? What sword technique is that?”

Harang responded.

“It’s not a sword technique at all.”

“Not a sword technique? Ha! Yet your stance seems rather refined for something that’s not swordsmanship.”

As expected of the Sacred Sword—its discerning gaze was not ordinary.

As Terandal had noted, Harang didn’t adopt any specific sword technique stance, but that didn’t mean he had no intention of using any special skills.

If not sword techniques, then what about pushing his physical abilities to their utmost limit and using them?

In other words, a skill.

Whirrrrr!!

The intense aura caused Harang’s Cheongwolheun to tremble violently. Watching this, Terandal shouted gleefully.

“Haha! Well, now, that’s something new! Come on, then. Let me see just how unique and impressive the swordsmanship of Kaladan’s descendant can be with my own eyes!”

Clang!!

As Harang and Terandal clashed, the knights observing the battle began to analyze and record every single strike in detail.

At first, the knights had only intended to observe and analyze, but as Harang’s movements grew faster and sharper, they couldn’t help but be astonished.

‘…He’s not using sword techniques, yet he’s capable of moving like that?’

Since reincarnating into this world, Harang had always used his skills in conjunction with sword techniques. This was the first time he was using only his skills without applying any sword techniques.

To the knights observing, Harang’s unbelievable movements could only be perceived as being powered solely by his physical abilities!

His steps were like shadows, his leaps like a leopard’s pounce, his strikes as if he were cutting the moon itself, and his swordsmanship split into countless slashes in an instant, like a storm.

Seeing Harang unleash such unique skills with only his raw physicality, without adhering to any swordsmanship doctrine, some of the knights became completely mesmerized by the spectacle.

However, as the duel progressed, that initial amazement began to fade. The longer Harang clashed with Terandal, the more his swordsmanship began to resemble Terandal’s!

It was as though he was absorbing and mimicking Terandal’s techniques.

‘Huh. What’s this kid doing?’

Terandal could hardly believe his eyes as he watched Harang’s movements. In all his years facing Kaladan’s descendants, had he ever encountered someone like this?

‘This is more than just impressive. It’s… unique.’

Harang’s swordsmanship was far from perfect. A swordsman at the 4-star level couldn’t possibly have perfected their swordsmanship so early. There were countless flaws that could be pointed out. However, the issue wasn’t Harang’s imperfections, but his ability to identify and correct those flaws as they arose.

Once Harang swung his sword along an incorrect trajectory, he immediately corrected it and swung again.

How did he realize when he made a mistake?

He recognized it by using Terandal’s swordsmanship as a guideline.

Since Terandal’s swordsmanship was a near-perfect imitation of Kaladan’s style…

‘But soon, he’ll realize it too.’

Terandal’s swordsmanship, after all, was only an imitation of Kaladan’s. It wasn’t perfect. In the first place, in order to mimic Kaladan’s swordsmanship, Terandal had to suppress his physical strength, making it impossible for his doppelgänger to physically affect the real world.

All his doppelgänger could do was point a sword at his kin’s necks, forcing them to concede defeat.

‘Without physical strength, it’s impossible to perfectly follow the trajectory of Kaladan’s swordsmanship.’

Clang!!

“…!”

After exchanging a few blows with Terandal, Harang soon realized this.

Terandal’s doppelgänger was nothing more than a phantom, incapable of dealing real blows to the world.

With that, Harang’s movements changed once again. He continued to imitate Terandal’s swordsmanship, but this time, he began to gradually modify the trajectory in his own way!

It was as if he were saying:

‘I’ll learn swordsmanship from you, but I’ll walk my own path.’

Terandal felt a surge of emotion. It was the same feeling he had when he had lived and breathed by the sword, and when he was acknowledged as a companion to Kaladan, even as an ego sword.

‘Is this what it feels like to have a disciple?!’

And just look at that swordsmanship!

Although Harang’s movements were slightly off in terms of trajectory, he adjusted them in real-time, turning his strikes into sharp, lethal blows aimed right at Terandal’s neck.

How was that even possible?

Could a human swordsman really grow this quickly in real-time?

Unless the ghost of Kaladan himself was guiding Harang’s arm, how could such movements be explained?

It was as if dozens, even hundreds of swordsmen stood behind Harang, guiding his every swing.

Harang was one man, yet he wielded his sword as if he were an army of swordsmen. And in the end, he returned to being just one man, perfectly displaying his own unique swordsmanship.

Thud! Whirl, thud!

Finally, Terandal’s sword slipped from his grasp and planted itself into the ground, signaling the end of the duel.

Harang’s blue sword pointed at the neck of the doppelgänger, declaring victory.

“Hah, descendant of Kaladan… I look forward to the day when you become my master and we fight together.”

Harang, slightly surprised by this, sheathed Cheongwolheun and smiled.

“It won’t take long until that day comes.”

It was a somewhat arrogant statement—his promise to return soon, to wield the sword again. But Harang had the talent and spirit to back up such words.

“When that day comes, I’ll be in your care.”