I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

61 – 061. Western Border (1)

The unplanned sparring match was suddenly underway.

*Thwack.*

Geum Ha-rin was not in a good mood. Her annoyance was evident in her words and actions; she was quite irritated.

‘Is this…Father’s wish?’

She knew. How much of a blessing, and a curse, it was to live as the daughter of the Heavenly Demon.

“…….”

At the edge of her vision, a man she’d never seen before was holding a sword with an expressionless face.

He was someone who had recently been making a name for himself. The rising star of the Western Continent, the Holy Grail Knight. He was the very protagonist of those rumors.

However.

‘Utter nonsense.’

Geum Ha-rin’s common sense rejected the rumors in their entirety.

Did it make any sense?

For a 5th circle warrior to defeat a 7th circle one, and on top of that, to reach the 7th circle in just a few days?

Even a third-rate thug in the back alleys of the Eastern Continent would laugh at such a preposterous tale. If her suspicions were correct, even the Divine Sect Grand Protector, Sword Demon, seemed to be involved in this charade.

And so, Geum Ha-rin concluded.

This contrived unfolding of events had her father’s hand behind it. This entire situation was a stage, set to test her.

‘How did they manage to get Chun Hwa-yeong on board?’

Thoughts spiraled, tail chasing tail. Even she could see the flaws in her own logic. But her stubborn nature forced the distractions away.

‘Focus on the duel.’

Sshhh…

Having instigated the challenge, she fixed her gaze on the opponent before her.

Judging by appearances, Frey seemed to be her age. The ki flowing off him felt incredibly weak.

However, the chance of him being a master who had attained the level of ‘reversal of ki’ was low. Logically speaking, it was impossible to acquire such immense martial prowess at an age similar to hers.

Therefore. She figured the so-called Knight of the Holy Grail was all hype.

‘Yeah. Rumors are always inflated.’

“I’m coming!”

With the shout, Geum Ha-rin pushed off the ground, feet drumming as she charged at her foe.

Shweeeeeeeek!

The swordsmanship she had mastered was the Galaxy Nebula Sword.

A sword like the Milky Way, adorning the night sky, slashed through the air. Hard to believe she was the vice-leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, her blade was so straight, like that of a righteous martial artist.

Claaang-!

“……!”

Sword clashed against sword.

Surprisingly, Frey hadn’t imbued his blade with mana. With a mere casual swing, he had deflected her sword, which thrummed with her own ki!

“You haven’t changed. Your self-awareness is as overwhelming as ever.”

“…What are you talking about? Have we met before?”

Geum Ha-rin, having taken a small step back, frowned.

She had crossed swords with Cheon Hwa-yeong, the daughter of the Martial Alliance Leader, during the pact ceremony to eradicate the Blood Cult. But this man… she had never met him before.

“Maybe we have, maybe we haven’t.”

Frey’s gaze was detached. As Geum Ha-rin calmly met his eyes, a subtle tremor went through her.

‘…Strong?’

No form, no style was visible in Frey’s swordsmanship. He was merely wielding his blade casually, as if swatting away an insect.

Yet.

‘Miscalculation? Me?’

In that brief exchange, she realized. He wasn’t some third-rate martial artist. The ki he projected might have been faint, but his skill was far beyond that of a nobody.

Grind!

Her pride reared its head once more.

The pride of being the absolute power of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the daughter of the Heavenly Demon.

The unease that anyone could take her place.

The arrogance, the sheer hubris of being the greatest talent in the Eastern Continent.

Woo-oong-!

Black, like the night sky, a black aura layered itself onto her sword. It was an excessive amount of power to display in a martial contest. But Geum Ha-rin deemed it the only viable solution.

“……Hmph.”

And yet, why was it?

The Sword Demon, watching Geum Ha-rin’s rampage, didn’t show a trace of worry. His face was instead filled with ‘intrigue.’ It was as if he was curious how Frey would deal with Geum Ha-rin.

Paa-at!

Geum Ha-rin’s form stretched out. An extreme movement technique, unsuitable for her age, unfolded through her two legs.

The black aura, blazing on her sword, shone as if it would spill onto Frey at any moment.

“S-she’s a master!”

A man in fine attire, who had been quietly observing the sparring match, shrieked. His two female companions, stunned, gaped at her power.

Slightly.

A faint sneer spread across Geum Ha-rin’s lips.

That’s right. She was a genius. A talent sent from the heavens. Her understanding of swordsmanship, nay, all martial arts, was unparalleled beneath the sky.

‘My judgment, it wasn’t wrong!’

Her form, having made its decision, shot towards Frey. Her steps, which had been marking the space, now seized it, instantly closing the distance to him.

However.

Hwaa-a-aak──!

“……?!”

An unprecedented, bizarre sensation ravaged her mind.

[Death]

That chilling possibility paralyzed her reason. She just needed to swing her sword, yet she couldn’t even attack, hastily retreating to create distance.

It felt as if the entire ‘space’ was under Frey’s control.

“Good instinct. I suppose you really are something.”

“……What just, what was that?”

Geum Ha-rin couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

The sensation of walking into her own doom. Surely, if she had ignored that feeling, which was closer to her instinct, something horrible would have happened.

“Hmph! He’s established a ‘world.’ That monster…!”

“……World?”

The Sword Demon’s exclamation echoed from behind her.

Geum Harin tilted her head. The establishment of a world? A Sixth-Order like her couldn’t grasp the meaning.

*Gulp!*

For the first time since facing these strangers, a faint tension began to surface on Geum Harin’s face.

‘Why, are there so many openings…’

Is it that she can’t think of a way to attack?

*Clench!*

Once again, her jaw tightened, her eyes growing deeper.

Geum Harin tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. The water has already been spilled. Therefore, she intended to pour everything she had into Frey.

*Fzzzt! Fzzzt!*

The energy clinging to the blade blazed like flames. The sword energy unleashed by Geum Harin at the late peak stage was shockingly clear.

But.

Even so, she couldn’t see an opening in her vision. No way to cut down the enemy, no means.

‘A path can be carved out!’

Geum Harin shouted inwardly, gritting her teeth. She couldn’t understand how her limitations could be broken by a mere martial artist of her own age.

*Swish!*

Geum Harin’s body began to rapidly streak across the clearing once more.

‘Create openings with fast movements!’

Following the instruction of the Heavenly Demon, the supreme martial art completed by the Sword Demon… the ‘Heavenly Wandering Cloud Step’ unfolded through her legs.

*Swoosh! Swooosh!*

A speed that the average person couldn’t follow with their eyes. Her movements, leaving even faint afterimages, truly lived up to her title as the greatest genius of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

However.

“Hmm?”

A meaningless sound escaped Frey’s lips for the first time, as he calmly observed her.

Frey looked at the Sword Demon. As if feeling guilty, the Sword Demon avoided his gaze.

“This is… what?”

Frey frowned, casually observing Geum Harin’s flashy movements.

“It’s different from mine.”

‘…Different? And, *mine*?’

Leaving afterimages. Pouring all her strength into movement, Geum Harin felt a seed of doubt. Anytime she could attack him, yet Frey’s demeanor was completely relaxed.

*Swoosh…*

“Wh-wh-what?!”

The very moment, Frey’s body, which had remained still until now, vanished from his spot.

*Shhh-shhh-shhh!*

“Ah…?”

Frey, who had disappeared, suddenly reappeared, occupying all sides.

It was as if the afterimages were real. His movement made Geum Harin’s *Cheonha Yuun Bo* look like a “degraded version.”

His mana-filled strides flowed across the ground. It was like a tiger ascending a giant mountain, a dragon playing among the high clouds.

“Th-this…!”

*Thud.* Geum Harin, touching down, watched with intense focus, following Frey as he unfolded the mysteries of *Cheonha Yuun Bo*.

And then.

Her wide, staring eyes immediately went to the Sword Demon. Her gaze demanded an explanation, but the Sword Demon once again simply averted his eyes.

“Heavenly Demon Army Stance…!!!”

*CRACK-! BOOM!*

Frey’s fist, which had already closed, shot towards her like a flash of lightning. Her form, not even thinking of resisting, crumbled with absurd ease.

“D-did she die?”

Ariel’s innocent question bloomed in the open space.

At such an empty result, everyone was speechless, remaining in silence.

* * *

Just how much time had passed?

Geum Harin slowly lifted her eyelids. The pain throbbing in her left cheekbone was unusual. From that, she could tell how the duel had ended.

“Ugh, ughmm…”

“Hehe, Young Clan Leader. Are you awake?”

“…He?”

“He has already left. With his companions.”

Left. She never thought that he would just knock her down and then leave. Had she ever had such a humiliating experience in her life?

“I… lost?”

*Shivers.*

Geum Harin, slowly rising from the cold floor, her shoulders trembled.

For the first time in her life, she’d been defeated by someone her own age. That awkward feeling muddied her thoughts.

“Victory and defeat are commonplace in war.”

“……?”

“A martial artist, will someday be defeated. No one can always be victorious, you see. Heh heh!”

The Sword Demon’s hollow laughter echoed through the sparsely populated forest path.

“Sword Demon.”

“Speak your mind.”

“His movement technique… It was like…seeing Father.”

“……”

The Sword Demon was silent. The fact was, what she’d seen was quite literally the truth.

“Father, and I think I understand why you were targeting that man.”

Ho ho.

A light flickered in the Sword Demon’s eyes. This was the young sect leader who’d never shown interest in anything but swords and martial arts.

But, what was clear on her face was ‘interest’ or perhaps ‘intrigue’.

“Heh heh. It seems you’ve gained much insight from that duel.”

“That’s right. I also learned that his personality is quite agreeable.”

That was Geum Ha-rin’s honest impression.

A duel… it was a fight that could hardly be called one. The only thing that was certain was, that the opponent was skilled enough to kill Geum Ha-rin instantly at any moment.

“I’m ashamed.”

“Heo-uh!”

An exclamation escaped the Sword Demon’s lips.

This was a side of the young sect leader he’d never witnessed before. That she, who always wore such an arrogant mask, would actually say these words!

“Where did he, where did that group go?”

“From what I hear, they headed towards the western border.”

“……The western border.”

Geum Ha-rin, swaying, rose from her spot and murmured softly.

“He’s the first man in my life to strike me. I must meet him again.”

“……!”

A slight.

The Sword Demon’s lips curled into a smile.

It’s going according to plan.