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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 13
Tzzzzt—!
Sparks crackled from the wall that had been sliced by White Night, and astonishingly, the rare metals embedded within crumbled into ash and scattered. At the same time, the array of enchantments cast over the entire training hall was dispelled.
‘What is this…?’
It wasn’t just that the wall had been cut—it had been severed at the very root of its magical essence, nullifying everything.
Across both his past and present lives, Cheon Woo-jin had never heard of swordsmanship capable of something like this.
He stared at the unbelievable result his sword had produced and then turned his gaze to the messages floating before him.
[Through the insight gained from the Heavenly Combat Manual, you can now imbue your blade with the power of Weapon Mastery.]
[You have created a new sword style: <Weapon Mastery Style>.]
Weapon Mastery Style
Born from Cheon Woo-jin’s enlightenment through the Heavenly Combat Manual, this was a new path of swordsmanship he himself had forged.
And with that, he had taken his first step down the Path of the Sword God.
‘Weapon Mastery Style... if I can complete it, I may truly reach the realm of the Sword God.’
To erase the marks his sword had left on the wall, Woo-jin imbued his blade with energy and shouted, “Ha-aaah!”
He deliberately swung it roughly, mangling the gash on the wall to cover up the traces of his sword.
Boom! Bang!
The wall was now tattered beyond repair, but the evidence of his sword soul had been utterly wiped away.
His meticulous caution—that, too, was one of Cheon Woo-jin’s most powerful weapons.
* * *
A few days later, the long-awaited day arrived—the day he was to meet the Clan Head.
Woo-jin entered the Clan Master's Hall with Chief Kim, arriving at a worn-down training hall.
There, waiting before the entrance, stood the captain of the Black Assassin.
The Black Assassin Captain blocked Kim’s path. As their auras began to clash midair, a strange energy rippled out from Woo-jin.
Tzzzzzt—!
With an unprecedented force, he overwhelmed both the captain and Kim’s mana, causing both to instinctively step back.
Woo-jin turned to the Black Assassin Captain and spoke calmly, “Chief Kim is coming with me.”
A firm statement—no questions, no explanations.
The captain furrowed his brows beneath his mask, seeing that Woo-jin didn’t so much as flinch under the pressure of his mana.
But at that moment, a thunderous voice rang out from inside.
“Sang-hyun! Let them through!”
At the Clan Head’s command, the captain withdrew his mana and stepped aside, guiding them into the training hall.
At the far end stood the Clan Head, unmoving, in his usual upright posture.
One thing was different this time—he wore a sword at his waist.
But rather than the eastern ceremonial Nameless Sword he had given Woo-jin before, it was a western-style longsword, its pommel fashioned in the shape of a Korean goblin.
A martial artist in a traditional dobok wearing a weathered western blade might seem odd—but not if one knew the true nature of the sword.
‘That’s... the infamous Goblin Sword.’
A blade symbolic of the Sword Saint himself.
Countless high-ranking Hunters and monsters had fallen to that very weapon.
Wearing the Goblin Sword meant the Clan Head was serious.
He fixed Woo-jin with a piercing glare and spoke.
“Causing a ruckus before you even step in—does that mean you’re confident?”
At the same time, he slowly drew his blade.
Sssrrrhhk—
The moment the worn-down sword left its scabbard, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
Rrrmmmmble—!
An oppressive pressure flooded the hall from the blade’s white gleaming edge, shimmering with strange light.
The Clan Head, blade in hand, declared coldly, “Come at me with everything you’ve got. Otherwise, you’ll die here today.”
Rrrrmmmmmble!
Even just standing there with his sword drawn, the Clan Head emitted an aura so powerful that the entire hall began to tremble.
But Cheon Woo-jin remained unshaken, maintaining perfect posture.
He stepped forward and pulled a sword from his inventory.
The Nameless Sword gifted by the Clan Head was indeed excellent, but far too heavy for actual combat.
Even Hunters with superhuman strength had their limits.
Most veterans used swords imbued with weight-reducing enchantments, so Woo-jin pulling out the heavy Nameless Sword seemed reckless.
But the moment he raised it, such doubts vanished.
Vrrrrrrrm—!
The orichalcum blade in Woo-jin’s hand vibrated subtly.
A clear sword cry rang out.
The Clan Head’s eyes widened.
‘He’s already reached the realm where the sword itself cries?’
It hadn’t even been a full month since Woo-jin was released from the Heavenly Curse and started wielding a sword.
Even for someone with extraordinary awakened talent, such growth defied all logic.
As Woo-jin steadied his stance, still holding the vibrating blade, the Clan Head realized something.
The basic stance of the Cheon Family Sword Art—but the aura surrounding Woo-jin was completely different.
“...You.”
Seeing him assume a position that had evolved beyond technique into pure martial mastery, the Clan Head’s brow twitched.
‘Heh.’
When he’d heard Woo-jin had chosen to study the family’s swordsmanship, he had expected him to dabble in Swift Blade or Heavy Blade at most.
But this stance…
…He had clearly surpassed even the Dark Blade Form.
“Ha…”
Goosebumps prickled along the Clan Head’s arm.
What he felt wasn’t just anticipation.
It was the thrill of battle—pure, untainted martial hunger.
Those self-styled “knights” were all consumed by their Awakened powers, having long forgotten the way of the sword.
But this boy, wielding a blade for barely a month, held a true sword.
What had he done to the clan’s swordsmanship?
More than anything, he wanted to test it—cross blades with him.
“Haaahhhhhh!!”
Unable to contain his rising excitement, the Clan Head let out a mighty war cry and surged forward in an instant.
Whooosh—!
His movement was nothing short of divine—Godspeed Incarnate.
No afterimage, no sound—just raw acceleration.
With seamless fluidity, he swung the Goblin Sword at Woo-jin.
Ssshhh!
His advance and strike became one, a perfect fusion of movement and technique.
For a split second, it looked like Woo-jin had been cleaved in half diagonally.
But the image of Woo-jin being struck scattered like a mirage.
Flash!
Reappearing from the side, Woo-jin counterattacked with a slash of his own.
Claaang!
The swords clashed, releasing a sharp, clear ring.
Whoosh—!
Woo-jin blocked the blow and leapt backward, landing with sword in hand and eyes locked onto the Clan Head.
He clenched his jaw.
‘What insane rebound force…’
Wielding the Nameless Sword, which was ten times heavier than a regular blade, Cheon Woo-jin had launched an attack—only to find himself sent flying backward by the recoil.
If he hadn’t been wearing the Celestial Silkworm Robe underneath, the rebound alone would have caused him internal injuries.
Woo-jin steadied his stinging wrist and resumed his stance.
“Is that all you’ve got?!”
In response, the Clan Head smiled like a devil who had just discovered an amusing new toy.
And again, he charged first—striking before Woo-jin could.
BOOM!
The Clan Head’s sword came down in a smooth, flowing arc, clashing against Woo-jin’s blade with an explosion-like impact.
Despite the subtlety and refinement of his movements, the Clan Head’s swordsmanship was overwhelmingly fierce and raw.
As Woo-jin blocked the blow, it felt like his entire arm was about to be torn off.
He barely managed to reset his stance.
‘Damn old man… he’s freakishly spry.’
He had to be pushing eighty—yet the aura he gave off through the blade was nothing but raw vitality.
Determined to shift the momentum, Woo-jin was the one who moved first this time.
Whoosh!
He closed in while erasing his presence using the stealth footwork technique Ghost Shadow Step, which he’d learned from the Clan Head himself.
The moment Woo-jin vanished from sight, the Clan Head smirked and raised his Goblin Sword high into the air.
And then—without warning—he slammed it into the floor of the training hall.
KWA-BOOM!
It wasn’t the sword itself—it was the mana channeled through it that struck the ground, unleashing a radial shockwave in every direction.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Centered on the Clan Head, the concentric blast rippled outward through the entire hall.
Even the Black Assassin Captain and Chief Kim, watching from the rear, had to raise magical barriers to protect themselves.
And yet—
despite all that—
Woo-jin’s figure still didn’t appear.
The Clan Head’s brow twitched again.
Just as he raised his sword above his head—
SWISH!
Woo-jin burst out of his blind spot and came slashing from the side.
He’d timed his strike to land exactly at the moment the Clan Head was most vulnerable, aiming to cleave into his side.
Despite the sword’s immense weight, Woo-jin swung it with such speed that it was barely visible.
Speed and mass combined—this was a devastatingly forceful attack.
Cheon Family Sword Art: Shadow Blade Form — New Moon.
Sssshhhhhk!
Just as the sword was about to bisect the Clan Head—
Something happened that no one could have predicted.
THUMP.
The old man caught Woo-jin’s sword—with his bare hand.
Ssssss—!
Steam hissed up from the Clan Head’s palm as it gripped the blade.
It was astonishing enough that he stopped such a powerful attack bare-handed—but what was even more shocking was that Woo-jin had found the perfect opening to exploit.
Whoosh!
Woo-jin immediately let go of the sword and leapt backward.
Then, pulling a dagger from within his robes, he readied himself again.
But the Clan Head… simply stared at the blade still clenched in his hand.
And then—he leaned back and laughed thunderously.
“Kuhahahahahaha!”
His mana-infused laughter shook the entire training hall.
Then, without warning—he crushed the Nameless Sword in his hand and snapped it in two.
Thud!
The shattered blade dropped to the ground.
He looked at Woo-jin, who still held his dagger at the ready, and said, “You pass.”
He was acknowledging that Woo-jin had fully mastered the family’s swordsmanship.
Only then did Woo-jin put away the dagger and step forward.
“Since I’ve passed the test, I ask that you grant my request.”
His request was permission to enter the Trial Dungeon.
The Clan Head stroked his beard, lost in thought.
“Hmmm...”
Watching this, the Black Assassin Captain couldn’t hide his surprise.
The Sword Saint—absolute ruler of the clan—never hesitated.
His words were law. Those who disobeyed him never lived to regret it.
And yet here he was… actually thinking it over.
The Clan Head slowly approached Woo-jin—and tossed the Goblin Sword to him.
“It’s yours now. Take it.”
The blade that symbolized the Sword Saint himself.
To inherit it was the same as being acknowledged as his direct disciple.
But Woo-jin barely held back a grimace as he received the sword.
‘You damn old bastard…’
By handing him the Goblin Sword, the Clan Head had basically painted a massive target on his back—especially from Cheon Oh-hyuk, who would now see him as a direct threat.
Woo-jin had intended to keep a moderate distance from the Clan Head, forming a safe zone that Oh-hyuk wouldn’t dare invade.
But now, that strategy had been completely undermined.
The Clan Head, still amused, looked down at Woo-jin and added, “I’ll approve your entry into the Trial Dungeon as well. You may enter in one week.”
At that moment, Woo-jin heard the Clan Head’s voice echo directly in his mind.
『If you’re still alive by then, that is.』
A transmitted message—a silent, telepathic warning.
He had reversed Woo-jin’s plan—using himself as a shield to create safety—and thrown the risk right back at him.
Understanding his intent, Woo-jin clenched his jaw.
He raised his head, gripping the Goblin Sword tightly, and said, “Thank you, Clan Head.”
He forced out each word like chewing glass, every syllable laced with tension.
The Clan Head gave a faint smirk on one side of his lips, then resumed his usual stern expression.
“Leave. You’re making the place noisy.”
At his command, Chief Kim escorted Woo-jin out of the training hall.
The Black Assassin Captain also turned to leave, when suddenly the Clan Head asked, “Do you still think that kid is a sword doomed to snap in two?”
He was referring to the captain’s earlier, instinctive judgment of Woo-jin.
The captain hesitated, visibly conflicted.
After a long silence, he finally answered slowly, “...My opinion hasn’t changed.”
The Clan Head clicked his tongue and waved him off.
Left alone, the Sword Saint thought back to the sword strike Woo-jin had unleashed.
‘What a brazen little punk.’
Only one other person had ever come at him like that.
The first time he’d ever considered taking an outsider as a disciple—but before he could, that person had died on a secret mission.
Even twenty years later, he still regretted it.
‘Interesting. Very interesting.’
Before he realized it, a faint, mischievous smile crept across the Sword Saint’s lips.
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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