Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 34

Honorary Sword Meeting

A duel between the 2-star swordsman Harang and the 4-star swordsman Ryuchen. How many people could have predicted the outcome?

Or rather, let’s rephrase the question.

How many people truly understood their duel?

Many renowned martial artists and exceptional geniuses had gathered here, but surprisingly, less than half of them understood the duel.

“…What happened?”

Among those who didn’t understand was Chorien, the genius girl of the Emblitz Grand Duke’s family.

To her, there were many puzzling aspects.

Especially the biggest question: why didn’t her brother evade the sword Harang suddenly threw just before the final clash?

“That’s because… he faked throwing his sword twice before.”

“Fake?”

“Yes.”

Chorien’s swordsmanship instructor, standing behind her, began to explain cautiously.

“The boy from Kaladan pretended to throw his sword twice in critical situations. To block that, Young Master Ryuchen broke his stance twice.”

“Ah… Then why didn’t he block the final one?”

“He must have thought it was another fake. He likely judged it to be a tactic to break his stance and prevent him from using his ultimate sword technique.”

If he got caught in another psychological battle, he would miss his opportunity to attack. Ryuchen saw the throwing motion clearly but chose not to block it.

“But the third one wasn’t a fake. He genuinely threw the sword.”

The real sword aiming for Ryuchen’s neck. He blocked it with his arm in surprise, but that was a fatal mistake. A swordsman unable to use one hand loses significant combat power.

“Then what about the first clash? Why couldn’t my brother capture Harang’s movements and instead got countered?”

“That was the gap during the Waterfall Flow.”

“Gap?”

“Yes. Right before using the Waterfall Flow, he jumps high and raises his sword. During that brief moment of lifting the sword, he can’t see his opponent. It’s a weakness in most sword-raising and striking moves.”

“Can such a short gap… be considered a weakness?”

“In a fight between novices, it’s not a weakness at all. But in a fight between masters, it can be.”

That’s why it was even more surprising that Harang caught that gap. Most masters here would be amazed by Harang’s keen insight, akin to that of a swordsman who trained for decades.

“The boy from Kaladan must have observed the Honorary Sword Meeting to identify that technique’s gap. Then he timed his approach perfectly.”

“What…? Is that even possible?”

Chorien looked incredulous. It was a very brief moment.

“That’s ridiculous.”

She couldn’t believe someone else could come up with such an extraordinary idea.

“…And what about the sword energy? How did he counter the sword energy with his sword energy?”

To Chorien, this was the most baffling part. Ryuchen, who she found difficult to face even in training, had swung his sword sincerely, shrouded in sword energy. How could a 2-star swordsman possibly block that?

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe, but he surrounded his sword with sword energy only at the moment of contact. In other situations, he used evasion and deflection to buy time.”

“That’s… possible?”

“Furthermore, he perfectly predicted the timing of Ryuchen’s sword energy, pulling back his body significantly. Young Master Ryuchen’s sword energy didn’t harm the Kaladan boy at all.”

A 2-star swordsman can’t continuously deploy sword energy and must wait for the next use. Everyone knew that.

This penalty undoubtedly played a role, and swordsmen strive to overcome this by advancing to 3-star.

But Harang was only ten. Too young to reach 3-star.

However, he had to face a 4-star swordsman as a first-rank and somehow had to compensate for the massive disadvantage of being a 2-star.

‘…I can’t believe it even as I say it.’

Using deflection to avoid the weakened state when not surrounded by sword energy and dismissing the opponent’s swordsmanship with techniques…

“How… can he do that?”

She felt her common sense completely shattered and denied, leaving her dumbfounded.

For years, the world had praised her.

She had far outpaced those called geniuses for years and quickly mastered more ultimate techniques and arts, reaffirming that she was a ‘genius among geniuses.’

She had no doubt.

She believed she was the greatest genius in the world.

That no one greater than her existed in this world.

She believed that firmly.

Harang shattered that pride.

Without using any particular ultimate techniques or arts, he defeated her brother Ryuchen, who was practically her goal. And he was even a year younger than her!

Yet, she didn’t feel empty or hopeless.

Rather… she felt something boiling hot inside her chest, her heart pounding.

Harang’s swordsmanship was beyond all the common sense she had.

Throwing the sword, doing everything the adults said not to do, completely denying the knights’ words that ultimate techniques and arts were everything.

‘Could I do that too?’

While Chorien was deeply engrossed in Harang’s swordsmanship…

“What’s this? Huh? What is it? Can someone explain?”

There was another person who couldn’t understand the duel.

He was Raelick, a 10-star grand wizard and advisor to the Emperor of the Herrael Empire, known as the Great Sage.

He wandered around the Kaladan family, suddenly showing his face to the kin and demanding an explanation, but no one answered.

They seriously questioned whether it was appropriate to speak to Raelick without the permission of Duke Kalel.

“Hey~ Kalel! How harshly do you treat them that no one is speaking? Can you explain? How did he defeat a 4-star swordsman?”

Kalel slowly turned his head to look at the teasing Raelick.

Though expressionless as usual, Raelick’s eyes couldn’t be fooled. They clearly reflected the emotion of ‘joy.’

“How he won….”

“Yes! How?!”

“He was stronger. That’s all.”

“Damn it!”

It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but as a wizard, he had no intention of trying to understand it.

He simply enjoyed the situation and raised the atmosphere on purpose!

Other pureblood grandchildren were displeased rather than happy about Harang’s victory, so how could he stay still in such a situation?

When Kalel gestured quietly, High Master Aran, who was waiting behind, approached and listened.

“It seems the youngest grandchild overexerted himself. His expression doesn’t look good, so take this to him.”

“…!”

As Kalel handed over a ‘Mansen Pill,’ Aran was slightly surprised. It was a precious pill given only to pureblood children when they achieved great feats, yet he was giving it just for winning the Honorary Sword Meeting.

The pureblood children watching trembled with astonishment, but who could stop Duke Kalel?

Aran glanced around and used sound transmission to ask Kalel discreetly.

– It seems the youngest master hasn’t used all his strength yet.

Kalel shook his head.

Seeing Harang today, he felt the essence of a desperate blow once again.

Although he didn’t use all his hidden strength, it didn’t mean he didn’t risk his life. He did his best within the given situation…

No, beyond his best.

Harang broke through his limits and took another step forward.

Even in such a desperate situation, he didn’t use the hidden power.

In other words, using that power could mean risking his life or facing such a danger that he might lose his life.

– If it’s a secret too hard to bear, he will tell me soon. So wait quietly.

– …Understood.

As Aran stepped back, Raelick, who had kept a distance, sneaked up again.

“Hey, Kalel. Aren’t you going to brag yourself? Didn’t the Emblitz Grand Duke do that last time? Huh? Huh?”

“Useless.”

Kalel clicked his tongue.

His expression said it all; he found it unnecessary.

“Haha, yes. That’s a wise choice.”

If Kalel had sought out the Emblitz Grand Duke to return the same humiliation he suffered last time, he would have been just as petty.

But despite the humiliation, Duke Kalel didn’t bother visiting Emblitz Grand Duke, showing that he was more magnanimous.

In other words, from the perspective of Duke Aelsob Emblitz, Kalel not visiting and maintaining indifference was even more humiliating.

Of course, Duke Kalel didn’t act this way considering all those points.

He genuinely thought it was a useless act.

Harang was still young, and no one could predict his future.

No matter how brilliant he looked now, he could hit a wall and become an ordinary swordsman later.

This was the stage to test him.

Bragging and embracing him wasn’t fitting for Kaladan.

They just watched over him.

* * *

“Ugh! Gah, cough…!”

In a corner of the first floor of the Triangle Dome, in a secluded bathroom.

Harang spat blood and wiped his tears. Looking in the mirror, he saw blood flowing from his nose and eyes.

“Damn, the internal injuries are worse than I thought.”

In the recent duel, Harang had pushed the system’s blessing to its limit.

A 4-star swordsman was a tough opponent, even for Harang’s body with the Silver Heart. It required tremendous concentration, comparable to his peak days, so he forcibly increased the system’s synchronization rate.

He now had to pay the price for overusing the system’s blessing.

“Ugh, urgh…!”

The side effects of overusing the system’s blessing hit him all at once after the duel ended.

The side effects were worse than he thought. Although the system’s blessing was tremendously effective, allowing him to face a 4-star swordsman for a

brief moment.

But in virtual reality games, no matter how much you overuse the system’s adjustments, you don’t cough up blood like this.

At most, you’d experience severe dizziness or nausea, forcing you to disconnect.

‘…It means the side effects are much worse in reality, even though I can use the system’s blessing.’

Staggering and leaning his entire body weight against the wall, he collapsed to the floor.

His head was spinning, and he couldn’t do anything. Even now, his insides felt like they were on fire.

If not for the Silver Heart, he might not have been able to withstand the side effects of overusing the system’s blessing.

‘…Looks like I’ll be in the hospital for a while.’

Despite the excruciating pain and agony, Harang had a smile on his face.

‘Still, I won.’

There’s nothing as thrilling as winning in an official setting, in front of everyone.

Especially when Harang’s winning odds were close to 0%, and people were betting against him… how exhilarating and satisfying it felt!

Even a fortune couldn’t buy this crazy, heart-stirring pleasure.

It felt like all the past days of living as a gambler were for this moment alone.

“Hah… I need some potion.”

An elixir or potion was necessary.

To treat this hellish internal injury, something was needed to restore his inner energy.

‘Anything, any medicine, whatever I need right now…’

His mind was fading.

If he passed out here in the bathroom, no one would come looking for him.

As he worried about that and closed his eyes…

‘Here you are, young master…’

Through his blurred vision, he saw a man with brown hair approaching. He held a white orb-like object in his hand, which inexplicably drew Harang’s hand toward it.

‘…Rest well.’

The world went dark.