I Became the 101st Hero

〈 Episode 43 〉 What is Swordsmanship

*

“Hey, are you using some kind of self-suggestion?”

That comment shot at me like a dart, piercing my chest.

‘Self-suggestion?’

There was only one thing that could refer to.

‘Are you talking about Absolute Obedience?’

Indeed, I had cleverly utilized Absolute Obedience while learning swordsmanship from Gwen.

The swordsmanship carved into my body through commands was never prone to mistakes or forgetfulness.

Gwen even admired my learning ability thanks to Absolute Obedience.

‘He figured that out just by watching me swing the sword?’

Libero’s eyes were sharp.

But that wasn’t the crucial point.

‘Is Absolute Obedience related to my limits?’

It was a thought I’d never had before.

After all, Absolute Obedience had helped me so far; it had never been a hindrance.

However, Libero precisely jabbed at that fixed notion.

“I see you have an inkling. Can you guess what it is?”

This… I can’t say.

It’s okay that I can use my inventory or have a relic, but not Absolute Obedience.

I usually considered it just an ability to control my body as I wished, but technically, it was the foundation of my existence now.

“No, I can’t disclose that. However, it’s true that I have an inkling.”

“Is that so? Well, it doesn’t really matter anyway.”

He pointed to my sword again.

“Can you consciously release that self-suggestion?”

That’s trivial.

I could easily do that again with Absolute Obedience.

Of course, it would be disappointing to forget Gwen’s swordsmanship that I had meticulously remembered using it, but as long as I could learn Libero’s swordsmanship, it didn’t really matter.

< The trait 'Absolute Obedience' is activated. >

I erased the swordsmanship I had memorized with Absolute Obedience.

Now all I had left were the [Swordsmanship (B)] I originally possessed and the Reedval family’s swordsmanship knowledge learned from Gwen.

It didn’t seem that different, but there was a huge difference.

“I released it.”

“You have quite a unique method of suggestion, huh? Then, give it a swing.”

As he said, I swung the sword.

Swish.

The sword swung weakly.

Even its trajectory was inconsistent.

Even I felt it was an unremarkable swing.

‘Was it this bad?’

I had definitely caught wolves and bandits at the inn with this swordsmanship.

But returning from freely using the swordsmanship learned from Gwen through Absolute Obedience… it was a complete mess.

Even though it was with Absolute Obedience, I had thought that fighting with swordsmanship would naturally improve my skills; that was a misconception.

“What a pathetic swing. It matches your talent perfectly. No, maybe that’s even a bit generous.”

He was right.

The [Swordsmanship (B)] was indeed too much for Allen Pleuk.

I clenched my fists. It felt as if all the clothes I wore were stripped away like a show-off.

Yet he continued with a smile.

“But this is much better than your previous swordsmanship.”

“Really?”

Why?

To me, I saw no improvement whatsoever compared to the previous swing.

Yet he seemed to prefer my current swing.

“Why is that?”

“Of course, if we were judging by swordsmanship level, the previous one was better. But I’m talking about limits here. The previous swing had a clear limit.”

He conjured a sword.

Then he swung it casually in the air.

Despite the casual swing, it was remarkably graceful and beautiful.

“This and…”

He swung the sword again.

It was the same trajectory, the same stance as before.

It was equally beautiful, but there was definitely a difference.

“Do you sense the difference?”

After reflecting on the two swings for a moment, I honestly replied.

“I can feel a difference. But I don’t know exactly what it is.”

“Honestly, I didn’t expect more from you. So let me explain.”

He swung the sword again.

This time it was slower than before.

“This is the first stance.”

The swung sword naturally retracted and lunged again.

“And this is the second stance. Here…”

He twisted the sword and swung downward again.

“Third stance. Let’s just say it consists of these three sword stances for now.”

He fluidly connected those three sword stances.

“When you become somewhat skilled, you should be able to flow through the swordsmanship like this. And furthermore…”

He swung the sword again.

It seemed similar to before, yet there was something different.

“Like this, it’s also possible to add variations, but that’s in the realm of talent, so let’s skip that.”

He pointed the sword at me.

“But your self-suggestion becomes the limit to all of this.”

He swung the sword again.

“First stance. From the very start, it’s half a beat behind. It likely takes some time to call forth from self-suggestion, right?”

Then he lunged the sword forward.

“And there’s a gap between the first and second stances. This too, is about a half beat. While you might not feel the delay of the first stance while executing a preemptive attack, the delay between the first and second stances is fatal.”

He pointed upward.

“When we clashed swords earlier, the continuous attacking wasn’t bad. But that subtle half-beat gap allowed me to defend reasonably comfortably.”

He finally twisted the sword downwards.

However, the trajectory was uniquely different.

“Lastly, the improvisational use of swordsmanship. If you keep using self-suggestion, this will be utterly impossible. Of course, even if you didn’t, I’m not sure how you could manage with your talent…”

A storm of criticisms poured out in an instant.

What he pointed out about ‘Absolute Obedience’ might be closely linked to my very essence.

‘It’s infuriating, yet accurate criticisms.’

Perhaps I had come here to receive such precise critiques.

This was something Gwen herself couldn’t provide.

I recalled my conversation with Gwen.

“Certainly impressive, but… something feels off.”

Even though it was the same swordsmanship as Gwen’s, I felt oddly inferior.

That didn’t feel like a simple difference in agility stats.

“It’s like I’m a beat behind. I can’t help but feel it’s unnatural.” “I have no idea what the problem is. One thing’s for sure: with my method, I can’t make you a High-ranking Hero.”

It was through Libero that I finally discovered the cause.

I had never imagined that Absolute Obedience could be the root of the problem.

‘But…’

I recalled my pathetic swing from earlier.

Even that was achievable only with [Swordsmanship (B)], which was originally impossible for Allen’s talent.

I didn’t want to imagine going back after abandoning Absolute Obedience.

“Is there no way to overcome this while using the suggestion?”

“There isn’t.”

“But without trying…”

Libero pointed his sword at me.

“Be quiet. You were the one who said you wouldn’t give up. Unless you discard the suggestion, you’ll never reach the objective you mentioned.”

I bowed my head.

He was right. I felt ashamed of myself for having weakened for a moment.

“Still, I won’t regret choosing swordsmanship.”

Libero smiled proudly.

“Swordsmanship was born precisely to overcome the differences in power from the moment of its inception.”

He drew his sword again.

And pointed it toward the air.

“Watch closely.”

He closed his eyes and raised the sword.

In that moment.

‘What is this…!’

I finally realized.

The swordsmanship the man had shown so far was nothing.

And the present one was surely just a fraction of his capability.

“From point to line…”

The tip of his sword began to move slowly, creating a trajectory.

“From line to space…”

I doubted my eyes.

The trajectory of the sword he created shimmered, distorting space.

“From space…”

His sword didn’t stop there.

“To time and space.”

In an instant, I was enveloped in a sensation as if time had stopped.

No, it wasn’t just a sensation.

At the moment he swung down the sword, time actually paused for a brief moment.

‘How?’

The action itself was a simple downward slash.

Yet, with that single slash, he accomplished something transcendent.

‘What kind of force acted upon it?’

Just when I was trying to analyze what had occurred in that moment.

He negated my thoughts.

“What just happened didn’t require any special power. It was achieved solely through swordsmanship.”

After hesitating for a moment, he added with a bitter expression.

“Though I never could reach the end myself.”

He couldn’t hide his bitter expression.

Yet the swordsmanship he displayed to me was sufficient, at least for me.

Whether Allen’s talent could ever reach that point remained uncertain.

*