Chapter 13
There is a process called ‘Acquisition.’
If ‘Training’ reinforces the skeleton’s frame and exterior, then ‘Acquisition’ strengthens the skeleton’s movements and behavioral patterns.
Thanks to this process, skeletons can learn various martial arts, dozens of weapon techniques, and patterns aligned with specific strategies, evolving from mere walking corpses to soldiers of death.
While it sounds simple, it’s an extraordinary feat.
Skeletons lack intelligence. Because they lack intelligence, they know no fear. An army that does not fear death—truly, an ideal force. Isn’t that incredible?
Yet, very few in the Empire actually master this ‘Acquisition.’
Why?
Because it’s hard.
Incredibly hard!
The method of Acquisition itself isn’t complicated.
You learn it through your body and mind. Once you’ve fully mastered the movements, even unintelligent summoned beings will imitate the actions imprinted on their master.
Simple, right?
But this is where the problems arise.
There are quite a few people capable of summoning.
Magicians, shamans, spiritists, and so on.
But they all have one thing in common.
They’re all people who’ve never bothered with physical combat.
Why would they? If they’re good at fighting, why summon anything? They’d just fight themselves.
These are people who usually wear dignified robes and support their summons from behind with magic. Now, they’re supposed to learn martial arts? Can you imagine that?
And that’s just the beginning.
Martial arts are the basics. Once you’ve mastered how to use your body, you need to learn weapon techniques. After that, you must study shield techniques and formations.
Learning these movements perfectly until they become second nature?
The answer is clear.
There are very few magicians capable of enduring, let alone mastering, this process of ‘Acquisition.’
Of course, I was one of those few magicians.
While others gave up on Acquisition and moved on to higher summoning spells, I wielded weapons. Even though my wretched body screamed in protest, I wielded weapons.
Despite the grueling and exhausting process, I swung weapons daily.
And I became the Demon King, commanding an army of the dead.
Now, I aim to become the Demon King again. To walk that path once more.
But walking the same path again would be boring, wouldn’t it?
This time, I’ll do it differently—more perfectly.
For that, I need something.
A sparring partner for Acquisition.
So…
“Make it more enjoyable for me!”
The wind howled as Park Ki-hyuk’s kick sliced through the air. Han Jun-woo dodged the attack by a hair’s breadth and thrust his sword forward.
A flash-like thrust—but Park Ki-hyuk, much like Han Jun-woo earlier, barely deflected the attack by a fraction of an inch.
As the blade skimmed past his ear, their eyes simultaneously lit up.
Crack!!
The wooden sword clashed with the glove.
This wasn’t just any wooden sword. It had an iron core, giving it the weight and balance of a real sword.
The glove wasn’t ordinary either. It was made from the leather of a monster, strong enough to block a real sword.
Yet.
In a single strike, the wooden sword split in two. The glove tore apart.
The two fighters, visibly irritated, tossed their broken weapons aside and shouted.
“Merry!!”
“Merhem!!”
Merhem, who had been observing from a distance, tossed them new weapons.
“This is the third set! And with so many people watching, could you at least tone it down a bit?”
Haven’t you exhausted yourselves enough by now?
But, unaware of Merhem’s thoughts, Park Ki-hyuk and Han Jun-woo grabbed the weapons and resumed their duel immediately.
Crack! Slash! Thud! Whirl!
Fists imbued with incredible power tore through the air.
Swords, sharp as ever, summoned gusts of icy wind.
A battle of give-and-take.
A perfect balance.
They fought each other with the intensity of lifelong rivals, unleashing ferocious attacks with wild abandon.
Those who were watching, especially the crowd that had gathered around the training field due to the commotion, were the most shocked.
“Did you see that? How he deflected the attack with the edge of his hand?”
“I saw how he changed direction mid-air while slashing.”
“This is insane. Totally insane. Park Ki-hyuk, I expected this from him, but what’s the deal with Han Jun-woo?”
“Damn, I should have stayed in the 20th team.”
While their peers watched with a mix of jealousy and awe.
“What did I just see? Are they really first-years?”
“Do you think they have a ‘club’?”
“Wait, isn’t that Park Ki-hyuk? The one who was all over the news?”
“I told you, this is an exceptional class. We need to recruit them right away. We must secure at least one of them!”
The seniors, meanwhile, were desperate to recruit them into their clubs, as club recruitment was one of the big events early in the semester.
Though they had garnered everyone’s attention, the two combat maniacs themselves were oblivious to it all.
They were focused solely on the opponent before them.
Clang!!
Han Jun-woo’s sword slashed down, and Park Ki-hyuk crossed his arms to block it.
“Not bad.”
“You too.”
They pushed off each other, creating some distance.
A brief lull in the battle. But both remained on high alert, ready to spring into action at any moment.
“Your basics are flawless.”
“Yours too.”
“Honestly, there’s nothing to criticize about your fundamentals.”
“You’re beyond what I expected. Your physical prowess.”
They exchanged grins as they assessed each other.
“I was curious why you joined my team. But now I get it. You’re a wolf, aren’t you?”
Wolves don’t bow their heads to those weaker than them. To Han Jun-woo, every other team leader was beneath him.
“I was curious too. About the cub who is said to surpass ‘Mountain Lord’ and ‘White Tiger’.”
Mountain Lord and White Tiger.
They were the titles given to Park Ki-hyuk’s older brother and sister.
Park Su-hyuk, whose power and aura were likened to that of a king, earned him the title of ‘Mountain Lord (山君).’
Park Min-ji, whose swift sword strikes were compared to the claws of a mythical beast, earned her the title of ‘White Tiger (白虎).’
Both were considered among the best in the world. Han Jun-woo had always wondered what kind of talent could surpass those two.
“So, has your curiosity been satisfied?”
“Almost.”
“Almost? That’s a lukewarm answer.”
As Park Ki-hyuk raised an eyebrow in doubt, Han Jun-woo smiled and kicked the ground. His foot caught the wooden sword, flipping it into his left hand like a trick.
And in that moment.
Han Jun-woo’s aura shifted dramatically.
The Han Jun-woo who had been a noble swordsman a moment ago now transformed into…
A butcher.
The gaze of a weapon meant to kill.
“Be careful.”
It was just a single word.
But the moment that word left his mouth.
Han Jun-woo vanished into thin air.
A speed too fast for the eye to follow. He had been right there, but in an instant, Park Ki-hyuk lost track of him.
Danger!
Park Ki-hyuk instinctively thrust his fist in the direction his instincts guided him.
But.
Whoosh!
Han Jun-woo elegantly evaded the punch, launching a sharp counterattack at Park Ki-hyuk’s chin.
Startled, Park Ki-hyuk raised his other hand to block the sword, but—
In that moment.
Slice!
His shoulder was cut, and blood sprayed into the air.
”……!!”
He had blocked it.
Yet, he had been hit.
Once could be a coincidence. This time, Park Ki-hyuk struck first. Again, Han Jun-woo dissolved into a blur, leaving only an afterimage behind.
Their blades and fists clashed again.
It was a similar pattern to before.
And the result was the same.
This time, his side was cut, blood gushing out.
Only then did Park Ki-hyuk recognize Han Jun-woo’s sword.
”……Sensory manipulation?”
Han Jun-woo’s sword distorted senses. Not just his own, but the senses of others.
“Is this your ‘Bloodline’ ability?”
A power completely different from magic or swordsmanship.
It was the reason why a prestigious family is prestigious.
Bloodline inheritance.
“Dancing Blade (舞姬). It’s the power inherited through my blood.”
No sooner had Han Jun-woo finished speaking than he vanished again.
What followed were more slashes across Park Ki-hyuk’s arms. As he retreated, blood began to pour from his thigh.
No sound, no wind, nothing could be sensed.
All his senses had been twisted.
“Damn it, this is a terrible matchup.”
Currently, Park Ki-hyuk’s senses were abnormally heightened thanks to the Giant’s Body. Under such conditions, sensory manipulation was a severe disadvantage.
In an instant, Park Ki-hyuk’s clothes were in tatters. The torn fabric was soaked with blood. The crowd watching from a distance began murmuring, some even suggesting that the duel should be stopped.
“Shut up!!”
This was the first real battle he’d had since awakening in this world.
Now that things were getting interesting, he wouldn’t tolerate any interference.
“You’ve shown me yours, so I’ll show you mine.”
Park Ki-hyuk grinned mischievously, clasping his hands together and slamming them into the ground.
A cloud of dust erupted into the air.
His vision was obscured for a moment.
“Cheap trick.”
But Han Jun-woo was a Dancing Blade. The blade was his hand gesture, his body movement. Closing his eyes, he relied entirely on his senses.
He could see it.
There. He stepped deeper into the sand, ready to unleash his renowned ‘Dancing Sword.’
However.
Thud!
”……?”
A completely different sound resonated this time.
As the dust settled, the silhouette of Park Ki-hyuk emerged.
“My family isn’t one to be underestimated either.”
There stood Park Ki-hyuk, holding a sword for the first time.
Meanwhile, at the Optimum headquarters, Kim Yeon-hee was staring at a photograph.
“First the princess, and now this boy. Han Jun-woo. The sole survivor of the ‘Busan Terror Attack.’ The last heir of the Dancing Blade family.”
The Busan Terror Attack.
Five years ago, it was a brutal massacre orchestrated by the ‘Villain Alliance,’ a coalition of various insane groups.
“The Dancing Blade family was known for producing exceptional swordsmen. It was a tragedy, but now it seems that fate has connected him with our Ki-hyuk. Well done, Chief Secretary. Please report any further developments immediately. And oh, congratulations on your new position, Hyo-jung. I’ll see you at the next company dinner.”
As the Chief Secretary bowed and left, the new recruit hurriedly followed her superior out.
“Good job, Hyo-jung.”
“Th-Thank you!”
After successfully completing her orientation, Choi Hyo-jung returned to her desk, feeling like she was melting away like ice cream.
“Ugh~ I just met the CEO, the Kim Yeon-hee herself….”
“Was it amazing?”
“Incredible!!”
Kim Yeon-hee. The woman who single-handedly carried Optimum Agents to the top of the world!
An idol for anyone aspiring to be an agent!
She made it! Choi Hyo-jung! You did it, Choi Hyo-jung!!
As she basked in the moment and continued her work, she eventually found herself in the break room, where she decided to share her curiosity with her superior.
“But Chief, I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m assigned to handle Park Ki-hyuk’s case, right?”
“I assigned you to it. So what are you curious about?”
“Well, I just want to know… is it really possible? Does this make sense?”
The first task assigned to the new recruit was a detailed investigation of ‘Park Ki-hyuk.’
It wasn’t just because he was the CEO’s son. While Optimum had a separate scouting department, the secretary’s office also put effort into talent scouting, and top-tier prospects were managed separately.
“You know, he was in a coma for six months after that incident, and then he woke up. But in less than two months, he was back to normal.”
“That’s right.”
“That part I understand. He’s Park Ki-hyuk, after all. His physical specs are well known. But look here. According to my investigation, he was the top student in the entrance exam and got a recommendation from Yggdrasil.”
“He also beat up his team members.”
“28 to 1! A legendary incident! And then he passed the evaluation without any issues. I even checked personally—it was a unanimous decision. And the magical aptitude that was once criticized as a problem? It means he’s using magic! And here he is, training his team members as proof.”
“So, Hyo-jung, what’s your point?”
“Isn’t this strange? How can someone change overnight? Could it be…?”
The new recruit hesitated as if she were about to share a big secret and then whispered.
“Did his soul change?”
”……Hyo-jung, do you like movies?”
“I love them. I watched one just last night.”
“Try cutting back. Your imagination is running wild.”
“Hehe.”
“A soul swap? Not even a saint could pull that off. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Then maybe a curse…”
The Chief shook her head and stared at the new recruit.
“Hyo-jung.”
“Yes?”
“Where are we right now?”
“Optimum! The premier agent organization representing Korea and standing tall on the world stage! By the way, the competition for new hires was 6000 to 1!!”
“Stop exaggerating. Anyway, this is Optimum. You don’t think we’ve already investigated that?”
“Oh, you did?”
“Of course, we did.”
The Chief tossed her empty coffee cup in the trash and spoke casually.
“And the questions you’re asking… well, those are the kinds of questions a newbie would ask.”
“Because I’m new?”
“How do I explain this… Oh, right. Our secretary’s office has a way of categorizing superhumans.”
“What’s that?”
“Ordinary superhumans and Swordmasters.”
”……!!”
There was a time when the Chief had wondered, “Is this even possible?” when it came to the Park family.
Like when Park Su-hyuk, at just 18 years old, had formed his own knight order, or when Park Min-ji, at the same age, wiped out an entire villain group.
But now, it’s just accepted.
This isn’t just true for the Chief but for the entire secretary’s office.
The saying, “A Swordmaster just did what a Swordmaster does,” didn’t arise for no reason.
No matter what they do, no matter how astonishing their feats are, it’s just accepted.
Because.
“We know. The true power of those who wield swords.”
“Satisfied?”
“Yeah.”
Park Ki-hyuk extended his hand, looking down at Han Jun-woo, who was lying on the ground, laughing in relief.
And there they were.
At the center of the devastated training ground.
The earth had been torn apart, as if clawed by a beast.
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