Turns Out To Be a Genius Duelist

“You lost to your reasoning.”

The man who called himself the Old Priest stared at Yoon-seok with a knowing look. He knew exactly what the young man was going through: it was the state of mind where he was being swallowed by his fear, rendering him helpless.

Yoon-seok was trying to run away from himself.

“You said that you were from the military, but I guess you don’t have much experience.”

During the war, such a phenomenon was quite common. Only soldiers who could overcome their fears could survive a war.

“Still, your fundamentals were solid. I’m sure you’ve been training well.”

Even from the Old Priest’s point of view, Yoon-seok’s swift counterattacks, the way he raised his shield and swung his sword without any hesitation, were remarkable. It would be unimaginable for him to think that Yoon-seok was using a sword for the first time in his life.

“You have the talent for fighting, but…” the Old Priest shook his head with regret.

If only his opponent had enough experience, this would have been a pretty good fight.

“I don’t know if you can hear me right now, but if we get another chance, I hope you can give me a better fight.”

The Old Priest raised his sword with a bitter smile. In a flash, he was upon the defenseless Yoon-seok. Just then, he noticed something that made him pause.

“…?”

His hands were slightly trembling.

“Trembling? Me?”

The Old Priest wasn’t a man of noble birth. Born an orphan, he was raised by the streets. He made a living by learning martial arts with the Blue Dragon sword, which he encountered by chance. In other words, killing people was his job. He went through many battles; to survive, he had taken countless lives. And as time flowed, his feelings gradually faded. At some point, he stopped being afraid of death.

But this time…

“What in the world? This aura…”

The Old Priest stepped back and saw his opponent in a new light. Yoon-seok still seemed out of his mind. He could easily cut off his throat with a single slash, but the strong animosity he felt made the Old Priest reconsider.

“….”

His intuition was sharp, built through a constant struggle for life. He didn’t know what was going on, but his instinct was telling him to back off.

It was then.

“Die!”

Yoon-seok rushed forward like a beast, with a black aura around his body. The Old Priest was startled. Usually, when someone fell into that blank state, they would swing their sword aimlessly, filled with fear. But Yoon-seok’s attacks had become more powerful and focused; it didn’t seem like he had lost his sanity.

The Old Priest laughed with surprise as his opponent’s sword headed towards him. This beast-like frenzy wasn’t something that could be achieved through training.

Kacha!

The two opposing blades struck each other, the impact causing an eruption of sparks.

“Now, you’re fighting by instinct? It’s so much fun!”

The thrilled Old Priest began swinging his sword at Yoon-seok, one fierce attack after another. If he wanted to end the duel, he could have. He had several chances, but the Old Priest didn’t take advantage of them. When he entered this Tower of Heaven, his inner strength magically decreased. It was as if the Tower shackled his power.

The Old Priest felt the need to adjust to his current body, and Yoon-seok was the perfect partner for such readjustments. Of course, the possibility of losing never crossed his mind.

“…?”

Gradually, after about a hundred exchanges, the Old Priest noticed something. Somehow, their positions had reversed. But when did that start? Surely, Yoon-seok was the same, but the way he swung his sword gradually became smoother and faster.

‘Is this even possible?’ The Old Priest wondered.

He decided he needed to finish the duel quickly, but he couldn’t afford to make a rushed and careless attack. He had to analyze and observe Yoon-seok and wait for an opening. But as he observed, he realized something that shocked him further.

‘Is this…?’

Though the movements were still a bit clumsy and awkward, there was no way the experienced warrior couldn’t recognize it. Yoon-seok’s movements were now a mirror image of his own. The Old Priest, a martial artist, learned the Blue Dragon sword technique, a mixture of many martial arts. Though it took a lot of practice, it had become a famous method in Moorim.

But still, the man standing in front of him easily duplicated it.

‘Did he learn it? As we were fighting?’

Of course, Yoon-seok still had a long way ahead of him to master the form, but what he could do now couldn’t be called a mere imitation. Yoon-seok’s attacks were approaching the realm of enlightenment.

‘He’s lost his reasoning, which means that he’s only fighting with his instincts. So how? Could he learn a complicated technique just by instinct?’

The Old Priest forced himself to brush his curiosity aside and focus on the battle. It didn’t matter if Yoon-seok was a genius with an absurd talent or just had a stroke of luck that would never appear again in his lifetime. The main problem now was to deal with him as soon as possible.

‘I have to finish it now!’

The Old Priest, once again fired up, focused all his strength on the attack. Yoon-seok’s power was growing exponentially as the battle went on.

‘It’s not just his swordsmanship. He’s clearly a fighter.’

The Old Priest had no reason to hold back now.

Block the attacks that can be blocked. Avoid attacks that can be avoided. But what about the attacks that could neither be avoided nor blocked?

‘If that happens, it can’t be helped.’

It was no longer about cutting or stabbing. Yoon-seok boldly swung with his sword, willing to fight till his death, and now his opponent was the one hesitating. The Old Priest was pushed to the limit.

‘I didn’t want to use it, but….’

Unique skill.

[Every slash’s power can be increased by up to four times. Requires the consumption of mana and a cooldown for reuse.]

The Old Priest made up his mind while he was in his waiting room that he wouldn’t use a skill if it didn’t help his sword practice. He thought that the power he gained would conflict with his path. It was just a fragile ideal that he held from his world. It hadn’t been that long before he entered the Tower of Heaven, as he had already broken that self-oath as soon as he went out for his second duel.

“Multiply!”

As soon as the Old Priest shouted, a transparent aura was placed over the sword. He began swinging with all his strength. Yoon-seok’s thin black aura looked too weak to stop the incoming blow.

A victorious smile appeared on the Old Priest’s lips. But…

Cha-ching!

The Old Priest’s attack was blocked.

“…!”

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Yoon-seok’s sword was now illuminated with a reddish aura.

*

Unique Skill.

The sudden shout pulled Yoon-seok back to his consciousness, and the first thing he saw was his opponent’s astonished look.

‘What was I…what was I doing?’

He felt like he had a dream, but he couldn’t remember what it was. Yoon-seok lowered his sword. For some reason, a red aura engulfed his body.

「Mana exhaustion in 00:02:56」

He felt something stirring in his stomach. Was it magic? As he oriented himself, Yoon-seok concentrated all his strength in his hands. On the other hand, his opponent began to retreat. He couldn’t quite shake that dream-like sensation away.

He was aware that he could be killed by the Old Priest any moment. But now, as he saw his aura, he no longer felt fear.

Stab! Thrust! Cut!

Yoon-seok moved his sword as naturally as water down a stream with these three moves in his mind. Threatened, the Old Priest focused on his defense to prevent him.

Cling! Kachang! Ching!

Sparks flew as the blades clashed. The Old Priest looked calm as he blocked Yoon-seok’s attacks, but slowly, cracks formed on his blade with every clash. Just then, the transparent film appeared on the Old Priest’s sword once more.

[Unique Skill is ready for reuse]

As soon as the Old Priest received the message, he no longer wasted his time and activated his Unique Skill. Then he swung his sword as if he was waiting for this moment, but Yoon-seok was ready to take it head-on.

Kachang!

The move contained their lifeline and changed their history. The Old Priest’s sword cracked Yoon-seok’s enhanced blade in half, sending the top half of it flying.

However.

Chak!

The broken blade flying in the air dropped and plunged into the Old Priest’s body. The broken blade slashed his stomach cut open, and his organs poured out. Only then did Yoon-seok return to reality.

「You won」

When he realized that his whole body was soaked in blood, Yoon-seok couldn’t help but tremble with horror.

「Reward for the duel – 2000AP」

「Unique Skill has been activated.」

「Learn one skill of your opponent at random.」

Obtained Unique Skill.

He killed a man. And in return, he got a reward. But surprisingly, there was no guilt. If he didn’t do it, he would have been the one lying dead on the ground. Now, he won a reward and the chance to receive another unique skill.

「One coin is being rewarded」

「Sending to the waiting room on the second floor」

「Prepare for the next duel」

Yoon-seok, who lived half his life as someone’s prey, finally realized something, just as Kang Hyung-woo robbed him of everything,

The winner took it all.