"I thought it would be hilarious if I had to regress because my wrist got torn while learning swordsmanship here, but that didn't happen.
Choi Ji-Won just had me hold the sword and watch.
Whooosh. Whooosh.
Choi Ji-Won swung the sword slowly, with precise posture.
After repeating a movement several times, she looked at me and asked, 'Remembered it?'
Each time, I nodded slightly.
Whenever I nodded, she promptly showed the next move.
Whooosh. Whooosh.
This is the first time I'm observing and learning from Choi Ji-Won's swordsmanship rather than showing mine and getting feedback.
'This is a good stance to use when you lose balance.'
Choi Ji-Won's swordsmanship wasn't flashy.
How to channel power into the sword, how to maintain a stable posture, how to effectively counter an opponent's movements.
I'm not an expert in swordsmanship, but I felt she was very fundamental.
It felt less like watching the secret techniques of a legendary martial artist and more like observing 'Swordsmanship 101.'
In modern swordsmanship, one shouldn't expect showiness. I'm more amazed that Choi Ji-Won knows how to handle a real sword.
About an hour passed since she started swinging the sword.
- [You have acquired a skill.]
- Swordsmanship [F]
"Phew..."
Choi Ji-Won catching her breath.
I decided to share the good news with her.
"I got a skill."
"...Really? What's the rank?"
"...F."
Finally, I've attained an F rank in swordsmanship.
I worked hard to learn swordsmanship, and this signifies my achievement.
Perhaps this is the normal way to acquire skills? It's abnormal to get them from emotions.
'As for the sword... I think I've taught you everything I know. As you keep regressing, you'll slowly get used to it. Or maybe you'll acquire some cool new sword technique.'
Choi Ji-Won wiped the sweat dripping from her forehead.
She must have focused immensely, even though the movements were slow.
'Why are you teaching me swordsmanship?'
'...Because I want to help.'
'But why... wait.'
I stopped mid-sentence.
Suddenly, Choi Ji-Won deeply bowed, a full 90-degree bow.
'...Why are you doing that?'
'I'm sorry.'
'I made you suffer due to my lack of mental discipline... I'm sorry.'
I immediately understood what she was referring to.
The past stories I shared had numerous mentions of Choi Ji-Won's 'violence.'
'First, straighten up. Let's sit and talk. You didn't do anything this round.'
In fact, from Choi Ji-Won's perspective, she hadn't done anything this round. This round had no 'violence.'
She was apologizing solely based on my words.
It felt awkward to accept such a sincere apology.
'...Okay.'
She obediently straightened up and sat in front of me.
'Phew...'
I felt a mix of emotions, making it hard to put into words.
I like Choi Ji-Won.
Her kind heart, sense of justice, and strength are all endearing.
But at the same time, I hate her. She's insane.
She cut me with a sword just for asking about her college.
She knocks me out for lying.
She misjudges me as a pervert and kicks me.
'Why are you like this? Why are you always so violent?'
She's barbaric, which is hard to believe for a woman from modern times.
It's not about the era.
Even in the barbaric Stone Age, there would've been cave paintings saying, 'Choi Ji-Won is crazy.'
'Well... um...'
Rarely, Choi Ji-Won blushed.
After a long contemplation, she unsheathed her sword and placed it on the ground.
'It's this guy's fault.'
'...What?'
No matter what, blaming the sword is absurd.
I've seen people blame their parents or the world, but it's my first time seeing someone blame their sword.
But I couldn't make light of it... Choi Ji-Won's expression was too serious.
She gently stroked the sword on the ground.
'Among the skills I have... there's one called 'Sword Fusion.' It looks like this on the status window.' She began to write on the dirt floor with her fingertips.
- Divine Sword Fusion [SSS]
- A state where a person becomes a sword, and the sword becomes the person. Granting the sword the wisdom of a human and the human the sharpness and robustness of the sword.
"...Even after reading it, I don’t get it. This description is too vague."
"It’s a skill where Boong-Boong and I get closer to each other's essence. Oh, by the way, Boong-Boong is the name of this sword."
Boong-Boong? Quite a cute name for a sword.
But I still couldn't understand the concept of a person and a sword becoming one.
"Could you explain it more?"
"In simple terms... my body has become as strong as a sword. My muscles have grown, my senses have become sharper... Overall, my physical abilities have improved."
"...Ah, I see."
"The reason I always swing my sword in the training ground is to adapt to these enhanced physical abilities, not, as you might think, to look for some hidden piece."
I see.
I had thought she might be chasing some 'hidden achievement. Swing the sword 10,000 times in the tutorial' or something like that.
But it seems there was a more reasonable explanation.
"But... what does that have to do with you hitting me?"
Still, her explanation was insufficient.
How does enhanced physical abilities and needing to adapt have anything to do with her suddenly lashing out and beating me up consistently?
Choi Ji-Won shook her head, her face still flushed.
"...It wasn’t just me who needed to adapt."
"...What?"
"Boong-Boong... thanks to this skill, has gained self-awareness. It shares memories and thoughts with me. It can even move my body if it wants. Because we are one."
Divine Sword Fusion. The state where a human and a sword become one.
So, Choi Ji-Won and Boong-Boong have literally become one.
It feels like two personalities coexisting and cooperating in one body.
Choi Ji-Won scratched the back of her head, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Boong-Boong is still very young in its thinking... It's very immature when it comes to controlling emotions. If it feels anger, it reacts with violence, and if it feels doubt, it tries to subdue first."
"Uh...okay..."
"Usually, my will stops Boong-Boong's actions... but when I'm agitated or suspicious, it's hard to stop the violent reactions. In fact, before joining you, I knocked out two people..."
I was left speechless.
The shocking truth. All this time, the one who was hitting me was the sword called 'Boong-Boong.'
Its age is 7 days. Not 7 years. 7 days.
Now that I think about it, Choi Ji-Won often mumbled to herself.
I had a habit of muttering like the protagonist of a web novel, so I didn't think much of it. But it turns out she was actually conversing with her sword.
"...But if you can read each other's thoughts, why do you need to speak out loud?"
"...It helps me organize my thoughts when I speak out loud."
"I see."
Regardless, the truth behind the temperamental Choi Ji-Won, who was always quick to violence, was revealed. The one behind it was a young sword with a newfound sense of self.
In essence, Choi Ji-Won was more of a bystander or a passive accomplice.
Of course, that didn’t suddenly make me warm up to Choi Ji-Won.
She also got carried away with Boong-Boong's emotions and became violent. She said their thoughts were different and that they could stop each other.
In the end... Choi Ji-Won does seem to have a hot temper. It's also true that she's quite rude by nature.
The only difference is that Choi Ji-Won can control her impulses, while Boong-Boong can't.
"I should accept an apology."
I crossed my arms and stared at Choi Ji-Won.
"Yes, if you think an apology is not enough, I will..."
"No. I want an apology from the actual perpetrator. Tell Boong-Boong to come out and speak."
I had already received an apology from Choi Ji-Won. This was a matter to discuss with the real culprit.
"...Just a moment."
She closed her eyes, entering a deep conversation with Boong-Boong.
After some time had passed,
Choi Ji-Won's, previously stern, face suddenly became completely expressionless.
Though Choi Ji-Won usually had a neutral expression, this was something different. It was almost unsettling.
"...I heard you want an apology."
A human voice typically has some intonation, but Choi Ji-Won's voice, or rather Boong-Boong's, lacked any.
"...Are you Boong-Boong?"
"Yes."
Choi Ji-Won spoke, or rather Boong-Boong did, with a completely neutral expression. It seems that Boong-Boong isn't familiar with expressing emotions like humans. It needs to learn how to show expressions.
It feels very alien. Something... just something.
"Kim Jun-ho, I'm sorry."
Boong-Boong says apologetically with a neutral expression.
"But separate from my apology, it wasn't my fault. I never intended to kill anyone. I only subdued them. It's more about your strange ability than my fault."
Boong-Boong starts to make excuses when asked for an apology. But there's some truth to what it's saying.
"Hey! You're going to act like that?"
Now Choi Ji-Won's personality emerges, showing irritation at Boong-Boong.
"Phew... I was too hasty. I'll apologize again..."
"No, it's fine. You're right."
Once again, this being is only 7 days old.
Expecting a mature apology might be too much. The fact that it feels sorry should be appreciated.
And it's true that my ability is strange, so I wasn't even angry.
Moreover, would I swing a sword in anger? There's a high chance I'd be hit and forced to return to the beginning.
Well, I got the apology I wanted...
"...So, what are we going to do now?"
I posed a philosophical question to Choi Ji-Won.
We had a lively chat, but the situation hadn't changed much.
There was no hope left here, and everyone was waiting for the inevitable doom.
In this situation, Choi Ji-Won's calm demeanor is what's strange.
"...Kim Jun-ho. Before we return, shouldn't we gain something?"
Choi Ji-Won mentions my name thoughtfully.
"You said when you feel a strong emotion towards someone, you can acquire their ability, right?"
"...Yes."
"Did you acquire any abilities from me?"
"No. I never did."
Even now, facing imminent death, Choi Ji-Won remains calm.
It was never easy to acquire abilities from her.
"Hmm..."
Choi Ji-Won closes her eyes deep in thought.
Her eyelashes, casting a shadow over her closed eyes, are long.
"I've been thinking... It seems like we don't know much about each other. Isn't it hard to feel strong emotions for someone you don't know?"
Suddenly, Choi Ji-Won makes an obvious statement.
"...Well, of course."
We only met in the tower, what could we possibly know about each other?
"We can still get to know each other now, right?"
Choi Ji-Won smiles lightly. Her modest smile looked pretty good.
"So... from now on."
On this doomed island,
"I'll tell you about my life. Tell me about yours."
Choi Ji-Won began her story.