Baek Seol-hee had been observing Jin Yuha and his companions ever since they began their ascent of Taebaek Mountain.
She was under the influence of Lina’s magic, which prevented her from coming within 10 ters of Jin Yuha or physically interfering with him in any way, including attacking with a sword.
’At least climbing the cliff is allowed. Thank goodness.’
As she climbed the cliff a short distance away from Jin Yuha, she felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
After all, she had once trained here herself.
Back then, no matter how hard she trained, her skills didn’t seem to improve. She could sense the possibility of becoming stronger, but no matter what thods she tried, she couldn’t seem to break through.
That was when Lina brought her to Sword Forest Mountain.
Indeed, just by stepping into this region, 90% of one’s mana and physical abilities were restricted, creating a unique environnt that allowed for training that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
Anyway, in this restricted environnt—
Roaaar!
A drake suddenly appeared, blocking the path of Jin Yuha and his companions.
With the cliff limiting their mobility, Baek Seol-hee’s face hardened with concern for her disciple.
However, Jin Yuha displayed his quick thinking even in this urgent situation and successfully defeated the drake.
Truly, whoever raised him did a remarkable job.
And so, they arrived at the residence of Sword Emperor.
A carefree, eccentric, and rude woman, puffing on a cigarette with an uninterested expression as she greeted them.
Sword Emperor.
As always, she was a woman who rubbed Baek Seol-hee the wrong way.
’...Her skills are genuine, though.’
When Sword Emperor first instructed Jin Yuha to cross the Sword Forest, Baek Seol-hee couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.
After all, this was a training exercise she had already put her disciple through long ago.
Seeing Sword Emperor acting all high and mighty, not realizing this, brought a sense of satisfaction to Baek Seol-hee.
She had already internalized all the training that could be done here, improving upon and refining the training programs to suit her disciple’s needs.
’As I thought, my disciple has nothing to learn from her.’
Yes, her disciple just needed to swing his sword and train in this unique environnt, taking away only what he needed.
Baek Seol-hee smiled faintly, expecting Jin Yuha to quickly lose interest in the familiar trainings.
But then, problems arose.
"My... my sword! That boy must inherit my sword!!!"
Sword Emperor’s exclamation upon witnessing Jin Yuha’s effortless passage through the Sword Forest caused Baek Seol-hee’s expression to harden.
’This crazy woman, how dare she...’
However—
Thud!
A dense, impenetrable magical barrier stood between Baek Seol-hee and Sword Emperor.
....
’Finally... Finally, my ti has co... God has not forsaken .’
It was true that Sword Emperor had been forgotten by the world and lived in seclusion.
However, she had few complaints about her life.
There were several reasons for her seclusion.
The main one was Malsook.
She had failed to rescue the child’s parents from the Gate explosion, despite her promise to the child.
She had sworn on her sword that even if she couldn’t raise the child herself, she would protect Malsook until she beca an adult.
And so, Malsook naturally beca her granddaughter.
The second reason was more practical.
Truth be told, soone of Sword Emperor’s caliber didn’t need to hide away just to protect her granddaughter.
Her swordsmanship was unparalleled, and she was confident in her ability to fend off any bandits who might target Malsook.
However, there was the issue of her unique constitution.
Sword Emperor had always possessed an imnse amount of mana, comparable to an ocean. But at so point, her mana began to increase endlessly, leading to an abnormality.
Just walking outside would cause destruction and oppression in her surroundings.
It was as if the world was rejecting her power, making it impossible for her to live among other people.
She could forcibly suppress it for a day or two, but that was the limit. She had even sought Lina’s help, but—
Lina could only provide temporary relief, and the verdict was clear: the forcibly suppressed mana would eventually explode.
And so, for these two reasons, she settled in this place.
Sword Forest Mountain, a mysterious location she had discovered while slaying monsters.
Here, her mana and physical abilities were restricted to 10% of their usual levels. It was a miracle, a mystery that allowed her to live a peaceful life.
Of course, she could venture outside by forcibly suppressing her mana for a short while, but—
She regretted not being able to give her granddaughter a proper experience of the outside world. Still, she figured that by the ti Malsook beca independent and left ho, the issue would resolve itself.
Yes,
She didn’t have much desire for wealth or fa. She just wanted to live out her remaining years in peace and tranquility.
However, there was one lingering attachnt.
It was her sword, the culmination of a lifeti of training and refinent.
She had no suitable successor to inherit her sword.
Malsook lacked the talent to carry on her legacy.
’I was planning to send the sword manual to Lina next year when Malsook enrolls in the Academy...’
Lina would be able to find a talented individual worthy of her sword.
But of course,
It was only natural for Sword Emperor to want to raise her successor herself, to witness their growth and the evolution of their swordsmanship firsthand.
It was a desire she had given up on due to circumstances beyond her control.
And so, in this mont, Sword Emperor’s eyes sparkled with excitent.
A worthy successor to her sword had presented himself, unprompted.
Jin Yuha, who had crossed the Sword Forest without a scratch.
Sword Emperor asked, her voice trembling with anticipation:
"What’s your na?"
Suddenly, Sword Emperor moved closer, making uncomfortable with her proximity.
With a displeased expression, I replied, "My na is Jin Yuha."
......
Fidget.
Fidget.
Rub.
Rub.
She began to fondle my arms and legs, her actions bordering on harassnt.
"Hmm... Oh... Indeed... This is... the real deal..."
She couldn’t stop exclaiming in admiration.
"Um, could you please stop touching ..."
"Talk with your hands off ."
Do-hee Kang and Yoo-ri Lee glared at Sword Emperor as if she were a pervert, but she didn’t seem bothered as she removed her hands.
"Oops, sorry. It’s just that I haven’t seen a body so suited for the sword in a long ti. Anyway, your na is Jin Yuha, right? You’re obviously specialized in swordsmanship."
"Yes, it is."
"Beco my disciple."
"Huh?"
"Didn’t you hear ? I’ll teach you the sword. Beco my disciple."
She was truly a free-spirited individual, bluntly asking to beco her disciple out of the blue.
Of course, I had co here to learn the sword from her, but becoming her disciple was a different matter altogether. After all, I already had a master.
"Are you worried about the other kids? Do you think they’ll be left out of the training?"
She made an odd comnt, seemingly interpreting my expression.
"Grandmother."
Stomp.
Stomp.
Alice erged, her lips tightly pressed together as she glared at .
’What’s with her? Did I make a bad first impression or sothing?’
We hadn’t even had a proper conversation yet, but Alice seed to have taken an instant dislike to .
"Take those girls and put them through the sa training you’re giving him."
Do-hee Kang and Yoo-ri Lee looked bewildered, as they were being sent off to train with Alice instead of Sword Emperor herself.
Sword Emperor added, as if she knew what they were thinking:
"I’ve taught her everything but the sword. There won’t be much difference whether she teaches you or I do. You two don’t use swords anyway."
’What...?’
I was taken aback by her statent.
’What do you an Alice hasn’t learned the sword? Didn’t she have the nickna ’Sword Flower’? I assud she had inherited Sword Emperor’s sword.’
Not knowing much about Alice’s personal story, I could only speculate.
"Grandmother."
"Yes?"
"Can we talk later?"
"Sure, sure. I understand."
Alice shot one last glare before turning and walking away.
Do-hee Kang and Yoo-ri Lee seed unsure of what to do, so I nodded to them.
"Just go for now. We didn’t co here just for today, and if it doesn’t work out, we can change it tomorrow."
"Hmm... Well..."
"..."
Seeing their hesitation, I continued, "It’s fine. We can always switch things up if it doesn’t feel right."
With that, they reluctantly followed Alice.
Soon, it was just and Sword Emperor left.
"Now that your companions’ training is settled, how about it? Will you beco my disciple?"
Sword Emperor spoke with confidence, as if it were a done deal.
However, I maintained a calm deanor and replied, "I’ll learn the sword from you, but I decline the offer to beco your disciple."
"What!?
Sword Emperor’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
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