Chapter 7 - The Ponytail Woman Is Too Strong (3)

Getting the ponytailed woman to cooperate.

I hadn't expected to pull it off in one shot. I'd thought I'd have to try about ten times, changing my approach each time, before I finally succeeded.

Joy welled up in my chest.

Was this where I finally started getting stronger for real?

If this were a novel, it would probably say, “The great conqueror of the tower had at last taken his first step.”

“Name.”

“Sorry?”

“Your name. What is it?”

“Oh. I'm Kim Junho.”

I'd been distracted, so I hadn't answered the ponytailed woman right away.

Come to think of it, why was she talking down to me? Rude as hell.

Of course, I didn't let it show. I was the one who needed something, so I had to swallow my pride.

“Could you tell me your name, too?”

Still, I ought to at least know her name. I couldn't keep calling her the ponytailed woman forever.

“... Choi Jiwon.”

The ponytailed woman answered coldly... No, Choi Jiwon.

Choi Jiwon. Jiwon, huh. A gender-neutral name. It could be a man's name, like the scholar Park Jiwon, who wrote under the pen name Yeonam, or a woman's, like the actress Kim Jiwon.

I thought it suited her boyish charm quite well. Choi Jiwon. I'd remember that.

“All right.”

Choi Jiwon led me to the corner of the clearing where she'd been swinging her sword all this time.

“Hold your sword. As comfortably as you can.”

“... Okay.”

I took an awkward grip on the sword, just as I'd done earlier.

“Swing.”

WHUM.

The sword made a thoroughly unthreatening sound.

“Relax your shoulders. Spread your feet. Again.”

WHUUM.

“Your grip is wrong. Keep your wrists steady. Again.”

WHUUUM.

“Again.”

“Again.”

“Again.”

Every time I swung, Choi Jiwon pointed out something to fix and told me, “Again.”

This wasn't what I'd pictured sword lessons being like... but that was fine.

WHOOSH!

That one sounded fairly threatening. My form was pretty good, too.

Considering it hadn't even been thirty minutes since I'd been swinging the sword so awkwardly, this was nothing short of tremendous progress.

Naturally. I'd already gotten a decent feel for how to swing a sword while practicing before my regressions.

Hiding my skill was part of the performance, too.

Choi Jiwon probably wasn't taking these lessons seriously. To her, I was likely just something to pass the time.

But what if, once she started teaching me, she discovered I had talent? What if this guy was picking up techniques at an extraordinary rate?

She might want to train me properly. In other words, I was pretending to be one of those gifted bastards.

Go on, marvel at my talent.

Get serious about teaching me. I'll soak it all up like a sponge.

But far from marveling, Choi Jiwon's face had twisted into a strange expression.

“... Is something wrong?”

I asked cautiously, but she didn't answer. She twitched her right foot, looking as though she was mulling something over.

What? Had I made a mistake?

“You.”

At last, Choi Jiwon spoke.

“Was that an act earlier?”

“... What?”

SHING!

Choi Jiwon drew her sword and leveled it at my throat.

“The rate of improvement you just showed makes no sense unless you're a genius. But you're far too clumsy right now to be a genius. It doesn't add up.”

“...”

Fuck.

This woman had to be far stronger than I'd thought. Just watching me swing had been enough for her to instantly realize I was acting.

“What's your goal? Getting close to me? But it makes no sense for you to have known about me. You must have some means of doing that. An ability from your trait?”

Her eyes flashed sharply.

Overwhelmed by her commanding presence, I swallowed involuntarily.

“I... Um...”

“You're nervous. Your heartbeat got louder.”

“No, what happened was...”

CRACK!

A powerful impact struck the back of my head.

Light flashed before my eyes for a moment, and then I tasted dirt.

What? Had I fallen over? More importantly, I was losing consciousness...

“I'll hear your detailed explanation once you wake up.”

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]

* * *

“Fuck! Where the hell am I?!”

“...”

Surprisingly, it turned out that getting hit really hard in the back of the head actually did knock you out.

I just hadn't expected to experience it firsthand.

I felt incredibly nauseous... and dizzy... It wasn't a sensation I wanted to experience twice.

Anyway... Choi Jiwon had instantly noticed I was hiding my ability.

So acting didn't work when the gap in skill was too wide?

Well, a third-rate swordsman hiding a sword behind his back wouldn't fool a supreme martial artist.

I'd been too arrogant. Trait or no trait, that woman was overwhelmingly stronger than me.

At my level, I shouldn't presume I could deceive her.

Of course, I hadn't known she was the sort of woman who'd beat the crap out of someone over a little lie... but at least I knew now.

Again. Let's try again.

“Everyone! I don't know who's behind this, but in a crisis like this, we need to stick together!”

I followed the same script up through the passionate speech and my despair at the cold reality.

The only real difference was that this time, I swung my sword without hiding my skill.

“Wait. What are you going to do?”

But whether I hid my skill or not, I must have looked equally pathetic to her, because Choi Jiwon blocked my path again.

She offered to teach me swordsmanship, we exchanged names, just as before...

“Your sword. Swing it.”

And finally, I'd reached the same point as the previous run.

All right, so she'd notice if I held back? Then I'd show her everything I had.

“Hup!”

WHOOSH!

Concentrating, I delivered a swing that brought together all the experience I'd gained so far.

Man. Not just saying this because I was the one swinging, but that arc was pretty clean. I really had been improving with each regression.

“... Have you held a sword before?”

Apparently, Choi Jiwon felt the same way. She asked the question cynically.

“... Haha. I was in the kendo club in high school. My form's pretty good, right?”

I offered the excuse I'd prepared in advance, but...

“Liar.”

Once again, her expression twisted.

“A bamboo sword used in kendo and the real blade you're holding have completely different centers of balance, not to mention how they feel. But your stance is optimized for a real blade. You're hiding something.”

“... Oh.”

That was a thing...?

THWACK!

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]

* * *

“A relative of mine practices with real swords... I had a few private lessons.”

“What is this relative's name? I know the names of everyone in Korea with any skill in swordsmanship. Go on, tell me.”

“...”

THWACK!

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]

* * *

“I learned in the military.”

“Knife fighting or bayonet training, perhaps. But I've never heard of anyone learning to wield a real sword in the military. Do you take me for an idiot because I'm a woman?”

“...”

THWACK!

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]

* * *

Fine. I'd admit it.

When it came to knowledge about swords, that woman knew far, faaaar more than I did.

No matter what flimsy lie I concocted, I wouldn't fool her.

She'd wielded a sword in the real world, an expert among experts. All I knew of swordsmanship were the vaguely imagined techniques in martial arts and fantasy novels. I couldn't get the upper hand against someone like her.

In the end, I decided to resort to my last option.

“... Have you held a sword before?”

“No?”

Shameless denial.

I couldn't win a battle of words with her in the first place. I'd have to brazen it out and stick to my story.

Please, just let it slide. Just teach me how to use a sword...!

“... Liar. That's not the stance of someone with little experience.”

But Choi Jiwon evidently had no intention of letting it slide. She glared at me suspiciously.

When I saw her hand creeping toward her scabbard, I hurried on.

“But it's true! Earlier, I called out ‘Status window’... and then I could just do it. I think it must be thanks to my trait...”

“...”

She immediately fell silent.

She'd gained superhuman physical abilities from her trait herself, so she would know my story was entirely possible.

“... What's your trait called?”

“Come on, that's a secret. Tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine.”

Though she'd been curious about my trait, she clammed up, apparently unable to reveal her own.

After keeping her mouth firmly shut for a long while, she said,

“... Just hold your sword.”

In the end, she chose to let it slide.

* * *

Once I received proper sword lessons, I finally understood.

Until now, I'd known nothing about swords.

I'd barely dipped a toe into the vast ocean of swordsmanship and mistaken it for improvement.

I'd improved more in these three hours of lessons than I had in a dozen-odd hours of swinging a sword by myself.

Simply changing the direction of my feet put more power behind my sword. Simply adjusting the angle of my elbows greatly reduced the strain on my arms.

The subtle workings of the human body. A monumental tower of knowledge built by geniuses.

“Whew.”

Feeling good, I wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead.

I could feel my skills improving by leaps and bounds, and confidence surged through me.

Was I a genius?

“... I think you're the least talented person I've ever taught.”

I wasn't.

Choi Jiwon's lips shifted as she wore a conflicted expression.

“You'd need three years just to fend for yourself... I never imagined you'd have so little talent...”

Apparently, she regretted offering to teach me.

Was I really that untalented? That hurt a little.

“Forget... that you ever learned swordsmanship. You might be better off not using it at all.”

Choi Jiwon was openly declaring, “Don't use a sword.”

But...

“... Three years would be enough?”

My pride was too fucking wounded to let this go.

Was I really that much of a dumbass? Was she sure?

I wanted to see that woman flustered.

I wanted to hear that woman praise me.

I wanted her recognition.

THUMP!

I struck my chest hard to seal my resolve.

I'd decided on my next goal.

Until Choi Jiwon acknowledged my swordsmanship... I wouldn't stop regressing.

[You have taken damage.]

[Returning to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]

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