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Chapter 24: Self-Development (3)
[The level of the skill "Basic Swordsmanship" has increased. (Lv.1 → Lv.2)]
[You have reached the maximum skill level achievable in the Basic Swordsmanship Lesson!]
[The effect of the Basic Swordsmanship Classroom has disappeared.]
Fwoosh!
Creak!
I managed to block the incoming strike, but no further notifications came.
No "Blocked!" or "Proficiency increased!" messages.
It seemed I'd gained all there was to gain here.
If that's the case...
"Let’s stop here."
Tap!
I stepped back to dodge the opponent and lowered my sword.
No point in continuing when there's nothing more to gain.
But just one last thing...
Swish!
I raised my sword again, pointing it at the other Eunho’s neck.
The doppelgänger stood there, emotionless and unmoving, staring straight ahead.
It might be a foolish thought, but just in case, maybe, what if...
"You’re not a doppelgänger, are you?"
If my suspicion was correct—
Fwoosh!
A bead of blood formed on the blade of the sword I pressed against his neck.
It felt unpleasant, almost as if I was cutting my own throat.
"An instructor? A trainer? Or something like that?"
It felt strange to speak to what seemed like a lifeless doll.
But maybe I was wrong—
[How did you know?]
—or maybe not.
The other Eunho raised an eyebrow, his expression otherwise unchanged.
I knew it.
"That odd feeling when I stepped into the circle earlier... Did you copy me then?"
So that’s their ability.
"Your right leg—you're using it too well."
[Right leg?]
"I can’t use it that naturally."
The other Eunho furrowed his brow, as if confused by what I was saying.
Of course, he wouldn’t understand.
Thanks to the system’s fixes, my leg was physically fine now.
"I limped on it for ten years. Even though it’s fine now, I guess I still subconsciously favor my left leg when I move."
I’d treated my right leg like dead weight for so long, it became a habit.
Even knowing it was perfectly functional now, I couldn’t help but lean on my left leg slightly when I moved.
It was something only I noticed—nobody else cared.
"But you moved it so fluidly. I learned something from watching that."
The other Eunho swept his hand through his hair, giving a small, surprised laugh and blinking slowly.
‘So he has emotions, after all.’
[You’re the first person to notice this.]
"I’m pretty observant."
[Observant... is that so.]
He repeated the word "observant" in a slow drawl, which was oddly unsettling.
I cut to the chase—I wasn’t here to chat with a fake doppelgänger.
"I want to level up my swordsmanship skill further."
[Still not enough for you? You’re quite greedy.]
"You have to be if you want to survive."
Especially in a world like this.
He stared at me as if peering into my very soul.
[Are you serious?]
"Yes."
He let out a chuckle, shook his head in disbelief, and furrowed his brow.
The look on his face said, You’ve got to be kidding me.
[You’ve already reached the maximum level in the basics.]
Maximum level, huh?
If what he meant by "maximum level" was Basic Swordsmanship Level 2...
I couldn’t accept that.
"If there’s a basic course, then there must be an advanced one. Let’s not drag this out—just move me up."
I shrugged my shoulders and spoke confidently.
He smirked, half his face betraying surprise and exasperation.
[An advanced course, you say.]
He scratched his chin, a sly grin forming on his lips.
Don’t make that face with my face, I thought.
[It’ll be tough.]
"I’ll decide that for myself."
He twirled the sword in his hand thoughtfully before finally speaking.
[Fine. I’ll give you a glimpse. It’s been a while since I’ve had fun, after all.]
He snapped his fingers with a click!
[I'll open the Beginner Course for you.]
Rustle... Whoosh!
A new "door" materialized on the once-empty wall.
It was a massive stone gate with no handle or latch.
Creak...
I pushed against it with my weight.
Whirrrr...
In the distance, the sound of a generator echoed.
The air grew warm and stuffy, filling my lungs.
Carved stone walls and ceilings, and a dimly lit interior...
This is...
"A cave?"
The area opened up into a small cave, with an entrance about twice my height leading further in.
A sweet, enticing scent wafted from beyond.
Creak...
As I moved to investigate, the stone gate began to close behind me.
Thinking I might be trapped, I gave it a push.
The gate opened again easily.
‘So I can go back whenever I want.’
If that’s the case, there’s no need to hesitate.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
If it gets dangerous, I can just run away.
Once I widened the gap with my sword, I could pry it apart and—
'Huh?'
Instead of just creating a gap, the massive vine split in two, revealing its slick inner flesh.
It was still a plant—its cross-section was packed with round tubes, like a dense green lattice.
Chop, chop, chop—each severed segment released water from its pipe-like interiors.
SPLASH!
The water sprayed my face, chest, and legs with incredible force.
But I had to endure it.
Three seconds left until acceleration ended.
Two seconds...
'If I jump now, I’ll die.'
It was at least the height of a three or four-story building.
The quickest way down, other than jumping, was—
— STAB!
I plunged the Blade Tipped Sword into the center of the vine.
Clinging to it like I was rock climbing, I pressed both feet against the vine and—
SWISH!
Slaaash!
Sliding down as if riding a slope.
Cutting straight down along a giant trunk.
Two seconds.
The twisting and bending trunk writhed beneath me.
Even with time slowed down to one-fifteenth, the movement is palpable.
One second.
Just as the ground rushed up to meet me—
“Store!”
The sword that had supported my weight was stored into my inventory.
Then, using both feet, I kicked off the trunk and leapt into the air.
It was a trick to save time, avoiding the effort of yanking the sword free.
But...
Click—!
As time resumed its normal flow, the chase for its escaped prey began anew.
BOOM! RUMBLE RUMBLE! CRASH—!
Even though I had split it in half, massive branches came surging back.
“!!”
Damn it.
There were three tentacle-like branches with leaves.
Aside from the one I had barely dealt with, there were still two more.
And on top of that...
Ssssssssshhh—!
The severed segments I had just hacked apart began to regenerate in an instant.
An incredible regenerative ability.
In the meantime—
WHOOSH! THUD! KA-BOOM!
Three enormous branches charged like tailed missiles.
Standing there idly would mean death.
Before being dissolved by digestive fluids, I'd be crushed to a pulp by the branches.
Leap!
I flung himself to the side, narrowly dodging the incoming pillars, while rapidly strategizing.
A head-on battle was impossible.
The size difference was too overwhelming.
And with three branches, even ambushes were futile.
‘Unless I cut all of them at once, I can’t win.’
The problem was that even if I miraculously did manage to cut them, they’d just grow back.
‘No openings!’
No matter how I analyzed it, there was no gap to exploit.
In that case...!
Sliiiide—!
‘If there’s no opening, I’ll make one.’
The air reeked of something pungent near a crack in the giant rock.
The discarded shell of a truck-sized insect he had been battling earlier.
Slash—!
I carefully sliced it into three pieces and wrapped them tightly around three stones—a kind of “rocks” in this world.
Then, with all my might, I hurled them into the air.
One. Two. Three!
WHOOSH!
The three branches took the bait.
I waited until the tendrils wrapped tightly around the rocks and brought them to their gaping maws.
“Accelerate!”
I gripped my sword low and charged forward.
Sliceeeeee—!
Slashing the base of the three branches as they split apart.
‘Five seconds, four seconds, three seconds...’
As I finished cutting through the branches, I kicked them hard to topple them over.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
The massive pillars fell, raising a storm of dust and dirt.
“Cough!”
The air was so thick it turned dark, like someone had dumped an entire sack of dirt on my head.
Dust clung to my body, my eyes watering so much they blurred my vision, and my nose and throat burned.
But for the finishing blow, I raised my fist and—
“Petrification!”
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
I meticulously crushed the severed ends of the branches to prevent them from regenerating.
Splurt!
Sticky fluids and sap sprayed up, splashing over my fists and arms.
But thanks to prior reinforcements, only my shirt dissolved in patches.
After pummeling for what felt like ages—
[You have defeated the fragile predator of the jungle, ‘Drosera’!]
‘Got it!’
A notification chimed.
[Congratulations!]
[You are the first in District 13 to overcome the limits of the vegetation zone and defeat its enemy.]
[As a reward for the first kill and classroom bonus, Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.2) proficiency has increased significantly.]
+10%
And with the most welcome news—
[Check your loot!]
[Translator - Night]
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