A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 142
Shim Cheong's sudden appearance was quite a surprise for Tom.
Normally, his Energy Sense, which had already reached a Transcendent State, would have detected her presence in advance.
But perhaps it was due to his mind being more complicated than ever before, or the cigar that had been relaxing his body until just a moment ago.
He hadn't noticed her presence at all until she spoke to him directly.
“……”
He had thought that, given what happened earlier, she would come rushing at him in a fit of rage the moment she woke up.
But surprisingly, that didn't happen.
Of course, seeing the sword at her waist, it seemed that ‘having something to say’ wasn't all she was here for.
In any case, it was clear that no emotion like anger could be found on her face.
Tap.
Soon after, Shim Cheong descended from the wall with a light step and stood before Tom.
“…What is it?”
“Did I not just say? I have something I want to say to you.”
“……”
“That thing from before. How did you do it?”
“…That thing?”
Unable to immediately understand the question, Tom frowned and asked back.
Shim Cheong then demonstrated with a gesture.
Extending one arm, she pulled back her index finger and wrapped her thumb around it. Closing one eye as if aiming forward, she added.
“This one. The technique you used to go *pang!* and knock This One unconscious.”
“…It doesn’t have a special name. I just put enough force into it to make you faint.”
“…Hoh. In any case, that means you know the method, doesn't it?”
Hearing Tom's answer, she wore a somewhat satisfied expression and held out a hand.
“How about we make up?”
“……?”
“Just like how you shook hands with that bat-like fellow and cleared up old grudges. Let's just drop what happened earlier.”
“……”
“Of course, you'll have to apologize for disparaging my clan's swordsmanship. But if you teach me that technique, I can overlook the fact that you came in through my window.”
At Shim Cheong's self-serving proposal for a truce, the corner of Tom's mouth twitched.
It was out of sheer absurdity.
He had never held any feelings toward this kid that would warrant a reconciliation in the first place, nor had he cleared up all his feelings with Jerry with just a single handshake as she claimed.
Well, of course.
He didn't bother to say such things out loud.
It wasn't a particularly important point, and it wasn't in his nature to nitpick about things that were already in the past.
If anything, he might have if she had clung to the ridiculous pretext of him entering through the window.
If what she wanted was an apology for his remark about her ‘crappy swordsmanship,’ he could give her that much.
“I apologize.”
Of course, that didn't mean it was easy to hear those words from Tom Hardist's mouth.
He wasn't one to say things he didn't truly mean, and having spent a long time alone, he wasn't very talkative either.
It was only possible because of Shim Cheong's unique, innocent atmosphere and the fact that she had requested the truce first.
Most importantly, it was because Tom Hardist actually thought that his remark had been wrong.
‘…….’
Of course, what he had felt at the time wasn't a delusion.
By Tom's standards, Shim Cheong's movements had far too many unnecessary motions whose meaning he couldn't grasp.
But.
Thinking back on it, that was a view from the perspective of ‘Tom Hardist,’ who pursued the ultimate efficiency in battle.
‘…For sure.’
No matter how much it looked like useless showing off and seemed crappy to him, the chilling energy he felt from Shim Cheong's sword contained something of a transcendent being beyond himself.
He had forgotten, having lived for so long inside the Darkest Dungeon where he was the strongest.
Just because he couldn't find meaning in it with his own eyes didn't mean it was all crappy.
Therefore, Tom could offer his apology to Shim Cheong without hesitation.
“…You agreed more readily than I thought. I quite like that you don't hold a grudge.”
“……”
“Then teach me that technique now. This one is ready.”
To Shim Cheong, who was staring at him with sparkling eyes, Tom said.
“First.”
“……”
“Let's see your skills properly.”
* * *
In truth, there was one more reason why Tom had immediately apologized to Shim Cheong.
Pure curiosity.
So much had happened that he had simply let it pass, but the strange experience he had felt from Shim Cheong's sword was a first for Tom.
And the fact that it was a first was quite important to Tom.
Nation, family, friends, clan.
Having lost everything, all he did alone in the Darkest Dungeon was train to pursue the extremity of martial arts.
Even before losing his nation, he had been one who felt a charm in the concept of Martial Arts itself, training and honing his skills.
It was only natural for him to feel curious about a form of martial arts he had never encountered before.
Besides, although he had been given time under the pretext of making preparations, his body itself was a weapon, so there wasn't much to prepare. All he had to do was organize his extremely complicated thoughts.
And he had just finished doing that.
He had nothing particular to do in the remaining time, so re-examining and closely observing Shim Cheong's sword, which he had found intriguing, was quite a tempting prospect for Tom.
Of course, since she herself had wanted and requested it, there were no other issues.
“Huu……”
Shing—
Taking a deep breath, Shim Cheong drew her sword and asked.
“Are you really sure it's okay for me to use my full strength?”
“…Don't worry. You're still a hundred years too early to leave a scratch on my body.”
“…I understand.”
Seeing it again, it was a sword that exuded a strange aura.
Having lived for over 100 years, Tom had seen countless weapons and many outstanding masterpieces in the treasury of the burned-down Beastkin Nation.
But weapons that gave off this kind of feeling could be counted on one hand.
How should he put it?
If personified, it would feel similar to U-jin.
There was something about it that couldn't be explained by other words, as if its very nature was different.
At the curiosity he felt for the first time in a while, Tom unknowingly raised the corners of his lips.
“…Then allow me to introduce myself formally.”
“……”
“This One is Shim Cheong. The current Cult Leader of the Murim Empire's Demonic Cult, and the one who inherited the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon. I look forward to this duel.”
“……!”
And at Shim Cheong's subsequent introduction, his eyes widened without him realizing it.
‘…If it's the Heavenly Demon.’
Only then did he understand the source of the strange aura he had felt until now.
He had heard of it.
He didn't know the details, as it was located at the complete opposite end of the continent from the northwest where the Beastkin Nation had been, but he had heard of it once when he scoured the entire continent as if with a fine-toothed comb in search of the lost princess of the Beastkin Nation, Valencia.
That in Murim, there was a group called the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and that its leader used a heinous martial art that even controlled Magical Beasts.
‘…I'm sure I heard they were wiped out and had disappeared.’
He couldn't pay it any mind at the time as he had much more important things to do, but back when the Beastkin Nation was still standing, the existence had certainly held a place in a corner of his heart, which dreamed of seeking out the world's strongest fighters.
“…Tom Lycan Hardist. No affiliation. I look forward to it.”
Raising the anticipation in his heart a little more, Tom replied to Shim Cheong and nodded his chin as a signal to begin.
Fwaaat—
Nodding back, Shim Cheong kicked off the ground and rushed forward. The same horizontal sword strike he had seen before flew towards Tom's neck.
Clang—
Of course, the strike was immediately blocked.
It was a strike that hadn't advanced a single step from the one he had judged as ‘crappy.’
‘…As I thought.’
It was an undeniable fact that her movements had many superfluous motions.
It was stylish and full of flair, but an utterly inefficient movement.
The path of her sword as she lifted it drew a graceful curve, and even the linear motion of her thrust drew a gentle curve.
How should he put it?
It was as if it were swordsmanship for show.
From Tom's perspective, who only employed linear movements to shorten the time of every action, deliver force effectively, and minimize wasted energy, they were completely incomprehensible.
But Tom didn't give up there and carefully observed the sword strikes.
‘…No matter how invisible it is, it can't be a meaningless movement.’
Something seemed to be shimmering before his eyes.
Clang—
Claang—!
After a few more blows were exchanged.
A familiar phenomenon appeared along with Shim Cheong's increasingly powerful sword strikes.
A small horn that sprouted ‘pop’— from the top of her head.
And, as if this was the moment, that strange, black sword began to exude an incomprehensible dark energy.
The strike that followed was certainly similar to the one Tom had dodged at the very end.
Whoosh—
It was a sword strike flying towards his neck at a much faster speed.
But strangely, Tom didn't look away or move as he watched the attack.
Instead, he stood his ground and focused all of his Energy Sense, trying to read the meaning contained within that strike.
Little by little.
Little by little.
Until the sword was right before his nose, reaching its top speed.
Tom used all five of his senses to feel the sword, to find out the meaning it held.
And at the end of it.
Flinch—
Feeling the same incomprehensible chill he had felt from the sword strike before, he barely managed to dodge the attack.
Whoooosh—
In the end, the sword did not reach him.
Shim Cheong's strike cut through the empty air in front of Tom, and she sheathed her sword with a shrug.
“…That was my best just now. There would be no point in seeing anything more.”
“……”
But even at Shim Cheong's words, Tom couldn't reply, wearing a somewhat dazed expression.
The reason was simple.
In that moment when Shim Cheong's sword strike reached its peak.
Just before he dodged it, he had read something from the tip of that sword.
“…For sure.”
He had seen a vision in that moment.
It wasn't a common illusion of being cut or stabbed.
Tom was not one to be so surprised by such a thing, as he had experienced combat senses similar to foresight countless times in his battles.
The reason Tom was at a loss for words, staring blankly, was because the vision that had suddenly appeared before him was so vivid and yet so bewildering.
‘…Bite them to death.’
Along with a low voice that Shim Cheong had never spoken, he saw a vision of a horde of thousands of Magical Beasts appearing from nowhere, rushing in to tear him apart.
Of course, such a thing hadn't happened in the real world, but a vivid image was drawn before his eyes as if he had experienced it himself.
And only then.
Did Tom understand the meaning of the sword strike he had judged as ‘crappy.’
The meaning of the graceful curves he had called ‘unnecessary movements.’
…That was it.
This was less like swordsmanship and more like…
“…Command.”
It was closer to command.