Becoming a Swordmaster by Reading Chapter 18

Chapter 18 “Do you believe?”(3) Originally, Chevalier hadn't been very proactive about Roden's request to borrow books. He had simply thought that he would talk to the main battalion and get some books the next time he was assigned a supply mission. But after learning from Roden how to increase his aura absorption rate. And after realizing how tremendous the effect of this method was. Chevalier had a change of heart. He thought that he should at least grant Roden's request as a sign of his gratitude. And so, Chevalier began to move proactively. First, he checked if there were any books in the 3rd Infantry Platoon. As expected of the 3rd Corps' biggest troublemaker unit, there was almost no one in the 3rd Infantry Platoon who owned a book. Only the 2nd Squad Leader barely had two books. The 2nd Squad Leader, Terne, asked Chevalier, who had come to borrow the books. “Why the sudden interest in books? Your own should be enough, Deputy Platoon Leader.” “There’s a reason. You don’t need to know.” Having achieved little in the 3rd Infantry Platoon, Chevalier decided to widen his scope of action. He went to visit the 1st and 2nd Infantry Platoons. Fortunately, he was able to find more books here. However, they didn't hand over the books to Chevalier as readily as Terne did. Instead, they asked back as follows. “What will you give us if we lend you a book?” Certainly, the 1st and 2nd Infantry Platoons had no obligation to lend Chevalier a book without question. After belatedly grasping this fact, Chevalier pondered for a moment before opening his mouth. “How about we trade for a roll-up cigarette?” “…How many?” “One.” “One? Aw. That’s a bit too little, don’t you think.” “Then two.” “How about being a little more generous?” “Three. This is the last offer. Think carefully before you answer.” “But at least four… Ah, I understand. Three. Let’s do three.” And so, Chevalier exchanged one book for three of the roll-up cigarettes he received as military supply. For Chevalier, it wasn't much of a losing bargain. After all, Chevalier didn't smoke. For that reason, Chevalier’s barracks had a whole pile of the twenty roll-up cigarettes he received each month just sitting there. And so, Chevalier didn't spare his roll-up cigarettes and exchanged them for books. In the process, if someone wanted rum, he gave them rum instead of cigarettes. This was because Chevalier also barely enjoyed the two bottles of rum he was supplied with each month. He succeeded in acquiring 10 books from the 1st and 2nd Infantry Platoons, and after that, it became much easier to get books. A rumor had spread not only in the Infantry Company but also in the Archery Company and the Light Cavalry Company that Chevalier was exchanging books for roll-up cigarettes and rum. As would be the case in any army, tobacco and alcohol were things you could never have enough of. So, they were bound to have a value greater than most currencies. Because of this, as soon as the rumor spread, soldiers began to show up with books for Chevalier. As time went on, their numbers grew, and eventually, some even brought back books from the main battalion after finishing supply missions. After all, if they brought a book, they could exchange it for a roll-up cigarette or rum. And so, many kinds of books piled up for Chevalier. And most of them were spoils of war obtained from the war with the Imperial Army. It was only natural, as the war was in full swing. Then one day. “I got my hands on something like this, would you be interested?” The 2nd Archery Platoon Leader came to visit Chevalier and showed him a book he had taken out. It was none other than the . A book that was certainly not easy to obtain. Chevalier was lost in thought with the book before him. “Hmm….” It was natural that the was hard to get. Just like the , it could only be possessed by officers of the Imperial Army. But to get to the point, this was not the first time Chevalier had seen this book. Chevalier, who had always yearned for a superior swordsmanship manual, had already obtained and read this book a long time ago. And the Ingens Empire Swordsmanship he had confirmed then was not very impressive. Just like the Mediale Kingdom Swordsmanship, it was nothing more than a mass-produced swordsmanship style created for the purpose of training soldiers. For that reason, Chevalier had been greatly disappointed and had once thrown the into a corner. And he had later lost that book while moving camps. But now, to exchange such a book for roll-up cigarettes. Chevalier couldn't help but wonder if it was okay to proceed with this deal. Moreover, “You know this was a hard book to get, right? You have to give me at least ten roll-up cigarettes.” The price was also steep. But after some thought, Chevalier accepted the 2nd Archery Platoon Leader's proposal. He himself had no need for the , but he thought that perhaps Roden might be interested. And so, that night. Chevalier handed the to Roden, who was in his barracks trying to gauge the stage of a 2-star knight. And fortunately for Chevalier, “Oh! How did you get this book?” As soon as he took the , Roden was extremely pleased. ‘It was a good thing I traded for it.’ While feeling pleased, Chevalier replied to Roden with a stiff expression that suggested otherwise. “I just picked it up on my way.” *** Chevalier soon left Roden's barracks. He had to return to his barracks now to be able to keep the important rule of nine hours of sleep. Normally, Roden too should have gone to bed right away. But Roden couldn't fall asleep. Because the new swordsmanship manual he had wanted so much was now in his hands. ‘Even if I go to sleep a little later, I have to read this.’ After all, it was just one book of a little over 600 pages. Which meant that if he put his mind to it, it was possible to read the entire book in 15 minutes. In that case, he would hardly lose any sleep time either. If he could fall asleep early, it was even possible to get the full nine hours. Having made up his mind, Roden opened the with a nervous heart. At the same time, Pyu-yu-yu-yu-woong! Just like when he had first read the in the past, an intense light burst out from the book and filled the barracks. ‘So swordsmanship manuals really do work!’ Honestly, he had been half in doubt. After reading the . He had read countless books, but the strange phenomenon had never appeared again. Because of that, Roden couldn't help but think that the strange phenomenon might have been a one-time coincidence. But the strange phenomenon unfolded once again, and Roden finished reading the in the midst of the intense light. It was a matter of a mere 15 minutes. And, ‘It’s happening again.’ Roden got the same feeling as back then. It felt as if he could perfectly execute the Ingens Empire Swordsmanship, which he had only read once in a book. This confidence welled up inside him. But this was not unfounded confidence. As he had already experienced, ‘I’m sure I’ll be able to execute it. The Ingens Empire Swordsmanship.’ If he had his way, he wanted to go outside right now and try out the swordsmanship. But Roden was the type whose reason ruled over his emotions. In a situation where he had to get nine hours of sleep, personally executing the Ingens Empire Swordsmanship would be too great a loss. He would have to swing his sword for at least an hour, so he could lose more than 1% of his aura. ‘It’s right to practice the swordsmanship tomorrow anyway when I have time. It’s the weekend, too.’ Then he could eliminate the 1% loss and also accumulate new data on the strange phenomenon by executing the Ingens Empire Swordsmanship tomorrow. Having organized his thoughts, Roden turned off the light and immediately lay down on the military cot. Not long after, the sound of deep breaths could be heard inside the barracks. *** The next day. Roden, who had woken up early in the morning, went out to the vacant lot in the corner of the camp that he frequented on weekends. Then Chevalier, who had already taken the spot, greeted him. “You’re here.” Chevalier, who had become a firm believer in Roden's training method, had at some point started coming out to train on weekends like this. Because of that, Roden accepted Chevalier’s greeting familiarly. “Uh-huh. Did you sleep well?” “Yes. I got a full nine hours of sleep yesterday as well.” “Good. Then let’s start with stretching.” And so, Roden and Chevalier focused on stretching for a while without a word. It wasn't just that there were no words; there were no thoughts either. In the first place, it was ridiculous to assign any meaning to the stretching they did every day. A moment later. After the pre-workout stretching was over, Roden and Chevalier immediately began their basic training. As always, the overhead cut came first. However, ‘Huh?’ Chevalier felt a strange sense of incongruity seeing the posture Roden was taking. It was clearly an overhead cut, but the position of the sword was slightly different from usual. ‘What’s he doing?’ Chevalier thought as he swung his sword. And soon after, Roden also swung his sword. But, Shwak! A different sound came from Roden's sword than usual. It was a sound that somehow felt more aggressive than usual. It wasn't just the sound that was different. Even the path of the sword was slightly altered. ‘What is this?’ Chevalier thought and opened his mouth. But he couldn't let out his voice and had to close his mouth again. Because Roden's expression as he swung his sword a second time was so serious. Moreover, Shwak! The same sound as before came from Roden's sword. In addition, the sword's position and path were also the same, which meant only one thing. ‘He’s not just swinging his sword. This is definitely an existing move. Could it be, the Glockner Swordsmanship?’ Normally, during joint training, one did not show their true basics to others. This was because the basics were no different from showing the entirety of one's swordsmanship. Of course, there were occasional exceptions, but it was mostly like that. But here, the Mediale Kingdom Swordsmanship was an exception. Because it was a mass-produced swordsmanship style that any soldier of the Mediale Kingdom could learn. In that sense, if what Roden was executing was the Glockner Swordsmanship, it would be a huge deal. For Chevalier, there would be something to gain just from stealing a glance at the basics. And so, Chevalier focused on Roden's movements with his eyes wide open. The movements naturally transitioned to an overhead thrust. And here, Roden once again showcased a move completely different from the Mediale Kingdom Swordsmanship. It was a moment when he could be certain that what Roden was executing was not only not the Mediale Kingdom Swordsmanship, but another established swordsmanship with a pedigree. Roden's movements continued. But as he watched the movements intently, Chevalier felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Because it was a swordsmanship that looked familiar somehow. ‘What is this?’ And finally, when Roden had executed all the moves. ‘!’ Chevalier realized. That what Roden had executed was not the basics of the Glockner Swordsmanship. But Chevalier was not disappointed at all. Because as mentioned earlier, one did not show their basics to others. Because that was the natural and normal thing to do. Rather, Chevalier was surprised and amazed that what Roden had executed was not the Glockner Swordsmanship. Because it was the Ingens Empire Swordsmanship. Which meant, ‘Did he really master the entire Ingens Empire Swordsmanship in just one day?’ This was the implication.