Becoming a Swordmaster by Reading Chapter 35

The speculation that Federico and Nedhab might have grown stronger because of the new training method.

This speculation, which had been nothing more than a laughingstock, gradually turned into conviction starting from the semifinals.

The semifinal matchups were as follows.

Match 1: Nedhab vs. Zailo

Match 2: Federico vs. Terne

When the matchups were first announced, everyone thought.

That Zailo and Terne would advance to the finals.

First, Zailo.

Although he had advanced to the semifinals with a series of byes after the first preliminary round, he was not a fighter to be ignored.

There was a clear reason he held the role of squad leader among some thirty soldiers.

In particular, his defensive ability was the best among all the soldiers.

And Terne.

He was the most likely candidate for champion.

This was because he had shown the ability to overwhelm any opponent with his outstanding athleticism.

If Federico had made a name for himself as a strongman in the past, Terne was the very image of that in the present.

Although Federico and Nedhab had beaten Hugo and Manolo, those two were fighters of a higher caliber.

For that reason, the soldiers' predictions for the outcome all inevitably leaned toward them.

But when the matches actually began, the results were different.

From the first semifinal match, Zailo was seen being pushed back.

“What, what is this?”

“Is the 1st Squad Leader really losing?”

Zailo was indeed good at defense.

But Nedhab's attack speed, which exploited openings, was faster.

Because of that, Zailo had no choice but to allow attacks every time.

‘Pant, pant. How on earth did this happen?’

He had thought something was a little strange since Nedhab beat Hugo.

The Nedhab he knew was not this strong.

As a squad leader, grasping the skills of his squad members was the most basic of basics.

But Nedhab had achieved victory over Hugo, who was classified as a strong fighter within the platoon.

For Zailo, it was a result that could only be surprising.

And so, he had been wary.

He absolutely did not want to experience the humiliation of losing to his own squad member.

Despite having gone all out from the start, Zailo had now hit his limit.

At the same time, though resentful, he had no choice but to admit it.

That Nedhab was stronger than him.

‘Had he been hiding his skills all this time?’

Zailo, who had thought this for a moment, shook his head.

‘No. That can’t be. Nedhab almost died in the last operation.’

That was right.

During the last operation, Nedhab had faced a great crisis, falling to the ground while fighting an enemy.

Usually on the battlefield, falling to the ground was as good as being dead.

The one who had saved Nedhab at that time was Zailo himself.

‘If he had multiple lives, maybe. But hiding his skills in a situation like that is impossible. Then what made him so strong?’

At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Zailo's mind.

It was,

‘Could it be… because of the new training?’

It was such a thought.

But Zailo's thought could not last long.

Because Nedhab broke through his lapse in concentration and neutralized Zailo's defense once again.

“…I surrender.”

Zailo, who had held the strongest opposition to the new training method, finally broke down and declared his surrender, and silence fell over the training ground.

And in everyone's minds, a thought like this arose.

That the new training method might actually be effective.

Furthermore, as Federico showed an incredible performance in the second semifinal match, this thought solidified.

The sight of Federico cornering Terne was nothing short of shocking to the soldiers.

Federico even showed that he wasn't being pushed back by Terne in terms of strength.

“Kuaaaack!”

Terne tried to push Federico back somehow, but it was not enough.

Rather, every time he tried, large and small hits accumulated, and his strength gradually drained.

Because Federico's sword cleverly struck undefended places like his side or thigh.

In the end, Terne too had no choice but to declare his surrender.

“Keuk. I surrender.”

And so, the final match was set between two people no one had expected.

In this final, Nedhab put on a spectacular match, narrowly winning against Federico, but almost no one paid any attention to this result.

The soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Platoon were captivated by only one thought.

‘Is the effect of the new training method really this great?’

It was precisely this thought.

***

The day after the match.

The runner-up, Federico, woke up early in the morning as always.

This was because he had to meet Chevalier to conduct an informal morning roll call.

Federico asked the squad members with whom he shared the barracks.

“Is there anyone who is unwell?”

“No, sir.”

“That's a relief. Then I'll see you at the training ground later.”

Just like that, Federico headed straight for Chevalier's barracks.

And as he walked, he recalled what had happened yesterday.

‘I still can't believe it. That I could produce such strength again.’

In truth, Federico was also surprised by his own skill.

Up until the 1st and 2nd preliminary rounds, he had just thought it was what it was.

He felt his body had been a bit lighter for the past few days, and thought maybe his sword was moving lightly as well.

But while competing against Manolo in the 3rd preliminary round, he could clearly tell something had changed.

Because even to Federico's mind, Manolo was a formidable opponent, yet he was too easy to deal with.

Especially as he put his all into facing Manolo, he could feel it.

That the physical abilities that had naturally declined with age had returned.

And this thought became certain while facing the 3rd Infantry Platoon's greatest strongman, Terne.

His body had gone back in time and become younger.

Furthermore, it wasn't just that he had become younger.

Rather, it felt like his strength was even greater than before.

And Federico knew for certain the reason for this.

It was all thanks to the new training method that Roden and Chevalier had insisted on.

If not for this, there was no way to explain why he had suddenly become so strong.

‘Right. It’s not just me who got stronger. The winner of this tournament is Nedhab, the friend who trained hard with me on the new regimen. That’s him.’

As soon as he thought of Nedhab, a look of regret appeared on Federico's lively face.

Because even thinking about it now, losing to Nedhab by a narrow margin was a pity.

However, Federico was a veteran soldier accustomed to overcoming defeat, so he quickly shook off the regret.

Then he returned to his original line of thought.

‘Come to think of it, that seems to be the case. Among the soldiers who passed the preliminaries, there was a noticeable increase in those who accepted the new training.’

Furthermore, all the soldiers who had come out in the morning to do stretching with him until just the day before yesterday had passed the 2nd preliminary round.

So, for Federico, this could never be dismissed as a mere coincidence.

At the same time, what Chevalier had said came to Federico's mind.

‘Did he say that if you continue this training, even someone without talent can become a 1-star knight.’

Reaching the level of a 1-star and becoming a proper knight.

In truth, this was a long-held wish of Federico's.

Wandering from battlefield to battlefield as a mercenary was always arduous, so it was only natural for such a wish to form.

Furthermore, it was because of this that Federico had been dragged into this war without being able to retire.

The crime of getting caught trying to secretly steal a Superior Swordsmanship Manual because he wanted to become a knight.

On the condition of atoning for that crime, he had become a soldier of the 3rd Infantry Platoon, half by his own will and half by others'.

‘And yet, to think I’ve gained an opportunity to become a knight here.’

He was struck anew by the thought that life was truly unpredictable.

But Federico could not remain lost in thought forever.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at Chevalier's barracks.

As Federico entered the barracks, Chevalier cut to the chase and asked.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, sir. Everyone is hale and hearty today as well.”

“……”

As Chevalier silently looked at him, Federico asked.

“Is something the matter?”

“It's just…. For some reason, you seem to be the most hale and hearty of them all.”

“Hahaha. I am in a rather good mood. How would I have known that at my age, I would become the runner-up among these young fellas? I was so excited yesterday that I couldn't get a full nine hours of deep sleep. Please forgive me for this.”

At Federico's jest, Chevalier showed a rare, faint smile.

Then he replied.

“I forgive you. And you did a great job yesterday.”

Having unexpectedly received Chevalier's encouragement, Federico was able to start his day in an even better mood.

‘I should quickly wash up, finish breakfast, and go do my stretching.’

And so, a short while later.

Arriving at the training ground, Federico was surprised by an unexpected sight.

“Huh?”

Because all the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Platoon were gathered at the training ground, which had been quiet at this time just yesterday.

***

It was just as Roden had thought.

When the tangible results of the training were revealed through Nedhab and Federico, the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Platoon regained their motivation.

And everyone, without exception, actively participated in the new training.

Accordingly, the soldiers from other platoons, who had briefly stopped their mockery, began teasing the 3rd Infantry Platoon again, but no one cared.

Because if they just followed the new training properly, they could become as strong as Nedhab or Federico.

Rather, the soldiers from the other platoons, who were just mocking without properly grasping the reality of the situation, just seemed like fools.

Like this, the new training method finally took root in the 3rd Infantry Platoon.

For Roden, who had wanted the 3rd Infantry Platoon to become stronger for the sake of survival, it was a very satisfying result.

But they couldn't just keep training forever.

As part of the Transport Battalion, the moment came when the 3rd Infantry Platoon also had to carry out a transport mission.

At a gathering for a company meeting, Havier opened his mouth.

“This time, the transport mission has been assigned to Transport Unit 2 after a long while.”

And so it was time for the 3rd Infantry Platoon, which had been able to rest for a while due to the fatigue from the last operation, to stand once again in the heart of the war.