Chapter 13

Never Underestimate the Three Foundations

At dawn the next morning, Kwak Dojin actually showed up.

Scrape… Scrape…

Dragging his feet through the sand, he looked unmistakably…

Completely drunk.

“…What?”

Cha Yusik frowned.

“Senior Kwak… What on earth happened to you…?”

Just how much did he drink?

“Huuugh…”

Stagger.

Kwak Dojin swayed forward.

BAM!

He crashed face-first into the sandy ground.

After twitching weakly for a moment, he went completely still.

Yoon Hyunjong and Han Taeho rushed toward him in alarm.

“Leave him.”

Kang Hyun, who had been sitting casually atop the platform, slowly climbed down.

Looking down at Kwak Dojin, he calmly reached out and tapped a point on his back.

Thump.

“Kuhack!”

Kwak Dojin’s body arched like a drawn bow.

The next instant—

“BLEEEGH!”

Everything inside his stomach—liquor and bile alike—came pouring out.

The sharp smell spread across the training ground.

The other cadets instinctively grimaced.

His willpower passes.

Good.

If you truly want to crawl out of the mud by your own strength…

Then at least keep your promises.

If you intend to change the miserable life you’ve fallen into…

You’ll need that much determination.

“Now that you’re awake, wipe your mouth and stand.”

“Cough! Cough… Haa…”

Still gasping for air, Kwak Dojin staggered to his feet.

Kang Hyun had sent a stream of qi into the Myeongmun Acupoint, driving away the alcohol enough to restore some clarity.

Neither of them mentioned what had happened the night before.

“So.”

Kang Hyun turned his back.

“Horse stance.”

“Begin.”

Horse stance training continued for another week.

Although it looked like nothing more than standing still…

A clear transformation was taking place within the five cadets.

On the first day, none of them had lasted even ten minutes.

Their legs had trembled like leaves before collapsing onto the ground.

Now…

Even after thirty minutes…

Their backs remained straight.

Their stances no longer wavered.

And most importantly…

Not a single one of them had skipped training.

That should do.

Their breathing had stabilized.

Their spines had straightened.

Their centers of gravity were finally balanced.

Only now had they met the minimum conditions necessary for their qi and blood to flow properly.

“Enough.”

The moment Kang Hyun gave the order—

“Haah!”

“Arghhh!”

All five cadets collapsed simultaneously.

Lying on the ground drenched in sweat, they stared blankly at the sky while gasping for breath.

Kang Hyun looked down at them.

“You’ve worked hard wrestling with dirt these past days.”

“Judging by the sorry state you’re in…”

“You should finally be capable of holding a sword.”

Every cadet froze.

“Starting today…”

“I’ll teach you martial arts.”

“…!”

The first to spring up was Cha Yusik.

Finally!

Truthfully…

Just last night he had seriously considered quitting this special class.

He couldn’t afford to waste time.

If he didn’t become stronger quickly…

His older brother would completely surpass him.

I could practice basic exercises like horse stance outside class.

What he wanted from this professor…

Was martial arts.

Even if it wasn’t some heaven-defying secret technique…

It had to be something far superior to anything taught at the Academy.

“Go pick up one of those wooden practice swords.”

The cadets hurried toward the corner of the training ground and grabbed practice swords.

Kang Hyun casually kicked one into the air with his foot before catching it.

Everyone waited expectantly.

What incredible sword art would he reveal?

“The first martial art I will teach you…”

Gulp.

Every eye fixed upon Kang Hyun.

“…is the Three Talents Sword Art.”

“…?”

Silence.

What?

Three Talents Sword Art?

Every cadet stared in disbelief.

There were four martial arts manuals so common that they practically rained out of low-level dungeons.

• Three Talents Sword Art
• Six Harmonies Technique
• Six Harmonies Fist
• Iron Cannon Palm

Anyone could learn them.

You didn’t even need to attend the Academy.

For a few thousand won, you could simply download the PDF from the Hunter Association website.

They were practically the martial arts equivalent of morning calisthenics.

Cha Yusik’s face twisted.

“…I must have misheard.”

“The Three Talents Sword Art?”

“You heard correctly.”

“Heaven.”

“Earth.”

“And Man.”

“The very foundation of foundations—a sword art that embodies the three principles of the universe.”

At that…

Cha Yusik’s face flushed red with anger.

“Professor!”

“Are you making fun of us?”

He had endured everything.

He had swallowed his pride as the son of a major guild.

He had practiced horse stance like children at a neighborhood dojo.

Every morning his muscles screamed in agony.

His friends from the Martial Research Society secretly laughed at him.

Still…

He came every day.

Why?

Because he believed all that humiliation would eventually lead to an incredible reward.

“And after all that…”

“The reward is a garbage sword art like this?”

“…Garbage?”

Kang Hyun’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes!”

“I mastered Three Talents Sword Art long before entering the Academy!”

“Even the lowest baggage carriers working under my family’s guild don’t bother using trash like that!”

The other cadets secretly agreed.

Even Yoon Hyunjong wore an expression that said,

“Three Talents is going a bit too far…”

“You’re misunderstanding something.”

There had been a saying in Kang Hyun’s previous world.

Anyone who looks down upon the Three Talents Sword Art is unworthy of holding a sword.

But anyone who clings only to the Three Talents Sword Art will never truly master the sword.

Could mastering only the Three Talents Sword Art make someone the strongest swordsman alive?

Of course not.

That was nonsense.

But there was no better foundation.

Even the old Sword Maniac had said it countless times.

“Every sword style ultimately returns to the Three Talents.”

If anyone had dared claim that Three Talents Sword Art was a worthless technique fit only for porters…

The old man wouldn’t even have replied.

He would have smashed their jaw with a wooden sword first.

Then beaten them into the dirt while shouting,

“You ignorant bastard who doesn’t even understand Heaven and Earth!”

But…

I’m not like that old man.

Kang Hyun smiled faintly.

If a student didn’t know something…

It was a professor’s duty to teach them.

“Cha Yusik.”

“Step forward.”

Holding the wooden sword loosely at his side, Kang Hyun gestured with his chin.

“The sword style you’re practicing…”

“Is it the Wolf Fang Sword Art?”

“…Yes.”

“A fine sword art.”

It had once been reserved for elite pursuit squads of the Green Forest Alliance.

Not as refined as orthodox sect techniques…

But forged through countless life-and-death battles.

Naturally…

Kang Hyun knew it well.

“Attack me with it.”

“I’ll use only the Three Talents Sword Art.”

Cha Yusik’s gaze sharpened.

Only Three Talents?

Seriously?

He imagined his own father restricting himself to nothing but the Three Talents Sword Art.

His conclusion came quickly.

I still couldn’t beat him…

But I wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed.

No matter how skilled someone was…

A sword style had its limits.

That was exactly why superior martial manuals commanded such high prices.

Wolf Fang Sword Art is what elevated the Heavenly Wolf Guild into one of the great guilds.

This professor is underestimating us.

Suppressing his anger, Cha Yusik tightened his grip.

“Don’t regret this.”

“Regret?”

“You said you’ll use only the Three Talents Sword Art.”

“What if my wooden sword so much as touches your clothes?”

“My clothes?”

“Most people would simply say they’ll win.”

“I’m not arrogant enough to make empty boasts.”

“Or maybe you’re just lacking shame?”

A grin spread across Kang Hyun’s face.

“Fine.”

“If your sword so much as brushes my sleeve…”

“I’ll join your Heavenly Wolf Guild.”

“…!”

Cha Yusik’s eyes widened.

An S-Rank Hunter joining Heavenly Wolf?

If that really happened…

It would completely restore his standing as the guild’s heir.

“You’d better keep that promise.”

He lowered his stance.

I’m going all out.

“Come.”

Bang!

Cha Yusik launched himself forward.

Was it because of all the lower-body training?

His acceleration was far sharper than before.

Whoosh!

His wooden sword sliced through the air with a savage trajectory.

Even to the other cadets…

It looked like an overwhelming strike.

But—

“First.”

“Heaven.”

The feet moved before the sword.

Kang Hyun stepped forward only half a pace.

From his feet…

To his waist…

To his spine…

To his arm…

To the tip of his sword…

His entire body formed one perfectly connected line.

There wasn’t the slightest tension in his shoulders.

Yet…

His sword already carried the weight of the heavens.

“Bring it down.”

A simple downward slash.

BOOOOM!

“Ghk!”

The instant Cha Yusik’s sword collided with Kang Hyun’s—

A terrifying shockwave exploded.

What the hell?!

Pain shot through his palms.

His grip almost gave way.

It’s just a downward slash…

So why does it feel like this?!

It felt…

As though Mount Tai itself were falling from the sky.

“Second.”

“Earth.”

Kang Hyun’s feet rooted themselves into the ground like the roots of an ancient tree.

A sword loses its life the moment your feet leave the earth.

But relying only on your waist makes the strike slow.

The force traveled upward—

From the ground…

Through his ankles…

His knees…

His waist…

And finally flowed naturally into a perfectly level horizontal slash.

“Endure.”

A heavy horizontal cut swept just above the ground.

“AAARGH!”

Cha Yusik staggered like a reed in the wind.

It felt as though a massive boulder had rolled over his sword.

His wooden sword flew from his grasp.

“Lastly.”

“Man.”

Between Heaven and Earth…

Stands Man.

Look only upward…

And you’ll become empty clouds.

Look only downward…

And you’ll become dull and heavy.

So long as the axis connecting Heaven and Earth remains intact…

Kang Hyun’s eyes weren’t fixed upon his sword.

They pierced directly through Cha Yusik’s completely exposed center.

Greed lengthens your reach.

Fear shortens it.

The perfect distance.

The straightest thrust.

“Thrust.”

FWOOOOOOOSH!!

Kang Hyun’s wooden sword shot forward with terrifying speed—

Stopping precisely beneath Cha Yusik’s chin.

The overwhelming pressure alone blasted his neatly combed bangs upward.

“…”

Silence.

An unbearable stillness swallowed the training ground.

Cha Yusik couldn’t breathe.

This…

This is the Three Talents Sword Art…?

Bring it down.

Endure.

Thrust.

Those boring…

Predictable movements…

Were this?

Impossible.

The downward slash had felt as though the heavens were collapsing.

The horizontal slash carried the weight of the earth itself.

And that final thrust…

It was like condensing Heaven and Earth into a single point…

Behind him…

Kwak Dojin.

Yoon Hyunjong.

Han Taeho.

Seo Haein.

Every one of them stood frozen in shock.

To them…

Kang Hyun’s Three Talents Sword Art looked grander…

And more overwhelming…

Than any legendary divine sword art.

“Well?”

Kang Hyun withdrew his wooden sword.

“So…”

“Does it still look like garbage?”

He casually tapped his own shoulder.

“A sword that’s flashy without a proper foundation…”

“Is nothing more than a sandcastle.”

“If you don’t even understand what the Three Talents truly are…”

“How can you claim to study martial arts?”

Cha Yusik’s pupils shook violently.

“Now that you understand…”

“Pick up your wooden swords.”

“Today’s lesson.”

“One thousand downward slashes.”