A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 76

By the time numerous craters had formed, the scenery turned briefly red, accompanied by a warning alert.

“Hmm? What’s this?”

Sojun stepped back for a moment.

Due to ‘This Isn’t the Martial World’ friendly nature of exchanging attacks without seriously pursuing Sojun, it was understood that neither intended harm.

“Perhaps, have you exhausted your inner ki?”

“It seems like it.”

Having never experienced it before, he was unaware, but upon checking the inner ki gauge, it truly was almost depleted, triggering the warning.

“Heh heh. If you want me to wait, I shall wait!”

– This is justice!
– Indeed!
– It’s thrilling

“Why?”

“Because you have shown what true Martial Techniques and justice are in an era where Martial Techniques have become a crude joke!”

When did this happen?

And what are Martial Techniques and justice anyway?

Though Sojun was left questioning, he let it pass.

“Alright, got it. Let’s start again.”

“Haha! Accept my consideration. Even though your skills are undoubtedly great, using Heavenly Demon Divine Art without inner ki is as futile as a beginner with sandbags. To fight in such a state would be arrogant. Since I partly caused this, I hope you’ll see it as my courtesy…”

“No need.”

“Understood, don’t regret losing!”

“Fine.”

– Showing off, huh?
– Internal art is a luxury for the Heavenly Demon-nim, lol
– Didn’t he enthusiastically use up his inner ki knowing it would come to this? It was planned, all along
– Wasn’t he just unable to manage it while using the Absorption Technique and trying new things?

Although momentarily found out, Sojun kept his composure.

‘I’ve almost drained my inner ki. Self-recovery is indeed exceedingly slow.’

Managing resources like inner ki during a fight was a significant part of prowess.

With his opponent no longer needing to evade his sword, Sojun still shouldn’t clash head-on.

“Here I come!”

Yet, Sojun didn’t feel at any disadvantage at all.

The opponent’s great sword aimed its edge at Sojun’s flank and flew towards him.

Avoiding this great sword was a necessity due to the immense resource consumption required to counter it.

Nonetheless, there existed a way around this.

‘The trait of Green Forest doesn’t apply during a counter.’

Green Forest’s traits activated only when directly attacking.

Therefore…

Sojun reached a straightforward conclusion.

Prevent the attack from happening.

Sojun deftly moved backward, maintaining a precise distance just beyond the reach of the great sword’s tip.

Even then, the disadvantageous situation didn’t change.

Even the attack speed was slow.

In the game, the typical counter for Green Forest is the Assassin Sect.

For Sojun, lacking in speed but adept at pressuring opponents to prevent attacks while facilitating ease of evasion was key.

“This time, I’ll come at you.”

However, the fact that an opponent couldn’t attack wasn’t solely due to fast and relentless assaults.

If Sojun could manipulate his enemy’s movements according to his will?

Sojun, moving his left foot inward, swept his sword held in his right hand from the outside to draw a diagonal line.

The sword moved at a speed so slow it seemed lazy.

– It really seems frustrating
– The opponent’s using a great sword, plus, we’re just viewers, it seems that way
– If you try it directly, it’s even more frustrating, lolololol
– No wonder the ‘Heavenly Demon’ isn’t popular amongst Koreans
– Everything else becomes incapacitated with a single hit

Slow. The sword’s trajectory was visible. It hardly had any power, this sword of the Heavenly Demon.

*Clang!*

Naturally, the opponent blocked Sojun’s sword.

While retrieving the heavy great sword they had leisurely attacked with.

At this rate, it genuinely felt like he could dodge all day, as the opponent suggested.

Yet, Sojun’s expression remained relaxed.

“Caught you.”

Sojun moved his opposite foot this time, preparing for the next attack and Sojun believed it was the perfect timing to enlighten about Martial Techniques and justice.

“Listen carefully. Chaos is power for the Heavenly Demon, and justice is reverence for the Heavenly Demon.”

Fortunately, the viewers’ reactions weren’t bad.

– Ah, haha, that’s a bit…
– Oh, that’s some middle-schooler syndrome
– Please don’t do this. My hands and feet, haha
– If you win, I’ll acknowledge it

* * *

“Ah! The second round is also nearing its end with ‘This Isn’t the Martial World’ being defeated! In the first round, the battle of the tough guys ended with Sojun-nim’s consumption of inner ki, putting him in a crisis where he had to settle it in that condition…”

Ark paused before speaking.

“Unexpectedly, he effortlessly vanquished the opponent. Watching how helplessly ‘This Isn’t the Martial World’ was, it seemed like Sojun-nim might have used magic.”

There was a specific reason for explaining the previous round this way.

– LOL, for real
– Suddenly, it ended so easily
– Where is the romance This Isn’t the Martial World who used to search so desperately?
– His expression looked truly flustered…
– The issue is, he still does it

Exactly.

“That’s right. The issue is he still does it! Exactly. We expected that in the second round, instead of being defeated in vain, there would be a counterattack, but the opposite result emerged. He continues to fail to cope! Why could that be?”

There was no particular pattern to the battle.

*Ching!*

*Ching!*

The clash of the great sword against the sword.

Whenever Sojun swung, the opponent blocked.

If he swung again, they would block again.

Even when attacked slowly, the opponent would block, but as time passed, they eventually allowed an attack.

*Swhh!*

Just like now when Sojun’s sword slashed across the chest of ‘This Isn’t the Martial World’.

“If that’s the case, ‘This Isn’t the Martial World’ should have changed their trait! They should have introduced a change and shown a different side! Isn’t that right? Everyone?”

– Haha, why would they get paid for losing?
– It’s disappointing to lose so easily like that
– Feels so powerless
– I feel like I could dodge it, honestly

That’s why Ark cheered for ‘This Isn’t the Martial World’.

“It shouldn’t end just like this. They need to show something instead of constantly being pushed back!”

– Why on earth, hahaha
– Weren’t you cheering for Sojun-nim?

However, the result of the already practically decided game didn’t change.

Then Ark shouted aloud.

“Ah. GG! Sojun-nim’s sword struck the neck, draining the last remaining stamina!”

Though it was awkward to call it a great match, there was something truly invigorating about the initial fight.

“With this, he has defeated two ranked players already!”

‘This Isn’t the Martial World’ respectfully bowed and exited the game.

He gracefully acknowledged his defeat.

In contrast, the spectators were far from convinced.

– Chaos truly is power for the Heavenly Demon, haha
– Fighting with a great sword made it seem slower
– His sword is the biggest one, lOl
– But slower than that is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art debuff
– We’ll have to see the next game to be certain

Ark observed the chat-room’s opinions.

People weren’t purely acknowledging Sojun’s skill.

There was an excuse about the weapon for This Isn’t the Martial World’s defeat.

For defeating the fast Unrighteous Dignity, there was an excuse that the opponent lost their composure.

‘Defeating two top-ranked players should be a big deal.’

Yet the assessment was rather harsh.

‘Whatever the excuses may be, as long as they hold some logic, it’s enough, but the real reason they haven’t been acknowledged easily is…’

Simply because the fights seemed too easy to them.

The perception of the top-ranked users’ battles seemed effortless, which was a major factor.

For even Ark, who had seen and commented on countless battles, felt a similar way.

Though ‘This Isn’t the Martial World’ seemed to have accepted his defeat, there were quite a few disagreements with Ark’s perspective.

“If only he could have moved the sword aside or swiftly retreated,” he thought.

A moment surely appeared to him to escape and turn the tide.

Even from the viewpoint of a spectator, the skill gap between Ark and a true veteran was evident.

Surely, even a ranker could see it.

But Ark merely thought in his mind that there must be something unseen to him.

“Alright, the next match is set! It took a while, let’s see if a top-tier ranker appears again, or just a regular user!” the host announced with enthusiasm.

The next battle would reveal more.

* * *

The opponent of the fourth match was a user ranked below 50 in contribution rankings—not a top-tier, but still considered high-ranking.

In the first round, Sojun, wielding the Absorption Technique, displayed overwhelming physical prowess and an unrelenting sword assault due to his trait, ridiculing his opponent effortlessly.

Proceeding to the second round, Sojun brought out the Heavenly Demon Divine Art once more and began to strategically dismantle his opponent at leisure.

“Having traits that forcefully make him relaxed or necessitate a quick finish, it seems there’s indeed no middle ground, whether it’s Sojun’s issue or a problem with the Demonic Cult…”

Ark remarked while spinning his chair in place.

– Hahahahaha
– It’s the Demonic Cult’s fault, this is hilarious
– Why blame the Demonic Cult when he’s the only one using it?
– People without belief, truly

The conversation stemmed from what appeared to be idle talk.

“Haha, another match ends with Sojun’s victory!”

Once again, a swordsman seemed to wield his blade as if it was swung by a severely fatigued office worker, and the ranker fell helplessly.

In desperation, only parrying was barely managed.

Ark pondered further.

“Will they blame the lower rank this time?”

As expected, predictable reactions appeared.

– Below rank 50, no wonder they didn’t perform well, hahaha
– Was he just playing around in the first round? In the second round, was he even doing anything? At least counterattack like in the first round.
– Hmm, I might not know the Absorption Technique, but the Heavenly Demon Divine Art seems manageable? Shall I give it a try?

Feeling the frustration seeing people questioning the loser’s skills instead of acknowledging the winner.

In such situations, a commentator’s role is to correct misunderstandings, but Ark himself was left with uncertainties.

Surely something would become apparent in the next round.

Despite Ark’s hopes, several matches proceeded without much revelation.

『Heavenly Demon-him, I learned a great lesson.』

Ranked 77th, a light defeat ensued.

『Thank you. Wow, you are really good.』

Current contribution 11th place, NamgungClanStoreOwner’s local shop owner.

Viewers smirked, expecting such, due to his typical neighborhood hyung image.

However, by this point, even they obviously had to realize it.

『Let’s proceed to the next match.』

Sojun’s six consecutive wins—or five against rankers—were not due to their failures, but something else.

Ark felt the need to comment on this, despite not fully grasping it himself.

“Are you saying it’s strange that rankers are being helplessly foiled by such a slow sword?”

Eventually, he read a chat message.

“I feel the same.”

– What if you don’t know?
– Turns out the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is overpowered, haha
– Speed is just a number

“Speed is just a number? No, I can assure you that’s not the case. Apologies for only clearly stating such things. Anyway, isn’t there something unknown to us?”

This was the maximum explanation he could provide.

– The rankers must have been overrated, hahaha
– The game has aged to be a veteran affair
– Without skill, they stagnate, and when someone skilled from outside comes, they just fall apart, haha
– Now we know why no pros come to For Justice, just not worth it to compete, haha

“Ugh.”

Due to Ark tackling topics without proper commentary, viewers’ interests peaked, and the public opinion started swirling oddly.

Ark, feeling a cold sweat trickling down his back, scrambled to manage the situation.

“We know it’s definitely not because the rankers are untalented, right? Haha. Everyone. And… Oh, a donation came in.”

Thankfully, relief came from a ranker who had faced Sojun, offering a clue to resolve the unfolding situation.

『’This Isn’t the Martial World’ donated 200,000 won!』
『Watch from the opponent’s perspective in the next match. Then you’ll understand.』