Chapter 84: Proof of Knighthood (2)

Seo Jun-ho woke up and rubbed his tired eyes as he walked over to the window. When he opened it, a cold breeze billowed his clothing.

"It's as cold as always."

He smacked his lips and gathered the snow that had piled on the window sill to wash his face; the cold woke him up instantly. For breakfast, he had some canned food and wine from his inventory before putting out the fire.

"Shall we go?"

"...Yes," the Frost Queen muttered, her head nodding as she sat on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you go to sleep?"

"...Night watch."

"What? Really?" he asked, surprised. He looked sorry.

"Ha... You look like you're sorry. I suppose you're thankful, then." She seemed satisfied with that and smiled. But Seo Jun-ho scratched his neck and shook his head.

"That's not it... I set traps on the door and windows, so there was no need for you to do that."

"......?"

"Thanks anyway."

The Frost Queen's mouth opened and closed in shock, unable to say anything. Finally, she spoke again.

"Then there was no need for me to stand watch...?"

"Yeah."

"Wh-why didn't you tell me?!" She pulled his hair angrily. "I was tired! I wanted to sleep! I like to sleep!"

"I mean... Think about it logically. I've been going to Gates for a long time. Do you think I would go to sleep without taking precautions?"

"Haa..." She huffed and turned away, pouting.

Now I feel sorry. I should make her a cup of Agarit tea when we get home.

Like yesterday, he walked down the red carpet of the Knight's Road and opened the doors.

Clang! Again, the knights drew their weapons and gave off a strong killing intent. But once they saw that it was Seo Jun-ho, they sheathed them again.

- "Hey, it's the Wandering Knight."

- "We were waiting."

- "Come up to the ring! I'll show you that I'm stronger than yesterday."

They were enthusiastic. A familiar figure then stepped up to the stage.

- "Have you come again to prove your knighthood?" Horun asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Are there any additional conditions, by any chance?"

- "The knights of the Winter Castle are not cruel to one who is proving their honor."

So there weren't any. Seo Jun-ho grinned. "I'll be counting on you again."

- "However, we are always growing. We are stronger than yesterday, and tomorrow, we will be stronger than today."

"...Yeah, whatever." It was a given. Seo Jun-ho also thought that he could fight better than yesterday. With repeated fights, I can pick up on my opponents' patterns.

He stepped up to the stage, and his first opponent followed.

- "I am Sir Phil." It was the same knight who used a greatsword yesterday.

Is the order the same every time? In order to check that, he'd have to defeat at least eight knights.

Seo Jun-ho pulled out his own greatsword from his inventory. It was an Association-issued greatsword that was provided to its players.

- "Hm? The Wandering Knight has changed his weapon."

- "He used a different sword yesterday."

- "Ah! Perhaps he hadn't used his full power?"

- "Of course... I thought it was strange that such a skilled knight could only use a basic sword aura shape."

The Frost Queen yawned as she listened to the knights chatter. "Haa, what's this? I thought your main weapon was the sword."

"I can't let such a precious opportunity pass me by." Thanks to his skill, Seo Jun-ho was able to use all weapons better than the average person, but that didn't mean he was an expert. On the other hand, the knights of the Winter Castle were masters of their weapons.

"You should always be ready to learn. One of the key traits of a player is having an open mind."

Nothing in the world lasted forever. Even when he was Specter, Seo Jun-ho kept learning in order to remain in the number one spot. His habit hadn't disappeared.

"So you plan to steal the techniques of my knights. How insolent."

"Sharing is caring. They won't even break a sweat."

"...Do as you wish. However..." She smiled mysteriously. "My knights are not so weak. If you wish to steal their techniques, you will have to put in a great effort."

"Good. I'm pretty persistent."

Seo Jun-ho took his starting stance, and Phil gave a small nod. That marked the beginning of the match.

Phil's greatsword really took me by surprise yesterday, he thought, recalling the previous day's duel. Seo Jun-ho had thought that the greatsword wasn't so different from a normal sword. He'd thought that it had simply exchanged speed for greater power and reach, but Phil had used it completely differently. The face of the greatsword was two or three times wider than a normal sword, so he'd used it for defense as well.

So, Phil uses the greatsword in three different ways.

First, he used it like a normal sword to attack.

Second, he used the face of its blade as a sturdy shield.

And lastly...

Woooosh!

Phil swung at the air with the blade's face, blasting a strong gust against Seo Jun-ho.

He uses the greatsword like a fan.

The powerful swordwind hit Seo Jun-ho's entire body. He was momentarily blinded, and his hair billowed back. Phil used the distraction to hone in on Seo Jun-ho. As he dashed forward, he spun twice in the air, putting all the extra force into his weapon.

The scariest part about a greatsword is its destructive force. It was slow, but a greatsword's unblockable force made up for its lack of speed.

- "Hup!" Phil swung his weapon down as if he were trying to cleave through a mountain.

Clang! Seo Jun-ho blocked it with the face of his own sword. He held it at an angle, absorbing most of the force, but he felt the impact send vibrations down to his feet.

This is the best part about a greatsword. Even if you blocked an attack, you couldn't block it completely, and the fatigue would build up.

I beat him yesterday with a single attack from Watchguard of Darkness, but I can't do that starting today. If he did, he wouldn't be able to improve. He wouldn't take the easy way out until he was able to steal the technique in its entirety.

Seo Jun-ho retreated, creating distance between them. He swung his greatsword.

Wooosh!

It created a swordwind similar to the one Phil had just created.

- "Ho, is he trying to imitate Phil's technique?"

- "...It's a poor attempt."

- "It's not something you can imitate after seeing it once."

The knights were harsh in their criticism. He could copy Phil's technique all he wanted, but the results were different.

"It looks easy... but it's harder than I thought."

It wasn't hard to create wind, but an unconcentrated swordwind was weak. He couldn't direct it properly, and Phil's hair only swayed slightly in the breeze.

"What did I say? My knights are not weak."

"It's alright. I didn't expect to be able to do it in one try."

Seo Jun-ho decided to himself. It's okay if the only knight I defeat today is Phil. But if he did, it would be after he'd perfectly absorbed the knight's skills.

Seo Jun-ho lifted his greatsword again as Phil charged at him like a boar.

* * *

Claaang!

The swordwind roared across the ring.

- "...I don't believe it."

- "He's much too quick at learning techniques."

- "It only took him half a day to perfectly emulate Phil's technique..."

The knights were buzzing with wonder, but Seo Jun-ho didn't think that he was all that amazing.

I start at a different place than they do. Because he had Weapon Mastery (A). Once he got a grasp on the fundamentals of a weapon skill, it wasn't very hard to execute it.

"Contractor, you look like you're enjoying yourself."

"I am. Using a greatsword is fun."

He didn't usually enjoy using it. The tempo of a fight was swift, so he preferred not to use a slow weapon.

But I might start using it from now on if the situation allows it. If he layered the already-destructive greatsword with a sword aura, it would be even stronger; like now.

"Hup!" He swung the greatsword, which was covered in a powerful, jet-black aura. Phil quickly blocked his attack, but he couldn't avoid the force of the strike.

- "Keuk?!" Phil's body flew 5 meters into the air and rolled across the ground as he fell.

If this were a real battle, it'd be over. If their lives were on the line, Kis would have been dead the moment he was open on the ground.

- "......" Phil stared at his right arm; it was broken, bent like a doll's. He stood up and praised Seo Jun-ho enthusiastically.

- "What great force. I layered my sword aura twice as thick as usual..."

"I was surprised too." It was true. He'd been able to rip through it because of Watchguard of Darkness, but Phil had flown back solely due to the greatsword's power.

I suppose the force of the greatsword increases with the strength stat. No matter how strong it was as a shield, it could be penetrated with a powerful hit. Seo Jun-ho admired his greatsword.

- "Next is I, Lance! Wandering Knight, do you need some time to rest?"

Seo Jun-ho watched him step up to the stage as he put away his greatsword in his inventory.

"The second one is the same too," he muttered, pulling out a long spear. Lance was surprised when he saw this.

- "...You'll steal my techniques too?"

"Hehe, sharing is caring." He grinned.

* * *

Seo Jun-ho had defeated seven knights on his first day, but that number had decreased to two on his second. However, as he lay in front of the warm fireplace, Seo Jun-ho felt satisfied.

"This is great. What kind of Gate is so useful?"

"I do not know. I don't think the Gate was created for this purpose..." The Frost Queen sighed. In order to not make the same mistake as the night before, she'd made a sleeping cap out of tissue.

"Those spear skills were amazing. The weapon was one thing, but his aura was fun." Most spear users only used an aura to lengthen their reach a bit, but Lance was different.

The way he used an aura to make the spearhead similar to a drill was really interesting, but I was more impressed by the way he used the handle like a whip. After all, the appeal of the spear was its chaotic, unpredictable attacks. But when a weapon aura came into play, it made it impossible to read.

"You know, I'm really glad you're here."

"Wh-What are you saying..." The Frost Queen's cheeks reddened at the sudden confession.

"Think about it. If you hadn't told me about the knighthood test, I would've had to fight a hundred of those knights at once." It would've been like trying to take on thirty level-80 players at once. "Of course, if I used Watchguard of Darkness and Booster, I would've been able to defeat them, even if I got injured..." But he wouldn't have been able to improve his weapon skills that way.

"I feel a little bad saying this, but this is the first time I've felt happy about making a contract with you."

"...You always add an unnecessary statement!" She summoned a snowball and threw it at his face.