29

Chapter 29: Emperor’s Training Ground

Subin stood at the center of the Emperor’s Training Ground with the Abyssal Emperor’s Edge resting in his hand.

The enormous platform stretched farther than he could see. Stone pillars covered almost every part of it, arranged in rows that extended toward the distant darkness. Each pillar carried a different sword mark. Some were simple horizontal cuts, while others curved around the stone as though the blade had moved in a completely different direction from the wielder's body.

There were thousands of them.

Subin slowly walked toward the nearest pillar.

A single straight line had been carved across its surface.

He studied it for several seconds.

The cut was approximately three centimeters deep.

There were no cracks around it.

No damage above or below the line.

Whoever had created it had concentrated the entire force of the attack into one narrow path.

Subin raised his sword.

"Absolute Edge."

He attempted to reproduce the cut.

SHING!

His blade passed across the stone.

A thin mark appeared.

Subin looked at it.

Only one centimeter deep.

He frowned.

"Too much force."

He tried again.

This time he reduced his strength.

The result was worse.

The cut barely scratched the surface.

Subin didn't become frustrated. Instead, he looked carefully at the two marks.

The problem wasn't strength.

It wasn't the sword.

It was his movement.

He had understood the principle, but understanding something intellectually and being able to perform it naturally were two different things.

He stepped back.

"Again."

He swung.

Then again.

And again.

The first ten attempts were inconsistent.

Some cuts were too shallow.

Others were too wide.

One strike created a crack because he had accidentally allowed too much force to enter the stone.

Subin stopped and examined the damage.

His Sword Comprehension activated automatically.

The system began analyzing his own movements.

[Self-analysis initiated.]

[Movement efficiency: 72%.]

[Force concentration: 68%.]

[Sword Intent synchronization: 41%.]

Subin nodded.

"So I'm still wasting nearly thirty percent of the movement."

He lowered the sword.

Instead of continuing to swing, he began practicing the movement without the stone.

One step.

One rotation of the waist.

One movement of the shoulder.

One extension of the arm.

Then the sword.

He repeated the motion slowly.

The training ground remained silent except for the sound of his breathing.

After several hundred repetitions, the movement began to feel different.

It became smaller.

Cleaner.

More natural.

Subin's sword no longer traveled through a large arc.

It moved along the shortest possible path.

He approached the pillar again.

This time, he didn't think about cutting it.

He simply moved.

SHING!

The cut became deeper.

Two centimeters.

Subin looked at it.

"Better."

He continued.

SHING!

Three centimeters.

The same depth as the original mark.

Subin's eyes sharpened.

He had reproduced it.

But he wasn't satisfied.

The original swordsman had created the mark effortlessly.

Subin still needed concentration.

That meant he hadn't truly mastered it.

He continued training.

Hours passed.

He moved from one pillar to another.

Every pillar presented a different problem.

One required minimal force.

Another required extreme precision.

A third demanded a curved slash.

A fourth required cutting at an awkward angle.

A fifth was covered in extremely dense stone that resisted his sword.

Subin didn't use his usual techniques.

No Silver Flow.

No Flowing Edge.

No Stonebreaker Edge.

No Fang Step.

He relied almost entirely on his fundamentals.

The Emperor's Training Ground seemed designed specifically for this.

Whenever he relied too heavily on an existing technique, the training target became harder.

Whenever he simplified his movement, the target became easier.

The lesson was becoming increasingly obvious.

Techniques were tools.

Fundamentals were the foundation.

And his Sword God Foundation was exactly that—a foundation.

The system repeatedly recorded his progress.

[Absolute Edge proficiency: 8%.]

[12%.]

[17%.]

[23%.]

Subin continued.

His arms became tired.

His shoulders ached.

His breathing became heavier.

Even his grip began weakening.

But he didn't stop.

His body was improving through mana adaptation, and his Vitality was already far beyond that of an ordinary human.

Still, exhaustion remained.

Subin welcomed it.

A sword couldn't be understood only through the mind.

The body had to learn it too.

He swung again.

SHING!

A stone pillar split.

This time the cut was so clean that the upper half remained in place for several seconds before slowly sliding away.

Subin looked at the result.

The system appeared.

[Absolute Edge proficiency: 31%.]

[Movement efficiency: 91%.]

[Force concentration: 88%.]

[Sword Intent synchronization: 63%.]

Subin smiled.

"Now we're getting somewhere."

He moved to the next pillar.

This one was different.

There was no mark.

Instead, a small circular symbol was carved into its center.

Subin stared at it.

The system displayed a notification.

[Advanced Training Target.]

[Objective: Cut the marked point without damaging surrounding stone.]

Subin raised the Abyssal Emperor’s Edge.

He swung.

BOOM!

The pillar cracked.

He frowned.

Too much force.

Again.

This time, the marked point was damaged, but a small fracture extended outward.

Still not good.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Subin gradually reduced the size of his movements.

His sword intent became thinner.

Instead of spreading around the blade, he concentrated it along the edge.

His breathing slowed.

The sword became incredibly still.

Then—

SHING.

The marked point disappeared.

Nothing else happened.

The pillar remained intact.

Subin stared at it.

A tiny circular section had been cut out perfectly.

[Training objective completed.]

[Absolute Edge proficiency: 38%.]

[Sword Intent synchronization: 71%.]

A second notification appeared.

[Sword God Foundation: 3% → 5%.]

Subin's expression became serious.

His personal sword path was responding to this training.

He hadn't gained another skill.

He hadn't leveled up.

But his foundation itself was becoming stronger.

That was more valuable.

Subin continued training.

As the hours passed, his movements became increasingly economical.

He stopped thinking about every part of the swing.

His body began doing it naturally.

The Abyssal Emperor’s Edge moved like an extension of his arm.

At some point, Subin realized something.

He had been trying to make his sword stronger.

Now he was making himself less wasteful.

That distinction mattered.

A swordsman with ten units of strength who could use all ten effectively could be more dangerous than someone with twenty units who wasted half of them.

Subin's understanding of swordsmanship continued to deepen.

Then the entire training ground suddenly trembled.

Subin stopped.

The stone pillars began sinking into the floor.

One after another, they disappeared.

The platform became completely empty.

The system appeared.

[Basic Training Phase Complete.]

[Intermediate Training Phase Initiated.]

Subin looked ahead.

The empty platform suddenly transformed.

Stone walls rose from the ground.

A massive circular arena formed around him.

Then three sword projections appeared.

The first was holding a short sword.

The second held a long blade.

The third carried a heavy greatsword.

All three looked human.

But none had faces.

[Training Opponents Generated.]

[Opponent One: Speed-Type Sword Projection.]

[Level: 25.]

[Opponent Two: Technique-Type Sword Projection.]

[Level: 27.]

[Opponent Three: Power-Type Sword Projection.]

[Level: 29.]

Subin's eyes narrowed.

He had fought sword projections before.

But this was different.

These projections were specifically designed to challenge Absolute Edge.

The first projection moved.

It disappeared.

Subin's Predator's Sense activated instantly.

He turned his body.

The short sword passed beside his neck.

Subin countered.

The projection avoided the strike.

It was fast.

Very fast.

Subin used Fang Step.

The distance disappeared.

His sword moved toward the projection's chest.

The projection twisted sideways.

Subin's eyes sharpened.

He understood.

The projection wasn't simply fast.

It had extremely efficient movement.

It didn't make unnecessary motions.

It was using the same principle he had been training.

Subin smiled.

"Interesting."

The projection attacked again.

This time Subin didn't retreat.

He stepped forward.

Their swords collided.

CLANG!

The force pushed both of them backward.

Subin immediately understood the projection's rhythm.

It attacked only when an opening existed.

It didn't waste movements.

It didn't overextend.

Every attack had a purpose.

Subin's Sword Comprehension rose rapidly.

[Analysis: 21%.]

[34%.]

[49%.]

The projection changed its attack pattern.

Subin adapted.

Their swords clashed repeatedly.

The battle became a contest of efficiency.

Neither fighter used flashy techniques.

There were no huge attacks.

No explosions.

Only sword against sword.

Subin's comprehension continued increasing.

[67%.]

He suddenly understood the projection's greatest weakness.

It was efficient.

But it was also predictable.

Efficiency had become its entire foundation.

It had no unnecessary movement.

Therefore, Subin could predict which movement it would choose when presented with the same circumstances.

He waited.

The projection attacked.

Subin moved half a step.

Its blade passed beside him.

Subin's sword moved forward.

One Edge.

No wasted motion.

SHING!

The projection froze.

A thin line appeared across its chest.

Then it disappeared.

[Opponent One defeated.]

[Combat Understanding increased.]

Before Subin could rest, the second projection attacked.

This one was completely different.

Its swordsmanship was elaborate.

It changed grips.

Angles.

Rhythm.

Distance.

It used feints.

It deliberately created openings.

Subin's eyes brightened.

This opponent wasn't testing efficiency.

It was testing his ability to recognize complexity without becoming trapped by it.

The battle became much harder.

The projection continuously changed its style.

Subin was forced to use Silver Flow.

Then Flowing Edge.

Then Fang Step.

But each time he used a technique, he returned to Absolute Edge.

He wasn't abandoning his techniques.

He was placing them beneath a stronger foundation.

After several minutes, Subin finally found the correct rhythm.

The projection launched a complicated combination.

Subin didn't try to counter every movement.

He ignored most of them.

He focused on the final attack.

One sword.

One purpose.

One edge.

SHING!

The projection disappeared.

[Opponent Two defeated.]

Subin's breathing became heavier.

The third projection stepped forward.

The greatsword rested against its shoulder.

Its presence was overwhelming.

[Opponent Three.]

[Level: 29.]

The projection raised its weapon.

Subin tightened his grip.

"This one will be different."

The greatsword descended.

BOOOOOOM!

The entire arena shook.

Subin barely avoided the attack.

The ground beneath him exploded.

Stone fragments flew through the air.

Subin used Fang Step to move behind the projection.

He attacked.

The projection turned.

CLANG!

The collision forced Subin backward.

His palms tingled.

"Strong."

The projection attacked again.

Subin moved.

Again.

Again.

Every strike carried enormous power.

He couldn't block directly.

He couldn't trade strength.

He had to cut through the attack itself.

Subin's eyes became completely focused.

Absolute Edge.

He remembered the training pillars.

He remembered the simple cuts.

He remembered the principle.

Remove everything unnecessary.

The greatsword came toward him.

Subin stepped inside its range.

His sword moved.

Not against the weapon.

Not against the projection.

Against the space where the attack had to pass.

SHING!

The projection's greatsword split in two.

The sword continued forward.

A thin line appeared across the projection's chest.

The projection disappeared.

Silence returned.

Then the system appeared.

[Intermediate Training Complete.]

[Absolute Edge proficiency: 38% → 51%.]

[Sword Intent synchronization: 71% → 79%.]

[Sword God Foundation: 5% → 8%.]

[Personal Sword Path: 3% → 5%.]

Subin lowered his sword.

His breathing was heavy, but his eyes were calm.

He had improved.

Not by gaining another powerful ability.

Not by increasing his level.

He had simply become a better swordsman.

Then another notification appeared.

[Training reward available.]

Subin looked up.

A small stone platform rose from the ground.

On it rested a black ring.

He approached it.

[Emperor's Ring.]

[Grade: Rare.]

[Effect: Sword Technique Training Efficiency +15%.]

Subin picked it up.

The moment he put it on, he felt the mana inside his body circulate more smoothly.

He nodded.

"A useful training item."

He looked toward the far end of the arena.

A massive door had appeared.

Unlike the previous doors, this one was decorated with six swords.

Five were broken.

One remained intact.

The system displayed one final notification.

[Advanced Sword Trial available.]

[Recommended Level: 30.]

Subin checked his status.

Level: 27.

He had gained no levels during the training.

He looked at the door.

Then at his sword.

He smiled.

"Not yet."

He had no reason to rush.

The dungeon wasn't going anywhere.

He had already learned that strength wasn't only about levels.

He sat down on the platform and began circulating mana through his body.

The next stage would require him to become stronger physically as well.

Three unassigned attribute points were not enough.

He had forty before entering the training area, and he had deliberately kept them unused.

Now he opened his status.

[Level: 27]

[Strength: 51]

[Agility: 50]

[Vitality: 45]

[Intelligence: 25]

[Mana: 18]

[Unassigned Attribute Points: 40]

Subin looked at the numbers.

He had been relying heavily on his physical attributes and swordsmanship.

But the deeper sections of the dungeon were becoming increasingly powerful.

He needed to improve everything.

After considering his options, he began distributing the points.

Strength increased by ten.

Agility increased by ten.

Vitality increased by ten.

Intelligence increased by five.

Mana increased by five.

His status changed.

[Strength: 61]

[Agility: 60]

[Vitality: 55]

[Intelligence: 30]

[Mana: 23]

Subin stood.

His body felt different immediately.

Stronger.

Lighter.

More responsive.

His mind felt clearer, while the mana circulating through his body had become denser.

He tightened his grip on the Abyssal Emperor’s Edge.

The sword felt almost weightless.

The Emperor's Ring quietly increased his training efficiency.

Subin looked at the enormous door.

"Level thirty."

He wasn't far away.

He walked toward the exit of the training ground.

But before he reached it, the dungeon suddenly announced something unexpected.

[Dungeon progression updated.]

[New area detected.]

[The Emperor's Training Ground is connected to an external dungeon route.]

Subin stopped.

A new passage had opened beside the arena.

Unlike the previous corridors, faint natural light could be seen ahead.

For the first time since entering the deeper section, the dungeon seemed to have another exit.

Subin walked toward it.

At the end of the passage, he found himself standing before an enormous underground valley.

Far below, he could see ruins.

Ancient towers.

Broken walls.

Collapsed roads.

And countless enormous stone structures scattered across the landscape.

It wasn't another small dungeon room.

It looked like an entire buried city.

Subin's eyes narrowed.

The system displayed one final message.

[New Area: Buried Imperial Ruins.]

Subin looked at the enormous ruins below.

Then he smiled.

"Looks like the dungeon is much bigger than I thought."

He stepped forward.

The Abyssal Emperor’s Edge rested at his side.

The journey continued.