31

Chapter 31: The Imperial Palace

The enormous gates of the Imperial Palace stood open.

Subin remained outside for a moment, studying the structure before him.

The palace was far larger than it had appeared from the valley. Its outer walls rose nearly thirty meters into the darkness, with enormous towers positioned at regular intervals. Most of the stone was dark gray, but faint blue mana veins ran through the walls, giving the entire structure a dim glow.

The road beneath Subin's feet continued straight toward the palace entrance.

There was no sound.

No monsters.

No movement.

Yet Subin didn't mistake the silence for safety.

His Predator's Sense spread through the area.

Nothing immediately threatened him.

He stepped through the gates.

The moment he entered, the doors behind him closed.

BOOM.

Subin turned.

The enormous gates had sealed themselves.

He didn't panic.

Instead, he looked forward.

"Fine."

The palace courtyard was enormous.

Several broken statues stood along its sides. Most represented warriors holding swords, while a few depicted figures wearing crowns and ceremonial armor.

At the center of the courtyard was a massive stone fountain.

It had long since stopped functioning, but blue liquid-like mana still flowed through cracks in its base.

Subin approached it.

The system appeared.

[Imperial Mana Fountain.]

[Remaining Mana: 8,742.]

[Mana Purity: 74%.]

Subin's eyes narrowed.

"That's quite a lot."

He extended his hand.

The mana immediately reacted to him.

A small amount entered his body.

His Mana stat increased slightly.

[Mana +1.]

Subin withdrew his hand.

He didn't absorb more.

There was no need to consume everything simply because it was available.

He continued toward the palace.

The main doors were enormous.

At least ten meters high.

Unlike the entrance gates, these doors were decorated with a single scene.

A swordsman standing alone before an army.

The swordsman held one blade.

Thousands of enemies stood before him.

Yet the figure didn't appear afraid.

Subin studied the carving.

The swordsman's posture was simple.

No exaggerated stance.

No unnecessary movement.

The sword was held naturally.

Subin's eyes narrowed.

"Another lesson."

He touched the carving.

Nothing happened.

Then he noticed something.

The sword in the carving wasn't pointed toward the army.

It was pointed toward the ground.

Subin understood.

The figure wasn't preparing to attack.

He was simply standing.

Ready.

Subin smiled faintly.

"Calm before action."

He stepped away.

The doors opened.

Inside was a vast hall.

Rows of stone pillars supported the ceiling, and faded banners hung between them. Most had been destroyed by time, but a few still showed the image of a sword.

At the far end stood a throne.

No emperor sat upon it.

Instead, a sword was embedded in the floor before the throne.

Subin immediately recognized the weapon.

It was similar to the sword from the previous trial.

Simple.

Unadorned.

But powerful.

The system appeared.

[Imperial Sword Hall.]

[Primary Trial detected.]

[Requirement: Level 30.]

Subin's eyes became serious.

"So this is the trial."

He walked toward the sword.

Halfway across the hall, something moved.

A stone warrior stepped out from behind a pillar.

[Imperial Guard — Level 31.]

It carried a sword and shield.

Subin drew his own weapon.

The guard charged.

Its shield came forward first.

Subin sidestepped.

The sword followed immediately.

CLANG!

Subin blocked.

The impact pushed him backward.

He quickly adjusted his stance.

The guard wasn't particularly fast.

But its movements were disciplined.

It didn't attack recklessly.

It maintained its shield between itself and Subin while gradually reducing his available space.

Subin recognized the principle.

"Control."

He used Flowing Edge.

The guard's sword was redirected.

Subin attempted to strike its shoulder.

The shield moved into position.

CLANG!

Blocked.

Subin stepped backward.

The guard advanced.

He smiled.

"This is useful."

He wasn't fighting to win quickly.

He wanted to understand the guard's swordsmanship.

The battle continued.

The guard's shield constantly manipulated distance.

Whenever Subin moved left, it adjusted.

Whenever he moved right, it followed.

Its sword attacks were simple but perfectly timed.

Subin activated Sword Comprehension.

[Analysis: 24%.]

The guard attacked.

Subin avoided the sword.

He didn't strike immediately.

Instead, he watched.

The guard's weight shifted slightly whenever it prepared to attack.

Its shield always moved first.

The sword followed half a second later.

Subin's Predator's Sense picked up the change.

He waited.

The guard attacked again.

Subin stepped inside the shield's range before the sword could move.

One Absolute Edge.

SHING!

The shield split.

The guard staggered.

Subin followed with another strike.

The stone warrior's body cracked.

[Imperial Guard defeated.]

A small crystal fell to the ground.

[Imperial Guard Core.]

[Grade: Rare.]

[Mana Content: 1,680.]

Subin stored it.

Then he continued.

Another guard appeared.

Then another.

Soon, six Imperial Guards surrounded him.

Their levels ranged from 31 to 34.

Subin didn't retreat.

He entered the formation.

The first guard attacked.

He redirected it into the path of the second.

The second's sword struck the first guard's shield.

Subin moved between them.

His sword flashed.

One guard lost an arm.

Another lost its shield.

A third attempted to strike him from behind.

Predator's Sense detected it.

Subin turned.

CLANG!

The blade passed across his sword.

He rotated his wrist.

Flowing Edge.

The guard's weapon was redirected.

One Absolute Edge.

Its head separated.

The remaining guards tightened their formation.

Subin smiled.

"You're learning."

But so was he.

He wasn't simply defeating them.

He was studying how coordinated defensive swordsmanship worked.

His Sword God Foundation absorbed the principles.

[Sword God Foundation: 11% → 12%.]

The final guard fell.

The hall became silent again.

Then the sword embedded before the throne began glowing.

[First Imperial Trial completed.]

[Second Trial activated.]

The floor beneath Subin disappeared.

He fell.

He landed on another enormous platform.

This one looked like a battlefield.

Broken swords covered the ground.

Stone walls surrounded the area.

And standing across from Subin was a single swordsman.

Unlike the previous stone guards, this one looked almost human.

He wore ancient armor.

His face was visible.

His eyes were calm.

A long sword rested at his side.

[Imperial Sword Master Projection.]

[Level: 35.]

Subin's expression became serious.

Level 35.

Five levels above him.

But the difference wasn't what concerned him.

It was the projection's presence.

There was no wasted movement.

No unnecessary pressure.

No intimidation.

The swordsman simply stood there.

Subin slowly raised the Abyssal Emperor's Edge.

The projection drew its sword.

SHING.

The battle began.

The projection disappeared.

Subin's Predator's Sense activated.

He turned.

Their swords collided.

CLANG!

Subin's feet slid backward.

The projection followed immediately.

Another strike.

Subin blocked.

A third.

He dodged.

A fourth.

He barely avoided it.

The projection was fast.

But its speed wasn't the frightening part.

Every attack flowed naturally into the next.

There was no gap.

No wasted movement.

Subin's eyes sharpened.

"This is..."

He understood.

The projection had combined multiple principles into one continuous sword style.

Speed.

Power.

Defense.

Movement.

Distance control.

Everything existed together.

Not as separate techniques.

As one swordsmanship.

Subin's Sword Comprehension activated fully.

[Analysis: 18%.]

The projection attacked again.

Subin used Silver Flow.

Their swords collided.

The projection immediately changed direction.

Subin followed.

Another exchange.

Then another.

[Analysis: 31%.]

Subin's breathing became heavier.

The projection was forcing him to use everything he had learned.

Fang Step.

Flowing Edge.

Silver Flow.

One Absolute Edge.

Sword Intent.

He combined them.

The projection still maintained the advantage.

Subin was pushed backward.

His shoulder was cut.

A shallow wound opened.

He ignored it.

The projection attacked again.

Subin watched its sword.

He wasn't looking at the blade.

He was looking at the movement before the blade.

The feet.

The waist.

The shoulder.

The breathing.

The intent.

Suddenly, he saw it.

The projection wasn't choosing each movement individually.

Its entire body was moving according to one continuous intention.

Subin understood.

Sword Intent wasn't merely something placed onto a sword.

It could guide the entire movement.

His Sword Intent awakened.

A thin silver aura spread from his body into the Abyssal Emperor's Edge.

The projection attacked.

Subin stepped forward.

Their swords met.

This time, Subin didn't resist the force.

He redirected it.

His body rotated.

The sword moved naturally.

One Absolute Edge.

SHING!

The projection's armor cracked.

The projection stepped backward for the first time.

Subin didn't give it time to recover.

He advanced.

One step.

One sword.

One intention.

The projection attacked.

Subin cut through the attack.

SHING!

The projection froze.

A thin line appeared across its chest.

Then it disappeared.

[Imperial Sword Master Projection defeated.]

Subin stood still.

His breathing was heavy.

His shoulder was bleeding slightly.

But his eyes were brighter than before.

The system appeared.

[Sword Comprehension analysis complete.]

[Analysis: 100%.]

[Imperial Continuous Sword Principle acquired.]

[Principle compatibility with Sword God Foundation: Extremely High.]

Subin closed his eyes.

The knowledge entered his mind.

The principle wasn't a technique.

It was an understanding of continuity.

An attack could become defense.

Defense could become movement.

Movement could become an attack.

There was no need to separate them.

A swordsman could flow from one action into another without breaking his intention.

Subin opened his eyes.

[Sword God Foundation: 12% → 15%.]

[Personal Sword Path: 7% → 9%.]

[Sword Intent comprehension: 14% → 17%.]

Subin looked toward the throne.

The sword embedded before it had disappeared.

A staircase had appeared behind the throne.

It descended deeper into the palace.

Subin walked toward it.

Before entering, he looked at his status.

Level: 30

Strength: 61

Agility: 60

Vitality: 55

Intelligence: 30

Mana: 24

Unassigned Points: 0

Sword Intent: 17%

Sword God Foundation: 15%

Personal Sword Path: 9%

Absolute Edge: 58%

Abyssal Emperor's Edge — Legendary

Subin smiled.

He had become considerably stronger since entering the dungeon.

But he still wasn't satisfied.

He wanted more.

Not merely higher numbers.

A deeper understanding.

He descended the staircase.

After several minutes, the stairs ended.

Subin stepped into a massive underground chamber.

Unlike the palace above, this room was completely bare.

At its center stood a circular stone platform.

On the platform was a single inscription.

Subin approached.

The words were ancient, but the moment he looked at them, their meaning became clear.

"The emperor's sword does not belong to the emperor."

Subin frowned slightly.

He read the next line.

"It belongs to whoever can carry its weight."

The inscription ended there.

Subin looked around.

There was no sword.

No monster.

No obvious treasure.

Then the entire chamber began shaking.

The circular platform opened.

A staircase appeared beneath it.

Subin looked downward.

Far below, blue light illuminated another enormous chamber.

Something was waiting there.

Not a monster.

Not yet.

The system displayed a new message.

[Final section of the Buried Imperial Ruins detected.]

[Area: Imperial Armory.]

Subin's eyes lit up.

"An armory."

He descended without hesitation.

Whatever swords had been preserved there, he intended to see them.

And perhaps, among the weapons left behind by the ancient civilization, he would find another piece of knowledge that could push his swordsmanship even further.