6

Chapter 6: Sword Against Sword

The Goblin Captain's roar echoed throughout the chamber.

Subin didn't move.

He stood several meters away, his sword held loosely in one hand while blood slowly dripped from the edge of the blade.

The cut he had landed wasn't deep.

The Goblin Captain's armor had absorbed most of the impact.

But Subin wasn't disappointed.

He was smiling.

He had finally understood what made the creature different.

It wasn't simply stronger.

It knew how to use a sword.

That made all the difference.

The Goblin Captain lowered its body slightly.

Its sword pointed toward Subin.

For a moment, the two simply stared at each other.

Then the goblin moved.

It rushed forward.

Its first attack was a horizontal slash aimed at Subin's waist.

Subin stepped backward and allowed the blade to pass.

The second strike came immediately.

A thrust.

Subin turned his body sideways.

The sword passed within centimeters of his chest.

He could feel the wind created by its movement.

The Goblin Captain twisted its wrist.

The blade changed direction.

Subin's eyes sharpened.

Instead of retreating, he moved forward.

Their swords collided.

CLANG!

Subin pushed the goblin's blade away.

Then he attacked.

One cut.

The Goblin Captain blocked.

Second.

Blocked.

Third.

Blocked.

The two swords moved rapidly.

The rest of the party could barely follow them.

Arjun stared.

"Are they actually..."

"Fighting with swords," the mage finished.

It was different from the battles they had witnessed before.

There were no wild swings.

No desperate attacks.

Every movement had purpose.

Subin attacked.

The goblin defended.

The goblin counterattacked.

Subin avoided.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Subin's mind was working faster than ever.

[Sword technique analysis: 41%.]

The system continued analyzing the Goblin Captain's technique.

Subin began recognizing its patterns.

The creature preferred attacks from the right.

Whenever Subin blocked a horizontal strike, the goblin followed with a thrust.

Whenever Subin retreated two steps, it attempted to close the distance with a sweeping attack.

There was a rhythm.

Subin could see it.

He changed his approach.

Instead of reacting to each attack, he began predicting them.

The Goblin Captain swung.

Subin was already moving.

The goblin thrust.

Subin had already shifted his body.

The goblin attempted a low cut.

Subin jumped.

Then his sword descended.

CLANG!

The Goblin Captain barely raised its blade in time.

The force drove it backward.

Subin followed.

Another strike.

Another.

The goblin's defense began weakening.

Its armor was already damaged.

Blood flowed from several small wounds.

But the creature refused to fall.

It suddenly changed its stance.

Subin noticed immediately.

"What?"

The Goblin Captain's sword moved differently.

Its next attack was much faster.

Subin blocked.

The impact forced him backward.

The creature attacked again.

Subin blocked.

Again.

Another.

The goblin's swordsmanship had suddenly become more aggressive.

Subin's eyes narrowed.

The technique had changed.

[Sword technique analysis: 62%.]

He understood.

The Goblin Captain had been holding back.

Perhaps it had been testing him too.

Subin's excitement grew.

"Good."

He stepped forward.

The goblin swung.

Subin parried.

He rotated his wrist.

The blades slid against each other.

Subin stepped inside the goblin's guard.

His elbow struck its chest.

The creature staggered.

Subin's sword followed.

Slash!

The blade cut through the gap between two armor plates.

Blood sprayed.

The Goblin Captain stumbled backward.

Arjun shouted.

"Subin!"

Subin didn't respond.

He was completely focused.

The goblin raised its sword again.

Its breathing was heavier now.

Subin looked at the creature's stance.

Its right leg was slightly weaker.

The wound on its thigh from earlier had reopened.

Its breathing was becoming irregular.

It was slowing down.

Subin advanced.

The Goblin Captain attacked.

Subin avoided the blade.

The goblin tried to recover.

Too late.

Subin's sword passed through its defense.

Slash!

The blade struck the goblin's shoulder.

The creature dropped to one knee.

Subin raised his sword.

The Goblin Captain looked up.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

Then Subin swung.

The sword passed cleanly through its neck.

The creature collapsed.

Silence filled the chamber.

[Level 5 Goblin Captain defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

[Level increased.]

[You have reached Level 5.]

[You have reached the recommended maximum level of this dungeon.]

Several notifications appeared.

Subin ignored them for the moment.

He looked at the sword lying beside the corpse.

The weapon was old, but it was beautifully made.

The blade had several scratches.

The hilt was wrapped in worn leather.

Yet the balance was excellent.

Subin picked it up.

The moment his fingers touched it, another notification appeared.

[Unidentified Sword detected.]

[Sword Comprehension activated.]

Information flooded his mind.

The sword was made from a metal he didn't recognize.

It was designed primarily for cutting.

Its balance favored speed.

Its edge had been sharpened repeatedly.

And despite its age, the blade remained remarkably durable.

Subin looked at it carefully.

"Interesting."

The system identified it.

[Goblin Captain's Sword]

[Grade: Common+]

[Durability: 71/100]

[Attack Power: +18]

Subin smiled.

It was significantly better than his current sword.

He looked at the weapon he had been given by the military.

Then back at the goblin sword.

There was no comparison.

He immediately decided to keep it.

Arjun walked over.

"You earned it."

Subin nodded.

The party began searching the chamber.

Near the throne they discovered a small wooden chest.

The tank opened it carefully.

Inside were several mana stones, two health potions, a few strange herbs, and a metallic bracelet.

The system identified the bracelet as another piece of equipment.

[Goblin Warrior Bracelet]

[Grade: Common]

[Effect: Vitality +3]

The group divided the items according to their usefulness.

Nobody argued.

They had fought together and had already established a basic understanding of distribution.

Subin took only the sword.

He didn't care much about the other items.

The sword was enough.

Then the dungeon began to shake.

The ground trembled.

Everyone froze.

"What's happening?"

The mage looked around.

A system notification appeared.

[Dungeon Guardian defeated.]

[Dungeon completion condition fulfilled.]

[Dungeon will begin closing in 30 minutes.]

The group immediately began moving back.

Subin followed.

They retraced their route through the dungeon.

The goblin corpses had disappeared, leaving behind scattered mana stones.

Subin collected several along the way.

He wanted to understand their value later.

When they finally emerged from the dungeon, the afternoon sun was still visible.

The moment they stepped outside, they were surrounded by soldiers and civilians.

"How was it?"

"How many monsters?"

"Did you find anything?"

"Is it safe?"

Questions came from every direction.

The military officers quickly separated the dungeon team from the crowd.

Subin looked back.

The dungeon entrance had begun shrinking.

Within several minutes, the blue portal disappeared completely.

The road became empty again.

The soldiers immediately began recording everything.

Number of floors.

Monster levels.

Mana stones.

Equipment.

Dungeon guardian.

Subin listened carefully.

The government had already started developing a system for classifying Awakeners and monsters.

It was still primitive.

But it was necessary.

One officer spoke to the assembled Awakeners.

"Based on today's data, we are tentatively establishing six basic ranks."

A board was placed in front of the shelter.

F Rank

E Rank

D Rank

C Rank

B Rank

A Rank

The officer continued.

"F Rank will represent the weakest awakened individuals and monsters. A Rank will represent exceptionally powerful individuals."

Someone asked, "What about S Rank?"

The officer hesitated.

"We don't have enough information to establish that category yet."

Another person asked, "How are ranks determined?"

"Level, combat capability, ability, physical characteristics, and other factors will be considered."

Subin listened silently.

A ranking system made sense.

But he suspected that levels and ranks wouldn't remain simple for long.

The world had changed too quickly.

There were already too many unknowns.

That evening, the government distributed food and water to the shelter.

The atmosphere was noticeably different from the previous day.

People were still afraid.

But hope had appeared.

The dungeon had proved something important.

Monsters could be killed.

And monsters could provide resources.

Humanity wasn't completely helpless.

Subin sat with his family.

His mother looked at the new sword beside him.

"That's not the same sword."

"No."

"Where did you get it?"

"Inside the dungeon."

She stared at him.

"You went into that place again."

Subin smiled.

"I came back."

His father shook his head.

"That's not a proper answer."

Subin laughed.

His mother sighed.

"Just be careful."

"I will."

His father looked at him seriously.

"You've changed."

Subin paused.

"How?"

"You're calmer."

Subin thought about it.

Maybe his father was right.

Before the invasion, Subin had worried about jobs, money and his future.

Now those things seemed distant.

Not unimportant.

Just distant.

He had discovered something new.

A path.

A reason to improve himself.

Later that night, Subin sat alone outside the shelter.

He held the Goblin Captain's sword in his lap.

The blade reflected the moonlight.

He slowly moved it through the air.

His comprehension activated again.

The technique he had fought earlier began replaying in his mind.

He could remember every movement.

Every attack.

Every defensive posture.

Every mistake.

Every opening.

The system displayed another notification.

[Sword technique analysis complete.]

Subin's eyes widened.

[Technique acquired: Goblin Sword Style.]

He stared at the message.

Then another appeared.

[Due to high Sword Comprehension, technique has been automatically optimized.]

[Goblin Sword Style has evolved.]

[New Technique: Basic Sword Flow.]

Subin remained silent.

A technique that had taken the Goblin Captain who knew how many years to master had been understood, analyzed, and improved by him after a single battle.

He stood.

The sword moved.

One simple slash.

There was no wasted motion.

The blade cut through the air smoothly.

Subin looked at the sword.

A strange feeling settled inside his chest.

It wasn't pride.

It was hunger.

He wanted to understand more.

More techniques.

More swords.

More powerful opponents.

More difficult battles.

He wanted to know how far his comprehension could go.

The next morning, he would begin training seriously.

Not because anyone had asked him to.

Not because the government expected it.

Because Subin Vans had finally discovered something he genuinely wanted.

He wanted to become stronger.

And he wanted to see where the sword could take him.