Overpowered Sword Chapter 4

Level up with swords (4)

The day after his 18th birthday, Leon woke up at 5 a.m. like always and made his bed.

It was a mechanical movement that had become familiar through years of repetition.

There was no way he wouldn’t be sleepy just because he was Leon.

After pouring cold water on my sleepy face a few times, I finally opened my eyes and looked in the mirror. Chestnut hair, maroon eyes, and a face that isn’t ugly, but isn’t handsome either.

And the left hand with the bangs swept up, even the pattern on the back of that hand.

[Are you awake?]

“… Good morning, El Cid.”

Leon, who I had become quite familiar with after one night, gave me a greeting.

Holy sword El Cid.

A sword said to have been given by the goddess to the legendary great hero, Holy King Roderick. If the church were informed of this, the Pope would run out barefoot, but unlike his great name, El Cid’s personality was easy-going.

What he showed at their first meeting was a realistic presentation.

“Is El Cid awake even when I sleep? or not.”

When I mentioned something I was curious about, El Cid responded.

[You can sleep together, or you can stay awake. I can’t do anything if you’re sleeping anyway.]

“Then it would be possible to keep watch.”

[This is blasphemy!]

Leon giggled at that reaction and changed his clothes.

If you think about it, it’s been quite a while.

Leon, who trained every day and chose to isolate himself, had no one he could call a friend. Chloe did occasionally talk to her, but she distanced herself from her for fear of causing any rumors if she got closer to her, who was dating Rihanna.

So, it was a new feeling to giggle at something trivial and talk to someone in the morning.

“Oh, you also asked me to show you how to swing a sword, right?”

[Yes, in order to teach you properly, I need to know what your current level is.]

“I think I’ll disappoint you.”

Leon was taken aback by the sound that came out without him knowing, but El Cid answered without laughing at all.

[I am not disappointed. Leon, you did your best in the circumstances given to you. Who would blame a teacher for not learning what he did not teach?]

“… … .”

Leon, whose eyes became hot for no reason, walked at a brisk pace.

The holy sword and the warrior are connected through their hearts. The sincerity contained in El Cid’s words shook him desperately.

How powerful it is to have someone believe in you.

My grip on the wooden sword naturally gained strength.

[It’s pretty dark. Is it because the sun hasn’t risen yet?]

Eventually, El Cid arrived at the training ground and looked around.

It was unclear how the holy sword on the back of Leon’s left hand viewed the world, but his vision was considerable.

It seemed like there were no blind spots anywhere in 360 degrees.

“Then let’s get started quickly.”

Leon simply relaxed and grabbed the wooden sword.

Even if we call it swordsmanship, it is a movement that applies some basic techniques. It wasn’t something worth showing to a holy sword with the memories of a great hero, but what El Cid said helped Leon.

He moved, focusing his mind more than ever.

Ugh!

The wind is cut off. The sound of being cut by a bladeless wooden sword, it was a blow that was swung a thousand times and was about to succeed ten times.

But Leon, who was in a trance, was different.

He raised the sword that he had lowered and slashed again, and again by switching his stance and slashing diagonally. A slash that was almost accidental has already been repeated several times.

Ten, twenty times.

The wooden sword, which was moving without stopping, was soon stopped.

[stop.]

“ah… .”

Leon was disappointed that his concentration was interrupted by El Cid’s words, but he couldn’t help but be surprised when he soon realized the reason.

Damn it.

Even though he cut the empty air, the wooden sword had already cracked countless times and was on the verge of breaking.

Even if you hit it with a hammer, it won’t break like this.

Unlike Leon, whose eyes were wide, El Cid was calm. No, in a way, he was surprised too.

[Did you write this without even realizing it? Repeated training of the basics is useful for mastering them, but… . I didn’t know it was possible at a level where I wasn’t even an Auror user.]

“What happened?”

[There is no need to know now. If you rely on it for no reason, you won’t develop any skills, so I’ll teach you later when you feel more mature.]

Leon wanted to hear the identity of this ‘power’ right away, but he suppressed his curiosity because it was what El Cid said. If Saint King Roderick says that using a spear as a clothesline is training, you should believe it.

El Cid, who understood what was going on, smiled and opened his mouth.

[I learned the basics well. There is nothing in particular to point out, and it would be okay if you just teach me how to handle my body.]

“How to deal with your body? “Not swordsmanship?”

[Can you swing a sword without arms? How to handle the body is the basis of martial arts. It seems like I’ve been consistently training my body, but that’s a different area.]

After explaining briefly, El Cid thought about it and gave the following instructions to Leon, who placed the wooden sword.

Now that we had seen the technology, it was time to see the body.

[run.]

“until when?”

[Until I tell him to stop. And make sure you do the movements I tell you along the way. They’ll tell you to stand on your head or jump on one foot.]

Leon, who had taken off his top in triumph, stiffened.

I was quite confident when it came to running, but I had never run on one foot or walked around the gym while standing on my head.

“Hook, hook.”

Leon started running, looking a little more nervous than usual.

One lap, two laps.

Preparing for El Cid’s instructions that might come at any moment, I stepped on the dirt of the training ground that my feet remembered better than my eyes.

Then I saw the sun rising beyond.

It was a familiar sight.

* * *

“… So in the North, people wear two types of armor alternately. Metal armor certainly provided high defense, but even leather canteens couldn’t withstand the freezing cold. Similarly, soldiers in desert areas where heat waves persist often wear armor made of cloth or leather. An example of how environmental characteristics can limit the functionality of the armor itself… ”

A middle-aged man standing in front of a blackboard reads a book in a low voice.

About half of the classes at the Royal Academy were practical and the rest were written. Moving your body all day is not efficient, so after training your swordsmanship and physical strength, you instill knowledge in various fields.

From humanities and natural sciences to military studies.

Because the breadth is wide, the depth is a bit lacking, but if you compare it to someone who knows nothing, there is a big difference.

If the knight was simply strong, the value of the knight would not be high.

Modern knights are capable of acting as military commanders if necessary and have the judgment ability to immediately respond to various situations. It may be true that military power was truly unrivaled, but it was not a time when one could become a knight through military force alone.

‘Oh, I’m sleepy.’

Leon wrote down the lecture almost unconsciously and lifted his eyelids that kept closing. Even though I wasn’t considered a model student, I didn’t fall asleep during class, and it seemed like I was exhausted for the first time in a while.

El Cid literally tested him to his breaking point.

I repeated the motion hundreds of times without even knowing what it meant until I became nauseous.

As a result, El Cid evaluated Leon in one word.

―Only well-made Dohwa districts. The grill tastes good.

There is an old saying in the East that says, “A great vessel is perfect,” and Leon was almost like a vessel already made.

Just filling an empty bowl is enough.

This is El Cid, who has the memories of Saint King Roderick. There was plenty of content to fill Leon. Even if you only inherit some of the swordsmanship and training techniques of ancient heroes, you can become a sword master.

But El Cid was not satisfied with just that.

―I can’t just end my successor, who was born in 300 years, as a master. Let’s see… . I should be able to easily defeat a dragon, and I don’t know how strong the demon lord of the time is, but if he’s half as strong as I am, it’ll be fine, right?

The goddess who was watching the two from heaven was horrified by those words, but El Cid, who had no way of knowing that, made up his mind.

I will make Leon into a hero who can do half as many things as him.

Unfortunately for the parties involved, it was the moment when the gates of hell were opened.

[Leon.]

‘I’m listening.’

Leon answered in his heart and pinched his thigh. It was so as not to miss a single word of El Cid’s teachings.

El Cid smiled in satisfaction at that attitude and continued.

[I knew where to start teaching. Leon, what do you think you are lacking in?]

‘uh… ‘Maybe it’s swordsmanship or an auror?’

[Wrong.]

El Cid denied that answer in a firm voice.

[It’s snow.]

‘eye?’

[Yes, I don’t know where it came from, but this proverb exists. One eye, two feet, three legs, four powers. Insight is the most important, footwork is next, courage is third, and strength is last.]

As Leon remained silent while pondering the meaning of his words, El Cid added an explanation, perhaps to help understanding.

[Of course, this does not mean that physical strength is not important. It means that there are three things that are more important than that. Well, there are some parts that are difficult for me to agree with, but the eyes are just as important.]

‘It’s snow… .’

Leon also knew well the importance of eye strength. However, unlike his muscles, he did not know how to train his eyes. Does rolling your eyeballs around improve your visual acuity?

El Cid began to speak as if to answer the question.

[Leon, from now on you will learn ‘how to see.’ Let me make you understand how useless your eyes have been all this time.]

Then, after taking a deep breath, El Cid gave instructions to Leon.

[Look ahead. Focus on the teacher standing in front of the blackboard, concentrate for 10 seconds, and try to remember.]

‘okay.’

Leon opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.

A dark green blackboard and a middle-aged person.

Brown hair, green eyes, white chalk on his fingers, and red tie. His mustache has a bit of gray in it, and the buttons on his cuffs seem to be made of brass and shine bright gold.

When 10 seconds had passed, El Cid suddenly asked.

[closing eyes. Now, how many lines were written on the blackboard?]

‘what?!’

Leon was taken aback by the unexpected question and panicked.

‘No, look at the teacher?’

[I told you to focus, not just look at that person.]

‘that… .’

Leon tried to recall what he had seen for a moment, but nothing came to mind. Although he memorized how many buttons the teacher had on his top, he had no idea what was written on the blackboard.

El Cid chuckled as if he knew that would happen.

[Don’t you remember? The blackboard will definitely be in your field of vision, but nothing will come to mind except the teacher. I looked at it intently for 10 seconds, but why can’t I remember the blackboard at all?]

‘… I don’t know.’

[It’s simple. This is because I tried to see only what was necessary.]

The eyes are a much more wasteful organ than expected.

The human viewing angle is approximately 180 degrees horizontally and 120 degrees vertically. If you move your eyeball, it expands to a whopping 240 or 180 degrees.

However, few people took full advantage of that view.

Perhaps to filter out unnecessary information, most people don’t remember what was in the corner of their eyes. What Leon just experienced was also an extremely common phenomenon.

[Focus on your entire field of vision. The idea is to memorize the image reflected in your eyes like a picture. Relax your eyes and understand how to see broadly. Later, you need to be able to do that every moment, not just 10 seconds.]

Leon suppressed the urge to deny it, saying, “This is nonsense.”

It’s even more difficult if you decide that you can’t do anything. From the beginning, I never expected that teaching the Holy Sword would be easy.

Didn’t El Cid just say that?

Obtaining him will not immediately make you stronger, and you will have to endure a greater ordeal than the opportunity you receive with the Holy Sword.

‘We can’t be so cruel already.’

Leon, with renewed determination, regained his concentration.

I’ve lived like that for 18 years, so I can’t change my way of seeing in an instant. However, I was able to correct that mindset.

El Cid said sternly, even though he was happy on the inside.

[This time, look at the top of the blackboard. Likewise, it is 10 seconds.]

‘good!’

Three seats next to Leon, who is so motivated.

Lian, who was looking at him from the corner of her eye, tilted her head.

‘what?’

For some reason, my eyes fell on the back of Leon’s left hand as he rested his chin.

A golden pattern resembling the sun was shining, but it was invisible to anyone other than the owner. Ryan couldn’t figure out the reason for his discomfort until his class was over.