The so-called Five Great Sword Families were, in truth, little more than a numerical convenience.
A formal arrangement meant to round out the count.
In reality, only three sword families possessed names that the world truly recognized and revered. Only three carried legacies worthy of awe and respect.
The Divine Sword Do Clan.
The Swift Sword Baek Family.
And the Crimson No Clan.
For two hundred years, these three families had competed relentlessly for a seat among the Ten Great Houses.
In certain eras, it was not the Divine Sword Do Clan but the Swift Sword Baek Family that held that honor. In other times, the Crimson No Clan rose to stand among them.
That history alone was reason enough.
I’ll recreate that glory with my own hands.
No Hyo-won, the duelist of the Crimson No Clan.
She carried immense pride and confidence in her lineage.
Like her ancestors before her, it was only natural that she harbored the ambition to one day elevate the Crimson No Clan back into the ranks of the Ten Great Houses through her own strength.
By the same logic, it was perfectly understandable that she felt rivalry toward the Divine Sword Do Clan, which currently reigned as a member of the Ten.
She wanted to conquer them.
To prove that the Crimson No Clan was not inferior in any way.
And so, her attention inevitably turned toward someone her own age, someone who had entered the academy as the runner-up.
Do Gyeon-woo.
Deep down, she restrained an urge to cross blades with him, to defeat him decisively and place him beneath her feet.
By now, a Rank 2 should be appearing around us…
Of course, No Hyo-won was not foolish enough to act purely on emotion.
Even if she defeated Do Gyeon-woo, it would prove only her individual skill. It would not allow her to speak for the collective will of the world.
That privilege belonged exclusively to members of the Ten Great Houses.
A pact that had stood for roughly two centuries, a binding social consensus, did not grant her that right.
Breaking that pact would invite backlash from the Divine Sword Do Clan and other prestigious sword families.
At worst, it could spiral into inter-clan warfare, leaving her family isolated and subjected to one-sided assault.
Ambition had to be carried in the heart, not acted upon recklessly.
Just as the Divine Sword Do Clan had its role to play, she had hers.
To support them as one of the Five Great Sword Families.
And to wait for the right moment.
It’s coming.
She fixed her gaze on the clusters of light gathering not far away.
A monster’s form began to take shape.
[You have encountered a monster.]
[Sweat Bison (Rank 02) x 1]
“It’s a Sweat Bison!”
“Hyo-won! You can handle it, right?!”
“Leave it to me, Oppa.”
The purpose of this unity gathering was not only to foster bonds between seniors and juniors, but also to give freshmen a chance to demonstrate their abilities.
It was, in essence, their debut stage.
With support from her party members, No Hyo-won stepped forward to face the Sweat Bison.
Mooooo!
The creature exuded heat from its entire body, sweat pouring off it as it snorted heavily and scraped the ground with its forehooves.
Then it charged straight at her.
She swung her greatsword toward the frenzied beast.
Flare!
The blade tore through the air, and along with its trajectory, crimson flames burst forth.
Wrapped in fire, No Hyo-won showed no sign of discomfort as she unleashed a blazing crimson slash.
The moment her greatsword came down vertically, flames erupted from the ground itself.
MOOOOOO!
The Sweat Bison, mortally wounded by a single strike, failed to escape the inferno and cried out in agony.
It thrashed desperately, trying to survive, but no matter how it rolled across the ground, the flames would not relent.
At last, its remaining breath faded away.
The monster collapsed into ash and vanished.
“She’s fighting a Rank 2 monster solo, and she’s completely stable.”
“Well, that’s because you and the others were backing me up.”
No Hyo-won picked up the fallen magic stone and redirected the credit to her party.
Those who had known her since childhood congratulated her on her debut.
“We’ve taken down a Rank 2, so next should be Rank 3.”
“With us here and your skills, Hyo-won, you can handle a Rank 3 too.”
“Exactly. Shouldn’t we make sure everyone here knows who you are? Today, we’ll make you the star!”
“Yes. I’ll trust you, seniors.”
They worked hard to raise the mood.
No Hyo-won welcomed their goodwill with a smile.
At the same time, she assessed reality with a cool head.
There’s no way I’ll be the star…
In a debut meant to spotlight freshmen at the unity gathering, she was nothing more than a supporting role.
The lead had already been decided.
Do Gyeon-woo of the Divine Sword Do Clan.
The student council president will stick close and make sure he racks up achievements.
This gathering was also a stage for Do Gyeon-woo to earn recognition from the noble families as the year’s representative.
If she had no intention of clashing with him in the future, then it made sense to let the spotlight gather around him.
In that sense, he was the protagonist.
No, there was one more.
Crack!
A flash of blue light burst at the edge of her vision.
No Hyo-won turned her head at the sound, sharp like thunder striking nearby.
Wall Lightning…
Against a Rank 2 Sweat Bison, Do Seung-woo was engaged in battle, lightning radiating from his surroundings.
“…He’s pretty good.”
Once hailed as a prodigy of the Divine Sword Do Clan, Do Seung-woo had drawn high expectations.
Though he had been overshadowed by Do Gyeon-woo, his status as a direct descendant still gave him the qualifications to stand in the spotlight.
Depending on circumstances, he might even be chosen as the first-year representative.
Watching his swordsmanship, No Hyo-won recalled exchanging greetings with him earlier that day at the Noble Family Council.
In truth, before receiving Do Gyeon-woo’s proposal, she had received the same offer from Do Seung-woo.
I want you on my side.
Among first-year swordsmanship students, there were no direct descendants from the Swift Sword Baek Family.
That made No Hyo-won the highest-ranked candidate after the Divine Sword Do Clan’s direct line.
Who she supported could influence the selection of the representative.
That was why Do Seung-woo had tried to recruit her.
But she declined, giving him the same answer she later gave Do Gyeon-woo.
Then show me your worth at the unity gathering. Show me that you’re fit to conquer me.
If the Crimson No Clan could not become representatives due to not being part of the Ten Great Houses…
If she had to accept being conquered, even against her will…
Then, No Hyo-won wanted it to be by someone stronger than herself.
By that measure, Do Seung-woo displayed respectable skill.
But it’s not enough.
She clicked her tongue in disappointment.
His Wall Lightning was impressive.
His sword strikes were fast and sharp.
Still, it was a level she could contend with.
She desired someone overwhelming, someone beyond her reach.
That was when it happened.
Boom!
From the opposite side of where Do Seung-woo stood, a thunderous roar tore through the air.
The blue light was far more intense.
Startled by the lightning striking from a clear sky, No Hyo-won quickly turned her head.
“Ah…”
Within the crashing bolt of lightning stood Do Gyeon-woo, sword in hand.
Crackle!
The blue current leaping from his body was on an entirely different level.
Wall Lightning surged around him with terrifying clarity.
Lightning struck intermittently around him, violent and merciless.
“…That’s beyond what I expected.”
It looked as though he wasn’t wielding a sword but lightning itself.
A breathtaking sight.
He truly deserved to have entered as runner-up.
Watching his swordsmanship, No Hyo-won found herself overwhelmed.
“I want to conquer him…”
If she had to be conquered, she wanted it to be by Do Gyeon-woo.
Someone unquestionably stronger than her.
At the same time, a fierce competitive spirit flared within her.
She wanted to cross blades with him.
To defeat him and place him beneath her feet.
To surpass him.
To conquer him.
Contradicting impulses collided, heating her body from within.
The corner of her lips lifted in excitement.
That was the moment No Hyo-won’s heart was truly stirred.
As time passed, Sweat Bisons began appearing at a faster rate.
Occasionally, Rank 3 Blood Bisons started to emerge.
Since monsters meeting the gate-clear conditions were showing themselves, it meant the strategy guide was not far off.
From here on, they needed to focus on locating the monster holding the gate key.
[You have encountered a monster.]
[Blood Bison (Rank 03) x 1]
Rank 3 monsters demanded extreme caution.
At the average level of first-year students, it was impossible to fight alone.
The same was true for second and third-year students, and even for active hunters.
That was why, under Association guidelines, monsters Rank 3 and above were required to be hunted in party formations for safety.
As a result, reactions to encountering a Blood Bison generally split into two types.
“If you don’t want to die, get your heads on straight right now! It’s Rank 3! Follow my orders exactly!”
“First-years, don’t step in. Fall back! Focus on supporting fire from the rear!”
There were always people willing to shoulder risk for the sake of glory.
“Back off! Leave it to the others! We’ll take down the bison around it and provide support!”
“Don’t provoke it for no reason! If you pull aggro, someone’s going to get hurt!”
And there were those who valued safety over honor, refusing to gamble their lives.
Among them were also those who withdrew for reasons of their own.
“Gyeon-woo! A Rank 3 just showed up over there!”
“…Thank you.”
It was awkward to say out loud, but it was true.
I was the representative of the first-years, and when I advanced to the third year, I would become the one expected to speak for the collective will of everyone in the swordsmanship track.
That meant this stage was where I proved my qualifications to them.
At the same time, it was where they tried to earn my favor in advance.
In other words, I was the one meant to stand at the center.
If they fought that Blood Bison and the gate key happened to drop, they didn’t want to steal the spotlight I was supposed to receive.
They were smoothing my feathers.
They’re trying to stay on my good side.
For me, it simply meant less trouble searching for the Blood Bison myself.
The party formed by me and Do Si-eun moved to engage in it.
MOOOOOOO!
Unlike the Tier and Sweat Bisons, the Rank 3 monster, the Blood Bison, stood upright on two legs and gripped a massive club.
Its hide had been stripped away in places, exposing raw red flesh, and blood streamed down its body.
The heated blood evaporated almost immediately, forming a mist around it.
That mist carried toxins that stung the skin the moment it touched.
To fight it, you had to cast protective magic over your body to repel the haze.
“Unni.”
“Yes, Gyeon-woo.”
While the triplets disrupted the monster’s movements, Do Si-eun and I, having finished a sequence of attacks, called each other.
We didn’t need a long conversation. That alone was enough.
We sprinted at once.
Whoooom!
The bison’s club carved through the air.
The triplets, who had been weaving around it to scramble its vision, hurriedly threw themselves aside.
We slipped into the opening.
MOOOOOOO!
A violent gust tore through the grassy plain.
The club dropped straight down.
At that instant, without planning it, we split apart almost simultaneously, left and right.
Crackle!
Blue electricity flared along my deep-navy blade.
Across from me, the Water Smoke Sword in Do Si-eun’s hand spat the same blue current.
The current thickened until it became visible, turning into Wall Lightning, then into full-fledged bolts.
Lightning wrapped around our bodies as we kicked off the ground and closed in.
<Water King Style: Attack Form Third>
Lion Iron Whip
I snapped my deep-navy sword through the air.
A blue arc swept forward, level with the ground, bending like a lash.
The slash hooked halfway around the monster’s flank and carved a deep wound.
<Water King Style: Attack Form Second>
Lion Claw Mark
From the opposite side, Do Si-eun’s Water Smoke Sword delivered a razor-sharp blow.
The bison’s other flank was torn open, ragged and brutal.
MOOOOOOO!
Blood sprayed from both sides as it screamed.
Hearing the cry, Tier and Sweat Bisons began rushing toward us.
As if they had been waiting for this moment, people who had been watching from a distance immediately joined the fight.
We left the surrounding mobs to them and focused on cutting off the Blood Bison’s breath.
It wouldn’t be much longer now.
<Water King Style: Attack Form Sixth>
Lion Rampage
I unleashed the same sword art as Do Si-eun.
Wall Lightning burst outward in every direction.
An irregular chain of strikes, flexible and improvisational, battered the monster without giving it space to breathe.
It couldn’t swing its club.
I had severed one of its arms just before.
With its balance broken, even lifting that heavy weapon was difficult, and Do Si-eun gave it no time to recover.
That was how we brought down the Blood Bison.
“It really is nice fighting with you, Unni. Even a Rank 3 goes down easily.”
“I feel the same. Without you, it would’ve taken me longer alone. You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“Thanks to you supporting me, I’m fine. But…”
“….”
This was no time for pleasant words.
It didn’t look like we would get a moment to rest.
I felt something shift, like a stretch in the air, and scanned the grassland.
As monsters surged toward us and people surged to meet them, the mana they spilled into the atmosphere created a distortion.
A distortion that caused cracks in space itself.
Rip!
The sound like glass splitting rang out.
Fractures spread across the air around us.
The cracks expanded instantly, and from within them, monsters poured out.
[You have encountered a monster.]
[Blood Bison (Rank 03) x 5]
[Sweat Bison (Rank 02) x 14]
[Tier Bison (Rank 01) x 27]
“…That’s a lot.”
“…”
Bison herds packed the area.
A hollow laugh slipped out of me at the sight.
People around us turned pale.
But almost immediately, as if they’d never been shaken at all, everyone snapped into battle readiness.
That was also the moment Do Si-eun’s presence changed.
<Water Smoke Sword: Water Mist>
The Water Smoke Sword drank in Do Si-eun’s internal mana and began to glow blue.
Within that light, droplets rose into the air.
The droplets thickened into mist.
The mist swelled rapidly, spreading across the area until the world turned faintly white.
Even the ground began to hold a thin dampness.
“Third-years, spear formation. Take the front and absorb their attacks.”
“Third-years, spear formation!”
Do Si-eun watched the battlefield and issued calm commands.
Students of her faction immediately echoed her words in loud voices, passing them outward.
Third-years moved to the vanguard without protest, obeying as if the order had always been theirs.
“Second-years, protect the first-years.”
“Second-years, protect the first-years!”
“First-years, we’re going to break through the encirclement. Stay close and don’t fall behind. The rear is yours.”
“First-years, don’t separate from the front! Watch our backs!”
In moments, the formation was complete.
The first-years, who had been visibly tense, seemed to draw strength from the trust the second- and third-years placed in Do Si-eun.
The uncertainty in their eyes vanished.
Then she spoke to me.
“Gyeon-woo, stand beside me. We’ll carve a path together. You can do it, right?”
“…Okay. I’ll try.”
She was handing me credit.
I understood her intent and nodded.
Then I sent her a look of gratitude for the consideration behind it.
Soon after—
“Advance. The moment we break their encirclement, we turn back and kill them.”
Do Si-eun gave the signal.
At the very front, she and I moved first, stepping toward the oncoming monsters.
<Water King Style: Attack Form Eleventh>
Lion Shatter Chain
Because of the Water Mist raised by the Water Smoke Sword, Wall Lightning’s effect intensified.
Blue current used the droplets as a medium, racing across the field in an instant.
I swung with all my strength, driving a slash down hard enough to fracture the ground.
KRAKABOOM!
Wall Lightning surged through the damp earth like a spiderweb, rushing into the monsters.
Fragments of the slash scattered into the air, clinging even to those that hadn’t been struck directly.
Do Si-eun’s sword art did the same.
A shriek of sound erupted as blue lightning speared upward from the ground, swallowing the space around it.
It roared like a lion’s cry and devoured the monsters in savage bursts.
A hole opened in the encirclement.
Before the herd could recover, we slipped through.
The momentum flipped.
“Turn. From this moment on, we wipe them out.”
At Do Si-eun’s command, people erupted in cheers.
Leading their own parties, they struck back in a wave.
Do Si-eun and I were in the middle of it.
“Gyeon-woo.”
“I know. Cover me.”
“Don’t worry about the rear.”
Bringing down the Blood Bisons was our role.
On her timing, we darted in and out, thinning their numbers one by one.
Then, from a creature that began oxidizing into particles of mana, something dropped.
A gate key.
[The gate has been cleared.]
And with that, the unity gathering came to an end.
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