Taesan looked at the ghost, now possessing a physical body.

His hair was platinum blonde, straight without a hint of curl, swaying smoothly with every movement.

His appearance was that of a standard handsome man, with features neither too sharp nor too blunt.

His clothing was of very high quality, befitting his self-proclaimed status as a prince but practical enough for movement.

This is

Bradley, still in shock, continued to groan. Panic was evident in his golden eyes.

Hey, a mirror. Show me a mirror.

You know I dont carry something like that.

But Taesan had something similar. He activated an ice arrow. Seeing his reflection in the ice, Bradley stroked his cheek.

Ha.

Laughter escaped Bradley. A mix of emotions - resignation, joy - flickered in his eyes.

This is something.

He murmured in astonishment, barely calming down.

Didnt know this was possible

Is that your body?

Yes. Quite handsome, right? The ladies used to swoon over me, you know?

Bradley joked, puffing up. But his smile faded under Taesans expressionless gaze.

Dont be too shocked. Im surprised, too.

A kind of trial, then.

Probably. Seeing that Ive been given this form.

In Bradleys hands were two wooden swords that he was lightly swinging.

Probably a temporary body until the trial is over. Once its done, Ill return to being a ghost. This is dangerous. I might not want to finish the trial.

It could be decades or centuries. Bradleys expression showed the emotion of finding his lost physical form.

Still I must fulfill my duty.

Bradley pointed his sword at Taesan.

Taesan also drew two swords.

He checked the trials conditions in the system.

First condition.

Strike the ghost in an equal state with a single blow.

Basically, this bodys stats are perfectly equal to yours. Shabby compared to my prime, but not bad.

Bradley swung his swords, each strike becoming faster and more precise.

That should do it.

Swoosh!

His swords cut through the air.

Since stats directly affected the body, it usually took time to adapt to sudden changes. However, the ghost adjusted to his physical form in just twenty strikes.

My proficiency is the same as yours.

The ghosts sword movements were erratic. Taesan, who had learned the same techniques, knew it was the Dance of Swords.

But he couldnt follow them. The erratic movements were hard to track.

I can only use Dance of Swords and Wolfs Fang, too. Looks like the conditions are indeed equal.

It doesnt look equal at all.

Proficiency and stats didnt matter. The warrior before him was several levels above in swordsmanship.

Thats what a trial is, I guess.

Bradley chuckled.

Taesan recalled the second condition: prohibition of all skills unrelated to swordsmanship.

He had to abandon his strongest tactics and engage in combat.

Confusing, but a good opportunity. As expected of the God of Swords. He knows exactly what you need.

Bradley swung the tip of his sword.

I cant just wait around. Come at me.

It was, as Bradley said. Condition 3. The trial doesnt end until the conditions are cleared.

Whether it was success or failure, the only way forward was to try. Taesan rushed in as soon as he reached a conclusion.

His opponent had mastered the sword techniques he possessed. Half-hearted tricks wouldnt work. Full force from the start.

His sword swayed and struck like a wolf.

Bradley was impressed.

Thats the right approach.

At this moment, techniques were meaningless. He could crush and obliterate everything. So, from the beginning, he poured everything he had. That was Taesans choice, and it was the perfect answer.

But the right answer doesnt always lead to success.

Bradleys hand moved. Smoothly, yet sharply.

His Dance of Swords and his sword trajectory swept away all of Taesans sharp movements.

Bradley thrust his wooden sword at Taesans shoulder. Taesan barely twisted his body to dodge and aimed for the side.

Bradley countered simply. He blocked Taesans movement by attaching his leg to Taesans, restricting his attack, and pushed forward.

Taesan, unable to take a proper stance, was pushed back.

This really seems impossible.

Taesan grumbled as he waved his sword.

Despite having the same stats and proficiency, the man before him was infinitely stronger in swordsmanship.

Taesan had faced Malesten, an apostle of Pavshta, with equal stats and skills but overwhelmed him without allowing a single hit.

This was similar. The swordsmanship Taesan learned was what Bradley had mastered in the past. Between the master and the learner, the advantage was clear. Without skills, landing a hit was impossible.

So, youre going to give up?

Hardly.

Taesan charged again.

He changed his approach, altered his pattern, and twisted his movements to attack Bradley.

And Bradley blocked them all.

That wont work.

Bradley swung his sword. The movements were simple, but they easily countered Taesans chaotic attacks.

You cant reach me with that.

Bradley jabbed at Taesans solar plexus. Taesan was pushed back with a faint groan.

Taesan immediately rushed forward again.

Bradley welcomed him with a smile.

This time was different. The swords movement was shaky. Like a mirage, it was a completely different technique from what Taesan had shown before.

Alteration is fine, but the foundation of that movement is the swordsmanship I taught you. Ive also tried such variations. Of course, I know how to counter them.

Bradley easily blocked it.

Really now.

Taesan let out a hollow laugh.

Whatever he tried, it was perfectly blocked. He realized what Malesten must have felt against him.

Bradley, not sweating a drop, casually said,

I told you that wont work. You need something different.

Be quiet, its annoying.

Taesan narrowed his eyes, grumbling.

This way wont work.

He tried various modifications to the sword techniques he learned from Bradley, mixing them with his own skills.

But all were ineffective. Bradley seemed to know all of them, blocking them with light movements.

Bradleys proficiency in Stormscar Swordsmanship was 100%. This meant he fully mastered the technique, including all its variations and derivations.

I need something different.

Taesan closed his eyes. Bradley smiled at this gesture.

As expected.

After a hundred attempts, Taesan realized the answer. It might seem slow to some, but it was an incredibly fast realization for Bradley.

Taesans innate talent wasnt extraordinary. If asked, Bradley could name dozens more talented than Taesan.

Sure, Taesan had talent, but it was not something exceptional that couldnt be found elsewhere.

However, Taesan possessed the ability to organize thoughts and insights accumulated through experience and derive answers.

And that was more remarkable than mere talent.

The result right before him proved it. Taesan had said he hit a wall upon entering the 31st floor. It seemed difficult to find a way forward, to progress.

That was inevitable.

The Stormscar Swordsmanship belonged to Bradley. It was his technique, not Taesans.

There was a limit to how far Taesan could go. The fact that he couldnt land a hit on someone equal to him in stats was proof of that.

But thats strong enough.

With proper training and focus on the sword, he could reach a level effective even in deeper layers.

But what got Taesan this far wasnt swordsmanship but the variety of skills he possessed. Swordsmanship was just a supporting area.

I cant defeat you with my swordsmanship.

He was a master of Stormscar Swordsmanship. Even if restricted by the systems proficiency limits, that experience didnt vanish. Taesan, even after hundreds of attempts, couldnt reach him.

And it would be the same even if Taesan reached 100% proficiency.

After all, it was Bradleys swordsmanship.

He learned it, developed it, and perfected it.

For someone else to handle it better than its creator was impossible unless they were a one-in-a-continent genius, and Taesan didnt have that level of talent in swordsmanship.

But I cant just abandon it.

Stormscar Swordsmanship was already embedded in Taesans movements. Completely discarding it would be harder than starting over from level 1.

So, he had to absorb it.

Like Malesten did long ago, and like he himself did, he had to internalize what he learned and transform it into his own.

Bradley waited patiently.

An hour passed before Taesan opened his eyes.

His pupils flickered quietly. Bradley greeted him with a smile.

Seems like youve got it now.

Somewhat.

It wasnt a perfect answer yet.

But it seemed enough to pass this trial.

[You have begun the creation of your swordsmanship.]

Bradley waited cheerfully. Taesan cleared his mind and grasped two swords.

He dismissed the noisy system notifications. Many rewards and information were displayed, but they were not important now.

This time, contrary to before, Bradley rushed at Taesan, who responded as if waiting for it.

Bradleys sword whirled erratically. Though Taesan knew Stormscar Swordsmanship, he couldnt properly block it; there was a subtlety in it he couldnt grasp.

Taesan hadnt been able to block that. Although it was the same swordsmanship, the difference in level was too great.

But now, it was different.

Clang!

The swords of Taesan and Bradley collided.

Bradley fluidly moved his sword using Dance of Swords, and Taesan responded in kind with the same technique.

However, his sword strikes were different from before. While appearing similar to Dance of Swords, the energy within was entirely different.

Dance of Swords was a technique that used curved motions like a dance to deflect the opponents sword, but Taesans movements were more aggressive and violent. The direction of the force was straight, not curved.

This sudden change would usually result in a disadvantage, but it was the opposite this time. Bradley couldnt easily overpower Taesan as before.

But its not that impressive?

Bradley tilted his head, puzzled. The change was something he could easily overpower if he chose to. Indeed, when the ghost pushed a little harder, Taesan started to be overwhelmed.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

During the time Taesan had his eyes closed, he had thought hard.

The Stormscar Swordsmanship was not his. It was undoubtedly an excellent technique, but he couldnt master it completely.

This was evident from the battles so far. He had used swordsmanship effectively, but it was always as an individual technique, not harmonizing with his other abilities.

He was different from a warrior.

Swordsmanship was not his main strength.

Then, what was his main strength? What did he rely on to come this far?

What should swordsmanship be devoured by?

The answer was clear.

[You have activated Acceleration.]