one step forward (1)

a fortnight ago.

Hwareuk.

gurgling.

Roman lit a fire in the hearth.

By demonstrating his chlorination powers, he took in the heat from all directions to the fullest.

'If I had met Butler for the first time in a situation where I couldn't escape. Could I have come back alive?'

fell into thoughts

Unlike the repeated tapping of steel, Roman recalled past moments in his mind.

'At that time, I couldn't guarantee victory. I was able to defeat Butler in the Battle of Daejeon because I had time to prepare, but when I first met you, I wasn't ready for the 5-star aura. Maybe he made an arrogant choice because of his past life memories. In a war in which the kingdom of Hector rushes forward with all its might, it is quite natural for an enemy to appear that I cannot handle.'

Actually.

Variables like Butler were expected.

So, leaving an escape route open, he faced the enemy through guerrilla battles.

'I haven't fully accepted the fact that I'm a weakling yet.'

not arrogant

It was a separation due to a previous life.

Although he is constantly trying to adapt as the current Roman Dmitry, the fact that Roman's spirit is Baek Jung-hyeok has not changed.

So I bumped into enemies.

He faced the virtual danger of being a Butler in reality, and saw and felt the fact that his position was not as great as he thought.

It wasn't a bad experience.

In return, he risked his life, but Roman defeated Butler and made sure of his position.

'In my previous life, I was confident that I would win no matter who my opponent was. But not the current me. Butler, let alone the best on the continent, is a person who cannot be said to be the best in the kingdom of Hector. Against such a being, I had to risk my life, and in the future, in countless battles, this may be repeated. the powers of the continent. In order to always survive as a winner in a battle with them, it is impossible at this level.'

Kaang!

Kang!

I pounded the steel like crazy.

It was funny.

He had done many things in his life as Roman Dmitry, but he was not fully prepared to handle it.

If you lost then.

The responsibility is not your own.

All the subordinates who believed in him and followed him would have died, and their families would have lived their entire lives resenting Roman.

I wasn't afraid of resentment.

but.

I didn't want to lose my faith.

The people who held their hand until the end in the world of weak and strong food wanted to prove that the choice was right.

'People who follow me. It is my greed to accept them. Excuses such as that the opponent was stronger than expected and that unexpected variables occurred are meaningless. I must be prepared to handle all situations. Even if I met a swordsman who wasn't a Butler, but more than that. I will cut off the opponent's head and remain in my position without shaking.'

vertex position.

lonely and lonely

He couldn't hope for someone else to do his part for him, and his weak heart did not suit the position of the apex.

endured

Because it's the life you want.

Even if it added a lot of burden to him, Roman didn't even want to think about giving in to someone.

Hwareuk.

gurgling gurgling.

The fire burned.

Roman constantly pounded the steel.

So slowly, very slowly.

Roman's consciousness plunged into the flames.

* * *

Time has passed.

while the sun rises and the sun sets.

Roman did not take a single step from the blacksmith's smithy, and repeated the act of knocking steel in front of the fire.

Kaang!

Kang!

Mouth was dry.

His face turned red from burning red, and his burning skin showed early symptoms of burns.

In addition, he often felt dizzy.

In the meantime, he hadn't eaten a sip of water or even a grain of rice, so Roman's body was constantly sending signals that he was at his limit.

nevertheless.

Roman's eyes didn't waver.

As his mind was entangled with thoughts, Roman focused on only one purpose.

'I need a sword to accept the new me.'

The state of trance.

focused on the present.

Falling into the sword, he struck the steel at a constant speed and interval.

Kaang!

A shock occurred.

Red flames bounced in all directions.

Hunger, fatigue, and heat interrupted Roman's senses, but Roman overcame them with one breath.

"Whoa."

Chloride Sacrifice.

Swallowing the flames, it absorbed the mana in it.

It spewed out flames and burned the impurities of its body with the heat.

It's not just knocking on steel.

Using the medium of sword and flame, Roman tried to transform his body into an ideal form.

Valentino Marquis.

He wondered how a sword like the blaze was born, but even if he knew the truth, it was impossible to imitate it.

A sword that perfectly responds to mana and increases abilities.

It was not created in a normal way, but was created because Roman shared the breathing process.

Kaang!

when you strike the sword.

Roman mana was transferred to steel.

When Roman took a breath, the mana transferred to the steel was recovered and the impurities of the steel were also absorbed.

such repetitive behavior.

Steel was changed into a form familiar to mana.

People think that swords are made of ordinary steel, but steel, which exchanged the same breath with Roman, became a completely different type of material.

A task that you know how to do but can't do it.

Roman had forgotten the pain of burning his skin, repeating the same actions over and over like a madman.

one day, two days.

Time passed quickly.

Although his body was already not normal, Roman gained the strength to move his body with the energy absorbed by assimilating with nature.

extreme condition.

burned in madness.

Pushing himself to the limit, Roman tested his limits.

How many repetitions do you know?

Forget about the pain.

I forgot about hunger.

The sensation of hitting the arm had also faded, and in a state of unconsciousness, the body just moved on its own.

Exactly the full moon day.

fight.

poop.

Roman's skin melted.

The skin that had been oozing with the burns was peeled off, and new skin like white jade grew between them.

Second Hwangol metastasis.

Roman, once again, began to face change.

* * *

that day.

Roman went to the forge.

Despite being exposed to the heat and being hit by a cold wind, Roman's senses were so peaceful.

Hanseo inviolable (寒暑不侵).

reached a new level.

Now for Roman, the cold and heat had no effect.

'Second vertebral metastasis. I have now laid the foundation for entering a new realm.'

power outage.

The newly accepted mana was seething.

With mana that seemed to explode like an active volcano at any moment, Roman concentrated his mind and slowly changed the surrounding environment.

one two.

Popularity was born.

Before long, the virtual being rushed towards Roman.

Kwareung.

Quiet rumble.

Explosive aura.

It was Butler.

Not one but two Butlers appeared and attacked Roman with a five-star aura at the same time.

Not long ago, it was an unacceptable attack head-on.

Like a candle flickering in the wind, Roman's existence seemed in jeopardy, but Roman created an aura of Danjean to block Butler's attack as it was.

Quang!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

There was a huge shock.

Roman didn't go away.

I couldn't eat, so I had a scar on my parched face, but instead, I stepped into the aura's storm and practiced swordsmanship.

'The first half of the Celestial Swordsmanship.'

Quang!

Attacked Butler's head.

The first butler raised his sword to block the attack, and the second butler quickly dug into the empty space and aimed at Roman's side.

The wind blew.

As the sword barely glided past his side, the first Butler, who had blocked the attack from the front, exploded an aura and attempted to attack.

'The first half of the Celestial Swordsmanship.'

Quang!

Quiet rumble.

Strikes back the enemy's attacks from the front.

next.

Dozens of agreements were exchanged.

It was a speed that was hard to catch up with with the naked eye, and Roman and Butler pushed their opponent forward without a single step back.

It was not unusual for anyone to have their necks blown away.

If there is an existence with even the slightest difficulty in breathing, the opponent will not miss it and will decapitate him.

diagonal.

stood on death

Despite the fact that wounds were forming on her body, her heart beat violently and Roman felt that she was alive.

'I didn't choose a new life to be a loser. I, Roman Dmitry, will always remain a predator.'

Quang!

Curl rumble!

overwhelm the opponent.

The first half of the Celestial Swordsmanship.

Mana swirled.

It was the same attack as before, but the explosively increased mana overwhelms Butler.

Then the virtual butlers joined forces. Thinking that it would be difficult alone, he rushed towards Roman at the same time.

Explosive aura.

attacked the same place.

If you were your former self.

He wouldn't have the strength to stop that attack.

He would have run away to live, and would have had to accept any consequences of defeat.

However.

Now it was different.

After spending a full month of trance, Roman took a step into another world.

'A three-second ceremony in the middle of the Celestial Swordsmanship.'

Kwareung.

Quiet rumble.

Heaven's Sword.

Roman manifested the power of his previous life.

* * *

Celestial Swordsmanship.

It is divided into three stages.

The first three seconds.

Mid-half three seconds.

The second half of the trio.

If it becomes possible to use the second half of the three second half through three rounds of metamorphosis, there is no opponent who can stop it.

It's not like arrogance.

It was the conviction of Baek Jung-hyeok, a heavenly horse, that he gained by defeating opponents called absolute masters in Moorim.

blast furnace.

'Using the mid-level herbivore is enough to defeat the Butler.'

it was certain

He was confident that he would win, but Roman could not be satisfied with that alone.

'I don't want an ordinary victory. If you use the Celestial Swordsmanship in the same way you did in your previous life, you could definitely win, but you wouldn't be able to overwhelm your opponent as I hoped. Butler is not the best on the continent. Even against such a being, if I don't overwhelm myself, I can't realize the things I want to do in the future.'

Mana was boiling.

Time passed slowly.

Looking at the two butlers rushing towards him, Roman suddenly thought of a new possibility.

'Is it the right choice to express the power of a previous life as it is? The swordsmen of this world choose the method of exploding auras. There may be some weak areas, but in some areas, it exerts a stronger power than the power I express. Therefore, responding with the same number every time is a stupid choice. Depending on the situation, depending on the opponent. I need to accept the ways of this world.'

change of thinking.

thought differently.

Instead of thinking that the new world's method is unconditionally garbage, he used the necessary parts for martial arts.

'A three-second ceremony in the middle of the Celestial Swordsmanship.'

Kwareung.

Quiet rumble.

The power supply trembled.

Instead of delivering the required amount of power to the sword evenly, some of it spewing out mana like an explosion.

midway between present life and past life.

I saw an appropriate compromise.

It erupted strongly, but not as indiscriminately as in modern humans.

OK.

Curly rumble.

Aura that explodes violently.

The bright light that upended the world engulfed Butler's existence.

Kwak kwak.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!