Sword Devouring Swordmaster-Chapter 77 : Chapter 77

Chapter 77 – Seol Yoon (6)
Her body grew day by day. Her swordsmanship grew more refined with each passing dawn. From the outside, Seol Yoon seemed to be maturing steadily—like a fruit ripening over time. But Seol Yoon knew the truth.
In truth, she hadn’t grown at all. Her time had stopped on the day everything precious was stolen from her. She was still that girl, drowning in muddy water, weeping as she died inside.
Since that day, her world had been colorless, soundless, scentless. Joy no longer existed for her. In that achromatic world, the little girl merely swung her sword in vain—like a fool who knew nothing else.
A genius.
A sword chosen by the heavens.
Countless people showered her with praise, but Seol Yoon felt nothing.
What meaning did any of it hold?
What meaning could there be in swinging a piece of sharpened steel?
What glory could there be in killing—more skillfully than others?
Inside, Seol Yoon was rotting away. Her bright exterior concealed a soul slowly dying within.
Perhaps that was why, for all her genius, she could not break past the wall of the 「Sword Runner」. To spread one’s wings, one needed awakening. To grasp Mystery, one needed a conviction—one’s own way of facing life and the world. But Seol Yoon had none of that.
To her, the sword was merely a means to become an Immortal.
To her, life itself was something she merely continued because she hadn’t yet died.
So she remained stagnant for a long, long time.
An immature girl cannot soar on wings. A child who doesn’t know her path cannot take flight. And the one who took that lost girl’s hand—was a boy who had lost everything as well.
Like her, he had been stripped of everything dear. Yet unlike her, he knew clearly where he needed to go. Even though the world had taken everything from him, his eyes still burned like the sun. No matter how many times he broke or fell, he never stopped.
Armed with a single, unremarkable sword, he fought against the world.
And before she knew it, that boy had grown up. He had reached the end of his youth, walking ahead of her now.
In Seol Yoon’s colorless world, only that boy had color.
In a world painted in gray, only his eyes shone.
At some point, Seol Yoon’s heart began to beat faster.
At some point, she found herself following the boy.
At some point, she began to think—she wanted to walk beside him.
She no longer wanted to remain stagnant and slowly die.
She wanted to look toward the road ahead and live for tomorrow.
Like the defeated soldier had once told her, like her friends had told her, like her parents had told her…Perhaps the moment she thought that, her childhood truly ended.
“...Little Gladiator.”
Seol Yoon gripped her sword so tightly it seemed she might break it.
“No—”
Her wings were strange. Unlike the colorful world around her, her wings were woven entirely in black and white—like an ink painting drawn by Eastern artists of the old continent.
They were deeply Eastern in aesthetic—and deeply fitting for Seol Yoon.
“Arhan.”
When her wings fully unfurled, black-and-white light rippled along her blade. The same light as her wings. That was her mystery.
The power she gained at the end of her childhood.
The flower that bloomed at the end of a genius’s enlightenment.
“Show me everything you’ve got.”
Seol Yoon’s sword shot toward Arhan. A simple thrust.
Arhan angled his blade, intending to deflect it—but Seol Yoon didn’t allow it. Her thrust wavered mid-motion. In that single tremor, her thrust transformed— into seven consecutive slashes.
Arhan’s eyes flickered. He moved to block—but too late.
Kaak!
A sharp sound followed, and a deep sword mark carved itself into Arhan’s breastplate.
Blood spattered.
“If you don’t want it to end in vain…”
“……”
That was the Mystery Seol Yoon had awakened—「Thousandfold Change」Endless transformation.
“You can become anything, child.”
The words of the defeated soldier who had saved her.
“You must come see us one day. When you become an Immortal—find us in Paradise. You can do it, Sister. You can…”
The words of children who died too soon.
“Seol Yoon. They say if your sword reaches the heavens, you’ll ascend to Paradise.”
And—“In that Paradise, the ones you love will be waiting for you. Happiness overflowing.”
Her parents’ words burned into her heart. But those words didn’t end there.
“But you see…”
Her parents had said something more to their little daughter.
“The true Paradise, dear… is this very world.”
She had merely forgotten.
“You will face many things in life, my daughter. This world is harsh. You’ll meet sorrow, anger, maybe even terror. One day, this world might take away everything you hold dear—slipping through your fingers like sand.”
At a very young age, her parents had already given her the answer.
“But there will also be joy. You might find someone to love. You might find something that makes your heart race. You might have a happy future.”
…
“Yoon, my little daughter. The world is fickle and ever-changing—‘Thousandfold Change’, as our ancestors said.”
Why had she only remembered it now?
“That’s why the world is beautiful. That’s why this world is Paradise. So, my dear, no matter what happens—live with hope for tomorrow. Look upon this unpredictable world with bright, shining eyes.”
Her parents had spoken those words with eyes and voices full of warmth, while holding their tiny daughter in their arms.
“To us, you are our Paradise—and our world, Yoon.”
Ever-changing. Fickle. Endless transformation.
An unfinished world. A sword that could become anything.
The Mystery Seol Yoon awakened was her world—the world she now saw, the world she had never known.
Seol Yoon looked at the wounded Arhan. Then she raised her sword and pointed it sharply.
“...I wonder what your world looks like.”
No answer came.
Arhan merely shifted his grip on the sword.
And to Seol Yoon, that was the best answer he could have given.
After all, she preferred conversations held through swords rather than words…
***
「The sword you devoured—‘The Light’—is a violent blade.」
I drew in a breath.
「True to its name, The Light bears the nature of fire—using itself as the wick.」
“……”
「It burns its own eyes, its own body, to illuminate the surroundings. And when there is nothing left to burn—it consumes its very soul. Like the stars in the night sky.」
Breath entered my nose, brushed my throat, filled my lungs, and exhaled again—a natural process, yet it felt agonizing. The air burned like fire. My nostrils and neck scorched. My body felt like it was melting. My whole being was collapsing.
「That sword is too violent, too self-destructive for you as you are now. It burns itself completely to ash.」
My teacher was right.
My hands trembled violently around the sword’s hilt. It wasn’t mental—it was physical.
My bones and muscles screamed don’t move.
「But what does it matter?」
Crack. My arm made a sound it shouldn’t have.
「This is merely the Spirit World created by the Witches.」
Crunch. Each step threatened to shatter my body.
「Even if you burn yourself to ash—it doesn’t matter. This is only a Spirit World.」
“……”
「So cast aside hesitation—and pour out everything you have.」
Through melting eyes, I glared at Seol Yoon. Her sword still radiated mystery.
I still couldn’t understand it.
「Abandon all fear, and give it your all.」
Even so, I didn’t retreat. Alongside my teacher’s voice, another resounded within me—solemn, majestic, divine. The will of a king who had once refused to step back.
『Even if all that remains is ash—it mattered not.』
To my eyes, Seol Yoon was still a girl. But the girl who had spread her wings was no longer lost. Still small and fragile, yes—but her eyes now carried light. She had found her path.
『If only the longed-for Age of Stars could return—』
Even so, I could not lower my sword.
She had found her path—but lighting that path was the Light’s duty.
『If that could be, nothing else would matter. Even if I am not there at the center of that age.』
Just as the original owner of this sword had once burned himself away to guide his people—I too would pour out everything I had to show her.
『If only these bright and beautiful souls would not fade away…』
Seol Yoon resembled me. That was why I wanted to show her my everything without shame—my sword, the resolve I had the day I first held it, my world.
『If so, then this insignificant body and soul of mine may burn as they please.』
I took in a breath.
『Truly—as much as needed.』
The ancient blade, originally called 「The Light」, had successfully fused with my body. But I couldn’t let it consume me. I had to use my doubt. I couldn’t rely solely on the sword to defeat this terrifying genius.
I can’t drag this out.
Seol Yoon—she was a genius.
I have to finish this fast.
She could break down and assimilate any sword technique she faced. That same genius would soon dissect the sword I had devoured. If this dragged on, she would steal my 「Light」— just as she once stole Mary’s 「Needle」 in the Arena.
But how? Knowing the right answer and making it real were two different things. Her talent wasn’t limited to that. Her swordsmanship, resembling nature itself, was perfect. Most troublesome of all was the Taeguk she formed—the flowing circle that twisted the Paths and turned my attacks back upon me.
I had no technique to break her defense, no swordsmanship more refined than hers, and since her realm now surpassed mine, I could no longer draw the Lines to shatter her.
Deprived of even that unfair weapon, the genius before me had become an unscalable wall. Even without using the acceleration from her wings, she overwhelmed me.
At this point, she no longer looked like a genius—but a monster.
That wildly shifting sword of hers—it must have been her new Mystery.
How fitting it was for her— the genius who always found an answer.
Her thrust just now had changed in impossible ways, shredding my body apart. That was beyond technique—it was Mystery. But even knowing that, what changed? My doubt could reach no further. I had no answer for how to break it.
Funny, isn’t it? My doubt—my only gift—was meaningless before this genius.
Solve one problem, another appears. I felt, acutely, how ordinary I was.
But—
“...Haa.”
Even so, I would not retreat.
“Hoo—”
If I didn’t know the answer, the natural thing was to run. To admit defeat. But I had never chosen what was natural. If I had wanted a normal life, I wouldn’t have picked up the sword. I wouldn’t have broken my promise to my mother. I wouldn’t have sworn to kill that damned Swordmaster. I wouldn’t have swallowed steel believing I carried Steel Blood.
So— I could not choose the natural path.
From the moment I took up the sword, I had chosen an unnatural life—a life that shouted its refusal to accept what the world deemed inevitable. Because I couldn’t accept it, I chose to fight it—to carve out my own answer.
“Huup!”
I drew in breath until my lungs nearly burst. My body burned unbearably. That was the power of 「The Light」. The more I breathed, the hotter my heart became.
Heated blood and Mana circulated, tempering me again, burning me anew.
My body broke down and screamed—but in that instant, it brimmed with light.
A flame that burned bright enough to protect what was precious—at the cost of itself.
And the sword born from that was dazzling—a light in the dark world, a star in a starless night.
“Seol Yoon.”
I drew my final breath. Bones and muscles screamed. I knew instinctively—as a mere 「Sword Walker」, I had only one swing. After that swing, my body would crumble to ash.
“Can you withstand it?”
Seol Yoon knew.
She could see how close I was to collapse.
She knew she only needed to step back once to win easily. Yet she stood before me, unwavering.
“As many times as needed.”
Of course. I’d known before I asked.
She, too, was a swordsman—and…『I once read a book from the western lands.』
She was like me.
『It said thus—』
The world before my eyes darkened. The blackened sky glittered with stars. Beneath it, wanderers moved as one, led by a single man. He was a light—a star.
『How blessed was the age when one could gaze upon the starry sky, and read the map of roads to walk?』
That man’s will filled me. Agony ripped through my body.
My grip trembled.
My knees buckled.
My spine screamed.
『And how blessed was the age when starlight illuminated those paths?』
But I could still swing once.
『I longed for the Age of Stars.』
My body screamed, and I screamed with it. A beastly roar tore from my throat as my sword carved through the air.
A crude yet magnificent slash, and at its end—Seol Yoon.
From her sword tip, a flower bloomed. A sword so beautiful it looked like countless petals scattering. I could almost smell it.
『Not an age of war.』
Ka-chang! Blades collided. Sparks flew.
Her flowing sword deflected mine with near-perfect skill. But she couldn’t dispel it. Within my slash, a line flared to life.
The Steel Path tore through her flowers.
Her eyes wavered. In that fleeting instant, her gaze darted across my blade—then her wings blazed.
Acceleration.
Mental acceleration turned to physical.
Her mystery allowed even her power itself to change. It was the perfect ability for her—to find the answer, no matter the problem.
Her sword now moved dozens of times faster than mine. At this rate, she would decapitate me.
There was no way to resist—and yet, I refused to yield.
My master’s voice echoed in my mind:
“A genius is one who finds answers no matter the difficulty.”
He had said—
“But the ones this continent praises most are not geniuses.”
My mind burned.
“They are those who, though they cannot find perfect answers, refuse to give up. Those who do not retreat.”
The heat became unbearable—but then clarity came.
“What they achieve, people call legend. And do you know what those who create legends are called?”
The world slowed.
“Heroes.”
The world stilled, and my body lightened. A sense of liberation, of soaring freedom, flooded me.
As if—「Ah.」—I had grown wings.
「This time was different.」
Darkness filled my vision.
「Yes… this time was different.」
When my sight returned, my sword had completed its arc—pointing toward the earth.
And beyond it—「This time, it was not lacking, young descendant.」—Seol Yoon lay sprawled on the ground, her sword fallen from her hand.
「Did I not tell you? Don’t despair. Just survive.」
My dulled senses returned, and roaring cheers filled the air.
「Next time, you will win.」
My heart pounded—so hard it felt it might burst from my chest. Pain crashed through me.
「For within you flows Steel Blood.」
I had won.
I had.
***
As her fading consciousness dimmed, Seol Yoon tasted dirt.
The bitter taste of defeat.
It shouldn’t have been possible. Her counterattack had been perfect—a strike so fast that Arhan shouldn’t even have been able to perceive it. Even in death, she couldn’t accept it.
“…Ah.”
Replaying the scene endlessly in her mind, she finally lifted her head—and understood.
“I see… now.”
There stood Arhan—blank, unaware of his victory. Behind him shimmered a faint light—
brighter, stronger than hers. Still faint, still incomplete—but unmistakably…
“So that’s… what it was.”
Wings.
“You too…”
Wings of Steel.
At the sight of them, Seol Yoon remembered her parents’ words.
“Yoon-ah, my little daughter. The world is fickle and ever-changing.”
Ah… Father, Mother—you were right.
“Live with hope for tomorrow, my daughter. Look upon this ever-changing world with shining eyes, for you never know what may happen.”
Yes. In this world of constant change, no one can ever know what awaits them tomorrow…And because of that—though it stings, though it hurts—“That’s why this world is beautiful.”
Seol Yoon…wanted to live for one more tomorrow.
***
「Designation: Thousandfold Change」
「Seol Yoon’s Mystery」
「Ever-changing, fickle, boundless transformation.」
「An unfinished sword that can become anything.」
「It grants countless transformations to the swordsman herself, and to all that her sword touches.」