Chapter 78: Advanced Techniques of Continuous Slash

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Advanced Techniques of Continuous Slash

Lorin watched him set down his teacup, stand up, and walk over to the weapon rack. He pulled out a training Iron Sword and tossed it to Lorin.

"Sheathing the Sword is the Advanced technique of Continuous Slash, and it’s also the mandatory path to reach the Mastery level.

"It doesn’t just mean literally sheathing the sword back to your side. Most importantly, it connects the previous and subsequent strikes of Continuous Slash.

"Have you ever noticed that when you use Continuous Slash, the Power in your arms, shoulders, and back all move forward together?

"Sheathing the Sword won’t interrupt that Power; instead, it uses ’momentum’ to make it stronger."

Glen drew an Iron Sword as well, twirling it with a beautiful flourish before pointing the tip at Lorin. "Come on, strike me."

Gripping the training Iron Sword, Lorin didn’t rush to attack. Instead, he carefully pondered Glen’s words while familiarizing himself with the weapon’s weight. He pondered how using "momentum" could make it stronger. In his understanding, the essence of Continuous Slash was utilizing inertia. It was precisely because he understood how to use inertia that his Continuous Slash progressed from Beginner to Skilled so quickly. He wondered if "momentum" was just inertia.

However, according to Glen, each strike of Continuous Slash should be stronger and faster than the last—something Lorin clearly hadn’t achieved. After all, inertia could only maintain the sword’s original speed at best. Air resistance and the reaction force from hitting a target would even cause that speed to decay further. When he had previously used Continuous Slash to attack the Bear Goblins, a portion of the kinetic energy was consumed the moment his blade bit into their muscles. How could he possibly get faster after that?

He decided to forget about it and just strike first. Lorin stopped overthinking. Pushing off the ground, he raised the Iron Sword and sharply swung out the first strike of Continuous Slash.

CLANG!

Glen subtly deflected with the tip of his sword, catching Lorin’s edge with the flat of his blade. "Your draw is quite fast. Keep going," he commented casually.

Lorin felt the rebound force travel down the blade and into his palm, leaving his hand slightly numb, whereas Glen’s sword merely dipped a fraction. He didn’t pause. Borrowing the momentum from his sword bouncing off the block, he drove his waist to guide his arm into a second slash.

This strike was once again caught effortlessly by Glen. It was as if he knew exactly where Lorin’s sword would land, always placing his own blade there in advance. Moreover, the momentum of this strike was greater than the first, making the rebound force even more pronounced.

Gritting his teeth, Lorin pivoted on the ball of his foot, grinding the gravel beneath it, and brought down a third strike in a downward cleave.

"HYAAH!"

A loud tremor rang out. Lorin took a step back, panting. Glen stood loosely, appearing full of openings from head to toe. Yet, he still gave Lorin a sense of powerlessness—a feeling that no matter how he struck, the sword would inevitably be blocked. He wondered if this was what an Elite Tier Warrior was like.

"Don’t grip the sword so tightly. Your hands aren’t meant to wrestle with the blade; you’ll never learn Sheathing the Sword like that.

"Relax. Let your hands hold the sword in the most comfortable way possible, then try striking me again."

Lorin questioned how he was supposed to relax. He looked down at his grip. This had always been a bad habit of his, one that had stuck with him ever since his first fight to the death with a goblin. It couldn’t be helped. After all, he had never undergone complete Warrior training; all of his methods stemmed from raw physical instinct. He had no idea what kind of grip strength was appropriate, so he could only hold onto it tightly. Tearing the webbing of his hand from the shock was still better than letting the sword slip and fly out of his grasp.

Lorin tried to loosen his fingers a little. He merely maintained his grip posture instead of keeping the weapon locked rigidly in his hand. He brought down another strike. Because his grip was loose, the sword’s rebound was much more drastic. However, his choice of strength was just right, preventing the Iron Sword from flying out of his hands.

Raising an eyebrow, Lorin sensed something slightly different. "Let me try again?" he asked tentatively.

Glen smiled and nodded.

The two engaged in a rhythm of striking and blocking. They exchanged over eighty blows back and forth, leaving even Glen’s hand feeling a bit numb. Glen thought to himself that this kid’s Power was seriously huge.

Lorin, however, had finally found the right amount of force. He rubbed his aching forearm, feeling a surge of excitement. Regardless of how well he learned Sheathing the Sword, he knew this lesson was already worth it.

Glen lowered his Iron Sword and asked with a smile, "After you relaxed, did you feel the Power generated by the sword’s rebound?"

Lorin’s hand paused mid-air as he rubbed his forearm.

"Earlier, every time you struck me, you were fighting against the rebound force of the blade. You treated that Power as an enemy and tried to suppress it.

"But it’s not your enemy. It is simply the Power you just exerted, returning to your hand from a different direction.

"When you relaxed your fingers, it became much more obvious. The shockwave transformed into a rebound."

Lorin grasped his meaning. A tingling sensation exploded across his scalp, and his sword-holding hand trembled slightly. He realized it was indeed a rebound! He questioned why he couldn’t use reaction force if he could use inertia.

"I can use the force of the rebound to execute Sheathing the Sword, and then maintain that Power to send it back out. Is this what ’momentum’ means?" he asked rapidly.

Glen froze. He had just raised his Iron Sword, intending to demonstrate for Lorin, only to find that the boy had already figured it out. "Did your previous teacher ever mention that you have quite the talent for learning the sword?" he asked, wincing slightly.

"Uh... maybe?" Lorin answered awkwardly. He still remembered Hiv’s envious look, though he hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time, being completely absorbed in his anticipation of learning Magic.

"Want to try again? I’ll demonstrate it first, and then you can try to replicate the strike."

"Alright."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Glen’s blade crashed into his own. A massive force transmitted through the weapon, nearly knocking the sword right out of his hand. By then, Glen had already borrowed the rebound of the blade to seamlessly retract it, holding it steady in front of his chest. His movements could even be described as elegant.

Indeed, Lorin found it hard to believe he would ever use such a word to describe a gruff, middle-aged man, but the way he executed Sheathing the Sword was simply too fluid. Before he could think any further, Glen’s shout rang out alongside a system prompt.

"Come on!"

[Block and Counterattack successfully triggered.]

Lorin subconsciously slashed his sword outward. Empowered by Skills, the sword moved almost too fast for the naked eye to catch. All that could be heard was a short, sharp whistle as the edge tore through the air.

SWOOSH!

Glen stared at him with wide eyes. He had almost been skewered by Lorin’s suddenly accelerated blade, managing to block the edge only at the very last second.

CLANG!

Lorin calmed his mind and relaxed his palm slightly, feeling the sensation transmitted the moment the blade struck. Following the direction of the rebound force, he twisted his wrist, letting his muscles Burst forth in tandem with it. The blade danced in mid-air.

The second strike of Continuous Slash lashed out in an instant!

"Holy shit, you’ve already fucking learned it!?"