Episode 6: First Sparring Match
When I first encountered advanced martial arts, I was naturally excited and wanted to train in it all day.
It was the area I lacked in the most, and it was obvious that the growth potential was far greater compared to other skills.
But reality was harsh.
‘I don’t have enough mana.’
In the tutorial, the maximum stat one could raise was 20. Thanks to Yeomyeong’s Physique, the efficiency was greatly enhanced, but with just 20 mana, it was nowhere near enough to train all day.
Unlike basic martial arts, advanced martial arts consumed mana even during simple training.
Since my proficiency was still low, my mana efficiency was terrible, and just using a few skills would deplete my mana entirely.
In the end, I was forced to rest whenever my mana was recovering.
“This won’t do.”
Stopping training was equivalent to halting my growth. If I lacked mana, then I just needed to train a skill that didn’t consume any while it recovered.
So, I started looking for alternatives—and one idea came to mind.
“Tutorial skills.”
[ Tutorial Skill List ]
Lowest-Grade Blacksmithing (Lv1)
A skill for blacksmiths. It’s a production-type skill, but I wasn’t determined to fix my role as strictly a combatant, so I had no objections to learning it.
Of course, neglecting my advanced martial arts training for a production skill would be a problem, but using spare time to try out a different field was an appealing option.
‘What if I could craft my own equipment?’
It wouldn’t just be filling in the gaps during training—if I entered the Tower with equipment I made myself during the tutorial?
This could be more than just a substitute—it could become another opportunity for growth.
If I could make good-quality equipment here, it would surely be useful even in the Tower, and I might even be able to craft my own equipment using materials from monsters.
Even if not for myself, I could craft equipment for others too. After all, power doesn’t just come from personal strength—equipment makes a difference too. It didn’t seem like a bad choice.
[ Beginning the guide for Lowest-Grade Blacksmithing. ]
[ Follow the movements shown before you. ]
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this.”
It had been nearly five years since I’d last learned a new skill from the tutorial guide.
“Estelle, could you give me the same equipment that’s shown here?”
“Here you go.”
Estelle appeared before me and instantly summoned a bellows, a furnace, an anvil, and a quenching tank. Then, she placed a heavy hammer in my hand.
‘Fast. Really fast.’
In that short time, she hadn’t just appeared—she had brought all this equipment with her. Truly, an angel was an angel.
“Thanks.”
“What kind of wind brought you to learn blacksmithing? You’ve never cared about anything besides getting stronger.”
She saw through me clearly—but this too, I believed, was a path to getting stronger.
“I tried training in advanced martial arts, but it uses up too much mana. I was looking for something to do while recovering, and blacksmithing seemed perfect. What do you think?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.
“It’s definitely not a bad choice. If you can use it properly… it’ll be quite useful. And considering Player Han Yeomyeong’s tendencies, it might suit you well.”
With her saying that, I had no reason to hesitate anymore. I immediately began following the guide’s instructions.
First, I used the bellows to raise the temperature of the furnace.
I couldn’t tell if the temperature was right, so at first, I just blew air into it as the guide directed.
‘Next is melting the iron sword to make molten metal.’
I placed the basic iron sword provided in the tutorial into the furnace. Then I waited.
…But no matter how long I waited, the iron sword didn’t melt.
“Why isn’t it melting?”
“The temperature is too low,” Estelle said, arms crossed.
“It’s your first time—there’s no way you could get the furnace temperature right immediately.”
‘Just mimicking the actions doesn’t guarantee the same results, huh.’
In the end, I worked the bellows more vigorously to raise the heat. Scorching heat brushed past my skin.
[ Lowest-Grade Comprehensive Resistance has leveled up. ]
‘So I can train resistances like this too?’
After several rounds of trial and error, I finally managed to produce well-balanced molten metal at the proper temperature.
‘Next is casting.’
The process of pouring molten metal into a mold to create the base shape of a weapon.
But when I finally took out the finished product, something felt off.
“…This is way too thin.”
It looked like a sword, but it seemed so fragile it could snap after a single swing.
‘Ah, I messed up.’
I thought about reinforcing it through forging, but even then, I kept making mistakes throughout the process.
I couldn’t control my strength, so the hammering was a mess. During quenching, I failed to regulate the water’s temperature, leaving fine cracks on the blade.
Only after completing the final polishing did I stare at my first self-made sword.
‘Is this… really my first sword?’
Mistakes while pouring the molten metal, cracks formed during forging, failures in the quenching process.
A thin, flimsy blade, a cracked sword body, and an unbalanced handle.
This thing was unusable in combat. It wasn’t even fit to be used as a toothpick.
“Should I just break it?”
But just before I could do that, Estelle casually took it from me.
“No. I’ll take this.”
“…Why would you want that?”
“I plan to show it to you later to tease you when you eventually create something amazing.”
She was keeping my first creation just to taunt me.
Truly a terrifying angel.
And to make things worse, there’s a chance I might never make anything amazing!
***
5 years later
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Five years of nonstop forging.
Now my body moved purely by muscle memory.
And finally, I reached the level I had been aiming for.
[Successfully crafted a Very Sharp and Durable Black Iron Sword (Rare)]
[Your Low-grade Blacksmithing level has increased.]
[Your Low-grade Blacksmithing proficiency has reached its max.]
[Low-grade Blacksmithing has advanced to mid-grade Blacksmithing (Lv.1)]
Since I couldn’t train high-grade martial arts due to mana recovery limits, I spent the past 5 years leveling up obscure, underutilized crafting skills.
Now, several of those, including magic engineering, had reached the low grade, and just now, my blacksmithing skill had reached the mid-grade.
“It’s just… completely second nature now. [Observe].”
Observe was a skill used to check information, and its proficiency increased the more you observed new things. Since I kept creating and using new equipment, the skill had reached an advanced level.
[Very Sharp and Durable Black Iron Sword (Rare)]
A master craftsman on Earth refined high-purity black iron with significant skill to forge a weapon of excellent performance.
The term “Very” enhances the effect of other modifiers by one tier.
① Sharp: Greatly increases cutting ability.
② Durable: Greatly increases strength.
③ Stat Bonus: Strength +2, Stamina +2
Up until now, I had just been making weapons. But now, it felt like the hammer was truly a part of my hand.
I slowly swung the black iron sword. A sharp gust sliced through the air.
The sword responded to my movements as if it were alive, flowing far more naturally than ever before.
The Blacksmithing skill was no longer just a support—it had become part of me.
“Estelle.”
“Yes?”
“Could you give me a standard training sword?”
The basic iron sword given at the start of the tutorial—it had been a while since I’d seen it. I threw it into the air, and as it fell, I brought the black iron sword up to meet it. The moment they clashed, the iron sword was sliced clean in two like tofu.
“Wow.”
It wasn’t even a magic-imbued weapon, just a normal sword. And yet, it cut so cleanly. Equipment stats really did make a difference. Long live the blacksmithing skill.
“Is that the one you just made?”
“Yes. After making it, my Blacksmithing reached Mid-Grade Level 1.”
Estelle’s eyes widened in surprise. Her expressions had become more animated over the past five years. I never pointed it out, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.
“Blacksmithing is one of the hardest skills to level… and you’re already at mid-grade level 1? You might have talent for crafting after all, Player Han Yeomyeong.”
So I had no talent for combat, but hidden talent in crafting?
“Am I… destined to become Hephaestus?”
She let out a deep sigh.
“Haa… Don’t get conceited. You’re not that great.”
“Okay~.”
Seems like I just have a bit of talent—nothing too extraordinary.
“By the way, there’s someone who wants to meet you. Will you accept?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Among the other players, there’s someone who said they want to meet the strongest person from the tutorial. That’s you.”
Maybe it’s thanks to my high-level martial arts, but right now I’m slightly superior to Yoo Soeun from 15 years ago. I’d win maybe six out of ten fights? Since she was my benchmark, I could confidently say that.
At this level, I think it’s fair to say I’m the strongest in the tutorial.
“Sure, I’ll meet them.”
It’s been a while since I had the chance to interact with someone else—I’m not about to turn it down. Besides, if they’re looking for the strongest, I can already guess what their intention might be.
“Then I’ll call her. Ronan, please bring her here.”
“Yes, Lady Estelle.”
Unlike Estelle, who had two pairs of wings, the angel with a single pair of wings spoke respectfully to her.
As he left to fetch the player who wanted to meet me, I looked at her with an impressed expression.
“Oooh. You’ve got some influence among the angels, huh? He was being super respectful.”
“I may not look it, but I’m an Archangel. All the other angels assigned to the tutorial are lower-ranked, so I’m the highest among them.”
‘Wait, she’s an Archangel?’
I wanted to ask why an Archangel was assigned to me, but before I could, the angel returned with the player.
A person with long, snow-white hair that flowed down to her waist.
Sharp silver eyes with an intense gaze. Tightly toned muscles.
Her appearance alone was intriguing, but what mattered was what lay beneath—her presence was overwhelming.
A woman who radiated the aura of a seasoned spearmaster.
“You’re the strongest in the tutorial?”
Her words pierced through me like a blade.
Han Yeomyeong simply looked at her calmly.
“And if I am?”
“I’d like to fight you. Is that okay?”
She said it casually, but her intent was clear.
Han Yeomyeong chuckled softly.
“Of course.”
So far, I’d only fought monsters, so I did need some PvP experience.
After all, the only time I fought a person was when Estelle completely beat me down.
“Then let’s start right away?”
Without even waiting for my reply, she thrust her spear toward me.
Shwoooosh!
Fast.
I lightly twisted my body to dodge the spear tip, and she gave a faint smile.
Before I could figure out what that smile meant, three consecutive thrusts followed in an instant, followed by a curved slash.
Pababak! Slick.
I smoothly deflected her attacks using Tai Chi skill while analyzing her movements.
‘She’s getting faster?’
Her attack speed kept increasing. It was clear all her stats—agility, strength, stamina—had reached 20.
On top of that, it looked like she had already mastered enhancing her body with mana.
Her spear skills were at least Intermediate Level 1. The technique she used was the Imperial Spearmanship.
This style was known for its solid fundamentals.
She blocked my retreat using her spear’s reach, and with each thrust, added a slight rotation to the spear tip, making counterattacks tricky. Solid fundamentals, laced with impressive finesse.
‘If I try to block carelessly, my hand might get shredded.’
I clicked my tongue briefly.
Of course, I could easily dismantle her style using Emperor-Crushing Fist.
But I didn’t feel like doing that.
There might be opponents who use spear energy stronger than my fist technique, and using a skill not available in the tutorial felt a bit like cheating.
I was confident I could win without resorting to that.
I channeled energy and stomped the ground.
Boom!
The shockwave from my stomp reverberated through the floor.
Her stance, which had maintained an ideal distance, faltered for a moment.
I didn’t miss the opening.
In an instant, I closed the gap and slipped inside her reach.
“What?”
She reflexively threw a kick.
‘She’s not as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as she is with the spear.’
Her speed was impressive, but her control of strength and balance was lacking. While she was proficient with the spear, her unarmed fighting was still unrefined.
‘A blow like this… I can take it.’
Her right foot struck my waist hard.
Thud!
Before the impact could register, I reached out with my left arm and firmly grabbed her leg.
“Tch!”
She desperately tried to pull her leg back, but my Golden Python Hand technique coiled around her like a serpent.
A grappling technique designed to twist and lock the opponent’s body. The moment I applied its principles, her muscles tensed, locking her leg in place.
It seemed she had realized that no matter how much she struggled, she wouldn’t be able to escape.
Clang! Clatter!
Her spear howled as she swung it wildly, but my arms—honed through years of training—were tougher than she expected. Even if it left wounds, I wouldn’t let go.
And then, I slowly, yet heavily, thrust out my other fist.
Shaolin’s Arhat Fist.
Solid. Weighty. Undeniably forceful.
“Kh!”
She tried to block it with her spear shaft, but it shattered like paper.
Crack!
My fist drove toward her face.
To her, it must have looked like the fist was growing larger before her very eyes.
She instinctively closed her eyes tightly. Seeing that, I stopped my fist just short of her.
“I win, don’t I?”
She slightly opened her eyes.
My fist was frozen right in front of her. A few inches more and it would’ve been a direct hit.
“…Yes. I lost.”
A clean victory in the first sparring match.
***
‘So this is the so-called strongest player of the tutorial… he really is strong.’
Baek Ran, the spearwoman, had believed she had a chance. At the very least, she thought it would be an even fight.
But without giving her a single real opening, he disrupted her rhythm, created a gap, and ended it with one decisive blow— a flawless sequence.
It was something that completely overwhelmed all her skills and experience.
“You’re really strong.”
This man wasn’t just the strongest in the tutorial. Among everyone she had ever met, he stood out as exceptionally special.
‘I never thought I’d experience my first loss here.’
Baek Ran had never lost before in her life. Yet this man, whom she had just met today, handed her her first defeat. Her heart pounded with an exhilarating thrill.
How much did he train to reach this level of strength?
Three months, like her? Maybe even more time.
‘I’m going to follow him.’
For the sake of her younger sibling, who would eventually enter the Tower, Baek Ran had to become stronger. And she had an intense gut feeling that following this man would be the fastest way to do that.
‘I’ll catch up to him soon enough.’
In that moment, a new goal was born for her.