Samurai Hearts – Tutorial (9)
"…"
Seung-yeon's death.
Do-hyun's eyes grew cold as he watched it happen from behind.
It was a VR game.
Of course, the death was fake.
Seung-yeon was perfectly fine—probably chatting loudly with the viewers right now.
Do-hyun knew that.
He knew it, in his mind.
But still…
Whether in movies, dramas, or documentaries—seeing someone die always makes the viewer uncomfortable.
And if the dying person is a close acquaintance or a family member?Only a handful of people could sit through that without reacting.
Maybe an experienced VR gamer could.
But for Do-hyun, this was the first time.
His first game.
His first time seeing someone close to him "die."
It's… extremely unpleasant.
So he grew angry.
Though his mind knew it was fake, his heart could only feel anger.
A natural, justified anger.
His family had died.
Right in front of him.
Even if it was virtual reality, paradoxically, that made it feel even more real.
Because his sister's death had been portrayed with too much realism.
Even if the death was fake—the rage blooming from it was 100% real.
"…"
Do-hyun silently lifted his sword.
With narrowed eyes, he stared at the Sword Star.
His presence—his aura—grew heavy and sharp.
His face was blank, indifferent, emotionless.
It was the expression he only revealed when he was truly angry.
Watching from observer mode, Seung-yeon flinched.
Ah… right. This is his first game. Of course it would feel bad.
— Little bro's vibe is kinda dangerous rn— If it's his first VR game, this is probably his first time seeing something like that— Honestly, I was furious too my first time playing with a friend lol
The viewers stirred uneasily as well.
Most of them were VR veterans—they knew exactly how intense VR emotions could be.
In a medium where even NPC deaths make some players cry,Do-hyun's emotional reaction was no mystery.
They understood his anger.And they eagerly wanted to see—
How strong would he fight when driven by fury?
"Come. Warrior."
Do-hyun ignored the Sword Star's arrogant taunt and strode forward without hesitation.
Each long step quickly closed the gap between them.
He stopped at a razor-thin distance.
The range where their blades could touch—but only if one of them took another step to attack.
He hadn't consciously calculated where to stop.
He simply felt it.
"This should be just within reach."
That instinctive sense of distance—a talent in itself.
"…"
"…"
A heavy silence fell between them.
Do-hyun stared sharply at Hatsuragi Kato.
The man's posture, grip, foot angle, shoulder height, the rise and fall of his breath…
Do-hyun saw it all clearly.
Just as he always had.
No—more clearly than ever.
So Do-hyun took half a step forward and thrust out his sword arm.
Swish—
Like marking a single point.
His sword shot forward like lightning.
A thrust that sliced directly through the Sword Star's breathing rhythm.
"Hm!"
Meeting Do-hyun's first strike, Hatsuragi Kato reacted instantly.
His blade carved a vivid arc and harshly slapped aside Do-hyun's sword tip.
So calm and composed it was hard to believe his breathing had been disrupted.
CLANG—!
Sparks burst between them.
The exchange of the first strike.
Of course, Do-hyun did not drop his sword like Seung-yeon did.
A spray of crimson sparks exploded outward as both stepped back exactly half a pace.
Kato's eyebrow twitched.
"Not bad."
"WOW! One swing and he already earned the 'Not bad' rating?! I know he's my brother, but this is insane. How is he doing that?"
— Meanwhile someone else swung once and died instantly— This is why he's called a talent monster lol— Wasn't there a guy who needed 50 tries just to hear that line…?
"…"
Do-hyun didn't answer.
He simply attacked—quietly, relentlessly.
Under the faint moonlight, his blade gleamed and danced.
Sometimes like a line.Sometimes like a point.Sometimes like a surface.
Everything he could imagine with a sword manifested through his movements.
"I will not retreat!"
The Sword Star did not evade.
He met Do-hyun head-on, swinging directly back at him.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Bright red sparks—signals of perfect deflects—burst endlessly between them.
So intense were the sparks that the area around them looked redder than the burning Atsuragi Castle itself.
CLANG! CLAAAANG! CLANG!
Heavy metallic crashes echoed one after another.
Sometimes three strikes collided within a single breath.
Blades brushed so close that either could have died in an instant—Neither Do-hyun nor Hatsuragi Kato even blinked.
It was a fierce battle where neither yielded an inch.
And in the midst of it—a new realization bloomed inside Do-hyun.
…I can do it.
As mentioned before, Do-hyun had never learned swordsmanship.
He had never even properly held a real sword in his life.
Facing the Sword Star—Japan's strongest swordsman—he should've been utterly crushed.
Even landing perfect deflects shouldn't have been anywhere near enough.
Hatsuragi Kato's swordsmanship wasn't just a boss mechanic—it was inhuman, surpassing any realistic technique.
Countless gamers had despaired in front of his unpredictable, patternless blade.
Yet Do-hyun was matching him without yielding.
How?
The answer was simple.
If you don't know a technique—learn it.
And in front of him was the greatest swordsman in the world.
Now. Extend. Half-breath. Left. Forty degrees. Up. Step. Thrust. Reverse. Two steps. Follow-up. Next.
Amidst the ringing metal and bursting sparks, Do-hyun's eyes trembled—awakening.
His mind was absorbing everything Hatsuragi Kato did.
And learning it.
Neither fear.Nor excitement.
It wasn't any emotional tremor.
Do-hyun was simply observing—ceaselessly, relentlessly.
Everything the Sword Star, Hatsuragi Kato, showed him.
The shape of his grip, the angle of his stepping foot, how his arm moved, how far his shoulders opened…
How much he inhaled before swinging, and how much he exhaled when retracting his blade.
And he took every piece of information he observed—and immediately applied it to himself, altering his own techniques in real time.
As time passed, his swordsmanship began to resemble the Sword Star's—but gradually diverged into something uniquely his.
"Guys… doesn't something feel strange? Maybe I'm crazy, but it feels like my brother is getting stronger. Am I the only one seeing it?"
— I see it too.— Same here.— Holy… so THAT'S what it looks like when someone gets stronger mid-battle.— Like a freaking manga lol— Talent monsters level up while fighting… noted…
In truth, this should've been impossible.
Learning swordsmanship on the spot by fighting the opponent directly?
Easy to say in theory—but could anyone realistically do that while their life was on the line?
If that were possible, why would sword-training dojos even exist?
It was something no normal human could ever do.
But Do-hyun could.
Not only could he learn the opponent's techniques in real time—he could steal them, absorb them, and reshape them to his own liking.
Calling it "learning" was generous.
More accurately, it was theft.
A monstrous act of stealing the answer sheet named Sword Star Kato—and rewriting the answers however he pleased.
It surpassed "impossible," and then surpassed even that.
Why was he capable of this?
The answer was something Seung-yeon had already said many times:
Talent.
Overwhelming talent.Violent talent.A talent so extreme that even the word "talent" felt insufficient.
"Truly splendid, warrior!"
Leaping back, Sword Star Kato voiced his admiration.
The chat exploded again—because this was the highest praise anyone had EVER received from him.
Not that Do-hyun knew that.
Even if he did, he wouldn't have cared.
All of his focus was locked on Hatsuragi Kato.
"To think I would find myself using my full strength against an unknown warrior. You may take pride in yourself."
With that, Kato reached for the second sword at his waist—drawing it with his left hand.
One sword in his right.One sword in his left.
He spun both blades as if to display them, then grinned fiercely at Do-hyun.
"I am Hatsuragi Kato, current successor of Niten Ichiryu. Now I will cut you down with my true strength."
It was like a ceremonial introduction—so bold and dramatic that it was hard to think of him as mere data.
Something in it stirred the heart.
Perhaps that's what affected Do-hyun.
For the first time, the silent Do-hyun narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.
Just one sentence.
"I'll kill you."
Rage, still unresolved within his chest, boiled over.
With that declaration, he charged toward the Sword Star.
This time, his movements were harsher—more ferocious than before.
"Hahaha, excellent!"
For someone without refined swordsmanship, dual blades were a disaster.
An unskilled fighter would tangle their blades together—or even cut themselves.
But Kato was different.
He had not earned the name "Sword Star" for nothing.Nor was his title as successor of Niten Ichiryu empty talk.
He wielded both blades with flawless mastery.
The trajectories of the two swords intersected perfectly, complementing one another.
A chain of attacks without end.
Like an infinite serpent, the twin blades struck Do-hyun in relentless succession.
It was like rain in a storm—a downpour driven by raging winds.
"Hrrrrhp!"
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
Even amid the dizzying assault of two blades, Do-hyun did not retreat.
With minimal movement, he endured the wave-like onslaught.
Both hands tightly gripping his sword, he focused solely on deflecting Kato's blades.
He had no time to breathe—sparks burst without pause.
If Kato was ferocious—then Do-hyun was simply perfect.
Dozens of strikes per instant—yet not a single one touched him.
"Has the Sword Star ALWAYS used dual swords? I've never seen footage of that before."
— Same, never saw it— Me too— Lore-wise, yes he does. Nobody ever survived long enough to see it though lol— (Dev note) You can't see Sword Star's dual-wield unless he's at full power.— And the only full-power Sword Star is in the tutorial lol. How the hell do you even reach that phase?— So this is the FIRST time it's ever been shown?!
"Oh—wait, you're right? This is the official first reveal of Sword Star's Niten Ichiryu mode?!"
The viewers were losing their minds.
And the fight had only just begun.