Dohyeon, who had replied casually, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"But I didn't know this game even had skills. Since it's a samurai game, I thought everything was just solved with a sword."
-Yeah… normally you can't solve everything with a sword -That's something only YOU can do…-I can actually see him doing it irl so I can't argue lol-He beat the Sword Saint with just a sword, case closed
Seungyeon countered immediately.
"Sure, for now you can solve everything with a sword. But listen to what they said—there are yokai in this game. Some are HUGE. You'll need skills to fight them."
It wasn't wrong, so Dohyeon accepted it with a nod.
Seeing him ready to listen, Seungyeon began explaining what she knew about Muhon, the Martial Soul system.
She avoided story spoilers, but she had researched the systems thoroughly.
"Muhon is divided into two types: Bunryeong and Subaek ."
The names sounded fancy, but the meaning was simple:
Bunryeong = active skillsSubaek = passive skills
To unlock Muhon, you needed Ryu —skill points gained by defeating enemies.So you couldn't activate everything irresponsibly.
Dohyeon then asked:
"So what about swordsmanship?"
He understood Muhon was essentially skills.But then what was swordsmanship in this game?
'Do they mean teaching us something like Sword Saint Kato's sword style?'
He wondered if VR games could really teach swordsmanship so quickly.
But then he realized—
Maybe it was possible.
Because he already did it.
In his duel with Kato, he'd taken in all of the Sword Saint's movements and turned them into his own.
Of course, nobody else could do that.
So what NPCs taught as "swordsmanship" was more like game-system-enhanced moves.
"Swordsmanship works like this: if you attack with a certain motion, the game gives you a buffed effect. Like, if you perform a downward slash correctly, your attack gets extra force."
She demonstrated the motion.
Dohyeon immediately understood.
It was a clever system.
Even if someone wasn't trained in swordsmanship, they could swing a sword.And if they approximated the correct form, the game would apply the sword-style effect.
"Also, each sword style has its own special perks. For example, Sword Saint Kato's Ichon-Ilryu only lets you block if you get a Great Success parry. That's because of that style's inherent trait."
-Ah, THAT was a sword-style effect?-Yeah that's why you can't beat him in the tutorial. He uses swordsmanship, and you don't.
If you fail a parry, you drop your sword.If you succeed normally, your body stiffens.Only Great Success lets you stand against him.
That's why Kato is considered nearly unkillable.
And that difficulty came from Ichon-Ilryu, the sword style he mastered.
This is why players must choose their sword style carefully in Samurai Hearts.
"There are three sword styles in the game."
She listed them:
Jakye-Seomho-Ryu — extremely offensive, popular among high-mechanics players
Jegom-Ryu — defensive, recommended for beginners
Cheonhyang-Shin-Ryu — balanced, neither offense nor defense focused
"You could honestly pick anything and make it work."
-That I agree with-But seriously, what would be the best sword style for Kratos?-Jakye-Seomho-Ryu is definitely strongest-Strong my ass, go Cheonhyang-Shin-Ryu bro-Based on how he blocked Sword Saint attacks, he's clearly a Jegom-Ryu user. Cope.-lol swordsmanship noobs fighting again
Chat exploded, arguing among themselves.
Everyone was hyped to decide which style the genius Kratos should choose.
Seeing the fire spreading, Seungyeon quickly intervened.
She couldn't let chat devolve into a heated fight—it would hurt the stream.
"Everyone calm down. He'll choose whatever suits him after he sees them all. Aren't you curious which sword style a genius will choose?"
-A sword style chosen by a genius… tempting-Fr, I wanna know-He's already a monster, imagine him WITH swordsmanship lol
Using the "genius Kratos" angle worked—chat quieted down.
Everyone was now genuinely wondering which style he'd pick.
"But sis, you said you never played Samurai Hearts. How do you know all this?"
Dohyeon looked at her curiously.
She knew far too much for someone who hadn't played.
Her reply was calm.
"If I'm lacking in mechanics, I have to make up for it somewhere else."
Because her physical skill was always a problem, she studied her games thoroughly.
If she lacked both mechanics and brainpower, viewers wouldn't grit their teeth—they'd just stop watching entirely.
Behind her reputation as a "spicy streamer with decent brains" was a mountain of preparation.
"Well, anyway. Let's move on. Ready, Dohyeon?"
"Ready."
Seungyeon nodded and told Tengu they accepted the offer.
Tengu laughed heartily.
"An excellent choice. You will not regret it. Now, follow me. I shall introduce you to the family of the Tenhwadan."
With that, Tengu headed outside.
Seungyeon and Dohyeon followed.
Once they stepped out, they immediately understood where they were:
A ruined temple.
Several crumbling temple buildings surrounded them—making it obvious.
Between the temple buildings—worn down by the storms of time—people walked here and there.Whenever they spotted Tengu, they bowed their heads immediately.
Tengu, however, merely returned their bows with a casual wave of the hand and did not bow back.
Seeing this, Seungyeon realized that Tengu held quite a high position within the Tenhwadan.
'Well, he's the first major NPC you meet after the tutorial, so I guess it makes sense.'
They wouldn't waste such long exposition on a disposable NPC.
The first place Tengu led them to was the Meditation Hall.
Where monks would normally be seated in meditation, only one elderly man sat there in full lotus position.
From appearance alone, the old man radiated grace and dignity.
His neatly combed white hair still shone with luster, and the robe he wore was immaculate without a single wrinkle.
The phrase "immortal hermit's grace" couldn't have fit him better.
"Taoist Immortal," Tengu called softly.
Even someone as high-ranking as Tengu seemed reluctant to speak casually to him.The title itself was extraordinary.
The old man slowly opened his eyes at the call.
"Oh? Tengu. And guests, I see. These are the ones you brought this time?"
"Yes. They will be temporarily joining our cause, so I've brought them to be introduced to you."
"Introduced… Which means you intend to pass Muhon on to them as well."
Tengu nodded.The old man turned his clear, emotionless eyes toward Seungyeon and Dohyeon.
Eyes like transparent glass—scrutinizing them as if reading straight into their minds.
After studying them for a moment, the old man closed his eyes once more.
"Their vessel is open… but they lack the fundamental Ryu . It is too early to teach them.However… should they obtain Ryu on their own, I shall not be stingy in passing on Muhon…"
With that, he fell silent again.
Tengu bowed respectfully and exited the hall.
Following behind, Seungyeon and Dohyeon stepped back outside.Tengu, who had been waiting, explained:
"That gentleman is the one who passes down Muhon. If you wish to obtain new Muhon or strengthen existing ones, seek him out."
He was the game's skill-master NPC.
Next, Tengu led them to an open training ground between several buildings.
There, three figures stood—each occupying a different side of the yard, as if dividing it into three sections.
Seungyeon and Dohyeon turned toward them.
Standing at the north was a huge man, wearing an entire bearskin over his body, a massive two-meter greatsword strapped to his back.
At the east sat an extremely handsome man.
He wore a floral-patterned yukata, had both a long and short sword at his waist, and even wore a bamboo hat.
At the west stood the only woman among the three.
Her hair was tied back in a single knot, and a light scar ran from her forehead down across her right eye—an unforgettable mark.Unlike the others, she carried only a single simple sword.
It was obvious at a glance—
These were the swordmasters.
"Their title is Geomho—Sword Masters," Tengu explained."They are among the finest in the Tenhwadan. Not quite at the level of the Sword Saint of this era, but… well, that man is a monster, so it cannot be helped…"
Tengu suddenly paused.
His eyes—visible behind the mask—curved slightly as he looked toward Seungyeon and Dohyeon.
"Heh… I spoke foolishly. You two defeated that monster of a Sword Saint. Naturally, these three hold great interest in you. Go on—speak with them."
-? Huh? That's not the dialogue I remember-He doesn't say that normally-Yeah normally he doesn't. Must be a special event for beating the Sword Saint. Hypeeee lol
Players who had seen or played Samurai Hearts stirred excitedly.
The reason was Tengu's lines.Normally, after introducing the three swordmasters, he simply told the player to speak with them.
But this time—extra lines, acknowledging their feat and their interest.
Samurai Hearts did have event variations depending on certain conditions.So the viewers were naturally excited.
"Are you the one who defeated the Sword Saint Hatsuragi Kato?"
And the viewers' expectations were met immediately.
The huge man—who normally introduced himself in a bored tone—suddenly snarled the moment the scene began.
Eyes bulging, he roared:
"You beat the Sword Saint? You? Nonsense! I don't believe it!"
His sudden hostile tone made Dohyeon frown——but he couldn't move.
A cutscene had started, locking their bodies in place.
"…And if you don't believe it?"
The Black Wolf spoke quietly.
Normally, even in co-op, the host's character (Seungyeon, the Red Fox) would be the one speaking during scenes.But strangely, this time it was focused on the Black Wolf—Dohyeon.
It must be because Dohyeon's combat logs against the Sword Saint had been overwhelmingly dominant.
"What other way is there for swordsmen like us to prove ourselves except with the sword!? Come on! Fight me!"
As the man bellowed this challenge—
The world of Samurai Hearts froze for a moment.
Before Dohyeon, two choices materialized:
□ Accept
→ Begins "Trial of the Three Swordmasters" event (New sword style can be created)
□ Refuse
→ No event (Choose one of the existing sword styles)