The training continued.
After sparring with him for a while, his father stepped away, and an elderly man from the clan elders came in his place.
The old man, his eyes obscured by long white hair, approached me holding a plain spear in one hand.
"It's an honor to meet you, Young Master. This old man is Jeong Seon Jin-cheol, an elder of the Yeon Clan. Feel free to call me Jeong Jin-cheol."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Yeon Je-seong."
"Hm. The Mask of Restraint, eh? It's not something you should need just yet. Does it hinder your movements at all?"
"No, it doesn't interfere with training, so it's fine."
At my words, a glint of light shone from the eyes hidden behind the old man's hair.
Thud─
"Excellent. Then let's begin. As you can see, what I'll be teaching you is spear arts."
He demonstrated by planting the spear into the ground with a flick of his grizzled white hair waving behind him, then continued in a light tone.
"Since you haven't chosen your weapon yet, Young Master, I'll start with a brief explanation of the spear."
With that introduction, the old man began passionately touting the advantages of the spear.
"People often call the sword the king of all weapons, but that's only because the world's top masters primarily use swords. In reality, it's not true."
Do you know why?
I closed my eyes and pondered slowly as the old man asked with his expression.
'King of all weapons...'
As a veteran of the Failure Hero series who had wielded all sorts of weapons, I knew full well that the sword wasn't inherently the best.
Especially in a world where aura and mana existed, claiming the sword was unbeatable made no sense.
So I opened my mouth and spoke.
"First, we should define what the king of all weapons means. Personally, I think it's a weapon that beginners and experts alike can master and use proficiently, regardless of skill level. In that sense, hard-to-handle weapons like bows, whips, and daggers are out."
"By your logic, wouldn't guns be the best weapon?"
"Guns, huh..."
Guns did exist in Failure Hero.
In a world where humans, elves, dwarves, and many other races coexisted, technology levels varied wildly.
The Liam Kingdom, with its German-inspired aesthetic, even had rifleman units.
"Guns are certainly appealing—they perform reliably for both novices and experts. They could very well be the king of all weapons."
If not for mana and aura.
I added that under my breath, and a smile curved the old man's lips.
"Guns are great, no doubt. But their limitations are too glaring."
Guns are convenient.
Whether wielded by a novice or an expert, you just aim and pull the trigger.
Guns are easy.
No matter how complex, their learning curve is overwhelmingly shorter than other weapons.
That's an unmatched advantage no other weapon has.
──But their firepower is weak.
"No matter how easy and convenient they are, if they lack firepower, they're meaningless. Even powerful guns can't pierce a seasoned warrior's protective aura, let alone a mage's mana shield. Sure, the small gap between novice and expert is attractive, but a weapon that can't deal lethal damage can't be the king of all weapons."
The old man, who had been stroking his beard and listening quietly, asked,
"So, what do you think qualifies as the king of all weapons, Young Master?"
"Personally, three weapons come to mind: sword, spear, and axe—or any blunt weapon you can grip and swing. These three can yield decent results even for beginners. The spear especially, since most soldiers use it as their primary weapon."
A pleased smile spread across the old man's face.
As a spear user himself, he seemed quite satisfied with my high regard for it.
"As you mentioned, people often call the sword the king because it's the most commonly used weapon. With so many users, it's easy to get started, and there are plenty of pioneers ahead, making training far more efficient than with other weapons. Of course, talent is required."
"Hm. So is the sword the king of all weapons?"
"No, not necessarily. The sword seems simple to start with, but the deeper you delve, the more profound understanding it demands. Spears are similar, but since distance control is the priority, they require comparatively less thought than swords. Of course, actually learning the spear might change my mind, but honestly, I think swords have the higher difficulty."
"I see. And what about the spear you mentioned?"
"The spear is easy yet efficient. It's a selfish weapon—you can attack unilaterally while the opponent can't reach you."
"Haha, a selfish weapon!"
"But everything with the spear comes down to distance control. You must stay out of the enemy's range while luring them into yours. Like the sword, it gets harder the more you learn. Personally, I think it has the best balance of offense and defense."
"Exactly! The spear is the supreme weapon! Indeed it is!"
I didn't exactly say the spear was the king of all weapons...
"As expected of the Young Master. You have a keen eye. Your reputation as a genius in the clan is well-deserved—beyond even my expectations!"
"Th-then, about the axe..."
"No need. I don't need to hear more."
The old man, already convinced the spear was supreme, cut me off firmly, as if no further words were necessary.
I didn't say the spear was the best.
"Enough with the boring theory. You seem to grasp the principles of the spear well enough, so no issue starting right away."
With that, he handed me a small wooden training spear.
"Here you go. It's a custom-made training spear fitted to your body."
"Ooh!"
It's light!
It's sturdy!
Even as a training spear, it's made for the Young Clan Head, so it's high quality.
I could tell from how perfectly it fit my hand that it was exceptionally well-crafted.
Whoosh─ whoosh─
'Great balance too. Well made.'
No twists anywhere; it swung straight and true. I loved it.
As I took my stance with the spear, the smiling old man lightly raised his own.
"You first."
No need for words.
"...!"
My body shot forward instinctively, tracing a natural arc as I swung the spear.
"Good!"
My fierce thrust wrapped around the old man's spear—or so it seemed—before his spear suddenly plunged toward my chest.
"Hup!"
Tsking softly at the serpentine cunning, I retreated, only for a barrage of rapid thrusts to rain down without mercy.
'Hard to use aura here.'
All my aura was already devoted to movement.
At that moment, the old man's spear stabbed in with terrifying momentum.
"Urgh!"
"Grasp the range! Measure the distance! Consider the enemy's reach!"
With the old man's shout, countless spear strikes poured down.
'Once they seize the flow, it's hard to take back!'
So this is spear fighting!
"Deflect if they close in! Attack if they pull back! Simple principle, Young Master!"
True to his words, he effortlessly parried my strikes and refused to yield control even slightly.
'At this rate, I'll be toyed with the whole time.'
The spar's outcome was clear. Biting my lip, I racked my brain for a way out.
'No answers.'
But what could I do on just the first day of training?
'All I've learned is light sparring with Father...'
I knew spear theory, but actually wielding one was new. Beating the old man seemed impossible.
Above all, his skill was exceptional; fighting spear-to-spear, I saw no openings...
Wait, do I have to fight the same way?
A idea flashed in my mind. I immediately lowered my stance and regripped the spear.
"What...?"
Would this work?
I shook off the lingering hesitation with a powerful stomp and charged the old man.
"An interesting move!"
The old man chuckled as I approached.
Of course it was.
"Gripping the spear short to close the distance yourself!"
Exactly—I held it short, turning it into a short spear's range.
"But disappointing. To discard your own advantage."
"No, not discarding it. Exploiting it."
Using the short grip, I deflected his spear and dove into his guard.
"Hm...!?"
"If I can't handle the full range, I'll adjust it to what I can manage."
At my current level, the spear's full reach was too much, so I shortened it deliberately.
I gripped hard and raised my arm high; the old man's eyes widened.
"Ah, no...!"
"Sorry, but all I know is swordsmanship!"
He looked flustered at the sight of me using the spear like a sword, but a master is a master—he swiftly swung to deflect mine.
My spear, entangled with his, flew from my hand far away. With his momentum eased, he opened his mouth to scold me.
"How can you mimic a sword with a spear...!"
Crunch─
"Got careless?"
With eyes closed and hands behind his back—like he was about to lecture—he opened them wide upon seeing me right in front of him.
Of course, without a weapon and knowing only swordsmanship, my options were limited. But luckily, I had my past life's battle-hardened boxing.
Who'd have thought a hobby would shine here...
"If not now, when?!"
I raised my guard with both arms, stepped in with familiar footwork, and closed on the old man.
As I neared and threw a punch, his demeanor shifted.
'Urgh...!'
"...! Wait! Young Master!"
A spear laced with faint aura shot toward me, followed by the old man's belated cry as he realized his mistake.
Thankfully, he'd pulled back at the last second, blunting the force, but even that faint aura could have caused serious injury.
'Can't block head-on. To stop that, I'd need aura too.'
But could I withstand an attack in my current masked state?
The weak thought was fleeting.
I gritted my teeth and steeled myself.
'It's not about whether I can— I have to!'
With that, I drew aura from my body and wrapped it around my fist.
Moments later, as spear met fist, the old man's urgent expression changed drastically.
"What...!?"
─!
It was too quiet for spear clashing against fist.
──!
───!
The single sound became two, then three, swelling into dozens of impacts.
Each fist meeting the spear visibly sapped its momentum.
Then, the old man groaned in admiration upon realizing my punches were glancing off the spear.
"Hoo..."
How long did it go on?
My fist met the fully spent spear, which wobbled unnaturally, disrupting its flow.
"Hup!"
Using the tipped momentum, my other arm shot toward the old man's face──
"...Impressive."
"Ah..."
The old man blocked it with an outstretched hand.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Elder Jeong Seon Jin-cheol, who had blocked the ferocious rush, felt chills as he looked at Yeon Je-seong staggering to sit.
'Is this truly an eight-year-old?'
Even with controlled power, he'd dismantled a master's attack barehanded and landed a counter.
His immature body made it easier to handle, but if he'd grown even a bit more, I'd have taken the hit for sure.
'Haha, unbelievable.'
A martial novice landing a blow on a master?
Normally, I'd scold it as excessive joking, but now I couldn't.
'His awkward spearwork grew natural over time. Switching to fists was no ordinary move either.'
Unlike his novice spearplay, his fisticuffs showed polish—yet still uncanny, as if his body instinctively chose optimal paths.
'A child not even initiated, with such talent. The clan's fortune indeed!'
It was genius enough to make average prodigies seem mortal.
'If this genius learns spear arts, how far will he grow?'
His eyes alight with anticipation, excitement, joy, and awe, the elder raised his spear once more toward the panting boy.