The first golden ray of sunlight cut through the valley, illuminating the peaks of Ulsanbawi and bathing the campsite in a soft, warm light. The morning air was even fresher and purer, laden with the scent of pine and earth damp with dew. The murmur of the stream seemed more cheerful, a melody for the awakening forest.
It was in this serene setting that Nayun and Theo found themselves by the edge of the crystal-clear stream. Nayun, with an expression of intense concentration, held her sword in front of her body, executing slow, controlled cutting movements.
Her muscles were tense, her knuckles white from gripping the sword's hilt.
Theo instructed, his calm voice echoing softly in the silent valley. He watched her movements with a critical but patient eye.
"You're putting too much force into your grip. The sword is an extension of your arm, not a piece of wood you need to strangle."
Nayun let out a huff of frustration but relaxed her shoulders slightly.
"It's harder than it looks."
She complained, but without real anger. Her frustration was more from realizing that using a sword was more complicated than she remembered.
Having abandoned the sword early on, after her mother's death, Nayun was now having to learn almost everything anew. Each movement was a painful reminder of lost time...
Theo smiled, understanding her internal struggle.
He said, approaching from behind, while holding her arms to guide her.
"If it were easy, there would be thousands of swordsmen out there."
Even though the sword was part of the "Holy Trinity of Weapons-sword, spear, and shield", weapons chosen by 80% of heroes worldwide, not everyone could use them effectively.
But that wasn't the case for Chae Nayun. She might not have Kim Suho's talent in swordsmanship, but her Gift, , allowed her a greater harmony in manipulating her magic power than Suho himself.
And that was what Theo was working on with her now.
Chae Nayun's Gift specialized in close-quarters combat. More specifically, it specialized in warfare.
As long as she had a conductor for her magic power, she could amplify it tremendously. For example, her Gift could turn a 2-meter sword into a monstrous 20-meter sword. Furthermore, since magic power had no weight, the transformed sword would not be any heavier.
In a way, it was similar to "Sun Wukong's Jingu Bang."
The only difference was that Chae Nayun didn't need a legendary-level weapon to display similar strength.
Massacring hundreds of monsters with a single blow, an imperial power capable of making Djinns tremble in fear, "Empress of the Battlefield" would be the title given to her in the original story.
"Now try to use your gift. Don't be afraid, release your magic power through the sword."
Nayun closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The fresh morning air filled her lungs, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and the burnt wood from last night's fire. She felt the familiar weight of the sword in her hands, a weight that was both a comfort and a reprimand.
Under Theo's firm hands on hers, Nayun felt a path open within her. Her mana, once a turbulent and untamable sea, found a clear direction, a defined course that flowed like a river contained between solid banks.
Before her eyes, the sword forged by Theo's magic began to be enveloped by a vibrant aura of green mana. The energy didn't explode or distort the metal; instead, it expanded in a controlled and harmonious way, stretching into the air until it reached almost ten meters in length.
The blade of pure, translucent energy shimmered in the morning light, maintaining the precise shape of the original sword, only magnified in scale.
Theo then gently removed his hands, taking a few steps back to observe.
"Now, maintain that state for as long as you can."
The colossal green energy sword hovered in the air, a silent testament to the potential she had, a potential that only the true "hero" of this world could surpass.
Moving away from Nayun, who kept the colossal green energy sword hovering in the air—a silent testament to the potential she had, a potential that only the true "Hero" would be able to rival—Theo walked towards the girl sitting on a rock by the stream.
She held a metal mug with both hands, sipping a latte that steamed gently in the cool morning air.
Her black hair with hints of lilac fluttered slightly in the gentle breeze that descended the valley. A ray of sunlight, filtering through the pine trees, crossed exactly the space where she was, illuminating her deep, clear lilac eyes, making them shine like polished amethysts.
"Good morning, my princess."
She raised her face to him, and a calm, intimate smile lit up her lips.
"Good morning, my love."
Theo leaned in, and his lips met hers in a brief kiss.
Sitting beside her, Theo asked:
"Have you had breakfast yet? I left it ready for you and Cappie."
She nodded with a gentle movement of her head, her dark lilac hair swaying with the action.
Yeonha replied, her eyes shining with satisfaction.
"And it was delicious, as always, my pudding."
Theo smiled, pleased. Even at the campsite, far from the city's amenities, he always made sure that every meal was special for his girls.
Seeing the contentment of those who were important to him was one of the small rewards that Theo valued most.
His smile then softened, and his eyes fixed on her with a sudden, thoughtful intensity. Yeonha, noticing the prolonged gaze, stopped swinging her feet and tilted her head.
"Huh? Why are you staring at me like that?"