The next day, Ian woke up early as usual.
After leaving some vegetable leaves and weeds for the tiny Transponder Snail, he put on his bear-eared hat, called for Zoro, and began another day of training.
They jogged around the village, with Ian constantly correcting the directionally-challenged Zoro.
After their run, they headed into the mountain woods to begin their sword swings and strength training.
Once these exercises were complete, Ian found a rope, tied it to a rock, and hung it from a tree branch.
Holding his bamboo sword in his right hand, he forcefully pushed the hanging rock forward with his left.
Due to the pendulum effect, the rock quickly swung back toward him.
Ian stood perfectly still, waiting.
Just as the rock was about to hit him, he attempted to activate the Issen skill.
Then…
*Smack!* The rock hit Ian squarely in the face.
‘Hurts like hell!’
Clutching his face, Ian felt a sharp, stinging numbness in his nose, certain it was bleeding.
He hadn’t expected the activation to fail again.
Mastering the timing of Issen was truly a difficult challenge.
This was Ian’s devised method for practicing the Issen skill.
The technique was undeniably powerful, but it had one flaw: it was entirely passive.
It could only be used at the exact moment an attack arrived, rather than initiated actively.
Lacking a sparring partner, Ian came up with this method, letting the swinging rock simulate an enemy’s attack.
Humans have subconscious reactions.
When facing an attack, the first instinct is to dodge.
If Ian wanted to overcome this fear-induced reflex, he had to train himself relentlessly.
Picking himself up, Ian wiped his nose.
Sure enough, it was bleeding.
Zoro had been staring at Ian’s movements the whole time, wondering what weird thing he was doing.
Seeing Ian get hit by the rock and get a nosebleed, he couldn’t help but speak up.
“Big bro Ian, why didn’t you dodge?
Did wearing that hat make you an idiot?”
Ian was tilting his head back to stop the bleeding.
Hearing this, he snapped, “What do you know?
I’m comprehending a sword technique!”
“Huh!?” Zoro’s eyes lit up.
“A sword technique!?”
“That’s right!” Ian said.
“A very powerful sword technique!”
Master Koushirou had never taught them any sword techniques.
Whether it was Kuina, Ian, Zoro, or the other junior disciples at the dojo, they practiced the same basic stances day after day.
Master Koushirou always said that all sword techniques originated from the basics.
It made sense, but there was no denying that such fundamental training felt monotonous over time.
This was why Zoro’s eyes were sparkling.
He figured that if he learned a sword technique, he might finally be able to beat Kuina.
“Big bro Ian, teach me!” Zoro quickly ran over, looking at Ian with sheer admiration.
“I want to learn a sword technique too!”
“No way!” Ian shook his head.
“You ate all my food yesterday!”
“Then I’ll give you my food today, just teach me!” Zoro clamored.
Ian felt a headache coming on.
He hadn’t even mastered the Issen skill himself, so how could he teach anyone else?
But then his eyes darted around, and he asked, “Do you really want to learn?”
“I do!” Zoro nodded eagerly.
“Well, the thing about sword techniques…” Ian said with a straight face.
“The techniques each person comprehends are different, so I can’t teach you.
However…”
“However what?” Zoro tilted his head.
“However, there is a way!” Ian pointed to the bear-eared hat on his head.
“The secret is to wear a hat!
See, I only started comprehending sword techniques after I put this hat on.”
Hearing this, Zoro was dumbfounded.
Ian felt quite smug.
This moss-headed idiot always laughed the loudest at his hat, leaving him, the senior disciple, completely embarrassed.
‘Let’s see you laugh now.’
Making up a grandiose excuse for his actions was the ultimate trick to fooling a brat.
However, before Ian could finish gloating, Zoro suddenly blurted out blankly, “I don’t want to.
That hat looks so stupid!”
*Pfft!* Ian nearly choked.
To think he was actually getting roasted by this idiot Zoro!?
Without a second thought, Ian delivered another swift headbutt…
He realized that beating up Zoro was becoming a habit…
Ignoring the moss-headed idiot wailing with his head in his hands, Ian stood up and resumed his practice.
For the entire morning, Ian was struck by the rock countless times.
His face was an absolute mess, and the number of times he successfully activated Issen was pitifully low.
However, it wasn’t completely fruitless.
Practicing Issen was essentially training his Basic Nen Cultivation skill.
Since activating Issen consumed Nen, the proficiency of his Nen Cultivation skill increased during the process.
More importantly, Ian was gradually beginning to feel the power of Nen.
After a night’s rest, his Nen Energy had recovered to its maximum value of 15 points.
If he didn’t control it, he might deplete all his Nen in a single use.
So, he tried to control his Nen output, and to his surprise, it worked.
It was entirely dictated by his will, making it rather simple to manage.
Through experimentation, he discovered that the minimum Nen Energy required to activate the Issen skill was 2 points.
One point coated the blade, while the other enveloped his body.
The instantaneous movement required tremendous explosive power from his muscles, and the Nen Energy served exactly that purpose.
When Issen was successfully activated, the Nen enhancement allowed Ian to swing his sword at a much higher speed than usual, achieving an instantaneous counterattack.
If he were holding a real sword instead of a bamboo one, the high-speed swing would create a flash of a blade—hence the name Issen…
Although he could control his Nen output, sensing the exact moment to strike was no easy feat.
A rock was just a rock.
If he faced a real enemy, their attacks could suddenly speed up or slow down, making the timing even harder to grasp.
Therefore, Ian had to keep training relentlessly.
A few activations of the Issen skill quickly depleted Ian’s Nen Energy.
He had to stop, sighing with a bit of regret.
What restricted his practice sessions now were his Nen Energy capacity and his Nen Cultivation skill.
If he had more Nen Energy and a faster recovery rate, he could practice for much longer.
Although Zoro was also training, he had been watching Ian’s movements the whole time.
When he first saw Ian successfully activate the Issen skill, the rock he was holding in his mouth dropped, nearly smashing his foot again.
He opened his mouth in astonishment.
He hadn’t expected Ian to actually comprehend a sword technique!
‘Is wearing a hat really that powerful?’ Zoro wondered.
‘But that hat looks so stupid!’ Zoro agonized.
Seeing Ian stop, Zoro asked, “Big bro Ian, are you trying to cut that rock?
It doesn’t look possible!”
Ian was mentally exhausted, and his head was throbbing.
He knew this was the aftereffect of depleting his Nen Energy, though it was much better than yesterday.
Hearing Zoro’s question, Ian shook his head and said, “What’s so great about cutting a rock?
There are people in this world who can cut steel!”
“Ah!?
Are there really people that amazing?” Zoro asked in surprise.
“This world is huge.
There are all kinds of people!” Ian replied with a smile, then stood up.
“Let’s go, time to head back and eat!”
On their way back, Ian found his entire body feeling limp and devoid of strength.
So, he simply hopped onto Zoro’s shoulders, making Zoro carry him back to the dojo under the guise of “extra training!”
And Zoro, that idiot, actually believed it!
Carrying Ian, he sprinted all the way back to the dojo.
The injuries on Ian’s face even gave Kuina a fright.
She quickly fetched some medicine to bandage him up.
After the treatment and a meal, Ian couldn’t hold on any longer.
He lay flat on his back in the dojo and fell fast asleep.
What he didn’t know was that because of his remark about people being able to cut steel, Zoro specifically went to ask Master Koushirou about it after the meal.
“Master!
Master!
I heard there are people in the world who can cut steel.
Is that true?”
“Yes!
It is true!” Master Koushirou nodded.
Standing up, Master Koushirou took out a piece of paper and said, “Watch this paper closely…”
He then tossed the paper into the air and, before it could fall, drew his sword and slashed at it.
And then…
the paper remained completely intact…
“…Master, you didn’t cut it at all!” Zoro said, speechless.
“Listen well, Zoro.
There are swordsmen in this world who cannot cut anything, yet they can cut steel!
With the exact same sword!” Master Koushirou smiled.
“The so-called strongest sword is the power to protect what you want to protect, and cut what you want to cut!
To me, a sword that cuts everything it touches isn’t a sword at all!”
“Do you understand?” Koushirou asked.
“…” Zoro stared blankly at Koushirou.
“Master, I want to become a swordsman who can cut anything!”
A giant drop of sweat formed on Master Koushirou’s forehead.
“Zoro, did you even understand a word I just said…”
Zoro certainly couldn’t understand those words right now.
However, the conversations with Ian and Master Koushirou sparked Zoro’s first true yearning for the outside world.
‘One day, I will definitely set sail and meet those amazing people.
I definitely will!’