I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 259

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 259
Ep. 259
“What if we had a sparring match using only swordsmanship, without relying on skills?”
Erubein’s stats would naturally be overwhelmingly superior, but adjusting to an appropriate level should be manageable.
An opportunity to witness the blade of a swordmaster who had reached this level of mastery was not something that came often.
In Hwiryeong’s case, there was Juhyeon, who ranked third, but his combat style was closer to practical battle experience than formal swordsmanship training like the other two.
As for Erubein, who seemed particularly interested in the East, especially Joseon, there was even more reason to be intrigued.
While Korea was the same, in the West, those who trained in swordsmanship predominantly learned Western sword techniques.
Rather, it was Ihyeon who appeared more delighted, causing Hwiryeong and Erubein to exchange a brief, piercing gaze.
“This is a special space, so you need not worry about inflicting injuries on one another.”
As expected of the two of them, no further words were necessary.
Bow—bow—
They greeted each other with deep bows at the waist, as if competing in an Olympic event.
“Oh, this should be interesting.”
“A duel between masters imparts great lessons to those who witness it. You truly are remarkable, Master.”
The spirits eagerly took their positions beside me, their excitement palpable.
For spirits who instinctively gravitated toward the strong, the sparring match between these two was a magnificent spectacle.
Shing—
Two blades emerged from their sheaths with a sharp gleam.
Hwiryeong held his sword overhead with both hands, the tip angled forward.
Erubein, meanwhile, assumed the orthodox middle stance.
The two swordsmen, each in their distinct posture, pierced the air with their gazes before their blades, as if trying to strike first with their eyes alone.
Even I, who knew little of swordsmanship, felt my breath catch as I watched their standoff.
Gulp—!
Elsie, clearly tense as well, swallowed hard beside me, her fists clenched.
But the standoff did not last long.
Whoosh—!
After his assessment, Hwiryeong pushed off with his front foot and surged forward in a bounding charge.
In mid-air, his blade swept gracefully, naturally targeting Erubein’s throat.
Erubein lightly extended his arm to parry the attack.
Clang—!
The two slender blades collided, producing a clear and resonant ring.
It was the kind of sound one might hear echoing through a temple nestled in the mountains.
That was merely the beginning.
The two wielded their blades with their own distinct intentions.
High, middle, low—left and right—the two swords moved with sharp precision, showing no preference for any angle.
Yet even as attack and defense crossed without pause, a subtle difference in their swordsmanship became apparent.
“Is Hwiryeong Hunter’s blade somewhat softer?”
“Well, you could say that.”
Elsie nodded at my question.
Though Hwiryeong led the offensive, Erubein’s momentum was far more ferocious.
Hwiryeong moved like a gentle river, smoothly deflecting Erubein’s overwhelming force.
Clang—! Screech screech—! Clang—!
Erubein blocked each attack as if parrying a direct strike, while Hwiryeong often let the blows slide past.
Even I hadn’t imagined such diverse styles could exist in a duel fought with only a single sword.
Elsie asked with a subtle smile.
“How about it? Would you like to learn some swordplay from me, Master?”
“Hmm. If it’s just a hobby, I’ll think about it.”
“Master, then wouldn’t you also learn spearmanship and shield techniques from me? It would surely be helpful for self-defense.”
“Ah, one at a time…”
I deliberately ignored the Spirits, who showed enthusiasm as if they’d caught me in a trap, and focused on watching the two duel.
There was none of the flashy spectacle seen in martial arts films—flying on wires, spinning several rotations before striking with a sword.
Yet it was far more elegant and refined.
Like Baiya and Zhongziqi, who once shared friendship through the sound of a guqin.
Perhaps the two were exchanging their stories with each strike and parry, unaware themselves…
Clang—!
So when the duel finally ended after hundreds of exchanges, I felt a pang of regret at losing track of time in my concentration.
Bow—
The victor was Erubein.
When Hwiryeong spun his body to gather strength and delivered a horizontal slash, Erubein met it head-on with pure force, sending the sword flying from his grip entirely.
Hwiryeong cleanly acknowledged his defeat and bowed respectfully.
Erubein did the same.
“Umm.”
“Mm.”
Then instead of reviewing the duel, they exchanged an intense gaze and simply nodded once.
“Is that it?”
“Huh? What do you mean, Master?”
“No, if you’re going to review it, you should have a more detailed conversation…”
“Just now, that exchange conveyed ‘My stats are slightly higher, which allowed me to maintain an advantage in endurance. But truly, the swordplay of Korea’s homeland is remarkable. I hope to visit Korea often in the future to learn the blade from you and engage in profound discussions on swordsmanship’ followed by ‘Not at all. I never expected to encounter the familiar scent of fellow countrymen in such a distant land. I express my admiration for your boundless passion for the blade. This duel was a defeat not due to stats, but entirely from my own shortcomings’—didn’t it?”
What are you talking about?
I stood there slack-jawed, listening to Elsie’s eloquence as if she’d suddenly become the interpreter for Hwiryeong and Erubein.
Wasn’t she just spouting whatever came to mind?
“Elsie’s words are correct, Master.”
“R-really?”
Was I the only one who didn’t understand?
I wondered if I’d been so focused on the duel that I’d completely lost my ability to comprehend conversation.
Setting that aside.
Elsie, who had watched the duel in rapt attention, suddenly sprang to her feet and cried out.
“I’ll teach you a move too!”
“…?”
Shouldn’t I normally say something like ‘I humbly request your instruction’ in a situation like this?
Of course, whatever I say or how I interject would be my choice, but having just witnessed the tremendous mutual respect between Hwi-yeong and Erubein, it felt all the more awkward.
However, the two of them seemed hardly bothered by it.
“Hmm.”
“Hmm.”
‘From what I can see, languages like English and Korean exist in this world too.’
The two exchanged glances as if asking who wanted to spar with them first, and Elsie confidently pointed to one of them.
“Of course I should fight the stronger one!”
It was Erubein.
In her delicate hands was no longer the claymore Ihyeon had given her, but the original Legendary Sword.
In other words, Elsie’s true form was being wielded.
Seeing this, Ihyeon let out a small exclamation of admiration.
Though Elsie normally acted reckless and carefree, when it came to swords, she was quite serious.
Moreover, since she was born as the Legendary Sword itself, it was possible her swordsmanship might surpass even Erubein’s or Hwi-yeong’s.
‘This should be worth watching.’
Ihyeon spoke with anticipation.
“Elsie, you’re not using any skills either—just sparring. Understand?”
“Heh, Master, do I look like I’d use skills against humans?”
Elsie snorted and turned her head away with a smug expression.
Bow—
As Erubein facing her bowed respectfully, Elsie nodded with a casual ‘fine’ while keeping her arms crossed.
“Elsie, no matter how strong you are, you must respect your opponent.”
Only after Ihyeon said this did Elsie reluctantly return the greeting.
Elsie held her sword lightly in one hand and extended it forward.
Meanwhile, Erubein took the same orthodox middle stance as before.
‘Even if they’re fighting without skills, if Elsie beats a Hero, that would be incredible, wouldn’t it?’
Because Elsie carried herself so confidently, Ihyeon found himself thinking ‘perhaps?’
“Jia, who do you think will win?”
“Hmm….”
When he asked Jia, who was sitting beside him, she avoided answering as if to keep quiet.
It didn’t seem like she couldn’t guess the outcome, but since Ihyeon didn’t want the momentum to deflate before it even started, he didn’t press further.
“Here we go!”
Whoosh—!
And immediately the sparring began.
Elsie’s characteristic light, nimble footwork.
Moving so agilely in the air that she almost resembled a flying squirrel, she shifted positions with remarkable speed.
Meanwhile, Erubein watched intently.
Tap— tap— tap— tap—
Elsie darted back and forth through blind spots without pause, as if hunting for openings in Erubein’s defense.
Screech—!
Then came one strike shot out like a bee!
‘Even Erubein would seem vulnerable to that, wouldn’t he?’
Even Ihyeon, watching from the sidelines, unconsciously clenched his fists at such a sharp thrust.
It was certainly reckless compared to the elegance Hwi-yeong and Erubein had displayed earlier, but still not something one could easily counter….
Clang—!
“Yelp!”
“?”
I thought it was an attack.
But Erubein deflected Elsie’s thrust far too effortlessly.
No, more than effortless—compared to the nimble movements Elsie had shown until now, it was almost disappointingly simple.
And what was that puppy-like sound when Elsie bounced back?
Elsie, scraping her feet across the ground and resetting her stance, let out a small laugh.
“Yeah, you’ve got some skill after all. The reconnaissance phase is over now.”
‘Hoh, so it was reconnaissance. Of course—she’s the Legendary Sword after all, so there’s no way that was everything.’
Ihyeon decided to watch the sparring match a bit longer, thinking as much.
And after some time had passed.
“Kee-ing, kee-ing… Master. This is boring. I don’t want to do this.”
“…What, it’s over?”
“That guy just keeps defending. How cowardly.”
Elsie returned to Ihyeon’s side with her shoulders drooping.
I thought it was reconnaissance, but Elsie’s tactics hadn’t really changed much from the first exchange.
Swift movements and surprise attacks sharp enough to dazzle the opponent’s eyes to find openings.
Meanwhile, Erubein repeatedly rendered Elsie’s efforts futile with just a single swing or deflection each time.
As this pattern repeated, Elsie simply declared her surrender.
Ihyeon patted Elsie’s head and spoke.
“You know that even in games, ‘that guy plays so dirty’ is high praise, right?”
“That’s different!”
From Ihyeon’s perspective, it looked the same.
“Umm.”
Bow—
Meanwhile, Erubein bowed respectfully at the waist, as if it had been a good match despite his opponent’s premature surrender.
Hwi-yeong also nodded with an approving hum.
“From what I observed, it simply seems Elsie couldn’t penetrate the Hero’s defense. Is there some hidden meaning I’m missing?”
Ihyeon asked, puzzled by their reactions.
Could there have been some profound psychological warfare between the two that I hadn’t noticed?
In Go, there are strategies where one fights by forcing the opponent’s moves rather than developing one’s own, aren’t there?
Perhaps Elsie, though she seemed somewhat reckless, had employed such sophisticated tactics.
Then Hwi-yeong answered.
“Your observation is correct.”
“…I see.”
There’s no such sophisticated strategy, apparently.
Ihyeon clicked his tongue as he looked down at Elsie, and she clicked hers back in protest.
If there was something she felt wronged about, she would have defended herself without being asked, but since she didn’t, it seemed that was truly all there was to it.
However, Jia stepped forward from beside me.
“To explain in detail, it would be more accurate to say that Elsie prevented the Hero from attacking, Master.”
“Huh?”
Ihyeon tilted his head as if asking what that meant.
“The compatibility between the two is not suitable.”
Jia’s subsequent explanation was clear enough for Ihyeon to understand.
Elsie wielded an extreme swift blade using light, nimble footwork.
Erubein, on the other hand, wielded a heavy sword utilizing powerful destructive force.
Since these two, each specialized in different directions, clashed against each other, Elsie’s best option was to keep Erubein bound so he couldn’t attack.
Meanwhile, Erubein’s best option was to defend against Elsie’s effective strikes.
If skills were used actively, the outcome would be decided, but with pure swordplay alone, the result wouldn’t come easily.
In the end, Elsie, whose patience and stamina ran out first, gave up on the sparring match.
“I see. So that’s what happened.”
Only then did Ihyeon understand.
It might be reading too much into it, but hearing the explanation, it was quite a plausible interpretation.
“Elsie, would you like to spar with Hwiryeong Hunter too?”
“No, no. I’m exhausted. I can do that with him later.”
And so the morning’s spectacle came to an end.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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