Master Swordsman’s Stream - Chapter 274

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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 274

In the south of Pangea lay vast expanses of terrain where humans could settle.
That was why the continent’s south was the only place where true nations had taken root.
In the rest of the continent’s lands, human populations gathered in societies, but they never surpassed the level of city-states.
Daran and Asthius.
Two ancient enemy nations in the south of the continent.
As a rule, neighboring nations could scarcely hope to maintain friendly relations.
The other human factions had to traverse harsh natural terrain just to trade, so they naturally had no choice but to seize territory from neighboring countries rather than negotiate borders.
Asthius was a holy nation devoted to the Light God.
Because the doctrine taught that all believers in the Light God were equal, the nation had no slaves, and all affairs were conducted under the Light Cult’s authority.
Daran was a nation with slavery and a caste system.
It had no king; instead, nobility assigned status from birth, and a council of great Daran nobles distinguished in the struggle against Asthius governed the land.
And these two nations had never ceased fighting—indeed, they were in constant conflict even now.
“Kael. Is something troubling you?”
Ian, one of only twenty Cardinals in Asthius, wielded nearly absolute power within this nation.
Yet even such an NPC could not help but gauge the reactions of Kael, the Light God’s representative.
“Is it true you simply wish to know the prophecy? But that’s a difficult matter indeed. According to our law…….”
“Never mind. Spit it out. What do you want?”
Seo Jun cut off Ian’s words.
Ian was an NPC mentioned several times in the worldbuilding description and who had appeared in previous histories.
His greatest characteristic was his unwavering faith. In other words, he was a righteous NPC.
Even if Seo Jun acted rudely, unnecessary conflict or unforeseen complications would not arise.
“Ah……. Could it be that you harbor doubts about the Church because of that incident back then…….”
“Shut up and hurry.”
The “incident” Ian mentioned was when Kael had uncovered a Cardinal secretly selling Asthian citizens into slavery in Daran.
This was part of Kael’s background story.
Doubt about that, then.
The AI was visibly adjusting itself in real time to match Seo Jun’s reactions.
So the current setting was that he harbored doubts about the Church and was therefore speaking informally.
“I see. There are a few problems that have arisen here, and if you would step in to resolve them, the Church would offer its thanks by…….”
Seo Jun snatched the documents from Ian’s hands.
He didn’t need to rush things from the start, but since he’d already committed to being rude, he might as well see it through.
For Participants in a history, the most crucial quality was consistency.
Whether the AI adjusting the story in real time or the observers watching, consistency made things entertaining.
Flip-flopping accomplished nothing.
“…….”
While Ian looked up at Seo Jun, who had seized the documents with an ungraceful motion, Seo Jun scanned them.
“Let me take a look.”

[Demon Extermination]
—
Lower-tier demon sighting in the small town of Torion in the east of Asthius.
Dispatch of Priest Rank or higher recommended.
Objective: Eliminate the demon.
Reward: Achievement Points +5
—

As Seo Jun lifted the first page, a system window appeared before the document in his vision.
Five Achievement Points.
Clearly not much.
Priest Rank was essentially just an educated common soldier.
Elites were Inquisitors.
Beings who surpassed humans were Champions.
‘And then there are the Participants.’
He turned to the next page.

[Investigation of Serial Murders in Brion]
—
Serial murders occurring within the major city of Brion.
Appears connected to demon worshippers.
Dispatch of an Inquisitor recommended.
Objective: Locate and apprehend the killer.
Reward: Achievement Points + 20
—

Look at that.
A single Inquisitor task was worth four times the Achievement Points.
So what of tasks requiring a Champion?
More precisely.
‘What about quests where you might face another Participant?’
He turned to the next page.
It was the last one.

[Conflict Zone Support]
—
Support for Atura, the conflict zone with Daran.
Maximum support requested.
Objective: Push the front lines 50 meters or more.
Reward: Achievement Points + 50
—

‘With these Achievement Points, Participants belonging to the Light Cult can exchange them for Contribution Degree in the Church.’
Unaffiliated Champions would be able to withdraw items from their personal inventory, while those affiliated with a city could exchange the mayor’s currency.
“I’ll take this one.”
Seo Jun tapped the acceptance button for the third quest and returned the documents.
“Ah, yes. Understood. But…… wait a moment!”
“What is it?”
“Is your faith still unwavering?”
Ian looked at Seo Jun.
Or more precisely, at Kael.
Seo Jun chuckled without answering, stepped outside, and muttered something under his breath for someone to hear.
“If the Church ever disappoints me, then I suppose I’d become a villain too.”
Fan service.
The image of Ian’s worried gaze lingered, but Seo Jun only smiled incredulously.
‘As if I’d actually betray them.’
Getting to Atura was simple.
Teleport Magic Circles were installed in all major regions.
Participants starting with a nation would all use this teleportation.
‘Other Champions might need Achievement Points for it.’
But Kael’s rides were free.
The starting position is good, at least in this country.
Having already memorized the layout of Asthius’s capital, Seo Jun arrived at the transport station without delay, and while waiting for the preparation, he checked his condition in a mirror.
Full Plate Armor covering his entire body and a sword at his waist.
Along with the interface window visible in the game, Seo Jun gazed upon the world.
There was no Level. Growth had already been completed.
Here he could purchase runes with Achievement Points or enhance items.
‘They mentioned the growth gap was quite significant.’
Then Seo Jun opened the Achievement Shop in his interface to check how much Contribution Degree the Prophecy Book required.
Achievement Points and Contribution Degree apparently converted at a one-to-one ratio when purchased.
The cost of the Prophecy Book was 200.
‘That’s more than I expected.’
While not impossible to gather in the early game, even with a favorable starting position, 200 points was substantial.
It wasn’t purely advantageous—far from it.
Moreover, given how information worked, learning late could reduce its usefulness significantly.
‘If I can’t get it quickly, maybe I shouldn’t bother buying it at all. For now, I’ll just accumulate.’
Once Seo Jun finished calculating, he noticed the timer above his head had nearly reached zero.
The staff member’s notification that the Magic Circle charging time had ended.
Games never change.
“Inquisitor? Please follow me.”
“Understood.”
Guided by the staff member, Seo Jun entered a special chamber.

* * *

In the relationship between Asthius and Daran, one place could never be overlooked: Atura.
Strictly speaking, the plains in the south of the continent were cleaved nearly in half by a mountain range.
This was precisely why the two nations had split.
Of course, the mountains did not completely sever the two lands.
The Atura Gorge.
So wide and flat that calling it a gorge seemed a misnomer, this valley was the passage linking Asthius and Daran.
Here, countless legends had been born, and aspiring Champions were forged like metal on an anvil; countless conflicts had been fought, were being fought, and would continue to be fought.
This time, beginning in Atura, there was one Champion from each nation.
Neither many nor few.

[Hello.]

Dennis.
An ordinary craftsman Participant from Germany.
One of the few who had witnessed Seo Jun’s first use of the Machine Destruction Technique, and he now greeted Seo Jun, who returned the courtesy.

[Hello. We’ve met before, haven’t we?]

“Ah, when would that be!”
Bang Ju laughed as he spoke.
One could only wonder.
What curious tales might emerge next?

[Yes. Seo Jun, you came to provide support?]
[We have a mission.]

Dennis’s Champion was Lian, a war fanatic.
A military officer of Asthius.
For reference, most of Daran’s Champions were nobility.

[I thought as much. Seems First Blood hasn’t happened yet, so let’s head straight for a fight.]
[If heroes from Daran also arrive to support?]
[We’ll win if it’s 2 against 2. And you’re Seo Jun, after all.]

Dennis spoke with confidence and a reassuring smile.
“Atura is a gorge where both nations continuously push in troops and resources, so fighting never ceases! It must be conflicted even now!”
If Lian’s starting point was here, then it was easy to anticipate that Kael might also arrive for support.

[Then Dennis? Let’s go. Right now.]

“Everyone watching! So, in this history book, you all know that the first Champion retirement grants Achievement Points! But retiring an opposing Champion is far from easy. Unless, that is, we’re in Atura!”
If a Participant Champion was in Atura, most First Blood victories had occurred here.
In other words, the first elimination could be imminent.
“Oh. Wait a moment. What did you say? Dennis and the opposing Champion already met a while ago and had a conversation? What kind of conversation! Oh! A conversation about betraying Seo Jun? To eliminate a threatening competitor?”
Betrayal from the start.
This was human nature—well, the average of a history, at any rate.
“Since he’s the War Fanatic Lian after all! The Demon of Atura! It’s somewhat justified, but why now of all times!”
This history could not be a faction war. The distribution of Participants was too scattered.
So when word of betrayal reached—

-Oh no
-Commander, be careful
-This is dangerous
-Did support arrive from Daran’s side too? Should we check the official account? Let’s confirm

Fans supporting Seo Jun grew worried, while—

[Nice one, Dennis!]
[German engineering is second to none!]
[Right. Let’s deal with that guy first, haha]

The global audience felt nothing. There was no criticism or condemnation of the backstab.
Though sudden, it wasn’t unreasonable.
The War Fanatic was no true believer—he lived in Atura solely for battles with the strong and reveled in chaos.
Targeting Kael could be sufficiently justified later.
This had even been mentioned in the official North American broadcast.

[This could be the most humiliating day for the Korean streamer.]
[No matter how well you perform in trials, if you cannot make the right decision in a situation like this, you become the first elimination. Hahaha.]
[The hero coming from Daran—I see him now. The two are heading to a prearranged location. Thank goodness there’s no support from Daran’s side, but, ah, what can we do about this.]

They were half-certain of Seo Jun’s death.
Events had progressed too rapidly, too early.
Even if Dennis had arranged things somewhat with the opposing side beforehand, there was nothing inherently wrong with that.
If he’d anticipated the start and prepared accordingly, that was admirable.
Provided the goal was to kill Seo Jun—to eliminate a competitor.
There was no guarantee all 50 Participants needed to survive; histories where that was a requirement were rare, so it seemed reasonable.

[Given that this history demonstrated orthodox, unremarkable beginnings, other Participants could move as they had prepared, and so Kael should have raised his threat awareness. Unfortunately, this is his first participation.]
[That’s correct.]
[Atura is truly a chaotic and dangerous region. If only he’d requested a different mission for refresh instead…… Huh?]

It was then.
Directly above, slightly distant from the Daran Champion, a conspicuous rift tore across the sky.
An immense sword descending from the heavens.
Right now, there was only one such technique.

[What’s happening?]
[…….]

The screen shifted rapidly.
The camera caught Seo Jun.
The Heavenly Sword was pronouncing judgment on a heretic: Dennis.
His health had already diminished from substantial damage, and looking up at the sky, Dennis’s visible panic was unmistakable.
Seo Jun’s voice carried through.

[Your heart is full of evil.]

It was a solemn voice, like that of an inquisitor condemning heresy.
Dennis, about to die, could only find it absurd.
As he opened his mouth to ask how Seo Jun had known—
Crash!
Dennis was struck by the descending sword of light and perished.

[First Victory: Achievement Points + 30]

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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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