Master Swordsman’s Stream - Chapter 75

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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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Chapter 75

Screech!
With a properly executed attack finally landing, the enemy’s health bar plummets in one sharp drop.
Since I hadn’t unleashed my full Sword Energy, the loss wasn’t catastrophic.
Still, I’d seized the advantage.
Seo Jun prepared to press forward, riding the momentum.
But then.
The opponent suddenly hurled himself backward.
My focus shattered.
Right when the fight was getting good—pulling back like that.
Was he panicked after letting that attack through?
Or… surely not.
“Hm?”
Seo Jun released the pressure and lowered his sword with a frown.
I’d hoped I was wrong, but something told me I wasn’t.
The opponent widened the gap and vanished abruptly.
From where I stood, it looked as though his body melted naturally into the shadow of the massive boulder beside him at the precise moment it obscured him from view.
Given that the Gorge map was riddled with boulders and uneven terrain perfect for concealment, finding him in a short window would be nearly impossible.
A clever move, that.
In front of over a hundred thousand spectators, no less.
Sigh.
Seo Jun exhaled deeply.
“I had a bad feeling about this, and here we are—this ranker didn’t even bother checking the interface at the match start?”
When a round begins, you can see what core Trait your opponent picked, right?
All the wind went out of my sails.

-Lmao lmaooo
-Time for some trash talk
-If the boss had picked Absorption Grand Technique, I’d at least respect that strat, but this is ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Sapae getting humiliated lolol
-Boss has no health regen duh!

I hadn’t anticipated this at all.
So that’s what had been nagging at me—his attack posture was off because he was already positioning for an escape. I should’ve caught on during the fight.
“Sigh.”
Seo Jun let out a deeper sigh.
Even without confirming his Trait directly from the interface, I could’ve spotted the signs of a Trait shift during combat—plenty of them.
“Fine. Let’s take a breather. I’ll indulge him while I’m at it.”
This is the price of ruining my fun.

-But why didn’t he dodge that attack earlier?
-Seems like Sapae just lost his nerve
-He was doing well though
-Lol yeah

About two minutes passed.
Whoosh!
The sound of something cutting through air came from nowhere.
Seo Jun turned toward it and moved his arms in the same motion, anticipating the trajectory.
If I spotted it and then reacted, my body would be too slow to block in time.
A dagger was flying at me.
Clang.
I blocked it—barely, by the skin of my teeth.
No follow-up came.
Seo Jun suppressed a smirk.
“He’s probably panicking about now, I’d wager.”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-???: Wait, why did you stop looking for me?
-Why’s he still not checking the interface?
-Sapae just crowned himself biggest blockhead!
-Sapae: I am the early bird who gets caught!

That last attack was definitely a test—thrown to check if match judgment had reset.
“Shall I play along and pretend to look?”
Seo Jun strolled toward the opposite side from where the dagger came, beginning his act.
“Let me think… where… could… that… dagger… have… come… from?”
Deliberate. Loud. Each word clipped and pronounced.

-No way anyone falls for that ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-If you advertised like that, people would see through it in a second ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-This… product… is… really… delicious!

By now, a normal person should’ve caught on that something was wrong.
“What is it?”
Sapae-ui Poomgyeok emerged from a crack between distant boulders and spoke.
“How did you do that? Why aren’t you dead? Time should’ve passed.”
Well.
“Because of my Heavenly Demon Lifespan.”
Having been reborn as a true Heavenly Demon wielding the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the statement held a certain truth to it.
“You’re… actually a Bug User?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, this is it then. You’re done for.”
Seo Jun kept his expression grave while desperately suppressing his laughter.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Why’s he gone crazy?
-Was he always like this?
-He seemed pretty smart and diligent before, but now he’s a total idiot

“Let’s finish this. I’ve got more rankers to face.”
“Of course.”
Why did he suddenly look relieved?
There was something almost contemptuous in his eyes—as if he’d expected this all along.
No further words were exchanged.
Seo Jun waited for his opponent to come in first again, and Sapae-ui Poomgyeok obliged, less desperate than before but still fighting with full intensity.
Seo Jun defended, whittled away his opponent’s health whenever an opening appeared, and Sapae-ui Poomgyeok collapsed from complete exhaustion.

[You have won the match.]

The one-on-one duel in Best-of-3 Format had ended.

-Casually eliminated the 5th ranker!
-Though he did seem to lose his nerve partway
-He wasn’t just overpowering him. He was losing early on.
-So this is the boss, and this is the Heavenly Demon!
-The Heavenly Demon lifespan is different. The Heavenly Demon lifespan is different. The Heavenly Demon lifespan is different. The Heavenly Demon lifespan is different.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What kind of self-hypnosis is that?? Did you spend your points somewhere?

Seo Jun exited the arena and immediately started the next match.
“Next!”

* * *

About a minute later, the matchmaking for the third duel came through.
Again, it was a ranker from a high position.
Was this because Sapae-ui Poomgyeok had opened the floodgates, or was this always how it worked?
The lodge master had said I could handle four consecutive wins without breaking a sweat, after all.
This map was a Plain with nothing but grass stretching across it.
“Greetings.”
Mm.
From those opening words alone, I could tell the opponent wasn’t quite right in the head.
The previous opponent lacked a bit of Int stat, but at least he had no gimmick.
‘I’m not really in a position to judge. But I do this for the broadcast’s entertainment value.’
My own theatrics came from professional pride rather than amusement or satisfaction—a different flavor entirely.
At least, that’s what he believed.
Seo Jun nodded to himself several times, then looked straight ahead.
“Good to meet you.”
The opponent’s nickname was.

[This-Is-Not-True-Martial-Arts]

This name sounded familiar.
“Ranked sixth, I think?”
“That’s right. How flattering that you remember.”
Don’t mention it.
“Oh, and you posted something on the community board, didn’t you?”
“You saw that?”
Seo Jun grinned wickedly.
“Yeah. About how the Fiery Peak Sect’s volcano was a dormant one. True?”
“…….”
“Actually, could it be active instead? And if so, wouldn’t they be unable to establish a sect? No, I think dormant is the right call here.”
“…….”
This-Is-Not-True-Martial-Arts, who’d been momentarily lost for words, looked up with brightened eyes.
“Brace yourself!”
“Come on then. I’ll face you with the Demonic Cult’s masterpiece—the Hundred-Step Divine Fist.”
“You…!”
“Or perhaps the Heavenly Demon’s unique technique, the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Method—”
“Gahhh!”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Seriously a terrible bastard ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Dormant volcano memo…
-Just stop hitting him already ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-So martial arts is about selling hamburgers at wayside inns, as the saying goes!

I’m actually starting to like this guy.
“Brace yourself!”
The opponent’s chosen sect was Nok Rim. The weapon was a massive Great Sword.
The biggest I’d ever seen in the Gorge arena.
With a weapon like that, I wondered if his attack speed would be comparable to mine with the debuff applied.
Thud-thud.
The opponent began moving first.
Approaching slowly across the Plain, bathed in the reddish glow of twilight, he gradually began to accelerate.
His momentum was like an angry rhinoceros.
Seo Jun slowly raised his sword to face him.
The blade—stolen from the Demonic Cult and perfectly suited to his tastes—gleamed with crimson light.
“I shall show you what true martial prowess and chivalry truly are. Come.”
A cool breeze blew across the field.
Nice map.
“Good. Let’s see you teach me!”
Huff.
The bandit skidded to a halt just before impact, digging his feet in against his own momentum.
He exhaled sharply, hoisted the heavy Great Sword high overhead, and looked down at Seo Jun.
‘Bandits always make their avatars bigger, they say.’
Seo Jun clicked his tongue and lowered his body.
Taking a hit from Nok Rim’s External Power attack would be a losing trade.
Whoosh!
The sound of cleaving air rang out extra loudly.
Perhaps because it passed just above the crown of his head.
Seo Jun remained crouched, looking up at his opponent.
In that instant, This-Is-Not-True-Martial-Arts, who’d been preparing his next strike, felt a sudden chill—the sensation of being spotted by a predator about to pounce.
“Now it’s my turn, isn’t it?”
Seo Jun focused his concentration and poured Internal Energy into his blade.
A deep-sea blue Internal Energy suffused his sword—the kind of color that made you imagine bottomless depths flowing through it.
Sword Energy.
Yet the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s internal power, which supposedly matched Strong Energy in its specifications, now flowed through his blade.
‘Beautiful.’
While he appreciated it, he couldn’t help but dislike having described the Demonic Cult’s technique so beautifully.
The Demonic Cult should be a little loose in every screw—that was proper historical accuracy.
Anyway, they were in the middle of combat.
“Try dodging this.”
Screech!
Seo Jun swept his blade upward from below.
The deep-sea blue aura shot skyward.
‘The performance is definitely solid.’
It far exceeded the distance a standard Sword Energy could travel.
It seemed usable at range, even.
Since Internal Energy was finite, he could create variables by using it strategically on occasion.
“Eek! That was close!”
Hmm.
This-Is-Not-True-Martial-Arts cried out loudly.
Drawing out Strong Energy doesn’t increase attack speed.
That reduced speed was the price you paid for it.
Which was why This-Is-Not-True-Martial-Arts was able to tilt his head back and dodge.
‘Not a loss, though.’
We’ve simply tested each other once.
“Now it’s my turn! Ha ha ha!”
He’s getting excited.
Bang!
The Great Sword descended in a straight line from above, striking the ground beside Seo Jun.
The impact sent tremors through the earth that rippled up through his feet and across his entire body.
Twisting slightly to evade the Great Sword, Seo Jun swept his blade upward against the weapon lodged in the ground beside him, bringing his stance back into position.
He raised his sword high with both hands.
“I’ll return the favor in kind.”
He seemed to be getting excited too.
Emotions are contagious.
Seo Jun grinned, baring his teeth.
Burst!
Crimson Sword Energy erupted like wildfire.
A vertical line drawn straight from above to below.
Bang!
The earth caved in, and demonical energy swept across the prairie behind the battleground.
Like wildfire spreading through a barley field.
“My turn!”
Bang!
“Now mine again.”
Bang!
The very earth trembled.
Seo Jun’s attack speed was slightly slower, but both of them were fundamentally classified as possessing very slow attack speeds regardless.
Bang!
So the attacks never connected.
Bang!
No matter how brilliant a technique, if your speed is slow enough, you can see it coming and simply move out of the way.
So long as movement speed itself wasn’t the limiting factor—and in the bandit’s case, the slowness came from the weapon, not his body.
Bang!
Seo Jun was simply skilled enough to never get hit by nearly any attack.
A diagonal slash.
This-Is-Not-True-Martial-Arts, knowing his opponent wouldn’t block, simply drove his massive Great Sword straight into the ground instead.
It was easier to complete the swing than to stop mid-motion, apparently.
How barbaric for a bandit.
“Heh heh. Fighting like this, don’t you feel like you’re discovering what true martial might really is?”
Is that so?
Dirt and grass flew up into the air and fell back down, obscuring their vision.
Thud-thud-thud.
Seo Jun prepared his next strike and asked.
“So, you really think you can keep dodging like this forever?”
“All day long, I could!”
I see.
Seo Jun heard the answer, nodded in understanding, and lowered his arm.
Bang!

-Why do they keep waiting for each other to attack lmao
-Slow idiots lol
-Seriously full of romance, man ㅋㅋㅋ
-When did this game become turn-based?
-So this is the martial world you were talking about… I’m moved (sniffles)
-Don’t get emotional over this kind of fight ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

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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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