Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 136

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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One-Strike Kill Swordmaster Episode 136

 

Episode 136. Auction Preparations (10)

 

That was close. If I had burst out laughing at this timing, everyone’s attention would have been focused on me.

 

“Phew.”

 

Strawberry Latte, who had barely regained his composure, exhaled.

 

Of course, even in the midst of all this, he couldn’t help the corners of his mouth from constantly rising.

 

‘Ah damn, I keep wanting to laugh without realizing it…’

 

Twitch-.

 

The reason was simple.

 

He was so happy to see Gaon after such a long time.

 

Should I say that strangely, one side of my heart felt at ease?

 

The fact that I wasn’t the only person who had been possessed into this damn game. And that there was someone who remembered me as ‘Strawberry Latte’ rather than ‘Taragon’.

 

Right.

 

Those two facts alone were a great comfort.

 

Gaon hyung must be just as happy to see me. That’s why he pulled that prank through a private message.

 

‘Well, that aside…’

 

Swoosh-.

 

Strawberry Latte, who had been thinking various thoughts, looked at Gaon with much calmer eyes.

 

Dark blue hair and golden eyes.

 

Snow-white skin and distinct facial features.

 

Actually, Gaon’s outward appearance hadn’t changed at all from a few weeks ago.

 

But…

 

‘…Can a person’s atmosphere change that much?’

 

Strawberry Latte began quietly overlapping the Gaon he remembered with the figure before his eyes.

 

A few weeks ago, the appearance of Gaon he had encountered at Wintershield Magic Academy wasn’t much different from what he had seen in reality.

 

Casual speech patterns. Friendly attitude. Plus an appearance that perfectly resembled Roel’s title character.

 

All these elements played a big role in reducing the sense of disconnect between the real world and the game world version of Gaon.

 

‘But…’

 

What about now?

 

The overwhelming presence emanating from his expressionless face.

 

And the intimidating aura that dominated the surroundings without saying a word.

 

‘…Is that really Gaon hyung?’

 

It was only because he knew that fact that he was fine; otherwise, Strawberry Latte would surely have been holding his breath like the others.

 

The achievements Gaon had accomplished in such a short time.

 

Overwhelming results that were on a different dimension from the survival struggles Strawberry Latte had experienced.

 

Right.

 

All of that was being explained through Gaon’s aura and gaze.

 

Rustle-.

 

Just then, Gaon slowly began to open his mouth. At the same time, it felt like all the surrounding noise disappeared.

 

Strawberry Latte’s purple eyes flashed. The genius mage’s insight and intuition sharpened like instinct.

 

This was his first time. Witnessing the moment when Gaon moved as a Sword Master right before his eyes like this.

 

Therefore…

 

‘…Show me, hyung. How you’ve been living in this world.’

 

He would engrave that method clearly in his eyes.

 

And he too would follow in Gaon’s footsteps.

 

* * *

 

Tsk-.

 

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

 

Listening to the conversation between Selena and Natalya Koshat, I could roughly picture the situation.

 

‘The situation has gotten completely tangled up.’

 

The fact that the Crimson Empress had the 「Opener」 of the Rashutku Ruins was something I learned for the first time today.

 

But who would have thought the inside story was like this.

 

She still hadn’t returned something she received over ten years ago under the pretext of ‘cooperation’?

 

And with the pathetic excuse that research was still in progress?

 

‘Anyway, that cunning bastard…’

 

I looked at Selena with pitying eyes.

 

I had felt it during the meeting to resolve the Adversary incident last time too, but she really was an incredibly devious character.

 

The way she stubbornly pretended to be dignified in the midst of all this was laughable.

 

It was also absurd to hand over what was essentially someone else’s property… that is, no different from stolen goods, as compensation.

 

‘Right.’

 

I needed to make things clear with this opportunity.

 

Of course, Selena was already completely intimidated, but it wouldn’t be bad to completely suppress her initiative while I was at it.

 

‘Above all…’

 

It would also be good to show a clear hierarchy in front of the Koshat siblings, imprinting on them what kind of person I am.

 

Having finished thinking that far, I muttered in a low, threatening voice.

 

“What exactly is all this commotion about, Professor Servich.”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

Thud-.

 

Instantly, a chilling silence flowed.

 

The Koshat siblings who had been looking at me were also startled by that momentum.

 

There was no need to deliberately exert pressure or reveal direct killing intent.

 

The situation where the high-ranking officials of the Magic Academy, including Biyolf and Selena, couldn’t dare open their mouths in front of me created an oppressive atmosphere by itself.

 

“Th-that is…”

 

Selena began to stammer.

 

“No explanation is necessary.”

 

“…”

 

“I already heard your entire conversation.”

 

I cut off her words with a cold voice. As if I had no intention of listening to any answer from the beginning.

 

“So this is what you meant by an object you’ve been protecting for ten years while having disputes with the Relic Investigation Team?”

 

“G-Gaon…”

 

Selena’s face instantly turned pale. She trembled her lips trying to make excuses, but I continued speaking before she could.

 

“You went on and on about it being a precious treasure, but in reality it’s nothing more than stolen goods obtained by unlawfully seizing someone else’s property.”

 

“St-stolen goods! This is…!”

 

“Don’t try to deny my words with pathetic excuses.”

 

“…”

 

“If you haven’t returned something when the rightful owner has been demanding its return for ten years, what is that if not theft? And what was your intention in giving that to me as a gift?”

 

Hesitate-.

 

Selena froze, speechless.

 

Even Koshat, who had been jumping around and shouting loudly just moments ago, held his breath.

 

Selena, who had been shamelessly acting without batting an eye in front of them, couldn’t even lift her head and was floundering in front of me…

 

Right. Now would be about the time they’d start getting curious about my identity.

 

“Ex-excuse me… but who might you be…?”

 

Sure enough, Natalya Koshat looked at me and asked cautiously.

 

Seeing me corner Selena, she seemed to have judged that we weren’t in an adversarial relationship at least.

 

The saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend wasn’t there for nothing.

 

“….”

 

Swish-.

 

Instead of answering Koshat’s question, I looked around the surroundings.

 

There were other guests in the lobby besides us. Curious gazes were directed this way, and some were openly listening in.

 

Of course, most of them probably didn’t understand the content of our conversation.

 

They just thought it was entertainment since a young girl was making a commotion.

 

【Lv. 100】

 

‘…However, that guy is the exception.’

 

Swoosh-.

 

I turned to look at Selena and said.

 

“Let’s move to a quiet place first. Guide us to a guest room, Professor Servich.”

 

There was no reason to continue this conversation in such a public place.

 

First, let’s change locations.

 

Also to call out ‘that guy’ who was eavesdropping on our conversation from afar.

 

* * *

 

Whooom, whoom-!

 

Upon entering the spacious suite room, the silver-haired mage immediately deployed a spell.

 

A transparent barrier enveloped the entire room. A “Silence Veil” that prevented sound from leaking outside was completed.

 

Meanwhile, Natalya Koshat silently stared at The Man with Dark Blue Hair.

 

“….”

 

What kind of person could he be?

 

Even Professor Servich, who wielded considerable influence at Wintershield Magic Academy, couldn’t move a muscle in front of that man.

 

Normally, she would have bombarded him with questions out of curiosity, but strangely, her mouth wouldn’t open.

 

It was because of the strange sense of intimidation flowing from that person.

 

“I’ll apologize first.”

 

At that moment, the man spoke first.

 

“I received this item as a gift from Professor Servich a few weeks ago. I had no idea that such a thing had happened between Wintershield Magic Academy and the Relic Exploration Society.”

 

Swish-.

 

The man who said that held out the map and key.

 

“Here, take them back.”

 

“…!”

 

Selena’s eyes widened. She seemed surprised that he would give up such precious relics so easily.

 

She wasn’t the only one surprised.

 

Everyone in the room showed expressions of bewilderment. Especially the pink-haired young man who had been silently watching the situation showed clear signs of confusion.

 

‘What, what is this…?’

 

Natalya was equally flustered.

 

She never imagined she would get the items back so obediently.

 

“Th, thank you.”

 

Natalya, who took them in bewilderment, asked in a trembling voice.

 

“Well… anyway, you’re not a mage affiliated with Wintershield, right?”

 

“As you can see.”

 

The man shrugged his shoulders slightly.

 

Natalya squinted her eyes and looked him up and down.

 

Indeed, she couldn’t feel any of the magical resonance characteristic of mages from that man.

 

To be precise… he didn’t show even a hair’s worth of magical talent. He seemed to be at a level lacking even compared to ordinary people, let alone street magicians.

 

Even if he devoted his entire life to magic, he would surely die of old age without even forming a mana heart.

 

Well, at least that’s how that man appeared to Natalya Koshat’s eyes.

 

‘However….’

 

Rather, that’s exactly why she was even more curious about his identity.

 

He certainly didn’t look like much on the outside, yet the mages of Wintershield were struggling before him.

 

And above all….

 

“Earlier, didn’t you say you had finished decoding this map?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“….”

 

The man nodded nonchalantly.

 

From Natalya’s perspective, those words were simply unbelievable.

 

‘Surely… didn’t he say he received this relic as a gift a few weeks ago…?’

 

But he decoded it in that time?

 

Something that even the Relic Exploration Society and Wintershield Magic Academy couldn’t accomplish for over ten years?

 

“You seem to think I’m lying.”

 

“…!”

 

Right at that moment, the man casually spoke up.

 

As if he had read her inner thoughts from her expression.

 

While she was hesitating under that pressure, her brother Markus, who had been quietly listening, spoke up politely.

 

“Don’t misunderstand. We’re not treating you like a liar. It’s just that this situation is hard to believe.”

 

Markus’s voice was calm, but there was subtle doubt within it.

 

“Even Carmen Eldaris, a master of ancient linguistics, threw up his hands after long research. Even the mages of Wintershield who follow the will of the ‘Masters of Mana and Mysteries’ struggled with the decoding.”

 

“….”

 

“But if you’re a scholar proficient enough to interpret that difficult problem in just a few weeks… it doesn’t make sense that our Relic Exploration Society wouldn’t know of your existence.”

 

It was a sufficiently reasonable argument. The man also nodded as if he understood Markus’s words.

 

“That’s a valid point.”

 

“….”

 

“However, know that while Professor Servich may be cunning, she’s not a fool.”

 

At those words, the Koshat siblings kept their mouths shut.

 

It was an undeniable fact. Selena was smart.

 

That’s why she became a professor at the Magic Academy and could wield influence throughout Wintershield.

 

Not returning the relics for over ten years was the same.

 

Though it seemed unfair on the surface, this was behavior that would be completely fine if you examined the ‘treaty’ thoroughly.

 

A strategist who knew how to cunningly and meticulously exploit loopholes precisely.

 

Yes.

 

Selena Servich was that kind of mage.

 

“But….”

 

Just then, the man continued speaking.

 

“Would such a Professor Servich entrust this relic to me without any reason?”

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Silence flowed. After a long silence, Natalya Koshat spoke up.

 

“Yes. I understand that you’re an extraordinary person.”

 

Natalya continued speaking carefully while gauging Gaon’s reaction.

 

“But you still haven’t properly answered our question.”

 

“….”

 

“As my brother said earlier, this is a map that even masters of ancient linguistics failed to decode. So how were you able to solve it in just a few weeks?”

 

The man, who had been silent for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.

 

“A scholar is one who tracks and follows the traces of the past. They are those who retrace the footsteps of ancient times and piece together scattered fragments. Therefore, no matter how erudite they may be, they cannot surpass those who lived through that era firsthand.”

 

“…?”

 

At those enigmatic words, the Koshat siblings simultaneously tilted their heads in confusion.

 

“That was a bit complicated to explain.”

 

The man simply summarized the situation.

 

“What I mean is, I lived through the era when this ancient language was used.”

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Drip-.

 

With those words, a chilling silence once again descended upon the room.

 

* * *

 

‘Wow.’

 

Strawberry Latte normally didn’t like swearing.

 

Profanity, after all, only made the speaker look vulgar.

 

‘Shit….’

 

But this time, it couldn’t be helped. That curse was a reaction much closer to ‘high praise’ than anger or contempt.

 

‘…I’ve never seen such a crazy con artist before, seriously.’

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