Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 139
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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 139
Episode 139. Ruins of Rashutku (1)
Dungarrd, the Dark City, shrouded in darkness.
A desolate alley where neither streetlights nor moonlight reached.
A man was slowly walking forward.
Swoosh-.
Pean raised his head to look at the sky.
Though his eyes could see nothing, it didn’t matter.
He possessed ‘senses’ more accurate than ‘sight.’
Kuguuuuuu─!
Countless pieces of information poured into Pean through his heightened senses.
The density of darkness draped across the night sky.
The flow of wind gliding between the clouds.
Even the breath and heartbeats of various life forms echoing from afar.
“….”
Yes.
At some point, relying on his senses had become more natural than viewing the world with his eyes.
And rightfully so, since the years he’d lived without sight far exceeded the time he’d spent with his eyes open.
‘But….’
No matter how many eons had passed.
That final scene he’d captured with his own eyes could never be forgotten.
The Primordial Age.
Just before the gods bound themselves with the Heavenly Laws. When the Great Ones roamed the continent without restraint.
Pean had witnessed the end of that brilliant history with his own eyes.
And….
─I mean I lived through the era when this ancient language was used.
…The same was true for Gaon.
The era when ancient language was used meant the 「Primordial Age」.
But unlike himself, who had barely glimpsed the ‘end’ of that twilight, Gaon was someone who had properly experienced that world.
The situation that had unfolded at the hotel hours ago proved this fact.
─Th-that… that’s our artifact…? Why does that person have it…?
The artifact that had caused conflict between Wintershield Magic Academy and the Relic Exploration Team.
That old map and key emanated an otherworldly scent.
‘This is….’
The ancient smell permeated by thousands of years.
The unique and mystical fragrance that only forgotten civilizations could possess.
The ancient civilization that had monopolized the blessings of the Great Ones and prospered most during the Primordial Age.
【Rashutku Empire】
Yes.
That was undoubtedly the remnant of that legendary empire.
Pean knew almost nothing about the Rashutku Empire. He had only heard the name mentioned a few times.
But once in the past.
He had encountered someone who carried the bloodline of the fallen empire.
The scent that had brushed against Pean’s senses then was identical to the fragrance emanating from that artifact. This was also why he was certain the artifact was a remnant of the Rashutku Empire.
‘Wintershield and the Relic Exploration Team must know this fact too.’
Even if they had failed at detailed deciphering, they would have somehow noticed that the artifact was related to the Rashutku Empire.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for those two groups to cling to it so persistently.
‘Anyone would covet an artifact from the Rashutku Empire.’
Even Pean himself had been momentarily overwhelmed by nostalgia, as if he had stepped back into the 「Primordial Age」, along with an intense urge to obtain the artifact.
‘But….’
─Here, take them back.
…For some reason, Gaon had only shown an indifferent expression.
Not a trace of regret or disappointment could be felt.
Even when returning the artifacts, he wore a bored expression as if such things didn’t matter to him.
It was strange.
To give up such precious artifacts so nonchalantly?
‘Does this mean he has no particular interest in ruins related to the Rashutku Empire?’
No.
More precisely, it wasn’t lack of interest, but….
‘…Is he too familiar with it?’
Various speculations flashed through his mind, and soon Pean reached a single conclusion.
The reason Gaon alone could remain calm while everyone else, including Pean, couldn’t hide their curiosity before the Rashutku ruins was simple.
After all, he was someone who had already experienced Rashutku’s civilization to the point of boredom.
Having lived through that brilliant era directly….
Now, he wouldn’t set his heart on mere artifacts or remnants.
─Come back at this time tomorrow, and I’ll have the deciphered contents ready.
If so, the emotion hidden behind that indifferent tone was perfectly understandable.
To Gaon, Rashutku wasn’t a myth. It was a living past.
What was a legendary ruin to others was just a familiar fragment of memory to him.
Watching those who struggled to chase after that era, perhaps Gaon felt a momentary nostalgia he had forgotten.
‘Is that why he readily extended a helping hand?’
Yes.
Now he could somewhat understand his heart.
Why Gaon had volunteered to help others with such a calm expression.
* * *
Hehe-.
Meanwhile, at the same time.
In the suite room of Ruins Stay Hotel.
Gaon was grinning at the thought of getting expedition rewards for free.
“Hey, Strawberry Latte.”
“Yes.”
“While planning the strategy, I’m realizing that no matter how I think about it, our members are totally overpowered. Don’t you think so too?”
“I acknowledge it. The Koshat Siblings, Wintershield Expedition, Adelia, Pheahn, Gaon let’s go.”
“Let’s… what? What does that mean?”
“This guy really doesn’t know what’s trendy these days.”
Right.
There was no nostalgia or memories tied to the Rashutku Ruins.
How could I have feelings for a dungeon I’d cleared hundreds of times? Maybe if it were Earth, my hometown, but not this.
Anyway.
What Gaon pursued was solely efficient conquest and maximized rewards.
* * *
The rewards one could expect from the Ruins of Rashutku were diverse.
Strawberry Latte, who was planning with me, began listing them one by one.
“First, there’s the True Name Release of the Feather Sword.”
Right.
The greatest reward and the decisive reason for seeking out the Ruins of Rashutku.
“Well, besides that, there are also Rashutku’s skill books, ancient alchemy materials, and artifacts of ‘Lost Technology’ and such.”
That’s right.
All of them were useful rewards without exception.
However, there was one thing Strawberry Latte had missed…
‘Namely, human resources.’
As I’d emphasized many times, human resources were more important than material rewards.
Friendly relations with other forces, and connections with capable NPCs. The countless buildups I’d carefully constructed so far all stemmed from these ‘relationships.’
If I couldn’t build trust with them?
No matter how good the rewards I obtained, there wouldn’t even be a stage to use them on.
‘Just the buildups I can establish within the Rashutku ruins alone number in the dozens.’
For example, being imprinted as a ‘special individual’ to the Koshat Siblings.
This would certainly be a positive factor in future relations with the Relic Exploration Society.
The same went for Pheahn. This conquest was a golden opportunity to imprint my depth as an ‘Ancient Being’ on him and instill conviction.
“Hmm.”
Strawberry Latte, who had been quietly listening to my explanation, swallowed thoughtfully.
“As expected, you and I… have completely different perspectives on things.”
“…”
“That aside, is it okay for me to follow along into the ruins? I’m only 2nd Circle, so wouldn’t it be a bit dangerous?”
Swoosh-.
At Strawberry Latte’s worried question, I quietly checked the level window.
【Lv. 29】
It was something I’d learned when we first met – Strawberry Latte couldn’t check level windows.
Not others’, and not even his own.
From what I heard, the only system function he could use was the community feature… that is, personal messages for now.
‘Then why am I able to use all of this?’
Was it a privilege of being the first Possessed One? Or the influence of something else?
Various hypotheses came to mind, but there was nothing I could be certain of right now.
There was still too little information.
‘Well, anyway.’
Setting aside useless thoughts for now and returning to the main point…
Level 29.
That was Strawberry Latte’s level.
‘…How long has it been since he was possessed to already reach the end of 2nd Circle?’
Strawberry Latte’s growth environment was truly top-tier.
He had distributed character stats properly, and The Adversary had temporarily dominated his body, completing a complete transformation.
On top of that, hadn’t he been spending each day in the stable environment of Wintershield Magic Academy?
However, even considering all those factors… this could truly be called monstrous growth speed.
“Don’t worry.”
Having finished my thoughts, I spoke with a confident voice.
“With such excellent members to begin with, well.”
Even if the timing differed from the game, there was a high possibility of no major crises.
The Koshat Siblings, the Wintershield Expedition including Professors Selena and Biyolf, plus Adelia and Pheahn.
Looking at the members alone, it could be called top-tier power without shame. The Rashutku ruins even had no personnel limit, so everyone could enter.
Even among these terrifying monsters, Strawberry Latte wouldn’t be a burden. Rather, considering the ‘characteristics’ he possessed, he would become an essential ally for us.
“So let’s rest now. We need to be in good condition to properly conquer the ruins tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
The Ruins of Rashutku.
A dungeon I’d repeatedly cleared hundreds of times in the game.
Tomorrow, we would… obtain a foothold for tremendous growth there.
* * *
The Koshat Siblings lay on their respective beds with blank stares.
Natalia, who had been quietly gazing at the ceiling, muttered to herself softly.
“I can’t sleep, brother.”
“You too, huh.”
Her brother Marcus answered with a deep sigh.
“It really was an incredible day.”
“…”
“It was surprising enough to encounter the thief who stole our artifact, but to receive Pheahn, and even meet the ‘Ancient Being’ who became the Thirteenth Sword Master…”
Whew-.
Marcus rubbed his face as if he couldn’t believe it.
A few hours ago, he had reported this entire situation to the director through the crystal sphere.
And…
The response that came back was much more intense than expected.
─Koshat, don’t stop at just deciphering the Rashutku ruins this time. If that person is truly an ‘Ancient Being,’ you must bring him to headquarters. He is someone the Relic Exploration Society absolutely needs.
The director of the Relic Exploration Society gave orders to bring Gaon to headquarters, beyond simple deciphering cooperation.
Along with plans to launch into Rashutku exploration with elite personnel as soon as the Celestial Dragon auction ended.
Having finished those thoughts, Marcus muttered quietly.
“The director seems to have high expectations for this matter too.”
“Of course! When will such an opportunity come again?”
“Still, we mustn’t be too hasty. At times like this, we need to approach even more carefully.”
Marcus took another deep breath.
His heart was pounding.
Because hope had emerged that the mysteries unsolved for decades might finally be resolved.
‘Since it’s an artifact the Relic Exploration Society obtained with such difficulty… I hope we get proper results this time.’
Tick, tick-.
Time passed like that, and finally the promised night arrived.
The Koshat Siblings headed to the Ruins Stay Hotel again. With greatly inflated expectations settled in their hearts.
Knock knock-.
I knocked on the door of the suite room where we had met before. Soon, the door opened with a creaking sound.
“Hello! I arrived right on time for our appointment…!”
It was the moment Natalia was cheerfully greeting us.
She froze-.
Her eyes widened in shock as soon as she opened the door and stepped inside,
The Koshat Siblings stood there completely frozen.
“Wh, what…?”
…Because Gaon was tearing the map to shreds.
Rip, tear, riiip─!
“Kyaaah! You, you crazy! What are you doing right now!”
“I’m tearing up the map.”
“Who doesn’t know that? No, what the hell is this…!”
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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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