Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 144
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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 144
Episode 144. The Trial of Tarosk (2)
* * *
Kuguuuuuu─!
The entire imperial palace shook violently as if struck by a massive earthquake.
Pillars creaked and twisted, and thousands of years of accumulated dust began cascading down from the ceiling.
“The wall over there…!”
Natalya Koshat shouted, illuminating the wall with her flashlight.
What had been an ordinary wall just moments before was slowly beginning to crack apart.
Soon thick stone slabs slid apart to the left and right, revealing a new space between them.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Two corridors.
From the central hall where we stood, long dark corridors stretched deep to the left and right.
An eerie aura seeped out from their entrances, like the maws of monsters trying to devour us all.
[I shall announce the rules of the trial.]
Just then, Emperor Tarosk’s low and heavy voice echoed throughout the entire imperial palace.
[You will stand before two diverging paths. Divide into two groups and choose your respective paths.]
“…”
[Countless threats lurk within each corridor. Traps and monsters, as well as trials that will test your will and unity.]
After a brief pause, the emperor declared in an imposing voice.
[If even one group fails, the rest will be trapped here for eternity. This means each other’s survival is directly linked to all of your fates.]
“…”
[The distribution of personnel is up to you. However, remember that once a choice is made, it can never be undone.]
Saaaa-.
After the emperor’s declaration ended, a brief silence fell over the interior of the imperial palace.
Everyone seemed to be processing the contents of the trial they had just heard.
Two corridors. Two teams.
Different trials awaited each, and if even one team failed, everyone would die.
It was a mutually dependent trial that could only be passed if both sides survived.
Having finished that thought, I looked around.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Swoosh-.
Everyone was watching me intently.
It was natural.
I had been leading this entire situation up until now.
The crucial decision of team distribution was naturally my responsibility as well.
‘Well, I’ve already made all the plans…’
I had already created the most efficient combination, considering each person’s characteristics and abilities, as well as the nature of the trials.
“Taragon.”
When I called the name, Strawberry Latte nodded as if she had been waiting.
Then I called out the names of the others in succession.
“Selena Servich, Natalya Koshat, and Pean.”
“…”
“…”
Swoosh-.
Those who were called looked at me quietly.
I pointed to the right corridor and gave brief instructions.
“You four take the right path.”
Nod-.
The four people raised no questions or complaints about the appropriate arrangement.
They simply accepted my words silently and positioned themselves in front of the right corridor.
At the absolute trust they showed, I smiled faintly.
“The rest follow me.”
Biyolf, Isaac Berillov, Markus Koshate, and Adelia naturally stood by my side, making five people.
“Well then, good luck. Let’s meet again at the end of the trial.”
“…Yes.”
The right team moved first.
I watched silently as they disappeared into the darkness. The four figures gradually became fainter.
Once they had completely vanished from sight, we too began moving toward the opposite corridor.
Ding-!
〔You have entered the Imperial Palace of Rashutku: ‘Two-Way Fork – Left’.〕
* * *
Thud, thud-.
The sound of five sets of footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.
Just a day ago, light conversation had flowed as we walked, but now even breathing felt cautious.
The corridor was quite wide.
A large passage with room for five people to walk side by side without crowding.
But along with the open space came thick silence and an ominous aura.
“…”
Swoosh-.
Markus looked up at the ceiling, and I followed his gaze and raised my head as well.
An old, faded ceiling painting came into view.
A clear blue sky without a single cloud. It must have once been a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
But now it was different.
Purple flames flickered from torches lined along the corridor.
When that color illuminated the ceiling, the faded sky was dyed an eerie purple hue. As if even the sky had accepted the silence and madness dwelling in this space.
“…?”
Stop-.
It was after we had walked for quite some time.
Adelia, who had been in the lead, suddenly stopped walking.
“…It’s a dead end.”
At the end of the corridor stood a single door.
But what caught the eye first was a marble sculpture placed in front of the door.
It was in the shape of a round disc.
On its surface was carved the ominous form of a face.
It seemed to be modeled after someone’s face, but the features were blurred, perhaps worn away by time.
However, strangely, only the expression was clear.
A twisted smile, as if mocking someone.
“Hmm?”
Just then, Biyolf tilted his head.
“There seems to be some writing beneath that face…”
“I’ll take a look.”
Thud-.
Markus stepped forward.
Adjusting his glasses, he began carefully reading the ancient characters carved below the disc.
Having relied on me up until now, it seemed like he wanted to handle his own part this time.
This was similar to the game’s nature too.
“The text is straightforward, so I can translate it right away.”
In Roel’s setting, ancient languages were divided into two main categories.
One was a complex format that was highly encrypted and required enormous amounts of time to decode.
The other was a simple format where each character could be directly substituted with modern common language for intuitive interpretation.
‘The riddles carved on Rashutku’s map and stone gate belonged to the former.’
And…
The text beneath the disc we now faced naturally belonged to the latter.
I could fully interpret its contents as well. Thanks to spending 12 years delving into the game and learning what was called ‘simple ancient language.’
So when I went to gatherings, I would half-jokingly say I spoke 8 languages, including Roel’s ancient language.
…For reference, the other 7 were Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, and Persian.
‘Anyway.’
Just then, Markus, who had examined the disc closely, began reading its contents to us.
[1. Among those who choose the left path, seal the ‘hearing’ of ‘1 designated person’ for 3 hours.]
[2. Among those who choose the right path, seal the ‘hearing’ of ‘1 random person’ for 3 hours.]
“…is what it says.”
Freeze-.
As soon as his words ended, everyone’s expressions hardened stiffly.
A binary choice.
Whichever side was chosen, someone would suffer a disadvantage.
‘This is precisely the core of the 「Trial of Tarosk」.’
Such choices would repeat every time we entered a new room.
The first few times would be fine. They would try not to harm the other side even while bearing the damage themselves.
But as the trials continued, the situation would gradually change.
Penalties would accumulate one by one, and team members’ abilities would be restricted one after another. The burden would grow exponentially.
Eventually, such thoughts would inevitably creep in.
‘Couldn’t the other team sacrifice a little this time?’
What made it worse was that the other side was under the exact same psychological pressure.
What if we endured virtuously to the end, but the other side sent penalties our way first? What if that timing happened to be during a crucial life-or-death battle?
‘Just thinking about it is horrifying.’
In the worst case, resentment and anger could build between the two completely cut-off teams, driving the trial itself toward catastrophe.
‘It’s a cunning and cruel system.’
While I was having such thoughts alone.
“Lord Gaon.”
Adelia called me.
When I quickly raised my head, I saw the party looking at me as always, waiting for my choice.
“We should choose option 1, right?”
Adelia cautiously offered her opinion and began explaining her reasoning.
“Option 1 lets us directly choose who receives the penalty. That means we can minimize the risk.”
“…”
“But option 2… it’s ‘random’ rather than ‘designated.’ We can’t predict who among the other side will lose their hearing, so it’s a much more dangerous choice.”
Nod-.
Everyone nodded as if in agreement.
And I felt the same way.
‘You’ve gotten much smarter, haven’t you, Adelia?’
Of course, I’d never thought she was stupid before. I just considered her a bit clumsy with worldly matters.
But seeing her consistently hit the key points at important moments like this, her natural instincts couldn’t be ignored.
‘Anyway.’
Adelia’s argument was completely correct.
Our side could choose the person least affected by the situation, but the other side had no choice but to leave it entirely to chance.
What if, by any chance, that random target was Pean?
What if his hearing was paralyzed?
‘…The worst situation would begin from that moment.’
That team’s strongest fighting power would rapidly crumble.
Having already lost his sight, if his hearing was sealed too… he would have to rely solely on smell, touch, and the flow of mana to understand the battlefield.
“We’ll go with option 1.”
As I made the decision, the smile on the face carved into the disc twisted even more grotesquely.
The stone face’s eyes began scanning each member of the party one by one.
A gaze that seemed to ask who we would choose.
Swoosh-.
I briefly looked toward the door ahead.
Large double doors that opened to both sides.
Within the splendor reminiscent of a luxury banquet hall entrance, there was a somehow bleak and eerie atmosphere.
The door handles were made of sculptures depicting skeletal lovers holding hands.
“…”
Right.
I knew the trial of that room.
A stage where losing hearing would be inevitably fatal.
Therefore…
“I’ll take the penalty.”
…bearing that burden was naturally something only I should do.
Whoooosh─!
The next moment, the disc face’s eyes glowed red.
Simultaneously, a strange sense of alienation washed over the area around my ears.
I couldn’t hear anything. Truly perfect silence. It was a deep and unfamiliar quiet, as if I’d been thrown alone into the middle of space.
“──!”
Adelia said something, but I couldn’t hear it at all. Only her lips moved soundlessly.
I tapped my ears and moved my mouth.
─My hearing is completely blocked.
But surprisingly, I couldn’t even hear my own voice.
It was an extremely strange feeling.
I knew I was speaking, but I couldn’t confirm the sound.
─If you’re ready, let’s go in.
I confirmed that the party members were nodding and approached the door.
Then I grasped the skeletal lovers’ handle and pushed the door.
Creeeeak-.
As the heavy door slowly opened, the scene of a splendid banquet hall was revealed beyond.
At that very moment.
Piercing through my sealed hearing, a cheerful voice echoed in my ears.
[It’s good to be intoxicated by the dance, but sometimes you must rest for the banquet to last long!]
Thud-.
As soon as those words ended, that terrible silence flowed once again.
Right.
The biggest problem was this ‘silence.’
In this cruel banquet hall, the presence or absence of sound determined life and death.
“….”
Even so, the reason I voluntarily accepted the penalty was simple.
A noble heart for the team? A spirit of sacrifice?
‘No.’
It was simply the most rational choice.
Among these members, I was the one with the highest probability of breaking through this trial even after losing my ‘hearing.’
I understood the structure of this room more accurately than anyone else.
I had already experienced this trial dozens of times.
I was an experienced person who had directly cleared it dozens of times.
‘Above all….’
Ding-!
━━━━━━━━━━━━
【Supersense Remnant】
(Available for use)
━━━━━━━━━━━━
…Even if I lost my hearing, I had prepared ‘another means’ in advance to compensate for it.
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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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