Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 145
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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 145
Episode 145. The Trial of Tarosk (3)
* * *
Ding-!
A chat message that Muwolcha had posted before suddenly came to mind.
As always, it was a post where he praised Lost Elder while meticulously dissecting it from a game developer’s perspective.
[Muwolcha]: Roel is definitely a god-tier game, you know?
[Muwolcha]: I really felt it after trying the Tarosk trial this time.
At that time, Muwolcha was more excited than usual.
[Muwolcha]: I was genuinely amazed seeing how they implemented the sense-sealing system.
[Muwolcha]: They even implemented senses that players can’t directly feel. Smell, touch, taste… The fact that they can systematically ‘restrict’ even these and interfere with gameplay is insane.
Right.
The situation I was facing now was exactly the essence of that system Muwolcha had praised so highly.
The sealing of senses. Completely blocked hearing.
[Muwolcha]: And sight and hearing go without saying. They make you physically experience it through the monitor and headphones.
┗[Kongiabum]: You got high after entering The Quiet Ball, didn’t you?
┗[Muwolcha]: Yeah yeah yeah they really designed that concept so well.
Ah, of course…
[Siwonchoi]: But what’s the point of making it well? lol The game is fucking hard and unfriendly, so everyone quits early.
[Siwonchoi]: Looking at the statistics, 80% can’t even escape the corpse pit and quit before reaching Bertas, the Free City lololol
┗[Muwolcha]: …
┗[Kongiabum]: Ah…
┗[Strawberry Latte]: Stop with the cowardly truth bombs!
┗[RoelLover]: Please cherish our Roel don’t say harsh things please cherish our Roel don’t say harsh things
Naturally, such perverted attention to detail wasn’t welcomed by all users.
Except for the rotten veterans who made it to the Hall of Fame, and some maniacs who obsessively dug into Lost Elder alone…
For ordinary casual users, each delicate and perverted element actually became a serious barrier to entry.
* * *
“…”
As I fully entered the room, I could see the heavy door slowly closing.
Everyone began looking around the room.
A chandelier hung from the ceiling.
Its red hue sensually colored the entire room, but at the same time created an eerie atmosphere.
A wide dance floor was laid out on the ground, and faint stains that looked like old bloodstains remained scattered across the smooth marble floor.
Faceless mannequins stood throughout the room. Wearing gorgeous dresses in poses as if they had frozen mid-elegant dance.
“…”
Of course, I knew.
That those things weren’t simple mannequins.
Steel golems modeled after human forms.
Killing machines that were currently stopped but could move at any time.
That was the true identity of those dancers.
Swish-.
As I turned my gaze, I saw a low stage platform. The Skeleton Band was positioned there.
Two violins, a viola and cello, and even a piano. The typical composition of a piano quintet.
They bowed deeply in a respectful posture.
Like musicians greeting their audience before beginning a performance.
“──?”
Markus pointed at the Skeleton Band with his finger and muttered something.
Biyolf also nodded and replied with something or other.
But I couldn’t hear any sound. Only lip movements moved meaninglessly like a silent film.
Then, Adelia approached me. She grabbed my palm without hesitation and began writing letters with her slender fingers.
[Lord Gaon, those skeletons are…]
Stop-.
Adelia’s finger suddenly stopped.
She looked toward the stage with a startled expression and shouted.
“──!”
The Skeleton Band began their performance.
The violinist’s bow crossed the strings, and the pianist’s bone fingers tapped the keys.
At the same time, the mannequins that had been frozen like statues began moving one by one.
The faceless golems took each other’s hands, assumed elegant waltz poses, and glided across the dance floor.
Everything was in perfect rhythm and harmony.
“──!”
“──?”
“──!”
But that splendid ball was unfolding in complete silence, only for me.
A soundless performance.
A soundless dance.
A soundless world.
“…”
The Quiet Ball. That cruel feast had begun.
* * *
──♬♪
“Wh-what…?”
Biyolf flinched in surprise and stepped backward.
The elegant waltz that suddenly rang out.
When the mannequins began moving along with that melody, the entire party couldn’t help but be flustered.
Grab-!
That was exactly when it happened.
When Gaon grabbed Adelia’s hand without hesitation.
“Huh…?”
Before Adelia could say anything with a bewildered expression, Gaon led her and naturally began dancing.
As if he had anticipated this situation from the very beginning.
The quick-witted Isaac Beriloff also immediately grasped the situation. He suddenly extended his hand to Biyolf.
“Professor, my hand…!”
“Ah, I understand!”
The two began matching their steps in a comical dance.
‘…What is this?’
Adelia was swept up in the bewildering flow and didn’t know what to do.
However, Gaon naturally passed Adelia’s hand to Markus Koshate.
In an instant, he had paired them up as dance partners.
“Uh, uhh…”
Markus was flustered, but took Adelia’s hand and awkwardly matched her steps.
Confirming this, Gaon gave concise instructions.
“Keep dancing while the music plays, and stop when the music stops.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed the hand of a mannequin that was left alone and began dancing with it.
“G-Gaon…?”
As Adelia stumbled while matching steps with Markus, she was about to say something more.
[Everyone! Be quiet! The music is playing, so you shouldn’t noisily interfere!]
A cheerful voice echoed from somewhere in the banquet hall.
However, beneath that bright tone, there was a strangely chilling aura.
“…!”
Goosebumps rose all over Adelia’s body.
Her instincts whispered.
If she continued speaking now, something terrible might happen.
Clench-.
Biting her lips, Adelia ultimately kept her mouth shut and continued the awkward dance with Markus.
In the spinning steps, the party members became entangled with the mannequins and their positions began to mix.
As clothes brushed and bodies bumped, they soon couldn’t tell which direction each other was in.
The banquet hall was transforming into a stage of madness that was indistinguishable between dance and chaos.
Stop─.
At that very moment.
The music suddenly stopped.
“…!”
Freeze-.
Remembering Gaon’s warning, Adelia immediately stopped in place.
The other team members did the same. Everyone froze like statues and held their breath.
But…
Tap, tap, tap tap-!
The regular sound of shoe heels still echoed across the dance floor.
The faceless mannequins were still dancing.
The Skeleton Band also continued their playing motions. Of course, no sound came from their instruments.
And…
Gaon’s figure was visible among the mannequins.
He too wasn’t stopping his steps. No. More precisely, he ‘couldn’t’ stop.
‘…Ah!’
Only then did Adelia realize one fact.
That Gaon’s hearing was completely paralyzed.
Creak, creeeeak-!
The mannequins’ gazes all focused on Gaon at once.
Though their bodies continued dancing, their heads twisted abnormally to stare at him.
The cheerful voice echoed again.
[Rest! Rest must be taken for the banquet to last long, didn’t I tell you!]
Creak, crerrr, crack-!
Snap-!
The neck of the mannequin dancing with Gaon suddenly twisted and its head shattered into pieces.
Steel fragments flew in all directions.
“…”
Of course, Gaon showed no disturbance whatsoever.
He casually threw aside the limp mannequin and immediately went to find another mannequin that was alone.
[Since the new guests don’t know the rules, I’ll let it slide this time. Now then, let’s dance enthusiastically again!]
‘This is…’
Swoosh-.
The waltz melody began flowing again.
While dancing with Markus, Adelia could only look at Gaon with worried eyes.
Now the structure of the game became clear.
‘…The rule is to dance when music plays, then stop immediately when the music cuts off.’
However, Gaon with his sealed hearing couldn’t perceive this at all.
The Skeleton Band on stage didn’t stop pretending to play even when the music stopped, and the room was full of mannequins making it difficult to even visually track the other party members’ movements.
“…”
Adelia bit the inside of her lips.
Though anxiety remained in her heart, she still didn’t let go of her firm faith in Gaon.
‘…How will you overcome this crisis, Gaon?’
He must have some plan.
Though it might seem reckless on the surface, he was never someone who took risks without a plan.
Even now, at this very moment.
Gaon, who couldn’t hear, must be solving the situation in his own way.
At least, Adelia wanted to believe that.
‘Please…’
* * *
‘Fortunately, it seems the others have all figured out the stage’s gimmick.’
Right.
They’re quick-witted, so there shouldn’t be any problems until the second phase begins.
‘Now I just need to do well.’
Not being able to hear sound. In this stage, it was a very fatal restriction.
If you miss the timing when the music stops, you immediately receive concentrated attacks from the steel golems, and if that repeats, eventually the entire party falls into danger.
‘This time I reduced the number of mannequins and deliberately kept dancing to inform the other party members of the gimmick, but…’
Only the first mistake is tolerated. There’s no second chance.
Of course…
Ding-!
〔You have used the Authority Skill engraved in Mukgwe (Silent Chest): 【Hyper-Sense Remnant】.〕
…As I said before, I had already finished my preparations.
Wooooong-!
The authority engraved in my scabbard Mukgwe responded to my will.
The world changed.
No, to be precise, the way I ‘felt’ the world completely transformed.
━━━━━━━━━━━━
【Hyper-Sense Remnant】
Grade: ??
Type: On/Off Skill, Authority Skill
Cost: @̴̨̨͎̺̬͎̭̠̞̽͆̓̀̒͘͝#̷̨̨͖͎̩̓̓͛̽̓͌̀̕͝!̸̢̨̖͍͓̳̻̎̌̊$̷̘̘̱̝͈̈̕%̷̮͛͒̽̈́͊̀͝͠ Mental Power per second
Cooldown: None
[Skill Description]
All people perceive the world through their five senses. However, you possess a new sense beyond the five senses. A sixth layer of perception that awakens at the extreme end.
The moment your gaze reaches something, even a single strand of hair is captured in minute detail, and before the sound reaches your eardrums, its vibration is felt throughout your entire body.
Even without skin contact, temperature and texture are vividly conveyed, and with just the subtle trembling of air, you can perfectly trace the trajectory of movement.
But be warned.
Senses sharpened to the extreme are both a blessing and a curse.
The whisper of wind sounds like shouting, and the touch of a single speck of dust approaches as the pain of a needle piercing flesh. Others’ killing intent cuts through your skin like a blade with substance.
The sharper your senses become, the deeper the pain you must endure grows as well. The price of transcendent perception is having to accept all of the world’s stimuli without filter.
No matter how strong one’s mental power may be, they cannot escape from its aftermath.
[Usage Effect]
Your Sense stat value becomes ‘MAX’.
━━━━━━━━━━━━
Following my sword talent and mental power, my Sense stat had also reached ‘MAX’.
Of course, that was only limited to when the hyper-sense was activated, but…
Ding-!
…That alone was sufficient.
To awaken my new talent.
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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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