Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 16

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

One-Strike Kill Swordmaster Episode 16

Episode 16. Enlightenment from a Fleeting Moment (4)

Was it around the 3rd playthrough?

Anyway, this too was something that happened during my newbie days, not long after I started Lost Elder.

While wandering around Bertas, the Free City, as usual.

『P-please find my husband’s body… no, even just his belongings would be enough.』

Suddenly, some Widow NPC approached me with a request.

She asked me to find the last traces of her husband, who was presumed to have died on the journey to Dungarrd, the Dark City.

“Oh, perfect timing. I needed to go to the Uncharted Wilderness anyway…”

Click-.

I readily accepted the Quest.

In fact, it was quite common for those crossing the Uncharted Wilderness to lose their lives.

Especially at this point when the world’s destruction was accelerating.

The number of people wanting to know the fate of their missing family members naturally increased, and I thought this request was just another one of those common Quests.

“Huh? Wait a minute.”

But the more I progressed through the Quest, the more I felt something was amiss.

“No matter how I look at it, these traces are…”

It was a truth I discovered later.

The NPC’s husband hadn’t died from an unfortunate accident.

And the fact that his death was the first signal announcing the beginning of the world’s end.

* * *

Wooong, woooong-!

The Silk Road that protected those passing through the Uncharted Wilderness.

It had long been considered an inviolable safe zone.

The barrier powered by magic stones punished approaching monsters, and monsters instinctively began avoiding this path.

Knowing this, one mercenary shouted loudly.

“D-don’t panic! The barrier is working perfectly fine!”

There was only one case when the Silk Road became dangerous.

Only when the barrier went down due to unstable magic stone supply.

Therefore, as long as the barrier operated stably like now, any monster attack would be meaningless.

Thud-!

…At least, that was the common knowledge people had known until now.

“Uh, uhhhh?”

But now.

That common knowledge began to crumble miserably.

Kwaaaaaaaa──!

The monsters rammed into the barrier without any hesitation.

Blood and brain matter splattered in all directions, filthily covering the barrier’s surface.

“What are those things…?”

A mercenary muttered with a trembling voice.

His face was mixed with fear and confusion.

Thwack, thwack thwack-!

Most monsters died instantly from the impact of hitting their heads, and even those that survived were crushed to death by the following horde.

Countless corpses of beasts piled up along the barrier.

“Ha, hahaha…”

Awkward laughter burst out here and there along with sighs of relief.

“Aren’t they just stupid?”

“Puhaha! I worried for nothing! They’re just committing suicide by banging their heads against the barrier!”

But that false composure didn’t last long either.

In a short time, the barrier was covered with monster blood. Because the number of monsters ramming into the barrier increased endlessly.

Craaaaaack-!

The very next moment, a thin crack appeared on the barrier.

“What the…!”

Everyone’s faces turned pale.

“R-run at full speed right now! Maximize the carriage’s speed!”

The Guild Master shouted with veins bulging in his neck.

“We’ll break through to Bertas in one go like this!”

“…What?”

Bewilderment flashed across the mercenaries’ faces. But that confusion disappeared instantly.

Quick judgment was essential to survive in this world.

Their bodies reacted before their minds could understand the situation. Survival instinct made them move.

“Get on! Get on the carriage quickly!”

The mercenaries who realized the severity began jumping onto the running carriage one by one.

Only the will to survive burned in their eyes.

“Throw away the cargo and reduce the weight!”

Crash-!

At someone’s shout, the mercenaries began throwing cargo off the carriage.

Expensive goods poured out of the carriage and rolled on the dirt ground, but no one cared.

Not even the Guild Master who had been transporting the goods.

‘Smart. He knows to abandon greed at times like this.’

It was indeed a veteran’s choice.

A critical situation.

It wouldn’t be strange at all if the mercenaries attacked the guild and seized the carriage right now.

If he showed greed here, he could lose his life to fellow humans. Rather than suffer an unseemly betrayal, it was better to give up the goods.

No matter how expensive the treasure, it was worthless compared to one’s own life.

“Lord Gaon.”

In the chaotic situation, Adelia’s voice reached me.

In her hand was a sword she had drawn at some point.

Adelia was staring straight at me. Like a hunting dog waiting for its master’s command.

I answered in a deliberately calm voice.

“Wait and conserve your strength. It won’t be too late to act when the barrier collapses.”

“What? But…”

Glance-.

Adelia looked at the barrier.

The crack was becoming increasingly clear. Adelia seemed to want to act first before the situation became more dangerous.

I quickly interrupted before she could continue speaking.

“I’m sure I said that monster horde isn’t the end.”

“…”

“Don’t make me say it twice. What we need to face is the culprit behind that monster wave.”

Adelia bit her lips tightly for a moment, then nodded.

“…Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Rattle, rattle-!

The precariously spinning wheels cried out with a loud, grinding noise.

The coachman swung his whip with all his might, pushing for maximum speed.

“Hyah, hyaaaah!”

With the coachman’s shouts, the carriage began to pick up speed.

But this much wasn’t nearly enough.

The Guild Master must have sensed this fact as well, anxiously glancing out the window repeatedly.

‘At this speed, they’ll catch up to us in no time.’

〔MP : 1/1〕

Glance-.

I instinctively checked my mana window. I had enough mana to use a skill.

If I used 【Soul of the Sword Master】 right now, I could sweep away that entire horde of monsters.

Even level 77 Adelia could annihilate a pack of Scavenger Wolves in one strike, so that said it all.

‘But…’

Even so, I shouldn’t use the skill hastily.

I had to save my trump card until the very last moment.

If I rashly used 【Soul of the Sword Master】 just because the situation was urgent, I could fall into even greater danger.

‘…More than anything, until ‘that guy’ shows himself, I have to leave everything to Adelia.’

Right.

For now, let’s trust our bus driver and wait.

Wasn’t this exactly why I brought Adelia along in the first place, to prepare for situations like this?

“It’s, it’s breaking through! The barrier is breaking… Kyaaaaaaah!”

Kwaaaaang-!

Right at that moment, a massive explosion echoed from behind us.

The Silk Road’s barrier had collapsed, unable to withstand the monsters’ continuous assault.

“Damn it!”

The Guild Master gritted his teeth and spat out a curse.

“Go faster! Faster!”

At his desperate cry, the coachman cracked his whip once more.

Kugugugugugu-!

The earth shook. The vibrations from the monsters’ stampeding feet could be felt through the ground.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Screams echoing from all directions.

Carriages that had departed late or were at the rear of the convoy were being swept away by the avalanche-like surge of monsters.

Agonizing screams mixed with the sounds of carriages being destroyed and monsters roaring.

Thud-!

Of course, our carriage couldn’t escape the aftermath of that tsunami either.

“Adelia.”

At my call, Adelia immediately looked into my eyes.

With a gaze that said she was ready to charge out and sweep away the monsters at any moment if given the order.

…But you know what.

As I said before, that’s not what I need you for.

“Protect me.”

Kwaaaaaaang──!

The carriage body shook violently once more.

With an ear-splitting roar, the carriage flipped over.

Buuuuung-.

The world spun round and round. My body, floating in mid-air, was thrown right out of the carriage.

Even without using Ritardando, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Adelia’s shocked expression. Luggage scattering through the air. And the ground approaching closer and closer.

“Lord Gaon…!”

Adelia’s desperate cry reached my ears.

She quickly closed the distance and wrapped her arms around my body.

Kuwong-!

The very next instant, a dull impact assaulted my entire body.

* * *

Getting swept up in a monster wave?

A carriage overturning?

It’s fine. That much was all within my calculations.

Adelia had more than enough ability to protect me even in this situation.

“Ugh.”

However, there was one thing.

What I had overlooked was that even ‘just’ this much would leave me unable to get my bearings.

Whether in game terms or from the actual impact, my HP hadn’t decreased by even 1 point.

Still, this was my first time experiencing a situation where my vision kept flipping around.

…In other words, motion sickness.

“Hah, hah.”

Fortunately, I barely managed to hold back from vomiting disgracefully.

Instead, the stench of blood piercing my nose snapped me back to alertness.

I slowly raised my upper body.

‘I’m so dizzy I could die, seriously…’

Looking around with my spinning vision, a horrific scene came into view.

Broken carriage debris and monster corpses were scattered everywhere.

The sight of blood and flesh covering the dirt ground was reminiscent of a terrible battlefield.

Saaaaa-.

The surroundings, which had been incredibly chaotic just moments before, had become as quiet as a mouse.

That’s right.

While I was groaning in pain, Adelia had single-handedly dealt with the monster wave.

“Are you alright, Lord Gaon…?”

Huff, huff-.

Just then, Adelia’s voice reached me, completely out of breath.

She was standing with her back to me. Wounds covered her body and her torn armor was stained with bloodstains.

Even so, Adelia simply stood there holding her sword.

I couldn’t sense even the slightest wavering in her posture. As if she would protect me no matter what threat approached.

‘…And in reality, Adelia had protected me quite admirably.’

She was in such a state, yet my HP hadn’t decreased by even 1 point.

“As ordered, huff… I protected… Lord Gaon.”

Adelia continued speaking while gasping for breath.

She was exactly like her character from the game.

She didn’t even wonder why I had suddenly ordered her to protect me.

Once she decided to follow, she would simply carry out orders faithfully.

The purpose didn’t matter.

‘Besides, she’s the one with the most backstory to begin with, so asking about someone else’s circumstances first would be rude anyway.’

I’m feeling it again – choosing Adelia as my bus driver was the best choice.

‘Well, that aside…’

I muttered while looking up at the dark night sky.

“…It’s about time for him to make his entrance.”

Kieeeeeek-!

A bone-chilling roar echoed from the sky.

A massive shadow fell over our heads.

Kwarung, kwareurureung-!

Fierce winds struck, and dark clouds instantly covered the sky. Lightning flashed from all directions.

“Ah.”

Adelia’s eyes widened in shock.

She looked up at the vast sky with a tense expression.

【Lv. 90】

Celestial Dragon Bird.

The incarnation of storm and thunder. The overlord that dominates the sky.

Its massive body seemed ready to devour mountain ridges, and its solid scales each emitted lightning-like light.

The terrifying appearance, like a fusion of dragon and bird, was itself a manifestation of disaster.

The aura of death emanating from it was enough to make every hair on one’s skin stand on end.

Ttiring-!

〔Mental Power ‘MAX’ resists the opponent’s tremendous pressure.〕

The surrounding air grew heavy. The Celestial Dragon’s overwhelming presence crushed the entire world.

If even I, with maximum mental power, felt this way, what kind of pressure must Adelia be experiencing?

“Wh-what on earth…”

Sure enough, Adelia muttered in terror.

“…Why on earth is the Elder’s Divine Beast attacking humans?”

I ignored her question and commanded in a cold voice.

“This is the second trial, Adelia.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━

【Ritardando True】

(Cooldown Time: 581 seconds)

━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Just hold out for 10 minutes.”

They say crisis is opportunity, don’t they?

In that sense, this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

‘If everything flows according to my design…’

From this moment on, I would achieve tremendous growth.

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