Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 19

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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 19

Episode 19. Bertas, the Free City (1)

Creak-.

The old man stopped in front of us.

With his worn-out cart loaded with all sorts of junk, and a foolish donkey.

I suddenly made eye contact with the donkey the old man was riding.

Chomp chomp-.

The creature was chewing on a carrot while drooling.

‘It looks even more stupid in person.’

It looked shabby even in the game, but reality was worse.

It was embarrassing to even compare it to the fine horse the Guild Master had shown us.

“Whoa!”

The old man quickly dismounted from the donkey.

He began organizing the luggage piled high on his worn-out cart.

The old man’s movements were smooth.

Before long, he had prepared space that could easily accommodate five or six people.

“Now, since the distance has gotten shorter, I’ll only charge 1 million shillings per person!”

“….”

“You’re not thinking of rejecting my offer again, are you?”

Grin-.

The old man began haggling while showing his yellowed teeth.

Adelia beside me couldn’t hide her confused expression.

And for good reason, since this old man was the very coachman we first encountered in Dungarrd, the Dark City.

─Let’s see. If you give me 2 million shillings including your companion… Huh? Hey! Where are you going?

“….”

Just then, I could see Adelia looking at the old man with a bewildered expression.

His torn and dirty clothes, wrinkled face, and unkempt bushy beard.

No matter how you looked at it, his appearance was completely untrustworthy.

‘But Adelia.’

Think about it carefully.

While we went through all sorts of chaos, this old man arrived here driving a single donkey.

Even when the Silk Road’s barriers disappeared multiple times, he suffered no damage at all.

‘Despite his shabby appearance, it means his skills are definitely solid, doesn’t it?’

Jingle-.

At that moment, something glinted from inside the old man’s rag-like clothes.

Adelia’s gaze naturally turned in that direction.

“Huh…?”

Badges.

Symbols of honor given only to merchants who had traveled the Silk Road more than a hundred times.

The same badges that the bald Guild Master wore on his chest were dangling there.

Seven of them, no less.

Seeing this, Adelia’s mouth fell open. Her thoughts seemed to stop momentarily at the completely unexpected sight.

“Remember this, Adelia.”

Pat pat-.

I lightly tapped Adelia’s shoulder.

Then I shared a lesson several times more useful than any of the shoddy sword advice I’d given so far.

That maxim considered an iron rule among Roel’s players.

“Those who survive to old age all have their reasons.”

* * *

You know how every game has at least one comic relief character?

The so-called comic relief, I mean.

This ridiculous old man was one such NPC.

‘Also known as the Donkey Old Man.’

In Roel’s system, he was a mysterious character whose name appeared as “??”.

Many people tried to dig into the old man’s background, but except for a very few players, his identity remained shrouded in mystery.

Even I, a 12-year veteran gamer, barely managed to uncover the breadcrumbs, so that says it all.

[Kongiabum] : Fuck, Dano raised the carriage fare again.

[Strawberry Latte] : ?

[Kongiabum] : I mean, what’s with asking for 5 million shillings just to go to the next village.

[StrawberryLatte] : hahahahaha

[Siwonchoi] : If you don’t like it, walk there yourself^^

The Donkey Old Man, shortened to ‘Dano’, always charged expensive carriage fares.

Prices four to five times the market rate, sometimes rising to more than 10 times.

Nevertheless, players occasionally had no choice but to reluctantly use Dano’s carriage…

[Kongiabum] : No, this is a quest to transport items with the “Handle with Care” property, so I’m screwed if I get attacked.

[The Protagonist] : Then you have to take Dano’s carriage.

[시원초이] : What are you gonna do if I raise the price lololol You have no choice but to ride anyway lolol

…The reason was that random events ‘never’ occurred when riding Dano’s cart.

It meant you didn’t have to experience the monster attacks that frequently happened on the Silk Road.

Therefore, players who needed to safely pass through the Silk Road had no choice but to seek out Dano.

‘Though he’s an NPC who mysteriously disappears in the mid-to-late game.’

Right.

Dano vanishes just when players need his abilities the most.

That’s why players didn’t simply hate him, but regarded him as a love-hate existence.

[Strawberry Latte] : If only Dano had been there, the mid-to-late game difficulty would’ve dropped drastically.

[Siwonchoi] : For real

[Kongiabum] : I miss you, Dano… I’d even give you 200 million shillings, so please come back… I’ll be good…

‘Anyway.’

Someday I’ll need to have a conversation with the Dano in front of me. After all, he was a very important NPC.

But now wasn’t the time. I couldn’t have a deep conversation with Dano when there were so many listening ears.

Well, that’s fine. An appropriate time to talk with him in detail will come later.

So today I was content with actually confirming Dano’s existence and memorizing his face.

There was still plenty of time before Dano would disappear.

More importantly, there were many things I had to do before then.

“Well, I’ll be.”

While I was lost in various thoughts.

The bald Guild Master sitting across from us suddenly exclaimed in admiration.

“The donkey is quite strong despite its appearance.”

The Guild Master’s eyes gleamed. It was clear he was coveting the donkey.

And rightfully so.

Despite its foolish appearance, that donkey possessed unrealistically exceptional strength.

This was a fact that could be confirmed just by looking at the scene unfolding behind us.

Scraaape-.

Behind the old cart, sacks placed on a massive wooden plank were being dragged along.

The cargo that the Guild Master had selected as the most important items.

So heavy were they that the pile of goods, tightly bound with iron ropes, left deep tracks on the barren ground.

Even so, the donkey silently pulled that heavy load and moved forward.

“To think it’s dragging even the Celestial Dragon’s corpse so easily…”

Swoosh-.

At the Guild Master’s words, I silently shifted my gaze.

The cleanly bisected corpse of the Celestial Dragon came into view.

Hadn’t the Guild Master said earlier that he had selected only the most important items?

Without a doubt, that massive corpse was the most valuable thing among everything here.

‘A Celestial Dragon’s corpse can fetch big money anywhere.’

At this point in time, no divine beast’s corpse had ever appeared on the market.

Being a unique specimen, the Celestial Dragon’s corpse and byproducts would likely command whatever price was asked at auction.

Naturally, there would be no shortage of prospective buyers either.

‘However…’

There was one serious problem that followed.

‘…Explaining the reason for killing a divine beast won’t be easy.’

Divine beasts.

They were not mere lowly monsters.

As representatives carrying on the will of the ancient god Elder, their very existence was considered special and sacred.

Having killed such a Celestial Dragon, we would need to present a justifiable reason for it.

If we didn’t, we’d have to deal with tremendous backlash.

‘Probably from the moment we enter Bertas, the Free City, all kinds of attention will pour down on us…’

Not only interrogations from high-ranking officials, but various rumors about us would circulate among adventurers.

To quell this commotion, we had no choice but to prove the Celestial Dragon’s corruption and our self-defense.

That process wouldn’t be entirely easy. But we had to manage it somehow. If persuasion failed, we could even be executed on charges of blasphemy.

Even if we fled, once branded, we wouldn’t be able to stay comfortably in any city except Dungarrd, the Dark City.

‘…But Adelia will handle such worst-case scenarios well, so whatever.’

Fortunately, I had a cheat key that could be useful in such situations.

Adelia von Goldhart.

If she, the daughter of a Noble Family, explained well to the higher-ups, we could lead the situation somewhat favorably.

Middletemple, the Holy City wouldn’t send a separate investigation team, and no one would interrogate us either.

Of course, from Adelia’s perspective, invoking her family name wouldn’t be pleasant, but given the circumstances, she would try to resolve this matter somehow.

‘Besides, there aren’t just one or two witnesses.’

It was the Celestial Dragon that attacked us first.

Of course, no one actually witnessed the battle, but there were over seven survivors who could testify to the circumstances.

Especially Karayan’s testimony would be of great help.

Having received the Silk Road’s insignia, he too would be a merchant with considerable influence in Bertas, the Free City.

“…”

However, if there was one concern, it was that we would inevitably receive tremendous attention in the process…

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

I had no intention of hiding my strength completely. Rather, revealing my abilities appropriately would help with future plans.

‘But that doesn’t mean I should flaunt my power either.’

That many flies would swarm around, and unexpected situations would occur more frequently.

Finding the appropriate line was important.

I had to precariously maintain this balance as long as I didn’t receive excessive attention.

That was also a task I would have to solve going forward.

‘…This is really giving me a headache.’

In the end, there was only one way to overcome all these complex situations.

‘I need to build up my specs as quickly as possible.’

Precisely, becoming stronger.

Gaining overwhelming power would be the fundamental solution to overcome all problems.

It was consistent with the first goal I had set after falling into this world.

Fortunately, now more than ever, my growth direction was clearly established.

The reward obtained from facing the Celestial Dragon this time was the catalyst.

〔Reward: You have acquired the passive skill 【Ultimate Auto-parrying】.〕

〔Reward: The sealed talent ‘Sword Lv. Max’ has been unlocked.〕

The notification windows were still flashing before my eyes.

The newly acquired passive skill.

And the overwhelming swordsmanship talent worth 179,312,341pt that was finally unlocked.

They were truly talents with infinite possibilities.

‘I wish I could test those two out quickly…’

Just as I was having such thoughts.

“The Protagonist.”

Clatter, clank-.

Snapping back to attention, I emerged from my deep contemplation.

The old cart was passing over a high hill.

Adelia, sitting beside me, continued speaking.

“We’ll arrive at our destination soon.”

Swoosh-.

Hearing those words, I slowly turned my head to the side.

Massive walls came into view.

Beyond them, roofs of various colors beautifully adorned the city.

In contrast to Dawnguard, it was a city where a vibrant atmosphere could be felt from afar.

‘…Bertas, the Free City.’

The heart of Lost Elder finally revealed itself.

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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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