Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 195

—————
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 195

Episode 195. End of the Auction (4)

* * *

This happened about half a day ago.

─Guide the way.

─Mweeeeeek!

Swoooosh-!

Mukyoo, having received Strawberry Latte’s request, immediately soared into the sky.

A small body rapidly crossing the skies above Dawnguard with rainbow-colored wings spread wide.

Below stretched an endless gray city, with smoke and lights rising from various places, intertwined like a complex maze.

‘I have to find master!’

In Mukyoo’s small heart, there was only one goal.

Namely, finding Gaon.

That simple yet clear sense of mission dominated its entire being.

But there was one problem.

─Myu? Myumyu?

No matter how wide it opened its eyes and looked around, Gaon’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

Mukyoo began to grow increasingly anxious.

‘Where is he? Where is he?’

It thoroughly scanned every corner of the city from high above, but Gaon was still nowhere to be found.

Time kept flowing, and Strawberry Latte would be waiting below…

Just then.

An idea suddenly flashed.

‘Ah, that’s right!’

If it couldn’t find master directly, wouldn’t it work to find the people who travel with master?

Mukyoo hurriedly began scanning the Dark City again. This time, looking for Gaon’s companions rather than Gaon himself.

‘There they are!’

Finally, familiar silhouettes came into view in the distance of Dawnguard’s back alleys.

An elf with bandages over his eyes, a blonde knight, and even a suspicious monster with orbs floating above its head.

Having spotted them, Mukyoo hurriedly began guiding the party.

And then…

─I can smell The Protagonist’s scent. It’s toward the Uncharted Wilderness, but not too far from Dawnguard’s western walls.

Pean found Gaon’s location in an instant.

He had discovered Gaon, whom Mukyoo’s abilities couldn’t locate, using nothing but his excellent sense of smell.

Though happy to have found master, at the same time, a strange sense of regret began to creep into one corner of Mukyoo’s heart.

‘If only I had such an excellent nose too…’

How wonderful would it be if, like Pean, it could know Gaon’s location just by smell?

Then it wouldn’t have to wander around like this and could find master directly.

[…]

Mukyoo briefly looked at its own body.

On the smooth surface of the cube, there was nothing that could be called a nose.

Click click-.

Pop, pop pop!

As Mukyoo earnestly changed its form, two small round dots soon appeared on the cube’s surface.

Though too simple to be called a nose, they were still two dots that somewhat resembled nostrils.

Sniff sniff-.

Mukyoo earnestly tried twitching its nose, but couldn’t smell much.

‘I, I too… I want to have an excellent sense of smell too…!’

* * *

“…So that’s what happened.”

I was relaying exactly what I had heard from Mukyoo’s inner thoughts.

Right at that moment.

Adelia’s sharp cry echoed through the room.

“N-no! Wait a minute!”

Her pale face instantly flushed red, and her eyes glaring at Mukyoo were mixed with anger.

“Wh-what does that have to do with eating Jelly!”

[Pyo, pyororok…]

Adelia was tightly hugging the saliva-covered Haewolsumo in both arms.

Fortunately, Mukyoo had obediently spit out the Haewolsumo.

Thanks to not being digested, there was no major damage, but the psychological trauma the Haewolsumo suffered in the process seemed considerable.

Tremble tremble-.

The Haewolsumo’s transparent body was shaking while completely shrunk, and Adelia soothed the jelly with careful touches.

“Phew…”

Watching that scene, I sighed and rubbed my face dry. Then I continued speaking in a deliberately calm voice.

“Mukyoo isn’t omnipotent. All it can do is utilize the characteristics of divine beasts it has ‘absorbed.'”

That’s right.

Mukyoo can freely transform its body.

But there were limits to that transformation. It could only use the characteristics of divine beasts I had defeated.

For example…

The translucent wings and excellent vision were inherited from the Celestial Dragon.

Similarly, the soft and squishy body was a trait obtained from the Haewolsumo, and the small tentacles were abilities acquired from both the Haewolsumo and Mukyeonjiju.

“The reason it tried to eat Jelly was also because it wondered if it might gain new abilities.”

Adelia immediately objected to those words.

“But that bastard already has the Haewolsumo’s abilities!”

“That’s exactly why it was a stupid thing to do.”

[Mwe, myumyu…?!]

Mukyoo, hearing my words, let out a flustered cry.

It seemed to have finally realized it had done something foolish.

“There shouldn’t be incidents like this in the future, Mukyoo.”

Swoosh-.

I looked straight at Mukyoo and continued speaking.

“I’ll let it slide because you’re young now, but if you act so recklessly again next time, I won’t let it go.”

[…]

Mukyoo’s small body shrank. It seemed to have noticed that I was really angry.

“Carelessly touching other people’s precious things is wrong. Especially when you know what Jelly means to Adelia.”

[Mwe, mweeeek…]

Mukyoo drooped as if apologetic.

Its cube-shaped body slightly crumpled, unable to hide its dejected state.

Looking at that sight, I thought to myself.

‘There’s no need to feel disappointed, Mukyoo.’

Right now, it doesn’t have many abilities, but that’s just the beginning.

Its potential is so deep and vast that it’s impossible to gauge its limits.

In the future, we’ll face countless divine beasts as enemies.

Each time, Mukyoo would evolve as if shedding its skin, growing step by step.

Becoming stronger and acquiring more diverse abilities.

[Really!]

Just then, Yeonwoo the Feathered Sword suddenly spoke up.

[Divine beasts! I can cut down divine beasts!]

“…?”

[Ah, I’m truly excited. I’ve only been cutting down lowly humans and monsters, but finally I can taste high-grade materials like divine beasts. Just imagining the moment their sacred blood stains my blade makes my whole body tremble.]

“….”

Yeonwoo’s excited voice echoed in my head.

I was momentarily speechless.

What a crazy demonic sword.

‘But still….’

I questioned inwardly.

‘…What are you so excited about when you’ve already cut down 6 divine beasts?’

[Ah.]

Yeonwoo answered.

[When I cut them down for Jinmyeong Geopbang, I was in a sealed state.]

“….”

[So I don’t have much memory of it. It’s hazy like something that happened in a dream.]

Then it was even more puzzling.

‘You even cut down Mukyeonjiju at the end, didn’t you?’

[That was just a fake wearing a shell.]

Ah, right.

That’s true.

Everything in Rashutku’s Nightmare was nothing but dummies.

From ordinary imperial citizens to Upapa and divine beasts, even the Outsider that was there. Everything was fake, not real.

‘Right. Look forward to it. We’ll be able to kill the real Mukyeonjiju soon enough.’

I recalled what happened before leaving the Rashutku Imperial Palace.

The second key that Tarosk had given me. It was a passage leading to the real Rashutku, not the world of imitations.

The Unredeemed Land of Ruin.

There still lay rotting corpses, souls fallen into despair, and the corrupted Mukyeonjiju sleeping alongside all of that.

It was a space I would have to explore together with the Relic Exploration Team in the future.

[Very good.]

The Feathered Sword’s voice was filled with satisfaction upon hearing my words.

[My favorite is octopus sashimi, you know.]

‘…Right.’

After finishing my conversation with Yeonwoo the Feathered Sword, I looked forward again.

The mages had already gathered and sat down in the suite room’s living area.

They seemed to have woken up after hearing Adelia’s outcry earlier.

“Oho.”

Among them, Biyolf was looking back and forth between Mukyoo and me with particularly curious eyes.

“How fascinating! So those murmuring sounds weren’t just babbling after all!”

Biyolf exclaimed, slapping his knee.

“To think you can communicate with your master. I’m very curious about the system of that murmur language.”

“….”

“Since it’s a life form obtained through a sacred covenant, there must surely be a special method that cannot be interpreted through conventional linguistic approaches.”

The old mage’s eyes sparkled.

As his long-held questions were resolved, his research desire seemed to burn even brighter.

Of course, Isaac Berillov kept looking at Biyolf with anxious eyes, worried that more work might be added to his plate.

“Wait a moment, Biyolf.”

Just then.

A voice that poured cold water on Biyolf’s academic enthusiasm rang out quietly.

“That’s not what’s important right now.”

Selena Servich.

Her gaze had been fixed on one person from the beginning.

The pink curly-haired mage Strawberry Latte… no, Taragon.

“Taragon.”

“….”

“If I’m not mistaken, your aura has completely changed.”

It wasn’t a simple question.

A sharp gaze that seemed to see through the other person.

It was the insight of a 9th-tier mage, as if delicately tracing each flow of mana with sensitive touch.

After catching his breath for a moment, Taragon calmly nodded.

“Yes. It’s exactly as you see.”

A brief affirmation.

However, the weight contained within it was enough to make everyone in the room hold their breath.

Taragon continued speaking calmly.

“I’ve reached the 4th tier.”

“…!”

“…!”

The room instantly became as quiet as if cold water had been poured over it, then soon filled with low murmurs.

For Taragon, who had been 2nd tier just yesterday, to jump up two whole tiers in a single night.

It was a miracle that no one could easily believe.

In the midst of this, Strawberry Latte continued his explanation in a calm voice.

“I gained various insights while researching the brain core and consistently observing the real thing. Moreover, witnessing the apostle’s abilities firsthand at the auction house was a great shock and new insight for me.”

“….”

“Most importantly, last night, thanks to The Protagonist organizing those insights for me, I was able to achieve explosive progress.”

“…?”

Whoosh-.

All gazes turned toward me at once.

Among them, Selena’s gaze was the most striking.

Her eyes were endlessly wavering.

It was the gaze of a mage facing surprise, doubt, and a phenomenon she absolutely couldn’t understand.

“…What did you say?”

* * *

Selena Servich still remembers clearly.

A few hours ago.

Gaon’s figure as he single-handedly faced thousands of Puppet Master Batu’s puppets.

Swish-.

Gaon suddenly extended his right arm forward.

The next moment, the puppets charging at the front began tumbling down one after another.

As if they had tripped over something invisible.

─Could it be… magic?

At that time, the first possibility Selena thought of was telekinetic magic.

An invisible force that could push objects away.

But that speculation immediately ran into doubt.

Because not even the slightest trace of magical resonance could be detected from Gaon.

‘But still…’

─Witnessing the Apostle’s supernatural ability firsthand at the auction house was both a great shock and a new insight for me.

What Taragon had said just moments ago.

‘…He definitely said he gained enlightenment through supernatural abilities, right?’

Supernatural abilities.

Energy flowing in from other dimensions. Power drawn from beyond the boundaries set by the Great Beings.

It was a forbidden ability that didn’t belong to the principles of this world, transcending magic itself.

However.

The telekinesis Gaon had displayed bore a striking resemblance to the characteristics of supernatural abilities Selena had encountered in various ancient texts.

A transcendent phenomenon that left no traces or resonance, only results.

And…

─Thanks to The Protagonist organizing that enlightenment for me last night, I was able to achieve explosive progress.

…If Gaon possessed enough knowledge to share such things with Taragon.

‘Wait a minute.’

Suddenly, Selena Servich’s mind began racing.

Several impossible possibilities came to mind.

‘Just what kind of person… no, what kind of being is he?’

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