Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 213

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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 213

Episode 213. Dementia Patient, Lizard, and Fanatic (3)

* * *

After finishing all the interviews, I immediately began preparing for departure.

Time wasn’t exactly pressing, but it wasn’t leisurely enough to take things easy either.

One week until Muwolcha’s spawn.

Before then, I had to move to Vilopozy and handle matters related to the Sisterhood of the Forsaken.

If I missed even one thing, unexpected variables could arise in the process of facing Muwolcha.

‘There’s no time to delay.’

The members who would join the Vilopozy expedition were already decided. Tyrant Dragon, Mangnyeom, and Adelia too.

Each was a necessary person for their own reasons.

‘Adelia has been my shadow from the beginning, so she’ll follow me wherever I go…’

I had already finished persuading Tyrant Dragon too.

The moment I mentioned his disciple, his eyes completely changed.

The problem was Mangnyeom.

“Huh? Go to Vilopozy? Got it.”

The persuasion process itself wasn’t particularly difficult.

Mangnyeom had always been compliant by nature.

When I made the suggestion, she nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

However.

There was one minor problem here.

‘Namely, not knowing when she’ll lose this memory.’

There was a high chance she’d completely forget the promise we just made in a few minutes.

I’d have to deal with the hassle of constantly reminding her each time.

‘Well, considering Mangnyeom’s abilities, I’ll have to put up with this much.’

Anyway.

Now that the members were confirmed, the next thing to consider was transportation.

Normally I would have used Dano, but unfortunately he was currently transporting the Wintershield Expedition to the Magic University.

Using Middletemple’s carriage would be too conspicuous, and calling Cheongyeong for something like this felt excessive.

What about going to Central City Centerium and using a regular carriage?

It would be too troublesome, and moreover…

‘…Tyrant Dragon’s presence would draw too much attention.’

A Hybrid Human-Dragon would inevitably attract attention wherever they went.

Even if Tyrant Dragon wore a cloak, his massive build would obviously stand out anywhere.

In the end, I reached the following conclusion.

“We’ll travel to Vilopozy through the Abyss.”

“…”

“…”

Just before departure.

The party members each showed different reactions to my words.

Tyrant Dragon, with his cloak pulled deep over his head, nodded as if he’d expected as much.

On the other hand, Adelia responded with a slightly worried expression.

“Th-the Abyss…?”

The Abyss was a massive underground labyrinth connected to every part of the continent.

Naturally it led to Vilopozy, the dungeon town, but the problem was that we’d inevitably encounter countless high-level monsters in the process.

‘It’s incomparably more dangerous than the Uncharted Wilderness.’

Still, there was nothing to worry about.

Adelia, Tyrant Dragon, and even Mangnyeom.

With three Sword Master-level fighters together, passing through the Abyss wouldn’t be a problem.

No wait.

Should I include myself in that category now? Come to think of it, all four of us are Sword Master-level fighters.

In any case, while moving through the Abyss, Adelia would gain more diverse experience. Think of it as stopping by a power-leveling hunting ground on the way to our destination.

Most importantly, I could use this opportunity to fully utilize my dragon body characteristics and develop my physical specs as well.

Having finished that line of thought, I spoke up to ease Adelia’s worries.

“Adelia.”

“Yes.”

“Have confidence. With your current skill level, you can freely enter and exit the Abyss.”

“…!”

Instantly, Adelia’s eyes widened.

Judging by how the corners of her mouth twitched, she seemed pleased by my praise.

I continued speaking.

“To travel the Silk Road and Uncharted Wilderness, we’d have to cross mountain ranges and pass through various cities. The roads are rough and it takes twice as long. Using the Abyss is much faster.”

Nod-.

At my continued explanation, all the party members nodded as if they understood.

So we went down to Middletemple’s basement. Then we passed through the barrier and arrived at the entrance to the Abyss.

Whooooo──.

A massive underground labyrinth of unknown depth spread out before us.

The Abyss adjacent to the Holy City was different from what I’d seen at Wintershield, holding a subtle light.

The walls and ceiling were still covered in black moss, but white holy scriptures carved here and there to maintain the barrier emitted a faint light, gradually pushing back the darkness.

At least near the entrance, it was a relatively safe scene. Of course, the story would be different the deeper we went into the Abyss.

“Well then, let’s get going.”

Step, step-.

As soon as I finished speaking, Tyrant Dragon took the lead and began walking.

Even while moving, the corners of his mouth twitched, showing he was thoroughly excited at the thought of meeting a disciple with talent like Adelia’s.

Adelia, carrying a food pack, also moved forward with a determined expression, while Mangnyeom followed behind us, clutching her notebook tightly to her chest.

‘But…’

Thud, thud-.

I stepped on the damp floor of the Abyss while looking around.

I could see my party members.

The optimal members I’d racked my brains to select in preparation for this scenario. Each of their abilities was certainly outstanding.

Members who would undoubtedly play major roles when we faced the Sisterhood of the Forsaken.

But…

Looking at them grouped together as one team, I felt an inexplicable uneasiness wash over me.

‘A dementia patient, a hot-tempered lizard, and a fanatic who’ll follow anything I say.’

Hmm.

Why does the member composition seem somewhat catastrophic when I look at it again?

‘Wait a minute. Come to think of it…’

I suddenly remembered the Dawnguard auction from last time.

What were the team members like back then?

‘Two brats, a blind man with delusions of grandeur, a cunning bat mage who switched sides constantly, a hot-tempered chihuahua, a cowardly double agent.’

Ah.

I realized it.

‘No matter how I form a team in Roel, it turns into a disaster…!’

Well, what can you do?

The worldview itself is a disaster to begin with.

It was actually stranger to form a team with only people who had normal characteristics.

Whew-.

I let out a resigned sigh and began walking deeper into the Abyss’s dark passage.

* * *

The Abyss.

Even in ancient times, this place was an underground realm where the blessings of The Great Ones flowed, but after the Heavenly Laws were established, it became the domain of Evil Gods.

‘For adventurers below a certain level, entering the Abyss is tantamount to suicide.’

If you got lost in the maze-like tangled paths, you’d never be able to come out again.

Even if you found your way, the high-level monsters lurking everywhere wouldn’t leave you alone.

But the story changes when you reach high levels.

The monsters lurking in the underground labyrinth won’t recklessly attack when they sense the aura of a strong person. At least in the entrance areas.

“….”

Splash, splash-.

I looked around.

A landscape as if dropped into the middle of a vast underground cave.

The sound of water droplets falling from high up on the ceiling echoed, and shallow groundwater flowed long beneath my feet, making me feel like I was walking through ancient waterways.

“How boring.”

Tsk-.

Just then, Tyrant Dragon, who had been walking ahead, clicked his tongue.

“All the monsters have hidden themselves. When I traveled alone, there were occasionally some that would attack, but with three Sword Masters here, they won’t even make a peep.”

Yeah, right.

What a truly battle-maniac way of thinking.

Pause-.

After walking like that for a while, a three-way fork appeared ahead.

I took out a compass from my chest to check the direction.

The left path headed northwest, the middle went straight, and the right path headed northeast.

Tyrant Dragon silently began moving toward the left path.

“Wait.”

I stopped him and pointed to the right path.

“We need to go the opposite way.”

“…What?”

Tyrant Dragon looked back at me with a puzzled expression.

It was a natural reaction.

From a common sense perspective, it would seem like I was suggesting we go in the opposite direction from our destination.

“Isn’t Vilopozy above Dungarrd, the Dark City? Then going northwest from here would be correct, wouldn’t it?”

Generally, that would be right.

The Abyss was designed so you’d reach your destination by following the cardinal directions.

In fact, you could safely reach Vilopozy by taking the path he suggested.

However.

Even paths that looked simple on the surface were actually intertwined with countless detours and shortcuts.

I had organized all those major routes in my head. I also knew that using the hidden shortcut on the northeast path could save us half a day.

“The right path is much faster.”

“….”

When I spoke matter-of-factly, Tyrant Dragon slightly furrowed his brow.

“Don’t tell me….”

He asked in a voice filled with suspicion.

“Do you have all these detailed paths memorized too?”

I nodded silently.

Ha-.

Then Tyrant Dragon snorted as if he found it absurd.

“Fine. I got it. We’ll do as you say.”

Tyrant Dragon obediently changed direction toward the northeast path.

Meanwhile, I heard him muttering quietly.

“Anyway, I felt this before too… what a truly strange guy.”

“…!”

Flinch-.

That was the moment.

The instant the words “strange guy” came out.

I saw Adelia react with excessive surprise from beside me.

‘What’s this?’

Why is she suddenly reacting so sensitively….

‘Ah.’

…Wait a minute.

A forgotten memory suddenly surfaced in my mind.

─Ty, Ty, Tyrant….

Right after escaping from Rashutku’s Nightmare.

In that chaotic situation where everyone was mistaking Mukyoo for my child.

That one phrase Adelia had muttered.

─…Ty, Tyrant Dragon’s words were right after all.

At the time, I had asked what she meant.

But Adelia had hastily changed the subject and avoided answering.

‘I was planning to ask Tyrant Dragon directly when I met him….’

Right.

Since I just remembered, I should ask now.

* * *

“What?”

And a little while later.

After hearing the entire story from Tyrant Dragon, my mind went completely blank.

─So you’re saying Gaon comes from an abnormally lustful family line that has bred indiscriminately across species for generations, making him a mongrel monster born from mixing with all kinds of races?

During the second divine trial.

Such ridiculous conversations had apparently taken place.

‘I’m… from an abnormally lustful… family…?’

Damn it.

How the hell did they reach such a ridiculous conclusion?

“Well, I feel this every time I see you, but I think you’re quite a fascinating species. Even during your duel with Bloodlust this time, I saw you freely reconstructing your body?”

“….”

“Even the Evil Gods couldn’t devise a way to tamper with the physical body, so they had to place restrictions on the soul instead, which says it all… Wait. Why are you suddenly gripping your sword?”

Grip-.

Before I knew it, I was clutching the handle of Feather Sword.

My hand seemed to have moved unconsciously.

‘Yeonwoo.’

[Yes.]

‘Do you like lizard meat?’

[Haha. I just can’t get enough of it.]

Yeonwoo the Feathered Sword laughed with satisfaction.

Was she excited at the thought of enjoying fine cuisine after so long?

I could feel the sword blade trembling with anticipation.

[Especially those Tyrant Dragon types. The outer skin is tough, but the inner flesh is surprisingly tender.]

“…?”

[The bloody smell unique to cold-blooded animals surges up from your throat, and it strangely enhances the savory taste. As you chew, the heat soaked between the scales stings your tongue tip, and the aftertaste that remains is just like beef seared over charcoal… Urgh, uurgh!]

“….”

Woom, wooooom-.

At Yeonwoo’s suddenly pouring disturbing remarks, I hastily activated silence.

‘This one… really…’

Haah-.

Even the killing intent that had risen to my throat subsided before the Feather Sword’s madness.

Having completely lost my motivation to teach the Tyrant Dragon a lesson, I just let out a deep sigh.

Of course, the Tyrant Dragon, unaware of these circumstances, still maintained his guard.

“Explain yourself, Gaon! Why did you suddenly try to draw your sword…!”

“It was a monster.”

“What? Where! Where was it! I didn’t sense anything at all…!”

“It just ran away. Must have been a monster specialized in stealth and escape.”

I offered a casual excuse.

“Tch.”

The Tyrant Dragon clicked his tongue without even suspecting anything.

“What a shame. I thought I could finally stretch my muscles after so long.”

“….”

Anyway.

This simple-minded, stupid lizard brain.

* * *

“Aunt, aunt, aunt, aunt, aunt, aunt.”

Patter-.

Vilopozy, the Dungeon Town.

A young girl was racing through underground passages carved from rock.

However, contrary to her hurried footsteps, the child’s expression and voice were utterly expressionless.

“Aunt.”

Stop-.

How many cave rooms had she passed through?

The girl stopped walking as she arrived in front of a dining table.

“….”

“….”

“….”

About a dozen ‘aunts’ turned their heads in unison to look at the child.

They had perfectly identical faces, but each had different colored eyes.

Under the stares of the ‘aunts’ looking at her as if asking what was wrong, the girl spoke in an indifferent voice.

“We’re in big trouble. The Demented Sister who was protecting our village has disappeared.”

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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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