Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 226

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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 226

Episode 226. Jaque’s Trial (3)

* * *

Whiiiiing-!

As soon as I regained consciousness, I felt dry wind brushing against my cheek.

All around was nothing but barren-looking sand.

An endlessly sprawling desolate wasteland. The sky was sunken in ash-gray, and nothing could be seen beyond the horizon.

“….”

Swoosh-.

I slowly looked around.

Adelia was watching me with a tense expression, and Mangnyeom was looking around with curiosity.

And Tyrant Dragon was.

“Damn it….”

Spitting out curses while clenching and unclenching his fists.

“…I can’t put any strength into my body at all.”

Naturally, that was inevitable.

Because that was the core theme of this trial.

Ding-!

〔The challengers’ levels are temporarily reduced to ‘1’.〕

All stats are reset.

The trial challengers would instantly lose the power they had built up over decades or even hundreds of years.

To be precise, skills and abilities themselves remained the same, but the problem was that the physical stats supporting them were rock bottom.

No matter how excellent one’s techniques or swordsmanship skills were, they were useless without a body capable of executing them.

‘And the escape condition for this trial is….’

For even one person to regain their original level.

Right.

Until then, no matter what we tried, we couldn’t escape from this trial.

‘It’s an incredibly difficult trial.’

To begin with, the level a person achieved wasn’t built overnight.

Growth occurred gradually over long periods of time. In that process, the body slowly became stronger, adapted to changes, and grew accustomed to new power.

Recovering that level during the course of the trial was practically an impossible task.

Above all….

‘…What if a Sword Master who had grown accustomed to a transcendent body for hundreds of years suddenly became level 1?’

Naturally, adaptation would be even more difficult.

Rather, the higher the level someone had reached, the more powerless they would become in this trial.

Just like right now.

“Huh…?”

Wobble-!

Tyrant Dragon tried to pick up Pokryeomdo that was stuck in the ground, lost his balance and staggered.

Then collapsed straight onto the sandy ground.

As soon as Adelia saw this, she hurriedly ran toward him.

“Lord Tyrant Dragon, are you alri… Aaaah!”

Wobble-!

But she too couldn’t adapt to her changed body and fell right next to him.

Faced with this sudden slapstick comedy, I could only stare at the two of them with bewildered eyes.

What are you two doing?

“Nngh….”

Tyrant Dragon and Adelia tried to get up by pressing against the ground, but their bodies wouldn’t obey.

Their souls, accustomed to powerful bodies for hundreds of years, couldn’t handle the disconnect of being trapped in weak flesh.

Huff, huff-.

Tyrant Dragon gasped roughly while clutching his head with both hands. His complexion had been poor for quite some time already.

“I didn’t do anything… but my vision is spinning and my head feels like it’s going to explode… Nnnngh….”

Tyrant Dragon’s voice trembled faintly.

Even though everyone had equally become level 1, the reason Tyrant Dragon was suffering the most was simple.

Because lizards are cold-blooded animals.

In the scorching heat of the wasteland, Tyrant Dragon’s body was losing its function.

“I was prepared for it but… this is too… painful…?”

Before entering the trial.

I had briefly explained Jaque’s trial to everyone.

That their bodies would become completely weakened and the resulting disconnect would be severe.

─What? How do you know the contents of a trial you’ve never even entered?

Of course, upon hearing this, Tyrant Dragon had objected as always but….

─I received a revelation from The Great Ones.

─Damn it. You’re always gobbling up good information from The Great Ones. Why don’t I receive such revelations?

─Because you’re not faithful enough.

─….

In the end, he had no choice but to accept my invincible logic.

‘Everyone knew their physical stats would be downgraded.’

However.

Knowing that fact intellectually and experiencing it directly were completely different matters.

‘In contrast….’

I was fine.

I had dropped from level 50 to level 1, but it wasn’t much of a problem.

I tried clenching and unclenching my fist like Tyrant Dragon. I didn’t have the strength I had at level 50, but my body’s balance and senses were more natural compared to the other two.

‘Well, I’m familiar with this situation.’

Adelia had a gap of decades, and Tyrant Dragon had a gap of hundreds of years.

But for me, level 1 was merely the level I had just three months ago.

Having no strength in my body, my vision swaying even while still, breathing being difficult, my head throbbing—this state was all too familiar.

Moreover.

‘You really are the best, Yeonwoo.’

[Pardon?]

Unlike the unbearably heavy weapons of my other companions, my Feather Sword had a weight of ‘0’ numerically.

While others were struggling to even properly hold their swords, it meant I could freely wield my sword even with rock-bottom stats.

“Wait a minute… what’s this about…?”

Swoosh-.

Just then.

Tyrant Dragon, who glanced up at my side, frowned.

Because Mangnyeom was also looking around as if nothing was wrong.

“No. Gaon is originally a strange guy so I can understand that… Mangnyeom, how are you so fine?”

“Huh?”

Mangnyeom tilted her head innocently.

with an expression as if she didn’t quite understand the meaning of the question.

At this, Tyrant Dragon added an explanation in a frustrated voice.

“Your physical abilities have weakened, so why are you perfectly fine!”

“Ah.”

Mangnyeom nodded as if she finally understood what he meant and answered.

“I forgot what condition my body was in before entering the trial.”

“…?”

“…?”

That’s right.

Mangnyeom had no need to ‘adapt’ to a weakened body from the start.

Because she couldn’t remember her previous physical condition at all.

…Again, I hadn’t brought a dementia patient along for this scenario for no reason.

Clatter clatter clatter-!

Right at that moment.

A black shadow began rapidly approaching from far away.

Squeak-!

Squeeeeeeeeak-!

Sharp cries echoing across the wasteland.

Creatures as thick as a human forearm. Red glowing eyes and jet-black fur. And even worm-like tails.

Witnessing this, Mangnyeom tilted her head and muttered.

“…Mice?”

【Lv. 1】

【Lv. 1】

【Lv. 1】

【Lv. 1】

The enemy’s identity was none other than mouse-shaped monsters.

Exactly four of them.

A number that perfectly matched our party size.

‘Jaque’s trial summons monsters in proportion to the number of challengers.’

However.

The problem now was that two people had fallen into a combat-incapable state.

In the end, Mangnyeom and I had to face all four of them.

“Whew.”

But there was nothing to worry about.

Rather, I had intended this situation.

The reason I had brought Tyrant Dragon, Adelia, and even Mangnyeom to a trial I could have challenged alone was none other than this.

‘To maximize the risk.’

Roel was always like that. High risk, high return. Reliable rewards followed that were worth the hardship, or even more.

Then.

It was time to obtain those maximized rewards this time too.

I looked at Mangnyeom beside me.

“Mangnyeom.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you hold a sword?”

“Hmm….”

Swish-.

Mangnyeom looked at the sword fallen on the ground and tilted her head.

For reference, she was looking at Pokryeomdo.

“Hey, you demented bastard!”

Tyrant Dragon shouted angrily.

“That’s my sword! Your sword is fallen over there!”

“Ah.”

Only then did Mangnyeom turn her head toward her rapier.

She bent her waist to pick up the sword, but….

“Oh.”

As expected, the rapier didn’t budge.

It seemed Mangnyeom’s strength stat made it impossible to lift the sword.

“Sorry. It’s too heavy, I can’t lift it.”

“Then pick up a tree branch rolling around on the ground.”

“Okay.”

Mangnyeom obediently nodded and picked up a dried, twisted tree branch that was rolling around nearby.

Thus, we both prepared for battle.

Just then, the four mice had approached right in front of us.

Squeeeeak-!

Watching the leaping mouse, I took a short breath.

Inhale-.

It didn’t matter that my physical abilities had declined. The swordsmanship talent engraved in the Soul of the Sword Master still remained within me.

Whooooom-!

I swung my sword following the afterimage shown by Ultra Intuition.

The sword wielded by a Level 1 body was incredibly slow, but it was sufficient to cut down mice of the same level.

Crack-!

The Feather Sword drawn horizontally cut three mice in half at once. Dark red blood splattered onto the sand.

Of course, Mangnyeom beside me wasn’t just standing there watching either.

Whoosh-.

The sound of wind from beside me.

Mangnyeom casually thrust the dried, twisted tree branch.

It was a motion that seemed half-hearted, but its aim was precise.

Crack-!

Squeak-! Squeeeeeeak-!

The tip of the tree branch pierced into the mouse’s eye socket.

A fatal wound. The screaming mouse writhed and then went limp.

Rustle-.

The corpse scattered like dust and disappeared.

At the same time, other monsters began to be summoned from far away.

【Lv. 2】

【Lv. 2】

【Lv. 2】

【Lv. 2】

‘Four again this time….’

At first glance, it had a similar structure to Camillo von Taribas’s trial.

A trial where enemies endlessly swarm in a wasteland-like setting. A method of growing by enduring and enduring again.

However, there was a crucial difference between the two.

‘Camillo von Taribas’s trial adjusts enemy strength according to the challenger’s growth.’

If the challenger stops at level 10, only level 15 enemies continue to appear. Enduring and enduring again in that state was the essence of the trial.

‘But Jaque’s trial is different.’

Regardless of the challenger’s level, enemies unconditionally grow progressively stronger.

In other words, I must grow stronger with each wave.

If I fail to grow, I’ll be buried and killed by increasingly powerful enemies.

The moment I stop, it’s over.

That was the cruel rule of Jaque’s trial.

Swish-!

I gripped the Feather Sword again as I watched the approaching level 2 monster.

A trial that forces endless growth.

A hell where stopping means only death.

‘I’m all too familiar with this.’

From the moment I first opened my eyes in this world, I had endured such days continuously.

* * *

Like the other Evil Gods’ trials, Jaque’s trial was also structurally designed to be impossible to clear.

When I thought about it, it was only natural.

Who would be trapped in this trial? Precisely, transcendent-level powerhouses who had defeated Jaque in his second phase… and their companions.

‘What if such strong individuals fell to level 1?’

The physical sensations built up over hundreds of years would disappear in an instant. No matter how exceptional one’s talent and experience, it’s useless if the body can’t keep up.

Tyrant Dragon and Adelia were proof of this right now. These Sword Master-level fighters were struggling just to move properly.

‘Of course, I’m an exception.’

I hadn’t grown through normal means. Abnormally, explosively, I had rushed to level 50 in just three months.

So the sensation of being level 1 was still vivid. Moreover, even with low stats, I could sufficiently cover it with skills and authorities.

Mangnyeom was also a special case. Thanks to losing her memories, she didn’t need any adaptation.

‘So then…’

…I hadn’t placed any expectations on Tyrant Dragon and Adelia from the start.

Of course, with their talents, they would be able to pull their weight given time.

But right now, they were literally just increasing the number of monsters.

They were merely a means to maximize rewards.

However…

“You’re fighting quite well.”

“Keep it up, Lord Gaon!”

“…”

…seeing those two sitting behind me, calmly cheering me on, made my stomach churn.

‘What is this.’

For some reason, I felt like an ant being mocked by a grasshopper.

“But it’s a bit disappointing. Spread your feet a little wider. Your center is shaking.”

Damn it.

Now he’s even giving me advice.

The words “Then why don’t you come fight…” rose to my throat.

‘Ah.’

Right then.

Suddenly, a memory came to mind.

Something that happened recently when Tyrant Dragon and Heukgol fought against Jark von Haibrunn.

─Countermeasures and whatnot, for me a single sword strike is sufficient.

─Bullshit!

─You’re talking crap! Then you come fight this guy!

“…”

Good lord.

Even this was karma.

‘…Right. Since I’ve gotten this far through free rides, now it’s time for me to be the bus driver.’

Whew-.

I sighed and shook my head.

It was about time to end this damn trial.

Ding-!

━━━━━━━━━━━━

【Soul of the Sword Master】

(Available for use)

━━━━━━━━━━━━

In my hand, I had been holding an emergency exit button from the very beginning.

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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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