Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 234

—————
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 234

Episode 234. The Ancient Dragon’s Spring (7)

* * *

“Huu.”

Tyrant Dragon let out a short breath.

It was quiet.

The ear-splitting roars had disappeared.

The metallic sounds of clashing armor and the sharp sounds of weapons cutting through the air had all stopped.

Dozens of Dragon Knights lay collapsed on the ground. Their iron armor dented, helmets cracked, limbs twisted.

Fsssssss-!

Then, the forms of the Dragon Knights began to slowly blur one by one.

In the place where armor and corpses vanished like black smoke, only one object remained sitting alone.

Dragon teeth.

Cracked or half-broken dull ivory-colored dragon fangs rolled around on the ground.

“….”

And in the center of it all.

Gaon stood quietly holding the Feather Sword.

Without a single breath disturbed.

‘That bastard….’

Tyrant Dragon thought to himself.

‘…He used doppelganger techniques to sweep away all the Dragon Knights.’

Hundreds of years.

Tyrant Dragon had encountered all sorts of extraordinary ability users during that time.

There truly existed those who possessed various powers in this world.

However.

They all had one thing in common.

‘They all had just one thing.’

Whether it was skills, supernatural abilities, or divine powers.

They always manifested within one framework. As power subordinated to some single concept, some single law.

Even thinking of Roren the Shadow Knight he met in the Dark City, it was the same. His abilities, outstanding enough for even Tyrant Dragon to acknowledge, were thoroughly limited to the concept of ‘shadows.’

Hiding in shadows, moving through shadows, binding enemies with shadows.

‘Other Sword Masters are the same.’

Mangnyeom had super-intuition that could see the future. Pean had extremely developed super-senses.

Besides them, other Heretics were also beings who had pushed their respective specialized abilities to the extreme.

But.

‘What about Gaon…?’

Just the abilities Tyrant Dragon had seen from Gaon were far too numerous.

Strikes with overwhelming destructive power.

Insane reaction speed that even Tyrant Dragon himself couldn’t match.

Teleportation.

Doppelganger techniques.

Vast knowledge including ancient languages.

And even the resurrection ability to come back from death that he showed in his battle with Bloodlust.

‘…Does this make sense?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand.

Was it possible to contain so many abilities in one body?

Each ability alone was worthy of dominating an era, yet they were all concentrated in one person?

“….”

Tyrant Dragon stared intently at Gaon.

Indeed, just how many more abilities were hidden behind that expressionless face?

He didn’t know.

At least for now, he couldn’t even dare to fathom the end of it.

* * *

【Lv. 52】

The moment I confirmed the level display that appeared in one corner of my vision, a strange feeling washed over me.

‘Level 52.’

Honestly, I was a bit moved.

Throughout all my playthroughs, I had never once reached this level just four months after the tutorial ended in game time.

It was truly storm-like growth.

What was even more surprising was….

‘The fact that this growth rate is accelerating exponentially.’

It was hard to believe I had struggled so much in the early stages when I wasn’t even level 10.

‘But that’s how everything originally works.’

If you build a solid foundation, growth naturally follows.

The choices I had accumulated so far had ultimately created this result.

‘Right.’

I was convinced once again.

The route and build I was currently following was optimal.

There was no better growth method than this.

[This is….]

Just then.

Yeonwoo the Feathered Sword’s voice was heard.

[Truly remarkable.]

Her voice contained sincere admiration.

[Even among my past masters, none fought while handling doppelgangers this skillfully.]

“….”

[Their faces were all equally ugly, but they were all renowned experts of their time, yet none of them could handle Avatar Manifestation this freely.]

The Feather Sword paused briefly and trailed off.

[As expected… you are….]

Before Yeonwoo could finish her words, a notification window appeared in my vision.

Ding-!

〔Your bond with Yeonwoo the Feathered Sword deepens.〕

〔Skill: 【Avatar Manifestation】 proficiency has increased. (22%→23%)〕

‘This goes up again.’

I smiled slightly to myself.

It seems I did well to drop hints about being a regressor.

The proficiency keeps rising steadily, doesn’t it?

‘Anyway.’

Separate from the results, now it was time to review the battle.

Inhale, exhale-.

I slowly breathed out and began to trace through the battle that had just occurred in my mind.

‘Fighting while continuing combat with two bodies….’

It was more challenging than I had imagined.

It was completely different from controlling a character with a keyboard and mouse.

In the past, I had to draw with my right hand while writing calligraphy with my left, and solve Rubik’s cubes with both feet at the same time… but this felt dozens of times more difficult than that.

Two fields of vision poured in simultaneously.

Two bodies each demanded different movements.

One side had to block enemy attacks, while the other had to exploit openings and counterattack.

Moreover.

I had to calculate the distance and positioning between the two bodies in real time.

Under normal circumstances, my brain would have overloaded and I would have collapsed on the spot. It would have been absolutely impossible with my body from before the possession.

However.

‘I somehow managed to pull it off.’

Super intuition and super senses, plus MAX swordsmanship talent. Thanks to the combination of all these abilities, I was barely able to succeed.

Super senses processed information from both bodies simultaneously, super intuition predicted the next moment’s movements, and swordsmanship talent connected it all into natural sword strikes.

Even so.

‘It’s still not enough.’

There were moments during combat when the timing was slightly off.

There were definitely instances when the coordination between the two bodies wasn’t perfect.

It was fortunate that the opponent was Dragon Soldiers, but if it had been a stronger enemy, that single gap might have become a fatal weakness.

‘I need to keep using it whenever I get the chance to adapt.’

Raising proficiency was good, but gaining practical experience was even more important.

Avatar Manifestation wasn’t an ability that could be perfected through skill percentages alone. It was a power that could only be truly mastered when completely ingrained in the body.

After finishing that thought, I raised my head and looked ahead.

Crack crack crack-!

Suddenly, the wall at the end of the cave began splitting with a loud noise.

What had been a dead end.

With all the Dragon Soldiers defeated, a hidden passage that had been concealed there finally revealed itself.

The wall split apart to the left and right, revealing a long corridor shrouded in darkness beyond.

A faint red light seeped out from the distance.

“Let’s move.”

As I took the first step, Tyrant Dragon, who had been standing dazed, followed behind me.

Thud, thud-.

Now.

It was time to meet the master of this dungeon.

* * *

Stop-.

After walking along the passage for a while, the space suddenly opened up.

It was an underground cave.

However, it was completely different from the dark, narrow passage we had just traversed.

My steps unconsciously stopped at the sight that filled my vision.

“….”

Whooooo-.

The first thing that caught my eye was a crimson pool.

The still water surface glowed softly. The light rippled slowly as if breathing, and faint heat rose like a mirage over the waveless surface.

Mysterious colors flowed slowly over the rough rocky walls.

Brilliant radiance mixed with blue, red, and purple light. The entire cave gave the illusion of breathing like a living creature.

And at the far end.

Beyond the pool.

In the deepest part of the cave, something enormous was lying down.

“Wh-what is that….”

Tyrant Dragon muttered in a shocked voice from behind.

Dozens of layers of silver scales glowed softly as if holding moonlight.

Torn and punctured wings wrapped around the massive body, and two horns extending from its head still emanated an intimidating presence even in their broken state.

Whoosh-.

Huuuu-.

Faint but distinct breathing filled the entire cave.

“No way….”

It wasn’t remains.

It wasn’t a corpse that had been dead for ages.

“…The Ancient Dragon?”

A still-breathing Ancient Dragon.

Was before our eyes.

[I woke up because of the commotion.]

Flinch-.

My body stiffened at the sudden voice.

It was like thunder rolling.

The low, deep voice echoed off the cave walls and vibrated the air itself.

[To think guests would visit such a deep place. It has truly been a long time.]

Slowly-.

The Ancient Dragon’s massive eyelids slowly lifted.

Instantly, golden light poured throughout the cave. Eyes that blazed like molten metal in a furnace looked down at us.

Ding-!

〔Mental Power ‘MAX’ resists the opponent’s intimidating presence.〕

An overwhelming presence pressed down from all directions.

Such dense intimidation that even breathing was difficult.

Tyrant Dragon unconsciously gripped Pokryeomdo.

“How….”

Only after a long while did Tyrant Dragon finally open his mouth.

“…How are you still alive?”

His voice trembled. Complex emotions of awe and doubt were clearly evident.

[Do not misunderstand, young dragon.]

The Ancient Dragon’s gaze turned to Tyrant Dragon.

[Your doubt is not wrong. I am certainly a shell and remains.]

“…?”

Tyrant Dragon’s brow furrowed.

[My true body ascended long ago. This flesh is nothing more or less than remnants left in an empty shell.]

The Ancient Dragon’s voice was calm yet melancholy.

[The reason the Dragon Soldiers who greeted you earlier attacked first was because of this. As my lifespan wanes, even the wisdom dwelling within them has deteriorated. Originally, they would have been more discerning with intruders.]

A being that was dead but not completely gone. Though the body was empty, the remnants within maintained consciousness, however faintly.

It was a similar concept to Emperor Tarosk’s thought-form. Being the corpse of one who had ascended, it was bound to be different from ordinary remains.

“Tch.”

Tyrant Dragon clicked his tongue. Then he growled and muttered.

“As expected, smashing those tooth bastards was the right thing to do.”

The Ancient Dragon smiled benevolently. A low, gentle laughter filled the dungeon.

[Don’t blame them too harshly. They too did their best to fulfill their roles.]

“….”

[You cannot know how many have coveted these remains. All manner of villains have targeted this place. For forbidden magic, for evil rituals, or simply to satisfy their greed.]

The Ancient Dragon’s voice grew heavier.

[They were my faithful guards. Though they may have lost their wisdom now, their merit in protecting this lair for so long cannot be denied.]

A moment of silence passed.

Soon the Ancient Dragon slowly raised its head and looked at us in turn.

[So.]

Golden eyes stared directly at me.

[For what purpose have you come to this place?]

The moment the question fell, Tyrant Dragon glanced at me sideways.

It was a look that said I should be the one to answer.

I fell into thought for a moment.

Then.

“Let me ask you in return.”

I said, looking directly at the Ancient Dragon.

“What can you give us?”

“…!”

Tyrant Dragon looked back at me with a shocked expression. Astonishment at how I dared to question the Ancient Dragon in such a manner.

But the Ancient Dragon was not angered.

Rather.

[Hmm. A good question indeed.]

It merely nodded as if satisfied.

[That depends entirely on you.]

“….”

[Some have gained clues to ascension from this place, others have grasped treasures. Some gained enlightenment, others obtained power.]

The Ancient Dragon’s voice resonated softly.

[Countless worldlines. Countless timelines. Those who have passed through this place are innumerable, yet what they obtained was different for each.]

Worldlines.

And timelines.

The moment those words brushed past my ears.

Thump-.

My heart lurched. Cold sweat trickled down my spine.

The Ancient Dragon’s gaze fixed precisely on me.

[Don’t you know this fact better than anyone?]

“….”

The moment those words fell, I instinctively realized.

‘It knows.’

The Ancient Dragon knew.

About the game called Roel and the existence of Possessed Ones. And even my identity, having played it hundreds of times.

‘It’s the same case as Upapa.’

Just like Upapa I met in Rashutku’s Nightmare, that shell was surely connected to the main body in the Heavenly Realm.

It meant it was communicating with an ascended god and seeing through the truth of this world.

However.

‘The problem is, this is the worst situation.’

The Ancient Dragon’s Lair second trial.

The content of that ordeal was clear.

Making the challenger face the memory they most want to avoid and the past they fear most.

‘If the Ancient Dragon knows my true identity….’

The subject of the trial would change.

It meant the trial would unfold based on ‘me before possession’, not Gaon.

It was a variable I had never experienced. A completely different pattern from the game would unfold.

“….”

My throat went completely dry.

This was exactly why I thought the Ancient Dragon’s Lair might be more dangerous than any trial I had faced so far.

Rashutku’s Nightmare, Puppet Master Batu’s Hideout, even the confrontations with the Apostles were all extensions of the game.

The knowledge accumulated from playing Roel nearly 200 times. I just had to move within that framework.

What enemies would appear, what traps existed, how to respond. All the answers were already in my head.

But this is different.

‘I have to solve it purely with my own abilities.’

Game knowledge and strategies won’t work.

Only ‘I’ as an existence must face my pre-possession memories head-on.

Face the worst past and overcome it.

My fingertips trembled slightly.

Honestly speaking….

‘…It might be difficult.’

Because I couldn’t overcome it.

I had immersed myself in games to deliberately avoid reality and forget.

Was that why?

Faced with having to return to that hell again, my confidence wavered for the first time.

‘But….’

From the moment I set foot in the dungeon.

It was something I had accepted.

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