Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 236

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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 236

Episode 236. Spring of the Ancient Dragon (9)

* * *

Ding-!

〔Recreating the worst past.〕

My mouth was parched dry.

The stench of blood mixed with salty and metallic tastes vibrated from all directions.

The front view had turned hazy. Sand and smoke mixed together, obscuring my vision, and sunlight spread out unable to penetrate through it.

Thump-.

My heart pounded.

Dryness completely different from Korea’s humid air. The acrid smell of gunpowder stinging my nose. Gunshots echoing from the distance.

Inhale, exhale-.

After slowly steadying my breathing, I brought my eye to the scope.

Crosshairs cut across my field of vision. When I increased the magnification, the blurry scenery became clear.

I could see my teammates among the ruins below the hilltop.

Wearing bulletproof vests and helmets, they were carefully entering an alley while maintaining perimeter security.

Crackle-.

[Alpha team, beginning entry into Building 3. Over.]

A low voice flowed from the radio in my ear. A tone filled with tension.

I didn’t respond.

I had to maintain silence. My role was to survey everything from the hilltop and intervene when threat elements appeared.

I slowly turned the scope. The crosshairs swept across the windows of collapsed buildings, alley entrances, and piles of abandoned cars in sequence.

‘Nothing unusual.’

Only dust was being blown by the wind, floating through the air…

Tap tap tap-!

“…!”

Something quickly darted out from the end of the alley.

A small shadow.

The moment I moved the crosshairs in that direction, my breath stopped.

‘Shit.’

Pause-.

It was a boy who looked about ten years old.

Maybe even younger.

A frame that looked small due to malnutrition. Dark skin tanned by the sun.

The tattered grayish-brown shirt was probably originally white. One knee of his shorts was torn, and his bare feet were covered in dust.

Hah, hah-!

The boy was running desperately while clutching something tightly in both hands.

“…”

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through my mind.

The civilian evacuation order must have been issued, right? Why is there a child here?

Where are his parents?

His guardian?

But those questions lasted only a moment.

Tap tap tap-.

The boy ran even faster.

Though it was too far to hear, his panting breath echoed in my ears. Footsteps that staggered precariously but didn’t stop.

‘The direction is…’

The alley entrance.

Exactly where my teammates were entering.

‘…Damn it.’

My gaze fixed on the object the boy was clutching.

An irregular shape wrapped in cloth. About the size of a soccer ball.

Could it be a bomb?

A bundle of grenades?

Or just clothes or food?

Crackle-.

[Building 3 clear, moving to next sector…]

My teammate’s voice over the radio.

My teammates had no idea. That there was a boy running toward them with something clutched to his chest.

I should turn on the radio and warn them.

The problem was the distance was too short.

In such a brief time, there wasn’t much distance left between the boy and my teammates. While I turned on the radio and explained the situation, they would encounter the boy.

‘This is my mistake.’

The problem was that visibility was limited due to the urban environment.

I couldn’t spot the short boy among the collapsed building debris and abandoned cars.

Now I had to choose. My index finger on the trigger. The cold, hard sensation of metal dug into my fingerprint.

Should I shoot?

Should I not shoot?

If that thing is a bomb, three teammates will die.

It won’t end with just injuries. If it explodes in that narrow alley, fragments will fly in all directions and building debris will collapse. They could be buried.

But what if it’s not a bomb? What if that child is just running away carrying something?

I would be shooting an innocent child. Killing a civilian. But can I be certain? Is there a way to confirm?

I can’t make out the exact shape through the scope. The object is wrapped in cloth, so I can’t identify it with the naked eye…

‘No.’

Anyway.

The answer was already decided.

BOOOOOOOOM─!

A thunderous gunshot tore through the world. Before rational judgment could finish, my body reacted first. I held my breath, pulled the trigger, and absorbed the recoil with my shoulder.

The 7.62mm bullet struck the center of the boy’s back.

Thud-.

The small body pitched forward. The momentum carried him as he floated in the air briefly, then collapsed like a puppet with cut strings and was thrown to the ground.

Thump-.

The object he had been clutching fell from his hands and rolled around. The cloth pieces came undone, revealing the contents inside.

Bread.

They were old, hard-looking pieces of bread.

“Hah, hah…”

It was quiet.

My ears were ringing. The echo of the gunshot reverberated in my ears.

The boy didn’t move. His face buried in the sandy ground.

Due to the aftermath of falling while running, one ankle was twisted at an unnatural angle. Something dark red was spreading from the back of his grayish-brown clothes.

Whoosh-.

Wind blew. Dust rose.

My teammates, startled by the gunshot, reflexively stopped walking.

Crackle—.

The radio buzzed. But my teammates’ voices didn’t reach my ears.

The lingering echo of gunshots was still ringing in my ears, and through that thunderous noise, I could hear someone’s screams.

“أرجوك…! أرجوك، أنا بريء!”

Urgh—.

Something surged up from deep in my throat.

Stomach acid flowed back up my esophagus. A bitter taste spread throughout my mouth. I covered my mouth with my hand, but the nausea wouldn’t stop.

‘It’s okay.’

I repeated to myself inwardly.

‘It was something that had to be done.’

That’s right. I had only followed the manual.

An unidentified target charging toward allies while holding an unknown object in a combat zone. Threat elimination. I had followed standard operating procedures.

‘It was the best choice.’

Variables must be eliminated. My teammates’ lives come first. I made the right judgment.

Everything is ultimately about results anyway.

What if it really had been a bomb? What if I hadn’t shot?

Three teammates would have died.

Then my current choice was right. It had to be right.

However…

The hard, stale bread. Those food items rolling around in the dust kept catching my eye.

‘No.’

My head was a jumbled mess.

I was wrong. I was definitely wrong. There must have been a better way.

If I had just been a little calmer.

If I had spotted the boy earlier in the first place.

If I had shot his leg instead…

“Now.”

Stop—.

At that moment, my mouth opened.

The world stopped.

Dust, wind, gunshots, the smell of blood, nausea. Everything that had been as vivid as reality vanished in an instant.

Blackout.

Pitch-black darkness covered my vision. Sound, smell, and touch all evaporated completely.

The disgusting nausea that had enveloped my entire body, the guilt, and the indescribable emotions were all erased in an instant.

“Now, I think it’s time to stop.”

Having escaped from the memory of the past, I spoke while looking into the void.

[…]

And not long after.

Whoooosh—!

My vision began to brighten again.

* * *

Crimson.

Everything around was completely crimson.

The sky, the ground, even the air was dyed red. There was nothing. No walls, no ceiling, not even clear boundaries of the floor.

Only endlessly spreading crimson existed.

Swish—.

As I slowly turned my head, I could see someone standing in the distance.

It was an old woman.

An old woman wearing a robe embroidered with splendid patterns, with both hands clasped in front of her, looking at me with a kind smile in her eyes.

Silver hair flowed down to her shoulders, and deep wrinkles carved by time were etched into her forehead.

However.

‘Those eyes…’

Golden pupils.

And the dignity dwelling within them.

They were exactly the same eyes as the dragon I had faced in the cave just moments ago.

Even though she had taken human form through polymorph, her essence couldn’t be hidden.

The Ancient Dragon.

Master of Mana and Mysteries. The shell of a being that had transformed from mortal to god.

[Remarkable. To see through the illusion already on the third repetition.]

“…”

[I hadn’t expected you to escape this quickly.]

Indeed.

Honestly, I hadn’t thought I’d be able to pass through this quickly either.

〔Hidden Skill: 【Soul of the Sword Master】 is sealed.〕

〔Authority Skill: 【True Ritardando】 is sealed.〕

〔Authority Skill: 【Immortal Slayer】 is sealed.〕

…

Whoosh—.

Naturally, I received no help from skills whatsoever.

Since the target of the trial was ‘me’ myself rather than ‘Gaon,’ all skills and authorities were completely sealed.

I had to face the trauma purely as myself before the possession.

[How on earth did you do it?]

The Ancient Dragon asked.

Pure curiosity was mixed in her voice.

[If you had received corrections from skills and authorities, it might be understandable… but passing this trial with only an ordinary human’s mental strength while everything is sealed is nearly impossible.]

The Ancient Dragon paused briefly before adding.

[Moreover, the young dragon who entered the water with you is still floundering in the illusion. He shows no signs of awakening.]

Hearing those words, I let out a chuckle.

“Do you know something?”

That Ancient Dragon was connected to the Heavenly Realm anyway. She knew my identity, and it was just the two of us now. There was no need to maintain the pretense of being a Sword Master.

“In the past 12 years, the most alive I’ve felt has been these recent four months.”

[…]

That’s right.

It might sound strange.

I had fallen into a world where my life was in danger every day, yet I felt more alive.

But it was the truth.

Before the possession, I had merely existed.

When I opened my eyes in the morning, I would stare blankly at the ceiling, and before I knew it, the sun would set and I would fall asleep again.

Days passed like that, weeks flowed by, months went by.

When night came, nightmares would visit.

Gunshots. Screams. The smell of blood.

And the sensation of the finger that pulled the trigger.

When I woke from sleep, cold sweat soaked my back. My hands trembled, and my breathing was ragged. I couldn’t fall asleep again.

The game.

That was my only refuge.

Only within Roel could I maintain the illusion that I held control. I felt a sense of command in the process of calculating every variable, designing optimal routes, and executing them perfectly.

What I couldn’t control in reality, I could handle perfectly within the game.

But even that was ultimately an illusion. The moment I turned off the game, I returned to being nothing again.

‘But…’

This place was different.

From the moment I possessed into the World of Loel, everything became real.

The countless brushes with death I experienced. I felt exhilaration watching myself control each dangerous element, meticulously plan, and see those plans actually executed.

When I eliminated Camillo von Taribas.

When I purged the corruption of the Eastern Merchant Guild of Bertas.

When I seized control of the Shadow Conclave.

When I defeated The Adversary and saved Strawberry Latte.

When I subjugated the corrupted Jaque.

When I subdued Puppet Master Batu.

In each of those moments, my heart raced. My blood boiled. The sensation of being alive flowed through my entire body.

And above all…

‘I found purpose.’

The meaning of life I had lost for 12 years.

Surviving in this world. Becoming stronger. Protecting those who need me.

And.

Saving the world – a dream I couldn’t achieve in my previous life.

I had found a clear dream.

A goal in true reality, not within a game.

Paradoxically, only after possessing into the World of Loel could I finally live as myself.

“That’s why.”

I looked directly at the Ancient Dragon and said.

“I was able to see through your deception.”

[…]

The Ancient Dragon’s expression changed subtly.

“I have.”

I looked straight at the Ancient Dragon and said.

“Never once killed a child.”

[…]

“I am not incompetent to that degree.”

If such a situation had truly occurred, I wouldn’t have shot the boy.

I would have fired warning shots to make him flee elsewhere, or employed other methods to attempt non-lethal suppression.

I wouldn’t have chosen a sniping position with obstructed vision in the first place. If variables arose, preventing them in advance was a sniper’s duty.

The confidence I gained through Roel.

And self-assurance.

What I had lost for 12 years, I reclaimed in this world.

I am not incompetent.

I plan, execute, and achieve objectives.

Someone as thorough as me couldn’t have failed to control a single element like that.

My panic, pulling the trigger before calculations were complete, and falling into shock afterward – all of it meant those were fabricated memories.

“Therefore.”

I looked at the Ancient Dragon and said.

“Please release me from this false hallucination now.”

[…]

A moment of silence passed.

Only the Ancient Dragon and I existed in the crimson realm. Her golden eyes gazed deeply at me.

And then.

[Magnificent.]

Hiss-.

A smile spread across the Ancient Dragon’s lips.

A gentle, satisfied smile.

[Indeed, the choice of those established in the Heavenly Realm was not wrong.]

* * *

Ding-!

〔Hidden Message: You have resisted ‘Supreme Cognitive Distortion’ through pure mental strength alone.〕

〔Hidden Message: Perfect conquest without system intervention.〕

〔Hidden Message: The Hall of a Thousand Deities’ voting begins.〕

…

〔Hidden Message: Additional rewards will be granted.〕

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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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