Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 237

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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 237

Episode 237. Spring of the Ancient Dragon (10)

* * *

The moment The Ancient Dragon acknowledged my passing of the trial.

Saaaaa—.

I felt something that had been tangled complexly in my head begin to unravel.

Like a twisted ball of yarn untangling itself, the jumbled fragments of memory returned to their proper places.

That terrible scene I had faced in the trial.

The bullet lodged in the boy’s back. The bread rolling on the ground. The dark red bloodstains spreading.

All of it faded away like mist, then began to be overlaid with completely different memories.

Bang—!

A gunshot rang out.

But the bullet struck the ground at his feet, not the boy’s back.

Crack—!

The startled boy screamed and froze in place.

The cloth bundle he had been holding slipped from his hands and fell.

Roll, roll—.

The bundle came undone, revealing its contents.

Old, hard-looking pieces of bread.

Crackle—.

I hurriedly spoke into the radio.

─Alpha Team, there’s a civilian boy at the alley entrance. Around 10 years old, confirmed unarmed. Please escort him to safety.

─…Roger. Confirmed.

Through my scope, I could see my teammates carefully approaching the boy. They removed their helmets and raised their hands to show they weren’t a threat.

The boy was trembling and sniffling, but fortunately he wasn’t hurt.

Yes.

That’s how the situation had ended safely.

It meant the hallucination I faced in the trial was all false.

Heh—.

The moment that fact became certain, a bitter laugh escaped my lips without my knowing.

I looked directly at The Ancient Dragon and said.

“I never expected you to lie about the content of the trial.”

[….]

Roel’s system doesn’t lie.

That was an immutable truth I had known throughout my time playing Roel.

System Messages were always accurate, and while they might use ambiguous expressions, they never provided falsehoods.

But….

Ding—!

〔Your worst past will be recreated.〕

“You clearly said you would recreate the worst past, so why did you show me a distorted fantasy?”

This trial had recreated something that never actually happened. It amplified trauma with fabricated illusions.

It was the first time the system had lied to a player.

‘Why?’

I stared intently at The Ancient Dragon.

As the being who designed the trial and the master of all this, she surely knew the answer.

After a moment, she quietly spoke.

[I have never told a lie.]

“…?”

[The worst past one wishes to forget is always exaggerated beyond the actual situation.]

The Ancient Dragon continued her explanation in a calm voice. Her golden eyes gazed at me deeply.

[Such is the nature of mortal memory. The more one fears something, the more greatly it becomes distorted, and the more one regrets something, the more vividly it becomes etched.]

“….”

[The key to this trial is that you must overcome even that distorted past. It’s not about facing what actually happened, but confronting the ‘what if’ you fear most.]

After hearing those words, I remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

‘Well….’

I understood completely.

What if I had shot the boy? What if my judgment was wrong? What if an uncontrollable variable had occurred?

Those ‘what ifs’ had accumulated to become nightmares, PTSD, and ultimately tormented me for years.

‘…Overcoming that could indeed be called true growth.’

Not accepting what actually happened in the past, but facing the worst that could have happened and surpassing even that.

I let out a small sigh.

‘It’s not entirely wrong.’

Trauma can worsen even from things you haven’t actually experienced. Sometimes the worst-case scenarios in your imagination become more vivid than real memories.

Knowing this fact better than anyone, I couldn’t help but agree with The Ancient Dragon’s explanation.

[You have done well.]

The Ancient Dragon nodded with a satisfied expression.

[Now it is time to emerge from the illusion. The reward you will receive awaits outside….]

“No.”

Swoosh—.

I interrupted The Ancient Dragon’s words and slowly lowered my gaze.

A world entirely crimson.

Even the floor was stained crimson and reflected transparently.

And.

Deep beneath the floor, I could see someone sinking below.

It was Tyrant Dragon.

His form was gradually shrinking as he sank into the darkness. His face was completely contorted, and his expression of agony was clear as he clutched his throat with both hands.

I looked up at The Ancient Dragon and said.

“Please send me into Tyrant Dragon’s illusion.”

[….]

“I’ll rescue that friend and then leave the spring.”

* * *

Haa, ha—.

Tyrant Dragon’s eyes shook endlessly.

Massive flames soared before his eyes.

Everything around was burning. Houses, streets, even the sky itself was engulfed in red flames.

He could see human silhouettes melting in the fire. The cries of children. Collapsing buildings. The stench of burning flesh.

“Why, why….”

Swoosh—.

Tyrant Dragon looked at the mage before him.

Then he shouted in a voice filled with resentment.

“Why did you commit such an act! These people have nothing to do with this! Why are you massacring innocent people!”

At those words, the mage before us burst into a sneer.

Swish—.

He smoothly swept his hair back behind his forehead and slowly examined his pure white gloves. They were spotless, without a single burn mark.

Even in this chaotic situation where everything had been devoured by flames, his opponent remained infinitely upright and pristine.

Zahhar.

The pure-blooded Dragon Clan’s Black Mage looked at Tyrant Dragon and sneered.

“Run away, you half-wit.”

“….”

“If you want to live, run away right now. Flee with your tail between your legs, trembling with fear.”

Zahhar’s voice was filled with cynicism.

“And admit that you’re not obsessed with struggle. That you’re not part of the Dragon Clan either.”

“Never! I absolutely cannot…!”

“Then.”

Zahhar coldly cut off his words. Then he slowly looked around the burning village and added.

“Are you saying you’ll make their sacrifice meaningless? If you die here, all of this becomes pointless.”

“Grrrgh…!”

“This is my final warning. Run away, half-wit.”

Tyrant Dragon’s entire body trembled with rage and fear. Blood flowed from his clenched fists, but Tyrant Dragon didn’t even notice it.

Right at that moment.

Slash—!

“…?”

Instantly, with the sound of flesh being cut, Zahhar’s neck tilted at an angle.

Drip—.

His head slid off his shoulder and fell to the ground.

While Tyrant Dragon was blinking in confusion, not understanding what had happened.

Slide—.

Thud—.

The corpse collapsed forward, and from behind it, a man revealed himself.

His dark blue hair fluttered in the wind, and his golden eyes emitted a gentle glow. The Feather Sword in his hand still rippled with afterglow.

An overwhelming presence.

A calm, unwavering posture even in the middle of a burning village.

It was Gaon, the Thirteenth Sword Master.

“Wh-what…?”

While Tyrant Dragon wore a dumbfounded expression.

Swish—!

Gaon casually flicked the blood off his sword and muttered quietly.

“This time, fix that filthy sleeping habit of yours, Tyrant Dragon.”

“…?”

“I’m telling you not to throw punches the moment you wake up like last time.”

* * *

Puhaaa—!

As I raised my head above the water surface, cold air filled my lungs.

Beside me, Tyrant Dragon also gasped for breath as he raised his head out of the water. We slowly walked out toward the water’s edge.

I kept coughing continuously. From the bright red water mixed with the air, it seemed we had been in the pool for quite a long time.

[So then.]

As we emerged from the spring water, we could face the Ancient Dragon who was looking at us kindly.

A massive body covered in silver scales. It was the form of a dragon with broken horns and torn wings.

[Through this trial, what have you both gained?]

The Ancient Dragon’s voice echoed throughout the entire cave.

“That’s….”

Tyrant Dragon hesitated for a moment, glanced at me, but ultimately couldn’t continue his words.

It couldn’t be helped.

I had forcibly pulled Tyrant Dragon out of the trial. He hadn’t overcome his trauma at all.

Swish—.

When Tyrant Dragon couldn’t say anything, the Ancient Dragon shifted his gaze to me without any particular response.

[You have perfectly passed the trial.]

“….”

[You saw through the entire design and purpose of this trial. The memories and experiences of surpassing yourself would be valuable enough… but you deserve a reward beyond that.]

Saying this, the Ancient Dragon slowly lowered his head.

[Here.]

“….”

[Take everything I have.]

Crumble—.

The next moment, the Ancient Dragon’s massive body began to scatter like powder.

“…Wh-what?”

Tyrant Dragon showed signs of confusion.

I silently watched the scene. It was a situation I had experienced dozens of times in the game.

The silver scales transformed into particles of light and floated in the air. The broken horns, torn wings, and the entire massive body were decomposed into countless lights.

Whiiiing—.

All of it began to gather in one place.

Toward my heart.

Rumble—!

A tremendous energy surged.

The silver particles swirled and were sucked into my chest. Hot and cold sensations simultaneously enveloped my entire body.

Ding—!

〔You have absorbed the ‘Ancient Dragon’s Sacred Body’.〕

〔Reconstructing your body to inherit the characteristics of the Dragon Heart.〕

…

Drip—.

Notification windows poured before my eyes.

And at the same time….

Crack crack crack crack——!

“…!”

…the all-too-familiar, terrible pain began.

* * *

“Wh-what…!”

“You’re alive! The Sword Masters have returned safely!”

Murmur murmur—.

The Dwarves were shocked to see us safely emerge from the Ancient Dragon’s Lair.

A forbidden territory where not a single person had survived for hundreds of years. They couldn’t hide their amazement at seeing us walk out unharmed from that place.

The Village Chief asked with a trembling voice.

“G-Gaon… what you promised before….”

“That’s right.”

I answered briefly.

“Monster waves won’t occur anymore.”

“…!”

The cause of the monster waves was the Ancient Dragon’s shell. The mana emitted by its body had stimulated the monsters around the village, triggering the waves.

‘But since I absorbed it….’

The root cause itself had disappeared.

Of course, there was no need to explain all of this to the dwarves in detail.

“Th, thank you…!”

The dwarves believed my words without question.

A Sword Master’s words carried that much authority.

Especially from someone who had escaped from the Ancient Dragon’s Lair, where no one had ever survived.

Time passed quickly after that.

One day.

Two days.

And three days.

The dwarves of Vilopozy thoroughly prepared for attacks from Black Mages and Worshippers of Evil Gods to replace the neutralized defense system. Mangnyeom, Adelia, and Tyrant Dragon each made their own preparations.

I did the same.

Then, on the fourth day.

Knock knock-.

Adelia knocked and entered the room.

“Lord Gaon.”

“….”

“A Black Mage has appeared. Along with Dorico Shiro.”

Finally.

The Vilopozy attack scenario had begun.

Swish-.

I silently looked down at my mana stat.

‘All preparations are complete.’

Now.

It was time to go and bring this scenario to its conclusion.

〔MP : 10/10〕

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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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