Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 29

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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 29

Episode 29. Earth Dragon Subjugation (6)

Was it a success?

I stared intently at the Tyrant Dragon with that thought in mind.

At first, I had threatened to kill him with bluster and bravado. It was literally just posturing, a bluff.

‘But…’

…It seemed I had underestimated the Tyrant Dragon’s madness.

─My life? I’d give that worthless thing away a hundred times over!

That’s right.

The Tyrant Dragon was a battle maniac who enjoyed fighting opponents head-on, even if it meant death.

There was no way such a madman would back down from a single warning of mine.

‘So I immediately switched tactics. To offering a ‘better’ battle.’

It was a persuasion method that came to mind as soon as I realized the Tyrant Dragon was unarmed.

Let’s fight when we’re both in peak condition.

My body is in poor shape right now, and you happened to come without your weapon, didn’t you?

I tried to entice the Tyrant Dragon this way to postpone our duel.

‘I’m glad this method worked.’

Thanks to that, I avoided the worst-case scenario.

It meant I could prevent either of us from dying.

…Ah, of course, the situation wasn’t completely over yet.

“Then… when will your body recover?”

At the question thrown by the Sword Master of the Raging Dragon, I racked my brain again.

How could I delay the duel as much as possible?

It would be best to postpone it indefinitely, so that day would never come…

‘Ah.’

Right at that moment, a good idea popped into my head.

I immediately voiced it.

“I’ll let you know as soon as the restriction is lifted.”

Restriction.

Shackles imposed as the price for gaining special abilities.

Upon hearing that keyword, the Tyrant Dragon nodded without a hint of doubt.

As if he had expected such an answer all along.

“…So that’s what it was.”

The Tyrant Dragon scratched the back of his neck.

Then suddenly threw something toward me.

“Catch.”

Thud-!

Some small object fell at my feet.

When I looked, it was a lustrous scale with a crimson glow.

‘…A Tyrant Dragon’s scale?’

A Tyrant Dragon’s scale.

This was a kind of token given by the Sword Master of the Raging Dragon to warriors he acknowledged.

A rare item that could only be obtained by surviving battle with him, or when he recognized the opponent’s skill.

Among swordsmen, it was regarded as the highest ‘medal of honor.’

This meant that one of the twelve seekers of the sword on the continent had acknowledged one’s abilities.

…Because of this, there were even rumors that counterfeits were being made in Dungarrd, the Dark City.

‘But why is he giving this to me…?’

As if reading that question from my expression, the Tyrant Dragon provided an answer.

“It’s not for you, but for that swordsman sprawled over there.”

“…?”

“I attacked with killing intent, but she defended at that crucial moment.”

The guy furrowed his brow and asked as if testing me.

“She shows promise of greatness. Is she your disciple?”

“None of your business.”

“…With that attitude, tsk.”

Step, step-.

With that conversation ended, the Tyrant Dragon turned his back without regret.

The sound of his footsteps gradually growing distant.

The Tyrant Dragon’s figure heading toward the depths of the deepest layer was swallowed by darkness and soon disappeared.

The Labyrinth Village Tunnels don’t end at the deepest layer. The underground maze that continues below connects to various places across the continent.

Places like the Middletemple Sisterhood, Dungard’s Pit of Corpses, or the stronghold of the Shadow Sect.

‘Commonly called 「The Abyss」.’

A region teeming with countless high-level monsters and dangers.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was a hundred times more dangerous than the Uncharted Wilderness.

Of course, for a fearless powerhouse like the Tyrant Dragon, there would be no better travel route.

‘Well, that aside…’

I poked my head out slightly and looked toward where the Tyrant Dragon had disappeared.

‘…He’s gone.’

The sound of footsteps had completely vanished.

Now all that remained in the deepest layer were me, Adelia, and Tolong’s corpse.

I barely saved my life again this time.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I hurriedly moved my feet.

…Toward Adelia, who was sprawled on the ground.

‘There are still a whole bunch of unresolved questions…’

Why did the Tyrant Dragon suddenly appear?

For what purpose did he kill Tolong and attack me?

Where exactly did the scenario go wrong?

Such curiosities kept swirling in my head, but there was a different problem I needed to think about right now.

‘…First, let me take care of Adelia, who’s in critical condition.’

* * *

Adelia was lying there limply as if dead.

I approached and checked her condition.

Was it fortunate amid misfortune? Though faint, her heart was still beating.

Of course, it was still too early to feel relieved.

“Ga, Gaon…’

Cough-!

Then, Adelia, who had her eyes closed, suddenly regained consciousness.

Dark red blood poured from between her lips as she called my name.

I frowned and extended my palm.

It was a gesture telling her not to speak anymore and to rest.

Understanding my meaning, Adelia continued breathing with difficulty as she lay face down on the ground.

‘…Her condition is terrible.’

There wasn’t a single uninjured spot.

Even with a rough glance, there were more than one or two broken places.

Maintaining consciousness in such a physical state felt like a miracle.

She had barely managed to block the Tyrant Dragon’s attack? If she hadn’t, she surely would have lost her life.

“….”

Thinking about it made me dizzy.

Hadn’t I almost lost Adelia?

‘Ultimate Auto-Parry only activates when I’m in danger.’

I can’t even protect my own people.

All I can do right now is click 【Soul of the Sword Master】 to kill the enemy before me.

But with just that simple option, I couldn’t survive in this complex world that had become reality.

‘I need to increase my tools.’

Tools.

That is, I need to learn more tools that can give me more options.

Of course, I had originally planned to do so, but it meant I needed to accelerate my growth speed even more.

‘I can’t think complacently.’

The worldline of Lost Elder had already been twisted beyond repair.

The upheaval I brought had changed countless things.

The encounter with the Sword Master of the Raging Dragon was merely the starting point.

‘Therefore, I need to achieve faster growth than my original plan.’

Swoosh-.

With that thought, I organized my contemplations.

Then I rummaged through the backpack Adelia was carrying and pulled something out.

It was the chest where I had stored the supreme-grade Mandrake we had harvested earlier.

“Chew it thoroughly and eat it.”

“…What?”

“The moment I take it out, you’ll have to swallow it with the soil. Before it can even scream.”

Flinch-.

Hearing those words, Adelia was startled.

She, who had been listlessly drooping, tried to somehow get up from her position.

“I’m, I’m fine. I’m perfectly….”

“You were just hit by a Sword Master’s attack.”

“….”

“With your current level, these are injuries you absolutely cannot recover from. So eat it quickly. Before your condition gets worse.”

I said this while handing the chest to Adelia.

Mandrake.

As an herb that serves as the raw material for supreme-grade potions, its healing power could be called the absolute best.

Of course, it was also an expensive item to match….

But compared to Adelia’s life, it was ridiculously cheap.

‘And, well.’

If I put my mind to it, I could obtain this level of medicinal herb as much as I wanted.

“Hurry.”

When I urged her again, Adelia reluctantly nodded.

Gulp-.

She swallowed the Mandrake with the soil and closed her eyes.

Then she sat cross-legged and began quiet meditation.

Hissssss─.

Pure white steam began rising from Adelia’s entire body.

At the same time, her wounds began healing one by one.

Broken bones, and even torn muscles. Everything gradually found its proper place.

“Ugh…!”

Of course, terrible pain accompanied it, but what could be done.

There’s no reward without a price in this world.

For rapid recovery, such pain had to be endured.

‘Besides, the Mandrake’s effects don’t end there.’

Mandrake is a plant imbued with magical power.

Moreover, what Adelia consumed was the finest quality grown in Labyrinth Village.

If utilized properly, it could achieve even greater growth.

“Haa, ha….”

Whooooo-!

Sure enough, the energy flowing from Adelia’s body began to grow stronger.

The pure white steam gradually transformed into a blue-green aura.

Adelia was absorbing the Mandrake’s magical power as her own.

‘The reason I sought out the Mandrake was partly to lure out Dano, but….’

There was also the purpose of achieving growth for both Adelia and myself in this way.

‘Of course, I shouldn’t consume the Mandrake.’

At least, not in the current situation.

‘Because the efficiency would be too poor right now.’

Not only were my physical stats scraping the bottom, I hadn’t even created mana circuits.

If I ate the Mandrake in this state, I wouldn’t be able to absorb even 10% of its energy.

So, let me save my portion for now.

Until I can utilize 100% of this supreme-grade Mandrake’s effects.

“….”

Before long, silence arrived.

Adelia, who had been breathing heavily several times, collapsed just like that.

Judging by the sound of her peaceful breathing, she seemed to have fallen asleep.

‘It’s understandable that she’d faint.’

Absorbing the Mandrake’s energy was no ordinary task.

Moreover, especially in a situation where she had been hit by the Sword Master of the Raging Dragon.

‘Still, I’m relieved that her body seems to have recovered.’

Let her sleep soundly.

When she wakes up later, we can head to the exit of Labyrinth Village or something.

“Alright.”

I got up from my position and walked toward the center of the Deepest Layer. Precisely, toward where Tolong’s corpse was.

“Let me see….”

The purpose of trying to defeat Tolong.

This wasn’t to obtain commission fees or fame or anything like that.

As I’ve said many times, if I used the reward obtainable from killing him, I could achieve great growth.

I almost suffered greatly due to the Sword Master of the Raging Dragon who appeared out of nowhere, but since I managed to get through it safely, it should be fine.

I need Tolong, or rather… precisely, I just need Tolong’s corpse.

“….”

But wait.

‘…How do I extract this?’

Pause-.

Standing tall before Tolong’s corpse, I raised my head upward.

Nearly the height of a 10-story building.

As befitting an imugi that had lived for thousands of years, his massive body was tremendous.

‘I need to extract that guy’s heart….’

Tolong’s heart.

An item that greatly increases the consumer’s physical abilities when consumed.

This was the reward I had hoped to obtain through this mission.

I knew where the heart was located.

However, the fact that I had to pierce through that thick hide and rummage through the massive corpse felt overwhelming.

“Haah.”

Letting out a sigh, I stood up from my spot.

“Whatever, let’s just give it a try.”

* * *

…That resolution I had made seemed like it was just a few minutes ago.

“Fuck it, let’s just quit.”

Clang-!

I let out a deep sigh and slumped down on the spot.

The feather sword I had been using to hack at Tolong’s corpse also fell to the ground with a loud noise.

I had struggled like hell for 30 minutes, but there were no results whatsoever.

Extracting a heart from such a massive corpse was no ordinary task. No, I couldn’t even pierce through the hide, let alone reach the heart.

…I’ll have to ask Adelia when she wakes up later.

‘Damn it, I just got covered in Tolong’s blood for nothing…’

Ding-!

〔Stamina has increased slightly. (2→4)〕

〔Strength has increased slightly. (2→3)〕

〔Level has increased. (1→2)〕

‘…Huh?’

Well, at least my struggle wasn’t completely in vain.

Is it because my level is low?

Just struggling like hell for about 30 minutes made my stats shoot up.

‘Thanks to that, my level even went up.’

To think I’d grow from just something like this.

If I had known this would happen, I should have done some bodyweight exercises while resting at the inn…

Step─.

“…?”

Right at that moment, footsteps coming from behind me.

I quickly turned my gaze.

Some adventurers who looked strangely familiar were staring at me with bewildered expressions.

…Wait, who were those guys again?

‘Ah.’

I remembered.

─Aha. I get it. Some rich family’s young master brought his escort knight to play at exploring.

…It was that very adventurer party that had gotten into a conflict with us a few days ago.

‘But these bastards.’

Their eyes look quite ominous.

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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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