Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 68

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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 68

Episode 68. Haewolsumo (6)

* * *

There was a mountain of things to do.

Right away, I had a scheduled meeting with the Crimson Empress in the magic city of Wintershield. After that, I would have to deal with the monster lurking in the Shadow Sect.

Would that be the end of it?

‘…Of course not.’

This was just the beginning.

To prepare for the countless scenarios that would unfold ahead, I needed to secure hidden pieces, powerful items, and various abilities.

For that, I would have to travel across the entire continent.

Moreover, though it wasn’t certain yet… I didn’t know when another Possessed One might enter the game. I had to keep that possibility in mind as well, just in case.

‘Time is too tight to handle all of this.’

I needed to use my limited time efficiently.

Yet the reason I didn’t head straight to Wintershield and deliberately sought out the Forest of the Heavenly Sea was…

To subjugate the corrupted Haewolsumo.

“…”

Right.

My purpose was to eliminate the ‘corrupted’ Haewolsumo, after all.

In other words, if it was still fine, there would be no need to kill it.

And…

‘Even if Haewolsumo has been corrupted, if there’s a way to restore it to its original state, I have to try somehow.’

This was absolutely impossible in the game.

After all, restoring a corrupted divine beast to its original state was systematically blocked from the start.

In the original story, by the time the divine beasts became corrupted, it was always too late for player intervention.

A time when the Evil Deities’ influence had already penetrated deeply, and the situation had deteriorated beyond control.

As a result, the only choice available to players was subjugation.

‘But…’

This was still the early stages of the main story.

A state where nothing was set in stone yet.

‘…It’s possible now.’

Though it was only theoretical, the possibility was sufficient. Especially for Haewolsumo, whose corruption had only recently begun.

Of course, to execute this, several conditions needed to be met for any possibility to emerge.

First, the intervention of the one who induced the corruption.

A special ritual capable of removing the Evil Deities’ influence.

And the definitive shamanic skills to perform all of this.

“…”

Swoosh-.

Having finished my thoughts up to that point, I slowly lowered my gaze.

“Dorico Shiro.”

“Uh, uhm?”

Coincidentally, at my feet lay a being who met all those ‘demanding conditions,’ bound helplessly.

As I mentioned before, there were countless ways to utilize Dorico Shiro as an ally.

Sword Masters move for the greater good. However, they don’t always act in humanity’s benefit.

‘You can tell just from how Heukgol killed a member of the Haibroon Family during the Holy Judgment.’

Evil deity worshippers were the same.

Depending on their mood and whims, they could easily become chess pieces beneficial to us.

So…

“If you want to save Haewolsumo, cooperate with me.”

At least in the current situation, I needed to join hands with Dorico Shiro.

Therefore, I intended to form a temporary alliance with her.

* * *

“Haa, ha…”

Isaac Beriloff gasped for breath.

It was chaotic.

Monsters swarming endlessly.

And the forest environment that changed drastically just when he thought he was adapting.

In the midst of all this, having to maintain underwater breathing magic for three people, his stamina was inevitably hitting rock bottom.

‘Huh?’

Then, he felt something strange.

‘It’s not for three people…?’

Isaac Beriloff’s heart sank.

Upon checking again, only two people’s worth of spells were currently being maintained.

‘…What? One of the spells was cut off?’

Sword Master Gaon.

The underwater breathing magic link he had cast on him had been severed at some point.

It was a fact he hadn’t noticed at all while concentrating on battle.

“…”

A severed spell link meant one of two things.

Either the distance from the target had increased.

Or…

‘…the target had died.’

Naturally, it wouldn’t be the latter.

Isaac Beriloff couldn’t dare imagine that Gaon had died here.

That was because he was a seeker of the sword born once in hundreds of years.

It made no sense for someone of Gaon’s skill level to die here.

‘Most importantly…’

Swoosh-.

Isaac Beriloff’s gaze turned to the side.

Kwaaaaa-!

A knight with platinum hair flowing wildly was swinging her sword ferociously. Her aura-infused sword strikes swept away dozens of monsters at once.

It was a situation where she should be sufficiently tired after nearly an hour of continuous battle. However, the knight showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

“…”

Isaac Beriloff, who had been silently watching this, quietly murmured the knight’s name in his mind.

‘…Adelia von Goldhart.’

Truly, she was frighteningly strong.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was the most skilled knight among all the swordsmen he had ever seen.

‘But…’

Gaon had taken such a tremendously skilled person as his disciple.

Moreover, Adelia showed blind loyalty toward her master, beyond a simple master-disciple relationship.

Though he had never directly witnessed Gaon’s swordsmanship, he could guess what level of skill he possessed through this.

‘…Then where is Gaon and what is he doing right now?’

But Isaac Beriloff’s curiosity didn’t last long.

“…Damn it.”

Kieeeek-!

With screams echoing from all directions, another swarm of deep-sea fish came rushing in.

“Heretic! Block the left side!”

Crack—!

At Adelia’s command, Isaac Beriloff deployed ice magic.

The blood-draining battle continued.

The two were pushed deeper into the forest, swept along by the continuous waves of monsters.

“Haa, haaah…!”

Isaac Beriloff’s breathing began to grow increasingly labored. He dry-heaved as if he might vomit at any moment.

“Th-this is… really my limit… urgh!”

“Useless heretic bastard! Stop pretending to be weak and get up quickly!”

“Kek, kek kek!”

Grab—!

Isaac Beriloff, whose stamina was completely depleted, collapsed to the ground several times, but each time Adelia grabbed his collar and forcibly pulled him back up.

How much more of this hellish time passed?

In the midst of the endless battle, suddenly their vision opened wide and a vast space spread out before them.

“Huh…?”

Splash—.

At the sound of water reaching his ears, Isaac Beriloff’s eyes widened in surprise.

A lakeside where bizarrely twisted trees stood irregularly. Between the strange talismans stuck all over, a wide lake revealed itself.

‘…The atmosphere has changed.’

He could immediately tell that this entire area was a different kind of space.

All around was quiet.

Just minutes ago, monster roars could be heard from all directions, but now a silence as if time had stopped hung in the air.

And the sensation felt when breathing in and out was completely different. The suffocating submerged state had been lifted.

“…”

They had simply emerged at a lakeside, yet it felt as if they had entered a completely different dimension.

Isaac Beriloff, looking around in bewilderment, was able to witness an amazing sight from far away.

“What is that…?”

Someone was standing in the center of the lake.

No, to be precise, they weren’t even properly standing.

Someone was bound motionless, their entire body covered in yellow talismans. Only the area around their mouth, the sole breathing hole, was barely exposed.

And in front of them was…

“I’ve been waiting.”

“…!”

The Thirteenth Sword Master, Gaon.

He stood there holding a pure white sword.

With his back turned, his figure floating on the lake seemed unusually broad.

Swish—.

Gaon glanced back this way. The moonlight illuminated his form, creating a long, sharp shadow.

“You’ve worked hard.”

He muttered in his usual indifferent voice.

“Still, you arrived earlier than I expected.”

* * *

Adelia and Isaac Beriloff had arrived at the lake.

This was no coincidence.

The Abyssal Forest Dungeon had been ‘designed’ that way from the beginning.

‘If you move frantically while swept up in the wave of monsters, you’ll eventually arrive at this lakeside.’

No matter how skilled an adventurer was, they would ultimately be led to this lake.

That was only natural, since this lake was the dungeon’s final stage—the Boss Room.

‘But they did arrive earlier than expected.’

I thought I’d have to wait at least two or three more hours, but they had already cleared the dungeon to its final stage.

It seemed I had somewhat underestimated Adelia and Isaac Beriloff’s abilities.

‘Anyway.’

Originally, this would be where they’d have to engage in fierce battle with Haewolsumo.

That was the dungeon’s final gateway.

After a difficult battle and defeating Haewolsumo, the Abyssal Forest Dungeon would be cleared and the player would receive rewards.

But…

‘…Everything has changed.’

A person who shouldn’t have existed when entering the dungeon.

Dorico Shiro.

Her existence had completely twisted the dungeon’s progression.

“G-Gaon?”

Then, Adelia cautiously approached me.

She discovered Dorico Shiro wrapped up like a mummy and couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

“Who is that person?”

Before I could answer, Dorico Shiro opened her mouth on her own.

“Hello… nice to meet you…”

Was she quite tired too? Her voice lacked strength. The cheerful atmosphere from when we first met had completely disappeared.

“I’m called Dorico Shiro…”

“…!”

Stop—.

At that very moment, Adelia suddenly stopped walking.

Her face instantly turned pale, and her eyes began to shake back and forth as if filled with terror.

Of course, Adelia wasn’t the only one who was frightened.

“Wh-what…”

Stumble stumble—.

Isaac Beriloff also began backing away as soon as he heard the name ‘Dorico Shiro’.

That was understandable.

The name of one of the Five Nightmares was enough for anyone to be wary.

“There’s no need to be so wary. Right now she can’t move a single finger.”

Tap tap—.

I said this while poking Dorico Shiro with my toe.

As if her pride was hurt, she screamed like a child.

“Aah! Don’t step on me carelessly!”

Dorico Shiro tried to struggle with all her might, but wrapped tightly in talismans, she couldn’t do anything except squirm slightly.

Adelia, who had been watching this absurd scene, turned her gaze back to me.

“If it’s Dorico Shiro… could she really be one of those ‘Five Nightmares’ that I know of?”

Nod—.

I silently nodded at Adelia’s question.

Then amazement appeared on Adelia’s face. Her eyes, now as small as mouse droppings, began to fill with something close to awe.

“D-did you subdue Dorico Shiro while we were fighting monsters? And you did it alone?”

“Yes.”

“My goodness…”

Adelia’s mouth fell open. Her voice began to rise with excitement.

“Th-that’s truly amazing. After Camillo von Taribas, you’ve even subdued ‘that’ Dorico Shiro…”

Meanwhile, Isaac Beriloff was looking at me with an expression mixing shock and fear.

“…!”

When Camillo von Taribas’s name was mentioned as well, he began to look even more confused.

—He subdued two of the Five Nightmares? Really?

It was as if her face was saying exactly that.

‘Perfect.’

Though it wasn’t intentional, the fact that I killed Camillo von Taribas was also revealed.

Perhaps this fact could work in my favor during the upcoming meeting with the Crimson Empress?

“By the way….”

While I was having such thoughts, Adelia’s eyes suddenly turned cold.

Blue aura began swirling around her blade once again. It was as if she was ready to cut off Dorico Shiro’s head right then and there.

“Why did you spare Dorico Shiro?”

“….”

“As you know, Lord Gaon, the Five Nightmares are extremely dangerous beings. Even if they’re temporarily neutralized, we must never let our guard down around them. We should execute her as soon as possible….”

“No.”

I cut off Adelia’s words.

“Dorico Shiro is on our side. There’s no need to kill her.”

“…?”

Freeze-.

Adelia froze.

After a long silence, she muttered in a voice that sounded utterly bewildered.

“Wh… what?”

Dorico Shiro smiled brightly.

“Hehe, he says we’re on the same side! Let’s get along well!”

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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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