Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 79

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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 79

Episode 79. Inverse (1)

Clank-!

The Young Man woke from his light sleep at the sudden noise.

The sound of jingling keys could be heard from far away.

His mind snapped to alertness. The fatigue that had been weighing down his entire body seemed to vanish completely. The Young Man immediately straightened his crouched body.

Soon after, he could feel footsteps gradually approaching.

“Get up, Prisoner 32.”

A familiar voice.

It was Rugwin Instructor from the Magic University.

As usual, he wore his pointed hat pulled low as he began to unlock the firmly sealed door.

Creeak-.

When the iron bars swung wide open, The Young Man couldn’t help but show a confused expression.

‘…What?’

Why is he suddenly opening the door?

Just as he couldn’t grasp what situation this was, a dim torch illuminated Rugwin Instructor’s face.

“Follow… me…”

“…?”

Why was this happening?

Rugwin Instructor’s eyes were completely unfocused.

His pupils were completely dilated, cloudy and murky like a dead fish.

The instructor was staggering as if intoxicated by drugs or alcohol.

But even this appearance wasn’t as shocking as the next words he uttered.

“We’re going to… conduct the ritual now…”

“…!”

For a moment, his mind went completely blank.

‘What, what did he say?’

There should definitely be one more day until the ritual, right? The situation was taking a strange turn.

Then, Rugwin Instructor muttered incomprehensible words to himself.

“That person ordered us to hurry the ritual… to move the other slaves as quickly as possible…”

Thud-!

“Ugh!”

Rugwin pushed his back forcefully.

Shoved into the corridor unexpectedly, The Young Man looked around with a bewildered expression.

The doors to the other prison cells were all open too. The slaves all had the same dumbfounded expressions as him.

An unexpected event he had never experienced once while playing the game.

‘Damn it.’

The Young Man bit the inside of his lip.

Anxiety began surging from deep within his heart.

‘My brother definitely said he would come to rescue me…’

If the ritual started so suddenly like this, his rescue plan would also fall apart. But with the message function restricted, there was no proper way to inform him of this current emergency.

“Move.”

Step, step-.

Following Rugwin Instructor’s orders, the slaves began descending the spiral staircase connected to the underground prison.

The deeper they went, the more rapidly the temperature dropped.

An unpleasant metallic smell mixed with the stench of rotting meat stabbed at their noses.

Even as the slaves moved in a line, only meaningless muttering continued to repeat from Rugwin Instructor’s mouth.

“The seal has changed… a new leader has appeared… once the ritual is completed, everything will be purified…”

The Young Man quickly racked his brain. To somehow escape from this crisis.

‘Could he be under mind control?’

The probability was high.

The behavior Rugwin Instructor was showing was definitely not normal.

‘But there was no scenario related to mind control in the Shadow Sect…’

Ding-!

Right at that moment, a familiar notification sound reached The Young Man’s ears.

It was a new message sent by Gaon.

The Young Man’s eyes widened instantly upon checking it.

‘…Crazy.’

* * *

The Crimson Empress handed over the seal to me.

It seemed the threat I had displayed through the Soul of the Sword Master just moments ago had worked properly.

Well.

It wouldn’t make sense for her to withstand the pressure that even the Veteran Gamer and Jark von Haibrunn couldn’t endure.

Whooom, whooooom-!

My chest glowed as a pattern was carved into it.

When I lightly lifted my shirt collar to examine my bare skin, I could confirm that the Shadow Sect’s “seal” was clearly engraved.

It felt somewhat different from a regular tattoo.

Should I say it was more similar to scarification created by the transformation of the skin tissue itself?

Anyway.

With this, I had officially become the leader of the Shadow Sect.

Ding-!

〔You have acquired the ‘Seal’.〕

〔You have become the leader of the Shadow Sect.〕

〔A new ‘Authority’ is being activated.〕

Messages appearing one after another.

After confirming these, I nodded with an inwardly satisfied expression.

‘Good.’

With this, I had obtained no less than three major powers.

I became a VVIP of the Ruin Guild by acting as a benefactor in front of Lea de Karayan, and gained recognition as leader by receiving the Shadow Sect’s “seal”.

And in the case of Middle Temple…

‘…As soon as this matter ends, I just need to bring down the Traditionalist Faction and put Arwen in the position of real power.’

That was practically just a matter of time.

“Lord Gaon.”

“…?”

It was when I was having various thoughts by myself.

The Crimson Empress… no, Selena Servich, who had now stepped down from her position as leader of the Shadow Sect, looked at me and spoke.

“I have handed over the leadership position of the organization. Now, as promised, please give me the ‘Mark of the Sword Master’ as well.”

The Mark of the Sword Master.

It was a kind of ‘collateral’ I had promised her in exchange for receiving the Shadow Sect’s seal.

The Mark of the Sword Master was one of the most powerful protective measures in the world of Lost Elder.

If a person bearing this mark is killed, the Sword Master who granted that mark must inevitably track down and take revenge on the murderer.

A covenant with absolute binding force.

In that sense, there were extremely few who would dare to kill someone bearing a Sword Master’s mark.

No matter how strong an existence might be, there were almost none who could withstand a Sword Master’s revenge.

“As Lord Gaon well knows, those without power in this world are thoroughly trampled upon.”

“….”

“I have stepped down from my position as leader. With my official authority within The Organization gone, the only way to protect myself is to receive the ‘Sword Master’s Seal.'”

She finished speaking with an unwavering voice.

“Surely you’re not thinking of breaking your promise now?”

At first glance, it sounded like a reasonable request, but in truth, her words were nothing short of sophistry.

The 9th Circle – a realm only the continent’s greatest mages could reach.

A master like Selena Servich had more than enough ability to protect herself without the Holy See’s help.

Yet there were two main reasons why she demanded the ‘Sword Master’s Seal.’

First was her thoroughly safety-first personality.

And the other was….

‘…She’s clearly scheming to use me somehow.’

The Sword Master’s Seal was a form of binding that went beyond simple protection.

Her intention to make me her insurance policy was all too obvious.

“How dare you!”

Adelia, who immediately caught on, showed an intense reaction.

“Insolent! How dare a heretic attempt to bargain with Lord Gaon?”

“….”

Of course, hearing Adelia’s outburst made me feel slightly awkward.

‘My dear.’

Sorry, but there’s no need to go that far.

After all, we should keep the promises we make to each other, shouldn’t we?

‘And anyway….’

I had intended to grant Selena the ‘Sword Master’s Seal’ from the beginning.

Selena was an archmage who had reached the 9th Circle. Moreover, as a full professor at the Magic Academy, she wielded tremendous influence throughout Wintershield.

Having such a person firmly on my side would undoubtedly be of great help in the journey ahead.

Her assistance would shine even brighter as we entered the later stages.

‘Above all.’

Selena’s position had always been dangerous. Having served as the Shadow Sect’s leader for decades, countless potential assassination threats lurked around her.

Though the seal had passed to me, her past wouldn’t be erased. Of course, we had no plans to announce that the Holy See’s leadership had changed either.

If I granted her the Sword Master’s Seal to protect her, I could minimize those risks.

Especially since her role in ‘that scenario’ would be crucial….

“Don’t worry.”

…I had no reason to refuse Selena Servich’s request.

“Extend your hand. I’ll keep my promise.”

Relief crossed Selena’s face.

She extended her hand without hesitation, and I lightly kissed the back of it.

This was the method of granting a seal according to the covenant of The Great Ones.

Ding-!

〔You have granted the ‘Sword Master’s Seal’ to Selena Servich.〕

Wooooong, woooong-!

With a faint vibration, sacred light penetrated her skin.

Soon, a small, neat sword-shaped pattern was carved onto the back of her hand.

With this, the promise we had agreed upon was sealed.

‘No.’

…To be precise, there was still one more thing remaining.

“Then let’s move immediately.”

“Pardon?”

Pause-.

Selena, who had been examining the pattern carved on her hand, suddenly looked up.

She asked back with a rather bewildered voice.

“Move? Where to?”

“To where the Inverse is. To the Abyss where the ritual is being held.”

“…Right now?”

Selena replied with an incredulous expression.

“Lord Gaon, there’s no need to be in such a rush. The ritual is scheduled for tomorrow. If you plan to face the Inverse, it would be better to move after making sufficient preparations….”

“No.”

I cut off Selena’s words sharply.

“The ritual has already begun.”

“…!”

* * *

“Lord Gaon, please…! Wait a moment…!”

Selena Servich followed behind me with quick steps, speaking in a flustered voice.

“Moving so suddenly could arouse suspicion from Professor Biyolf and other professors. The situation is already sensitive because we brought outsiders into the Magic Academy.”

“….”

“Please trust me. The ritual is under strict control. Besides, I know when the Inverse becomes weak, so if we wait together and formulate a strategy….”

“You’re being noisy, so be quiet.”

Pause-.

Selena’s lips seemed to freeze mid-motion. A silence fell as if the air itself had frozen.

“…!”

Her expression hardened instantly. Faced with the suddenly activated power of the ‘seal,’ she couldn’t add another word.

It was the seal’s power to give absolute commands to members three times a day.

Thud, thud-.

I headed toward the stairs leading to the Underground Prison.

While Selena made frustrated sounds, Adelia and Isaac Beriloff quietly followed behind me.

‘This world reacts sensitively to the player’s actions.’

Haven’t I said this many times?

Like a butterfly’s wingbeat causing a storm, my small choices often lead to unpredictable results.

The encounter with the Tyrant Dragon, and the revival of the Human Butcher and Barba were all part of those variables.

But….

‘Not every choice leads only to unpredictable results.’

The reason I was hurrying to the Abyss was the same.

The moment I took over leadership of the Shadow Sect, a trigger for a sudden event would activate.

Of course, this was information that even Strawberry Latte didn’t know.

In my 200 playthroughs, there were more than just one or two pieces of information only I knew. That’s how I maintained first place.

Anyway.

‘Predictable variables should be utilized to the fullest.’

This incident was the same.

The orthodox method of dealing with the Inverse was, as Selena said, to wait until the specific time when the Inverse became weak.

But by intentionally accelerating the situation like this, I could gain much more. At least theoretically.

And as always, I intended to pursue high risk, high return.

‘Besides….’

Swish-.

As I walked down the Underground Corridor, I felt something following me from behind.

A level window floating in the air caught my eye.

【Lv. 89】

‘…Everything is proceeding according to plan.’

Just then, our new ‘ally’ was also following behind us.

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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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