Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 9

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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 9

Episode 9. Adelia von Goldhart (2)

“You….”

Just then, Adelia, who had been staring intently at me, cautiously opened her mouth.

That androgynous voice was exactly the same as what I had heard in the game.

“You’re one of the Twelve Sword Masters, aren’t you?”

The Twelve Sword Masters.

Transcendents known to have realized the ultimate truth of the sword in this world.

Most of them don’t reveal themselves to the secular world, moving only upon receiving revelations from the ancient gods, the Elders—seekers of the way of the sword.

Adelia was now mistaking me for one of them.

“I saw the swordsmanship you displayed at the Underworld Arena.”

“….”

“It was truly… truly astounding. That miraculous movement that killed Barbarian the Slayer of Men in a single strike—I couldn’t even follow it with my eyes.”

Right.

Adelia had been following me since yesterday afternoon.

From the very moment I parted ways with Lea de Karayan and left the Underworld Arena.

Of course, she probably thought she was secretly tailing me.

But when a Level 77 monster is persistently following me among ordinary people, it’s bound to catch my attention.

…I never knew I could use the semi-transparent level window so usefully. I can even detect someone’s surveillance in an instant.

‘At this point in time, Adelia is the only Level 77 character who would be wandering around Dungarrd, the Dark City.’

Thanks to playing the game 200 times, I was able to identify the stalker’s identity immediately.

From the moment I realized this fact, I devised a plan accordingly.

If Adelia hadn’t been following me in the first place, I wouldn’t have come up with a plan like ‘getting carried by an NPC.’

Instead, I would have tried to become stronger through other methods.

‘And it makes sense that Adelia would mistake me for a Sword Master.’

【Soul of the Sword Master】 turns the user into a Sword Master while it’s active.

At least for that very moment when I cut down Barbarian the Slayer of Men, I was indeed a proper Sword Master.

I could understand why Adelia’s eyes were spinning.

At this point, she desires ‘revenge.’ To achieve this, she needed to become stronger.

In such a situation, there’s no surer method of growth than receiving teachings from a Sword Master. So she must have followed me with the mindset of grasping at straws.

“What do you want.”

Even knowing all these circumstances, I posed a question to Adelia.

After hesitating for a moment, Adelia made an expression as if she had resolved something.

Soon she spoke to me in a determined voice.

“Please, teach me the sword.”

…Right. As expected, it was the answer I had anticipated.

“As you know, I am a swordsman. I’ve been blocked by an insurmountable wall for several years now.”

“….”

“I desperately want to overcome that wall. I have an urgent reason why I must become stronger.”

Shing-!

Before I could even respond, Adelia drew her sword.

The sword pulled from its sheath began to ring with a sharp, blue sound.

“I know you are a busy person.”

Adelia gripped her sword with both hands and took a combat stance.

At the same time, the sharp sword tip pointed toward my neck.

“So just one exchange.”

“….”

“Nothing more—please just spar with me for one exchange. I will use the enlightenment gained from this to break down my wall myself.”

Hearing these words from her, I couldn’t help but be momentarily flustered.

“…?”

No.

Wait a minute.

‘…Why is she suddenly trying to fight me?’

She just assumes I’m a busy person on her own.

When I haven’t given any response at all.

And then what does she say?

She doesn’t need anything else, just wants me to spar for one exchange?

She’s completely playing both the drum and the gong by herself.

‘Besides, if I fight you, I’ll die without even being able to react, you bastard.’

A weakling with average stats of only 1.

If someone like me faced a Level 77 monster, I’d be brutally killed on the spot.

I maintained a pretense of composure while glancing at my mana window.

〔MP : 1/1〕

Fortunately, the MP needed to use a skill was there.

I had entered the back alley after seeing that my mana had recovered in the first place.

But….

‘Wouldn’t Adelia die if I carelessly use my skill here?’

I couldn’t recklessly use my skill in a situation like this.

I couldn’t kill the bus driver who came along with the whole package with my own hands.

‘In that case….’

In the current situation, there was only one action I could take.

* * *

Gulp-.

Adelia looked at her opponent with intense nervousness.

The opponent stood still in place, keeping his mouth tightly shut. No answer came back. He just looked at the sword tip with indifferent eyes.

Adelia, trying to calm her wildly beating heart, continued speaking calmly.

“It’s fine if I lose an arm. It’s fine if one of my legs gets cut off.”

“….”

“If I can just gain enlightenment and advance to the next level… I’m prepared to sacrifice everything.”

Adelia wanted revenge.

To kill that damned bastard, she needed to become much stronger than she was now.

To achieve this, she had to overcome the wall before her eyes.

‘I must somehow gain new enlightenment.’

And the method to gain this enlightenment?

There was nothing more certain than crossing swords with someone several levels above herself.

Right.

If she could exchange swords with that man, she would be able to gain enlightenment.

From the moment she witnessed his miraculous swordsmanship at the Underworld Arena, that vague intuition had filled her mind completely.

‘I don’t know anything about that person, but….’

It doesn’t matter.

If he’s a Sword Master, and if he can give her enlightenment.

Adelia was prepared to sacrifice everything.

“You said it’s fine even if your limbs get cut off.”

Just then, the man opened his mouth.

“Yes. If you cross swords with me, you’ll surely be able to overcome that wall. No, perhaps you might gain even greater enlightenment.”

His voice echoing softly through the back alley was endlessly cold and sharp.

“But my sword doesn’t aim for my opponent’s arms and legs.”

“….”

“It only takes lives.”

Swish-.

The man who had trailed off slowly raised his head.

His golden eyes, burning like flames, seemed to see through everything about Adelia.

“So I’ll ask you once more.”

“….”

“Are you prepared to risk your life to see my sword?”

Flinch-.

Adelia’s hand gripping her sword involuntarily trembled.

She felt no killing intent from the man. His posture was also utterly sloppy. Clearly, he was full of openings everywhere.

But rather, that indifferent attitude was making her feel chills instead.

‘Th-this person is just what….’

Because of this, Adelia couldn’t help but hesitate in her answer for a moment.

Suddenly, fear struck her.

Enlightenment? That would be nice. But even if she broke through the wall, what would it matter if she lost her life the very next moment?

…The silence had gone on too long.

Just as Adelia was about to speak to somehow buy time.

“I, I am….”

“Never mind.”

But the man firmly cut off her words.

As if he had lost interest, he turned around with a swish.

Step, step-.

The man’s retreating figure gradually grew distant. Adelia, who had been wearing a dazed expression, let out a quiet sigh.

“Ah.”

Her hands trembled violently.

As the confrontation ended, her survival instincts gradually faded and her reason finally began to return, albeit belatedly.

She was frustrated. She had thought she could do anything for revenge.

But when it came down to it, her will was only ‘this much’ after all.

‘Why! Why did I get scared at the last moment…!’

Just as Adelia was blaming herself like this.

Stop-.

At that very moment, the man stopped walking.

He turned around and asked a completely unexpected question.

“What are you doing not following me.”

“…Pardon?”

“Didn’t you ask me for guidance.”

The man gestured toward the opposite end of the alley and continued.

“There happens to be a good training place nearby.”

“…?”

Adelia, who had been wearing a dazed expression for a moment, was able to realize one thing belatedly.

The fact that the man had accepted her as his disciple despite the trouble.

“Th-thank you…!”

She didn’t understand why, but she felt she should follow the man for now.

After sheathing her sword and straightening her clothes, Adelia began hurriedly chasing after the man.

* * *

‘Success!’

I clenched my fist tightly.

I had succeeded in recruiting Adelia von Goldhart as a bus driver.

It was the happiest thing since falling into this damned world.

And for good reason, since Adelia was someone who could be useful in ‘many ways’ besides her combat power and high growth potential.

‘But I’ll think about that later….’

…For now, let me handle what’s right in front of me.

“We’ve arrived.”

Stop-.

After weaving through the back alleys of Dungarrd, the Dark City, I stopped walking.

A shabby abandoned factory appeared before our eyes.

The windows were broken and the interior visible through them was pitch dark.

The thick layer of dust told us this was a place that hadn’t seen human footsteps for quite some time.

“This place is…?”

Adelia cautiously asked me a question.

“The training place I mentioned earlier.”

“This place, you mean…?”

“Yes.”

“….”

Adelia pressed her lips together and made a suspicious expression.

It wasn’t strange for her to show such a reaction. From the outside, that building was just another common abandoned factory scattered throughout Dungarrd.

But as a veteran gamer with 200 playthroughs, I knew well.

I knew that inside that abandoned factory was hidden a ‘Trial’ where you could obtain a Sacred Piece.

Step, step-.

I moved forward without hesitation.

A massive iron door was firmly blocking the factory entrance.

I tried pulling the door handle once. It didn’t budge at all.

The surface was completely rusted, but its weight was still hefty.

‘The conditions to enter this dungeon are one of two….’

Either put points into high agility stats to climb the wall and enter through the broken window gaps.

Or break down this iron door based on high strength stats.

Obviously, my current self couldn’t satisfy either of these two conditions.

‘With a body that has average stats of 1, these are absolutely impossible tasks.’

However….

“Break down the door.”

“Yes.”

…For a level 77 monster, it was also an incredibly easy task.

Whooom-!

A mysterious energy gathered around Adelia’s body.

A teal aura, an exquisite mix of gold and blue, rippled brilliantly.

“Hup!”

And Adelia, concentrating the aura into one fist….

Twisted her entire body and threw a straight punch with all her might.

CRASH-!

With an ear-splitting roar, the iron mass crumpled.

The sound of hinges creaking. Before long, the tightly closed door began to slowly open.

The locking mechanism inside had been completely shattered by the great impact.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh inwardly.

‘…Is this the power of level 77?’

It’s truly shocking beyond belief.

I need to build up my basic physical stats to at least that level without the 【Soul of the Sword Master】.

Damn it. My scrawny, skeletal body felt even more pathetic than usual today.

‘Still, well…’

I can gradually improve this rotten body starting from now.

‘This dungeon will be the first step.’

The Abandoned Factory in the Dark City of Dungard.

The Sacred Piece I can obtain by passing through the hidden trial in this place.

By obtaining that reward, I’ll achieve tremendous growth.

‘And not just one-time growth, but continuous and long-term development.’

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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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