Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 92

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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 92

Episode 92. Demarion’s Test (2)

* * *

“….”

Strawberry Latte blankly looked around the room.

The antique interior of the Magic University’s special ward that caught his eye at a glance.

The interior with high ceilings and golden chandeliers, velvet wallpaper and embroidered carpets harmoniously arranged was like a noble’s reception room.

At least it was a scene he couldn’t commonly encounter in the environment he had lived in.

‘…I’m going to go crazy.’

Pfft-.

A hollow laugh escaped without him realizing it.

Strawberry Latte still couldn’t quite believe the fact that he had been possessed into a game.

Who would have thought he’d personally experience something that only happens in creative works like novels or comics.

‘But hyung has already been experiencing this situation for a month.’

Middle finger.

The player who operates under the name ‘Gaon’ in this world.

He had lost contact half a year ago.

This meant there was at least a 6-fold time difference between reality and this place.

And in that time, Gaon had achieved truly ridiculous accomplishments.

Swoosh-.

Strawberry Latte clenched and unclenched his hand.

His physical condition had improved much more than when he first possessed this body.

It wasn’t simply a matter of recovering his condition.

Should I say it felt like his fundamental constitution itself had been completely transformed?

Thanks to The Adversary’s possession attempt, his body had evolved to another level.

“….”

Suddenly, the conversation he had with Gaon a few hours ago came to mind.

─When The Adversary briefly possessed your body, your physical form was ‘synchronized’.

─… Synchronized?

─Yeah. It was restructured to better absorb and utilize mana, and your muscle and bone density were enhanced to the highest grade….

─….

─Simply put, think of it as obtaining the mage version of a dragon body.

According to Gaon’s explanation, if there’s a ‘sacrifice’ with sufficient talent, an event occurs where The Adversary attempts possession.

Originally you’re supposed to prevent that event, but he used it in reverse or something.

The reason Gaon had thoroughly questioned the character’s specs using personal messages right after the possession was also because of this.

To find out whether Strawberry Latte had met the event’s trigger conditions.

‘It was an event I had no idea about.’

At the same time, one question arose.

He had created character specs of similar level several times before.

But why didn’t this kind of event occur back then?

To this, Gaon gave the following answer.

─Originally it’s an event that doesn’t occur during the tutorial timeframe.

─…?

─But now it’s been a month since the original starting point, so the event trigger was unlocked.

There was nothing surprising about it.

Roel was originally famous for its shitty difficulty where everything could go wrong from the slightest difference.

It meant it wouldn’t be strange at all if The Adversary’s behavior pattern changed in just a month.

But….

‘…How the hell does that person know all this stuff?’

The butterfly effect caused by minor changes.

And even the methods to respond to them.

Gaon, who understood all of this completely, was truly astounding beyond belief.

Pfft-.

On the other hand, his behavior was also somewhat absurd.

Didn’t it mean he didn’t share even this important information because he didn’t want to lose his top position in a game that had been out for over 10 years?

‘But well, I don’t really have anything to say either.’

Strawberry Latte wasn’t in a position to criticize Gaon either.

He too had several honey strategies that he didn’t tell others because he didn’t want to lose his 2nd place ranking.

Of course, now that rankings had become meaningless, he had eventually spilled all his information to Gaon….

─I know that too.

─Excuse me?

─The method to advance the Feather Sword’s 「True Name Release」, I know that too.

…Surprisingly, Gaon already knew everything.

─Th, then the method to quickly make contact with the Relic Exploration Society executives….

─I know that too.

─….

‘Anyway, he’s really an amazing person.’

It was impressive that he knew all that information, but it was even more surprising that he actually executed the information he knew.

He knew he was someone with much to learn from. But who would have thought he possessed such strong mental fortitude.

Well, in that sense… the next plan that Gaon was currently considering was even more incredible.

‘Demarion the Great Sage.’

If he could meet that NPC at this point in time.

He thought that seeing the true ending might not be such an impossible dream after all.

* * *

“….”

Thud, thud-.

Following behind Selena, I became lost in thought.

A few hours ago from now.

When I explained my plan to Strawberry Latte, he expressed inner concerns.

Setting aside whether we could meet Demarion the Great Sage or not, he worried that encountering him at this point might change too many things.

─As you know, hyung, the butterfly effect works greatly in Roel. But if we meet Demarion now….

─You’re worried the main scenario might get hopelessly tangled?

─…Yes. That’s exactly right.

I could fully understand Strawberry Latte’s concerns.

But this wasn’t really a problem to worry about.

As I’ve said multiple times, I had mastered all the unchanging and variable futures.

At least when it came to the game’s flow, it meant that no variable could pose a threat to me.

‘However… the problem is the Possessed Ones.’

These guys were ‘unpredictable variables’ that couldn’t be found in the original game.

If they were cooperative like Strawberry Latte, there would be no problem, but if someone difficult to control came in, it would really become a headache.

I recalled the message that appeared when Strawberry Latte first possessed someone.

〔Strawberry Latte has started their 200th playthrough.〕

〔The Second Player is entering the world.〕

Right.

As I expected, there was a specific trigger for possession.

That was when a player started their 200th playthrough.

─Right now you’re the only one, but in the future, the number of □͆̄͠■҇̐̎͂̃이́̄͛͡□̏̓͡s will gradually increase…

I recalled the warning the Saintess had given me.

As her prophecy foretold, the number of players would continue to increase.

If that happened, there would be countless variables that would be difficult to control.

It wouldn’t be easy to handle all of that alone. That’s why stabilizing the major factions was even more necessary.

If the major factions were in my grasp, I could respond more quickly even if unexpected variables arose.

‘Direct growth is important, but building solid allied forces is something that cannot be overlooked.’

What if I had only focused on stat enhancement until now?

I absolutely wouldn’t have been able to achieve so many Achievements in just one month.

Thanks to recruiting allies and progressing the story based on Achievements, I was able to wield influence as a Sword Master.

In that sense, meeting Demarion the Great Sage was now the top priority.

Indeed, he was the one who would give me the key to completely control the major factions.

‘Above all…’

Demarion the Great Sage wasn’t simply the founder of the Magic Academy.

A sage who knew the secrets of the world.

And an NPC who had reached a realm I couldn’t directly attain.

If I could make him my ally, I would be able to obtain countless pieces of information.

“This is the place.”

Thud-.

While I was having such thoughts, our party finally arrived at the top floor.

The place we reached after endlessly climbing the steep spiral staircase was a narrow and stuffy space.

Low ceiling and narrow corridor. Old stone walls without a single window. Dust that stung the nose and musty smell.

Only dim lighting barely pushed back the darkness.

At the end of the corridor was a massive door made of black walnut wood. The solid door that showed traces of time had no decorations or nameplates whatsoever.

Selena, who had stopped in front of it, began to continue her explanation.

“That is Demarion the Great Sage’s room. However, for hundreds of years, no one has been able to open this door…”

“The explanation is unnecessary.”

I cut off Selena’s words.

There was no need to hear more detailed stories.

All I had to do was open the door and go inside.

“Step back for a moment.”

At my words, Selena and Adelia simultaneously stepped back.

Looking at me with eyes mixed with worry and anticipation.

Inhale, exhale-.

I took a short deep breath and gently closed my eyes.

‘Demarion’s test.’

It was a test that had to be passed to enter the top floor of the Magic Tower.

However, most people weren’t even aware of this test’s existence.

Not just ordinary skilled individuals, but even Selena, who was a 9th Circle mage.

That was understandable, since the entire top floor was under a powerful magic that clouded and distorted people’s cognitive abilities.

Ding-!

〔Mental Power ‘MAX’ resists cognitive distortion.〕

…Of course, this story didn’t apply to me at all, as I received the blessing of the 【Soul of the Sword Master】.

Swoosh-.

I slowly reached my hand toward the door.

Though it looked like an ordinary wooden door, I felt a subtle resistance just before my hand touched the door.

An ordinary person would unconsciously stop their hand at this moment and think ‘the door won’t open.’

That was the core of the cognitive distortion illusion.

Squish─!

However, having resisted the cognitive distortion, I pushed my hand deeper.

A sensation like passing through thick jelly.

The wooden door visible on the surface was nothing but an insubstantial illusion.

My hand had already passed through the illusion and entered deep inside. When I reached my arm deeper into the invisible realm, my fingers touched a cold metal handle.

‘…Now.’

Ding-!

〔Authority Skill: 【Ritardando True】 has been used.〕

Tick, tick, tick-!

The sound of a second hand coming from all directions.

At the same time, as if the world had been submerged in water, all movement began to flow slowly.

Countless sensations brushed past my fingertips.

Even though I had broken through the cognitive distortion and touched the ‘real door’ inside, all sorts of barriers and spells prepared by Demarion the Great Sage began to interfere with the act of opening the door until the very end.

Those interference devices changed rapidly in split-second intervals.

In the normal flow of time, I wouldn’t have been able to respond properly and would have had no choice but to remove my hand from the doorknob.

However…

‘I can see it.’

…In the endlessly slowed time, I was able to break through the essence of the barrier.

Usually, magical barriers exist in fixed forms.

But the barrier here was different.

A layered structure consisting of no less than 12 layers. Each layer was rotating at different speeds and directions.

Like the orbits of stars and planets, the layered barriers were revolving around each other in different cycles.

‘There’s a pattern.’

When playing the game, unless you were quite high level, it was difficult to follow the changes in this barrier.

But now, thanks to Ritardando, I could capture that flow.

Like a solar eclipse or planetary alignment, the moment when all 12 layers of barriers aligned in a single line.

In that instant, a point where all barriers weakened would appear.

“…”

I waited for that timing.

And…

[Active Skill: 【Barrier Destroyer】 has been used.]

Craaaaaash──!

The twelve layers of barriers shattered like glass.

As one broke, the next followed, and then the one after that collapsed in a chain reaction.

The fragments of the broken barriers became pieces of light, scattering as if dancing, and the door hidden by illusion slowly revealed its true form.

A massive door made not of black walnut, but of pure white marble.

Its surface was carved with intricate patterns depicting constellations and celestial movements.

“Th-this is…!”

Behind me, I heard Selena’s surprised voice. She was witnessing the real door for the first time.

Creeeeak──!

Just then, the marble door began to slowly open.

The Chamber of the Great Sage, which had been closed for hundreds of years, finally revealed itself.

Ding-!

[You have passed Demarion the Great Sage’s trial.]

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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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