Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 94

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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 94

Episode 94. The Calm Before the Storm (1)

Dungarrd, the Dark City.

That city, which had fallen into the grasp of Karayan of the Ruin Guild, was a lawless zone where all kinds of illegal experiments were conducted.

And at a certain factory located on the outskirts of that place.

The Pharmaceutical Guild, having joined hands with a mad mage, forcibly conducted terrible experiments to create an elixir of immortality.

As a result, hundreds of spirits and thousands of children were sacrificed.

[It was a foolish decision.]

Demarion the Great Sage shook his head in dismay.

[I never imagined that the Adversary would conduct experiments in such a horrific manner. If I had known that the magical knowledge I provided would be misused in such a way….]

Deep regret filled Demarion’s eyes.

As the Adversary’s long-time mentor, he had subtly coaxed the wretch into performing the ritual by teaching him knowledge related to ascension.

However, the Adversary was not satisfied with simply learning knowledge related to magic and ascension.

Blinded by greed, he misused his master’s teachings to commit countless evil deeds.

[At first, it was simply research into elixirs that extended life force. But they gradually moved toward more dangerous experiments, and by the time I came to my senses, it had already reached an irreversible point.]

“….”

[That Pharmaceutical Guild joined hands with the Adversary to conduct terrible experiments. In the process, countless spirits and children were sacrificed.]

Demarion continued speaking while gazing at the forest.

[I want to step forward myself, but there was a warning from the World Tree. If I leave this Magic Tower, a greater disaster will come… So I had no choice but to confine myself here.]

Swoosh-.

Demarion turned his gaze.

Looking at me with earnest eyes, he made a heartfelt request.

[Child, what I want to ask of you is to destroy the pharmaceutical factory in Dungarrd and eliminate the corrupted spirits dwelling there. Please liberate the vengeful souls trapped in that factory.]

“….”

[If you fulfill this request, I will give you the answer you seek. Including all the ‘ancient knowledge’ that I possess.]

I kept my mouth firmly shut.

Then I stared at Demarion the Great Sage without saying a word.

A gentle breeze brushed past my hair, and the sound of birds chirping could be heard through the dense forest.

We faced each other like that for quite some time.

Chuckle-.

How much more time had passed after that? Eyes as vast and deep as the ocean began to curve like crescents.

[Right.]

Demarion, wearing a faint smile, nodded as if he understood my feelings.

[I understand. It’s not a proposal you can readily accept. You can think it over thoroughly and come find me again….]

“I want the true name of the Unknown One.”

Pause-.

Demarion’s expression hardened.

In an instant, the smile on his face disappeared completely.

[Child, did you not understand what I said?]

Demarion admonished me in a calm voice.

[I said I would tell you what you seek on the day you return after fulfilling the request….]

“The transgression called a request that you mentioned.”

I finished speaking calmly.

“I already resolved it long ago.”

[…What?]

Demarion the Great Sage looked at me with a bewildered expression.

As if asking what on earth I was talking about.

Regardless, I faced him and continued my own thoughts.

‘The elixir of immortality. The Pharmaceutical Guild and the mad mage. And the countless spirits and children who were sacrificed to their evil deeds.’

─That’s too much. Tinkerbell and Peterpan only returned the same pain we received… Why did you kill them…?

The day after escaping from the Underground Arena.

That very place I had gone to with Adelia, whom I met in the back alley.

Where the metallic smell of blood and unidentifiable stench, along with fluorescent-colored contaminated water, dripped down….

‘Dungard’s Abandoned Factory.’

Right.

The reason Demarion the Great Sage had set up such a ‘trial’ at the entrance to the Upper Floor.

Mental strength strong enough to pierce through cognitive distortion.

Quick thinking to read the patterns of overlapping barriers.

And even the destructive power to break through such barriers in one strike.

‘Only those with the skill to meet these three requirements could clear Hidden Dungeon II of Dungarrd.’

Demarion the Great Sage.

Through the ‘trial’ of the Upper Floor, he had been trying to find a suitable person to clear this dungeon.

And….

〔You have cleared the trial arranged by ‘The Lord of Seconds and Instants’.〕

〔’The Lord of Seconds and Instants’ expresses gratitude for your good deed.〕

‘…I had already prepared all of this a month ago.’

That’s right.

The [Ritardando True] gifted by The Lord of Seconds and Instants, Adelia’s trust through the memorial service, and finally Demarion the Great Sage’s faith.

Through that single Quest, I had gained truly many benefits.

“Dungard’s abandoned factory has collapsed. I eliminated the corrupted Peterpan and Tinkerbells there, and liberated all the victims bound to the factory through ‘Memorial Service’.”

[….]

“The traces of The Great Ones lingering in my body are proof of that.”

Flinch-.

Upon hearing my words, Demarion the Great Sage’s eyes wavered.

He began staring at me intently with narrowed eyes.

How much more time had passed like that?

Demarion the Great Sage let out a hollow laugh and shook his head as if he couldn’t believe this situation.

[Amazing. To think you actually passed that person’s trial. Hidden by the powerful aura of the sacred covenant, I failed to notice that blessing.]

“….”

[Yes. That is undoubtedly a power that only one who has received the favor of ‘The Lord of Seconds and Instants’ can possess.]

In fact, Dungard’s abandoned factory was a follow-up Quest.

Of course, you could clear it early without receiving the Quest, but since you had to pass through maze-like complex alleys to find it, it was difficult to locate the dungeon without prior information.

Of course….

‘…That doesn’t apply to me.’

I had solved the Quest in reverse order.

Originally, Demarion’s trial was created to gauge whether one could clear the abandoned factory.

But instead, by clearing the abandoned factory, I obtained [Ritardando True], and passed the trial through this ability.

[Right. I understand your skill well.]

While I was having such thoughts, Demarion the Great Sage spoke again.

[If you’re someone who has passed that person’s trial, I can trust you with tasks that I cannot solve in the future. This old man is bound to this Magic Tower and cannot step forward directly….]

Demarion smiled while looking at me.

[…How fortunate that you’re here, child.]

A situation where I had instantly gained the Great Sage’s trust and faith.

Of course, this relationship wasn’t formed simply because I had passed the trial.

It was thanks to all the circumstances comprehensively aligning—defeating the Adversary, emanating the aura of a sacred covenant, and receiving the favor of the Lord of Seconds and Instants.

‘This is an incredibly favorable situation.’

Demarion the Great Sage wasn’t simply an excellent mage.

He was one of the elves who had lived the longest, and by listening to the whispers of the World Tree, he was essentially a living “Akashic Record.”

If I could make him my ally, I could utilize him endlessly in various ways.

‘Everything is going smoothly.’

Now, once I settled Strawberry Latte, all the business I needed to handle at Wintershield Magic Academy would be complete.

Then it would be time to move on to the ‘next plan.’

Having finished that thought, I responded to what Demarion the Great Sage had said earlier.

“If you promise compensation commensurate with that, I’ll gladly fulfill any request.”

Demarion smiled and nodded, leaning toward me as he asked.

[Of course you should.]

“….”

[So… you said earlier that you wanted the true name of the unknown one?]

* * *

“…?”

Hesitation—.

Jark von Haibrunn squinted his eyes the moment he set foot at the forest entrance.

The ominous aura he had felt when visiting this place recently had disappeared.

For some reason, the forest had become strangely clear.

Moonlight filtered through the tree branches, and starlight was perfectly reflected in the puddles.

‘…Something’s wrong.’

The place where he was supposed to meet Dorico Shiro was near the lake.

Jaque bit his lip with an anxious expression and quickened his pace.

But….

“…!”

Upon reaching the lake, Jaque was speechless with shock.

The water surface was clear as a mirror.

The sight of Haewolsumo burning dark red when he last visited this place was nowhere to be found.

Instead, only a small swarm of jellyfish floated above the lake, emitting blue light.

“Wh-what is this….”

Jaque’s voice trembled.

He looked around, desperately trying to find any trace.

However, he could find neither the aura of evil deities nor any sign of Dorico Shiro.

“Dorico Shiro!”

His shout echoed through the forest, but all that returned was the startled movement of beasts.

Jark von Haibrunn looked down at the edge of the lake. His reflection on the water surface seemed pitiful.

To reach the realm he had so desperately longed for, he had abandoned even his lifelong beliefs to join hands with evil….

“Ha.”

…The decision he had made by abandoning his life’s beliefs had crumbled so futilely.

“Ha, hahaha.”

Jaque laughed with his head down.

Even as he painfully realized how far he had fallen, the reality of gaining nothing was mocking him.

It was almost laughable how miserably broken he had become.

[Pyororok?]

Then, a small jellyfish from above the lake approached him.

The jellyfish circled gently nearby, as if wary of Jaque.

The aura felt from that small creature emitting blue light was purely innocent.

Jaque, who had been quietly staring at it, muttered to himself in a trembling voice.

“…Whose doing is this.”

Suddenly, a terrible sense of unease enveloped his entire body.

The normalization of the Forest of the Heavenly Sea was not a simple natural phenomenon.

Someone had definitely visited this place before him and changed everything.

“Kugh!”

Flinch—!

Right then, Jaque grabbed his arm.

A stinging sensation climbing along the scar.

It was the terrible phantom pain that had been tormenting him every time since that day.

─Disappointing. Is this truly the skill of one called the great castle of Middletemple?

A scene flashed through his mind.

A few days ago, the man with dark blue hair he had met at the training ground.

The Thirteenth Sword Master, Gaon.

“….”

There was no substantial evidence.

But Jark von Haibrunn’s instincts were telling him.

That the man who had given him humiliation and wounds had also extended his reach to this place.

‘That bastard….’

Clench—.

Jaque tightly clenched his trembling hands.

The existence of Dorico Shiro and the evil deities was a secret that must not be revealed.

Staying here any longer was dangerous. He needed to quickly return to Middletemple, the Holy City, and accurately assess the situation.

While the small jellyfish of the lake watched his retreating figure, Jaque hurriedly left the forest.

* * *

“….”

The Vault of Middletemple.

Among them, the display case storing sacred artifacts.

Jaque’s complexion darkened as he stood quietly in front of it.

Because the worst situation he had worried about had come to pass.

“Damn it.”

Jaque muttered a curse under his breath.

…One of Aiter’s Eyes of Retrospection was missing.

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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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