The Failed Swordmaster - 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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Chapter 68 29. Where Did Such a Monster Come From (1)

A village about two days away from Calard Estate.

Lumian, who was staying at the only inn there, woke up at dawn.

Though he had achieved the unprecedented accomplishment of becoming a Sword Master at age 15, he still never neglected his efforts.

It was the same now.

After taking only a brief moment of sleep, he assumed a posture for cultivation. And instantly entered a state of selfless absorption.

The aura within his body began to stir.

Wooooooong-!

The surrounding mana was drawn in.

Originally, Lumian’s speed of accumulating aura was already incomparably fast. After becoming a Sword Master, there was no comparison.

Energy flowed rapidly through the internal pathways that had fewer restrictions than before. The mountain that formed him gradually grew larger.

But then.

Rustle-

The Golden Parrot, which had been quietly sleeping with its head down, climbed onto Lumian’s crown.

Very quietly, without even the usual fluttering sounds.

And shortly after, golden light burst from the creature’s eyes.

Swoooosh-

A mysterious and divine golden energy descended upon Lumian.

His body gladly accepted it. Like earth embracing rainwater, like embracing sunlight.

The Golden Parrot’s energy that seeped in made Lumian’s aura clear and pure.

Kwarrrrrr!

That wasn’t all.

This amazing energy even drew the mana flowing in the atmosphere toward Lumian.

Then Lumian’s cultivation method became even more powerful. It freely absorbed the abundant surrounding mana, converted it to aura, and accumulated it layer by layer in his dantian.

Twice, no, more than three times the usual efficiency!

It was at a level where he couldn’t help but feel it tangibly.

Lumian opened his eyes with a surprised expression after finishing his cultivation. And he felt the Golden Parrot sleeping on top of his head.

“Don’t tell me, you did this?”

-Sex!

The parrot answered.

It was a small sound, seemingly considering that it was still early morning.

Lumian let out a hollow laugh.

The more he looked, the more amazing this creature was.

‘To think it has the ability to draw in surrounding mana!’

It even played a role in purifying the aura within his body!

It was fortune. An incredible stroke of luck.

Each of the treasures obtained from the Incubus’s hideout were precious items, but even combining them all couldn’t compare to this Golden Parrot.

Not only does it gather mana, but it also purifies the interior!

It’s a spiritual creature that would make swordsmen and mages worldwide burn with desire.

‘Of course, no one would know such a creature exists…’

The same was true for Lumian.

Since even he, who was part of Jenas’s upper echelons, didn’t know about it, it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to obtain information about this creature anywhere.

Lumian looked upward and said.

“What exactly are you?”

-Sex! Sex!

“Why are you helping me?”

-Sex! Sex!

“Is that the only thing you can say?”

-Ahhhat! A robust man’s XX is coming toward my @@ and entering!

“…That bastard Morghen, teaching it strange words for no reason.”

The parrot continued spouting only lewd words.

Lumian chuckled as he looked at the creature.

His serious expression had relaxed before he knew it.

‘Well, there’s no way it could answer properly.’

Though it’s a spiritual creature, it’s still a beast after all.

He had expected too much when he should be grateful just that it understands words.

Lumian gently set down the parrot from his head, washed his face with basin water, and finished preparing to leave.

After eating a hearty breakfast, he left the village muttering.

“From today, shall I try earning some money?”

To repay the mercenary fee to Morghen, he needed an enormous amount.

However, there was no need to worry.

He had vaults full of money he could use anytime, anywhere, spread across the entire continent.

* * *

Crash!

“We have a customer!”

“What!”

“What’s with that bastard? What were the guys guarding the entrance doing?”

“You bastard, do you know where this is to barge in so recklessly?”

“The lines are similar in every neighborhood. Do you share a repertoire or something?”

Lumian, hiding his identity with a robe and mask, sneered.

The local thugs who heard those words got angry and rushed at him.

“This damn bastard…”

“Kill him!”

“How dare you attack alone?”

Thwack!

Smack!

Crash bang clang!

“Keuheueor!”

“Keueu…”

“Keureureurk.”

Of course, not a single thug could withstand Lumian’s single strike.

Lumian knocked down the small fry while moderately controlling his strength. Then he called out to the leader in a leisurely voice.

“Hey there, person putting on airs. Are you the leader? If you don’t want everyone to fall ill and have your business shut down tomorrow after being attacked by another organization, show some sincerity. I won’t ask for much.”

Having robbed thugs’ pockets more than ten times already, memories from his previous life began to resurface vividly.

Even his speech became rough. Seeing such a Lumian, the gang leader drew his sword.

“You bastard! Do you know who I am… I’ll show you the terror of an aura sword!”

Wooooong!

‘This guy’s bluffing too. Really, all thugs are the same everywhere.’

Of course, even if the guy was a real Sword Expert, it wouldn’t interfere with the job at all. It was impossible for mere neighborhood thugs to stop him now that he’d become a Sword Master.

Lumian instantly subdued even the leader, then proceeded with collection according to the established procedure.

“Don’t do anything rough in the area to make up for the money you lost today. That’s why I’m deliberately taking only a little.”

“…”

“I’ll check later.”

He also handled the aftermath through pressure from his aura image and presence. This was to eliminate harm to local residents. There wouldn’t be any thug capable of overcoming the trauma left by a Sword Master and causing trouble.

After giving his farewell greeting, he leisurely exited the hideout.

‘Now… about 4,800 gold? That’s enough to pay the fee.’

Lumian checked inside the subspace backpack borrowed from Morghen and nodded slightly.

This was more than enough. He thought he could now leisurely enjoy his journey.

But that was only momentary.

Changing his mind, Lumian turned his steps toward another organization to pull off one more job.

‘I never know when I might need money again…’

Right now, since he was going back and forth between the academy and his family, there were many places to collect money, but during the semester it would be difficult to do so.

So he decided it would be better to earn a lot now. He also thought it would be better to handle annoying things all at once.

‘Right. Since I’m doing it anyway, let’s fill up ten thousand gold!’

From that day on, Lumian picked up the pace of his journey a bit more. And in his spare time, he began robbing local gangsters even more actively.

He even ventured into areas that were slightly off his travel route. To fill ten thousand gold, he needed to head to larger cities.

Thus, one week before the second semester began, Lumian arrived in the city where Tarasan Academy was located.

After putting on his robe and mask once again, he whispered to the Golden Parrot circling around him.

“Go find something to eat while I work.”

-Sex!

“Ah, that bastard. I wish he’d use different words when responding…”

Lumian grumbled quietly and walked toward a familiar place.

It was the place he had already robbed twice before.

Actually, no matter how bad these guys were, doing the same thing three times did prick his conscience a bit…

‘The money I have on hand right now is… 9,700 gold.’

The desire to fill exactly 10,000 gold motivated him to move.

“Hmm.”

Lost in various thoughts, before he knew it, a familiar building came into view.

Judging by the sounds leaking from inside, they seemed to be having another drinking party.

Lumian chuckled and moved toward the entrance.

The sentries who recognized his outfit made haggard expressions.

“It, it’s him!”

“That bastard!”

“Quickly inform them!”

“You don’t need to bother. I’ll go in and inform them directly myself.”

Lumian replied calmly and burst through the door.

Then familiar scenery and familiar people came into view.

Of course, the thugs were also familiar with Lumian.

The gang leader jumped up and shouted.

“Fi, finally! You came again, you bastard! You damn robed bastard!”

“Finally?”

“You bastard, just wait! I’ll bring someone who will crush you!”

With those words, the gang leader rushed off somewhere.

Lumian frowned.

‘Finally? Did they know I would come?’

There seemed to be a network among the thugs.

So they had brought a strong person to take him down.

Of course, there was nothing to worry about.

Lumian just waited leisurely with slight curiosity to see what level of expert would arrive.

And after a moment.

“You bastard! I’ve got you now!”

“Ah, from that time…”

Another familiar face appeared.

It was the Expert-level fighter he had fought when he robbed this place for the second time.

The guy who had veteran knight-level skills despite being just a thug, which had puzzled him.

Of course, he wasn’t the main character.

Lumian looked at the tall, cold-looking figure standing beside him.

‘A Swordmaster?’

He certainly looked like one.

Even though he was standing still, there were no openings to be felt, and the subtle aura he gave off was extraordinary.

He was skilled enough that it was incomprehensible why someone with such abilities would be doing thug work.

‘Still, there’s absolutely no problem…’

Although Lumian had just recently become a Swordmaster, the possibility of defeat was zero.

Armed with the mountain’s aura, volcanic eruption, and experience from his previous life, he already possessed skills that ranked among the top ten on the continent.

There was no way he would struggle against someone who seemed to be playing around at the beginning stages of Swordmaster level at best.

While thinking this.

“…”

Suddenly Lumian’s expression stiffened.

Even though his face was covered by a mask, it was noticeable. This was because tension appeared in his eyes.

The Expert who caught this, a Red Moon official, let out a vile laugh.

“Kuhuhuh, indeed! You’re quite perceptive for someone with some skills?”

“…”

“Do you know who the older brother I brought is! He’s the boss of Red Moon, the greatest organization on the continent!”

“…”

“By the way, he’s my sworn older brother. He personally took the trouble to come here to kill you!”

The Red Moon official continued chattering excitedly.

Unlike last time, seeing the guy frozen and unable to say a word made him feel like his long-held frustration was finally being relieved.

‘As expected, my thinking was right! If I can’t track the bastard, I just need to wait for him to come and ambush him. You’re finished now!’

The corners of his mouth rose even higher.

He imagined a pleasant future while looking at the guy’s face.

He would remove that annoying mask, confirm that shameless face, then pull out his teeth one by one. He would tear his mouth apart. He would cut off his nose, and finally gouge out those fear-filled eyeballs.

While thinking such thoughts and looking at the guy’s eyes.

“Hm?”

Something was strange.

It was true that he was tense. Although he couldn’t see his face completely, his attitude had definitely become more cautious.

But the direction of his gaze was odd.

He wasn’t looking at him.

He wasn’t looking at his older brother, who was the Red Moon boss either.

But further back.

Toward a direction where there should only be small fry belonging to a mere branch…

Swish

Thud, roll roll roll…

Thump!

That was the Red Moon official’s last thought.

His head fell off, and his headless body collapsed with a thump. The cut surface was frighteningly clean.

The hall became as quiet as a mouse.

The sound of blood flowing from the dead man’s neck could be heard.

After a moment, Lumian, who had maintained an expressionless face until now, opened his mouth.

It wasn’t directed at the Red Moon boss that the recently deceased official had been bragging about.

It was directed at the man who had killed him, who had suddenly walked out from behind.

‘Did he reveal his identity after receiving my gaze…’

“Are you the real boss?”

“No. The boy next to me is the real boss.”

He humbled himself. Like the official he had killed said, he acknowledged the tall man as the boss.

But it was merely modesty.

The fact that he called a Swordmaster a boy already indicated the man’s position.

Lumian chuckled and thought.

‘His face is… disguised.’

The newly appeared man had a very ordinary appearance.

To be precise, he looked like a typical small-time thug. Moderate muscle with moderate fat, a face that seemed both rough and petty.

By controlling his presence and blending in among the riffraff like that, he had momentarily been deceived.

However, his true nature was chilling enough to make Lumian tense up for a moment.

“This bastard has too loose a tongue. Why did you associate with such a guy?”

“His skills weren’t bad so I was using him for what it was worth… I apologize, Elder.”

While Lumian was having various thoughts, the Red Moon boss was being scolded by the man.

However, that time didn’t last long. When the one called Elder nodded, he stepped back three paces.

The Elder, no, the organization’s mastermind who had finished internal cleanup, politely bowed toward Lumian.

It was a bow close to 90 degrees.

“I apologize for not recognizing you.”

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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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