The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 69

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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 69 29. Where Did Such a Monster Come From (2)

“You know me?”

“I didn’t know. So I apologize. If I had known you were such an extraordinary person, I wouldn’t have committed such rudeness.”

He bowed his head once again.

Both his tone and attitude were extremely polite.

However, Lumian wasn’t pleased at all. He didn’t want to keep facing him.

So he quickly got to the point.

“Can you give me some money?”

“Of course.”

“Then 300 gold.”

“Would that amount be sufficient? If you wish, I could give you ten times that…”

“300 gold.”

“Understood. Here it is.”

The man reached into his coat and quickly handed over the money.

Lumian didn’t count the gold coins in his pocket one by one. The weight seemed about right, so he left the hideout without looking back and removed his robe and mask at a distant location.

He quietly muttered to himself.

“What kind of gangster is that strong. He’s a complete monster.”

It was absurd.

His disguise skills were impressive, but fundamentally his martial prowess itself was tremendous.

From the atmosphere he felt, even if you lined up all the Sword Masters, he seemed skilled enough to be positioned at the front.

‘At least within the top 30… no, he might be even stronger than that.’

A true powerhouse incomparable to the tall man who had first appeared as the Red Moon Boss.

Lumian thought for the first time in a while that the world was vast.

Of course, he still didn’t think he would lose this time either. He was confident he could gain the upper hand even if the Red Moon Boss and the man called Elder attacked him simultaneously.

However, he would need to be prepared. He thought something might go wrong somewhere.

‘I’ve saved enough money for emergencies, so let’s stop this now.’

It might be different if he had regained his previous life’s level, but digging into that guy right now was too dangerous.

He couldn’t take such risks before even escaping from this town.

Lumian quietly muttered.

“Well, even without a Demon King, the world is similar.”

In fact, even when there was a Demon King, other things were more often the problem.

Of course, worrying about it wouldn’t solve anything. Lumian had seen and heard quite a lot in his previous life to not know that.

‘Let’s only worry about what’s possible within my capabilities.’

He headed to the inn for a late breakfast.

* * *

The hideout after Lumian left was still quiet.

No one could open their mouth.

The Red Moon Boss, and the mastermind who had been hiding his identity until now.

The aura emanating from both of them was pressuring everyone.

“Shall we clean up, Elder?”

“Yes. I have a headache, so I’ll be outside.”

“Yes.”

With those words, the elderly man called Elder left the hideout. Though he appeared young on the outside, he was very old.

Bang!

As soon as the door closed, screams echoed from inside. The sound of swords being drawn as if to resist, and curses being spat out could also be heard.

However, all sounds subsided before long.

Shortly after, the Red Moon Boss walked out leisurely with a few drops of blood splattered on his face.

“I’ve finished cleaning up, Elder.”

“Good work. Phew.”

After encouraging the boss who bowed respectfully, the elderly man took out a cigarette.

When he flicked his finger, a flame sparked up with a tick.

Taking a deep drag, he began talking as if rambling.

“It was about 20 years ago… there was a similar incident where branches were raided.”

“…”

“It was a monster I couldn’t even think of confronting. I could tell just from watching the magically recorded footage. That no matter how many of me there were, I couldn’t handle that opponent.”

He put the cigarette to his lips again, blew out smoke, and continued.

“Today, I felt that same feeling.”

“…Is he that strong?”

“Yes. He’s a monster. Not quite as much as the freak from 20 years ago, but… I would lose. I’m certain.”

Watching the elderly man speak with certainty, the Red Moon Boss felt bewildered.

He wasn’t just a simple underworld boss.

He was a big shot with influence across various fields besides the organization. And he had sufficient skills to handle that.

In comparison, the masked man from earlier seemed somewhat plain.

He would probably be stronger than himself. Well, he had only just become a Sword Master.

But for the elderly man, a monster whose limits couldn’t be fathomed, to speak weakly was unbelievable.

‘Just how strong is he… He didn’t even look that old from what I could sense…’

“Asera. He’s not someone for you to judge.”

“…I apologize.”

“Even if you searched the entire continent thoroughly, there wouldn’t be more than ten people stronger than that man just now. Rather than fighting such a man and suffering tremendous damage, it’s better to step back appropriately. Tsk, where do such monsters keep popping up from…”

The elderly man took out another cigarette and lit it.

Then he frowned slightly.

It was fortunate that the losses were less than expected, but that didn’t mean there was no stress. He absolutely hated such unexpected variables.

He was even more annoyed because there had been many unpleasant incidents recently.

The situation was serious enough to give even him, a Sword Master, a headache.

He commanded the Red Moon Boss.

“I’m leaving, so clean up the aftermath properly without any problems and return.”

“Yes, Elder.”

The boss went back into the building. The elderly man, left alone, looked up at the sky lost in thought.

But then.

Behind him, a black aura began to slowly approach through the building’s shadow.

Slithering…

The black aura was extremely stealthy. And cautious. So much so that even the elderly man, who possessed remarkable senses, couldn’t notice it.

If he had been concentrating, the situation would have been different, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case now. He was currently lost in other thoughts.

Eventually, the black aura successfully melted into the elderly man’s shadow.

It was a success 10 years in the making. The black aura had been watching for opportunities without missing a single day for this moment.

Of course, it wouldn’t end here. The black aura continued to advance.

From shadow to heel, to leg, to waist…

Finally, the moment it tried to seep into its final destination, the head.

“Hmm.”

The elderly man let out a low groan.

Then he strongly unleashed his aura.

Whoooosh!

An intense energy that made the surrounding pebbles float.

The elderly man, who had been emitting aura for a while, withdrew his energy and thought.

‘I felt something strange…’

He was sure he had, but now he felt nothing again.

Was it his imagination? Tilting his head, he quietly complained.

“I guess I’ve been too stressed… I need to rest a bit.”

Whoosh!

With those words, the elderly man left the scene.

The dark energy also disappeared along with it.

It was a secretive and unpleasant occurrence that no one, including himself, had noticed.

* * *

“Phew, I’m full.”

Lumian muttered as he walked down the street after finishing his meal.

It was the same inn where he had dined with Senior Tania before, but the food had gotten even better. He thought he should drop by occasionally even after the semester started.

After walking through the city for a while, Lumian finally saw the entrance to Tarasan Academy before his eyes.

Unlike when he first came, he felt warmth and nostalgia.

When he had just reincarnated, instinctive fear had arisen. Thinking of that time, he smiled slightly before entering inside.

Whatever the past was like, now it was a more comfortable place than anywhere else.

It was also a place where he had precious new relationships, and also.

“…Ooh.”

It was also a place where pretty female students walked around.

‘Certainly, the people at Tarasan Academy are quite good-looking.’

To leave such a place and join the Knight Order of Jenas. That couldn’t happen.

Lumian, who once again praised his own judgment, headed straight to the dormitory.

He was slightly fatigued from the long journey. This had nothing to do with physical strength.

He wanted to quickly unpack and rest.

He increased his pace even more, and shortly after entered the interior of the dormitory.

‘Ah, come to think of it, that parrot… well, it’ll find its way here on its own.’

It probably would.

He didn’t know if it found him by smell or through its ability to handle mana, but the creature had somehow found him. It had been like that throughout the entire journey.

If he went into his room and left the window open, it would probably come in on its own. And then it would babble obscene words by his bedside.

Lumian’s expression soured.

‘I need to train it to do that less. Ah, come to think of it, won’t someone try to catch it because it’s interesting? It should be fine, right? It’s quite quick on its feet…’

As he was having various thoughts about the Golden Parrot like this.

Rustle rustle-

“…!”

A strange sound came from inside his room.

Lumian’s expression hardened.

He thought a thief might have broken in.

‘Though there’s hardly anything to steal…’

No, aside from that, for a thief to break into the Academy Dormitory where nobles lived.

What on earth was going on?

Lumian quickly took out his key and opened the door. He heard the sound of the lock clicking open.

He also heard a gasp of surprise. It seemed to be a sound made by the thief inside.

Lumian, with an angry face, threw the door wide open.

Even if they tried to escape through the window, he would definitely catch them!

His eyes, filled with the will to arrest, surveyed the scene inside the room.

“…Uh, hello?”

“…”

“You, you came back earlier than expected. Haha, hahaha…”

“What are you doing?”

Looking at Bumer Simpson, who was greeting him with a flustered expression, Lumian asked the question.

Bumer, who had been silent for a moment, bowed his head on the bed.

“I’m sorry.”

He was still holding a lewd book in his hands.

* * *

“So… you’re saying you suddenly wanted to see the book you gave me before, so you snuck in?”

“Uh…”

“How did you get in?”

“Just, with a piece of metal, somehow it worked…”

“…That aside, why are you reading it in my room instead of your own room.”

“It was too bothersome to take it back, so I was going to finish reading it here… Ah, I’m really sorry. I apologize.”

Bumer apologized once again.

Lumian shook his head with a pathetic expression.

‘This guy isn’t normal either.’

Not only had he snuck in because he missed the lewd book he had given as a gift to win his favor before, but he had also tried to finish all his business(?) and leave because going back and forth was bothersome.

It was absurd.

But it wasn’t incomprehensible.

He was also a man, after all.

‘It certainly is an excellent book. It’s understandable that he’d think of it again.’

Since the Subculture Research Club that had been mass-producing them had been blown up, its rarity might have increased even more.

Thinking this way, his heart became a little more generous.

Lumian decided to forgive Bumer.

“Don’t do this next time. No matter how urgent it is, do you pick locks and enter someone else’s room?”

“Right… I’m sorry. I’ll absolutely never do it again.”

“Alright.”

Lumian, who had finished his lecture, burst into laughter.

The absurd incident that occurred right after his arrival was amusing, and he felt happy to see his friend after a long time.

And though it was quite a wicked thought.

‘This guy, looking at his state, he probably doesn’t have a girlfriend.’

He felt somewhat relieved because this thought occurred to him.

Teoro Shutgarn, Cal Krone. These two guys weren’t his competition. They were already playing in a league above.

But he didn’t want to lose to Bumer.

That’s why the current situation felt very comfortable to him.

The smile on his lips became even brighter.

Bumer, who was watching this, became flustered.

‘What’s with this guy?’

Something about the atmosphere had changed.

No, looking closely, it wasn’t the atmosphere but his appearance that had changed. Suddenly his features had become more defined and his skin had improved. In short, he had become handsome.

No matter how much it was a period when growth wasn’t finished, how could a person change this much in less than two months?

‘Don’t tell me, is this guy dating someone?’

Is that why his complexion had become so bright?

Anxiety began to show on Bumer’s face.

Just as Lumian thought of him as his last bastion, he felt the same way. He didn’t want to imagine a future where Lumian got a girlfriend first.

Bumer spoke with a serious expression and trembling voice.

“By any chance, you…”

“Hm?”

“Do you have… a girlfriend? Perhaps from your hometown?”

“…”

Lumian’s atmosphere suddenly darkened. That was answer enough.

‘Good.’

Seeing this, Bumer felt peace return to his heart instead.

But he didn’t show it. Because of his previous mistake, the situation wasn’t good for teasing.

Instead, he decided to give a gift to his excellent friend who was still serving as his support.

“Lumian. Let’s go somewhere together.”

“Huh? Why? I was going to rest.”

“Let’s just go there and come back, then you can rest. There’s a good place.”

“A good place?”

“Yeah, a good place. You won’t regret it.”

‘What’s with him all of a sudden.’

Lumian looked at Bumer’s face.

It was an expression overflowing with confidence. His attitude said to just trust him and follow along.

‘You’re not Teoro, so what could you possibly do.’

But he was too curious to say that.

Lumian nodded his head.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

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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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