Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Twenty-Fourth Fragment, Carpediem
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Korkan was undoubtedly a leader-worthy wolf. Not only did its attack patterns differ, but its strength and agility far surpassed the average Black Wolf's capabilities.
However, thanks to the stats distributed before arriving here, its speed wasn't fast enough to evade with the eyes, nor was its power overwhelming enough to block. If anything, Judah felt he held a slight edge.
There was just one problem: the longsword he was currently wielding had reached its durability limit. Earlier, when he had parried the beast's charge with the flat of his blade, a red warning had suddenly appeared in the corner of his vision. Upon checking during a brief opening, he saw the durability was down to about 2/10.
Sharpening the blade with a whetstone maintained its edge but didn't restore durability. After slicing through nearly a hundred Black Wolves over nearly four days, it was no wonder it had hit its limit.
Graaang!
Korkan gave him no respite. It lunged low from the lower left, leaping into the air. Judah, who had been tracking its movements without missing a beat, hurriedly twisted his body to the right and swung his sword.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed from both their bodies simultaneously. Judah's longsword had slashed into the wolf's right shoulder blade, while its claw raked across Judah's thigh. The leather pants he wore offered no protection whatsoever, tearing away a chunk of flesh along with the fabric.
"Urk!"
Letting out a small groan, he retreated and steadied himself. It didn't seem deeply cut, but the pain was quite bothersome. Blood poured steadily from the gash in his torn leather pants. The sensation of it dripping down his leg like he'd pissed himself soured his mood. As if stimulated by the fresh blood scent, the surrounding wolves began sniffing the air.
Grrrn, grrrk!
The same went for his immediate opponent, Korkan. It had taken a wound too, but it was comparatively light. Perhaps because of that, it seemed convinced it had seized the advantage, baring not just its teeth but its gums in a grin. Its movements overflowed with leisure.
It had clearly been slashed too, but whether the cut was shallow or it was accustomed to such pain, it attacked Judah again without a hint of concern, repeatedly targeting his wounded left thigh. Damn thing was clever.
'Damn you!'
It was a tough situation, but not the worst. The moment Korkan charged once more, Judah unleashed the sword art he had been holding in reserve.
—Shadow Swordsmanship
—2nd Form: Slash!
The blade, at the end of its durability, trembled as if screaming before darkness enveloped it. It then traced a line through the air with the momentum to cleave anything in its path. A black trajectory became visible amid the moonlight shining down. But at the same moment, Korkan's eyes gleamed, and it swung its forepaw fiercely toward the forming line. A red aura flickered from its claws.
"What the hell!?"
Judah cried out in shock just before sword met claw. The moment they collided, a harsh clang rang out, sparks flew, and both were repelled by the recoil, unable to withstand it. The retreating beast quickly regained its balance using its hind legs and tail, then glared at Judah, whose stance was still disrupted.
He barely held back the urge to shout, What are you staring at? Then, Korkan rammed its head toward his abdomen. The impact shook his insides like an earthquake, and he clenched his teeth, forcing himself to focus.
But before he could fully regain his wits, his airborne body hit the dirt and rolled. Reflexively using the tumbling technique from his training, Judah sprang back to his feet. One eye stung from the dust. He blinked rapidly, tears flowing, but his vision didn't clear. Focusing his other eye, he kept track of the beast. It was sneering mockingly.
'A named mob that's not even a boss just countered my skill?'
It pissed him off enough to curse, but honestly, it was impressive. With its lips curled, Korkan chuckled eerily and charged again. Getting trampled by that massive bulk would spell doom. He blocked another sweeping forepaw with his longsword, but the long-enduring durability finally depleted entirely.
Clang!
The dreaded scenario unfolded. The sword snapped with a crack. The broken blade spun like a boomerang through the air before embedding itself not far away. He barely managed to block the follow-up attack with his left arm. But it was a poor choice.
He should have dodged. Or at least drawn his dagger, even if a moment late. The beast's claw sank halfway into his forearm before ripping free, tearing away a fistful of flesh. Fortunately, the bone hadn't broken, but the gushing blood indicated severe bleeding.
In the original world, the excruciating pain and blood loss would have left him unconscious, but things were different here. His superhuman physical abilities made the pain bearable, and his comparatively high regeneration kept the blood loss stable for now. Left untreated, it would worsen, of course, but not enough to make him collapse and concede defeat.
Awooooo!
As if certain of victory, the beast let out a light howl and licked its chops. It kept forcing him to think, but a wolf smirking was seriously grating.
The perpetual scowl between its brows during the fight had eased. It had no choice but to relax—Judah stood there with wounded arm and leg, clutching a broken sword. It was natural for the beast to think it could hunt him easily.
Panting heavily, he precariously blocked the repeated attacks with the shattered blade. Warm breath escaped his mouth into the cold night air, visible for a moment before vanishing.
'If even this doesn't work, I'll come back later and kill you for sure!'
Poison in his eyes, Judah slashed at the air toward the oncoming beast head-on. It flinched at the sudden action. Whether deeming it a desperate flail or shamed by its own hesitation, it bellowed thunderously and leaped. Its gaping maw revealed fangs that gleamed, ones it hadn't shown before.
—Shadow Swordsmanship
—4th Form: Phantom Sword!
Black smoke rose from his body, manifesting a dark silhouette in Judah's form. At the same time, Judah propelled himself backward. The phantom remained where Judah had stood, mimicking his previous action exactly.
It swung at the empty air. But no—it targeted the approaching Korkan with precision.
Kyaaak!
Deeming it a pathetic trick, Korkan smashed the incoming sword with its forepaw and bit into the phantom's scruff with its fangs. In that single assault, the phantom lost its form, dissipating like mist. The technique held no real power, nor was it meant to attack.
It was merely a move for countering or evasion. Once he became the 〈Phantom Sword Owner〉, he could escape such shadowy illusions to create identical replicas with matching presence and actions to confuse foes, but for now, this was his limit. Even so, the phantom had more than earned its worth.
"Eat this, you mongrel!"
Toward Korkan, who had just finished its attack and landed, Judah surged forward, closing in and swinging his broken half-sword.
—Shadow Swordsmanship
—3rd Form: Slash!
A black line etched through the air. The line carved across the wolf's head, which twisted into an "Oh crap!" expression. But misjudging the fall speed, it hit not the head but the ears.
Both wolf ears and fur flew.
Graaang! With a pained yelp, Korkan tumbled forward, sliding right to Judah's feet. He couldn't miss this. He hurled the half-sword aside, drew the dagger from his waist, gripped it reverse-handed, and stabbed down with all his might. In this instant, the dagger in his hand was worth any famed blade.
Crunch!
The dagger plunged straight into Korkan's crown. As if it had shattered the skull and scrambled the brain, Korkan convulsed wildly before going limp. It was dead.
He savored the thrill of victory only briefly before the surrounding wolves rose in unison.
-!
Tia, who had watched silently until now, tensed at their movements and stood. A heavy presence stirred. The Black Wolf Leader 〈Requiem〉, who had lain belly-down atop a massive boulder like the emblem of the Stone Faith, rose to its feet.
Requiem's gaze lingered on Korkan's corpse. In that instant, the body crumbled to dust and vanished utterly on the wind.
'The corpse disappeared?'
Before the question could form, messages scrolled up.
[Your level has increased.]
[You have successfully completed the sudden quest.]
[Black Wolves will not attack you while crossing the Black Forest back to Serenia Castle. But if you strike first... well, who knows if they'll just stand by and watch.]
[Reward: Right to Challenge the Leader Wolf 〈Requiem〉, +1 to your highest stat excluding special stats.]
[The Black Wolf Leader 〈Requiem〉 remembers you. Among Black Wolves, you are acknowledged as an outstanding warrior. Agility +1.]
The rewards were decent. But with Requiem still overlooking from above and countless wolves encircling them, there was no time to dwell. The quest explicitly stated no attacks, but the atmosphere... suggested otherwise.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Judah Arsher]
[Title: None]
[Level: 16]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden A)]
[Resurrection Count: 1]
[Strength: 40 (C) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 38 (D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 41 (C) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 41 (C) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 52 (C) / Potential S]
[Knowledge: 17 (F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 84 (A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 1]
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========== Afterword ==========
Poke poke...
Prodded it with a tree branch, but no reaction.
Seems dead.