Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Rain vs. Master Eleonora, Part 1
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After Eleonora's second phase began, Death of Death didn't last long.
*Shhhk, thud!*
"Keuk!"
In the end, Death of Death took a sword strike to the shoulder and collapsed to his knees from the impact. He gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but the tip of Eleonora's sword was already at his throat.
Eleonora looked slightly surprised.
"Impressive. That was a sharp display of close-quarters combat. A martial art from the world you live in? And some of your movements were accompanied by mana. You call them skills, I see. It doesn't seem like you've undergone internal training. Is this a technique that operates on principles different from this world's laws?"
She sheathed her sword, turned, and spoke.
"Good. The demons are also beings from another world. Perhaps abilities that defy our laws are necessary to face them. Adventurers from the stars, I have a fair grasp of your power and its nature now. I judge that you will be of help in the battle at the eastern Erin's Gorge."
*Ting.*
[You have been acknowledged by Eleonora]
[Duchy of Roeid Friendship +20]
[Duchy of Roeid Production Workshop Unlocked]
[House Roeid Sub-quests Unlocked]
Ooooh-!
The faces of the advance party users gathered here lit up. Their hard-fought battle had given them a head start in the Duchy of Roeid, the hub for the next expansion.
Death of Death stepped down from the dueling stage to the cheers of his Red and White guildmates. But he just scratched his head with a dissatisfied look.
Chris laughed heartily and slapped Death of Death on the back.
"You did great! We got her approval, so the quest is cleared. Besides, I think it was one of those unwinnable event battles anyway."
"I think I could've gotten the hang of it with a few more tries."
"Well, there'll be other chances. It looks like we'll be operating in that knight's territory. Rain, we should probably... Huh?"
Chris's voice came from behind me. It was because I was heading toward the dueling stage.
*Tap.*
Stepping onto the stage, I chirped at the back of Master Eleonora, who was about to descend and report to the emperor.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
Eleonora turned and looked at me.
"It's not over yet. You fought the tanks from both attack squads, so you have to fight me too, right?"
"Young lady."
Eleonora looked straight at me.
"You have already earned my acknowledgment. I see no meaning in further duels."
*What does she mean, no meaning?*
"It's just that... I saw a few things I'd like to correct in your swordsmanship. It seems to have some problems."
Eleonora's eyebrow twitched.
She turned her body to face me directly.
"Problems with my swordsmanship? My swordsmanship is the swordsmanship of House Roeid. Your words are tantamount to saying there are problems with the swordsmanship of House Roeid."
*Clang.*
And she drew her sword.
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"Of course."
"Adventurers from the stars... I have heard that your strength cannot be judged by appearances. Though you have the body of a small girl, I doubt you are frail."
*Shk.*
Eleonora raised her sword, taking a ready stance.
"Let us see if you have the skill to back up such arrogant words."
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
A flurry of rapid sword strikes flashed before my eyes. I parried every single one. Not with a skill-based block. I moved my sword directly, meeting the path of each strike.
*It's been a while since I've fought like this.*
The 'system' of Astria Online required skills to deal proper damage. I'd never had a pure sword duel like this before. At most, I'd used it as a temporary measure during the fight with the Ancient Hero.
Having reached level 50, my stats were now evenly raised. The bonuses from my accessories were also substantial. With my current stats, I could at least imitate the *form* of my swordsmanship from my time as the Hero.
If I could add mana to this, I could fight properly. That is, if I triggered my death-prevention belt and used the Hero's power.
I glanced back. Chris was watching me with her hands clasped to her chest, a nervous expression on her face.
Of course, I had no intention of using it here. It wouldn't be good for Chris's mental health if my body ended up like a skewered tanghulu.
*Clang!*
Eleonora swung her sword down hard from above. *Screeech!* The sound of metal grinding against metal echoed. And she pushed me back.
She seemed a little surprised. Her eyes were wide as she stood at a distance from me.
"You know how to handle a sword. You're certainly different from the others."
"Well, I know a little."
"A little? No, this is a considerable level of skill. And... it feels familiar somehow."
*Shk.*
"Young lady. Show me everything you've got."
*Swoooosh!*
This time, Eleonora rushed in first.
*Clang-clang-clang!* Sword met sword, dozens of blows exchanged, and in an instant, Eleonora's eyes gleamed as she pulled her sword back. A thrust. I angled my sword diagonally. And against the path of her linear thrust, *Screeech!*
*Twirl.*
Just like that, I deflected it as if drawing a semi-circle.
"!?"
For a moment, a look of panic flickered in Eleonora's eyes as her sword drooped downwards against her will. My sword, having descended in a semi-circle, naturally completed the circle, rising up as I flicked it toward Eleonora's side. *Shhhk! Clang!* But Eleonora quickly recovered and turned her blade sideways to block my attack.
Eleonora, who had taken a small step back, raised her sword again and stared at me with wide eyes. This was different from before. This time, she seemed truly astonished.
A moment of silence. A standoff. A question escaped Eleonora's lips.
"...Young lady, what is your name?"
"Rain."
"And your family name?"
"Um, family name?"
I tilted my head.
*What was my family name again?*
My full name on the Astria Continent was 'Drizzle Rain', but Drizzle wasn't a family name. In this world, the family name came after the given name anyway. 'Drizzle' meant a light, misty rain. It was more like a descriptor, like 'Mary of the Valley.'
And in Korea? I had the name Iseulbi.
*What was Iseulbi's registered clan origin?*
"Umm... the Jeonju Yi clan?"
From behind, I heard Cherni, the Spirit Master from the Red and White guild, chuckle. Right, Cherni's real name was 'Lee Jae-wook'.
"That technique is one from the swordsmanship of House Roeid. It is a technique learned upon entering the advanced course of mana manipulation. A being from another world with no connection to House Roeid... why do you know how to use it?"
I pouted.
"Why does a technique for deflecting attacks belong to you people? Anyone who's mastered the sword to a certain level can use it."
"Even so, the movement of that sword...!"
"Ah, enough chatter."
*Shk.*
I raised my sword and aimed it at Eleonora.
"Is that all you've got? I've seen enough of your basic swordsmanship. Do that thing you did against Mr. Death again. The real lesson starts there."
A clear provocation.
Eleonora's gaze turned icy.
*Woooong.*
Seeing it up close, I could tell. A faint, unusual aura was rising around Eleonora's body; she was clearly drawing on her mana.
"I have heard that you adventurers from the stars heal from grave injuries quickly, and that death does not mean eternal rest."
"Hmm, that's right."
*Though I feel all the pain just the same.*
"In that case, I suppose I can get a little more serious. I shall ask your body, after I've cut off a limb or two."
*Wow, she says some scary things.*
*Thump, thump.*
My heart is pounding. The anticipation of a fight consumes me.
*I guess I really am a natural-born fighter.*
*Maybe I was fated to live by the sword from the start.*
*Shhhk! Clang!*
Eleonora's sword traces bizarre arcs, aiming at me from all sides. It seems to thrust from the left, only to swing around from the right. But my sword moved naturally, blocking the path of Eleonora's blade.
Her speed had increased tremendously. But if Eleonora was going to use mana, I would just counter with 'skills'. If I used the Hero's power, I was confident I could overwhelm her with swordsmanship and speed alone, but I had the system on my side.
The feints and real attacks that aimed for blind spots within my response range couldn't all be covered even by a skill-based block that protected a 180-degree arc in front of me. However, it wasn't a problem if I could follow the real attack with my eyes.
The movement of the sword slashing toward my left shoulder wavered. An afterimage. The real one was at my right hip. I lightly brought my sword to meet it. *Clang!* Next was my left thigh. The sword wavered, but it was a real attack disguised as a feint. I brought my sword down to block it. *Clang!*
*Clang-clang-clang!*
It looked like I was on the defensive, but it was actually Eleonora who was in a bad spot. Not a single one of her mana-infused attacks had touched me.
Eleonora let out a cry of frustration without stopping her assault.
"What, you can see through all of them!?"
*Screech, clang!*
I deflected her sword and pushed her back hard. But Eleonora didn't panic and immediately continued her attack. The interval between retracting her sword and striking again was less than a tenth of a second. I watched her sword until the very end as it slashed toward my left chest from under my arm. *Ssk.* For an instant, my body shifted to another plane of space.
A backward evasion followed by a charge skill combo. Done slowly, it was a technique to fall back eight meters and then re-engage. But if the combo was executed simultaneously, I could gain about half a second of invincibility right where I stood. And in a fight with such rapid sword strikes, half a second of absolute invincibility meant having a massive advantage.
*Shhhk! Clang-clang!*
"Hah!"
A look of panic appeared in Eleonora's eyes. She must have thought she had definitely cut me, but my body, existing beyond that space, was untouched. It was understandable. She thought I was standing still, yet her sword wasn't cutting me.
Eleonora was quickly pushed onto the defensive. No matter how fast her attacks were, they were useless if they didn't land. The swordsmanship she used, mixing real attacks among feints, was not a helpful technique in a high-level fight. It just created unnecessary movements when she couldn't be sure her attacks would land even if she struck faster.
*Claaaang!*
I swung my starlit sword with great force. Eleonora, who barely managed to raise her sword to block, was slid backward. She seemed unable to accept the fact that she, empowered by mana, had been pushed back. She wore a bewildered expression.
I said in a low voice.
"You're a Master, so why are you relying on cheap tricks? What is the essence of the sword?"
"The essence of the sword...?"
"Block, thrust, and slash. And if the opponent is strong?"
"...Block surely, thrust swiftly, and slash powerfully."
"You know it well. So why don't you do it?"
Eleonora's body trembled as if struck by lightning when I threw her own answer back at her.
"B-But those words are from my family's...!"
I shouted with an icy gaze.
"As you are now, you are not worthy of the title of Master."