Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: The Ancient Swordsman ■■■ (1)
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Whoosh!
A chilling whoosh cut through the air as a Blue Dragon Crescent Blade thrust forward, grazing my neck by a hair's breadth. Twisting my head to dodge, I swung my sword in a wide, powerful arc. Thwack! A blue protective aura flickered, absorbing the impact of the blow.
Strong. Just as expected from the illusion of a master-class warrior. It may have been weakened to match the player's level, but its attacks were still fearsome.
Its attacks weren't fast. If Melissa, Elena, and I are masters who prioritize speed, this warrior prioritizes weight. Each and every attack is direct and concise. But at the same time, they're heavy.
Flash!
The crescent blade rose above its head, then came crashing down with immense force, as if to split me in two. Clang! I could block this one. However, some of its attacks came thrusting in with a force I couldn't possibly handle.
A prime example was the crescent blade's thrust, imbued with that blue mana. I couldn't face that head-on. I had to either dodge it or resist it.
Scraaaape!
With a scrape against the floor, the crescent blade swung powerfully upward from below. Clang! Once. Clang! Twice. A two-hit upward swing, spinning its body. My body jolted from the impact, but I wasn't sent airborne. This, too, I could block.
That was the extent of its normal patterns.
The problem, however, was the strange area-of-effect attack it used between patterns.
Thud!
The moment the hilt of the warrior's crescent blade struck the ground hard.
Vwoooom!
A concentric circle of blue light erupted from that point, rapidly spreading across the entire combat area.
This attack appeared between its regular patterns. As it appeared, it was obviously unblockable. I had to use an invincibility skill to avoid it.
Zzzzt.
"Ugh."
I frowned.
Even though I had resisted it with an invincibility skill, the blue mana that swept past me didn't completely disappear, instead clinging to my body.
[Blue Dragon Sword Ki 1 Stack (29s)]
[Take 1000 damage per second]
The residual sword ki inflicts damage over time.
This. It was similar in nature to Crow's 'Punishment'. It's a pattern meant to counter invincibility. It wasn't like Crow's method of ignoring the system, but it applied a debuff that seemed to bypass it by clinging to my body.
But something was strange. Crow's 'Punishment' certainly had a massive range, but there was a way to avoid it.
This pattern, the Blue Dragon Sword Ki, however, covered the entire combat area.
Even if I resisted, I still got the debuff.
There was no way to avoid it.
Really?
Is there really no way to avoid it?
Vwoooom!
Once again, the concentric circle of Blue Dragon Sword Ki erupted from the hilt of the warrior's crescent blade.
Facing it, I quickly racked my brain.
This world, no, this game.
Combat is fundamentally based on the X-axis.
But rarely, there are fights that require using the Y-axis as well.
My most recent experience was the battle against the Elf Guards in the Elven Forest. At that time, the Elf Guards, led by Palman, attacked us from up in the trees.
The wave of Blue Dragon Sword Ki sweeps across from the floor up to around waist height.
If that's the case, it's too simple.
Other players couldn't avoid it because they thought of the game as being based on X-axis combat.
In a real fight, if sword ki comes at your waist?
You either duck.
Thump!
Or you jump.
As I leaped into the air, I could see the powerful wave of Blue Dragon Sword Ki passing beneath my feet.
Seeing that, I smiled.
"So this is it."
And then, while still in the air, I brought my sword down hard on the crown of the warrior's head.
Kwwaaaaa!
Even after figuring out how to counter the Blue Dragon Sword Ki, the battle with the ancient warrior was far from over.
Vwom, vwom, vwoooom!
The form of the warrior gripping its crescent blade blurred, and it soon began to move rapidly in all directions. From various spots across the combat area, three concentric circles generated at the warrior's feet swept across the entire zone.
Thump, thump, thud-thump!
I too quickly leaped into the air, weaving between the concentric circles. I became a grasshopper. I relentlessly kicked off the ground, leaping up, chasing the darting warrior and unleashing my own sword ki.
An unexpected chase scene unfolded in the Tomb of Swords.
The crescent blade-wielding warrior. I thought it was the type to charge in headfirst, but its fighting style was trickier than I expected.
Thump.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
For a moment, the warrior stopped moving, and the crescent blade began to spin rapidly above its head.
"Hup!"
My light body was caught in the whirlwind generated by the crescent blade and pulled forward. In that instant, as my body lost its balance.
Fwoooosh!
A tempest of blue sword wind erupted from the warrior, spreading out to engulf everything.
Thump.
Jump, then evade backward. And then, the warrior's body instantly loomed large in my vision.
A charge pattern.
Kaaaang!
I raised my sword and blocked the charge of the warrior with its raised crescent blade.
Chk.
A powerful pattern, but it created a huge opening.
I lowered my stance, facing the momentarily staggered warrior's body.
Flash, flash, flash!
One flash. A second, a third.
Using two consecutive cooldown resets, my sword slashed through the warrior's body three times.
Three slash marks were carved into the warrior's body—its neck, chest, and waist.
Vwom!
Its body emitted a strong blue light, transforming into a halo of light before disappearing.
Thank goodness.
After its head fell, it didn't just stay there as a head and glare at me.
That would have been truly terrifying.
I glanced back at the halo of light that had been the 'Ancient Master' and headed for the 10th floor.
[Tomb of Swords - 10th Floor]
Zzzzing.
The now-familiar scanning system, the light of the top floor, swept over me once.
A system that gathers the player's information on the top floor of a solo dungeon and prepares a final boss of a suitable class.
On the top floor, regular players—swordsmen fought swordsmen, fighters fought fighters. I'd heard they fought like this. But my avatar's information seemed to be something different.
Since 'he' always showed up.
Vwom.
A halo of light gathered in the center.
"Long time no..."
My hand, raised in a happy greeting, froze.
Huh, she's a bit tall.
Through the halo of light, I could see the shape of blue, ponytailed hair.
Not a short, stubby person like me, but a tall woman.
I let out a groan.
"Kngh..."
This is unexpected.
A companion from the Hero's party of the past.
The older sister who cherished me, and my sword master.
It's Melissa.
I plopped down on the floor in front of the illusion. I sat there for a moment, lost in thought.
Am I not happy to see her?
In truth, I was overjoyed. I wanted to burst into tears and throw myself into her arms right this second. If this were before I met Igraine, I certainly would have.
But the person before my eyes right now is not the real Melissa.
Her illusion.
Something she left behind for future generations.
Thanks to Igraine, I've matured enough mentally to remain calm and think, even in front of an illusion of a companion.
Will other players also have to fight Melissa on the top floor? Since I'm probably the only one who has reached the top floor, there's no way to know. But if this is Melissa in her prime, she would be an opponent that current players could never hope to overcome.
The Ancient Hero? Of course, she's a monstrous opponent who crushes you with sheer power.
Master Melissa? She may lack a Holy Sword that can deal heavy damage to demonic beings, but her power level isn't far behind the Ancient Hero's.
In fact, in terms of swordsmanship alone, she surpasses her.
I pushed myself to my feet.
Shing.
And drew my sword.
"Between us, we don't need words, do we?"
Even if this Melissa doesn't recognize me, even if she is just an illusion.
We can still converse.
As long as we both have our swords.
Flash!
Melissa became a flash of blue light, and I, a flash of silver.
The two of us clashed on the top floor of the Tomb of Swords.
We began our 'conversation'.
[Level ???]
[Ancient Swordsman ■■■]
[HP ??? / ???]
Clang-clang-clang! Clang!
Dazzling blue arcs filled my vision. A dance of swords unfolded before my eyes.
Melissa's sword is beautiful. It's fast, concise, and moves only for its purpose.
To block an opponent's attack, to cut their body, to strike their weakness. A weapon that moves with such a clear purpose is beautiful.
Clang! Scraaaape!
As Melissa's sword drove hard toward my waist, I blocked it with my own held diagonally, deflecting it in a circular motion. Her deflected sword then spun with the illusion's entire body, thrusting toward my other side. I twisted my sword to the other side to block, breaking out in a cold sweat.
And I smiled.
This is fun.
In a way, it's a battle for my life, a conversation through swords. Her sword is familiar. But that's precisely why it's so difficult.
Vwoooom!
A blue sword ki swirled around Melissa's blade. The sword, swung with the clear purpose of cleaving my body, came at me.
Was she always like this? She didn't harbor any killing intent, but I think she always swung her sword fearsomely enough to surely lop off a piece of me. Even though she cared for me so much, she was merciless in our spars. Was it because she trusted in the Saintess Elena's exceptional healing abilities? Of course, I never actually had a limb cut off during a spar with Melissa.
If so, then nothing's different now.
Even if she's just an illusion who doesn't recognize me, even if I can't throw myself into her arms.
Clang! Fw-fw-fw-fwoosh!
I swung my sword hard to parry and created distance between us. In an instant, a torrent of powerful slashes, bundles of blue sword ki, came pouring toward my entire body. I, too, swung my starlight right into the heart of that fierce sword ki.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Slashes met slashes, sword ki met sword ki, clashing in midair.
It was a breathless battle, but a smile played on my lips.
I'm having fun.
I hope you are too, Melissa.