Chapter 59: Vengeance!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59: Vengeance!
“Fuck!!”
One of them screamed as I suddenly charged forward. He seemed to be trying to hold me off, but the Ancient Warrior, despite losing an arm, was still very much a threat. The undead feel no pain. A Named Monster of that caliber will keep moving until its body is completely destroyed. I drew the Weapon-Breaking Longsword, my most recent purchase.
The man before me was the one the Ancient Warrior had just struck. He was gasping in agony, his flesh seared by the flames. I severed his head in a single stroke.
“Gack!”
A grotesque gurgle escaped him as his head was cleanly severed. A fountain of blood erupted, but I had no time to admire the spectacle.
The last man was still locked in a struggle with the one-armed Ancient Warrior. Absurdly, the Clan Master knew I was coming, yet he was still reaching for the ‘Ancient Flame’ that had been sent flying into the air.
‘Fucking idiot. Thanks.’
I sprinted forward. I drew a dagger and threw it at him to buy some time. He parried it with his own sword. The distance between me and the ‘Ancient Flame’ shrank.
But he was still closer. The instant he stretched his body to its limit, his fingers about to close around the sword’s hilt, I activated my unique ability: Weapon Switch.
Every muscle in my body contracted. Before I could even process it, the ‘Weapon-Breaking Longsword’ in my hand and the ‘Ancient Flame’ in the air instantly swapped places.
“Got it!”
His triumphant shout echoed, but the sword he was holding was my own longsword. Which meant the Ancient Flame was now in my hand.
The immense heat from moments ago vanished as if it never existed. The ambient warmth now felt… pleasant, almost comforting. The ‘Ancient Flame’ in my grasp was shielding me from the very heat it radiated.
He stared blankly at the sword in his hand. I couldn't help but laugh.
“Krrrrrrk!”
“You fucking bastard!!”
As if on cue, his shout was answered by a shower of Mev’s arrows. It seemed she had come to check on the situation now that things had settled down a bit. The man who appeared to be the Clan Master kept deflecting Mev’s arrows with the sword he was originally holding. It looked like his body was in no condition to break through the rain of arrows and face me head-on.
‘He’s lost too much sweat.’
He was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. That final attack on the Ancient Warrior must have been a strike infused with all his remaining spirit. I quickly backed away.
And then, as if waiting for that very moment, a voice that I couldn't help but rejoice at pierced my ears.
[ Quest Complete. ]
[ Quest - Collect Weapons: You are a Named Monster known to humans as the Weapon Merchant. Perhaps it’s time you became a true ‘Weapon Collector’! Find the first weapon to accompany you on this new path. (1/1) ]
[ Excellent. You have acquired a qualifying weapon through underhanded means. We applaud your treachery! Quest successfully completed. You will rank up as a quest reward. Please select a form to evolve into. ]
[ 1. Intermediate Orc Gladiator ]
[ Reward - The hidden weapons in the Item Shop will be unlocked. This is a one-time opportunity. Please use it wisely. ]
The only option for evolution was Intermediate Gladiator. It seemed I didn't have enough experience to evolve into a different class or species. I quickly pictured the Intermediate Gladiator in my mind. Other than a change in the armor on my shoulders, nothing seemed different, but the power coursing through my body told me I had definitely grown stronger.
And then…
[ Ancient Flame ]
[ An ancient weapon with a blade made of fire. This was the lifelong weapon of the great desert warrior ‘Dodrak.’ Imbued with his magic, the Ancient Flame slowly but surely transformed, gaining the ability to emit fire and heat by consuming mana. Additionally, it increases the user’s resistance to the fire attribute. ]
[ Vitality +1, Strength +1 ]
These were stats that made me want to shout for joy. Just a single point added to Strength and Vitality made my body feel like it was overflowing with new energy.
‘I want to test it.’
How could I not want to test this newfound power? My fighting spirit began to boil, and my breathing grew ragged. Just as I thought I couldn't hold back any longer, my body shot forward. Instead of retreating as I had originally planned, I began to run toward him.
‘Can I win?’
There was a difference in our specs, but he was clearly exhausted. I, on the other hand, had just finished evolving and had even obtained a new sword. The man, who had been staring at his hands with a dumbfounded expression while deflecting Mev’s arrows, saw me approaching and charged forward with a scream.
“You thief!”
I poured magic into the sword, and flames and heat erupted. The color drained from his face. The thought of facing this item again when his body was already dehydrated seemed to make his mind go blank.
Just then, another scream echoed from behind him.
“Aaaaargh! Youngsoo! Youngsoo!”
The sight of the last remaining warrior being torn limb from limb by the Ancient Warrior entered my vision.
“Krrrrrrk.”
The man fled, his limbs mangled, trying to escape to the rear. Without a priest’s holy power, those wounds were undoubtedly fatal. Seeing this, the Clan Master began to break out in a cold sweat. Behind him, the Ancient Warrior. In front of him, me. The choice was painfully obvious. He roared and charged in my direction, deciding it was wiser to try and break through me. His companion’s fate seemed to mean nothing to him.
“Aaaaargh!”
I could sense everything about him: the fear of death in his eyes, his anxious expression, the ragged gasps of his exhaustion. My senses, now sharper than ever, could even pick out the beads of sweat rolling down his chin.
“Kraaaaaah!”
The fear of death, the look of anxiety—these were emotions I couldn't feel at all.
‘I will win.’
Half-certain of my victory, I swung the ‘Ancient Flame.’
Flames and heat instantly erupted from the sword. I could feel a heat so intense it felt like it could burn even me. With a fwoosh, flames leaped from the blade.
CRACK!
I stomped my pivot foot into the ground, cratering the floor beneath me. Shards of stone flew up and struck my legs, but I paid them no mind. He swung his sword at me. I recalled the ability I had seen him use just moments before.
A sword that seemed to track its target.
As expected, his sword began to move in a strange way. It felt like it was being drawn toward me, unaffected by the heat or flames I was emitting.
An ability worthy of the name ‘Unique Ability.’
But it was obvious. His anxious eyes were aimed squarely at my neck. No, that couldn't be right. It was strange, but it would be more accurate to say I could see the path of his attack. An attack I might not have been able to block if he were in his prime. An attack I couldn't have stopped if my own condition hadn't changed. But I raised the hilt of the Ancient Flame and met his sword.
Perfectly.
I blocked it.
CLANG!
My hand tingled, but I couldn't let go of the sword.
“Kraaaaaaaah!”
After perfectly parrying his sword with the hilt of the Ancient Flame…
I slash.
FWOOSH!
Before the sound of the blade tearing through the air, I heard the roar of angry flames pouring down on him. My mana was low, so the range wasn't wide, but it was more than enough to engulf him.
My target was his shoulder. I swung the sword with the intent to split him in two.
“Aaaaaaaaaargh!”
Tsssssssss.
The sound of sizzling flesh filled the air as a part of his upper body was sheared off.
“Kraaaaaah!”
A roar escaped me unconsciously.
‘I’ve gotten stronger.’
Even if he was psychologically cornered, even if his stamina was at its limit, even if he wasn't in a normal state—I had won.
“Wooooooooo!”
A feeling as if a weight had been lifted from my chest made a roar burst from deep within me. But there was no time to bask in the afterglow of victory. The Ancient Warrior was before me, glaring with an unfriendly expression. Having lost all its opponents, it was only natural for it to charge at me. I raised my sword once more.
The Ancient Warrior’s right hand was gone; in its left, it held what looked like an ordinary sword. Even without its primary weapon, that thing was strong. Its surging killing intent felt like a physical projectile being shot at me.
It was only natural that I kept swallowing dryly.
I didn't know if I could win, but the first strike is half the battle. The moment I lunged forward, Mev’s arrows began to fly in from somewhere, pinning down the warrior just as she had done to the man I’d just killed. She was making it easier for me to fight. Thanks to her, my confidence began to grow. This was a Named Monster that three of them couldn't handle.
It would be strange not to be curious about how much power it possessed. I swung the Ancient Flame. Once again, fire and heat engulfed the area and began to converge precisely on the warrior.
But with a mere gesture of its hand, the flames dissipated. Not only that, but it swung its sword at me. A slash arrived with a tremendous roar. I switched from the Ancient Flame to my massive greatsword and somehow managed to block it.
BOOM!!!
The impact was so strong I felt like I was about to cough up blood.
‘It’s strong.’
No, to be honest, ‘strong’ wasn't enough to describe it. I could now understand why the humans currently rolling on the floor had struggled so much against this thing. Experiencing its strength firsthand was on a completely different level from just watching. But I endured.
I can't win, but I can learn from it. I try my best to steal everything I can—how it uses this sword, how it plans to carve me up. The Ancient Warrior swung its sword at me again. Though it was an attack with its remaining arm, its form was nothing short of perfect. From the way it swung, as if scraping something away, I could vaguely sense that it hadn't abandoned its old habits.
I did the same. I parried its heavy sword with my greatsword, then switched weapons and scraped at it with the Ancient Flame. It wasn't just about putting force into the slash or thrust, but also into the withdrawal of the blade.
One strike on the swing, and another on the return, continuously generating mana. The first attack makes it flinch, and the attack on the return restricts its movements. A two-handed swordsmanship that leaves no room for a counterattack is…
The proper way to use this sword.
‘Thank you.’
I can still get stronger. Stronger and stronger still.
CLANG!
CLANG!!
With each sound, our swords clashed again and again. I was sent flying pathetically each time, but I kept getting back up. It was a fight I could only endure because Mev would shoot an arrow just before I was about to be struck. Just as I was thinking I was reaching my limit, its sword was suddenly rushing straight for my neck.
Just then…
From somewhere, a black spear flew in and sank deep into the creature’s shoulder.
“Kiiiiiiiii!”
The spear embedded itself in the creature’s shoulder with an ominous screech. A second spear lodged itself in its abdomen.
‘Black Spear.’
The third spear pierced straight through its head.
“Grrrrrrrrrk.”
And yet, it still moved. The next spear went for its leg, the one after that for its arm. Little by little, it was being pushed back.
But it still moved. It raised its sword at me, as if to fight. My own skill was shameful in comparison, but seeing its resolve, I raised my sword as well.
And then…
To this land’s final warrior, who had taught me so much in such a short time, I swung the Ancient Flame.