Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Victory and Disappointment
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I end my meditation. Fortunately, no customers have shown up.
I pay for bandages, ointment, and such from the convenience store with my own money, then take off my uniform and hang it on the chair for a moment before opening my mouth.
"Login."
I feel the surrounding scenery and my posture shift to Ardania's, and I pull a dagger from my inventory, hurling it with all my might.
Clang!
The sharp dagger bounces off as if striking a steel plate.
'Body Protecting Qi.'
However, no matter how strong the Body Protecting Qi is, it can't completely nullify the impact. That's because I threw the dagger infused with internal energy using an ogre's brute strength.
The body staggers.
But Khan Slasher seems more shocked by something else than the dagger hit itself, his eyes widening.
"No way, what is this? I cut its throat?"
"I only half-severed it."
I reply and throw the dagger again. Khan Slasher steps with footwork to dodge.
But the target is the Wolf King.
"You bastard—!"
Clang!
Khan Slasher grinds his teeth and bats away the dagger. However, he doesn't fall for the same trick twice.
Whoosh!
A wave of scarlet flames pours from the Wolf King's maw. He unleashes the attack without a care for the incoming dagger from the start!
Unlike before, Khan Slasher doesn't just swing his sword to deflect the dagger; he emits sword qi to bounce it away.
So he only pauses for a moment, without being pushed back by the force contained in the projectile like last time.
"Gah! Hot!"
"Th-this! Block that monster's approach... Gah!"
In that split second, Khan Slasher's sword strike, wrapped in sword qi, swings horizontally. I can't dodge it by lowering my stance or jumping, and retreating would mean the flying sword qi severs my upper and lower body.
But in any case.
[Sword Qi Manifestation]
I had no intention of dodging either.
"...What?"
Seeing Khan Slasher's face twist in shock, I stomp the ground with full force.
And upward I thrust my sword.
Boom!
A massive roar erupts.
Khan Slasher's arms shoot upward like a celebratory V.
"Insane, what kind of strength...!"
The upward force is so powerful that Khan Slasher's body lifts two spans off the ground. Naturally, he can't assume a proper stance, and I forcibly redirect my sword path to smash into Khan Slasher.
It was the might of abnormal power.
Crack!
Thud!
The moment my blow strikes his torso.
Slash.
Like a curtain draping down, his sword qi lashes my shoulder. The mithril armor shatters instantly, and I feel my sword arm go limp.
"Logout!"
I return to Earth. My shoulder— the trapezius muscle is torn.
It was a fatal wound, but after an hour of convenience store work, it heals. No need to open my chakra. The rare songpyeon buff was no joke.
"Login."
Clang!
I pursue Khan Slasher, who lands on the ground with footwork in one leap, and slash down with my sword wrapped in sword qi. Even without regaining his stance, Khan Slasher blocks it. His swordsmanship is astonishingly subtle.
Smack!
"Urk!?"
But he can't block the follow-up low kick.
'It works...!'
In swordsmanship skill, Khan Slasher still holds the advantage.
That's only natural.
A Sword Master is, in a word, a swordsmanship perfectionist. One who has mastered their technique and pushes beyond.
However... even for such a being, my attacks are not something to ignore.
Ogre-level brute strength.
Complete control over a body that wields that strength fully.
I'm only lacking in mana-handling finesse; my sword skills aren't deficient either. I've survived twenty years in medieval Revanche wielding a single blade...!
Slash!
"Oof."
My wrist is severed.
Even though I foresaw it, I couldn't dodge. Khan Slasher had locked swords and applied sword wrestling to restrict my movement.
"Logout."
I exit to Earth.
I immediately control my body.
Crunch! Thud!
Without even minding my left hand hitting the floor, I pour all my effort into clenching the muscles of my left arm. Fortunately, it works, stemming the bleeding.
"If I spill blood at my workplace, it'd be a disaster...."
Of course, no matter how much I clench, I can't stop it completely, but at least I prevent it from gushing like a fountain.
I pick up my left hand, press it to my wrist, and tightly wrap it with the prepared bandages.
"Ah... One low kick, and my hand flies off. Isn't the trade-off too much?"
With trembling hands, I form hand seals. Doing it one-handed takes time, but no customers come.
What luck.
"Body. Giant Gate. Open."
Sizzle!
Steam rises from my bandaged wrist. I focus my mind, limiting the healing chakra to my left wrist.
Unlike mana, which spreads throughout the body if I can't control a heal, chakra moves as I will it.
My training up to Giant Gate is purely my own enlightenment.
"Hoo... Hoo...."
I catch my ragged breath and wipe up the blood on the floor.
"Whew. That's enough for today."
I activate the ventilation to clear the blood smell.
"No way, bro? What's that on your neck?"
Sehan, arriving for work with a magic book in hand, startles at the scar on my neck. I give a vague answer.
"Training."
"What kind of training slices your neck like that... Whoa, that deep? Bet it hit bone. I train hard too, but you're on another level, bro."
After handing over to the baffled Sehan, I head home. I set auto-hunt, eat a songpyeon, and login.
Thud! Crack!
I smash Khan Slasher's face with my fist and take a stab to the side.
"Urk! You bastard!"
Slash!
I smack Khan Slasher's hip with a sword qi-wrapped blade, and my left leg is severed.
[Stamina increased by 1 point for unknown reason!]
[Vitality increased by 1 point for unknown reason!]
[Stamina increased by 1 point for unknown reason!]
I pick up the songpyeon. Login. Land a hit and take a stab.
Logout. Circulate body chakra to reattach my mangled body.
Go to work. Set auto-hunt and start my shift.
Login. Take a sword to the heart.
Logout. Head to the club to deal with a rowdy customer.
"You punk! Hey, you! Know who I am!? Some peace-loving punk wants to die!?"
Shing!
As the thug draws his sword, the clubbers and waiters around panic.
"Eek! H-he drew a sword!"
"Eogi Chunggeom! Internal energy expert!"
"Is he nuts? Bringing a real sword to a club? Fresh off the boat or what?"
"C-call the police...."
I look at the terrified crowd.
Everyone in the club is an ability user.
Many have reached considerable realms, yet none step forward.
I know why.
'This is 34th Earth.'
A peaceful world. No wars, no strife. Everyone trains abilities for jobs or health—how many do it to 'fight'?
Even cops and soldiers who make combat their profession train only because it suits them; 99.9% have never killed.
Makes sense.
Who'd hire a 'killer' as a civil servant?
"Hey! You punk! Don't look down on me?"
The thug swings his sword at me as I step in to resolve things. The not-so-long blade grazes past my eyes, slicing a bit of my bangs.
"Eek!?"
"Danger!"
Screams erupt here and there, but I don't flinch.
He reeks of killing intent... but compared to facing a Sword Master trying to kill me, dying on the brink countless times, it's laughable.
Truly.
Just child's play.
Pop!
I slip past the swinging sword and step inside his guard. He startles and tries to swing again, but when I grab and press his shoulder, he can't move.
"Hey."
I whisper in his ear.
"Wanna die?"
"...!"
The stench of blood wafts. Beast blood. Monster blood.
And above all, human blood.
The killing intent from medieval Revanche, where I lived twenty years in a place where murder happens over a bread crumb or bumped shoulder—it's no joke or threat.
"Hah...! Ha... Hah... Urk... Grrgh...."
Unable to control his ragged breathing, he rolls back his eyes and collapses. I take the sword from his hand.
And with that, the incident ends.
"Whoa... Bro, you're the real deal. What'd you do before?"
While other staff handle cleanup, Changsik approaches with fuss. I answer.
"Was in the military, yeah."
"Cool! Special forces? Or Gigas pilot? That charisma earlier was insane!"
'No. Just regular infantry.'
There was some commotion, but I finish work without issue. Big Man, owner of Club Stargate, appears and pats my shoulder.
"Whoa! Heard you handled a big one today? Military vets are different, alright!"
Big Man laughs cheerily.
"Almost had a disaster with cops showing up, but you cleaned it up. Thanks. This is my token of appreciation."
I take the envelope and clock out. It contains thirty 100,000-won bills engraved with unique spells.
3 million won.
"Ooh."
Mood lifted.
"I'm off! Good luck!"
"Yeah."
I hand over to the part-timer and man the counter.
"Login."
My upper arm is severed. I burrowed in while taking the slash to swing my fist, but missed frustratingly.
"Login."
Shoulder blade sliced! But I succeed in striking his right arm with my sword.
Blocked by Body Protecting Qi, no cut, but I hear bone crack.
"Login."
Throat slashed again. A moment's lapse nearly got me killed.
"Login."
Index and middle fingers gone. Need to focus more on parrying.
"Login."
"Login."
"Login."
...
Stab!
Sword qi rakes my chest. But I don't logout. Not that serious.
"You! You! You bastard!"
An enraged roar. The bloodied orc, shield raised, bats away incoming arrows with his sword.
Hundreds of soldiers form an encirclement to block escape.
"What the hell is that regeneration!? No, is that even regeneration?"
Gone is the initial composure; he glares at me with an expression like beholding something inexplicable.
Of course.
Not my concern.
Clang! Thud! Crunch! Clang! Crack!
Swords clash.
I headbutt and block with my shoulder.
Low kick and stomp his instep. Then get pierced by sword qi.
Slash!
Flesh shreds, blood sprays. Painful, but I've experienced it dozens of times.
"Logout."
Back to Earth.
I lie in the studio apartment's tub, forming seals with trembling hands.
"Body. Giant Gate. Open."
The tub is already bloodied. Bed and clothes keep soaking in blood, so I always strip and login from the tub at home.
[Vitality increased by 1 point for unknown reason!]
"Songpyeon buff... two hours left."
I rest in the tub, rinse lightly, and step out.
The full-length mirror shows my nude body, scarred like Frankenstein.
"With these scars, gotta keep eating songpyeon for a while."
Grumbling, I sit at the PC.
Last day of Chuseok.
No more songpyeon drops after today, so maximize.
Pick.
Up...
Thud!
I slam my head on the desk, coming to at 6 PM.
"Gah! Slept!?"
I jolt up. My character on the monitor stands dazed.
"Should've set auto-hunt!"
Frustrated, I summon and eat a songpyeon.
Then login.
And.
And.
Stab!
"Gr... k. You... bas... tard... I'll... come... back...."
Valhalla (Hero)+6 pierces my heart. I've taken similar wounds many times, but to him, it seems different—his green-skinned torso flops like a fresh fish.
"Huh?"
I stare blankly for a moment. I sense Khan Slasher's heartbeat stop, his breathing cease, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.
"Huh?"
My sleep-fogged mind clears.
"He fell!"
"We won! We beat that monster!"
"Uwaaa! We're alive! Alive!"
Cheers erupt everywhere.
"Get it together! Th-this bleeding is too much!"
"Heal!"
"Here! Surgery needed! Hurry and prep...!"
Frantic soldiers and healers rush about.
"Ah!"
I hurriedly pull songpyeons from my inventory.
"Flower!"
"In that building... Yes! Yes, my lord!"
"Feed these to the wounded! Boosts regeneration! Here in order: common, advanced, rare."
"Yes!"
Songpyeon's effects are widely known, so they act without question. I dump piles from my main and alts, then look around.
Fsssh...
By then, the Sword Master Khan Slasher's body turns to dust and scatters.
In the spot where his corpse vanished, a decent pile of gold.
And that.
[Blessed Armor Enhancement Scroll (Common).]
"...Huh?"
I stare blankly.
No other items.
"No, wait a sec. How many died here?"
Sure, I didn't fight expecting drops! But still, this... this...
One common item?
"Argh, this shitty game...."
Groaning.
I pass out.