Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Breakthrough and the Assassin
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111
1
Clang!
A dull sound rang out as the magic sword bounced off.
Even in broad daylight, it had been a while since I'd faced an opponent this sturdy.
My hand trembled uncontrollably from the impact I couldn't withstand, and my stamina drained rapidly from being flung around by the sword.
I caught my breath and glared at the rival worthy of the name.
-...What kind of farce is this against a wooden doll?
"Quiet. Even training needs some atmosphere."
Sigh. Deathwise's sigh echoed in my mind.
I relaxed the tension in my shoulders now that my focus had broken.
The abandoned training ground in the forest was still devoid of any presence.
I'd checked the surroundings thoroughly, wary of some small fry like Giacomo popping out again, so I was sure.
The only ones here were me, Deathwise, and the training dummy.
The wooden doll, protected by five layers of spells, stood firm.
Even if it wasn't night, all I could manage was a scratch.
It seemed I couldn't fell it without borrowing the magic sword's power like before.
I'd thought I'd grown quite a bit.
Well, if I could slice through the wooden doll without issue, there'd be no need for training.
I tilted the water bottle to quench my thirst.
Moving my body in this unfamiliar way consumed a lot of stamina.
-Reviewing past battles is good, but isn't the difficulty a bit high? You loosen this body's strength when swinging the sword, then apply it precisely at the moment of the strike. Don't aim for trees you can't yet climb.
I know that.
The technique of loosening and applying force at the exact timing is too difficult for me.
This method was inspired by watching Mikaen fight in the first place.
Despite having a smaller build than Kiriacos, Mikaen overwhelmed him unilaterally.
Her sense to respond immediately even under debuffs was the result of honing innate talent, but... the way she controlled her power must have played a big role too.
By using strength only when the attack lands, she conserves stamina, and concentrating it on a single point increases the attack's power.
If I master this, I should handle most enemies even during the day without much trouble.
Even if I can't win, I could buy time, and with dimensional magic, I could escape.
-Dreams are lofty, but that's beyond your limit. If your body gets dragged around with every swing, it won't work in real combat.
"To say it again, if it were easy, there'd be no need for training. We train because it's hard."
-You're as eloquent as ever today.
Thanks for the compliment.
I ignored him and picked up the magic sword again.
Swing, swing, swing again.
Each time the timing to loosen and apply force was off, the sword bounced back.
I varied the angles to avoid monotony, but my body got tossed around every time.
Thud, clang—the rebounding sword gouged the innocent ground.
Scars marked the training ground, little more than a clearing in the forest.
-You'll use up all the power absorbed in training at this rate...
"Before that, Dray will finish his research first."
The magic sword grumbled like it was reaching its limit in various ways.
If I didn't rest soon, collapsing wouldn't be surprising.
This would be the last one.
I'd succeed cleanly and then rest.
Hoo, I steadied my breath and raised the magic sword high.
The moment I swung it vertically, consciously minimizing force in my arm.
"You're here."
Leon popped out from the bushes and called to me.
Whoa... This guy always appears out of nowhere.
I wanted to scold him, but the timing was awful.
Startled, my body twitched reflexively.
My foot slipped, completely destroying my balance.
I'd definitely fall in an awkward stance like this.
Desperate to avoid that, I stepped forward.
Thud—my firmly planted foot anchored to the ground.
The magic sword came down naturally, cleaving the wooden doll diagonally.
The top half, split at an angle, fell to the ground with a thud under gravity.
It all happened in an instant.
I was dumbfounded, but... I clung tightly to the sensation of that moment.
This is it.
I knew how to do it now.
It's not about consciously loosening and applying force.
Move the sword tip along an imaginary circle centered on me, and the force adds naturally.
Then, just add the necessary power along the trajectory created by centrifugal force.
Long live centrifugal force!
I cheered inwardly, but Leon bowed his head with a dark expression.
"Seems I interrupted your training. Sorry."
"No, you did great. Perfectly."
It succeeded because you popped out.
I grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, but Leon tilted his head in confusion.
Only for a moment—then his distinctive red eyes gleamed seriously as he stared at the bisected wooden doll.
"Impressive technique. Piercing through five layers of protective magic. Can this doll be repaired?"
"Well, it can't be repaired... but it's fine."
Before, I'd panicked when it broke because my abilities would be exposed and cause trouble.
Now that everything's already out in the open, hiding it is pointless.
I didn't want to go beg Giacomo to fix it either.
-As expected of a Deathwise user. Incredible. To swing such a sword even in daylight—I'm in awe.
-Hmph, nonsense. You stumbled backward and caught a mouse by luck.
As expected of the magic sword; it's talented at nitpicking.
Well, facts are facts.
Anyway, this gives me an ace up my sleeve for daytime use.
It's not flashy like summoning night or mana release... but that's why it matters.
It has enough power to pierce five layers of protective magic without consuming much of the sword's energy.
Above all, this is the foundation.
Once fully mastered, I can use it day or night.
As the most basic of basics, it won't leave me bedridden or collapsed after use.
Should I give it a name?
Naming it something fitting would make it easier to recall and use when needed.
Of course—creating a routine like that is important...
-A plain sword strike getting a name? What nonsense. You're sneakily fond of ostentation...
Shut up again, you bastard.
2
"See you tomorrow."
The sun had set before I knew it.
The dormitory building sparkled brilliantly in the twilight.
Leon, bathed in that light, said goodbye.
"Not going in?"
"I've got business. See you."
Leon strode off without returning the greeting, heading in the opposite direction of the dorms.
If that's the case, why'd he come all the way here with me?
"Sometimes he's hard to understand."
Well, it's not the first day.
More importantly, I trained too hard—my body's heavy.
"Guess I'll wash up and sleep..."
Before opening the dorm door, I stretched languidly.
At almost the same moment, ting—a clear sound as something hit my body and fell to the ground.
I picked it up: a flattened bullet.
A light scan with dimensional magic found no sniper's presence nearby.
Probably shot from a good distance.
I'd felt eyes on me since leaving the training ground.
At night, my senses are sharp, so I detected the bullet flying toward me... and with the Ring of the Absolute cushioning it, I took it on purpose.
Thanks to that, I read the bullet's trajectory.
Dimensional magic gauged the minimum distance.
I spread mana and swapped coordinates repeatedly.
Three consecutive short-range teleports landed me atop the wall near the main gate.
My dimensional magic had improved enough for consecutive short jumps.
Of course, a headache loomed as my mana neared its limit...
As long as I didn't collapse from depletion right away, it was fine.
Atop the wall, a man in black clothes and a black mask was stowing a rifle modified into a musical instrument case.
His outfit screamed "assassin" to anyone who saw it.
Click—the assassin drew a pistol from his bosom the instant our eyes met.
A small magic circle formed at the silenced pistol's muzzle.
Silence, one of the classic auxiliary spells.
The bullet exiting the barrel glowed dully.
Magic circles engraved on the gun, silencer, and bullets minimized noise as much as possible.
He really didn't want to be detected.
Too bad he already was.
With the Ring of the Absolute, getting hit was no issue.
But wasting a freshly recharged ring felt wasteful.
I had mana to spare, so why not use some magic myself.
To minimize noise, the fired magic bullet was quite slow.
I'd seen in a documentary that subsonic rounds were needed to maximize silencer effect—probably the same reason.
Made predicting the trajectory easy.
I linked the predicted impact point's coordinates to beneath the assassin's feet.
As a result, all bullets flying at me embedded in the ground at his feet.
The last one lodged in his thigh.
"Urk...!"
The assassin, hit unexpectedly in the thigh, dropped to one knee.
Even so, as he reached for a new magazine, I pointed the magic sword at his throat.
"Drop the gun."
Slicing his throat with the sword would be faster than reloading and firing.
Understanding that, the assassin dropped the pistol and raised both hands above his head.
Like in the movies, I kicked it away.
"No more?"
The assassin nodded silently.
"Lie once, lose a finger."
"...Really none."
I bluffed, but he really had none.
I sheathed the magic sword and squatted in front of him.
Now, let's find out who sent the assassin.
-Oho, you've grown quite a bit. Assassins already coming for you—congratulations!
Is this something to congratulate...?
-Of course. It means some fool is wary of you. Gaining an enemy's recognition is no small feat. Back in my day, I faced assassination attempts almost daily!
I get what you're saying...
But this attention is unwanted.
I just want to live peacefully, yet suddenly assassination attempts—honestly, it's unpleasant.
Still... I'll have to get used to it.
In this world, if I hadn't gotten involved in every incident, I could pretend ignorance no matter what happened.
But I'm already entangled up to my neck.
Pioneers showing up unannounced wouldn't be surprising.
Thinking about it already annoys me.
"Haa..."
With a heavy sigh, I pulled out the weasel-hair brush from my pocket.
A special tool prepared for days like this.
I spent quite a pleasant time with the assassin.
How pleasant? I couldn't stop laughing.
Tickling is one of history's oldest and most venerable torture methods.
Even I thought it was brutally cruel and spine-chilling interrogation.
"So... Wifera ordered the hit."
I withdrew the brush and knocked him out with a chop to the neck.
I'd suspected Wifera or one of the pioneers...
The problem is what comes next.
"How did Maximilian know I took the ledger?"
When I raided Wifera's hideout, I cleaned up meticulously—no witnesses, no traces.
I even disguised it and found every hidden passage and room, eliminating everyone.
No evidence left behind, no matter how I thought about it.
Yet they targeted me specifically for assassination.
Something smells fishy here.