Chapter 255: S-rank (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 255: S-rank (3)
My opponent was an S-rank hunter who had been through hell and back.
To go easy on him just because this was a sparring match would be an insult.
Besides, there was no point in sparring if I didn't come at him with the intent to kill.
Kill.
A Sword Qi, imbued with the will to slay my opponent, surged toward the Duke of Rutland.
One strike, two strikes, three—the attacks continued without end.
Clang, claaang!
But as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the Duke of Rutland parried my attacks without moving a single step from his spot.
The sight almost made me laugh in disbelief.
My body, enhanced with all sorts of support magic, was likely stronger than most A-rank tankers.
And he was blocking my sword strikes with his bare hands?
“Too soft.”
I had no time to react to every taunt.
Recalling the principle of the heavy sword Jeon Seoha had shown me, I increased the weight of my blade and swung.
Boom!
There was a reaction, however slight.
Confirming this, I immediately retreated and activated the spells I had stored beforehand.
[Chain Lightning]
[Mega Flare]
[Lightning Strike]
[Dark Ray]
[Shining Ray]
A torrent of fire, lightning, light, and darkness filled the air, rushing toward the Duke of Rutland.
KABOOOM!
The symphony of 3rd Circle magic produced a series of explosions that showed no sign of stopping.
An onlooker might think I was going overboard for a mere sparring match, but that would only be because they didn't know what S-rank hunters were capable of.
Besides, if it were truly dangerous, Grandma Choi Young-ok, who was watching the match, would have stopped me.
Sure enough, as the dust settled, the Duke of Rutland was standing in the same spot, completely unfazed.
To take that many spells head-on and suffer no damage…
‘He’s a real monster.’
I had expected it, but seeing it in person made me realize all over again why he was an S-rank hunter.
At this point, I even began to wonder if landing a blow on Ma Paeseon, who was presumably S-rank, had been a fluke, no matter how off-guard he might have been.
I could see a bluish barrier enveloping the Duke.
Aura Shield.
It was also known as a Protective Aura.
It was a technique only achievable by those who had reached the Transcendent Realm, something I couldn't even hope to imitate at my current stage.
“Is that all?”
The Duke of Rutland casually brushed off his shoulders as if nothing had happened.
In that instant, his crimson eyes glowed. His gaze was like a finely honed sword.
And then I realized.
What he was trying to assess was not my ability as a mage, but my prowess as a martial artist.
I stopped casting the 5th Circle spell I had been preparing.
Catching my breath, I took my stance.
“Not yet.”
[Thought Transcendence]
Everything around me, except for myself, slowed down.
Within the flow of extremely compressed time, I used Berserk. The power I gained at the cost of my stamina surged.
Unlike Thought Acceleration, I could move, albeit in a limited fashion, while using Thought Transcendence. Of course, it was only enough to swing my arm once and take a few steps.
But that was enough.
The internal energy circulating from my dantian through my meridians accelerated.
Formless Electric Body.
My vision expanded.
My body, now significantly lighter, was telling me something.
Neither the constraints of time nor the rules of the world can hold you back.
That was the essence of Formless (無相).
The accelerating Vajra Qi within me exploded.
Formless Sword Art: Heavenly Light—Kill.
CLANG!
It was a strike that surpassed the fastest speed, reaching the realm of extreme velocity.
But the Duke of Rutland, as if expecting it, blocked my attack with his aura-clad arm. I instinctively grimaced.
However, it wasn't entirely without result.
“Hoh…”
The Duke of Rutland, who had been unfazed by the relentless sword strikes and the barrage of 3rd Circle magic, finally took a few steps back.
He seemed genuinely surprised, but I was just disappointed.
It would have been nice to at least leave a scratch.
In the end, my sword failed to break through his aura.
But I had no time to pause. The moment I was about to charge in again…
“I’ve seen your offense. Now, let’s see how you defend.”
“?!”
The Duke of Rutland’s fist was right in front of my nose.
I couldn't even follow it with my eyes.
I desperately tried to use Thought Transcendence, but it was too late.
KWAANG!
“Keuk?!”
I blocked the punch with my sword, but the impact pierced through my defense.
Could it be a Strike the Mountain, Fell the Ox technique?
The punch, a simple straight jab with no particular technique, rattled my bones. I was sent flying back, but I managed to right myself in mid-air.
“Do you not even know how to distinguish what you should block from what you shouldn't?”
The Duke of Rutland gave me no room to breathe, throwing a continuous stream of punches. I desperately swung my sword to defend.
He had some conscience, at least, as he wasn't using Fist Aura in his attacks.
Still, knowing that his attacks could penetrate my guard like before, I focused all my senses on the flow of my internal energy.
Thanks to that, I was able to keep up with his accelerating attacks.
But at this rate, I wouldn't even get a chance to counterattack. The match would end with me just dodging and blocking.
‘…If I can just break his rhythm, just once.’
BOOM!
“Kuh?!”
“What’s wrong? Where did all that initial spirit go?”
A crack appeared on my sword as it clashed with the Duke’s fist. This wasn't due to the weapon's quality.
There's a saying that even the thinnest twig can become an unrivaled sword in the hands of an absolute master.
The fact that my sword wreathed in Sword Qi was being shattered by his bare fist, which wasn't even imbued with fist energy, meant there was an insurmountable gap between us.
The bone-rattling impact weakened my grip on the hilt. In that instant, a massive fist filled my vision.
Judging that I couldn't dodge it, I reflexively used Thought Transcendence. The time around me slowed to a crawl.
But considering the mental toll, I couldn't maintain this state for long.
I had to think of my next move, and fast.
If I tried to block the attack with my sword, it would almost certainly break.
Besides, it was uncertain if I could even block that fist. My concentration had wavered, and I had lost control of my internal energy's flow.
In the end, if I could neither dodge nor block, there was only one option left.
‘This is the first time I’m trying this in a real fight…’
But I had no choice.
In fact, now was the time to use it. It's not like I would die if I failed.
Without a shred of hesitation, I let go of my sword.
Then, I focused the internal energy flowing through my meridians to a single point. A ripple spread across my palm, which began to emit a faint glow.
‘Hoo…’
In the face of a great storm, it is not the mighty tree that survives, but the reed that sways endlessly.
If you can't block it or dodge it, you just have to let it flow past.
Time began to move again.
Just before the Duke of Rutland’s fist reached my face, I enveloped it with my glowing palm.
In that moment, something strange happened.
“Hmm?!”
As if space itself had distorted, the Duke’s fist missed my face and struck empty air.
He seemed flustered by the unexpected situation, revealing an opening for the first time.
The Vajra Qi gathered in my palm resonated, making the atmosphere vibrate. I extended a palm strike imbued with the will of the Vajra.
Vajra Tathagata Demon-Subduing Divine Palm.
Deeeeng—
The sound of a Buddhist bell that vanquishes evil echoed through the training room, accompanied by a brilliant flash of light that illuminated the surroundings.
The shockwave that spread outwards wasn't particularly large.
That was the nature of One-Point Focus.
As the light gradually faded, I panted heavily and looked at the Duke of Rutland.
That single palm strike had contained every last bit of internal energy I could muster.
‘If that didn't work, I'm really out of options…’
Knowing that crazy old man's personality, I might have had to take a few hits.
But contrary to my expectations, he showed no reaction.
‘…He’s not dead, is he?’
For a moment, a chill ran down my spine at the thought. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
I had certainly said I'd come at him with the intent to kill, but on second thought, I might have gone too far.
Not only did I unleash the Tathagata Divine Palm at point-blank range, but the Duke was also left half-defenseless because of the ‘Mahavairocana Tathagata Heavenly Light Hand’ technique.
S-rank hunters were monsters, true, but they weren't invincible.
What if he was seriously hurt by that last attack?
No matter how much Choi Hyena liked me, she would never forgive me for killing her grandfather.
And Grandma Choi Young-ok, a widow overnight, might try to kill me on the spot.
Just as I was wondering if I should go to another world to get a recovery potion…
“…This sparring match is over.”
The Duke of Rutland turned around as if nothing had happened and walked toward the entrance.
Only then could I let out a sigh of relief.
‘I thought I was fucked…’
I had almost become a criminal who murdered a foreign noble overnight.
“You.”
“Yes?”
The Duke of Rutland turned back to me and spoke.
“You have too many distracting thoughts. Discard them all.”
“?”
That was the end of our conversation.
He left the training room just like that. Grandma Choi Young-ok, who had been watching from above, followed him out.
“…What was that?”
It's over, just like that?
Left all alone, I stood there dumbfounded until Choi Hyena came down from the spectator seats and hugged me.
*
After leaving the training room, the Duke of Rutland recalled the sparring match.
He didn't show it, but he was utterly astonished that a 5th Circle mage could display such movements.
Even Duke Winchester, the master of London's Blue Magic Tower, had only been a 4th Circle mage at that age.
And this young man had started learning magic less than a year ago.
‘A monster.’
It was rich coming from an S-rank hunter like himself, but that boy's talent was not something permitted to humans.
He was truly an outlier.
It probably wouldn't take him long to reach the same level as himself. Among those of his age, he was likely the closest to becoming the next S-rank.
Of course, even so, he could never approve of him taking his granddaughter.
The only silver lining was that the two had not yet held their engagement ceremony. That meant there were countless ways to drive him away.
Although his wife and granddaughter would protest vehemently, he was willing to endure it.
Anything to prevent a repeat of that day's tragedy.
‘…Hayeon-ah.’
He recalled the day he had to let go of his only daughter, the apple of his eye.
The day the rain poured down endlessly.
Seeing his daughter lying cold in a coffin, he had writhed in agony for days on end. Not even when a magical beast had torn a hole in his stomach had he felt such pain.
Danjangjiae—the heart-wrenching grief of a parent losing a child—the words echoed ceaselessly in his mind.
Yet, he held onto his sanity. Because he still had his small, fragile granddaughter left.
That was why he could never forgive his son-in-law, who had vanished after leaving his young daughter behind.
He had disliked him from the moment his daughter first brought him to the family.
A man with no parents, whose only merits were his handsome looks and outstanding talent, was not someone he could accept into the family.
But as they say, no parent can win against their child.
In the end, he couldn't refuse his daughter's earnest pleas and permitted the marriage.
His daughter, who got married amidst everyone's blessings, had a smile of pure happiness. Seeing her like that, he felt ashamed of himself for having been stuck in his narrow-minded prejudice and disliking the man.
Right, what does it matter if he grew up without parents?
As long as he could make his daughter happy, that was all that mattered.
But in the end, he never showed up at his daughter's funeral.
Not only that, but he had also attacked the family estate in his absence and tried to kidnap Hyena.
He could never forgive him. A rage so intense that tearing him to shreds wouldn't be enough boiled within him.
And now, his granddaughter had brought a man who looked exactly like him.
Handsome looks, talent that was not just outstanding but overwhelming, and an orphan.
He couldn't help but be reminded.
“Cough.”
He covered his mouth and coughed, and blood stained his hand.
At this point, he could no longer pretend not to know.
That final blow he had taken had pierced through his defenses and left a significant injury.
‘A mage, reaching this level with martial arts alone…’
A bitter smile escaped his lips without him realizing.
“…I don’t know.”
Even after living for over seventy years, there were still so many things he didn't know.
Should he raise a toast to their relationship for the sake of his granddaughter's happiness?
Or should he, buried in the tragedy of the past, turn a blind eye to his granddaughter's tears and drive the boy away?
He truly did not know.