Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Do You Get It Now?
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Do you get it now?
Hydro Saurus.
He blinked as he looked down at the tiny human.
After staring at Shihanbu for a long while, he suddenly burst into mad laughter.
"To think you'd actually come!"
But his laughter didn't last long.
"I told you. I'm only sparing you once."
It was because of Shihanbu's cheeky retort.
Hydro's fins clenched at the words.
His joy had instantly turned to rage.
"You really... have no sense of your place. Fine. I'll show you true despair."
With that, Hydro began to move.
He slowly cleaved through the river water, approaching Shihanbu.
Then he slowly extended his long neck, thrusting it right in front of him.
"Give it a try."
"What?"
"Stab me with that sword of yours."
Blatant mockery.
Shihanbu frowned briefly at the taunt,
then let out a light breath.
"Hup!"
He swung the sword with all his might.
Then something astonishing happened.
The blade, which should have pierced scales and torn flesh,
Ting—
bounced off like a finger pressing a rubber ball.
"Why...?"
Shihanbu's eyes widened in shock at the incomprehensible phenomenon.
Hydro savored his expression for a moment before speaking.
He opened his mouth regardless of whether Shihanbu swung again.
"Do you get it n—"
But his words cut off midway.
Pssht—
He felt hot steam from his neck.
"...?"
The bewildered dinosaur turned his head.
At that instant, his pupils trembled.
He saw the red blood spraying from his own neck.
"H-How...?"
The panicked beast looked at Shihanbu for the cause.
In that moment, he saw it.
On Shihanbu's sword.
Shhh—
Transparent qi coating the Heaven-Cleaving Blade.
"...Sword Qi."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 💬 Comments — Viewer See? Told you! — Viewer Danger level 7+ needs Sword Qi to hunt! — Viewer What are you doing spacing out? Run! The chat exploded when the sword failed to pierce Hydro.
The viewers were unanimous.
No Sword Qi, no hunting Hydro Saurus.
That was common sense.
And they were right.
"How can a sword not pierce a living creature?"
With a sigh, I rummaged through my memories.
The Heavenly Demon fighting Feng Jeong-no-kwon back in the martial world.
I recalled the raw qi condensed on her sword.
"That was Sword Gang, right."
Sword Gang.
A realm above Sword Qi.
But the principle should be similar.
"Might work."
I muttered and assumed a mid stance.
That's when the chat went wild again.
💬 Comments — Viewer This crazy bastard's trying to manifest Sword Qi? — Viewer I'm losing my mind lol — Viewer Don't! It's not something you can just do without talent! — Viewer Exactly! Sword Qi manifests only when a swordsman who has forged their own path unifies their mind and body... what the? Question marks flooded the chat.
They'd seen it.
Transparent qi blooming atop the Heaven-Cleaving Blade.
Undeniable Sword Qi.
💬 Comments — Viewer ...No way — Viewer ...Why Sword Qi? — Viewer Hasn't even held a sword for a month The viewers clamored for answers.
Scratching the back of my head at them, I said,
"It just worked when I tried..."
💬 Comments — Viewer Shut up — Viewer Stop it, you freeloading bastard! — Viewer Don't crush us small fries' pride, Demon Lord! — Viewer Shut up and slice it!! Ignoring the freaking-out viewers, I raised my sword.
That was the moment.
Shiiik—
A sharp whoosh cutting the air.
The Heaven-Cleaving Blade grazed Hydro's nape.
The steel-like scales tore like paper.
Spluuurt—
The beast's blood arced, drenching my whole body.
Warm liquid trickled slowly down my face.
As I grimaced at the gross sensation,
Hydro clutched his neck and staggered.
His thick nape hadn't been severed in one stroke,
but life force gushed from the deep gash.
"This... can't be...!"
Hydro's pupils shook.
His eyes refused to accept that the scale armor he prided himself on,
his absolute defense,
had been pierced in one hit by a human.
I silently withdrew the blood-soaked sword and said,
"I was aiming to sever it in one go."
Muttering, I sheathed the sword again.
Then came Hydro's voice.
"H-How...?"
The shock was devastating.
The monster's gasping eyes reflected his shattered pride.
I met those eyes and sneered.
"Do you get it now?"
Hydro's eyes flashed at my words.
He bellowed.
"Grroooaaarrrgh!"
Roaring, he began writhing his neck.
At that moment, I took a step back.
His signature move from the gallery earlier.
The precursor to gathering nearby moisture into a powerful water cannon.
"Dodge, leap in one shot, fully sever the neck....... Huh?"
A groan escaped as I envisioned the flow.
Hydro, prepping his water cannon,
Plop—
started fleeing.
"You owe me an inner core! Where you going, bastard?!"
Yelling, I stomped my right foot down.
The ground shattered as my foot dug in.
With that force, I
Whoosh—
swung the sword.
Sword Qi shot out.
The projected qi sliced the river surface,
Slash—
decapitating Hydro as he fled beneath.
I clenched my fist briefly in triumph,
then let out a hollow sigh.
"...Now I can't recover the inner core!"
My wail echoed in that moment.
ripple—
Waves rose on the surface.
Dozens of mermaids burst from the water.
Behind them, they carried Hydro's headless corpse.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Hydro Saurus.
The river's tyrant was sinking.
Seirena the mermaid watched impassively.
No joy.
It was natural.
The river lord had merely changed.
They were mermaids.
Beings bound to the river, unable to live without water.
Whether Hydro or another.
Unable to flee, their lives remained the same.
Only the flavor of suffering would differ.
"As always."
She muttered.
Then the new river lord's shout echoed from the bank.
"Now I can't recover the inner core!!"
The mermaids flinched.
They soon knelt before him, corpse atop their heads.
"We greet the river lord."
Placing the trophy before him, they bowed and asked,
"Our lord. What do you desire...?"
Seirena's voice trembled as she spoke.
Memories of the past surfaced.
The lord before last demanded carnal pleasures.
The previous treated them as emergency rations.
Hydro forced labor to expand territory.
'What hell this time...?'
As she trembled in dread,
Shihanbu grimaced and said,
"Hey? Why would I be your lord? I'm already struggling to feed one rabbit that eats for five."
Where do you think you're latching on like fleas?
He turned to leave, saying the same.
As Seirena blankly watched his back,
Shihanbu stopped and approached her.
She stiffened.
"Give me your hand."
The river lord's command.
She couldn't refuse.
The moment she tremblingly extended her hand,
Fizz—
Her poison-blackened hand returned to normal.
Purification.
"Good."
With that, he dragged Hydro's corpse away.
The mermaids were speechless.
They couldn't comprehend the situation.
They realized what it was that night.
When they caught fish themselves.
Cooked it themselves.
Ate it themselves.
They realized it was freedom.
"Sob..."
A young mermaid teared up eating fish.
The emotion rippled like waves.
Soon all mermaids wept.
But they were afraid too.
Mermaids knew well.
This freedom came from Shihanbu.
If he abandoned them, a new lord would claim the river.
They knew it all too well.
So that night, the mermaids held a meeting.
"We need that man!"
"Right! Let's gather opinions!"
"How about sending fish every day?"
"I think binding him as family is best!"
That night.
The river echoed with meetings to win Shihanbu's favor.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Ice Palace's top floor.
In the Ice Palace Lord's chamber, the coldest, deepest space, Seol-hwa sat holding her breath.
"Really! Why does our young master always pick the most dangerous spots?!"
Kneeling on the icy bed, she stared into empty air.
There, the human-dinosaur deathmatch played out vividly.
Boom!
Shihanbu swung, firing Sword Qi.
The water split, severing the massive water dragon's neck.
That instant, the broadcast chat exploded.
💬 Comments — Viewer Whoa, look at that water split. — Viewer What? How'd that happen? — Viewer Inner core boosted his power. Seol-hwa frowned at the idiotic chat,
when counter-chats appeared.
— DualSwordMurimElfBegone Can't you see? He used finger and wrist rotation on the swing. — Viewer That alone does that? Gonna try. — ShihanbuMaster Tsk tsk. Can't mimic it. You infuse will into every strand of qi. — Viewer So just do that? Or not? — Heavenly Demon Without absolute sense, don't even dream. — Viewer So insane talent, basically? — Viewer Yep. Gonna die then. Reborn as Shihanbu next life. Seol-hwa sighed lightly at the chats.
"Out of all these people, I'm the only one worrying about young master."
She muttered, shifting her gaze.
To one wall of the room.
There lay unused new bedding.
Beneath it, clothes Shihanbu's size,
and restraints fitted to his wrists.
"I really need to keep our young master by my side. Hehe."
Seol-hwa smiled faintly, cheeks flushing.
Her sparkling eyes mixed duty and possessiveness.
As she fantasized about life with him,
Bang—
"Ice Palace Lord!"
The door flew open.
An Ice Palace warrior entered.
His shoulders carried the urgency of the outer chill.
"What is it?"
"We've found the woman you ordered us to locate!"
Seol-hwa shot up.
The mysterious expert who fought Shihanbu on the Abandoned Continent.
Third Elder Hawol.
"Where? Where is she?!"
Unable to contain her excitement, she shouted.
The warrior pointed downward.
"The Ice Palace! She's intruded into the Ice Crystal Storage!"