35. Why won't this pull?
35. Why won't this pull?
Asagi arrived at the Oak tree field where she had been logging in an instant. It wasn't that far. At a distance where she could see Byeong-sun and Ranma, the Enderman was not there.
'Where is it?'
Asagi quickly looked around. One Enderman had disappeared. This guy was an annoying pest that stole Dirt Blocks. It certainly had combat power similar to the Orcs she had fought in her original world, but the Orcs were better at combat techniques. That was because they were a race that could think and speak. Orcs who knew how to fight were a bit of a hassle to deal with, but even they were busy running away once they met Asagi. The reason Asagi had said she could handle up to three Endermen was nothing special. It was because her sword was not her beloved Demon Blade Six Gates. Compared to a real sword made for killing, and a master-crafted blade at that, a Wooden Sword was nothing more than a child's toy.
'Although, for a Wooden Sword, it's surprisingly sturdy, which is nice.'
If she had swung and struck an opponent with Asagi's usual strength, a normal Wooden Sword would have been split in two. Asagi's body, honed by all sorts of martial arts, was pushing the limits of a human. However, the Wooden Sword Byeong-sun had made for her was different. It was certainly getting tattered from being swung so much, but compared to the wooden swords she used for practice in her original world, this one was a Wooden Sword that could be called a masterpiece without shame.
For now, she could rest easy since there was no Enderman in the Oak tree field. She counted the Dirt Blocks. One, two... 23. It was exactly the right number, excluding the one Byeong-sun had dropped off the cliff early on. It seemed the Enderman hadn't managed to take any Dirt Blocks yet.
According to what she heard from Byeong-sun, the Enderman is not an aggressive monster. Therefore, normally there would be no need to fight it, but right now, when she couldn't increase the number of Dirt Blocks, the Enderman was the most threatening monster to their survival. It was a monster she had to kill, even if it meant picking a fight first.
Just as she was thinking that, she saw a distortion of space in the air. It was an Enderman. The moment Asagi noticed the distortion of space, the Enderman popped out of the empty space, the void, and stood upright. Eyes glowing ominously in purple. It was a sight that reminded her of their first encounter. Although it wasn't holding a Dirt Block, she couldn't let it live and return now that it had already crossed over to the platform where they lived.
"Ha!"
With a short shout, Asagi's body moved. The Enderman did not attack first even though Asagi had approached within reach. This was the only thing she liked about it. A monster that doesn't attack first or if you don't make eye contact—it was a monster that was bound to be advantageous to Asagi in battle because she could inevitably take the initiative.
Asagi aimed for the knee with her Wooden Sword. The Enderman's height was 3m. If it were the Demon Blade Six Gates, she would have cut its neck in one stroke, but it was hard to expect that level of cutting power from a Wooden Sword. It was skinny, and the Enderman's fat was so thin that the knees and the muscles around them were clearly visible. That state meant it was easy enough for her eyes to target the most vulnerable part of the Enderman's knee.
Asagi's Wooden Sword, which had approached the Enderman in an instant, swung like lightning. The target was just above the knee, the crevice where the thigh muscle began.
Ppa-ak!
Mmmmmm!
The gruesome sound of impact made by the Wooden Sword was heard, and the Enderman, feeling sharp pain in its knee, let out a roar. Asagi slightly furrowed her brow at the annoying screaming sound. It was a scream so terrible that Byeong-sun would have covered his ears, but to Asagi, who was deep in the middle of battle, it was just a slightly annoying scream. The Enderman, having pinpointed the existence of Asagi who had attacked it, raised both hands and slammed down on the spot where Asagi had been. Asagi showed off her divine skill, using her characteristic quick movements to kick off the ground and ride up the arm of the Enderman that had slammed down, grazing it.
"You really look gross."
Sparse teeth. Eyes glowing purple. The skinny, protruding brow ridges were disgusting. The Enderman was looking at Asagi, who had stuck to it and brushed past in an instant, with a look of incomprehension. It looked as if it couldn't even think to raise the hand it had slammed onto the platform.
Asagi's sword swung twice at an odd angle. Along with the sound of the Wooden Sword cutting through the wind, Swi-ing!, the tip of Asagi's Wooden Sword quickly stabbed into the Enderman's bulging eye.
The Enderman's eye burst. Purple blood flowed from the eye. Perhaps because of the sharp pain it felt in its eye, the Enderman began to go berserk.
Mmmm!
The Enderman, rolling around the platform in pain, performed space teleportation several times without even realizing it. Asagi just stared blankly at the Enderman's appearance. It was to observe the Enderman's abilities. The Enderman was teleporting without rest, and the number had already exceeded 15 in an instant. Asagi realized that it would be difficult to find the weakness of its teleportation.
'There's no delay. It doesn't seem like there's a limit to the number of times, either.'
It was an incredibly annoying ability. Right now, it seemed out of its mind due to the pain, so it was popping out and disappearing randomly, but normally, it would be able to control where it popped out. Byeong-sun would never be able to catch an Enderman.
'When I'm with him, I must prioritize protecting him.'
At the very least, it seemed like it could be a big problem if she let an Enderman rush at Byeong-sun. After evaluating the Enderman's abilities like that, Asagi gripped her Wooden Sword again. Now it was time to kill the Enderman.
There was no need to use the Hawk Technique like last time. That was the ultimate technique for Taimanin. Asagi was the only one who could use it freely. But the mental energy consumption was also significant. Asagi could use it dozens of times in a single battle, but still, the difference in fatigue between winning without using it and winning with it was distinct. The night was too long to use the Hawk Technique just to catch one measly Enderman.
The Enderman was still going berserk while teleporting. But there was no major problem. Asagi stood in the most comfortable posture, relaxing the arm that had been holding the Wooden Sword. An Enderman was appearing and disappearing endlessly around her. Asagi, who had been calmly gauging the Enderman's position, suddenly dashed to one side at a certain moment. It was empty air. A slight distortion of space was occurring.
The Enderman would appear here.
The moment she perceived the distortion of space captured by Asagi's senses, her movement, which seemed to spring out as soon as she recognized it with tremendous reflexes, was faster than the Enderman even without using the same ability. Before the Enderman could pop out, Asagi's Wooden Sword was raised above her head. The Enderman popped out in an instant, and at the same time, the Wooden Sword, brought down like a thunderbolt, struck the top of the Enderman's head.
Ppa-aak!
A gruesome sound, as if a skull were splitting, was heard. Noticing immediately that the Enderman hadn't died yet from the impact transmitted through the Wooden Sword, Asagi swung the Wooden Sword again, which she had been about to stop. This time, the target was the Enderman's collarbone. The Wooden Sword, which had naturally risen back above Asagi's head due to the recoil of striking the skull, summoned lightning once again. With a sound of Ppa-jak!, the Wooden Sword, which had struck the Enderman's collarbone, was lifted again only after breaking the Enderman's collarbone and reaching the ribs underneath it.
It was dead. As Asagi had predicted, she saw the Enderman disappear while emitting a faint light. And the green orb that appeared. Asagi knew that was an item dropped by the Enderman. She didn't know exactly what it was, but Byeong-sun would loot it later, and since she wasn't the one doing the looting, it would be better to lose interest for now.
She had killed one Enderman. There were 2 left. Anyway, as long as she didn't leave the Monster Farm, there was no need to charge into the side swarming with monsters to fight, so Asagi's first mission was as good as finished.
"Phew..."
It felt refreshing to move her body for battle after a long time. She could feel the dark side of herself, which loved battle and blood, trying to raise its head in her heart, but it wasn't an urgent situation that required it yet, and it wasn't a situation she wanted to show her companions, either. Asagi simply soothed the other self inside her heart well.
Kik.... kik.... kik....
Don't come out yet. There's no need to come out. As Asagi whispered to her inner self, she could feel the dark self within her smiling sinisterly. As if mocking Asagi for suppressing her, wondering how long she could live while ignoring herself.
But not yet. Surely, there would come a time when she would have to call her because her own abilities couldn't reach. When that time came, she would let her run wild to her heart's content. As of yet, her companions hadn't formed a deep enough connection with her to face her dark side. At least, that was what she judged. It would be better to let them know after they were all prepared in their hearts to accept her.
After calming her inner self like that, Asagi approached the Monster Farm where Byeong-sun and Ranma were.
"Iyah! Iyah!"
"Promised Victory Sword!"
There, Byeong-sun and Ranma were holding Wooden Swords and turning the monsters' shins into rags through the gaps in the trap.