Earth Dragon Subjugation, Part 7
"..."
The moment I saw the adventurers, my brow furrowed.
The sinister glints in their eyes directed at me were far too blatant.
It was a look mixed with murderous intent, jealousy, and greed toward someone who had achieved the goal they couldn't.
Their intentions were transparent.
They clearly planned to kill me and steal the credit for slaying the Earth Dragon.
Reflexively, I checked my MP.
Thanks to saving Soul of the Sword Master during my confrontation with Pokryong, I still had one chance left.
But I couldn't afford to let my guard down just yet.
Because...
'Until now, I've only used this skill against single targets.'
Barba the Human Butcher.
Peter Pan, the kidnapper of Dawnguard.
And even the Heavenly Dragon Bird.
Every opponent I had defeated with the skill so far had been a single entity.
'If that's the case...'
Could I really eliminate all of them at once with Soul of the Sword Master?
And within the span of a mere 0.01 seconds?
I didn't know.
Since it was an unprecedented skill, even I couldn't say for sure.
'If I fail to kill them all...'
I glanced to the side.
Adelia was fast asleep, recovering from her injuries and absorbing the energy of the Mandrake.
Having blocked the strike of the Sword Master Pokryong, the cooldown for Ultimate Auto-parrying was still far from over.
'I'll have to deal with the survivors using nothing but my swordsmanship talent.'
Realistically speaking, it was impossible for a Level 2 like me to survive against them.
No matter how much of an "irregular" I was, defying the limits of level, there was still a ceiling.
'Even so...'
Shring!
I picked up the Feather Sword lying on the ground.
If I couldn't overcome a hurdle of this caliber, I would never have reached the top of the rankings in the first place.
Three years.
That was the amount of time Kane, the ponytail-wearing swordsman, had dedicated to subjugating the Earth Dragon.
Alongside his experienced party members, he had explored Labyrinth Village for a long time.
'At first, I only jumped in for the massive reward...'
But as time passed, it morphed into an obsession with the Earth Dragon.
He couldn't bear to let those three years go to waste.
Perhaps driven by a desire for compensation, his stubborn insistence on slaying the Earth Dragon only grew deeper and deeper.
"Huh?"
Then one day, an anomaly occurred.
It happened while they were exploring the lower levels of Labyrinth Village as usual.
The scout began to tilt his head in confusion.
"Why did the vibrations stop? The ground should have shaken at least once by now..."
The Earth Dragon's tremors had ceased.
This meant that the layout of Labyrinth Village would no longer shift.
"Quick! Use this chance to find the gate to the deep zone!"
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The party poured all their strength into searching for the deep zone.
"Found it!"
They finally arrived at the long-sought deep zone of Labyrinth Village, but...
"...Huh?"
The Earth Dragon was already dead.
Slayed by the hands of other adventurers, no less.
'Those bastards...'
Kane scowled, trying to get a clear look at the faces of the ones who had killed the Earth Dragon.
But what was this?
The opponent was the very coward they had run into in the upper levels a few days ago.
—Thanks for the advice. I'll end my little game of playing adventurer here. We'll be taking our leave now.
"...Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped his lips.
He felt his blood boil.
"How did you find the deep zone?"
He was genuinely curious.
A path they couldn't find despite wandering for three years, these rookies had found on their very first try.
Just what kind of method did they use?
At that, the coward smirked and replied,
"None of your business."
"...Arrogant bastard."
Kane drew his sword.
Following his lead, the other party members prepared for battle one by one.
Seeing this, the coward frowned.
"What are you planning?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Kane growled.
He couldn't let three years of blood, sweat, and tears go down the drain.
To prevent that, he had to eliminate these bastards who had 'stolen' his achievement.
"I'm going to kill you and take ownership of the Earth Dragon."
"..."
In an instant, the coward's eyes turned chillingly cold.
Shring!
He gripped his sword, his face eerily expressionless.
Kane flinched and instinctively took a step back, but soon scoffed.
"...Ha."
The way the guy held his sword was so clumsy it was painful to watch.
'What an idiot. He reeks of being a complete novice.'
Kane's eyes scanned the surroundings.
Was it due to the battle with the Earth Dragon?
The female swordsman lay unconscious on the ground.
Her armor was dented, and she was drenched in dark red blood.
Seeing how she didn't budge despite the commotion, she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Or maybe she was already dead.
'Either way, it's good news.'
It meant the only enemy he had to deal with was this coward.
Growing relaxed, Kane began to toy with his opponent.
"You plan on taking on the four of us alone?"
"..."
"You've got a lot of guts for a coward. Or did playing adventurer for a few days actually suit you?"
As Kane chuckled, the other party members joined in, sneering.
A young master who came to Labyrinth Village with a skilled bodyguard just to play adventurer.
A fool who got lucky, found the deep zone, and killed the Earth Dragon, only to get his bodyguard killed in the process.
Yes.
In Kane's eyes, that man was nothing more than that.
"Hey, Boss."
Just then, a companion spoke up from behind.
It was the scout who had worked with Kane for three years.
"Don't you want to see that bastard cry?"
Click.
The scout loaded a bolt into his crossbow as he spoke.
"Let's put a bolt in his knee first. I want to see how much he whines."
"Oh?"
Hearing that, a cruel smile spread across Kane's face.
"Sounds fun. Go ahead."
"...Heh, alright."
Creak!
The scout aimed at his target with a nasty grin.
He was the weakest member of the party.
Because of that, he had spent the last three years catering to his companions' whims.
His role was to act as a clown, keeping his comrades entertained in this manner.
"You don't know your place! I'll cripple your legs! I'll make sure you can never dream of playing adventurer again—"
BOOM!
It happened in that instant.
With a sound like the sky collapsing, his vision was momentarily dyed in gold.
A gale so fierce it felt like a hurricane began to whip up dust and dirt in all directions.
"W-What is this?!"
Startled by the sudden turn of events, the scout whipped his head around.
Thud.
It was at that moment that something brushed against his toe.
"...?"
At first, he didn't know what it was.
The thick dust obscured his vision.
'Ah.'
But a few seconds later, as the dust cleared and the object rolling on the ground finally came into view...
The scout felt his mind go completely blank.
'Fuck.'
The cleanly severed upper bodies of his three companions were rolling on the ground.
"..."
Slowly, the scout looked straight ahead with trembling eyes.
The man stood there, holding his sword with both hands, staring intently in his direction.
His appearance, which had seemed so laughable just moments ago... now looked like nothing less than a monster.
Wroooo!
The Feather Sword radiated intense heat.
The energy of the scorching blade traveled all the way to my hands gripping the hilt.
In the next moment, the headless corpses collapsed one by one, kicking up dust with dull thuds.
"Y-You monster..."
The scout stumbled backward.
His eyes were filled with indescribable terror and confusion.
Watching him, I let out a silent sigh of relief.
'It worked.'
Sword Qi.
With a single strike, I had annihilated multiple enemies at once.
Just like when Adelia swept away the pack of Scavenger Wolves.
'I can't believe that actually worked.'
The arc Adelia's sword had drawn that day. The trajectory of the swordsmanship that had cleaved dozens of wolves in a single stroke.
Recalling that scene, I had cast Ritardando and Soul of the Sword Master simultaneously.
The sharply swung Sword Qi took three lives in an instant.
Cleanly and decisively, just as it had halved the Heavenly Dragon Bird.
'Of course...'
There was still one opponent left.
Namely, the trembling scout standing before me.
"Didn't you say you were going to cripple my legs?"
Step.
I took a step forward.
My footsteps echoed hollowly in the deep zone.
"My knees seem perfectly fine, though."
The scout's hand holding the crossbow shook like a leaf.
The shock of witnessing his comrades get brutally slaughtered in the blink of an eye must have been immense.
"When do you plan on carrying out those big words of yours?"
"Aaargh!"
The scout's eyes rolled back.
"You bastard! Die!"
He rushed at me in a desperate, do-or-die frenzy.
His distorted face clearly showed that he had abandoned all hope.
Knowing his opponent could use Sword Qi, he must have realized running away was pointless.
I took a deep breath and adjusted my stance.
'Finally, my first real combat.'
The reason only the scout was left alive?
It was simple.
I had intentionally directed the Sword Qi to miss him.
Because...
—I feel like I can easily handle attacks of that level now... If I get the chance later, I should try fighting a goblin for practice.
...There was no better training dummy to gain real combat experience from than him.
'And here it is, a living, breathing goblin.'
Of course, his level was about ten levels higher than a Burrow Goblin, but he was still in the low-level range.
I could easily handle an opponent of this caliber.
This wasn't baseless confidence.
The 180 million points of talent I had invested were telling me so.
"Haaah!"
Whoosh!
Having pulled a hand axe from his chest, he charged at me with a roar.
The sound of the axe blade cutting through the air echoed.
Instinctively, the movements I needed to make flashed through my mind.
I took a step back, letting my body guide me.
Then, following my senses, I swung my sword in a slow, deliberate motion.
Clang!
Sparks flew with a clear metallic ring.
The axe, swung with all his might, was deflected pitifully by my lightly thrust sword.
It was a mere glancing blow.
Yet, the trajectory of the axe began to bend bizarrely, as if defying the laws of physics.
"...Huh?"
The scout gasped in confusion.
His center of gravity collapsed instantly along with his hand axe.
On the other hand, my sword remained in its original stance, as if nothing had happened.
"Your skills are utterly pathetic."
Those were the last words I would offer him.
Squelch!
A sickening sound of tearing flesh rang in my ears, accompanied by a metallic, bloody sensation coating my hands.
The scout, who couldn't even measure up to a third-rate villain, drew his last breath.
"..."
Drip, drip.
I silently looked down.
The pure white Feather Sword was now stained with dark red fluid.
The sensation of the blade slicing through skin and muscle, scraping against bone... lingered vividly in my hands.
It was the first time I had felt such an unpleasant sensation since falling into this world.
After all, whenever I used Soul of the Sword Master, everything happened so fast I didn't even have time to register it.
Agility has slightly increased. (1 → 2)
Perception has significantly increased. (1 → 5)
Level Up! (2 → 3)
...Of course, the subsequent message washed away all that discomfort.
'Level up.'
My Agility and Perception stats had increased significantly.
Was it because I fought using pure swordsmanship talent without relying on skills in this battle?
The system of Lost Elder had recognized my achievement.
'It makes sense.'
The moment I gripped the sword, everything became crystal clear to my eyes.
The trajectory of the weapon.
The point of impact where force concentrated.
And even the opening to break the opponent's balance.
Based on that perfect reading, my sword executed the most ideal movements.
Through this, I had defeated an opponent whose stats were easily several times higher than mine.
Transcending the limits of my abysmally low Strength and Agility, relying solely on pure technique.
'This is... way beyond my expectations.'
The power of swordsmanship talent was far more immense than I had imagined.
To the point where it made my pathetic stats completely irrelevant.
'More than anything...'
The Earth Dragon's Heart.
If I could obtain that, my growth would accelerate even further.
Of course, to maximize the item's effects, I would have to go through the next step.
'Well, I can just take that one step at a time.'
Thud.
I slumped onto the ground.
Perhaps because I had overexerted this pathetic body, a deep fatigue washed over me.
I needed to catch my breath for a moment and then get out of Labyrinth Village as quickly as possible. This underground tunnel was starting to feel suffocating.
'First, Adelia needs to wake up so we can do something...'
Zzz...
"..."
This won't do.
Come on, wake up already.