Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: An Adventurer's Private Tutoring for Her -11-
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The weapons he drew were one sword and one spear.
But he planted the sword into the ground.
He gripped the spear—perfect for facing beasts—and assumed his stance.
Puhwaak-!
Blue flames erupted from the spear tip.
"Monster extermination is my specialty, you see."
-
Mana had taken visible form, blue flames blazing from the spear tip bright enough to dazzle Groto's eyes.
That alone marked him as no ordinary foe.
But Groto had never heard of a warrior skilled with both spear and sword.
Was one of them a feint?
The thought of feints brought Hell Broom to mind, sparking instant irritation.
'I figured they'd have some skill to boldly come here in pairs without fear...'
What was that destructive, vivid aura?
He hadn't expected much from these shady figures of unknown origin, but it seemed he'd have to rethink that.
And even after dealing with this one, there was still that other figure standing silently behind, gripping a sharp black sword.
'She might be the stronger one.'
For a black mage, distributing sacrifices was a key element of battle.
With the next fight guaranteed to follow, he couldn't afford to expend them recklessly without a plan.
Kwaang-!
"Distracted while I'm right here?"
Gripping his spear, he stomped the dirt floor and charged forward in a single stride.
The blazing blue mana wildly whipped aside the demon beast's black flames.
-Kkaeaeng!!!
"Tch!"
Snapping back to attention, Groto gritted his teeth and nimbly maneuvered his familiar.
The opened wound healed in moments, fed from the reserves of sacrifices in his vessel.
A human, tough as he might be, had limits to his stamina.
A black mage who had piled up countless corpses as sacrifices, and the familiar from Pandemonium.
Anyone could see the war of attrition was a foregone conclusion.
Finishing his thoughts, Groto curled his lips upward from within the skull wall.
"Your rampage ends here."
'Just punching through and killing him would waste the reward.'
That skull barricade would split easily if pierced with aura at a single point.
But if he wanted something, he'd have to take the troublesome path to seize it.
Kwaak-
He gripped the spear shaft tightly with one hand, channeling immense strength into his grasp.
Stepping one foot back, he used the recoil to tilt his upper body forward and hurled the spear straight ahead.
Bullseye
Taang-!
If the people of his past life had heard it, they would have mistaken it for a gunshot.
The moment he hurled the mana-blazing spear, an explosion rang out along with the sound of air tearing.
-Kruk!!
The spear left his hand and struck the wolf dead center.
But like smoke pierced through, the spot immediately filled and regenerated.
"Fine, I acknowledge your skill. But... in turn, your head is dull. Realize you have no hope!!"
The wolf's cries of pain lasted only a fleeting instant.
It wouldn't end until the vessel's stored sacrifices ran dry.
'Too far for the main body to fetch more sacrifices from the vessel... Time to switch tactics.'
It wore the form of a beast, but had no relation to actual beasts.
In truth, it was a monster closer to a hybrid of demon and spirit.
'As expected, bad matchup.'
No bleeding flesh or organs.
Its entire body made of flames meant slashing wounds were more efficient than clean piercings.
Kung! Kung! Kung! Kung! Kung!
Its black tail stretched long, slamming down along his position.
-Kwaaaang!!
Green flames blocked his retreat, and it hurled its house-sized body at him, jaws gaping wide.
A seasoned tactical maneuver.
Kwak!
The wolf's fangs pierced his left arm, blood flowing out.
The teeth had broken through the mana, digging deep.
Maintaining the hold, he swung the sword in his right hand upward from below, splitting the jaw.
Pushik-!
-Kruk kruk
The wolf retreated with its maw torn open, folding its six eyes into crescents as it eyed his blood-soaked left arm.
An blatant sneer.
"...A knife's too good for a dog that bites people."
Blood Ghost activates.
-
A skill activating for the first time in months.
Power surged within him, and the bleeding from his left arm stopped.
▷ Physical abilities increase proportional to blood loss.
▷ Physical abilities increase the lower stamina is.
▷ Resistance to bleeding increases.
In the 'Akarite' game, it was a staple skill for speedruns.
Leave just one sliver of HP, dodge everything flawlessly, and blast through the story with overwhelming attack power.
A gamer with top-tier control could record a brag-worthy video anywhere.
But in reality, it was incredibly dangerous.
Reality meant death was final.
No retries like in a game.
Intentionally using it was like inviting a demon that devoured you bit by bit.
From surging emotions to physical prowess.
Once you got a taste, it was hard to handle.
Addicted to Blood Ghost, you'd stop strategizing against strong foes.
Eventually, fighting with near-bottom HP would become habit.
That was why, upon acquiring it, his first vow was never to use it deliberately.
Groto knew nothing of wielding cold steel weapons.
He had no interest, and no need for combat methods beyond black magic.
But he knew how to subdue armed opponents.
No special trick to it.
Just crush them with overwhelming power and terror.
Knowing how effective it was, he had offered triple digits of sacrifices and contracted an elite familiar.
Even summoning it required heaps of sacrifices, and he barely held the reins by offering his own lifeline in the pact.
The results were always satisfying.
He felt like a transcendent being beyond human limits.
Omnipotence coursed through him; he could take on the emperor's blade or the Five Knights of the Empire.
From now on, he wouldn't lose even if he tried.
He surely wouldn't lose.
So he'd naturally win against this guy too.
-
His robe was already torn, revealing his face, but it was definitely a stranger.
Not one of the Empire's Five Knights, nor any famed veteran knight.
'What the...? He looks familiar...'
A face he'd surely seen before, but his scattered mind couldn't pin it down.
A slight shift in focus might jog the memory, but his opponent allowed no such lapse.
-Kraa!
Claws that could pulverize rock came at his face; he deflected them with his sword.
Chiiik-!
Sparks of red fire flew from the blade.
'That mad bastard!'
Red eyes soaked in flowing blood weren't human.
Like demons from Pandemonium come to claim his soul.
"What in the hell are you...!"
Definite fatal blood loss for any human.
Yet he didn't die.
This prolonged battle, and not only had his sword not slowed—it was now too fast to track with the naked eye.
The seemingly endless sacrifices were dwindling, slowing the familiar's regeneration.
"You vermin... die already!!!"
Chwaaak—!!
As the familiar lunged, the man slid beneath and sliced its belly clean in two.
"Kuhk."
First time facing this; impatience gripped Groto.
From that major blow, direct feedback hit him too.
'This can't be happening...'
Two front legs that cut steel like butter.
A maw spewing ground-melting fire.
A pair of sharp tails punching holes in thick trees.
Five weapons no human arms could fully block.
'Then why? Why!'
Despite all that, he couldn't land a lethal blow on this one-sword human.
Even pressing mutual destruction with sacrifices, he ghosted vital spots.
Knowing reckless moves were suicide, Groto still wavered with anxiety.
The vessel that held a hundred was truly nearing empty.
-Kkaegaeng!!
The moment he drew another sword for dual-wield, slashing the wolf's throat and chest.
"Kuhuk-! Kooluk...!"
Coughing mixed with bloody phlegm echoed through the breached skull wall.
Groto had reached his true limit.
'Almost there.'
Top-tier A-rank Blood Ghost's effects were reliable.
Trading flesh for vital dodges, he'd seized superiority swiftly.
Still, the bleeding was no joke for a human.
Despite skill-granted resistance, blood welled from nose and mouth, hindering breath.
"Ptoo-! Hoo... tough one."
The endless attrition had worn even his mind, but the signal came first while he still had margin.
The wolf's nimble, tricky movements grew subtly simpler and larger, creating openings for hit-and-run.
"Uwaaaah!! This body won't lose here!!!"
-Awoooo!!!
Groto's blood-mixed shout made the vessel rattle, and the wolf swelled with a howl.
If mid-battle enhancement or evolution were possible, there'd have been no need to hold back.
This was its final struggle.
Kuwoong!!! Kuwoong!!!
Unlike its bloated size, the wolf's steps were faster now.
A speed charge never seen before.
-Grrraaa!!!
Stubborn advance from claws plowing the ground.
Even at point-blank, no tricks.
Strike now, and it'd land surely.
The world sharpened, time slowed—this sensation.
It was here.
'The advantage!'
A power he couldn't sustain long yet.
Needed peak focus and flawless choice.
Experience built thus far dictated the best move.
He forced his stinging, blood-filled eyes wide open.
The aura targeted not the sword in hand, but—
Pak! Pak!
He unhesitatingly planted both swords into the ground.
Roman thought.
The wolf was mere superficial form.
Clean wounds regenerated easily.
Needed erratic, maximally complex damage.
Kung-!
The doubled front paw swung to rend his whole body.
The massive claw sinking into his shoulder was crystal clear.
Flesh-Cleaving Bone-Sever activates.
Attack power increases while taking damage.
Pajijijik!!!
Dark red aura gathered at his feet.
Dragon Fang Kick
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