Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Chapter 3: Adalbert Swordsmanship (1)
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The Overlord's Chamber.
It bore a grandiose name for what was essentially a storeroom, but no one dared dismiss it as such. It was the very history of the Adalbert family incarnate.
‘Finally, I’m here.’
Just as he had never sat upon the White Dragon Throne, he had never entered this place either.
Stepping inside, Martin truly felt the weight of changing the future. His heart pounded fiercely as he surveyed his surroundings.
Swords and all manner of weapons were embedded here and there.
Each one emanated a subtle glow, proudly displaying its worth.
They were artifacts crafted by master smiths who had spared no expense on the finest metals and mana stones from the dungeons.
Swoosh.
Martin extended his right hand toward a nearby blue sword.
But he couldn’t touch it.
His hand passed right through the blade.
“So this is the Barrier of Transcendence.”
Every item in the Overlord's Chamber was protected by such a barrier, visible yet untouchable.
There was only one way to breach it.
Manipulate Spatial Domination to dismantle the barrier itself.
Of course, other spatial-affinity innate abilities could pierce it as well, provided one’s realm was high enough.
That was why the Adalbert ancestors had prepared countermeasures for that too.
To release the barrier, one had to prove their direct Adalbert bloodline. If unrecognized as direct kin, a curse would activate immediately.
With such stringent conditions, only the family head could manage the Overlord's Chamber.
‘Not the time to worry about that.’
He had no leisure to fuss over weapons.
Once he ascended as family head, tradition allowed him to claim one of them anyway.
Turning his back on the ornate blades, Martin headed to the next section.
There, all sorts of spirit herbs were neatly arranged.
Mandragoras that exponentially boosted mana capacity, Sunflowers that granted control over solar power—priceless elixirs beyond measure.
But what truly caught Martin’s eye was a glass vial containing crimson-black blood.
“I knew it would be here.”
Dragon blood.
Not from a lesser kin like a drake.
This was the blood of a true dragon, safe to consume.
In his previous life, he had slain a dragon in a dungeon and drunk its blood. It had greatly aided his survival to age 25.
‘This amount should extend my lifespan by at least a year.’
Martin smiled contentedly as he moved to the final section.
It was a library.
Towering bookshelves stood in orderly rows, filled with countless tomes.
The subjects varied, but naturally, martial arts manuals dominated.
Some were penned by Adalbert knights, others by members of rival schools or families.
Martin immediately turned his head to gaze at the bookshelf on the right.
While the others were packed tight, this one held fewer than thirty books. And for good reason—they were sword manuals authored directly by past family heads.
They bore flashy titles, but the one that seized Martin’s attention was the solitary golden tome at the center.
‘The Adalbert Sword Manual. The family’s greatest treasure.’
The other manuals were named after their respective family heads, like the Lothar Style.
Only this one bore just the family name.
Penned by the founding family head himself, it was the driving force behind the Adalbert family’s very existence.
Every subsequent head had mastered it, using it as the foundation to create their own styles.
Like the founder, they had all authored their own manuals to pass down their insights.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the family’s glory had endured for so long thanks to this sword manual.
‘I hope this works.’
Like the other items, this bookshelf too was shrouded in a Barrier of Transcendence.
Direct descendants of the Adalbert line had to employ Spatial Domination to breach it.
‘It has to work.’
Thanks to his bloodline, he could manipulate space itself with Distortion of All Things.
Still, it fell short of true Spatial Domination in many ways, leaving him uncertain.
Clap!
Martin slapped both his cheeks with his hands. Having come this far, retreat was not an option.
He would breach the barrier, come what may.
Steel ing his resolve, Martin first sliced his left palm with a nearby sword.
Sharp pain followed, blood flowing freely.
He thrust his tightly clenched left fist toward the Adalbert Sword Manual, activating Distortion of All Things simultaneously.
Thus, his left hand met the Barrier of Transcendence.
Boom!
“Guh!”
He had merely touched the barrier.
Yet his mana circuits twisted within him, his organs feeling as if they were being shredded.
His body was already strained from the duel with Stefan, and unleashing his innate ability before full recovery brought excruciating agony.
Whoosh!
But Martin endured with all his might, golden mana blooming from his core throughout his body.
He wielded it to warp the space.
To shatter the Barrier of Transcendence.
Boom!
“Kuh!”
The instant the golden mana interfered, platinum mana surged from the barrier.
A fiercer backlash erupted as a shockwave, engulfing Martin. Its power was so immense he wondered if his left arm’s bones had shattered.
Martin bit his lip hard.
‘I can’t fall back into being a loser!’
The Adalbert Swordsmanship held the key for spatial-affinity wielders to reach the Absolute Realm—innate ability at the fifth circle.
In his past life, without mastering it, he had to grope his way to wielding Distortion of All Things alone.
But self-study had its limits, and Martin’s innate ability had stalled at the third circle.
Had he advanced just one circle further, history might have changed.
“Urgh!”
Gritting his teeth, Martin focused on hammering the Barrier of Transcendence relentlessly.
He had to overcome this pain.
Even if it cost him the use of his left hand forever.
Crunch.
A gruesome sound echoed as bones in his left arm snapped. His fingers twisted wildly, buckling backward.
Martin hurriedly gripped his left wrist with his right hand.
At the same time, he squeezed every last drop of mana.
Golden mana swirled furiously, ceaselessly boring into the platinum barrier. Naturally, the pain intensified, blood streaming from Martin’s mouth.
The damage didn’t end there.
Crackle! Crackle!
Sparks flew endlessly from the ongoing clashes.
Intense heat scorched both arms red, ultimately burning them.
Yet he kept concentrating on maintaining Distortion of All Things.
And then, a sound rang out.
Crack.
‘It worked!’
Martin thrilled.
A crack had finally formed in the platinum barrier.
He focused his remaining mana on it, golden energy relentlessly infiltrating.
“Haat!”
Shouting as he shoved his left hand through, Martin’s right hand touched the Adalbert Sword Manual the instant the platinum barrier dissipated.
“Hah…… hah…….”
Not a single part of his body was unscathed.
His left arm, thrust out first, was in such a state that it was a miracle it was still attached.
His right arm had suffered severe burns as well.
The dragon’s curse pain was the worst, of course.
“Hahaha!”
Despite the deathly agony, Martin laughed maniacally. He was too elated not to.
“Now I can advance my innate ability further!”
For Martin, the third circle of his innate ability had been an unbreakable wall.
And now, he held the means to surpass it.
“I’ll master it properly for sure…….”
But then.
Flash!
Platinum light suddenly bloomed from the sword manual?
It spread rapidly, engulfing the entire library.
And that wasn’t all.
The bright light coalesced, soon forming a human shape. Translucent, but unmistakable.
Hair reaching down to her waist shimmered an unusual gray. Her distinct features and perfectly proportioned body evoked a statue.
The woman boasted overwhelming beauty, yet there was no time to appreciate it.
The intense aura emanating from her body overwhelmed all else.
Her lips parted.
—Pleased to meet you, child of Adalbert. I am Arelia von Adalbert. Though I suppose you’ve already guessed.
She was right.
Though he saw her for the first time today, Martin knew exactly who she was.
He had seen her portrait countless times.
Which made the current situation even harder to believe.
‘No, this can’t be!’
His mind went blank as if struck hard on the head, goosebumps erupting across his body. He could scarcely string thoughts together, yet his body moved on instinct.
“Direct descendant of Adalbert, Martin Adalbert, pays respects to the Founding Family Head!”
Martin dropped to his right knee, bellowing in a resounding voice.
* * *
Arelia von Adalbert.
Around a thousand years ago, she had swept away all monsters that escaped the dungeons and founded the Adalbert family—the strongest swordsman.
Though she fell to the Altria Empire’s emperor and became his vassal, she was hailed as the greatest swordsman in history.
And now, she stood before him.
Smiling confidently, just as in her portrait.
—Judging by your shocked face, it seems you’ve never heard a word about me.
“That’s right.”
He had never heard any stories from his late father.
But he realized she wasn’t real.
After all, the founding head had lived to a ripe old age before passing.
There were even portraits of her in old age within the main house. It was safe to say she couldn’t be genuine.
—As you’ve guessed, I am a fragment of soul left by the real Arelia.
“A clone, then?”
—You can see me that way. I exist to teach the basics of swordsmanship to the direct descendants of the Adalbert family.
Unknowingly, Martin clenched his fist tight.
How could he not be astonished?
To receive instruction from the knight deemed the strongest in the empire’s thousand-year history.
Even if it was just the basics, it was monumental.
—I understand the shock, but as I said earlier, I’m just a clone. Even if my personality and skill match, there are differences. No need to stand on such ceremony.
Though Arelia said so, Martin had no intention of rising.
Even as a soul, she was the family’s great founder.
Treating her casually was unthinkable.
—My descendants are all so stubbornly formal. Well, stand up now. I want to see your face properly.
“Yes.”
Only then did Martin straighten his posture.
Arelia scanned him, soon wearing an intrigued expression.
—How old are you?
“I turned eighteen this year.”
—Eighteen…… Remarkable. To reach the fourth circle in swordsmanship at such a young age. I was praised as a genius, but compared to you, I pale.
“You overpraise me. I can’t compare to the founder hailed as the strongest of her era.”
—And yet I got smashed by the first emperor—a mere loser.
Arelia stated it flatly. Instead, Martin himself was utterly flustered.
But his trials were only beginning.
—By the way, innate abilities usually manifest around age ten. That’s why all previous heirs who reached this place were children. You’re the first adult.
“Is that a problem?”
Martin asked, forcing calm.
His expression held, but he couldn’t stop his heart from racing.
—Not at all. Since you’ve proven yourself by passing the Barrier of Transcendence, I must impart the teachings. However……
Arelia trailed off.
The smile on her lips deepened.
Martin’s heart raced faster.
—I am bound to the sword manual, but I can observe everything that happens here. In that sense, there’s something peculiar about you.
“Peculiar? What do you…….”
—First off, your innate ability isn’t Spatial Domination. Isn’t it?
Hearing that, Martin truly understood what it meant for his heart to sink.