by Park Saenal
Caw~!
A roc flew in the sky. It had a large body and liked eating wheat. A couple of days ago, the monster had tried to loot the wheat field. But before it could reach the wheat field, it was hit in the sky. It was magic that Bland had strengthened through continuous duels with Piaro. Blood spilled out and the body of the monster fell to one side of Reidan’s wheat field.
This place was peaceful today. There were few places safer on the continent than this.
***
The power of Advanced Sword Mastery Level 7, his passive skill ‘Sword Reinforcement and the effect of various titles, including Sword Saint Candidate, overlapped with the power of Storm Sword and allowed him to cope with the Supreme Swordsmanship.
Piaro laughed as the Storm Sword neutralized his strike.
‘Huhu, it was offset.’
There were few people who survived against Supreme Swordsmanship 1st style. But Kraugel defended against it. Piaro thought that Kraugel would at least get a serious injury.
‘My condition isn’t very good right now.’
As a great swordsman, he didn’t cling to weapons or armor. He didn’t feel the need to rely on tools. But at this moment, he felt regret about his tools. If he had been armed with a better sword, would the Supreme Swordsmanship 1st style be able to be blocked?
Shake shake.
Piaro shook off his thoughts.
‘Muller wouldn’t blame his tools.’
It was laughable that a person aiming to be a sword saint would blame his tools. The purpose of this duel wasn’t a one-sided victory. It was something that would assist his growth. He should be happy if his opponent held on for a long time.
‘This technique is relentless.’
The remnants of the Storm Sword persistently clung to Piaro. Piaro had to waste time to defeat these persistent fragments and Kraugel didn’t miss this gap. He used Mole Ascension.
Pahat!
White Fang moved through the earth. Piaro also didn’t stay still. He responded with Supreme Swordsmanship, 5th style.
Pachichik!
Colorless energy unfolded around him like a spider web. It destroyed the remnants of the Storm Sword, while at the same time, neutralizing Mole Ascension and covering Kraugel.
‘Nine.’
Kraugel grasped the number of invisible energy. It was because of the power of Keen Senses.
‘I can’t block all of them.’
Kraugel’s brain rotation speed was unmatched. He determined his actions quickly and protected his vital spots.
[You have suffered 8,830 damage.]
[You have suffered 9,200 damage.]
[You have suffered 9,050 damage.]
‘The damage is more than expected.’
The legendary armor and artifacts that he gathered while raiding a lot of boss monsters weren’t much help. Piaro had a power that made defense useless. Kraugel endured the pain and didn’t delay his next attack. It was his turn to take off some flesh and bones.
“Moonrise Sword.”
It was a skill that exerted its full power under the light of the full moon. But he was currently in a predicament and couldn’t afford to not use it. The moon moved behind the sun.
Susuk. Sususuk.
Kraugel accelerated and activated the stealth function in the blazing sunlight. It was the effect of the white light, which utilized the refraction of light. Kraugel had amazing control skills, so this technique was perfect in his hands.
‘Hah.’
Piaro had to concentrate in order to not miss the disappearing Kraugel. However, Kraugel wasn’t emitting any energy. As soon as he disappeared from view, Piaro couldn’t detect him. It was the moment when the man who reached the peak of two billion users met the strongest swordsman on the continent.
Piaro was tense. This was the first time he sweated in a long time. White Fang penetrated through his qi defense.
[You have dealt 12,400 damage to the target.]
The attack hit, but Kraugel’s expression wasn’t good.
‘I can only deal this much damage, despite attacking a person wearing no armor… I could only exert 30% of my power.’
Kraugel was regretful about his attack. But he believed that he could change the flow with this. He went on the offensive against Piaro. However, the power of Supreme Swordsmanship was scary.
Piaro’s sword started to intentionally harmonize with Kraugel’s blade. Kraugel was forced back by the sword and forced to feel like he was caught in a large spider web. He couldn’t even unfold his swordsmanship.
‘Calm down. It doesn’t matter if his swordsmanship style is stronger than mine.’
Kwaduduk!
Kraugel was aware of it. The world was wide and there were many monsters. He might be the strongest among users, but he knew that there were stronger monsters and NPCs that could trample on him. He was prepared to taste the bitter sense of defeat at any time. But he never dreamt that one day he would be defeated by a farmer.
‘No, it hasn’t been decided yet.’
Kraugel tried to suppress his sense of defeat. Piaro used the Supreme Swordsmanship, 3rd style. It wasn’t a speed that could be followed with the eyes. A normal person wouldn’t have been able to cope and would’ve been pierced through the heart.
But Kraugel was successful in responding. He instantly twisted White Fang.
Jjejeong!
The moment he defended against the attack, Kraugel realized that he had made a mistake.
‘Force palm?’
Peeng!
Qi was delivered through White Fang. Blood poured out from Kraugel’s mouth.
[You have suffered 18,900 damage.]
He lost half of his life. Fortunately, Piaro had discarded his sword. If it had been a sword then it wouldn’t have ended well.
‘I have half my mana left.’
He needed to arrange his power. Kraugel had many powerful sword skills such as Meteor Sword, Storm Sword and Moonrise.
Flash!
One of the ultimate skills of a White Swordsman, White Light Sword, generated a brilliant light. Piaro was disappointed as he lost sight of him. A white light covered him. Piaro felt a sense of crisis and shouted.
“Supreme Swordsmanship 4th Style!”
Something terrific happened. White Fang, which should’ve pierced Piaro, was sucked towards something like a magnet. The momentum of White Light Sword naturally collapsed.
Kudududuk!
Piaro’s discarded sword attracted White Fang using a magnetic force.
‘I can’t resist this force…!’
The magnetic force was too strong, and control was useless. There were few options left for Kraugel. He couldn’t lose this weapon, so he was forced to use ‘Tearing the Sky.’ Tearing the Sky was another one of the White Swordsman’s ultimate moves. It consumed a lot of mana, so it was a skill he was reluctant to use.
Kwajajak! Kwajajajajak!
White Fang was surrounded by the claws of a beast and started to resist the magnetic force, tearing it up. The skill proved why it was called Tearing the Sky.
[The durability of the White Fang has decreased by 213.]
‘This is nonsense.’
His weapon’s durability had decreased by two-thirds at once. This was dangerous. He hadn’t been able to repair it for 10 days, so the low durability caused it to shine red. It might break if he kept on fighting.
‘Even my mana is at the bottom. Meanwhile, my opponent is fine.’
Piaro only lost one-fifth of his health from the attack. Moreover, he seemed to have a lot of cards left.
‘Should I just stick with it?’
If he bought the Sweet Candy from the Reputation Store, all his stats would increase by 30% for 10 minutes. It might be a 30% increase, but his overall combat strength would become approximately twice as high. If he opened up the ‘Super Sensitivity’ effect, he might be able equal Piaro.
‘No, maybe I can win.’
But there was no need to take it that far.
/> ‘There is no reason to take a loss in a fight where I have nothing to gain.’
The Sweet Candy was something he used in the Drasion raid.
Muller defeated Drasion, Hell Gao, Lepir, and Kurson, so there were 29 great demons left. He didn’t want to waste the candy that he reserved for use against dragon raids or the 29 great demons.
In the end, Kraugel made a reasonable choice. He admitted defeat.
“It’s my defeat.”
It was an absurd development. He never imagined that he would be defeated in a city he stopped at to dispose of his loot.
Piaro shook hands with Kraugel and said. “It was a good fight.”
“Why aren’t you killing me?”
Kraugel questioned, making Piaro click his tongue.
“I’m not crazy. Why would I kill a person for no reason? You would’ve died if I wanted to kill you.”
He had the skill Fated to Perish. Kraugel couldn’t believe his ears.
“You seemed to be filled with killing intent.”
Piaro picked up the sword he threw to one side of the wheat field and apologized.
“I wanted it to be a sincere fight. I’m sorry.”
Kraugel asked a question. “What type of person is Duke Grid? Why is a strong person like you acting as a farmer in Reidan?”
It was okay if Piaro was stronger than him. He knew that was reality. However, he couldn’t accept this strong person being someone else’s subordinate. Aside from the problem of pride, it was too dangerous.
Piaro frankly explained to Kraugel, who had a serious expression. “I’m not Duke Grid’s subordinate. I am doing field work as part of training, and I receive a reward for finding water.”
“Field work as training?”
Piaro made a proposal to the confused Kraugel. “Why don’t you do it with me? Together, we will be able to quickly grow stronger.”
“Together…”
What were they going to do?
‘It can’t be.’
Kraugel made an uneasy expression. Piaro pointed to Reidan’s fields. “Work in the morning, spar in the afternoon.”
“…”
“You will really become stronger. Do you want to try it for a month?”
‘It is different.’
A notification window popped up in front of Kraugel, who was going to dismiss it as nonsense.
[A hidden quest has been created.]
‘This…’
The quest was amazing. If he practiced together with Piaro, he would be closer to becoming a sword saint.
‘A month isn’t a short amount of time, but…’
This was an opportunity to go beyond the wall. It was a different concept from simply raising his level, so it was worth investing time into. No, he couldn’t miss this. It was a once in a lifetime chance at a jackpot.
“I understand. I will stay with you for the moment.”
[The quest has been accepted.]
On this day.
A good farmer was added to Reidan. But this was a minor thing, so it wasn’t reported to the higher ups. Grid was currently in the empire, while the Overgeared members weren’t present due to the mine development mission or raids.
Grid and the Overgeared members didn’t know that the first ranked user was growing the food they were going to eat.
Chapter 243
Chapter 243
The shortest distance from Reidan to Titan was via Viscount Welkun’s territory. But Grid headed there through Earl Zebra’s territory. It was a huge delay of 10 days, but he didn’t mind.
‘Lauel told me to stop here and get the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch.’
Do so through any means, he had added. It meant the item called the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch had great value.
‘Slaughterer.’
According to Lauel, the Slaughterer was an inhabitant of Earl Zebra’s underground area. Earl Zebra’s hobby was the torture and gruesome killing of half human, half beast species.
‘But it was impossible to control.’
Half human, half beast. Depending on the circumstances of this species’ growth, they could be either human or beast. It was a natural result that one of them would become an evil beast from Earl Zebra’s brutal actions.
‘I will know what type of person he is when we meet.’
Grid focused on hunting for four days and decreased his infamy, allowing him to move on.
***
‘This is a bad place.’
Earl Zebra’s castle.
The entrance was exceptionally dark and desolate, reminding Grid of the entrance to a dungeon. It felt like once he entered, he wouldn’t be able to get out again. It was a very bold person who would be able to step in here.
But Grid didn’t feel any fear. He went forward without any hesitation. As his self-esteem grew, he became less cowardly. He wasn’t the same as the person who used to pee at the sight of ghosts.
“Who?”
The soldiers guarding the gate looked at Grid suspiciously. The person was wearing a deep hat that covered his face. Grid took off the hat. His dignity stat was over 1,500 points and he had 25,000 continent reputation, so he was extremely influential. The soldiers seemed to see a halo around Grid. They felt a baseless confidence.
“Where do you come from?”
The soldiers misunderstood Grid as a high-ranking noble of the empire and became polite. This was a familiar transformation. Grid didn’t feel much from it and responded with a nonchalant expression.
“I came to fight against the Slaughterer.”
“Heok.” The soldiers gulped. This person would fight against the fearsome Slaughterer!
‘Furthermore, by himself?’
‘The others all tried to bring more companions…’
“Are you serious?”
The soldiers asked with disbelieving expressions and Grid nodded.
“That’s right.”
***
“Hrmm.”
Earl Zebra’s body weighed 0.1 tons. It wasn’t pleasant to look at his belly fat and greasy face. He stroked his droopy chin and looked at Grid before speaking.
“What are you?”
Earl Zebra was competent and ordinary. He had no apparent talents. He became an earl because he inherited it from his father, just as his father did. But his eyes were good at looking at people. He often mingled with high-ranking nobles in the social circles, so he could feel the dignity coming from the other person.
In his view, Grid had a dignity compared to the royal family.
‘However, he isn’t any royal member that I know.’
In the first place, why would royalty come to this area to try and fight a monster? The royal family were like gods in this world, so it was natural for them to pursue safety.
‘Royalty from a foreign kingdom?’
Grid replied to Earl Zebra.
“I am someone who will solve your problem. Isn’t that enough?”
“Hah.”
It was truly a cheeky tone. Earl Zebra didn’t like it, as well as the fact that Grid didn’t disclose his identity. But he didn’t feel the need to dwell on it.
‘Anyway, he will die.’
The Slaughter had evolved into an evil beast half a year ago. Like every day, Earl Zebra was torturing and killing somebody when a man watching the scene suddenly trembled and transformed. Now an uncontrollable monster lived under the castle.
It was serious. Earl Zebra was keen to defeat it. He used the most powerful knights and magicians in his family, hired top-ranking mercenaries and even recruited adventurers. But in the end, he failed.
So far, the number of people who had attempted to defeat the Slaughterer was over 800, and all 800 of them had died. That Slaughterer was strong. In addition, there was a problem with the environment. The basement was narrow and the Slaughterer was large.
The maximum number of people allowed in the basement was three. It was the crucial reason why the strongest knights and magicians in his family couldn’t kill the S
laughterer. It was impossible for only three people to get rid of the Slaughterer.
But the black-haired man in front of him was alone.
“Kukukuk. Yes, yes. I understand. It doesn’t matter who you are. Just please fix my problem.”
The knights had already been killed by the Slaughterer. Four days later, reinforcements from the Red Knights would arrive. Earl Zebra wasn’t expecting anything from Grid, so he spoke vaguely.
Then a quest window appeared in front of Grid.
[Fight the Slaughterer]
Difficulty: S+
In the past, Earl Zebra found a half man, half beast species from the slave market and purchased it. He enjoyed playing with his toy in the basement of the castle as he tortured them.
But eternal joy doesn’t exist.
Zebra became bored of torturing stupid monsters who couldn’t speak the language, and became addicted to torturing the ‘good humans.’
He framed innocent people, made them prisoners, dragged them under the castle, tortured them, then killed them.
The half man, half beast watched this every day and became frightened, finally showing self-protective instincts. He opened the strength of an evil beast.
The Slaughterer has been subjected to numerous tortures and has the ability to grasp humans.
He is strong and dangerous.
He will become a great disaster someday if left unchecked now.
Quest Clear Conditions: Slaughterer’s death.
Quest Clear Rewards: Black Quartz Earrings.
Quest Failure: Level -6. Reputation throughout the continent – 1,000.
‘S+.’
It meant it was extremely difficult compared to S-grade quests. He heard that the number of participants who could participate in this quest was only three.
‘Lauel said that the Slaughterer can’t be defeated unless Pon, Regas and Faker formed a team.’
But.
‘I think you can clear it alone.’
Lauel was always a reasonable person. Grid could trust his words.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The soldiers guided Grid down to the basement. They walked down a narrow staircase for three minutes before arriving in front of an iron door that was firmly closed.
“O-Over here.”