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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Ugh… what… what is this…?!”
The Shadowless Swordsman groaned in pain.
The attack had come out of nowhere.
He’d been focused on me, and suddenly, a blade materialized in the air and severed his arm.
It was bizarre.
Heavenly Slaughterer’s voice echoed again,
[You seem to be one of Fighting Demon’s lackeys. How did you find this place?]
“…You dare do this, knowing I serve the Fighting Demon?”
[….]
The Shadowless Swordsman’s voice dripped with anger.
Heavenly Slaughterer paused, then spoke with certainty,
[…So, Fighting Demon doesn’t know I’m here.]
“W-What…?”
[Good. You’re no longer of use. You won’t leave this place alive.]
“…Gah…!”
The Shadowless Swordsman, realizing the situation had turned against him, tried to flee.
Tat-tat-tat!
But it was a pointless endeavor.
Even as the swordsman retreated, leaping through the air, Heavenly Slaughterer spoke to me calmly,
[…Consider this a reward for saving Hwa-ryeong. I’ll open your eyes.]
“…?!”
[Watch closely.]
The Shadowless Swordsman’s lightness skill was indeed impressive.
He quickly reached the edge of the clearing, dozens of paces away.
But then, as Heavenly Slaughterer paused, the swordsman’s figure began to distort.
“What…?”
I muttered, bewildered.
It was almost like a divine technique.
Heavenly Slaughterer was too far away to even pinpoint the swordsman’s location with ordinary senses.
Yet, he’d somehow locked onto him and was now unleashing a technique.
“Gah… Aaargh!”
“…”
The Shadowless Swordsman’s screams echoed through the forest.
As he ran, Heavenly Slaughterer’s power pressed down on him.
His legs twisted grotesquely.
Then his knees, thighs, waist, abdomen, shoulders, and finally, his neck and head contorted under an unseen force.
‘It’s like divine punishment…’
I was stunned.
Heavenly Slaughterer was still near Elder Dokgo, treating the injured, yet he was inflicting such devastation from afar.
The Shadowless Swordsman’s life was extinguished in an instant.
I swallowed hard.
“…Hmm.”
Only a small pool of blood remained.
The swordsman’s body had been compressed into nothingness.
Heavenly Slaughterer’s voice echoed in my mind,
[That should do it.]
“…”
[He was Fighting Demon’s primary contact. You don’t need to worry about him anymore.]
Then he added,
[Come inside. We have much to discuss.]
“…Understood.”
I slowly walked towards the building.
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Thud, thud-
I entered the room where Heavenly Slaughterer and Elder Dokgo were.
Heavenly Slaughterer stood silently in a corner, while Elder Dokgo examined Hwa-ryeong.
“…Where’s Jeong Mu-bo?”
“He went to call for reinforcements. But as you can see, it wasn’t necessary.”
“I see.”
I nodded with a quiet breath of relief.
Elder Dokgo spoke, still focused on Hwa-ryeong,
“I was busy with the patients, but it seems Fighting Demon sent reinforcements as well.”
“He was nothing special. Barely a high-level peak master.”
Heavenly Slaughterer’s casual dismissal of the Shadowless Swordsman left me speechless.
The gap between me and these top-tier masters was vast.
‘I have a long way to go…’
I thought about my original purpose again.
If not for Heavenly Slaughterer, I would have been the one lying dead.
I bowed my head.
“Thank you for saving me, Elder.”
“…”
“I owe you my life.”
“Consider it repayment for saving Hwa-ryeong. Don’t worry about it.”
Heavenly Slaughterer waved his hand dismissively.
Elder Dokgo clicked his tongue.
He stopped examining Hwa-ryeong and turned to Heavenly Slaughterer.
“That’s a rather stingy reward, don’t you think?”
“…What?”
“This young man saved Hwa-ryeong, whom we both cherish like a granddaughter. You should at least offer him a secret manual or a rare elixir.”
“You old fool…”
“What’s wrong with showing some gratitude? It’s not every day someone cleans up your doorstep like that.”
“…”
Heavenly Slaughterer frowned, but then seemed to reconsider.
He looked at me.
“…It’s getting late. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“…!”
“That should be acceptable.”
“Of course.”
I nodded without hesitation.
Elder Dokgo, with arms crossed, smiled faintly.
“A young man with a chivalrous spirit. Even though I’m from the unorthodox faction, it’s refreshing to see such virtue in the younger generation.”
“…You flatter me.”
“Regardless, I have something for you, separate from what Heavenly Slaughterer will offer you tomorrow.”
He tossed something towards me.
I caught it and gasped.
“…This is too much.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been meaning to get rid of some of these. I collect them on my walks, and they’ve piled up.”
“But I haven’t done anything to deserve this…”
He shook his head.
“This is solely for saving Hwa-ryeong. Not because I like you, or because I’m impressed by your chivalry.”
“…!”
“Considering what you did today, this isn’t nearly enough.”
“…Then I gratefully accept.”
It would have been rude to refuse.
I carefully examined the contents of the pouch, about the size of a money bag.
‘Elixirs… each containing at least thirty years of cultivated energy…!’
I’d been feeling the strain on my internal energy after the recent fights.
This unexpected reward was a welcome surprise.
I tucked the pouch into my belt.
Heavenly Slaughterer, who had been deep in thought, spoke,
“…You use a sword, correct?”
“Yes, but…”
“I thought so. Then I’ll call for you tomorrow morning.”
His words were cryptic.
Then, he dismissed me.
I closed the door quietly.
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Morning arrived.
The air buzzed with activity.
[Come out.]
“…!”
I was still gathering my thoughts when Heavenly Slaughterer’s voice echoed in my mind.
It came from the clearing outside.
His voice, controlled and powerful, was unmistakably that of a top-tier master.
‘I should go.’
I quickly prepared myself and headed out.
I opened the wooden door.
Creak!
The crisp morning air was refreshing.
I ran towards the clearing.
Tat-tat-tat-
Heavenly Slaughterer stood there, leaning against a tree.
“…You’ve arrived.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“Take this.”
Whoosh!
He tossed something towards me.
I caught it instinctively.
It was a wooden sword.
I looked at him in confusion.
“Why are you giving me this…?”
“I realized I don’t have any particularly valuable elixirs or manuals on hand right now.”
“…”
“I was wondering what to give you, and this seemed the most straightforward option.”
“…!”
“It seems you’ve hit a plateau in your training…”
He looked at me intently, his eyes deep-set.
“A sparring match, combined with some guidance, should suffice.”
“Hmm…!”
“Of course, for a training session like this, there’s no need for real swords. A simple wooden sword will do.”
He spoke casually.
But his hands were empty.
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Thanks Chaos!