Point Cross Severing unleashed sword energy in two directions: horizontally and vertically.
Its range, speed, and power had all advanced by another level.
It was on a completely different level from the Point Severing Rough had shown so far.
“Gahk!”
Swept up by the sword energy, Kushin coughed up blood and rolled across the ground.
“Tch!”
Just as he clicked his tongue and tried to quickly move away—
“Ghk……?!”
He froze in place.
He could not help it.
His calf went weak along with a dull pain, as though it had been pierced by lightning.
When he hurriedly looked down, an arrow had pierced straight through his calf.
‘...When did he?’
The answer came quickly.
‘He must have loaded the crossbow beforehand……! He’s more meticulous than he looks.’
SQUELCH!
Kushin irritably pulled out the arrow.
[Abnormal Status ‘Bleeding’ has occurred.]
[Abnormal Status ‘Slow’ has occurred.]
[Movement Speed has decreased by 20%.]
Rough had successfully achieved his objective of reducing Kushin’s mobility.
His crossbow had now served its purpose.
Kushin was not an opponent he could afford to face while leisurely reloading it.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say that the scales of victory had now tipped toward Rough.
However, Kushin’s eyes were still full of life.
His eyes seemed to say this:
This was not over yet. He could still overcome this crisis.
BOOM!
Kushin stomped the ground with all his strength.
His movement speed had clearly been reduced by an abnormal status, yet he was not much slower than before.
He must have been giving it everything he had.
“Haaah!”
Blue energy gathered around both arms of the leaping Kushin.
Rough could tell by the sheer force alone.
That was Kushin’s final blow.
“……”
Rough felt countless gazes fixed on him.
Their eyes held expectations and admiration.
They wanted to see what kind of performance he would show against Kushin at full strength.
‘Haha.’
A faint smile spread across Rough’s lips.
This was the moment he had once dreamed of.
At the same time, numerous desires stirred within him.
‘I want to win. I want to be recognized. I want to move toward my dream!’
‘Then I, too……’
Kushin was not the only one with an unrevealed card left to play.
The same was true for Rough.
He still had his Personal Trait and Class Skills.
‘I’ll push the Giant Beast-Slaying Sword’s attack power to its limit. And additionally……’
Rough glanced at Jaar.
Jaar appeared fully occupied with dealing with the rebel officers.
‘I’ll borrow this for a moment.’
[You have used Appraiser’s Delicate Touch.]
[Once only, you may borrow another person’s skill.]
[Select the target whose skill you wish to borrow.]
‘Jaar.’
[Which skill of NPC Jaar would you like to borrow?]
[1. Whirlwind Slash]
[2. Shield’s Resonance]
[3. One Stroke, Two Halves]
[4. Frenzied Charge]
.
.
.
‘One Stroke, Two Halves.’
[You borrow Jaar’s skill, One Stroke, Two Halves.]
[For a certain period, you may use One Stroke, Two Halves once.]
[One Stroke, Two Halves (一刀兩斷) Lv. 21]
[Grade: Intermediate]
[EXP: 12.22%]
[Active Skill]
[Consumes 30% of total MP to unleash one powerful slash dealing 640% damage. The slash ignores 70% of the target’s Defense.]
In the meantime, Kushin had drawn near.
‘This is enough. There’s no time to lower my stats, and if I do it wrong, my ability might be exposed.’
Rough’s preparations were complete as well.
“Haaaaaaah!!”
Just as the blue energy gathered around Kushin’s arms was about to reach Rough —
“One Stroke…… Two Halves.”
SLAAAAAAAAASH!!
Rough’s sword cleanly split Kushin’s upper body.
The combined result of his Personal Trait and Class Skill.
Kushin’s HP, which had been about half full, vanished in an instant.
“Cough!”
Coughing up blood, Kushin slowly turned gray and disappeared.
“Though I may have lost the battle, we won the war. This event is decided by whether the headquarters is occupied, not by the outcome between us.”
If he lost, Kushin’s Plan B was to win the event through the officers and the rebels’ numerical advantage.
“Well, that’s true, but things won’t go the way you think.”
Rough looked around the battlefield.
The situation was not unfolding as Kushin had said.
There were two things Kushin had overlooked.
The first was Jaar’s ability.
Having changed his equipment, Jaar was overwhelming the rebel officers.
The second was the respawn.
The suppression-force players who had died several hours ago had finished their respawn time.
As they returned to the field one by one, the number of suppression-force players rose dramatically.
Meanwhile, a considerable number of rebels had only just died.
That meant they still had quite some time before they could respawn.
‘He calculated even this?’
Realizing it too late, Kushin gave in and completely turned gray.
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[HP and MP have been fully restored, and you are freed from all abnormal statuses!]
Rough was enveloped in a glow along with the level-up notifications.
“R-Rough won?”
“Holy shit! What was that at the end?!”
Regardless of whether they belonged to the suppression forces or the rebels, every player who had watched their duel could not contain their excitement.
‘Whew……’
Rough silently looked down at his hand.
His hand trembled, still immersed in the lingering sensation.
The fact that he had defeated a powerful opponent and sent shivers through those watching brought him unparalleled exhilaration.
***
Kushin and the officers had been defeated.
To make matters worse, the balance of power had shifted.
As a result, even more rebel players abandoned the event.
Thanks to that, the suppression-force players led by Rough entered the rebels’ headquarters without shedding a drop of blood.
“You bastards! Let go of me at once! Do you even know who I am?!”
An NPC was dragged out of a temporary building.
It was Evit, the rebel leader NPC.
[You have occupied the rebels’ headquarters!]
[You have captured Evit, the rebel leader NPC!]
[All victory conditions have been fulfilled!]
[The Rebellion Suppression Event ends in victory for the suppression forces!]
[Rewards will be distributed according to contribution!]
[Your contribution ranks first overall!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your Personal Trait has leveled up!]
.
.
.
[The favorability of NPCs affiliated with the Myel Kingdom greatly increases!]
[You may receive a special reward from the King of the Myel Kingdom!]
***
After the Rebellion Suppression Event ended—
Rough and Jaar were invited to the royal palace.
Rough had ranked first in contribution, while Jaar had ranked second.
As the two who had made the greatest contributions, they received treatment befitting their accomplishments.
“His Majesty will soon grant you suitable rewards. Would you wait a little longer?”
“Understood.”
While Rough and Jaar waited in the guest chamber—
Sadi VI, ruler of the Myel Kingdom, discussed Rough’s reward with his retainers.
“Your Majesty! You intend to grant the royal treasury to a mere outsider? That cannot be allowed!”
Ilrak, who handled the Myel Kingdom’s finances, fiercely objected.
“The same goes for Gold! The damage inflicted by those rebel bastards is immense! We will surely need an enormous amount of Gold to repair it!”
The damage was severe, they needed Gold for recovery, and so on.
He had gone on at length, but in the end, he was simply saying no.
“Quartermaster Ilrak! Watch your words!”
Clayp, commander of the forward base and captain of the Myel Knights, opposed him.
He had only just returned after completely rooting out the remaining kobolds and goblins.
“He is not a mere outsider, but a benefactor of the Myel Kingdom! We cannot show too much sincerity toward him……!”
“Even if he is a benefactor, we cannot grant such a great reward to a mere outsider!”
Amid an argument fit for a historical drama, the silent Sadi VI finally spoke.
“Silence.”
At his words, the room became as quiet as though cold water had been poured over it.
Ilrak and Clayp lowered their heads and awaited Sadi VI’s decision.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
Sadi VI spoke in a low voice.
Who had lost their mind?
The most important subject was missing.
Unable to tell whom he was addressing, Ilrak and Clayp watched Sadi VI cautiously.
Sadi VI’s gaze fell on Ilrak.
“There should be more than enough Gold. Surely you do not mean to tell me you were unaware, despite serving as the Quartermaster who oversees Myel’s treasury?”
“Uh, th-that……”
Ilrak’s face turned pale as his words trailed off.
If he said he had not known, he would be dismissed for being unqualified as Quartermaster.
If he admitted he knew, he would be harshly punished for opposing it.
No matter what he chose, the outcome would be ruin. He had been thoroughly cornered.
“Ah. Come to think of it, your son was betrothed to the daughter of Evit, that son of a bitch, wasn’t he?”
Sadi VI’s eyes widened as though he had only just remembered.
Both his words and his expression were ominous.
The implication seemed to be that if Ilrak continued opposing him, he would be punished alongside Evit.
It seemed they had even implemented guilt by association.
“I will obey Your Majesty’s will!!”
Quartermaster Ilrak threw himself to the floor.
“Anyone who neglects our benefactor even slightly shall be considered Evit’s accomplice and punished severely! Let that be understood!”
Sadi VI issued his thunderous decree.
“Clayp. Where are our benefactors now?”
“They are waiting in the guest chamber, Your Majesty.”
“Excellent. I shall go meet them personally.”
***
“……It sounds like there’s a fight going on next door. Is it because of me?”
As angry shouting rang out several times, Rough scratched his temple in the guest chamber.
Before long, the guest-chamber doors swung open, and an old man wearing a crown entered.
“Oh! It’s a pleasure to meet you! Our Myel’s benefactors!”
Sadi VI warmly greeted them.
“Hm? But why do you both look so gloomy? Has someone made you uncomfortable?”
“I heard shouting, so I wondered if there might be a fight because of us.”
“A fight? It wasn’t a fight. It was coordination, coordination.”
“Your Majesty.”
Clayp, who stood behind him, quietly whispered.
“Ah, where is my mind? The reason I came to see you is to guide you to the royal treasury. Follow me.”
Guided by Sadi VI, Rough and Jaar headed toward the royal treasury.
[You enter the Myel Royal Treasury.]
The instant he stepped into the dark room—
All kinds of rare items greeted Rough.
[Troll Bracers Lv. 35]
[Grade: Rare]
[Elder Ent’s Helm Lv. 40]
[Grade: Rare]
Skill Book《Swift Triple Slash》
[Grade: Intermediate]
‘Oh! Rare-grade items! Even a Skill Book!’
It truly lived up to its name as a treasury.
“Um, but what’s this?”
Rough pointed to a corner.
Unlike the other items, which were displayed like museum pieces—the items in the corner had not been organized at all.
“They are assets confiscated from Evit. They will be kept here for the time being, but if there is anything you want, take it freely.”
Of course, he would have liked that.
But he could not simply do so.
[Your contribution in the Rebellion Suppression Event ranks first overall.]
[You may choose two items.]
Rough, in first place, could choose two items, while Jaar, in second place, could choose one.
‘Only two out of all these items……’
Still, considering every one of them was Rare-grade, he could not ask for more even with two.
There was no time limit, so Rough slowly looked around the room.
‘Huh? What’s this?’
Then Rough’s gaze lingered on a document for quite some time.
[Black Crusade’s Secret Document (Contents Cannot Be Checked)]
[Category: Quest Item]
[Grade: Epic]
According to Sadi VI, it was among the assets confiscated from Evit.
‘An Epic-grade Quest Item……?’