“You......”
Adelia, who had been staring intently at me, cautiously opened her mouth.
Her androgynous voice was exactly the same as the one I had heard in the game.
“You are one of the Twelve Swordmasters, are you not?”
The Twelve Swordmasters.
Transcendents said to have comprehended the ultimate realm of the sword in this world.
They were seekers of the sword who rarely revealed themselves in the secular world, moving only in accordance with revelations from the ancient god Elders.
Adelia was mistaking me for one of them.
“I saw the swordsmanship you displayed in the Underworld Arena.”
“......”
“It was truly...... Truly astonishing. I could not dare follow with my own eyes the wondrous movement that killed Human Butcher Barba in a single blow.”
Right.
Adelia had been following me since yesterday afternoon.
From the very moment I parted ways with Lea de Karayan and left the Underworld Arena.
Of course, she must have intended to tail me in secret.
But when a Level 77 monster followed closely behind me among ordinary people, it was impossible not to notice.
......I had not known that the translucent level window could be used so usefully. It could even make someone else’s tailing obvious at a glance.
‘At this point in time, Adelia is the only Level 77 character who would be wandering Dark City Dawnguard.’
Thanks to having played the game for two hundred runs, I identified the stalker’s identity at once.
From the moment I realized that fact, I made a plan accordingly.
If Adelia had not followed me, I would never have thought of something like “getting carried by an NPC.”
I would have sought to grow stronger through another method instead.
‘And it makes sense that Adelia would mistake me for a Swordmaster.’
【Soul of the Swordmaster 】 turned its user into a Swordmaster while it was active.
At least during the exact moment when I cut down Human Butcher Barba, I had been a proper Swordmaster as well.
I could understand why Adelia had become so desperate.
At this point in time, she wanted “revenge.” To achieve it, she needed to become stronger.
There was no more certain way to grow than receiving instruction from a Swordmaster. So she must have followed me while desperately clutching at a straw.
“What do you want?”
Despite knowing all of that, I asked Adelia a question.
After hesitating for a moment, Adelia wore an expression as though she had reached a decision.
Then, she spoke in a resolute voice.
“Please teach me swordsmanship.”
......Right. It was exactly the answer I had expected.
“As you know, I am a swordswoman. For several years now, I have been blocked by a wall far beyond me.”
“......”
“I must overcome that wall. I have a desperate reason to become stronger.”
SHIIING—!
Before I could even answer, Adelia drew her sword.
The blade leaving its scabbard rang out with a cold, razor-sharp sound.
“I know you are a busy person.”
Adelia gripped her sword with both hands and assumed a fighting stance.
At the same time, the sharp tip of her sword pointed toward my neck.
“So, one exchange.”
“......”
“No more and no less than one exchange. Please face me only once. With the realization I gain from it, I will break my wall on my own.”
I could not help but feel bewildered at her words.
“......?”
No.
Wait a moment.
‘......Why is she suddenly trying to fight me?’
She had decided on her own that I was a busy person.
I had not even given her an answer.
Then what was she saying?
That she did not need anything else, and I should face her in a single exchange?
She was putting on the whole show by herself.
‘And if I fight you, I won’t even be able to react before I die, you bastard.’
I was a weakling whose average stat was only 1.
If someone like me faced a Level 77 monster, I would be instantly killed.
Maintaining a composed expression, I glanced at my Mana window.
〔MP : 1/1〕
Fortunately, I had enough MP to use the skill.
I had entered the back alley after confirming that my Mana had recovered in the first place.
But......
‘If I use the skill carelessly, won’t Adelia die?’
I could not lightly use the skill in a situation like this.
I could not kill the bus driver who had all but fallen into my lap.
‘Then......’
There was only one thing I could do in this situation.
***
Gulp.
Adelia looked at her opponent with intense tension.
Her opponent stood still in place with his lips pressed shut. No answer came. He merely looked at the tip of her sword with indifferent eyes.
After calming her wildly beating heart, Adelia continued speaking evenly.
“I do not mind if I lose an arm. I do not mind if one of my legs is cut off.”
“......”
“As long as I can gain realization and advance to the next realm...... I am prepared to give everything.”
Adelia wanted revenge.
To kill that fucking bastard, she had to become much stronger than she was now.
To achieve that, she had to overcome the wall before her.
‘I have to gain a new realization somehow.’
And what was the surest method of gaining that realization?
Nothing was more certain than exchanging swords with someone who stood several moves above you.
Right.
If she exchanged swords with that man, she would gain realization.
Ever since she witnessed his wondrous swordsmanship in the Underworld Arena, that vague intuition had filled her mind.
‘I do not know anything about that person, but......’
It did not matter.
If he was a Swordmaster, and if he could give her realization.
Adelia was prepared to offer everything.
“Did you say it would be fine even if your limbs were severed?”
At that moment, the man opened his mouth.
“Yes. If you cross swords with me even once, you will certainly overcome your wall. No, perhaps you may gain a realization beyond that.”
His voice, softly echoing through the back alley, was endlessly cold and sharp.
“But my sword does not aim for my opponent’s arms or legs.”
“......”
“It only takes their life.”
The man trailed off for a moment before slowly raising his head.
His golden eyes, burning like flames, seemed to see through every part of Adelia.
“So I will ask you once more.”
“......”
“Are you prepared to wager your life to see my sword?”
Flinch—.
Adelia’s hand gripping the sword twitched without her realizing it.
She could sense no killing intent from the man. His stance was also unbelievably careless. It was clearly full of openings in every direction.
But that indifferent attitude was all the more terrifying.
‘J-just what is that person......?’
Because of that, Adelia could not help but hesitate before answering.
Fear suddenly swept over her.
Realization? That would be good. But what would it matter if she overcame her wall, only to lose her life the very next moment?
......The silence had lasted too long.
Just as Adelia opened her mouth to somehow buy herself time.
“I, I......”
“Enough.”
But the man firmly cut off her words.
As though he had lost interest, he swiftly turned his back.
Step, step—.
The man’s back gradually grew more distant. Wearing a blank expression, Adelia let out a quiet exclamation.
“Ah.”
Her hands trembled.
Once the standoff ended, her survival instinct gradually faded, and reason returned far too late.
She was frustrated. She had thought she could do anything for revenge.
But when it came down to it, her resolve amounted to only this much.
‘Why?! Why did I become afraid at the very last moment......!’
It was just as Adelia berated herself.
Halt—.
At that very moment, the man stopped walking.
Turning back, he asked an entirely unexpected question.
“What are you doing instead of following me?”
“......Pardon?”
“Did you not ask for my instruction?”
The man jerked his chin toward the opposite end of the alley and continued.
“As it happens, there is a good training ground nearby.”
“......?”
After wearing a blank expression for a moment, Adelia finally realized something.
That the man had accepted her as his disciple despite the inconvenience.
“Th-thank you......!”
She did not understand why, but she thought that she should follow the man for now.
After sheathing her sword and straightening her clothes, Adelia hurriedly followed him.
***
‘Done!’
I clenched my fist tightly.
I had successfully recruited Adelia von Goldheart as my bus driver.
It was the happiest thing that had happened since I fell into this goddamn world.
After all, beyond her martial prowess and high growth potential, Adelia was someone I could use in so many other ways as well.
‘But I can think about that later......’
......For now, let us deal with what is immediately before us.
“We are here.”
Halt—.
After winding through the back alleys of Dark City Dawnguard, I stopped walking.
A dilapidated abandoned factory stood before us.
Its windows were broken, and the interior visible through them was pitch-black.
The thick layer of dust showed that no one had set foot here for a long time.
“This is......?”
Adelia cautiously asked me a question.
“It is the training ground I mentioned earlier.”
“This place......?”
“Yes.”
“......”
Adelia pressed her lips shut, wearing a doubtful expression.
It was not strange for her to react that way. At a glance, that building was nothing more than one of the countless abandoned factories scattered throughout Dawnguard.
But as a veteran who had gone through two hundred runs, I knew.
That inside that abandoned factory was a 「Trial」 through which one could obtain a 【Sacred Piece】, the so-called holy fragment.
Step, step—.
I walked forward without hesitation.
A massive iron gate firmly blocked the entrance to the factory.
I tried pulling the handle once. It would not budge.
Though its exterior was completely rusted, its weight remained immense.
‘There are two conditions for entering this dungeon......’
Either you needed high Agility to climb the wall and enter through the gap in a broken window.
Or you needed high Strength to destroy this iron gate.
Naturally, I fulfilled neither of those conditions.
‘They are things that are absolutely impossible with a body whose average stat is 1.’
But......
“Break the door.”
“Yes.”
......For a Level 77 monster, it was exceedingly easy.
Hummm—!
Mystical energy gathered around Adelia’s body.
A blue-green Aura, in which gold and blue were exquisitely mixed, shimmered brilliantly.
“Hup!”
Then, after gathering the Aura into a single fist......
Adelia twisted her entire body and threw a straight punch with all her strength.
KABOOOOM—!
The lump of iron crumpled with an ear-splitting roar.
The hinges creaked. Before long, the firmly shut door slowly began to open.
The locking mechanism inside had been completely destroyed by the massive impact.
Seeing that, I could not help but scoff inwardly.
‘......Is this the strength of Level 77?’
It was truly staggering.
Without 【Soul of the Swordmaster 】, I needed to raise my basic physical ability to at least that level.
Damn it. My emaciated, skeletal body felt especially pathetic today.
‘Still......’
This rotten body could be steadily improved from now on.
‘This dungeon will become the first step.’
The abandoned factory in Dark City Dawnguard.
The Sacred Piece I could obtain by passing the Trial hidden within it.
By obtaining that reward, I would achieve tremendous growth.
‘And not one-time growth, but sustained, long-term growth.’