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Chapter 70: Dungeon Conquest (2)

Will I finally get to see him use magic? He hardly used it during the competition. As Aidan had seen Karyl fight against Curan in Tatur, he knew just how skilled Karyl was with a sword.

But that only fueled his curiosity even more. The Expert Competition is, after all, a contest reserved only for ranked sorcerers. As he was unaware of the recommendation letter from Baron Beryl, Aidan often wondered if Karyl’s magical prowess was truly at a level qualified for the Expert Competition.

If he truly possesses magical power that ranks him among expert sorcerers... Combined with the remarkable swordsmanship Aidan had witnessed, It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Karyl a Sword Master. Aidan watched him with trembling eyes.

Karyl, however, lunged towards the Agma, seemingly unconcerned by such thoughts.

[Listen well.] Allen’s voice cut through the intensity of the battle, as Karyl deftly parried the Agma’s spear.

[Until now, the place where you’ve wielded the Colorless Air Sword was a virtual space created by me. That place puts more emphasis on your imagination over your physical limits. Therefore, wielding the Air Sword in the real world may prove to be completely different.] In response, Karyl’s focus narrowed, fixing intensely on the Agma.

“There\'s no room to intervene,” Mikhail murmured as he watched the fight between Karyl and the Agma. Even though he had seen Karyl in competitions, the level of combat he was currently seeing left him awestruck.

Despite the intense training he had undergone since joining the mercenary gang, just following Karyl’s sword with his eyes felt overwhelming.

Crashhhhh—!!

The sound of the sword slicing through the ground rang out as Karyl relentlessly attacked the Agma, who skillfully deflected his bows with its shield.

It feels like I’m fighting a person, not a monster. Karyl’s gaze grew sharper as his sword kept missing by a hair’s breadth.

Then... But the fact that the Agma was able to dodge his attacks only made Karyl’s smile grow wider. According to Allen, this was the perfect opportunity for him to freely practice his swordsmanship.

“Huff—!!”

Swiftly adjusting his grip on the Freezing Talon, Karyl drew it towards his waist, preparing to unleash his move.

Colorless Air Sword, Second Form.

He raised the sword high and struck down with a heavy blow against the Agma\'s shield, causing the monster to stagger.

After mastering the First Form, Karyl was quite impressed. Calnere must have put much effort into creating the Second Form. It was the only sword form of the Colorless Air Sword that Karyl found satisfactory, needing no adjustments from start to finish.

Yet, all of a sudden, a bizarre sound of twisting muscles rang out.

“...!!”

Despite the powerful attack, Karyl’s sword failed to pierce the Agma’s shield, and to his surprise, right after the strange sound, the monster’s lance started spinning like a top.

[Be careful!!] Allen Javius warned, and right on cue, the Agma\'s lance shot out like a cannonball, followed by a tremendous noise and clouds of dark dust.

“Karyl!!” Seeing Karyl disappear amidst the rising dust, Mikhail urgently called out, gathering his mana. Wind began to swirl from his hands, creating a vortex that drew in the smoky haze. revealing Karyl’s figure.

“...!!”

As the dust was drawn into Mikhail’s magic, Karyl’s figure was revealed, accompanied by the sound of heavy breath echoing through the dust. Mikhail turned around only to see crimson blood flowing down Karyl’s shoulder. Despite narrowly dodging the Agma\'s spear, the accompanying wind pressure had torn his flesh.

“Look out!!”

Mikhail shouted again, noticing that the Agma stood behind Karyl, aiming its spear from above, ready to strike him down.

Aidan, noticing it as well, quickly adjusted his dagger and rushed forward to distract the creature.

“Don’t worry. I am fine.” Karyl\'s calm voice rang out.

He appeared above the Agma. He had moved with such speed that the Agma couldn’t even react. He was so fast that he appeared stationary, a motion barely perceptible.

Swoosh—

A tremor ran through the Freezing Talons, and Karyl\'s wrist moved—the only motion Aidan could barely catch. Yet in the flash of a moment, before he could even register the movement, the Freezing Talon\'s blade had already pierced Agma\'s neck.

Karyl had used the second of the Five Sword Steps, the Unicorn Posture.

As the creature\'s helmet fell to the ground, the blade still lodged in its neck twisted. Yet, that wasn’t the end. The true head was in its chest, where its mouth lay. Utilizing the momentum of his sword, Karyl moved again.

Executing another form of his Colorless Air Sword, Karyl struck the creature, splitting it into two. It let out a bizarre scream and disintegrated into ash, the flesh inside its shell blackening upon contact with the air.

"Phew..." Karyl exhaled deeply, sheathing his sword as he looked down at the fallen Agma.

[What was... that just now?] Allen asked, his eyes wide with surprise. Even though he was a spirit without a physical body, his face clearly conveyed his astonishment.

It was the second form of the Colorless Air Sword you taught me.

[No, not that. The weird thing you did earlier, shaking it up and down...!] Allen couldn\'t help but raise his voice inquisitively.

...Can you clarify? That sounds weird.

[That, that’s... anyways, whatever it was. What on earth did you do exactly?] Though he was flustered for a moment Allen, he quickly recovered, pressing Karyl for an answer.

Nothing special. It’s just one of the five postures I developed inside the tower. While I was practicing the Colorless Air Sword in the illusionary space, I had the idea to make a good combination move out of them. Karyl shrugged nonchalantly.

Well, I didn\'t expect to be able to use it so quickly... I may not have opened my meridians, but thanks to the training in the illusionary space, I can use the second form.

A satisfied crossed Karyl’s face.

In his struggle to return to the past, Karyl had slain countless monsters inside the Pharel tower, and as a result, mastered these five sword forms. To the untrained eye, these forms might appear basic, but within them lay ever-changing techniques with countless variations.

[The Five Sword Steps, you say...?] Allen, although unable to wield a sword due to his ethereal form, could see the movements with far greater clarity than a regular human. That was why he noticed the subtle nuances of the countless variations.

Don\'t be so surprised. The Colorless Air Sword is a fine technique in and of itself. I\'ve never disregarded the Assembly of Seven Elders. It’s just that the second posture fits well with it.

Allen fell silent, carefully considering Karyl\'s words.

[So, you created that sword technique?] he finally asked.

Yes. It was born from the blood of the monsters I slew as I ascended the tower.

It was a long, lonely journey he wouldn\'t want to experience ever again. His expression alone spoke volumes about the difficulty of that task.

I swung my sword and killed a monster, swung my sword again, and killed another. It was an endless process, mind-numbing repetition. After I had swung my sword for what could only be an uncountable number of times, I saw another realm. If it was fate\'s jest, then so be it. As dreadful as those moments were, they bore fruit.

[I see.] Allen nodded and asked again. [So, you\'re saying you invented this sword technique...?]

Yes, for god’s sake, that\'s exactly what I\'m saying! Karyl replied, a slight frown forming on his face, perhaps due to his impatience with the repeated questioning.

Anyway, just tell me if there\'s anything useful on this thing.

[...Alright.]

As the Agma’s life drained away, its body became limp, deflating like a punctured balloon.

"Mikhail, you’re from Kov village, right? So, you know how to disassemble monster carcasses, don’t you?"

"Yes. I\'m not skilled, but I know the basics. But... have I ever mentioned my hometown to you?"

Karyl chuckled softly, pointing at the Agma\'s corpse. "Separate its flesh from the carapace. The carapace can be used to make anti-magic armor."

"Oh? Is that so?" Mikhail’s eyes widened at the mention of anti-magic armor. It was a highly coveted item among the wealthy nobles. It was difficult to make and even the materials were rare, making it a status symbol among the nobility. Just the label of anti-magic armor was enough to spark interest among the affluent.

Of course, it\'s not meant for the likes of them. Karyl thought to himself, glancing at the carapace.

"We can\'t carry it with us now, so after disassembling the carcass, mark the spot and bury it. We\'ll come back for it later."

"Understood."

"Oh, also the flesh is inedible, but look for a hard, stone-like object inside the heart and keep that. It’s used in the creation of magical artifacts."

"Magical artifacts?"

"Yes. It\'s difficult to process, but if done correctly, it can be used to make artifacts for sorcerers."

"Wow... This single corpse is like a treasure trove, offering both anti-magic armor and materials for artifacts." Mikhail smacked his lips at the thought of the possibilities. "Karyl, you seem to know everything. I\'ll get started with the disassembly, but it might take some time."

"Good." Karyl nodded in response and let out a low sigh.

In truth, he had just quoted Allen’s words. He blamed himself for nearly misspeaking due to his laxity. Hah, I\'m not quite used to this yet, huh? I need to be more careful.

Under normal circumstances, Allen would have teased him for such a mistake, but for some reason, he remained silent, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

Karyl paid little mind to him, and casually touched his shoulder, the one that had just been injured by the Agma,

"Although we haven\'t been inside for long, let\'s take a short break while Mikhail is disassembling," he said.

"Yes," Aidan responded promptly, following Karyl\'s lead.

*

After burying the hefty carapace in the pit they had dug and covering it with dirt, Mikhail wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Are we done now?" Aidan, who had been waiting, stretched lazily and asked.

"You could have lent a head, you know?"

"If a mercenary can\'t handle this much on his own, it would be a disappointment."

"...I\'m more on the magic side now, you know," Mikhail grumbled.

"That doesn\'t change the fact that you\'re still part of the mercenary gang, not a magic guild."

"Ugh." Mikhail could only grumble at Aidan\'s joke.

"Let\'s keep moving. We still have a long way to go."

"Yep."

"Understood."

Having bandaged his shoulder, Karyl moved it around a few times to check, nodding in approval as if satisfied with its condition, before rising to his feet.

We\'ve lost more time than expected. It\'s not good to stay in the dungeon for too long because of the toxic air.

In his past life, he hadn\'t known that it was actually dark energy, but he was well aware of the physical effects of the dungeon\'s toxicity.

We\'ll conquer this place and head back within twelve hours.

Karyl hastened his steps, his eyes shining with determination.

What are you doing? Aren\'t you coming?

[Ah, no... It\'s nothing.]

Karyl looked at Allen, who was still standing behind him, not uttering a word. Since the other two couldn\'t see him, he couldn\'t look at him in an obvious manner.

You\'ve been quiet for quite a while. Is there a problem?

[No, it’s nothing. Let\'s just keep moving.]

Hmm.

Karyl turned his head back and started walking again.

However, Allen, seemingly lost in thought, murmured in a low voice as he watched Karyl\'s back disappear into the dungeon.

[No matter how much I think about it, that sword technique you claim to have created...]

Allen trailed off, hesitating to voice his thoughts aloud.

...It feels like I\'ve seen it somewhere before.