🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 21 – Free City Verthas (3)
Flinch—
Adelia made a deeply moved expression after hearing my words.
After staring at me for a long moment, she bowed deeply and said,
“Thank you, Sir Gaon. Even though you’re busy, you’ve set aside time just for me…”
Hmm.
It’s fine, Adelia.
I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it to test my swordsmanship talent.
Of course, I couldn’t just say that out loud, so I put on my usual air of bravado.
“Then do your best.”
“Yes, sir.”
Srrng—!
Adelia nodded and drew her sword.
A breeze swept through the backyard, fluttering her platinum blonde hair.
“…”
“…”
A brief silence settled between us.
Then, Adelia’s first strike cleaved through the air.
Vwoong—!
A speed too fast to follow with the naked eye.
The sharp sound of air being sliced pierced my eardrums again and again.
‘This is…’
With each step she took, a cloud of dust rose from the ground.
Her weighty footwork left deep marks in the dirt.
Vwooong—!
This wasn’t some leisurely sword dance.
These were desperate, life-or-death movements.
Yes.
Adelia was currently engaged in a fierce battle with an imaginary enemy.
‘…Image training?’
I thought as much and began to closely observe her every move.
Her sword raged like a storm. While my dynamic vision couldn’t fully track her movements, I could just barely follow the afterimages.
Left, right, up, down.
Adelia deflected strikes from all directions without pause.
As if she were blocking multiple attacks flying at her simultaneously.
Swaaaash—!
Her sword drew a smooth arc through the air.
Lowering her center of gravity, she vigilantly guarded her surroundings. The stance seemed oddly familiar.
‘Ah.’
Only then did I realize who Adelia’s ‘opponent’ was.
An attack from six directions at once.
Charging like a demon, wielding a massive greatsword—
【Peter Pan, the Kidnapper of Dungard】
【Lv. 82】
‘…It was Peter Pan.’
Flap—!
In the next moment, her imaginary opponent appeared before my eyes.
A hazy image of Peter Pan began battling fiercely with Adelia.
Now that her opponent was visible, I finally understood the purpose behind her every move.
‘Whoa…’
A breath of amazement escaped me before I realized.
Compared to a few days ago when she was only Level 77, Adelia’s movements now were on a completely different level.
She had already surpassed her previous limits and now wielded a far sharper and more refined sword.
Vwong, vwoong—!
The sound of her sword slicing the air was relentless.
Unlike before—when she couldn’t last five minutes—Adelia was now perfectly tracking Peter Pan’s movements.
‘…Incredible.’
I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Not just by her growth—but because I could now clearly comprehend the swordsmanship she was displaying.
Even if I couldn’t analyze every lightning-fast move in detail…
At the very least, I could understand the identity of her imagined enemy—and her intentions in facing him.
“…”
At the same time, I also began to see another ‘path.’
A sword path.
How to counter the opponent’s strikes. How to move more efficiently.
Everything became clear before my eyes.
I couldn’t explain the logic behind it. I simply understood the subtle flow of the sword—and the answers hidden within it—instinctively.
Yes.
Just like how you naturally learn to breathe without being taught.
‘Is this the power of dumping all my stat points into swordsmanship talent…?’
It was absurd.
After all, my average stats were still rock bottom.
My eyesight, strength, and agility were all worse than the average person’s.
And yet, I could perfectly understand the high-level sword techniques of an 80-level warrior…
‘…This must mean my potential for growth is limitless.’
A thrilling shiver ran down my spine.
This monstrous talent carried a far more terrifying potential than I’d imagined.
If I’m already like this now… how much stronger could I get if I increased my stats?
I wasn’t certain yet, but I felt like I could even take on enemies much higher level than me.
‘There aren’t many people in this world with the overwhelming talent to overcome level differences.’
So-called Irregulars.
Such anomalies were rare, even counting Adelia among them.
It’s not that the characters lacked talent—but that levels were such an absolute metric of power.
But now that my sword talent had awakened…
I had become one of those few ‘Irregulars’ who could break the limits of levels.
“Huu.”
Thud—
Just then—
Adelia, who had been swinging her sword nonstop, came to a sudden stop.
Peter Pan’s illusion had already disappeared.
Catching her breath, Adelia fixed her eyes on her next imagined enemy.
‘…She’s starting the next round of image training.’
Fsshhhhh—
An intense standoff unfolded.
Adelia held a solid middle stance, pointing the tip of her blade at her opponent’s neck.
Naturally, her new enemy’s form began to take shape in my eyes as well—
“…!”
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
The air warped as a ‘being’ emerged from Adelia’s imagination.
‘…What is that?’
Rummmmble—!
An overwhelming presence crushed the space around it.
Though it had a human shape, Adelia looked minuscule before this figure.
Shrouded in deep darkness that seemed to swallow all the world’s light.
Its aura radiated an incomprehensible fear and pressure.
“…Ah.”
Adelia let out a low gasp and dropped her sword.
The weapon hit the ground with a clean clang.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably. Her expression, cast in shadow, was filled with despair.
Even within the realm of her imagination, Adelia couldn’t bring herself to face that ‘being.’
A cold silence fell.
Though the illusion had vanished, the presence still lingered like an afterimage.
‘Who the hell…?’
The question hit me.
Who was that final enemy Adelia faced?
Even with my MAX-level mental stat, I had frozen in place from that presence.
Calling it a cosmic horror-like calamity wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
I racked my brain, but no character in Roel’s world came to mind who possessed such a presence.
‘…Could it be the person Adelia wants revenge on?’
But that guy, while strong, wasn’t that terrifying…
Maybe her trauma amplified his fearsome image?
My curiosity piled on endlessly, making my head feel like it would burst.
Unable to hold it in, I asked her,
“Who was your final opponent?”
Flinch—
Adelia shuddered violently.
Barely escaping the grip of her mental image, she picked up her sword.
Then she slowly turned to face me and opened her mouth.
“Sir Gaon.”
Adelia called my name.
I wondered why she was suddenly addressing me like that.
But then—her next words answered every question I had.
“My final opponent… was you, Sir Gaon.”
Rumble… Rumble rumble—
Adelia stared silently down at her hands.
Maybe it was the fear etched into her body, but the arm holding her sword trembled like a leaf.
“…”
She had finally overcome the towering wall in front of her.
She could now comfortably handle Peter Pan, who once gave her so much trouble.
With that momentum, she had even dared to face Sir Gaon in a simulated battle…
‘…But I’m still not there yet.’
His power was still at a level she couldn’t reach.
“Adelia.”
Just then, Sir Gaon spoke.
Snapped out of her thoughts, she quickly looked up—
And her eyes widened in surprise.
‘Huh?’
Because in his hand…
‘…A sword?’
He held a sword she hadn’t noticed him draw.
“When the opponent I want to spar with is standing right in front of me, why bother with image training?”
“…!”
“Try attacking me. With everything you’ve got.”
Swoosh—
As soon as he finished speaking, Gaon assumed a stance with his sheathed sword.
Though the blade was hidden and emitted no killing intent or aura—
Adelia couldn’t bring herself to relax.
“…”
Her body wouldn’t move.
The fear from their imagined fight hadn’t yet faded.
Sensing this, Gaon added,
“I won’t attack.”
“…Ah.”
“I’ll only defend. So strike me with your best.”
Hearing that, Adelia finally nodded and took her stance.
This was a rare chance to learn—she wouldn’t waste it.
“…”
Gulp—
She tightened her grip on the hilt.
The distance between them was only about 3 meters.
Close enough to reach in a single leap.
Rrrrumble—!
Adelia shifted her weight into her legs…
CLAAAANG—!!
“Huh…?”
A stunned voice escaped her lips.
Her palms stung. The sword she had just been holding was suddenly gone.
Spin—
It flew into the air, then plummeted to the ground.
“W-What… is this…?”
Adelia’s eyes went wide with disbelief.
She couldn’t understand what had just happened.
The moment she decided to strike—before she could even swing properly—
The weapon had been knocked from her grasp.
“…”
Thunk—
Moments later, the sword embedded itself in the dirt.
With a dazed expression, Adelia turned toward Sir Gaon.
He had effortlessly blocked her strongest blow—
Still standing exactly as he had at the start.
Vwoong—!
The tip of my blade vibrated. A tingling energy wrapped around my fingers.
Savoring that satisfying sensation, I smiled inwardly.
‘This is…’
━━━━━━━━━━━━
【Ultimate Auto-Parrying】
Grade: ★★★★★★★★★ (9-star, Legendary)
Type: Passive Skill
Cost: None
Cooldown: 24 hours
[Skill Description]
At the moment where an instant meets eternity, swordsmanship transcends reason and enters the realm of instinct.
Your sword is no longer a mere “weapon.” Like your beating heart or your unconscious breath, the sword has become a part of you.
The human body is wondrous. To protect itself, it uses every means available.
Now, your sword is part of that system—it will sense and deflect all mortal danger.
The ultimate defense has now become your instinct.
[Effect]
Automatically parries all lethal attacks, regardless of perception or stats.
‘…Even better than I expected.’
