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Chapter 30
Subjugation of the Earth Dragon (7)
As soon as I saw the adventurers, I couldn’t help but frown.
Their lewd gazes were blatant.
Murderous intent, jealousy, and greed—all mixed in their eyes toward someone who had achieved what they couldn’t.
Their intentions were clear.
…They wanted to kill me and take credit for slaying the Earth Dragon.
〔MP: 1/1〕
I instinctively checked my MP window.
Thanks to saving the skill 【Soul of the Swordmaster】 during the fight against the Flame Dragon, I still had one use left.
But that didn’t mean I could relax.
Because…
‘…I’ve only ever used this skill on single targets.’
The human butcher, Barba.
The kidnapper of Dungard, Peter Pan.
Even the Celestial Dragonhawk.
All of them were one-on-one duels.
‘So the question is…’
Could 【Soul of the Swordmaster】 take out multiple targets at once?
And within 0.01 seconds?
I didn’t know.
It was an unprecedented use of the skill—even I couldn’t be sure.
‘If I fail to kill them all…’
—Swish.
I glanced to the side.
Adelia was still unconscious, recovering from her injuries and absorbing the mandrake’s energy.
Her skill 【Ultimate Auto-Parry】 was still on cooldown from blocking the Flame Dragon’s attack.
‘I’ll have to take care of the rest using only my swordsmanship.’
【Lv. 70】
【Lv. 56】
【Lv. 58】
【Lv. 21】
To be blunt, as a level 2, surviving against them was impossible.
Even if I was an “Irregular” who exceeded level limits, there were still limits.
‘Still…’
—Swish!
I picked up my feather sword from the ground again.
…If I couldn’t overcome this, I would never have reached the top rankings.
* * *
Three years.
That’s how long Kane, the ponytailed swordsman, had spent trying to subjugate the Earth Dragon.
With a seasoned party, he’d explored the Labyrinth Village for years.
‘At first, it was just about the huge reward…’
But over time, it became an obsession with the dragon.
Three years was too much to throw away.
Maybe that’s why he became so fixated on killing the Earth Dragon.
“Hmm?”
Then one day, something strange happened.
While exploring the lower levels of the Labyrinth Village as usual…
Their guide tilted his head, puzzled.
“The tremors stopped. There should’ve been a ground shake by now…”
The Earth Dragon’s tremors had ceased.
This meant the layout of the Labyrinth Village wouldn’t change anymore.
“Quick! Find the door to the deeper levels now!”
A once-in-a-lifetime chance.
The party pushed forward with all their strength.
“We found it!”
They finally reached the long-sought deepest level…
“…Huh?”
…but the Earth Dragon was already dead.
Killed—by someone else.
‘That bastard…’
Kane frowned.
He looked to see who had done it.
And to his surprise—it was that coward he met on the upper floors a few days ago.
—Thanks for the advice. I’m done playing adventurer. We’ll be heading back now.
“…Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
His blood boiled in reverse.
“How the hell did they find the deepest level?”
He was genuinely curious.
He had wandered for three years, and they found it on their first try?
How?
That coward just smirked and replied,
“Not my problem.”
“…Cocky bastard.”
Kane drew his sword.
His party followed suit.
The coward frowned.
“What are you trying to pull?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Kane growled.
He couldn’t let three years of sweat and blood go to waste.
To claim the kill, he had to get rid of those who “stole” it.
“I’ll kill you and take credit for the Earth Dragon.”
“….”
The coward’s eyes turned cold.
—Swish.
He gripped his sword with an eerily blank expression.
Kane instinctively stepped back—then scoffed.
“…Ha.”
His stance was so sloppy, Kane almost laughed.
‘What a joke. Total amateur.’
Kane looked around.
Because of the fight with the Earth Dragon, the woman lay unconscious.
Her armor dented, soaked in blood.
She didn’t even flinch at the noise—either deeply asleep or dead.
‘Either way, good for me.’
Only the coward was left to fight.
Feeling more confident, Kane decided to toy with him.
“Trying to face all four of us alone?”
“….”
“Brave for a coward. Or did that little adventuring stint go to your head?”
As Kane sneered, the others followed suit.
To them, he was nothing more than…
A rich boy playing adventurer with elite escorts.
Got lucky, found the deepest level, killed the dragon—then got his escort killed.
Yeah.
That’s all Kane saw him as.
“Hey, boss.”
One of the party members spoke up.
Their guide, who had been with them for three years.
“Wanna see him cry?”
—Click.
He loaded a bolt into his crossbow.
“Let’s shoot him in the knee. I’m curious how much he’ll whine.”
“Oh?”
A cruel smile curled on Kane’s lips.
“Sounds fun. Do it.”
“…Heheh, okay.”
—Click.
The guide grinned wickedly and took aim.
He was the weakest in the group.
So for three years, he entertained them, playing the clown to keep their spirits up.
“Know your place, bastard! I’ll cripple you so you’ll never play adventurer again—”
KABOOOOOOM!!!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion rocked the air and golden light filled the surroundings.
Dust and dirt blasted everywhere, like a raging storm.
“Wh-What the hell!?”
The guide whipped his head around in panic.
Thud.
Something tapped his foot.
“…?”
He didn’t realize what it was at first.
The dust cloud blocked his vision.
‘Ah.’
But a few seconds later, as the dust cleared—
—he saw it.
His mind went blank.
‘Holy sht.’*
The upper bodies of his three comrades lay scattered on the ground.
“……”
Slowly, with shaking eyes, the guide looked forward.
A man holding a sword stood, staring straight at him.
Just moments ago, he’d been a joke.
Now he looked like a monster.
* * *
Whoooooosh—!
The feather sword radiated scorching heat.
The heat transferred into my hands through the hilt.
One by one, the upper halves of the corpses fell, raising dust from the ground.
“You… You damn monster…”
The guide stumbled backward.
His eyes were filled with indescribable fear and confusion.
Watching him, I exhaled quietly.
‘…It worked.’
Sword Qi.
With one swing, I wiped out multiple enemies.
Just like when Adelia sliced through a whole pack of scavenger wolves.
‘I didn’t think it would actually work.’
I had remembered the arc her sword drew that day—how she cut down dozens of wolves in one strike.
With that image in mind, I used 【Ritardando】 and 【Soul of the Swordmaster】 at the same time.
A single sweep of the sword cut down three enemies.
Clean and precise—just like when I sliced the Celestial Dragonhawk in half.
‘But…’
One still remained.
【Lv. 21】
The trembling guide.
“You said you’d cripple my leg.”
Step.
I took one step forward.
The sound echoed ominously in the depths of the dungeon.
“My knee’s fine, though.”
Tremble.
His hands shook as he gripped the crossbow.
Witnessing his comrades die instantly had broken him.
“When are you planning to make good on that threat?”
“Y-You bastard!”
His eyes rolled back.
“You son of a—die!!”
He charged at me, face twisted in desperation.
He’d given up, realizing he couldn’t outrun someone who used sword qi.
Inhale, exhale.
I adjusted my stance and breathed.
‘Finally… my first real fight.’
Why did I spare him?
Simple.
I deliberately avoided him with my earlier attack.
Because…
—“I think I could handle that kind of attack now… Maybe I should try sparring with a goblin.”
…there was no better punching bag for gaining real combat experience.
‘Found you—my living goblin.’
Sure, he was about ten levels stronger than a tunnel goblin—but still low-level.
I could handle him.
It wasn’t blind confidence. My 180 million talent points told me so.
“Haaaaah!”
—Vwoooosh!
Suddenly, he pulled out a hand axe and charged with a scream.
The sound of the blade cutting air—
—instinctively, I knew what to do.
I stepped back slightly.
Then, guided by pure sensation, I swung my sword slowly.
CLANG—!
A clear metallic ring echoed as sparks flew.
His axe was batted away by my light slash like a toy.
It had barely made contact.
Yet his axe veered off-course unnaturally, as if defying physics.
“…Huh?”
The guide let out a dumb sound.
He lost his balance instantly.
Meanwhile, my sword remained steady—untouched, unchanged.
“Your skills are pitiful.”
That was the last thing I said.
CRACK—!
A sickening crunch echoed.
And a metallic, bloody sensation spread across my hands.
That clown of a villain died instantly.
“……”
Drip, drip.
I looked down in silence.
My once-white feather sword was now stained deep red.
The feel of cleaving through flesh, muscle, and bone was vividly imprinted in my hands.
This was the first time I’d felt this sickening sensation since falling into this world.
With 【Soul of the Swordmaster】, everything had been too fast to register.
Ding!
〔Agility slightly increased. (1→2)〕
〔Perception greatly increased. (1→5)〕
〔Level up. (2→3)〕
…Though those system messages immediately made the discomfort vanish.
‘Level up.’
My agility and perception rose sharply.
Probably because I fought using pure swordsmanship without relying on skills.
The system had acknowledged my achievement.
‘Makes sense.’
The moment I held the sword, everything became clear.
Weapon trajectory.
The focal point of force.
Openings to break the enemy’s balance.
My sword reacted with perfect, optimal movements.
I defeated someone whose stats were likely several times higher than mine.
All through pure skill—transcending my low strength and agility.
‘This is better than I imagined.’
The power of my swordsmanship talent was overwhelming.
It made my pathetic base stats feel meaningless.
‘Most of all…’
The Earth Dragon’s heart.
If I obtained it, my growth would accelerate even more.
Of course, I’d need to go through the next phase to maximize its effect.
‘But that can wait.’
—Thud.
I slumped to the ground.
Maybe because I’d overworked this feeble body. A deep fatigue hit me.
I needed to catch my breath and get out of this claustrophobic place.
‘Adelia needs to wake up soon so we can move on…’
—Snoooore.
Nope.
Time to get up.
