Lukas sucked in a breath as he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He could taste a hint of blood in his mouth. Despite this, it was clear that Snow was holding her strength back so as to avoid damaging his internal organs.
His gaze slightly blurred, he lifted his head.
Before he knew it, he saw Snow standing about ten steps away from him.
ââŚâ
He got into the stance again.
He wasnât able to see Snowâs movements. Originally, he had been able to because Snow had been moving at a speed that did not surpass his dynamic vision.
Thanks to that, he was able to get used to her movements. But that had changed.
Swoosh.
Once again, Snow disappeared.
Was it his stomach again? Or his back?
Lukas thought about Snowâs tendencies and battle style for a moment before coming to a conclusion.
âFront.â
As he expected, Snow appeared in front of him.
Paak!
Of course, even though he knew this, he wasnât able to react.
His wrist felt like it was about to fall off. He couldnât overcome the force of the strike and was sent rolling across the ground. Nevertheless, he didnât let go of his sword.
âShe became an amazing Swordsman.â
Rikiâs swordsmanship.
The subtle movements that sheâd developed on her own.
The traits of an Ice Elf.
And finally, the rare treasured sword Deukid.
Even Kran from Earth, who had reached the peak of mortality, was not a match for Snow.
Over the past ten years, Snow had fully digested all the products she had in her possession.
âShe must have undergone grueling training.â
In other words, the power she was displayed now was her own power.
Lukas couldnât help but smile. The last time heâd seen Snow, she was wallowing in her own helplessness. There were no signs of that now. This proved that sheâd perfectly overcome that tribulation.
âAre you masochistic?â
Snow was staring at him with a strange expression.
âNo.â
ââŚâ
Snow looked at this man who lay on the ground, before turning to the side and spitting.
âYou are a strange man.â
There was a brief pause then Snow continued.
âOf course, I donât know you well enough to say this. Do you know why I said that? Itâs because of your eyes.â
The wind blew, causing Snowâs white hair to flutter.
Brushing her hair from her face, she continued.
âDetached observation is not an easy attitude to obtain. Itâs an innate trait that not just anyone can acquire. Usually, only those who have reached the end of their field or those whoâve had a special experience can⌠Did you say that you lost your memory?â
Lukas didnât respond.
But Snow continued to talk while fiddling with the branch as if she hadnât expected to receive an answer in the first place.
âI donât care if thatâs true or not. But one thing is certain, you have many secrets.â
Lukas finally got to his feet again and brushed the dust off of himself.
âWhat do you want to say?â
âLukas, Iâm not a fan of arrogantly preaching, but Iâll tell you one thing. You. No, your calm mind is basically poison at this point.â
ââŚâ
âItâs your life, your struggle. You keep contemplating problems with a distant mindset. That is not a virtue that a Swordsman needs. You need to be able to use your emotions when you need them.â
âSorry.â
Lukas shook his head.
âThis isnât something I can change.â
This was different from his body.
Lukas had lived for an extremely long time as a Wizard. He could deceive his body, but he couldnât deceive his mind.
Of course, it might be a good idea to destroy everything and restart from scratch. If he was going to be a Swordsman, it would be better to abandon his mindset as Snow advised.
However,
âI donât intend to only fight as a Swordsman.â
âDo you have other means?â
ââŚmaybe.â
He had no choice but to give a vague answer. Because even he wasnât sure at that moment.
âŚWhen he had broken into Peranâs barrier back at the inn, Lukas had been greatly inspired. It felt like he might have found another means other than swordsmanship.
He looked down at the sword in his hand.
Not with this.
He couldnât accomplish it with just a high quality steel sword. It was an impossible task with a sword that didnât have runes.
âThat sword.â
Lukas pointed at the sword hanging at Snowâs waist.
âCan I borrow it for a moment?â
Snowâs expression changed at that moment, and a frosty glint appeared in her eyes.
âDo you know how rude that question is?â
âI know. Thatâs why I asked so politely first.â
âThat wasnât that politeâŚâ
Snow muttered in a soft tone, but unexpectedly, she handed Deukid to him.
âHere. Keep it clean.â
âThanks.â
Lukas slowly pulled Deukid from its sheath
Sssng-
It felt like he would be cut just from looking at it.
It was obvious how amazing of a sword it was.
Heâd also heard about the process of making this sword.
The main material had been the fang of a Dragon, and all kinds of mystical metals had been included. At that time, the greatest blacksmiths of Lucidâs homeland, Icollium, quenched it for a year in lava from the hottest volcano.
When it finally began to take the form of a sword, Schweiser and his disciples engraved all kinds of runes on it.
Self recovery, sharpness maintenance, strength increase, hot and cold resistanceâŚ
Thanks to this, Deukid could still last without rusting even after 4000 years.
But the thing that Lukas was paying attention to now wasnât Deukidâs formidable strength or sharpness.
It was one of Deukidâs special abilities.
âMagic break.â
It depended on the userâs competence, but even if a Second Class Swordsman were to wield it, they would easily be able cut through 4-star spells.
Lukas understood this principle.
Mana was essential both for spells and for runes.
Deukidâs blade had the ability to interfere with the flow of mana in cast spells. In other words, it was possible for it to disperse even runes that had already been engraved. And the mana would remain on the blade for a long time.
But there were no spells cast there.
So Lukas only had one option to choose from.
ââŚâ
Snow silently watched Lukasâ actions.
It was her first time seeing a stance like this, or swordsmanship like this.
No. Her eyes narrowed.
âThat isnât swordsmanship.â
ââŚâ
Lukas stopped moving and slowly let out a breath.
âThis is a large forest, but the mana here isnât dense. Thatâs probably because many people have been here.â
âWhat?â
âNevertheless, I think I got the hang of it.â
As Lukas finished muttering, he drew a line in the air with Deukid.
And
Fwoosh!
A flame appeared in the air from nothing.
You can also listen on
Liked it? Take a second to support Novels on Patreon!