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Whack!
“Uuugh!”
A profound blow hit my face.
The world in Sir Neumann’s vision swirled away.
‘What is it?’
For a moment, his mind went black. However, it wasn’t for long. Sir Neumann came to his senses in a hurry. He quickly grasped the situation he was in.
‘You blocked my attack and even counterattacked? To me?’
Everything felt like it was in slow motion. I could see drops of blood slowly flying into the air. The blood which gushed from my mouth.
Come to think about it, the inside of my mouth felt numb. The impact seemed to make the inside of my cheek burst.
‘Because of that greenhorn bastard? Me?’
Grrtk!
Unconsciously, Sir Neumann gnashed his teeth.
I moved my feet swiftly, spread my legs wide, and then planted them on the ground. By lowering my waist, I managed to avoid falling down.
“Kkeuuak!”
As soon as I regained my balance, I let out a shout.
Gathering mana from the manaheart, I made a U-turn and brandished the sword with renewed vitality. The sword was swung from bottom to top. Determined to counterattack.
However, my attack was quickly blocked.
Clang!
“Oh, but you regained your senses and counterattacked right away. Last time, Sir Ulrich was already out of his mind as soon as he got the first hit.”
“… Keuk!”
The broad part of the shovel blocked the long sword. Nonetheless, Sir Neumann’s offense hadn’t ended yet.
As soon as he realized his counterattack had been blocked, he changed the sword’s movement. Then, he took a step forward and turned his sword around.
Clang clang clang!
The sword and the shovel entangled, resulting in the sound of scraping metal.
‘I’ll make your shovel fly away with this!’
Two rounds of strike on both sides and then glide to hook it. Then, the opponent most likely would lose his weapon. Make Lloyd empty-handed and then trip him over. That was the battle plan that Sir Neumann had set up momentarily.
However, he didn’t know yet.  The sad truth is that everyone had a beautiful plan before they got beaten.
“Tsk. Trying to disarm me. Good intentions.”
Clack clack!
The sword and the shovel, which were moving while being entangled with each other, came to a halt along with Lloyd’s meaningful words.
No, to be exact, when Lloyd stopped his shovel, the sword stopped accordingly.
At the same time, power began to ebb out of Sir Neumann’s manaheart. From his arms to his sword. From the sword…. to the shovel.
Just like a drink being sucked with a straw, or spilled water being absorbed by a tissue. His mana was absorbed into Lloyd’s shovel!
“Hey, what the hell!”
Frightened, Sir Neumann hurriedly tried to draw his sword. But, that didn’t work as well as he wanted.
Somehow, his movement was slower than usual.
More precisely, he couldn’t use mana. In a flash, it felt like he had become a normal person.
What about Lloyd, on the other hand? His speed was that of what a Low-Level Sword Expert knight would use!
“I’m really glad.”
“….!”
Zoom!
Lloyd jumped swiftly to close the gap.
“Kkeuk!”
The first thing Sir Neumann did was hastily tried to wield his sword. But, Lloyd’s next reaction was much faster.
Wooong!
“….!”
Before he knew it, the shovel’s handle was closing in. And then, without a hitch, it hit his nose.
Whack!
“Kkeuuhk!”
I think my nose’s bone was crushed. With this heavy and lingering pain, it was hard to open my eyes.
I stumbled three steps backward unconsciously.
Lloyd was moving more persistently.
“Actually, I was a little worried. I’ve never checked if a Low-Level Sword Expert’s mana can be digested into a single circle.”
“Keuuk!”
Sir Neumann, who was retreating, didn’t like it. So he swung his sword with an urgent gesture. That counterattack contained a little bit of mana, which had recovered for the moment.
However, even that counterattack turned into despair the moment the sword got blocked by the shovel. The mana on the sword was absorbed again by the shovel!
‘Crazy! This is crazy!’
Swoosh!
The mana-cladded shovel came near. I was slapped in the cheek by the flat part of the shovel. My head got jerked again and my vision was blurry. This was the first time it ever happened.
I’ve never imagined being beaten like this before.
‘This little brat, my mana…. He’s absorbing it.’
Now, I could vaguely assess the situation. However, it made me couldn’t comprehend it even more.
Absorbing another’s mana. How could he use that mana as his own?
‘…. how?’
It felt like a fraud. It was unfair.
Nevertheless, Sir Neumann didn’t give up. He tried not to fall and continued his counterattack which didn’t work.
Of course, the more he did that, the more Lloyd pushed him away.
‘You can’t pull yourself together, can you? You don’t understand what’s going on, do you? That’s why I’ll defeat you. You just spent the last month being convinced that you would win, but I’m not!’
He had analyzed his opponent thoroughly. He had predicted the whole situation that might happen in the duel. All sorts of preparations were made to win. And now, all of that resulted in this situation.
Clang, tang!
The shovel moved forward swiftly.
Never overdid the range; never deviate from the centerline of the body; be as concise as possible.
Sir Neumann’s sword, which swung back, was dodged. Upon dodging the sword, Lloyd stepped with his left foot and stretched out the shovel’s head. In the end, he snapped his shovel and slapped Sir Neumann’s cheek with the flat part of the shovel.
Lloyd’s heart was beating hard like never before. It was caused by the mana circle which was created and wrapped around his heart.
Kiiiing!
Lloyd’s first weapon for today’s duel. It was a mana circle produced through Asrahan Core Technique. The mana absorbed from Sir Neumann was used as a power source and it rotated intensely.
His heart thundered wildly, resonating with the rotation. With explosive energy, fresh blood was pumped all throughout the body. The blood was full with mana, which is released from the mana circle.
‘This is the power of a single circle.’
It was truly amazing. I never expected this level of power. I only expected to absorb Sir Neumann’s mana and weaken him a little.
The power, which was now radiating from my body, was completely beyond my expectations. In other words, I could take advantage and harness Sir Neumann’s power!
‘Sword Expert, this is incredible.’
I felt like a superman. I realized how strong knights like Sir Neumann were.
So, the second weapon he’d prepared was a real shovel made entirely from steel.
Clang! Kaaakakak!
The steel shovel in Lloyd’s hand flashed and moved. Whenever that happened, he blocked the sword wielded by Sir Neumann. The shovel was like a shield at the edge of a long pole.
‘Everyone ignores it, but it turns out to be a great tool.’
People who have done some shoveling in the army would know. The shovel wasn’t something that could be dismissed as just a work tool.
What if there’s a troublesome root or a small tree root while digging? You just have to use the edge and strike it. The twisted small stems could be cut in a single swing. In itself, the shovel was indeed capable of performing the role of an axe.
‘That’s not all.’
Historically, Lloyd knew that shovels had been used as weapons many times. Such as in the western front of World War I, where the horrendous trench warfare took place. Even in the bloody Siege of Stalingrad in World War II.
In close combat fights, the shovel shone as a weapon. A determined swing using a shovel often broke the opponent’s helmet and splits the skull. In addition to that, the shovel was indeed capable of performing various roles.
‘You can use the broad shovel head as a shield. With the lower part of the shovel head, you can pull the opponent’s weapon. With the pointed end, you can stab your opponent like using a spear.’
What if you put the shovel upside down and stepped on the edge?
‘You can ride it like a pogo stick!’
It was like Carl MacGyver of the weaponry world.
Lloyd had handled so many shovels. When he was chosen to become a military officer of the Republic of Korea’s armed forces; or when he was working on construction sites to pay for his tuition.
The shovel has always been his reliable companion. It was also his forte.
In addition, he had invested his recent RP to develop a new skill. That was the third weapon he had prepared. It was an ‘Expansion Skill: (Shoveling)’ which I got by consuming 40 RP.
Ding Dong!
[Extension Skill: (Shoveling) is Active]
[The shovel and I are now one! Today I decided to shovel!]
[Skill level: 1]
[Stamina consumption is reduced by 10% while using the shovel.]
[Shovel’s movement becomes 5% faster.]
[Shovel’s power becomes 5% stronger.]
[The probability of missing with shovel is reduced by 20%]
Using my most familiar tool, which is the shovel, plus the skill that makes shoveling efficient. This was his third weapon that was perfect for him.
‘And, this is the last and fourth weapon.’
Clack! Clang!
Lloyd’s shovel moved again. It completely shut down Sir Neumann’s sword stabbing movement.
The movement of the shovel head never deviated from Lloyd’s body centerline. Simple, concise, and in a disciplined motion. That’s why it’s extremely efficient and practical.
The motion was compatible and amazing enough with a shovel as a weapon. It was a combat method called bayonet that any man who had served in the Republic of Korea’s military would’ve mastered at least once.
Whiiiik, clang! Whack, jab!
I stepped aside and jabbed to the right. Sir Neumann dodged and swung his sword sideways. I blocked the sword on my lower left side.
Whoosh!
I followed the retreating Sir Neumann with concise steps. Then, I turned to the left and raised the shovel to block. At the same time, I kicked Sir Neumann’s groin with a front kick. When Sir Neumann was flustered and bent down, I struck his temple with the shovel’s handle.
Wham!
“Keuuk!”
Sir Neumann staggered and retreated. A smile crept up on Lloyd’s lips as he breathed heavily.
‘It works too, the bayonet.’
In fact, the bayonet was never weak. It is considered easy for any Korean military personnel to learn, but its roots were surprisingly based on the small sword technique that was developed in Europe in the 18th century. There are also boxing steps combined. Ultimately, the technique was thoroughly accumulated and refined through various combat cases, such as World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
It was, without a doubt, an extremely practical hand-to-hand combat technique.
‘Besides, this bayonet skill has great synergy with the shovel!’
There must’ve been quite a lot of people who played pranks by performing bayonet training using a shovel. Lloyd did that too.
With the bayonet, Lloyd complemented the basic skills of swordsmanship that he had learned from Javier. The effect was astonishing.
A mana circle from Asrahan Core Technique.
A steel shovel as a weapon that is highly effective and versatile.
An extension skill that can enhance shoveling.
There’s also a real-life combat technique, the bayonet, which is done based on Javier’s teachings.
The four weapons he prepared for today’s duel created a powerful synergy.
Sir Neumann, who was being complacent about the duel, was literally overwhelmed, no, rather crushed unilaterally.
“Keuukk!”
Whack!
Sir Neumann staggered when his temple got hit by the shovel’s handle. However, he wasn’t even given the chance to collapse.
Lloyd’s shovel caught him and struck again.
Tang!
I beat his sides with the shovel head. I even hit the top of his foot with the sharp tip of the shovel.
Whack!
“…. Ughhhh!”
Sir Neumann was going nuts. Every time he tried to counterattack, his mana got absorbed. The shovel, with its odd shape, unleashed a series of unpredictable attacks. That’s right, it was because Lloyd’s skillful movement when handling the shovel was unfamiliar. Moreover, Lloyd’s every move was extremely shrewd.
‘At this rate, I’d lose!’
I was furious. My temper flared.
Most of the residents were here. However, I couldn’t believe I got beaten by the young master who was a mere greenhorn bastard in front of them. He didn’t even use a proper weapon, he only used a shovel.
‘I’ll kill you. I’m going to kill you!’
Sir Neumann’s pupils were imbued with dark murderous spirit. Now, it didn’t matter whether this was a duel or not. A greenhorn who humiliated me in front of everyone. Somehow, I’ll put an end to that bastard,
‘Because accidents are a common occurrence in a duel.’
Hence, a mistake could be made when the sword pierced through the opponent’s heart while stabbing the sword incorrectly; or when the sword unconsciously slashed the opponent’s neck off. All these weren’t that uncommon.
And, what if these kinds of accidents happened right now? I had the confidence that I could manage the consequences.
‘This territory is going to be ruined sooner or later, anyway. That’s why I’m leaving earlier than scheduled! I’m gonna work with a new master! In the meantime, what if there are accidents? There’s nothing I could do about it. It happened during the duel, so I can’t be punished for it, right?’
So when the duel is over, I could go into hiding. I can leave the territory earlier and find the new master.
Sir Neumann, who had made such a plan, grasped his sword handle vigorously. I held the sword’s sheath with my other hand. And pulled the sword out.
Ssrrk!
The long sword that had been wrapped in its sheath bared its icy fangs. Without hesitation, I reached straight towards Lloyd. And at the end of its route, there was Lloyd’s heart.
“Huaaah!”
Unlike before, that single strike was filled with bloodthirstiness.
The residents, who were calmly watching, screamed unconsciously. Baron Frontera, who was sitting on the platform, jumped up in surprise. However, Lloyd himself wasn’t affected,
‘Well. So what?’
There was a little bloodthirstiness. But, the strike was slow. He had already been beaten up so many times that was running out of strength. Nonetheless, Lloyd wasn’t one who would fall for such a shabby counterattack, even if he used the sword without its sheath. Because Lloyd had predicted that there would be such a sneaky counterattack at least once.
‘And I’ve been waiting for this.’
Clang!
The steel shovel blocked the longsword as if it had been waiting for it. Just like what Sir Neumann tried to do earlier, he tangled the long sword with his shovel.
Kaakakakak!
I twisted it and swung, pulling it away. Then I shook it off.
“…. Uh?”
Clack!
Sir Neumann’s long sword escaped from his grasp and flew into the sky. Then it fell to the ground ten steps away.
“….”
Silence hung around the training ground. Hundreds of the onlookers’ eyes were stunned. Sir Neumann, whose sword flew away. Lloyd, who was pointing a shovel at Sir Neumann’s face.
It was an unbelievable, picture-perfect victory. However, Lloyd’s business with him was far from over.
“Does a duel end when the opponent is spacing out? Huh?”
“…!”
Kuang!
Amidst everyone’s silence, Lloyd’s shovel moved again. The empty-handed Sir Neumann got smacked more firmly on the face.
Was it for the sake of venting my anger? No, it wasn’t.
‘It’s just the beginning. Starting from now.’
Again, I intended to cut the rotten sprouts that had taken root on this territory.
‘First of all, the confession of the traitor.’
Lloyd’s eyes gleamed as cold as ever when he looked towards Sir Neumann.