NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50: Sword and Dagger
Chapter 50: Sword and Dagger
“Kuuugh!”
Jin Beom-Min writhed in pain that engulfed his entire body. However, he had something to rely on.
In a matter of seconds, his severed muscles reconnected, his shrunken skin regained its elasticity, and his burnt hair grew back.
It was the power of the Iron Troll armor with its regenerative ability.
“……What absurd……!”
The Sphinx, momentarily bewildered, regained its composure and launched another attack.
Jin Beom-Min gritted his teeth, watching the claws approaching him as if in slow motion.
‘Move……!’
The magic that had flowed through his body like a majestic river was now a swirling torrent, completely mixed and chaotic.
This was due to the tremendous amount of magic that had been converted into electricity, completely disrupting his body and magic.
However, because of this, the patterns of the slowing magic that the Sphinx had implanted were also completely shattered and fragmented.
Now, only one thing remained.
To control the little remaining magic and restore it to its original flow.
Before those claws reached his neck.
‘……Move……!’
Grasp!
The claws of the four Sphinxes sliced through the air.
“Ugh……!”
At the same time the Sphinx cried out, Imp opened fire.
Tatatatatatatatata!
The light machine gun, firing over 700 rounds per minute, spewed fire, and bullets rained down like rain.
However, it couldn’t even inflict a scratch on the Sphinx protected by a defensive magic.
Imp didn’t expect the machine gun fire to be effective either. He started shooting just to inform Jin Beom-Min of the Sphinx’s true form.
The fluorescent tape attached to the ammo box connected to Imp’s light machine gun signified night vision rounds.
And the night vision ammo box contained tracer rounds at a ratio of one to every four bullets.
Papapapak! Tututuk!
The tracer rounds, colliding with the protective magic surrounding the Sphinx’s body, drew bright lines that were clearly visible even in broad daylight.
Pale streaks of light pointing to the Sphinx’s true form.
And Jin Beom-Min, realizing their meaning, launched a counterattack.
Keeeee―
Chijijik!
The handful of magic remaining in his body concentrated on his sword, transforming into a deep blue radiance, then into a blue-white flame.
Seeing the powerful electric current gathering on Jin Beom-Min’s sword, the Sphinx realized something had gone terribly wrong.
“Th-This……!”
The four Sphinxes spread their massive wings with a bewildered expression. They were trying to fly into the sky to avoid Jin Beom-Min’s attack.
However, it took considerable time for their massive bodies to lift into the air.
“……Thunder Strike……!”
Flash!
A flash of lightning and a deafening roar, like a giant tree splitting, resonated.
The thin streaks of light from Imp’s tracer rounds intersected with the destructive trajectory of Jin Beom-Min’s sword.
Kwaaaang―!
Kururung―.
The explosion spread throughout Sydney, and the shockwaves reflected off buildings echoed like a ripple.
Koooong!
The illusion of the Sphinx vanished instantly, and the headless body of the Sphinx collapsed onto the square.
Kukung, Kung.
The Sphinx’s head, along with its massive wings severed in a single blow, fell to the ground, scattering large white feathers everywhere.
And in the midst of it all, kneeling on one knee, was Grey Knight, Jin Beom-Min, clad in grey armor.
“Waaaah!”
“Alright!”
Cheers erupted from the military forces surrounding the square and the citizens watching from afar.
But Jin Beom-Min knew. The fight wasn’t over yet.
***
“Amazing……!”
Tyrel let out a genuine exclamation of admiration, without a hint of sarcasm. Considering her arrogant nature, it was a rare sight.
“Didn’t I tell you? He’s an incredibly strong man.”
“But…… as Father expected, he didn’t exceed your expectations.”
“Of course.”
Teano snorted and continued.
“Since I turned 300 years old, I’ve never misjudged the strength of an opponent I’ve fought once.”
“……I’m sure you haven’t.”
This time, there was a slight hint of sarcasm, but Teano seemed oblivious.
“Lentil Knights!”
“Yes, Supreme Lord!”
As Teano called out in a stern voice, the five dark elf knights standing before them responded in unison.
“He’s exhausted all his magic to defeat the Sphinx! But don’t let your guard down! He’s much stronger than you!”
“Yes, Supreme Lord!”
“Go! Go and defeat the enemy and take his head!”
“We shall obey!”
The five knights stood up and drew their swords. Then, slowly, with cautious steps, they approached Jin Beom-Min.
***
‘A war of attrition……!’
Jin Beom-Min sensed it intuitively as he watched the approaching knights, drawing his long curved sword.
As Teano had said, there was no magic left in his body.
This was because he had forced himself to use magic to unleash Thunder Strike while the flow of magic throughout his body was in disarray.
In his current state, even a one-on-one fight with Teano wouldn’t guarantee victory.
But the cunning opponent didn’t confront him directly and sent out his subordinates once again.
His intention was to drain Jin Beom-Min’s strength until he could secure a definite victory.
It was literally a tactic to make Jin Beom-Min exhaust all his power.
‘But I can’t just stand here and be defeated……’
Jin Beom-Min took a deep breath and stood up.
Although his magic was depleted, his physical condition wasn’t bad thanks to breaking free from the Sphinx’s slowing magic.
The problem was, could he fight them without magic?
“It’s been a while…… a fight like this……”
Jin Beom-Min chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.
He had faced tougher situations than this many times during his training at the Hero Academy.
He had fought beasts barehanded while poisoned, and he had been surrounded by thousands of goblins with only a single sword.
And he had survived each time, always emerging victorious.
The only difference this time was that he didn’t have his comrades by his side.
“No…… that’s not entirely true.”
Jin Beom-Min glanced at the rooftop of the building where the tracer rounds had come from and waved his hand slightly.
There was no need to worry yet.
***
“Tooth, Karin! You attack first. We’ll observe the situation and attack afterward.”
Dale, the leader of the five dark elf knights, gave the order.
The knights who received the order nodded in agreement, but spoke hesitantly with a hint of unease.
“He was quite strong……”
“Don’t worry. No matter how strong a knight is, they can’t even block a simple attack without magic!”
His words were true.
A sword imbued with magic could literally cut through almost anything, and the only thing that could block it was magic.
No matter how strong a knight Jin Beom-Min was, he had no way to defend himself without magic.
If he blocked the attack with his sword, it would be cut in half along with the sword, and if he blocked with his armor, it would be sliced through along with the armor.
Moreover, the five knights were firmly protected by defensive magic.
Even if Jin Beom-Min managed to dodge the barrage of attacks, he wouldn’t be able to even scratch them in his current state, depleted of magic.
However, despite having a clear advantage, the dark elf knights cautiously prepared their attack.
They knew all too well that in actual combat, unexpected variables could appear at any moment.
And the variable that actually appeared was completely different from what they had anticipated.
***
Clang!
The sword imbued with crimson magic was blocked by Jin Beom-Min’s ordinary sword.
“What……!”
Two knights swung their swords in succession, but Jin Beom-Min flawlessly blocked their attacks with a smooth and natural series of movements.
“H-How……?”
“Does he still have magic left?”
“No……! There’s no sign of it……!”
Clang! Clang!
The knights poured all their magic into their attacks. But Jin Beom-Min’s sword, devoid of even a single point of magic, blocked all their attacks.
“Ugh……! Amazing skills……!”
A dark elf knight unconsciously let out an exclamation of admiration.
Jin Beom-Min was currently facing five knights with pure swordsmanship, without using any magic.
And not just any knights, but the elite guard knights of the family that served Tyrel.
“Attack boldly! He can’t use magic anyway!”
Dale encouraged the other knights who were unconsciously flinching.
He was right. Although they didn’t know how Jin Beom-Min was blocking their magic-imbued swords, it was clear that he couldn’t use magic.
Then there was no need to attack cautiously. They just needed to land a single blow.
If they succeeded in landing just one attack, it would be over.
Even though Jin Beom-Min was blocking their attacks effortlessly, they were still launching powerful attacks that could cleave ordinary humans or monsters in two.
Just as the dark elf knights were about to swing their swords recklessly at his command, a scream pierced the air.
“Aaaack!”
One of the dark elf knights screamed and collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his neck.
“Wh-What!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Jin Beom-Min, who had swiftly deflected Dale’s bewildered sword strikes and closed in, thrust something into his armpit.
“Kugh……!”
Dale felt a burning pain and rolled back, tumbling to the ground. His dislodged helmet rolled on the ground, kicking up dust.
In his pain-blurred vision, he saw Jin Beom-Min thrusting a dagger into the side of another dark elf knight.
“Dagger……?”
The blade of the seemingly ordinary dagger in Jin Beom-Min’s hand gleamed with a faint silver light.
“……Mana Stone……! A Mana Stone Dagger!”
Dale shouted, as if he had finally realized something.
Mana Stones were a relatively common ore found in the eastern regions of Jindar.
They possessed natural magic power and were sensitive to the magic power infused by humans, making them highly versatile in Jindar.
However, Mana Stones were usually found in the form of small crystals within ore, and their property of not melting even at high temperatures made them difficult to handle.
Therefore, they were usually processed into powder form and used to create magic scrolls and magic items.
However, in very rare cases, Mana Stone crystals were found in large sizes, and these crystals were traded at exorbitant prices and sometimes crafted into daggers.
Mana Stone daggers had the advantage of being able to penetrate defensive magic even without the user having magic power, thanks to their natural magic.
As a result, it became a sort of trend for those with wealth and power to carry ornately decorated Mana Stone daggers for self-defense.
However, the discovery of large Mana Stone crystals was so rare, and the effort required for processing was so significant, that their value was immeasurable, and Mana Stone daggers naturally became a symbol of wealth.
Such a precious Mana Stone dagger was now being thrust into the bodies of the dark elf knights by Jin Beom-Min.
And with exquisite precision, aiming for the gaps in their armor.
“Kuuugh…… Ugh!”
The dark elf knight, who had been sitting on the ground with his hamstrings severed by Jin Beom-Min’s dagger, felt the cold touch of the dagger piercing his throat and breathed his last.
Before long, only Dale remained alive among the five knights.
“H-How……”
Jin Beom-Min, approaching Dale with an expressionless face, raised an eyebrow.
“How…… did you…… block our attacks……!”
Dale, whose will had already been broken, asked. He wanted to know at least how he and his comrades had died.
Jin Beom-Min slightly raised his longsword in his right hand and spoke.
“……This sword’s name is Resolute Will. A sword that never breaks, no matter the situation.”
“N-Never breaks……?”
“Yes. That’s how I ordered it. I asked for a sword that would never break, even if it had no other abilities.”
“S-Such a sword…… actually exists……?”
Jin Beom-Min shrugged and replied.
“You saw it with your own eyes.”
“That’s, that’s absurd…… If you have the skill to create such a foolish sword……!”
“You could also create a sword imbued with more powerful magic. But……”
Jin Beom-Min smiled faintly and continued.
“……Only a sword like this can withstand my magic power.”
He finished his words and plunged the Mana Stone dagger in his right hand into the top of Dale’s head.