NOVEL NEXT The blade of the ring sword cuts through the wind.
Following the drawn sword path, the sword aura lingers, leaving long streaks on the battlefield.
A small assassin danced between them.
With light and graceful movements.
As if slicing through a solid rock wasn’t a big deal at all.
Not even the slightest hint of agitation remained when barely an inch was left.
Rather, only a chilly gaze moved, as if waiting for an opportunity.
The red eyes felt a bit unsettling.
“Really, not even a single hit? Even the international war’s toughest team showed some human touch.”
Anyway, distance and time were gained.
No matter how much Gawol tries, a swordsman pouring out this much magic wouldn’t be easy to approach.
Even if this were the Fairy Tree Great Forest, it’d be impossible to withstand this consumption.
How much longer can I endure like this?
In exchange for sacrificing the entire future of this match… I’ve earned the necessary time and distance.
Such opportunities won’t return again.
Donghae’s thoughts settled down calmly.
Time around him slowed, and unnecessary things sank into darkness.
At last, even sound slipped into slumber.
His senses began to solely track Gawol’s movements.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t show what I prepared…”
But now, there’s no choice.
If it doesn’t happen today, it’ll have to be tomorrow.
It’s something that can be challenged again by improving skills.
The opponent is Gawol.
A person who wields a sword to the level of the incomprehensible.
A swordsman with brutal skills who has never even jumped once in combat with Kelberos.
Should I have taken this fact a little more seriously?
It was a terrible arrogance to make a clumsy attack against such an enemy.
At the very least, I shouldn’t have stepped up as a swordsman.
If I want to do anything… I need to borrow the power of the system.
[You gain the ‘Nabdo’ effect.]
[For 2.5 seconds, you gain a shield that absorbs damage, partially recovering your guard gauge.]
[You can use the Draw Skill.]
To be precise, the pure swordsmanship that Gawol showcased isn’t a mainstream build.
It’s quite the opposite.
Such things belong to the realm of a very few oddballs who refuse the system’s adjustments like heroes.
It’s the kind of thing only geniuses who are confident in parrying magic and arrows with a single sword can dare to do.
Thus, the mainstream build for swordsmen at this point must mix Draw and Nabdo.
The basic structure is to gain attack power through parrying bonuses, while also gaining a shield with Nabdo.
At the same time, the powerful finishing move called Draw creates variables in the build.
The power of Draw is among the top in the entire Inbl community.
If one mentions high ‘combat power’ or ‘high peak’ while evaluating swordsmen, it’s most likely referring to Draw.
[Active: Draw]
Active: Blade Draw
[Gathering energy, I unsheathe my sword. The damage amplifies depending on the charging time and accuracy of the sword path.]
Soon, Father’s area attack will drop again.
The Cradle of the Fallen doesn’t mess around from the start.
A powerful attack that speaks of death will come later.
Initially, a few warning strikes will be thrown, providing ample notice.
In other words, it’s reasonable to take a hit or two.
Father’s magical bombardment has passed.
While taking hits from a few spells, Donghae’s shield was shattered, and his health took a hit.
At the same time, a thick storm surged, obscuring visibility.
Now is the chance.
Through the rising dust, a figure faintly appeared.
Is it a clone? No. A normal clone wouldn’t leave a shadow.
There’s no time or room for doubt.
Donghae’s sword was forcefully drawn.
At last, his eyes widened.
‘Did I slice it?’
Surely, the shadow was split horizontally.
As if it had truly been hit by his sword.
*
《 Donghae’s decisive move! The swordsman’s trump card targets Gawol! 》
The unsheathed sword created a massive pressure wave.
The air tore, and the wind let out a silent scream.
As the empty space refilled, the dust gradually lifted.
The broadcast screen now followed Donghae’s view.
Due to the thick smoke, the exact situation couldn’t be confirmed.
But both the commentators and viewers didn’t miss the sight of the black silhouette being sliced in half.
《 Just now, wasn’t the shadow clearly within range? 》
《 Yes. It looked like it hit exactly. Considering the assassin’s health, it should be a critical hit. 》
《 There’s been a significant twist in a match that was flowing one-sidedly! Donghae’s decisive move seems to have succeeded. 》
It certainly appeared that Gawol, with her vision obscured, couldn’t properly respond.
The commentator carefully began.
《 It was a necessary decision. The situation was highly unfavorable. 》
《 Donghae was losing in close combat, but with the battlefield gimmick approaching, only Gawol could take the lead. 》
《 Should he evade to safety, or continue to hinder in combat? Donghae had no choice but to act. It must have been quite unpleasant. 》
《 Rather, by pressuring like this with the readiness for death, he could temporarily fight on equal terms. 》
But it’s not over yet.
If Gawol had died, the system message would have announced the next player’s entrance.
The silence flowing means the enemy is still alive, and Gawol is not the type to give up until the very end.
Just because one hit landed doesn’t mean the skill gap shrinks.
Still, my heart feels a bit lighter now.
If Gawol really took a fatal blow, the next player would finish it.
Based on the winner’s consecutive battles, the situation is still unfavorable.
But it hasn’t reached a hopeless level.
As the dust settled, the battlefield’s true appearance was revealed.
The first thing to catch my eye was the black hem of clothing.
It was definitely Gawol’s attire.
The clean cut was proof that his blade had hit its target.
Donghae’s expression brightened for a moment, only to rot away immediately.
There was no blood on the severed clothes.
“Ah…”
“She really isn’t easy, our player Gawol.”
The commentary team’s gasps filled the air.
At the same time, chains descended from the sky, shattering Donghae’s shoulders.
His stamina was already shot.
He had pushed himself to the brink just to maintain that last charge.
Donghae’s death was nearing.
He had exhausted his mana, so he had no expectations of victory.
But still, the feelings of resentment were unavoidable.
“This is a bit much, isn’t it?”
Gawol, once again in view, had shed her cloak.
As expected from an assassin’s outfit, her form and exposure were quite pronounced.
I heard her figure was the same in reality… Honestly, it felt a bit sexy.
Anyway.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
The clothes were torn, but no blood flowed.
It wouldn’t be hard to guess what the shadow she’d severed was.
If I’d been a bit calmer, I might have picked up on it, but impatience seems to be my downfall.
Moreover, a chilling sound echoed through the air.
A sound more terrifying than anything in this world.
The source of the sound wasn’t the blade that had sliced through the wind, nor the dagger wielded by Gawol.
It was the sound of metal grinding against metal.
The chains scraping the ground echoed ominously.
It was the moment Gawol’s hidden card was unveiled.
In this match.
Gawol had not used her full strength even once.
Her eyes were already looking beyond herself to the next target.
“Viewers, for the first time in IKL history, an assassin with a Chain Scythe build has appeared!”
“She didn’t show off the moon buff at all, so she must have been mindful of the next player.”
“This is going to be heavy on Igor’s shoulders. There’s no time to adjust the build, right?”
“So far, Gawol hasn’t used many skills. Could it be… she’s aiming for an all-kill?”
“Ugh…”
In the end, the total kill was a failure.
Four people is the least number in a winner’s tournament.
I thought it was a good opportunity, but by the time I got three kills, my body was already falling apart.
It was disappointing for me in many ways.
It was good to start against a swordsman, though.
After all, the sword was the weapon I was easiest to read.
Especially a swordsman who focused on a long sword was just like delicious prey.
Besides, that Valdorani.
Relying on such weird things is why my skills aren’t improving.
If I hadn’t been going for the chain scythe build, I would’ve just killed him head-on.
I had to take the long way around to reduce losses.
Since the damage was so ridiculously high… I felt like I couldn’t absorb it all with that build’s parrying.
“So you really wanted to do it? Total kill.”
“Yes. It’s a great achievement. No one has done it until now.”
“I think three kills are amazing.”
“You won’t be able to next time. The situation just lined up perfectly.”
This time, I was lucky in many aspects.
It was a battlefield special I’d only been at for a short while. Plus, a selected swordsman.
I even used the chain scythe’s unexpected tricks that had been forgotten for a while.
In a winner’s tournament where match-ups are critical, fooling the second contestant well resulted in three kills.
I don’t know if I’ll get the same result next time.
It’s true that the atmosphere in the first team’s winner’s tournament felt quite different.
This wasn’t a game where I could just avoid being hit because I wanted to.
While I was sulking for a while…
Elderin smiled softly.
“But Da-eun.”
“Yes?”
“If you squirm too much, it’s hard on your sister.”
“Ah. Well, you can stop if it’s too much.”
Monthly menstrual cramps.
I was lying on Elderin’s lap, feeling my stomach being rubbed.
So… how did it come to this?