Chapter 12. Silver-Haired Maid (2)
Enoch finished his simple breakfast.
First of all, the documents about Vendetta obtained from the underworld. It takes time to check them all thoroughly.
Because the amount is large and only the necessary information needs to be extracted.
Before such a long process, checking the condition of the body was a priority.
After putting down the utensils, he checked his body condition as usual.
His body was still aching and stiff in various places.
It seemed like he had overdone it a bit in the mission in the underworld.
'The wounds are more annoying than I thought.'
However, just because he was injured, he couldn't blindly ask the family's healers for treatment.
'Just in case they detect this side's abnormal condition while examining it.'
He couldn't take the gamble of being branded as a black magician for the sake of healing mere small wounds.
For now, he had roughly bandaged it with a bandage lying around in the room, but it seemed like it would take some time to heal.
'Anyway, I realized it urgently in the battle against the 14th class Warehouse Keeper that I faced this time.'
The urgent situations and tension of the battle at the time flashed through Enoch's mind.
'The sword, which must engage in close combat, is ultimately vulnerable to the advantage of range that magic occupies.'
During the battle, he managed to create gaps and win by using the surrounding objects, but conversely, if he had not actively applied the indoor terrain, it would have been this side's defeat.
'Against magicians who project firepower from a distance, I need a means to approach.'
Even though he can cut off the lines of mana to block magic, he eventually has to approach the enemy to some extent.
But the enemies are not fools either.
There's no answer if I just blindly rush in.
'Come to think of it.'
Last time, the memory of the past Sword Saint shown in the inner world.
Whether he was the last Sword Saint of the Empire or the Empire's Last Sword, he narrowed the distance against monsters who were only 7th class as if it were natural.
'That was definitely not a speed that a human could produce.'
With such an abnormally fast movement to narrow the distance, it was obvious that there was still something more left in the Sword Saint's swordsmanship.
Then there was only one thing to do now.
Spec-up was the answer.
'First, I need to find out how to enter the inner world at that time.'
At that time, he entered the inner world as soon as he grabbed the sword.
But that wouldn't be the real key to the inner world.
Because it's not that the sword itself has a special function, but Enoch's own talent, the <Heir of the Sword> effect.
Then I had to find the right way.
'For now, I clearly remember the feeling when I entered the inner world.'
First, it's about recreating the feeling at that time first.
Enoch, who had made a judgment, straightened his posture.
"Huu."
He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.
Darkness fell over his closed eyelids.
'The image of an empty world. As if projecting the inner space onto the four sides surrounding me….'
Meditation in pure darkness where nothing is visible.
From there, he retraces and concretizes his past experiences.
Enoch repeatedly focused on himself.
His inner self, deep consciousness.
He focuses on the sharpening consciousness.
Gradually, the vague outline of the image world became clear.
And the next moment, Enoch's senses were reversed.
Hwaaaak!
The world was covered and dyed with flickering shadows.
The sensation of the inner world was clearly felt.
Enoch calmly opened his eyes and looked around.
'It's a success. It's easier than I thought?'
Honestly, it was a bit unexpected.
To catch on so quickly.
Perhaps it was the result of partially synchronizing with the original him by understanding Enoch's mana in the previous battle.
At that moment-
Kwaddeudeuk!
Centered on the foot he took, the floor, which had been empty, rotated greatly and changed once.
Small letters of familiar fonts floated in front of his eyes.
? Condition: Achieved Family Mission 1 time (Complete)
? "Empire's Last Sword Saint" Next Level Experience: Start Inheritance
And the next moment.
Jijijik─
Intense noise rippled in front of his eyes and quickly materialized into a human form.
Soon, a familiar shape appeared.
"Empire's Last Sword Saint"
However, the appearance that had appeared as a simple silhouette last time was now partially but very clearly visible.
The gray beard visible under the hood.
Looking at the beard and jawline, I could tell that the 'Empire's Last Sword Saint' was an old man with dignity.
"It looks like the figure has become a bit clearer than last time?"
Enoch muttered as if talking to him.
But of course the shadow was silent.
There was no way he would answer.
But his figure was definitely clearer than before.
'The more I inherit the experience contained in the sword, the clearer the figure of its owner becomes?'
Stagger.
The Sword Saint's shadow moved first.
At the sight of him approaching like a Grim Reaper, Enoch unknowingly made a twisted smile.
A familiar one-handed sword was already in his hand. The sharp sword light pierced Enoch's eyes.
“…It’s starting again, grandpa.”
The memory of being cut countless times by him last time came to mind.
You learn by getting cut.
Even though he absorbed the experiences of the original Enoch and the Sword Saint. It is still only a part.
If I fight him, I still won't be able to avoid death.
But….
'It doesn't matter if I die here.'
To survive in this irrational world full of monster-like magicians in the future, I had to become much stronger than now.
In order to do that, only spec-up was the way to live.
"Where, let's do it."
Enoch faced the Sword Saint, who had come right in front of him, and slowly stretched his hand to the side.
Shadows gathered in the air in his grip and took the form of a sword.
Swish.
A sword identical to the Sword Saint's one-handed sword was materialized.
The now quite familiar touch of the sword hilt fit snugly into his hand.
Enoch and the Sword Saint's shadow, holding the same sword like that. The moment the two people's eyes met─
─Taang!
The Sword Saint, kicking off the ground as if exploding and narrowing the distance, swung his sword greatly while rotating his body.
Seeing that, Enoch's eyes widened.
'What speed…!'
A speed that is impossible to even react to.
His left arm was blown away by the sword strike that flew through the air, cutting through the air. The severed arm flew into the sky, scattering a shower of blood.
At the moment, red mana rose like fire from the Sword Saint's sword that had passed Enoch.
Hwareureureureuk!
Even in the pain as if his head was burning, Enoch narrowed his eyes and observed the Sword Saint.
'Fire on the sword?'
Surprisingly, the cut area cut by the sword was engulfed in flames transferred from the Sword Saint's sword and was burning.
It wasn't some kind of hallucination caused by pain.
Crimson flames were raging from the Sword Saint's sword.
Hwareureuk!
He swung the sword wrapped in flames in succession.
The trajectory of the sword unfolded by the Empire's Last Sword Saint was now dyed with a dance of blazing flames.
Every time he was cut by a sword with fire, the smell of flesh and bones burning pierced his nose.
But even at the moment of spitting out blood in the agony, Enoch stared at the Sword Saint with extreme concentration.
'Don't be deceived by that flame and pain.'
I had to overcome the pain of death.
Don't forget. I have to figure out what he is teaching. Until then, Enoch will be reborn endlessly even if he dies.
Hwareureureuk!
A one-sided massacre continued.
Dozens of deaths covered his body.
His arms and legs were cut off and flew away, and his body cut by the sword blade was cut open and blood flowed.
As soon as he thought he was being reborn, the sword that had pierced his eyes split Enoch's head in half along with the flames.
"Heoeok…."
However, as soon as he blinked an eye. Enoch was once again standing in the inner world.
Without a single wound as if he had never died.
But they were by no means meaningless deaths.
Even in the pain of death that seemed to drive him crazy, Enoch's cyan eyes were focused to the limit and were now catching up with the Sword Saint's movements.
'The Sword Saint's movements are accelerating freely?'
Enoch recalled his movements.
Beyond the category of simply being fast, the Sword Saint's sword, swung at explosive speed, mercilessly cut Enoch again.
There is definitely something.
A way to move at such an absurd speed.
As Enoch desperately chased the trajectory of the Sword Saint's sword in countless deaths.
Enoch suddenly turned his eyes to the Sword Saint's body.
'……!'
─The red mana symbolizing the Sword Saint.
The mana projected onto the sword was extending to various parts of the Sword Saint's body, which was a semi-transparent shadow.
'That's it!'
Like a constellation in the night sky.
Crystallized mana radiating from the Sword Saint's sword, through his hands and arms, to his body.
'He's deploying the mana projected onto the sword to each part of his body and detonating it!'
Gaining tremendous speed from the recoil of the explosion.
When Enoch finally understood the principle.
In front of his eyes, white letters quietly floated.
? "Empire's Last Sword Saint" Swordsmanship Inheritance
First Form - Exploding Sword
Deploy the mana projected onto the sword to each part of your body, and detonate it to accelerate the motion.
When overpowering the opponent with explosive speed and power more than anything else.
Finally, my swordsmanship resembled a fiercely burning flame.
'...This is, swordsmanship unfolded through mana.'
As soon as he read the information about the swordsmanship that appeared in front of his eyes. The unidentified voice he had heard when absorbing the previous Enoch's experience flashed through his head.
[In swordsmanship unfolded with mana, there is a transcendent meaning in each motion, the Form.]
He didn't know exactly what that meant, "transcendental meaning something", but one thing was certain.
'At least the performance is transcendental!'
Even if I only look at this 1st Form, it's an incredibly groundbreaking skill based on the in-game standards.
In the original work, if a magician wants to use magic to accelerate the body to this extent? At least they have to reach the 9th class based on the magician.
Moreover, in the Empire, only a very small number of magicians above the 10th class can become the realm of the strongest.
But even in the first inheritance, he has already learned how to produce an effect comparable to that?
'Crazy.'
Enoch's heart pounded greatly when he thought that far.
'This, if I grow it well….'
A faint smile flowed from the corner of his mouth.
'I can devour all the mediocre magicians!'
Even now, he has only inherited 1st Form of swordsmanship. So, the more he inherits the swordsmanship in the future, the more he can expect absurd growth.
'It's certain now.'
Enoch's trait, <Heir of the Sword>.
The more I know about it, the more the potential and versatility were at an absurd level.
'I thought I was possessed by some dog-like character…'
The more he learned about Enoch, the more he felt like he had found a cheat-like hidden character.
Cheat-like.
Isn't it a word that's too enough to stimulate the instincts of a hardcore gamer who was obsessed with performance and spec-up in the original work!
? Exploding Sword Inheritance Progress: 40%
? Swordsmanship Form Progress Increase Condition: Increase Proficiency through Actual Use
Swish.
Leaving only the message again, the boundary between the inner world and reality that was gradually disappearing.
Watching that, Enoch, who suppressed the hardcore gamer instinct that had become somewhat high-tension, simply organized the information he had learned so far.
'First of all, there is no problem in using swordsmanship itself even if the inheritance progress is not 100 percent.'
The rest would require a process of learning in actual combat.
'…Come to think of it, the Sword Saint?'
Enoch suddenly raised his head.
On the inner world that was disappearing, the Sword Saint's silhouette was also quietly fading away.
Enoch stared at him.
The Sword Saint also faced him.
Silence flowed between the two swordsmen of the past and present.
But even in that silence, the crackling sound of the fire blooming on the Sword Saint's sword filled the empty world.
Enoch looked at the flames on his sword.
'Come to think of it, the flames wrapped around that sword.'
Hwareureureuk.
The flames that raged fiercely from the Sword Saint's sword.
Enoch suddenly realized something while watching it.
'The fire wrapped around that sword is not just a simple flame.'
The Sword Saint's unique mana projected onto the sword.
That flame was by no means something artificially manipulated and manifested by manipulating mana like magic. Rather, it was the opposite.
─The red mana projected onto the sword itself was taking the form of flames.
'…Is that possible?'
Now that he sees the flow of mana. Enoch could definitely know the difference.
'Magicians have to build the magic circle they want with mana to barely weave providence and create flames….'
It was distinctly different from the methods of magicians he had seen so far, that is, magic that exerts its effect by drawing in and arranging the surrounding mana.
Mana itself purely takes the form of flames.
Suddenly, the voice he had heard when inheriting the original Enoch's memories came to mind again.
[Originally, mana is something that can be constructed with one's own will. It is a unique mirror that reflects all the ego of that person himself.]
It wasn't a word that completely resonated yet.
But if this word is really true?
'What is the Sword Saint?'
What kind of ego did that old man project onto mana in his lifetime that 'mana itself is rippling in the form of flames' like that?
Beyond such questions of Enoch.
White sentences floated in the disappearing world.
? Next stage of experience absorption conditions: Create a collaborator to overcome the current Enoch's situation
Soon the inner world completely disappeared.
Enoch found himself standing blankly in the room.
Feeling that he had returned to reality, he suspiciously recalled the contents of the sentences that had appeared just now.
'…Collaborator?'
Knock knock.
At the moment, a presence was felt outside the door.
"Young Master. Have you finished your meal?"
The door opened naturally, and a voice that was calmly transparent was heard.
Lien's silver hair, bowing politely, came into one corner of his vision.
Enoch nodded vaguely.
"Then, I'll be excused for a moment to clean up."
Swish.
Her cyan eyes, passing by like that, coldly watched Enoch for a very short time.
Enoch, who faced that gaze, instinctively realized in a fleeting moment.
'I'm being suspected!'