Chapter 144: Main Quest again

I drew my sword to his face. In an instant, I blasted off towards him, using Quick Pace.

Dangerously dashing along toward my prey, the System rang a notification and all the messages promptly flashed before my eyes as I understood everything. ❮ Active Skill <Quick Pace> has been upgraded to Active Skill <Slash>! ❯

❮ <Slash> — The System read, "Execute a brutal and direct attack on your enemy." My melee attack was increased, using this skill. The System also said that, if the Player was equipped with a "Shadow Fairy," the elemental damage would be increased. From an ambush attack, melee attack was increased, again. And finally, there was a 60% chance of causing the Negative Status Effect "Fatal Bleeding" to my enemy with this attack.

God. Whatever all those details were about, I couldn't really tell for now. I really had a lot of learning to do. Whatever. Presently, I was fighting that freaky swordsman and chose to concentrate all my brain cells on him.

I let myself be guided by <Slash> anyway. I learned a new skill as I was using it. Naturally, when I reached the swordsman, my sword easily "slashed" at his left flank—I was parried.

No worries, gentlemen. The real 218 STR-blow was coming right up.

It was faint but the swordsman's belittling expression flashed back on his face. Contempt and scorn was felt at the sight of my weak assault after I seemed to be so confident... but quickly, the swordsman broke 7 ribs and other bones.

Even he couldn't tell what happened.

I unleashed "it." I unleashed the monster. All my aura. Washing over him, swallowing him whole. Honestly, the swordsman wasn't so weak, you see, but the effect of surprise was everything I had to thank.

Briefly, before I hit him, I remembered what potential was. The power to seize, grasp and dominate your environment. Right now, that's what I was.

This time, it was my eyes that were full of disdain and scorn. The monster's shadow totally swallowed the bigger monster's spirit. No surprise: the wooden sword broke right as my blow hit it from the right. The swordsman's right flank was exposed.

His eyes widened to the fullest. "Are you kidding—? Impossible!" must have been the contents of his thought. Promptly, he at least guarded his body with a layer of defensive mana, but that didn't save him from the inevitable.

"I kinda liked you, swordsman."

He smiled.

Thump!

Right on the man's right arm, ribs, and right flank.

"Ugh!" the swordsman choked, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

I heard the cracking sound of bones, but my sword wasn't quite done sweeping past the swordsman. To my disappointment, I didn't cut through him, and instead, he burst off the ground, flying away to one corner of the room, where he violently hit one of his walls and carved his silhouette into it.

A loud thud echoed, and the empty hall trembled with the monster as the winner.

What happened next surprised me. The winner. ...Was I?

After I sent the freak flying away to have his silhouette carved into one of his walls, I laughed. Laughter of happiness and cheerfulness. Really, I had grown stronger. By a wide margin.

After I struck a victory pose, the walls trembled again.

"...!"

It was only a faint trembling as if the whole dojo simply shuddered... at whatever was coming.

"Wha—! Don't tell me..."

Another trembling rumbled through the empty dojo. I winced, pained by the ruckus we were making. Last time, people gathered at the front door of our dojo when we messed around too much. But hey, why was I even letting myself think that?

Wasn't the freak dead, at last?

It was a shock, but no. A shock that I kind of did expect, however. It takes a freak to know another.

Seconds ago, the swordsman was slammed ridiculously powerfully into a wall—he should have been dead by then—but he could still move even now.

My heart missed a beat. The System had called the freaky swordsman "Bigger Monster," right? Well, that was fitting now.

I felt him when he rose. He was roughly embedded within the wall, but after he stuck his bloody head out, his shoulders followed, then his arms, then his whole body. The man was covered in blood, and he chuckled. The sight of that was dry, yet blood was all I saw. "Heh-heh-heh..."

I took a step back then, but didn't hesitate over what to do next: Darting back front, I aimed my sword at his neck. I was so fast. Possibly, if he still hadn't gotten used to my renewed raw power, he wouldn't evade me. But when I swung at his neck to see his head fall off, a transparent-black dome parried my sword. Right away, I darted back far behind, thinking it was over.

"Cou— Cough...!"

A mouthful of blood escaped the man's mouth. He looked so weak, so what was that dreadful sensation washing over me when I faced the black dome? I clearly felt it. My demise.

Tilting my head, I was curious, and with round eyes, I carefully observed him with Mana Perception.

The man barely stood straight, when he managed to stand up at all. The wind could blow him down. Weak. But then he did it. With his right arm, he threw a sweeping movement to the side, and the long black sword flew to the man's hand.

The next second, the freaky swordsman laughed again. Within a blink, he cut through everything. The air, the walls... the very space itself. I couldn't even hope to compare. The swordsman was powerful.

When facing this attack, I lost. I wasn't cut into two, though. I decided to flee with a smile on my face. The sensation was eerie: I thought I'd be bitter over it, but after what just happened, I thought life was amusing.

Within a blink, I vanished from the freaky swordsman's sight.

I parted with the swordsman. After I was far away, I yawned.

It was then that I decided: Sleeping should be about. So, naturally, I decided to work towards that. Towards getting some rest. What's more, wasn't sleeping what was required of me, now that I think about it?

❮ "What lies behind the story...?" Main Quest — Accompanied by the Player's host, Princess Elina, let the Player head inside the Capital and get all intimate with her. 0/1 ❯

It was about time I buckled down to it and got this quest done. For many reasons, I didn't take care of it before. Today, whatever, even if I was forbidden by the royalty herself to pay her a visit at the castle as it was too dangerous for her cover, I'd go there and get it done with.