Chapter 209

“Gyahaha! This is going to be one hell of a fight!”

“Kwah!”

Every nerve stood on end at the heavy first strike.

Though I managed to pour mana into my weapon, the clothes on one shoulder were shredded to pieces.

Moreover, the backside is even worse.

“…”

The sword energy spread out in three directions.

The ground was torn apart as if by a backhoe due to the sword energy.

Cold sweat broke out naturally.

‘…This isn’t just for show. He means business.’

I’m glad I dodged it, but if I had taken it head-on, I wouldn’t have been able to stand now.

Was that warning about fighting to the death?

‘Crap. I thought it was just a threat at first.’

Now I’m fully alert.

What I see before me isn’t the lance of a clown making empty threats.

▶You must achieve over 80% in the fight with Talpon.◀

▶If you fail, the player will die.◀

[Talpon]

[Lv. ???]

[HP: ■■■■■■■■■■]

These UIs showing level and HP indicate this is an enemy object.

I took a deep breath, steadied my posture and breathing, and started to think.

The final condition for bringing Talpon into Shatren’s service.

It’s a condition I’ve never seen in any game, and I couldn’t have predicted something like this.

If you think normally, it could be dismissed as sparring.

But was it really just sparring?

No.

I can say with certainty that it wasn’t.

All the information has already been given to me.

Not only did his status window appear when he first showed up, but I also felt his spirit was already in a combat-ready stance.

The overwhelming pressure crushed my whole body.

The air filled with heavy pressure vibrated with Talpon’s mana, pressing against my skin.

Just like the system message displayed such a window, what he’s emitting is closer to killing intent than fighting spirit.

And lastly,

A completion percentage window is displayed for me, currently at 0%.

‘Right. There was no test or sparring session to begin with.’

Now I’m judging correctly.

When was this game ever easy?

This might be a hindrance or trigger created to block players.

In that case, I have no choice but to figure out a way to neutralize it myself to avoid a bad ending.

-Clang!

“…”

I won’t die here, no matter what.

***

After letting the first strike pass and being flustered, his eyes cleared up. Just as he was about to launch a second attack, the first clash hit properly.

Boldly, Carsein moved into my embrace, showing a fighting stance.

‘It seems he’s finally ready to fight seriously.’

I know that Carsein is not like the weak Imperial/Nobles who faint under the heavy pressure of his spirit.

Simply by standing there with both legs firmly planted and swords crossed, he proves he didn’t catch the Scorpion King by chance.

But this isn’t enough.

-Crunch!

“…”

Two swords that were previously crossed diagonally tried to align in a straight line due to the added force from Talpon’s sword.

Carsein noticed this, but the swords had already separated.

Talpon’s sword pushed forward at an incredible speed, aiming precisely for Carsein’s neck.

-Swish!

‘Hmm?!!’

He was a step late but immediately twisted his entire body away.

‘But thinking you avoided it would be a mistake.’

Talpon released one of his hands from his sword and sent a fist imbued with mana down.

-Bang!!

A huge sound accompanied by a cloud of dust rising from the ground.

The sunken ground tells me that if hit directly, it would be devastating.

Yet, there was no impact on Talpon’s hand.

“…Impressive. You slipped through that gap.”

Shaking off the shattered stone fragments from his hand, Talpon rose up again.

Carsein stopped about four steps away, catching his breath.

It’s not entirely incomprehensible.

Although he was startled by the straight push of power, he retreated instead of clashing head-on, using our momentum to move his body sideways.

Even though it caused the sword to bounce off, it was to prepare for the next attack by lowering his center of gravity.

He precisely pulled his body out at the exact moment before being struck directly.

‘Amazing. It’s like he calculated everything.’

Finally, I have a worthy opponent to enjoy.

Talpon smiled inwardly, satisfied.

However, this wasn’t enough to satisfy him.

For a moment, he smiled.

Then, holding his sword again, Talpon asked:

“Why did you choose evasion over using mana?”

“…”

“There wasn’t that much of a power difference. You could have blocked and fought back.”

Silent until then, Carsein answered in a small voice.

“Originally, even the smallest thing should be cherished.”

“Hmm?”

Cherish?

What does he mean by that? Shouldn’t he conserve his strength here?

But Carsein didn’t answer further.

Instead, he assumed a new stance, bristling with readiness.

‘…This isn’t Imperial swordsmanship.’

No family could have a stance like this.

Furthermore, searching through the west or other kingdoms, there’s no such stance. Not even the vanished Kingdom of Wederos had this.

With that stance, Carsein swung his sword like a hummingbird.

-Clang! Clang!

Mana still wasn’t used.

But it wasn’t heavy either. Just…

-Clang! Clang! Thud!

As we exchanged several strikes, I got a sense of it.

‘…This is annoying.’

Even shallow attacks with quick movements and nimble bodies made continuous attacks create a dynamic effect that was hard to counter.

If I kept blocking like this, I’d likely find myself in a troublesome situation. To avoid losing by using brute force, I had to parry.

-Swish! Bam!

Blocking a heavy attack, I used the recoil to dodge a kick to my side. If I hadn’t blocked with my arm… it would have dealt quite a bit of damage.

But with this attack, Talpon finally caught a whiff.

At the foul smell that made his eyes squint, Talpon immediately stabbed his sword into the ground, using the shockwave to push him back.

‘What’s this disgusting smell?’

Carsein not only excelled in mana usage but also basic unarmed combat. With his physique and experience, he’d be a formidable opponent even against Rilfetten Tribesmen.

However, this smell was overwhelmingly cold.

From precise angle-based attacks to tightrope-walking tension, this felt like the scent of someone cornered.

Why would Carsein, who was pushing the attack, emit such a scent?

Although I found him an enjoyable opponent, I had no time to enjoy it.

To understand the source of this contradictory behavior, Talpon charged at Carsein with full force.

Clouds of dust rose repeatedly. The ground cracked, and shattered rocks scattered everywhere.

‘This time, I can’t avoid it.’

Without mana, I’m trapped in perfect counterattacks.

Show me your mana, Carsein.

Just as Talpon’s sword was about to cut Carsein’s left shoulder, severing one arm…

Carsein’s mana finally flowed into his sword.

Talpon clashed head-on with the sword, creating a residual echo.

And…

‘What is this… what is this…’

Talpon was stunned by the smell.

***

Mana may not be recognized, but all humans possess it. And this smell indicates that each person’s mana has unique properties.

The reason is quite simple.

Mana carries the essence of life and memories.

No two lives or memories can be identical, even if they’re similar or highly correlated.

The same goes for memories. Even identical memories can differ.

Mana becomes a unique identifier because it contains all kinds of information, including personality, values, beliefs, etc., which cannot overlap.

But among these, the most significant information is human emotion.

Strong emotions shape a person’s character and leave indelible memories. Thus, emotions constitute a large part of mana.

The Rilfetten, with their excellent sense of smell, can detect most smells. But their standout ability is sensing the smell of intense emotions, which is mana’s fragrance.

However.

Carsein’s mana emitted a bizarre smell.

This is undoubtedly the scent of someone who has lived a life of loneliness and pain.

The smell of flesh tearing under a needle, the salty aroma, the strange smell that makes one’s stomach churn, and the scent of fruit are all present. No, there’s even a sour… is this the smell of vomit?

Isolation from the group, further isolation in another group, the smell of being falsely accused—this is familiar to Talpon, a Rilfetten.

He seemed to have entered a frigid abyss, possessing a chilling background.

Judging from the timing, it’s clear he endured such torment since childhood.

Yes. I can understand that.

A life filled with loneliness and pain. One could say he experienced misfortune.

But why is there no trace of the corresponding emotional scent?

If faced with such loneliness and pain, surely other emotions like the desire not to feel alone or the longing for liberation would follow.

Yet, incredibly, none of these feelings could be sensed from Carsein.

Did he lose all his emotions?

That’s absurd!

Humans inherently possess emotions.

That can’t be true.

But…

The smell emanating from the loneliness and pain in his mana is all there is.

Despite repeatedly clashing swords and pouring mana into his body to face him head-on, nothing else was present.

Is this your smell?

Are these fragments of your life and pieces of your memories?

Does your life feel so numb that you can’t even feel pain and loneliness?

It’s ominous.

It feels as if he’s being consumed by something, a foreboding feeling.

“…”

-Crash.

The fight continued as he smelled the mana.

Carsein continuously countered Talpon’s attacks and sometimes forced him to hesitate with threatening moves.

Despite this, he rarely counterattacked, yet it all seemed part of a plan.

During the sword clashes, Talpon missed a breath and allowed a decisive blow, causing him to be pushed back.

By then, Carsein’s sword was already at Talpon’s neck.

“Is this the end?”

Gasping for breath, he asked.

“…Yes. This is my defeat.”

A clear and unmistakable defeat.

Talpon, who had never lost to an Imperial before, lost to Carsein.

But he didn’t feel joy or the urge to shake hands in recognition.

“I believe you have what it takes to follow me. Or rather, we should follow you now that I’ve lost.”

But…

“One thing. Why are you so calm, Carsein?”

While mana indeed holds information, specific details of what happened can’t be known.

Only the person involved can answer.

Why is he so unaffected after enduring such harsh experiences?

But Carsein suddenly collapsed right there.

“…”

In the end, I didn’t get an answer.

No. Maybe he never intended to answer.

“Carsein! Are you badly injured…!”

Harnier rushed over. She looked worried, her expression showing fear.

“It’s fine. I just ran out of energy. He’ll be okay once we take him somewhere to rest.”

“Is that so?”

“Don’t look at me like that. I had to verify whether he’s truly a survivor from the Kingdom of Wederos.”

“The Kingdom of Wederos…?”

“We’ll talk more about that later. For now, let’s move him to the bedroom.”

“Oh, okay.”

There’s no doubt Carsein is a survivor from the Kingdom of Wederos. His use of mana and display of swordsmanship were unmistakably those of the Kingdom of Wederos’ magic sword style.

Regardless of who from the west you bring, you can’t deny Carsein’s connection to the Kingdom of Wederos.

However, there’s something that bothers me.

‘How could he not be aware of this himself? That’s strange.’

A survivor from the Kingdom of Wederos would know best about their ties with the House of Bargrand. Yet, there was no sign of awareness from Carsein.

Not only that, while fighting Carsein, I noticed many peculiarities in his sword style, despite it being labeled as Kingdom of Wederos’ swordsmanship.

Precise spacing adjustments like using a protractor, calculated movements through unbalanced reactions and balance, and other maneuvers. These seem more related to physical skill and unarmed combat than true Kingdom of Wederos’ swordsmanship.

Fighting Carsein made me realize he learned to use mana based solely on perfected sword techniques.

‘Either way, I won’t get answers. I need to meet Pollux soon.’

But there’s no disagreement that he’s the man I should follow.

All major misunderstandings have been resolved. Past grievances should remain in the past. Carsein could become a great help to the cornered Rilfetten.

Such a person governing a territory… that territory will surely soar magnificently, like Rusmaier.

‘Shatren is blessed land. Truly.’

Though there may be problems, having such a lord is undoubtedly a stroke of luck.

I’ll have to carefully examine what needs to be done once I arrive there.

-Ding!

▶Your current achievement level is 92%.◀

▶All conditions have been met. Talpon will be registered as the third agent.◀

▶Excess achievement points have increased Talpon’s affinity by the same amount!◀

[Current affinity: 28%]

▶Conditions met. Trigger for ‘<Rilfetten's Wrath>‘ activated.◀

▶Talpon and other Rilfetten Tribesmen will become aware of the reality of Shatren Territory.