Chapter 119

Here’s the translation of the provided text into English, written in first-person point of view:

—

Where should I start?

The woman, who had been fierce and rough, suddenly transformed into someone a bit foreign yet quite beautiful, started talking about passing me.

“You’ve even introduced me; can’t you say something in return?”

She approached me with heavy steps, expecting some reaction from me.

Should I retort with a snide comment about how ridiculous this all was?

Or should I restart the fight, refusing any sort of surrender that wasn’t my own?

In a split second, countless thoughts screamed at me that this was the right path.

“What do you mean by passing?”

Finally, those words came out of my mouth as I faced the woman who had just introduced the man before me as Weaponless.

Even though I felt my judgment was hasty, this seemed to be the most sensible response under the circumstances.

It wasn’t a particularly good reply, given the polite introduction I had received.

But did she think about what she was going to say?

“Hmm…”

Stopping her steps momentarily, Weaponless lightly cleared her throat and raised her left hand to touch her chin, pondering my question.

Unlike before when she seemed more ferocious, now she appeared more thoughtful.

“What do you think I passed for?”

…After a moment’s thought, she smiled and said,

“…Perhaps for intelligence?”

The moment she spoke, I instinctively swung my left leg, aiming it like a whip.

When facing someone playing around, teaching them a lesson is necessary.

*Bang!*

As I swung my leg, a sound echoed from my left leg, and my consciousness accelerated, making time seem to slow down.

I clearly saw the curiosity on Weaponless’s face despite the fact that she had brushed off my question earlier with a playful tone.

Even though she surely didn’t have time to react to such a sudden attack, her eyes tracked my leg as if she could anticipate its movement. This surprised me greatly.

Had I ever seen anyone track an attack like this before?

Asulin, who shared the same flow of time with me, was an exception.

Dominus couldn’t even block my attacks in real-time.

To see someone not only track but confidently respond to such an attack…

Could this be why they call her the Dark Sword?

Despite predicting that this attack would leave her defenseless, my leg, which had already shot forward like an arrow, aimed to cut through Weaponless’s upper body.

Just as my breath was nearing its end, my leg reached Weaponless.

“Playing jokes and then getting serious—just like your father.”

Weaponless, who had somehow entered the same flow of time as me, raised her left palm to block my leg.

Even though the strike wouldn’t break bones, her palm looked surprisingly weak compared to her previous ferocity.

But my concern proved unnecessary as my leg hit her palm with a weak sound.

“Young and strong—much better than your father.”

Hearing Weaponless’s insincere praise, I realized my attack hadn’t achieved its intended purpose of intimidating her.

…Feeling a deep sense of failure, knowing I couldn’t even threaten someone who had deceived me from the beginning.

…

“Wait, calm down. In this space where my will is prioritized, simply being able to assert your will is enough to make you a合格者. Calm down.”

Seeing her panic, I realized my expression was wavering.

‘What is this thing?’

Confusion replaced my initial frustration.

—

How much time had passed?

“…So you said I passed?”

Even after hearing it, my powerless voice couldn’t help but ask again.

“Yes, yes. You need such self-awareness and strength to deserve this body.”

Weaponless sat up straight, lifting her head proudly.

…Sometimes, when I talked with Payload in my mind, she always sounded excited like this whenever she had something to boast about.

Although I couldn’t imagine her demeanor when she was human, seeing Weaponless boast now made me think that Payload must have been the same.

…

“Your nod means you agree. Now, take my hand and accept me!”

Weaponless extended her hand, ready to give me her hand.

I only heard her explanation, but I didn’t understand or accept it.

Moreover, the idea of wanting to handle the Dark Sword called Payload never crossed my mind.

“…Why should I?”

I hardened my expression and refused her offer.

While I considered pretending to listen to her to get high-level information like Asulin’s location, there was no need since I could still sense her faint presence from the fortress.

And besides, I didn’t want to beg for anything from someone I despised so much.

—

“…You’re not going to handle me?”

“No.”

“…Really?”

Weaponless persistently tried to persuade me to handle her, but—

“There’s already a sword I’m handling. Choosing another one would be rude.”

Since I had already made up my mind, my continued refusal was inevitable.

—

Her expression, which hadn’t anticipated my rejection, dramatically changed each time I refused.

It’s hard to describe it.

Imagine a squirrel, who has stored acorns and other food in its tree to prepare for winter, feeling happy and coming home after collecting more acorns today.

But upon returning, finds the tree struck by lightning and completely gone.

Her pupils gradually lost focus, and despite her initially strong expression, it quickly faded.

“…How could you ignore me even after granting permission to handle me…”

Seeing her forced smile crumble, I couldn’t help but feel regret.

But then, the thought of enjoying the sight of her downfall also occurred to me.

—

Thus, the silence grew longer as I kept my mouth shut.

Although there was no special meaning in this silence after my declaration of not handling her, the victorious smile on my face seemed to provoke her.

“Unbelievable! There were plenty who wanted to grab me when they saw me, and yet…”

As Weaponless became increasingly desperate, her speech became less distinguishable.

—

“Impressive! Even your father threw away his original sword and chose me when he met me! How can you show no interest in me?”

—

The mention of Payload and Dominus brought back memories, nearly driving her mad.

—

“Then why hasn’t your master done anything to stop you until now?”

—

My simple statement silenced her.

—

“…Ugh…Unbelievable!”

Seeing Weaponless unable to respond and becoming more agitated confirmed my words.

—

By this point, I felt a considerable amount of resentment towards her had dissipated.

—

“First, let’s get out of here, and if you answer my questions honestly, I’ll consider it seriously.”