Chapter 23

[It seems like he paid a bit more attention to us after that day.]

[That day, you mean?]

[Yeah. The day he came back from fighting somewhere really intensely. I still can’t forget it. It was the first time I realized our master could make such an expression.]

*

Flames spreading like paint.

The intense heat rays, regardless of whether it was wood or rock, cut through everything.

It was a spell I had practiced and refined for half a year.

It was also the maximum power I could unleash.

However, the knights reacted too quickly.

As soon as they sensed the amount of magic power gathering in my body, they scattered in all directions as if they had made a pact.

The attack I launched, hoping to at least take some of them down, ended in failure.

Clearly, they had been systematically trained in combat and situational response, making them difficult opponents.

“The request we received was way off. You seem to be at least at the master level. I didn’t think such a level could be achieved in this Primitive Dimension.”

Hmm…

So, they’ve only figured out my level.

Even in the midst of the burning surroundings, they drew their swords with practiced ease, exuding a sense of experience.

The accumulated experience and skill over many years.

Things I don’t have and can’t have.

Yet, I didn’t feel like I would lose.

I lowered my stance.

Over the past six months, I had undergone many changes.

The most significant of these was my increased understanding of Dimension Power.

The core of Dimension Power is, in a word, “transmission.”

It’s the power to exchange something from one place to another.

There’s no limit to the materials that can be moved.

Nor is there a limit to the distance.

And it’s not one-way. It moves in both directions.

Meaning, if I can control it properly, I can even read the information of all opponents within range.

“…You’ve got some strange tricks.”

The old man frowned, perhaps sensing that I had detected him.

He immediately severed the connection by manipulating his magic power.

In that brief moment, there was an attempt to read my information.

Creepy.

His control is monstrous.

If I interfere clumsily, I might be the one to suffer.

I need to be careful.

Anyway, I’ve gathered all the necessary information.

Even if he’s a Sword Master, my stats are slightly higher than his.

But they have skills and experience that I lack.

What bridges that gap will determine the outcome of this fight.

First, let’s test the waters.

I stepped forward and thrust my spear toward the knight’s head.

Without much movement, he tilted his sword to deflect the spear’s trajectory, causing the thrust aimed straight ahead to veer upward.

Wow. What was that just now?

How is it possible to deflect like that without even being a martial artist?

Immediately, the twenty-five knights charged at me.

I quickly retreated, creating distance.

My pride is hurt.

It wasn’t a big move, but it clearly showed the difference in skill between me and that Sword Master.

The gap is beyond heaven and earth.

I expected it, but…

It’s frustrating.

That wrinkled old man must have been swinging a sword for at least several decades.

Of course, he must have had talent too.

That’s the kind of skill he’s built.

It’s an impossible gap to close by common sense.

Right. Instead of dwelling on what I can’t do, let’s think more constructively.

I stored the spear in the Void Space and drew my sword.

On the flip side, this is an opportunity.

A chance to develop the swordsmanship skills I’ve honed through self-taught methods.

When I drew my sword, his eyes lit up with excitement.

To react like that even when facing an enemy trying to kill him. Isn’t he a bit too obsessed with swordsmanship?

“You know how to use a sword?”

“Just a little. I never had the chance to learn properly.”

“Hmm. It’s a shame that a strong person like you hasn’t learned swordsmanship. If it weren’t for this situation, I would have taken you as my disciple. Truly regrettable.”

He laughed heartily.

What a joke.

He doesn’t seem to realize the situation he’s in.

The fact that the opponent has put away their main weapon and drawn a relatively weaker one clearly indicates something.

It means they’re confident they can win.

Without even using their full power.

That old man is strong, of course.

His stats are similar to mine, and in terms of skill, he’s far superior.

But that’s all.

When it comes to a life-or-death fight, I won’t lose.

Swish-

I drew a dagger and slashed my wrist artery.

The heightened blood flow created a fierce spray of blood.

The wound quickly healed due to the regeneration effect.

But enough blood had already coated my weapon and body.

A single drop of this poison could kill most dinosaurs.

The old man’s face began to harden as he saw this.

He must have been reassured.

Seeing my skill, he must have thought there was no way he could die.

Haha! Fooled you!

Unfortunately, my terrible swordsmanship doesn’t prove that I’m weak.

Just look at those giant dinosaurs over there.

Not that I’m a dinosaur, but…

At least, you shouldn’t judge me by human standards.

It would’ve been easier to think of me as a monster rather than being swayed by appearances.

It’s inevitable.

Humans use something they can recognize in others as a standard for judgment.

For example, the criteria for being a good driver are stable cornering, parking skills, and quick judgment based on road conditions.

But in a world like this…

What if.

In a world where you gain money and fame by killing someone.

A world where that’s the way of life.

It was quite an extreme example, but that’s the world I live in.

Here, you don’t need any special skills to be strong.

Just kill well, and that’s enough.

In a world where showing off strength is no longer necessary, it’s all about pure practicality.

I kicked off the ground, dashed forward, and swung my sword downward.

The old man managed to block it, but his magic power got a bit disrupted as he tried to stop the spreading blood droplets.

Even so, his unwavering aura was admirable, but his movements had inevitably slowed down.

“Ugh!”

I kicked him in the stomach, knocking him down, and then faced the swords of the knights approaching from the side.

Oh…

I was so focused on the old man that I didn’t notice, but the knights are incredibly skilled too.

Even though they’re tightly surrounded and must have many constraints, they’re relentlessly attacking without a break.

I’m managing to dodge somehow, but if this drags on, the old man will get up.

Then it’ll get dangerous.

Bam!

I took a sword strike on my shoulder and punched one of the knights.

The iron armor crumpled, and he fell as if bouncing off.

Like a bowling pin.

It wasn’t much different in reality.

He took down a few of his fellow knights before dying.

A gap opened up.

I pulled out a dagger from the Void Space, transformed it into a whip, and swung it wide.

I succeeded in creating some distance, but in the process, my stomach got deeply cut.

It would heal in 5 seconds.

Good. Good.

Just fighting these knights in real combat makes me feel like my swordsmanship has improved dramatically.

The parts that were stuck are now breaking through.

I put the whip back and stood with just one longsword in hand.

The knights hesitated and stepped back.

“Are you… not human?”

That’s when it happened.

The old man, staggering to his feet, muttered something nonsensical.

Not human?

Can’t you see?

“I am human.”

“Huh…”

The old man let out an incomprehensible sigh at my words and took a stance I hadn’t seen before.

What kind of stance is that?

He held the sword with both hands, his legs firmly planted.

The tip of the sword pointed skyward.

Surprisingly, the flow of magic power I felt changed.

That must be the old man’s ultimate move.

I also wrapped my sword in aura, facing him.

The aura was much brighter and clearer than when I faced Plentera.

But compared to the light gathered on the old man’s sword, it was still lacking.

Hmm…

That looks dangerous.

I was going to wait, but I can’t.

I’ll die if I wait.

I gripped my sword and charged forward.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh-

A massive amount of magic power was gathering in the old man’s sword.

The speed at which it was gathering was increasing.

He was drawing out every last bit of his magic power.

If he keeps this up, it won’t just be exhaustion—his circuits will be damaged.

He might even die.

And the old man is already injured from my attack.

He’s definitely going to take permanent damage.

Why is he using such a technique now?

I couldn’t understand.

It’s way too early to go all-in.

He’s not poisoned, and he doesn’t have any fatal wounds, so why…

“Everyone!”

At that moment, the old man shouted with all his might.

My head rang. My ears went numb from the magic-infused voice.

“All of you, retreat!”

Thud.

And at the same time my sword pierced the old man’s heart.

The aura-covered blade twisted, bent, and swelled up.

F*ck.

Kwaaaang!

*

I shook my head a bit to check if there was any damage.

I felt dizzy and nauseous, and there was a taste of blood in my mouth.

Not enough to die.

I’ll be fine soon.

Instead of drinking a potion, I sat on the ground and looked to the side.

There was a burning corpse lying face down.

Looking at it, many thoughts came to mind.

The old man made that final choice to save his knights—his disciples.

I knew from the start that they were his disciples.

Not just their swordsmanship, but even their habits were similar.

They must have worked hard to emulate him.

So the old man died.

If the fight had continued, even if he survived, they wouldn’t have.

A teacher’s sacrifice.

It’s an action that evokes many emotions.

Even though I thought it was foolish, I couldn’t just curse him.

All I could think was that it was something impossible for me.

“……”

I stared at him, now completely charred and blackened, then brushed myself off and stood up.