Overpowered Sword Chapter 111

Level up with swords (111)

“Hey! “You’ve become incredibly strong, master!”

Hamel, the man sitting next to the carriage, said with a chuckle.

Even though I haven’t seen this face in months, I’m just happy to see it.

It is said that rangers are often cold-blooded due to their roles and training methods, but Hamel, perhaps because of his nature, clung to them with the same friendly attitude as before.

Since he owed his life, it was a natural attitude for a mercenary.

“I could never have imagined defeating Garlond so easily! “If this continues, you’ll feel embarrassed that I tried to stop you!”

“There is nothing to be ashamed of. “Because he was a strong person.”

Leon responded to those words by shaking his head.

“Because I was possessed by the demon sword, I couldn’t show even half of my skills, and I was in a terrible state after being hit hard by Hamel. “If we compete properly, it won’t be a one-sided match like before.”

I didn’t just mean to be humble.

A-rank mercenaries are veterans of the battlefield, and are experienced in person-to-person combat in all kinds of situations.

Those who can see through and take advantage of most tricks at a glance, judge the situation and read exactly when to risk their lives, and have won countless times in gambling games where their lives were at stake.

‘If I were to compete purely with my own strength without the help of a holy sword or stigmata, I would have to divide at least a lily to be able to subdue it.’

There was no way I could get caught in an overt judo like before, and I would have to divide the sum by carefully breaking down each beat.

Leon was superior in both physical ability and swordsmanship, but Garlond had accumulated enough combat experience to make up for the gap. To use a vulgar term for an A-rank mercenary, he was no different from a human hunter.

Sword, spear, axe, fist, bow, magic.

On the plains, in the meadows, in the back alleys, in narrow rooms.

Leon was strong in a way that was still quite immature.

‘… Now that I think about it, I don’t have much experience in peer-to-peer combat.’

[Well, that’s right.]

El Cid said calmly.

[Because you have more experience fighting against monsters than against humans, and you tend to decide the outcome with one big blow rather than a fierce battle of numbers. It was the same with the Lord-level vampires, and it was the same with the Drake I faced this time.]

‘Are you saying I shouldn’t rely on the ‘Seven Star Sword’?’

[It’s just as it says.

Only then did Leon notice one of my weaknesses.

〈Seven Star Sword〉 has a long range and great speed and destructive power, but it was not a technique that could be used at close range.

All I had to do was concentrate my strength, change my posture, and pull my body out of that trajectory. If it was a large monster like Drake, it might be okay, but if it was a human-sized creature, it could easily be avoided.

‘A veteran like Garlond would avoid it more easily.’

I felt the need to further strengthen my interpersonal skills.

Without knowing the true intentions of the man who was reflecting like that, Hamel was delighted to hear that his contribution was great.

“okay? So my arrows worked pretty well, right? “I was debating whether or not to buy it again because I felt like it wasn’t worth the money, but I guess it would be a good idea to buy more!”

Even though he had lost his senses, it would have been difficult to land an effective hit against Garlond without the special arrow.

Leon nodded as if affirming its usefulness.

The two people’s conversation soon moved on to other topics.

The reason why Garlond, the mercenary who collapsed on the carriage in the back row, went on a rampage was also something that could not be left out. When Leon first said that the sword he was using was suspicious, Hamel agreed with him.

“That’s right, that sword gave me a strange feeling. “It’s ominous, but I want to take a swing at it?”

“It’s one of the common characteristics of magic swords.”

Who on earth would use such an ominous sword?

So the magic sword inevitably had the power to seduce those who saw it.

“Not only because my eyes were bright red, but also because I could hardly feel any pain. It seemed more like a monster suffering from ‘madness’ than a human. Who would have thought that an A rank would be controlled by something like a magic sword… .”

“Have you never heard a similar story?”

“of course! “If there were not just one but several of these running around, would you accept a request for escort?”

Leon was secretly relieved at those words and remembered the yellow mark on Jugend that he had seen a few days ago.

The quest solved a little while ago, ‘Demon Sword Destruction’, was not a one-off incident. It was merely an aftereffect from the ongoing phenomenon in the Kingdom of Jugend.

The content of the quest was like this.

『Lode Invader』

* Difficulty: Hard

* Scale: ?

* Aptitude entity: Monster from another dimension (danger unknown)

* Contact person: Cardinal Irexana

* The monster that escaped from the ‘Mirror Canyon’ is hiding in the great mineral vein and is polluting the minerals with its power. Weapons made from contaminated minerals have a certain probability of turning into demonic weapons that corrupt the user, and do not reveal their true colors until they consume blood. Eliminate the unidentified two-dimensional monster that is parasitic within the Great Mine and is expanding its influence. You may need to ask the person in charge for help.

The great vein.

It was an area that could be said to be the core of the mining area that accounts for more than 90% of the Kingdom of Jugend. Rare metals such as mithril, orichalcon, and adamantium are said to gush out like spring water.

Of course, that expression may be an exaggeration, but it was clear that this area was like the heart of Jugend. This means that it is a place where outsiders should not approach.

‘The fact that the existence of the Demon Sword is not yet known means that the level of pollution inside the Great Mine is not that high.’

Still, I couldn’t delay it.

Once the contamination progresses in earnest and thousands of weapons are produced, a wind of blood will rage across the continent.

If even A-rank mercenaries were deprived of their wits, only a handful of people would be able to shake off the devil’s temptation with mental strength. The best solution was to stop it before it turned into a big commotion.

“Excuse me. “You said it was Leon, right?”

“Ah yes.”

At that time, a merchant approached the carriage with three people in it. Immediately after Garlond’s attack, the merchants seemed to have lost all color from their faces, but after taking a moment to catch their breath, they seemed to have something to say to them.

A merchant who identified himself as ‘Luzon’ opened his mouth.

“First of all, we would like to sincerely thank you for saving our lives. Although our Normand upper unit is small in size, we will never forget this blessing.”

“It was at the top of Normand.”

“yes. So, when I heard that Leon and his companions were adventurers, I was wondering if you could take on one of his requests… .”

In short, it was a request to escort him to Youth.

The possibility of encountering an unfortunate event like Garlond again was low, but that was not the case for the merchants whose lives were once threatened.

Leon, who defeated A-rank, and Karen, an A-rank adventurer.

The fighting skills of the two people could not help but be seen as attractive.

“All right. “Let’s do that.”

The request fee was reasonable, so Leon accepted the Normand boss’s request without further ado.

I was already planning to accompany them.

I had to ask Garlond to testify regarding the magic sword, and I also wanted to hear Hamel’s story about the past few months. And it wasn’t like rushing for a day or two would change anything.

So the warrior party boarded the carriage heading to the Kingdom of Jugend with Normand Danang.

* * *

It was three days later.

Due to his battered body and being tormented by the demon sword, Garlond slept for three days and nights before opening his eyes.

There were only an hour or two left until the Jugend border.

The body was wrapped in bandages, and both legs were chained in case of an unexpected riot. Garlond, seeing his appearance, let out a long sigh and bowed his head to his merchants.

“I’m sorry, I unintentionally threatened your safety. “I will thoroughly compensate you for this unpleasant matter.”

Not only the voice but also the focus of the eyes was clear. He was a completely different person than when he was holding the magic sword.

Luzon, who faced him as a prisoner, seemed quite awkward, so he couldn’t answer and just nodded. This is because it was difficult to see him as the human who had run at him like a mad dog three days ago.

Garlond soon raised his head and looked towards Leon.

“I think you were the one who blocked me, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Thank you. “If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have made an irreversible mistake.”

Garlond thanked him politely once and moved his eyes as if looking around.

Leon said as he realized what he was looking for.

“The demon sword has already been destroyed. “As soon as I cut it in two, it crumbled to dust.”

“is it? “I was planning on using it as evidence.”

A deep, bitter smile appeared on Garlond’s lips.

“I never would have thought that the sword I bought from Jugend had evil powers, and I ended up throwing all my money into the air.”

As the story he wanted to hear came out, Leon leaned his upper body forward a little and asked.

“In Jugend?”

“Well, he was the one who paid 300 gold for it.”

“Can you hear more details?”

“However much.”

It was a bitter experience for Garlond in many ways, but it was Leon who stopped his rampage.

He had the right and right to hear the circumstances.

“When I first found that sword, I thought I had chosen well. The cut surface of the tree I cut for testing was smooth, and I didn’t feel any evil force at all. however.”

Garlond frowned as he recalled that time.

“Yes, it was from when I cut down the goblins. Every time I cut a living thing with my sword, I felt better and better. I felt like my strength was getting stronger, and I even felt like a blocked area was breaking through… . Well, it was all a mistake.”

“Didn’t you think it was strange?”

“I did. But even more than that, the temptation of the sword was stronger. “It was an impulse that was difficult for a warrior to resist.”

Basically, all warriors were the type that pursued power.

There was no way that training my body and wielding a weapon every day wouldn’t be bothersome. Even though it hurts and is painful, you endure it, build muscles, and hone skills that you never know when you can use.

Even after practicing so much, what was difficult to obtain was a sense of accomplishment and confidence.

Anyone who has seen the wide world will know this.

There are many people who are stronger than you, and there are countless people who you cannot reach even if you work hard all your life.

“The magic sword seemed to inflate my self-esteem.”

The mind for improvement is something that is insatiable like a bottomless poison, and the magic sword satisfied it like a drug.

That was the reason why even A-rank mercenaries were fascinated.

“I felt like I was a sword master by cutting down goblins, so what about more than that? “Tolerating it is only for a short time, and soon you will be dominated by murderous intent.”

“… okay.”

Leon understood more deeply the seriousness of this incident.

A magic sword that satisfies the desire for improvement.

At first, it hides its true colors and encourages its owner, but as its impulses continue to grow stronger, it even loses its reason. It is so dangerous that even A-rank mercenaries can turn into murderers.

‘I don’t think I will go beyond master level, but… If the warriors below go over once, it will be over.’

Avoiding a swamp is easy, but getting out of it after entering it is many times more difficult.

Garlond would also have been able to place the sword hilt at first.

I just stopped using it over and over again.

“-Yougend! “I can see the castle walls!”

It was then.

A mercenary shouted from the carriage running at the front.

As expected, the outline of a whitish castle wall began to appear on the horizon. After the commotion three days ago, it was a journey without a single attack by monsters.

The merchants might be upset that they hired Leon and Karen for no reason, but the reality was something else.

“Do those people know or not that they escaped the monsters thanks to us?”

Karen asked while giggling, and Leon also smiled lightly.

“You don’t know. “I don’t even want to show off.”

Equipment made from Drake’s bones and scales reflects warm sunlight and shines on its smooth surface.

It was said that no matter how well the item was maintained, the lingering scent of the monster emanating from it would not disappear until a month had passed.

The reverberation of Drake, an S+ rank monster.

Due to the nature of monsters that instinctively avoid beings stronger than themselves, there was a high possibility that monsters within a radius of several kilometers would run away without even looking back as soon as they saw the carriage they were in.

Therefore, it could be said that it was also thanks to them that the upper procession did not encounter monsters.

‘The Kingdom of Jugend, is it Cardinal Irexana…? .’

As he watched the walls of Jugend getting closer, Leon muttered the name that would be the key to this incident.

Cardinal Irexana.

He was the first church figure I met after becoming an official warrior.