Chapter 30: Sword Fairy (2)
Chapter 30: Sword Fairy (2)
TL/Editor: looloo
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
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"What's with this guy? Isn't he scared of our Black Bear Faction?"
"But, Brother! That masked guy is weird! Neither magic nor curses affect him!"
"He's faster than normal, we can't catch him!"
Within a space smaller than 10 pyeong, I was battling the criminals. I quickly surveyed my surroundings.
Mines are this world's enemies.
They obliterate humanity, devastate the stars, and offer the remains to outsiders for power.
So, if you come across Mines, you're free to kill them without legal repercussions.
In fact, you might even earn a reward for doing so.
However, some are labelled as 'villains'.
Killing Mines isn't a crime, but being a villain is.
They aren't prepared to sell this world to outsiders or to be humanity's enemies.
Or perhaps, they're those who rejected becoming Mines to avoid becoming puppets.
But their objective somewhat matches that of the Mines.
Their existence is to alter this world's laws and live for their own satisfaction.
That's exactly what a villain is.
'Well, these guys don't seem to be at that level.'
They're weak.
Any member from the Korea Hero Academy could handle them one-on-one.
"Huahap!"
I blocked an arm from the guy on my left, and stabbed him with a sword I'd bought earlier from a blacksmith.
Thump.
A disturbing sensation enveloped my hand as his eyes bulged.
But he didn't bleed.
Instead, ashes wafted from the spot where I stabbed him.
Something dropped, but I didn't bother with it.
What these guys drop is always the same.
'The truly important thing is different.'
[You have killed a Mine! Your Conceptual Stat Spirit Against Heaven increases by 1!]
They help increase my stats.
'With Mines of this level, killing 3 will increase my stats by 1.'
When I was with Seo Gayeon, killing one Mine boosted my Spirit Against Heaven stat.
The Spirit Against Heaven XP I receive seems to fluctuate based on the Mines' strength.
[Do your Spirit Against Heaven stats increase just by killing such pathetic Mines?] The Black Heavenly Demon Sword asked, incredulous.
I found it ridiculous too.
The Spirit Against Heaven stat, even among conceptual stats, seemed to be a top-tier power. But it would increase just from killing Mines?
'Had the previous owner never experienced this?'
-No, he hadn't. The previous owner gained it through enlightenment or consistent training. There was no instance of increasing Spirit Against Heaven simply by killing Mines.
So, is this the power of the status window?
Or is it a power I gained through evolving into a concept stat?
I'm not sure.
That's something I'll have to think about later.
For now, my focus should be on hunting Mines.
I brought my attention back to the task at hand.
"Hey, you! Think you can handle this? We have a mid-ranked Mine backing us up!"
"You sure do talk a lot. Are you scared?"
Truthfully, a mid-ranked Mine would be a welcome challenge.
I'm familiar with the typical Mines, so they're easy to handle. And if it's a Mine backing these lowlifes... It might boost my Spirit Against Heaven stat completely.
'Just not a high-ranking one, please.'
High-ranking is on another level in this place.
Even if ten mid-ranked Mines attacked me at once, even with one limb restrained, I could defeat them with ease.
Beyond that, one could truly stand alone against the world.
'But to reach that level, they'd have to be the top of the top.'
At my current state, even if I fought a curse sorcerer who's evenly matched with me, my winning chances are 20%... no, maybe just 10%.
That's the realm of the high-ranking.
Creatures capable of shaking the laws of the world.
They're considered a legion on their own and pose a threat to the world.
'Not like they would be here or even show up.'
"Cough."
Swish.
I finished off the remaining Mine with my sword.
Mines that dropped items as they turned to ash.
'It's almost like I'm playing a game.'
For some reason, these Mines drop items when I kill them.
After defeating a Mine, I sent the collected item to my spatial storage with a thought.
As I moved deeper, there was no sign of life.
The person overseeing the Black Bear Faction must have been alerted by now.
Further inside, I found a safe.
I transferred the whole safe into my spatial storage bag.
I checked the contents using the Appraisal(-) skill. Mostly, it was filled with documents related to illegal activities and materials for Alchemy and Blacksmithing skills.
'Maybe it's time to start planning my escape.'
They said a mid-ranked Mine had my back, but judging by the situation, he doesn't seem to intend to show up.
Boom!
Just then, I heard a heavy thud.
'You insolent fool! How dare you meddle with the Black Bear Faction under my protection!'
He had no regard for subtlety and yelled out.
A sure sign of a Mine.
I checked the condition of my body.
Not bad at all.
Since my awakening, my body has maintained an optimal condition at all times.
Once or twice a year, there are days when I can pull off moves I usually couldn't.
People call it a hot streak.
It's as if that hot streak bursts on an ordinary day.
Unless I'm in a severe battle, or severely injured and stuck in a hospital bed.
I took out and consumed the Strength Elixir, Agility Elixir, and Stamina Elixir.
[Your strength increases by 10 due to the Strength Elixir!]
[Your agility increases by 10 due to the Agility Elixir!]
[Your stamina increases by 10 due to the Stamina Elixir!]
Thump.
I moved my guitar case, which housed the Black Heavenly Demon Sword, aside.
[Master! I must reiterate, isn't this treatment too harsh?]
I nodded an apology to the Black Heavenly Demon Sword and drew my blade.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound was drawing near.
Crash!
The door exploded, revealing an enormous figure.
A burly man towering over 2 meters tall. His dark veins stood out vividly, like he was under some sort of doping effect.
What was unusual was that his skin was entirely black.
'A Strong Spirit type, it seems.'
His talent lay in the Strong Spirit category.
The type that allowed a malevolent spirit to inhabit one's body.
The malevolent spirit probably manifested as darkened veins due to his poor control.
His skills seemed to be focused on manipulating his physique.
Let's see about that.
I charged my knife with Demonic Qi and hurled it.
The brute stared at me, smirking.
"Ha, do you truly believe that puny knife can harm me?"
The knife embedded itself into his eye.
"AAAGH!"
"."
What on earth was he doing?
He didn't even seem like a mid-level Mine.
The Mine boldly yanked out the knife and glared at me with his remaining eye.
He was now on his guard, unlike before.
I twirled another knife in my hand.
His gaze tracked the knife.
The Mine dodged the knife this time. But I altered the knife's trajectory with my will.
Surprised, the Mine sharply veered to the side.
I moved in sync.
I raised my sword and slashed down. The Mine caught the blade.
"You, I will not let you escape."
"Seems that way."
I channeled Demonic Qi into the sword. A black aura coiled around it.
Screech!
The Demonic Qi eroded the Mine's hand. His magic-based power was falling apart.
'It's more effective than I thought?'
The Mine quickly pulled his hand back from the sword, and I added more force.
Black Flash Swordsmanship.
The sword, swirling with a dark aura, cut cleanly through the Mine's throat.
Blood splattered.
[You have killed a Mine! Your Conceptual Stat Spirit Against Heaven increases by 1!]
With this, the Spirit Against Heaven stat reached 10.
Thud.
From the dissipating ashes, a black branch fell.
A measly reward.
Black Ebony (C)
Black wood.
Its hardness surpasses that of iron.
A common trash item. What a pity, I wished it had been something better.
I stowed it into the dimensional space and prepared to depart.
As I was moving with such thoughts, I sensed a presence.
The aura I felt was unlike any of the Mines I've encountered so far.
The atmosphere radiated with palpable magic energy, distinct from the usual magical essence.
'......'
The surrounding temperature seemed to be dropping slightly.
No, it wasn't just an impression. The temperature was genuinely falling.
Frost was subtly forming in various parts of the room and on the walls.
Step by step.
A self-assured stride, filled with confidence.
Simultaneously, the sound of something being dragged along.
Miney, Miney, hide away~."
'......Insanity.'
One thing was certain, that eerie, absurd song.
Discordant and with peculiar lyrics.
I should not confront this person right now.
I began looking for potential escape routes.
If I engage with that woman now, I could win.
The effects of the potion are still active. My physical prowess is only slightly inferior to that of the Sword Fairy.
The issue is that I would have to reveal everything.
Then, my true identity would inevitably be exposed.
Oh my, we have a little thief here~?"
As I turned, I was met with white hair.
Eyes reflecting a serene lake of azure blue.
She was clad in a uniform, not bothering to conceal her status as a student of the Korea Hero Academy.
In her hands were a pair of long and short swords, both encrusted in frost.
The silver-haired Sword Fairy.
The twin sword enthusiast known for collecting the limbs and heads of Mines, Seol Hwaryeon.
enjoy! :)
part 3 of a triple drop today, sorry for the delays i just got back from vacation and am very tired .`(><)`.
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