Chapter 93
The blue light danced atop Garant’s sword, enveloping it like a flame.
“Is that Aura?”
[How do you know that?] The ghost was puzzled.
“I’ve seen something similar before.”
Magic exists, so there’s no reason Aura wouldn’t. Taesan’s curiosity was piqued.
“Come at me.”
Taesan beckoned with an intrigued look. Garant twisted his lips in disdain.
“Die!”
He swung his Aura-coated sword. Taesan moved his sword calmly while Garant scoffed at him.
‘Foolish barbarian!’
Aura boasted absolute cutting power. Unless it was a legendary sword, a normal blade couldn’t possibly block it.
Clang!
But the sound of clashing metal rang out.
“What?”
The sword, seemingly unaffected by Aura, clashed with Garant’s blue blade. Despite the blue light fiercely engulfing Taesan’s sword, it remained unscathed, not even a scratch.
Crack.
Garant hastily retreated, his eyes filled with shock as he stared at Taesan’s sword.
“What’s this…?”
“Not strong enough to shatter the sword, huh?”
[It’s one of the legendary swords from my world. Did you think some Aura could shatter it?]
The ghost grumbled.
[Even if it wasn’t, weapons affected by the Labyrinth’s system are unmatched in durability. Aura can hardly scratch it.]
“You, you!”
Denying the unfolding reality, Garant charged again. The blue Aura roared like a beast.
Taesan didn’t block.
[Your first absolute defense has been activated.]
“Huh?”
Anetsha gasped as she covered her mouth.
To her eyes, it appeared as if Garant had stabbed Taesan, but then the attack seemed to rewind to before it happened.
‘A mage?’
That was the natural conclusion.
‘…A time-manipulating spell?’
It was a level of magic hard to find even in the grandest of mage towers.
Garant was more flabbergasted than Anetsha. He was sure he had stabbed Taesan. But as he regained his senses, he was back in the stance before the thrust.
“This, this…”
He stabbed again.
[Your second absolute defense has been activated.]
And he was reset again.
Garant’s face was filled with despair.
Taesan casually moved his arm. Garant reflexively defended.
[Your third absolute defense has been activated.]
Even that reflexive defense was erased.
“Removing attack nullifications is quite the task.”
It seemed like the people here couldn’t see the system window.
Garant’s face was turning paler by the second.
His attacks, his movements, all were erased. Having experienced it firsthand, Garant knew the outcomes were being nullified.
A being that manipulates time. To Garant’s knowledge, only the grand magicians of the Mage Tower, those who had delved into the mysteries of magic, could possibly do so.
No, not even them. While they could interfere on a limited basis, erasing outcomes entirely was beyond even the grand magicians.
‘A monster!’
No matter what he did, death seemed inevitable. Overwhelmed by terror, Garant screamed and swung his sword wildly.
“Aaaaah!”
His sword movements were erratic, lacking any semblance of skill. Taesan easily dodged and reached out.
Flick!
Aura-touched the sword grazed past his arm.
[You’ve taken 63 damage.]
“The damage is manageable.”
It pierced through the defenses. A simple calculation suggested the weapon carried almost 200 points of attack power.
Garant’s sword looked decent but wasn’t legendary.
Meaning, the damage was purely from Aura.
“Time to test various things.”
[You’ve activated Slip. The next attack will be diverted.]
Taesan rushed at the despairing Garant.
Taesan used a variety of skills against Garant. Garant didn’t want to die and forced his weakened body to respond.
By activating Slip, Counter, and various spells to counter Aura, Taesan gleaned several insights.
“Skills can’t be ignored.”
Slip and Counter, two prominent counter-attack skills, both activated normally. Firmness also reduced damage as expected. Aura didn’t carry any judgments beyond attack, meaning.
“Can’t change form, no enhancement to spirit or body? Just a strong cutting power. Nothing new there.”
For now, that seemed to be its limit.
Still, the cutting power was quite useful. Taesan’s experimental Frost Arrow, a spell freezing the air itself, was effortlessly sliced through by Aura, suggesting it could cut through most attacks.
“Not bad.”
Taesan muttered, while Garant had dead eyes.
His attacks suddenly diverted, his sword ineffective. A freezing arrow appearing nearby, freezing everything with its mere presence, along with various mental interferences.
And amidst it all, Taesan, even while using magic, was faster and stronger than him, a swordsman.
‘Above a Swordmaster…’
There was no chance of overcoming such a being. Garant, with a moan, asked,
“Who are you…?”
“Let’s talk about that later.”
Taesan pressed on Garant’s neck. Cut off from breathing, Garant passed out.
Anetsha, who had been watching, snapped back to reality and approached.
“You’re… powerful.”
“What level is he?”
“Recognized by the king, treated with respect wherever he goes, a swordsman.”
She stared blankly at Taesan. Having witnessed the fight closely, she could coldly assess Taesan’s strength.
Truly powerful.
An elite swordsman. Capable of surpassing an Aura-wielding swordsman in physical prowess. And a mage controlling time and the extreme cold at will.
Alone, each was enough to make a name in the world, yet he wielded both.
“I’ve been tasked to guard you.”
Taesan said calmly.
“Protecting you is my role.”
Protect.
That word shook Anetsha’s heart.
For eight years, she had been alone. Every life she encountered was an enemy, showing only greed.
To her, Taesan’s words deeply resonated.
Growl.
“Ah…”
Suddenly, her stomach growled. Her face flushed.
“Hungry?”
“…”
Anetsha nodded slightly. Taesan waved his hand in the air.
[You’ve activated Food Production.]
A bowl of plain porridge appeared. Anetsha’s eyes widened.
“Here. It’s tasteless but it’ll fill you up.”
“…Can you also make food?”
“Yes.”
Anetsha let out a small exclamation of awe.
Even with her limited knowledge of magic, she knew it wasn’t an easy feat.
Without delving deep into creation magic, even summoning the simplest water was challenging, let alone producing proper food. It was unbelievable.
“Let’s go inside and rest.”
Taesan led her into the cave. Anetsha followed like a lamb.
Taesan lit a fire and gathered more bushes to make a makeshift bed.
“You must be tired, get some rest.”
“…Where are you going?”
“Not far. Just going to scout around.”
Taesan waved and exited the cave.
Anetsha blankly watched him leave, then started eating the porridge.
“…Tasteless.”
But warm. The fire’s warmth relaxed her tensed body. Drowsiness quickly overcame her. Her eyes slowly closed.
“It’s going to take a while.”
Taesan knew the situation was dire, but it was worse than expected.
Finding a living demon was hard. Demons being extinct to the point of having bounties on them.
The quest Taesan received was to bring her to a safe place.
But at the moment, such a place didn’t exist.
It wasn’t going to happen overnight. It might take months. Maybe Taesan was meant to create a safe place himself.
It would take time, but Taesan wasn’t discouraged. The rewards were substantial.
Plus, he could earn some extra income.
He approached the unconscious Garant.
Aura. The blue flame encased on the sword.
If he could learn it, it would be immensely useful.
“Did you also learn Aura?”
[No? Aura didn’t exist in our world.]
“Some worlds have it, some don’t.”
[Like your world, right? No magic, no Aura, no monsters. It’s similar. I don’t know much. Few make it to the depths, and even fewer wield Aura.]
“Guess I’ll have to ask directly.”
Taesan flicked Garant’s forehead.
“Ah!”
With a scream, Garant clutched his forehead, feeling intense pain from the impact.
“Hello?”
“…”
Garant, regaining consciousness, bit his lip looking at Taesan.
“So, what to do now…”
Garant wasn’t meant to be kept alive. Unlike the previous hunters, who could be let go harmlessly, Garant was not one to simply disappear.
Unable to bargain with his life, Garant wouldn’t easily spill the beans.
After some thought, Taesan remembered a skill.
“Why isn’t this activating?”
[A Special Always-on Skill: Self-Proof] [The achievements you’ve accumulated manifest around you, influencing your surroundings.]
A sort of aura skill acquired after clearing the 20th floor, but no one Taesan had faced here felt intimidated. After a moment, Taesan realized.
“It has an on/off switch. Then it should be an activation skill, why is it listed as always-on?”
After a brief complaint, Taesan activated the skill.
“Ugh!”
Garant gasped for air. Taesan looked down at him, his face pale and gasping.
“Can’t really use this, huh.”
Intended to intimidate Garant into talking, the skill was too potent, almost killing him before he could speak.
“Huff, huff.”
Garant looked up at Taesan, fear evident in his eyes.
“Who are you…?”
Upon activating Self-Proof, Garant saw something immense.
Not a mere human or demon, but an absolute entity that, by its mere existence, could subjugate everything and suffocate the living.
Desperately, Garant spoke.
“What do you want from me?”
“Ho?”
Taesan’s face lit up with intrigue.
“I’ve got some questions for you.”
“Anything, please ask. I’ll tell you everything.”
Garant said, filled with terror, ready to spill even unasked secrets.
‘What?’
It wasn’t a skill to keep active. The intimidation was so severe it threatened life, requiring it to be sealed.
Yet, something felt different, and Garant, previously tight-lipped, was now desperate to confess.
‘Maybe it can be used this way?’
Taesan began.
“Tell me everything you know about Aura.”