Chapter 98
The man with red hair frowned as he looked at Taesan.
“You’re just a kid.”
He appeared to be in his twenties at most. Age usually correlates with strength, as decades of training are common among the strong.
“To think that the four of us had to come for a brat like this.”
The man with white hair scoffed.
“Do you think I’m here because I enjoy this?”
They were swordmasters, the strongest humans in this world. Even a tower master would struggle to match them.
Yet, the idea of the four of them teaming up against one was a hit to their pride.
Moreover, they hailed from different nations, competitors forced to cooperate, which did little for their morale.
The man with blue hair spoke calmly.
“It’s a direct order from the gods. Don’t complain.”
“Hmph,” the white-haired man snorted uncomfortably.
“Ha!”
The blond-haired man lit up at the sight of Taesan.
“Are you the knight protecting the princess? How brave!”
Unlike the other swordmasters, he looked at Taesan with a friendly gaze.
The red-haired man stepped forward aggressively.
“Out of the way, Atria.”
“Hmm? You plan to handle this alone?”
“And let four of us attack a kid like this?”
“That does sound unpleasant.”
Atria, the blond swordmaster, stepped back willingly.
They knew Taesan was a mage, and at the swordmaster level, even facing a tower master, they would have the advantage.
“I’ll go first.”
“As you wish.”
The other swordmasters stepped back.
The red-haired man drew his sword, a longsword without any distinct features, but it was engulfed in a blue light.
Darker and larger than a garland, he took his stance.
“Let’s see then.”
“Fine by me.”
Taesan smiled.
Aura. He was finally seeing its proper use.
Clash!
The red-haired man charged, and Taesan moved his arm.
Clang!
Their swords collided, and the red-haired man’s pupils dilated slightly.
“A famed sword.”
Despite the clash of auras, Taesan’s sword remained undamaged, greed apparent on the red-haired man’s face.
“I should take it as a trophy.”
The blue light surged, targeting Taesan’s entire body at a much faster pace than a garland.
‘The speed isn’t physical.’
It seemed like the aura was used to enhance physical abilities.
But it wasn’t impressive. Even at leisure, he could counter all moves.
“Wow, impressive.”
The red-haired man, unaware that Taesan was holding back, admired.
“I heard you were a mage, but you’ve trained your body too? Not bad.”
The red-haired man smirked.
“I’ll have to get serious too.”
Click.
Five swords from the red-haired man’s back were drawn, enveloped in blue light, floating in mid-air.
“I’ve heard the rumors. You can erase attacks. How many times can you do that?”
The swords accelerated, moving freely, aiming at Taesan from all directions.
As they did, the red-haired man charged at Taesan.
‘Sword Control?’
A technique from martial arts novels, controlling the sword freely, hardly seemed like swordsmanship.
It was unfolding before him.
Taesan moved, dodging a sword aimed at his legs, twisting to avoid another, and striking back.
Clang!
But he couldn’t block all attacks. With attacks coming from all angles, some were bound to get through.
[Your first Absolute Attack Nullification has been activated.]
A blue sword reverts to its previous state before striking.
“It really feels like time is reversing.”
The red-haired man marveled, controlling his swords.
This time, targeting Taesan’s upper and lower body and head. Taesan leans back and tries to block, but the blue swords, alive in their pursuit, strike.
“Hmm.”
All attempts at nullification are expended. Again, swords targeting his entire body, Taesan moves aggressively to block, but one grazes his shoulder.
[You’ve taken 52 damage.]
‘Not much difference in damage.’
If the damage from the red-haired man’s weapon, which was far superior to Garant’s, was the same, it meant the damage was from the aura itself.
“Is magic over after three times? What will you do now?”
The red-haired man smirked, pressuring Taesan further, who moved his sword vigorously.
Boom!
With a loud noise, the red-haired man was repelled.
“What?”
The red-haired man clenched his hand, feeling a tingling sensation. If he hadn’t enhanced his body with aura at that moment, the force would have sent him tumbling.
Taesan looked at him with interest.
“So this is aura.”
It was intriguing and challenging. Five blue swords, moving freely as if alive, were impossible to block without magic or skills.
“It’s more like a skill than swordsmanship. Unique.”
But not uncounterable.
“I’ve grasped the concept.”
[You’ve activated Acceleration.]
Rushing at the red-haired man at an incomparable speed, breaking through the air, difficult to follow with eyes, but the red-haired man, a swordmaster, trained in the sword all his life, reacts reflexively, trying to strike Taesan with the blue swords.
Taesan swings his sword fiercely, shattering the blue swords like glass.
“Yikes!”
The red-haired man clenches his fist as new blue swords form, aiming at Taesan.
It was nearly impossible to block or dodge all.
Then, take the hits with the body.
Taesan strikes again, but some unblocked swords hit him.
The red-haired man’s face lights up momentarily, but then contorts horribly.
“What!”
Taesan’s speed hadn’t decreased. Despite swords embedded in his arms and legs, he charges at the red-haired man as if unbothered.
Clash.
Their swords collide, the red-haired man is overwhelmed.
Taesan knocks away the red-haired man’s sword, piercing his heart.
“I, I!”
The red-haired man coughs up blood, his last words.
[Your Attack Rise has been activated. You’ve obtained the special always-on skill [Qualification: Proof of the Sword].]
“Such a level grants Attack Rise.”
Not gaining stats indicated a narrow margin.
Taesan looked up.
The swordmasters were staring at him, horrified.
“This, this is.”
“We heard he was a mage.”
“Faster and stronger than us?”
The red-haired swordmaster was from a hostile nation. His death should be a cause for celebration, but the power Taesan displayed was too high to simply enjoy.
“Monstrously strong.”
A mage with a body surpassing swordmasters was beyond their comprehension.
Especially since Taesan hadn’t used magic. The man with blue hair groaned.
“Where did you come from?”
“The labyrinth.”
“The labyrinth?”
The man with blue and white hair looked confused, but Atria, the blond, seemed to grasp something.
“The labyrinth… could it be?”
Taesan noted his reaction. The man with blue hair bit his lip.
“We should attack together. It’s a hit to our pride, but he’s far stronger. You won’t call it cowardice, right?”
“Do as you please.”
They took their positions, surrounding Taesan.
As blue light surged, they charged.
Clash!
Taesan moved his twin swords, deflecting and evading. Using the first sword, Wolf Fang, and the second, Dancer’s Grace, he pressured the swordmasters.
‘Even their swordsmanship is superior.’
The man with blue hair swung his sword grimly.
Clash!
A crescent-shaped aura shot from the sword, hitting Taesan’s limbs before he could react.
[Your first Absolute Attack Nullification has been activated.]
The shot aura returns, flying again. Taesan quickly creates distance.
Boom!
The aura slices through trees, the man with blue hair’s eyes darken further.
“…It seems the rumors of reversing time with magic apply individually. Where did he learn such magic?”
The man with blue hair is disheartened, and Taesan, for his part, is surprised.
He hadn’t expected to shoot aura.
Atria moves his greatsword interestingly. The aura over it was several times larger than the sword itself.
Boom!
A tree-trunk-sized sword clashes with Taesan’s, pushing him slightly back.
The white-haired swordmaster strikes down at Taesan, the blue aura around the sword slithering like a snake, aiming for his neck.
[You’ve activated Rebound.]
An intangible force spreads from Taesan, pushing back the white-haired man as Taesan creates distance.
‘It’s like a martial arts novel.’
Taesan dodges the flying aura, chuckling.
In terms of strength and speed, he was overwhelmingly superior. To the swordmasters, he was like the adventurers he had faced on the 20th floor of the labyrinth.
Impressive that they got this strong without the system’s assistance, but not a threat. With his strength and speed, he could crush them anytime.
But they were challenging.
Auras shot like sword energy, moving like living creatures from the sword, and the aura becoming as large as a building.
Due to the uniqueness of the aura and the damage exceeding their defense, Taesan couldn’t easily overpower them without taking losses.
Swoosh!
Aura shot like a storm. Taesan created distance and deflected, but couldn’t block all.
One aura cut through his thigh.
[You’ve taken 56 damage.]
“Ah!”
A giant sword of aura swung. Taesan blocked but was pushed back into a tree.
‘Comparable to me?’
Taesan reflected on how he had dealt with stronger opponents by leveraging information and skills for victory.
These swordmasters were doing the same, using their remarkable technique with aura to pressure him, despite being statistically inferior.
Yet, there was a crucial difference between Taesan and them.
[You have activated the Robe of Stealth.]
For 1 second, the Robe of Stealth conceals Taesan’s physique, erasing even his presence. The swordmasters, caught off guard, pause their attacks.
In that moment, Taesan positions himself beside the white-haired swordmaster wielding the greatsword.
Crack.
“Ugh!”
Reacting reflexively to the imminent danger, the white-haired swordmaster conjures aura as a shield to deflect Taesan’s sword.
Taesan swings again.
[You have activated Power Strike.]
Boom!
The aura shatters. The white-haired swordmaster is left defenseless.
“No!”
Despite their numerical advantage, they couldn’t overpower him. The outcome was inevitable if one died.
The blue-haired swordmaster hastily fires countless auras, but Taesan deflects them like slivers of ice, missing the trajectory.
However, he couldn’t deflect all, and some pierced Taesan’s body, drilling mercilessly through his shoulder.
Taesan calmly wields his sword.
[You have activated Unyielding Will. For 10 seconds, you can fight ignoring injuries.]
Taesan’s sword pierces the white-haired swordmaster. As he spits blood and falls, the blue-haired man screams in frustration.
“Why won’t you die!”
Aura pierces Taesan’s entire body. Despite his gruesome appearance, Taesan stands unyielding.
“I’m different from you guys.”
Taesan speaks indifferently as he charges at the blue-haired man, who clenches his teeth and uses aura. A crescent aura slices towards Taesan.
Taesan’s response is simple. He dodges the attacks aimed at his head and heart, taking the rest as he charges forward.
Unable to stop Taesan’s disregard for defense, the blue-haired swordmaster falls.
“Ouch.”
Taesan pulls the sword from his abdomen, checking his health.
[Shield: 0/192] [Health: 1522/2250]
“I’ve taken quite a bit of damage.”
Taesan wouldn’t die from a sword in the head or a pierced heart, as long as his health doesn’t reach zero, practically immortal.
In contrast, these beings died from a stab to the chest or a decapitation, their bodies far more fragile.
The difference was clear.
“But that’s fine.”
On the other hand, it meant he had to fight cautiously against significantly weaker opponents, due to the aura, taking health losses.
Of course, Taesan hadn’t used his full power. Had he utilized all his skills, he could have subdued them more easily.
For instance, simply activating Forced Duel would create a 1:1 situation, making it much easier.
But there would have been a cost to his health. The aura had its worth.
“Only one left now.”
Taesan pointed his sword at the blond swordmaster, Atria. Atria smirked and raised his hand.
“I surrender.”