I Obtained Sword God Level Talent - Chapter 8


“Frey. Is your shoulder wound alright?”
As we left the encampment, a verdant primeval forest unfolded before us. Fortunately, the road to Roven was well-maintained. Lancelot walked ahead on the road and spoke.
“It’s so-so. It doesn’t seem like it was a deep wound in the first place.”
T h i s w a s co p i e d f ro m k i n g m t l . or g
Actually, in addition to the Mythical-grade traits, I had added all sorts of traits that consumed points. Perhaps the (Regeneration) trait was the reason the wound had healed in just one day.
“That’s a relief. How’s your memory? Has anything come back to you?”
“No. My memory is still incomplete. I only remember that my name is Frey.”
“…That’s unfortunate. If my hunch is correct, you’re definitely a noble’s son.”
There was a strange certainty in Lancelot’s voice. When I asked him what made him think so, his answer was quite simple.
“Intuition. It might sound ridiculous, but I’ve seen countless nobles since I was adopted into the Armance family. You might not realize it, but there’s an inexplicable nobility in your actions.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
It wasn’t an explanation that was easy to understand. If, as Lancelot assumed, I, this Frey, was a noble’s son.
Then why was I part of a mercenary group, rolling around on a dangerous battlefield?
‘At least if I was a Knight’s squire or served in a family’s forces, I could understand.’
The Oak Mercenary Corps, whose memories were gradually fading, was practically composed of only rookies. The leader, Hans, and the other men had practically no battlefield experience.
“The fortress city of Roven is a huge city. If we’re lucky, we might even be able to participate in the Duke’s victory parade.”
Lancelot’s footsteps were light as he muttered softly.
A victory parade, a victory parade. The war had just ended in victory, so it was only natural in a way.
“Ah, by the way, how long will it take to reach Roven? It’s not a carriage, we’re traveling on foot, so it seems like it’ll take a long time.”
T h i s w as c o p i e d f r o m k in g mt l . o r g
“Hmm. We should be able to arrive by nightfall. If it gets late, we might have to camp out.”
…Camp out?
My excitement subsided instantly.
Both I and Lancelot had packed very little. To begin with, I had nothing to bring, so I was empty-handed. Lancelot only had a small backpack that looked like a military pack.
“So, let’s pick up the pace. Frey, you have ghostly swordsmanship skills, but your stamina is pathetic.”
“Ugh…”
I had to admit, that was true. Frey, this body, had obviously never trained his stamina in his entire life. His arms and legs were thin and pale, and his palms were smooth without a single callus.
After that, we walked for a long time in silence. The journey, which we had started early in the morning, showed no signs of ending as evening approached.
Resting during the journey was a luxury. We walked and walked, satisfying our hunger with the dried meat Lancelot had packed in his backpack.
“By the way, Lancelot, what rank are you currently?”
As the sun began to set, I was the one who broke the silence.
I had been thinking while we walked.
If a player took the path of antagonizing the Sword Master, (Knightly) Lancelot Du Armand, then Lancelot would appear as an enemy. At that point, he would be a level 80+ boss at the 8th rank, characterized by his extremely straightforward attack patterns.
So, considering he was currently a Knights’ squad leader, I figured he was around the 6th rank.
“…5th rank. Breaking through the wall I’m facing is proving to be difficult.”
“5th rank?”
It was lower than I expected. Considering the current time, this meant he would experience explosive growth soon.
‘I need to get a mana cultivation technique as soon as possible too….’
Facing reality, I felt inexplicably anxious.
Mastering the unknown power called mana in the Western Continent, or Qi or Inner Strength in the Eastern Continent, wasn’t an option. Unless it was against mana as weak as Gler’s, it would be nearly impossible for me, someone who hadn’t learned to manipulate mana, to defeat a mana user.
T h i s w as c o p i ed fr o m k i n g m t l. org
“Frey, what rank are you?”
“….”
My mouth clamped shut at the immediate question.
Anyone who hadn’t learned to manipulate mana was considered 0th rank.
The 1st rank was the stage where you could store mana in your body, the 2nd rank was whether you could imbue ‘weapons’, like swords or staffs, with mana, and from the 3rd rank onwards, it was whether you could manifest that mana.
This w a s c o p ie d f r o m k in g mtl. o r g
To put it simply, all the mages who were casting spells on the battlefield were talented individuals of the 3rd rank or higher.
Anyway.
“I don’t have mana.”
“…What?”
Now that I was back in reality, I confessed honestly to Lancelot. His dumbfounded expression was quite amusing.
“You’re telling me that you, the one who defeated hundreds of orcs, haven’t learned to manipulate mana? You, who defeated Sir Gler, a 3rd rank?”
“It just worked when I tried it.”
“What do you…!”
Lancelot looked at me as if I was a monster. Well, even I was bewildered by the situation; it must have been shocking for him, someone who lived within the realm of ‘common sense’.
“Unbelievable.”
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f rom k in g m t l . o r g
Lancelot, his face full of astonishment, shook his head, stopping in his tracks. But what could he do? There wasn’t a single lie in my words.
“Is that important right now? The sun has set. We should have found a place to camp out long ago, shouldn’t we?”
“Hmm. I was so lost in our conversation that I forgot for a moment. That’s strange. There should have been a village.”
There were other things to worry about.
The night in this world was hostile to humans. There were monsters that appeared at night, and deserters who had transformed into bandits or armed robbers were rampant.
“…Fire.”
How much further did we walk as the darkness slowly descended? What greeted us, walking by the moonlight, wasn’t a village.
A red light flickered through the trees beside the road. There was no need to go closer to confirm; it was clearly a bonfire someone had lit.
“Good timing. Let’s join them for tonight.”
“Hmm. Alright.”
Lancelot didn’t object either. We walked towards the bonfire. Soon, we saw about fifteen men silhouetted against the fire.
“Who are you?”
“We are travelers passing through. We were wondering if we could perhaps find shelter from the night dew.”
“…?”
Lancelot glanced at me at my polite words. His gaze clearly conveyed, ‘Could you actually speak normally?’
“Haha, how can we refuse when we’re all brothers under the same sky? Please, sit down. We’re just about to have dinner, so please join us.”
The middle-aged man, who seemed to be the leader of the group, gestured generously, offering us a place to sit.
“Thank you.”
“…Thank you.”
Lancelot and I bowed our heads and took a seat by the bonfire.
“….”
“….”
Perhaps because two uninvited guests had suddenly arrived? The men were incredibly quiet.
“By the way, you two don’t look like ordinary travelers. Judging from the swords you carry, are you not members of the Knights?”
As I was quietly observing the surroundings in that awkward atmosphere, the middle-aged man clapped his hands and spoke first.
‘…What is this?’
Amidst the strange silence, the gazes of all the men turned towards Lancelot and me. Someone gulped, as if waiting for our answer.
“Yes, tha-”
“No, we’re not. We’re part of a mercenary group. We were heading north after receiving a letter delivery request.”
Squeeze!
Sensing something strange, I pressed down on Lancelot’s knee as I spoke. Lancelot immediately turned his head, but I didn’t stop talking.
“Oh! Heroes of a mercenary group. We’re soldiers of the Empire’s 2nd Army Command. We got separated from our unit during a mission and are on our way to rejoin them.”
“Hmm, I imagine it’s been tough.”
As I spoke, I looked at the middle-aged man. There was a small wagon parked behind him, but for some reason, there was no flag hanging from the flagpole on the wagon.
“…Frey.”
Lancelot spoke softly, as if he had finally sensed something was off.
T hi s wa s c o p i e d fr o m kin g mt l . or g
There were countless suspicious things, but it wasn’t enough to act yet. I nudged Lancelot’s back as a signal and threw out some bait.
“There’s a rumor that the war is nearing its end. How are things on the front lines?”
“Fortunately, we’re on the verge of victory. I heard the Duke of the North personally slew the enemy commander.”
…On the verge of victory?
T h is was c o p i ed f r o m ki n g m tl . o r g
Even I knew that the Empire had won the war. Even if these separated soldiers were to stop by a village or city for supplies or rest, there was no way they wouldn’t know this.
‘That means… they’re people who can’t enter villages or cities.’
My eyes narrowed. I had figured out their identities. Now I understood why they had been looking at Lancelot and me with suspicion, trying to read our intentions.
“Now, now! Let’s eat first. We don’t have much, but the taste won’t disappoint. What I just added is a southern spice. I heard it’s called black pepper.”
“…Thank you.”
Meanwhile, it seemed the food was ready. The middle-aged man handed me a bowl with white steam rising from it. He sprinkled a black powder over it before handing it to me, and with a warm smile, as if anticipating my suspicion.
“Haha! Where are you from? This is a dish we often eat in our hometown. You’ll probably enjoy it.”
Clatter!
I received the bowl.
It was a stew, or something similar to porridge, with ground grains and meat floating in it. The aroma was good, but I didn’t immediately dig in. An ominous feeling was emanating from the bowl.
This wa s co pi e d f r o m kin g m t l.o r g
.
.
.
·
((Insight))
Grade: Mythical (UR)
Effect: Immune to all (Schemes) / (Tactics) / (Plots). If the enemy attempts any of the above, they will be detected. Grants strong discernment against (Poisoning).
T h i s wa s c o p i ed fr o m k i n g m t l . o r g
“…You asked where I’m from?”
A faint tension filled the air.
The men silently waited for Lancelot and me to eat, and the malice blooming in the silence beckoned quietly in the darkness.
Gulp!
Once again. Someone among the men gulped. At the same time, I saw several men reaching for their weapons.
“South Korea, Seoul.”
Shing!
T h i s w a s c o p ie d fr o m k i n gm t l . org