## Chapter 255 – 255. S-Class (3)
#255. S-Class (3)
My opponent is an S-Class Hunter who has seen it all.
To hold back in a sparring match would be an insult to him.
From the start, there was no point in sparring unless I was attacking with the intent to kill.
Murderous intent.
A sword aura filled with the will to kill my opponent surged toward Duke Rutland.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes, the sword strikes continued endlessly.
Clang, clash!!
But Duke Rutland, as if it were only natural, blocked my attacks without moving an inch from his spot.
I almost let out a burst of laughter at the sight.
My body, enhanced with all sorts of auxiliary magic, is now stronger than most A-Class Tank-type Hunters.
And he’s blocking my sword strikes with his bare hands?
“Weak.”
I didn’t have the余裕 to react to every taunt.
Using the essence of the heavy sword technique that Jeon Seo-ha had shown me, I increased the weight of my sword and swung it.
Bang!
There was a slight reaction.
Confirming that, I immediately retreated and activated the magic I had pre-stored.
[Chain Lightning]
[Mega Flare]
[Lightning Strike]
[Dark Ray]
[Shining Ray]
Fire, lightning, light, and darkness filled the air, rushing toward Duke Rutland.
콰아앙!!
The explosions from the 3rd Circle magic show didn’t seem to stop.
If someone else saw this, they might say it’s just a sparring match, isn’t it too much? But that’s because they don’t know what an S-Class Hunter is like.
From the start, if it were truly dangerous, Grandma Choi Young-ok, who was watching the sparring match, would have stopped it.
As expected, when the dust settled, Duke Rutland was standing there as if nothing had happened.
To take that many spells head-on and suffer no damage,
‘He’s a real monster.’
I expected it, but seeing it in person, I realized once again why he’s an S-Class Hunter.
At this point, even though he was caught off guard, I wondered if it was all my imagination that I had landed a blow on Ma Pae-seon, who was presumed to be S-Class.
I could see a bluish membrane surrounding Duke Rutland.
Aura Shield.
Also called Hoshinganggi (護身罡氣).
It’s a technique that’s only possible after reaching the pinnacle of mastery, and it’s impossible for me to even imitate it right now.
“Is that all?”
Duke Rutland nonchalantly dusted off his shoulders.
At that moment, his crimson eyes glowed red. It was like a sharply honed sword.
And I realized.
What he wants to evaluate now is not my ability as a mage, but my ability as a martial artist.
I stopped casting the 5th Circle magic I was preparing.
Taking a deep breath, I took a stance.
“Not yet.”
[Transcendent Thought]
Everything around me except myself slows down.
In the flow of time compressed to the extreme, I used Rampage. The power gained at the cost of stamina surged.
Unlike Thought Acceleration, I can move to a limited extent while using Transcendent Thought. Of course, all I can do is swing my arm once and take a few steps.
But that’s enough.
The inner energy circulating from the dantian through the blood vessels accelerates.
Formless Electric Body.
My vision expands.
My body, which has become much lighter, is telling me.
Neither the constraints of time nor the rules of the world can hold you back.
That is Formlessness.
The accelerating Vajra energy within my body explodes.
Formless Sword Art Heavenly Light Kill.
Clang!!
It was a strike that reached extreme speed beyond the fastest.
But Duke Rutland, as if it were only natural, blocked my attack with his aura-covered arm. I reflexively frowned.
But it wasn’t without its gains.
“Hmm…”
Duke Rutland, who hadn’t budged despite the relentless barrage of sword strikes and the bombardment of 3rd Circle magic, finally took a few steps back.
He seemed genuinely surprised, but I was just disappointed.
I wish I had made even a scratch.
My sword ultimately failed to break his aura.
But that didn’t mean I had the余裕 to stop. Just as I was about to rush in again.
“I saw your attacks. Now let’s see how your defense is.”
“?!”
Duke Rutland’s fist was right in front of my nose.
I couldn’t even follow it with my eyes.
I desperately tried to use Transcendent Thought, but it was too late.
콰앙!!
“Ugh?!”
I blocked the fist with my sword, but the impact broke through my defense.
Could it be Gyeoksantau (隔山打牛)?
My bones resonated from the fist that had been extended in a straight line without any special technique. Knocked back, I regained my posture in the air.
“You don’t even know how to distinguish between what you should block and what you shouldn’t.”
Duke Rutland continued to throw punches at me as if he wouldn’t give me any time to rest. I desperately swung my sword to defend.
Maybe he still had some conscience, Duke Rutland didn’t use Gwon-gang to attack.
Since the attack could break through my defense like just now, I focused all my attention on the flow of inner energy.
Thanks to that, I was able to respond to the increasingly faster attacks.
But if I continued like this, I would only end up dodging and blocking until the end of the sparring match, let alone counterattacking.
‘…If only I could break the Duke’s rhythm just once.’
Bang!
“Ugh?!”
“What’s wrong? Where did all the momentum from the beginning go?”
As I collided with Duke Rutland’s fist, cracks appeared in my sword. This wasn’t because of the weapon’s performance.
There’s a saying that even a thin twig can become a peerless sword in the hands of an absolute master.
The fact that my sword, covered in sword aura, was broken by his fist, which wasn’t even covered in Gwon-gi, meant that there was an unbridgeable gap between him and me.
The force of the impact that resonated through my bones weakened the grip on the sword hilt. At that moment, a huge fist filled my vision.
Judging that I couldn’t avoid it, I reflexively used Transcendent Thought. The surrounding time slowed down rapidly.
But considering the mental strength that would be consumed, I couldn’t maintain this state for long.
I had to come up with the next move as soon as possible.
But if I blocked the attack with my sword, it would definitely break.
Besides, it was questionable whether that fist could even be defended against. Because my concentration was broken and I had lost track of the flow of inner energy.
In the end, if I couldn’t avoid it or block it, there was only one way.
‘It’s my first time using it in a real fight…’
But I had no choice.
Rather, I had to use it now. Because even if I failed, I wouldn’t die.
Without any regrets, I let go of the sword in my hand.
And I focused the inner energy flowing through my blood vessels on one point. Then, ripples appeared on my palm and a faint glow flowed out.
‘Hoo…’
What doesn’t break in the face of a huge storm is not a giant tree, but a reed that sways constantly.
If you can’t block it or avoid it, you can let it flow.
Time begins to flow again.
Just before Duke Rutland’s fist reached my face, I wrapped his fist with my glowing palm.
At that moment, an anomaly occurred.
“Hmm?!”
In a scene as if space was distorted, Duke Rutland’s fist passed through the air instead of hitting my face.
Perhaps he was flustered by the unexpected situation, he showed an opening for the first time.
The Vajra energy gathered in my palm resonated, and the atmosphere vibrated. I extended my palm containing the will of Vajra.
Vajra Tathagata Subduing Demon Palm.
Deeng-
The Buddhist bell sound of destroying demons (魔) echoed through the training room. The bright streaks of light illuminating the surroundings were a bonus.
The impact spreading in all directions was not great.
Because that’s what pinpoint concentration (一點集中) is.
In the fading light, I breathed heavily and looked at Duke Rutland.
It was a single palm strike (一掌) containing all the inner energy I could muster right now.
‘If this didn’t work either, I’d really be screwed…’
Considering the crazy old man’s personality, I might have to get hit a few times.
But contrary to my expectations, he didn’t react at all.
‘…He’s not dead, is he?’
The thought that flashed through my mind made my spine chill. Cold sweat streamed down my forehead.
I certainly said at the beginning that I would attack with the intent to kill, but looking back on it, it might have been too much.
Not only did I fire the Tathagata Palm at point-blank range, but the Duke was also half defenseless because of the ‘Mahavairocana Heavenly Light Hand (大日如來天光手)’.
It’s true that S-Class Hunters are monsters, but that doesn’t mean they’re invincible.
What if something went wrong with that attack…?
No matter how much Choi Hye-na likes me, she would never forgive me for killing her grandfather.
Besides, Grandma Choi Young-ok, who would suddenly become a widow, might try to kill me right away.
For a moment, I wondered if I should go to another world right now and get a recovery potion.
“…The sparring match is over.”
Duke Rutland turned around and walked toward the entrance as if nothing had happened.
Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief.
‘I thought I was screwed…’
I almost became a criminal who murdered a foreign aristocrat overnight.
“You.”
“Yes?”
Duke Rutland turned to me and spoke.
“You have too many 잡스러운 thoughts. Throw them all away.”
“?”
That was the end of the conversation.
He left the training room as it was. Grandma Choi Young-ok, who had been watching the sparring match from above, also left the training room following the Duke.
“…What?”
Is that it?
Left alone, I stood there blankly until Choi Hye-na, who had come down from the audience seats, hugged me.
***
Duke Rutland, who had left the training room, recalled the sparring match a moment ago.
Although he didn’t show it outwardly, he couldn’t help but be astonished by the fact that a mage who had reached the 5th Circle could show that level of movement.
Even Duke Winchester, the master of the Blue Magic Tower in London, was only at the 4th Circle at that age.
Moreover, it had been less than a year since he had entered magic.
‘He’s a monster.’
It wasn’t something that he, an S-Class Hunter, should say, but that wasn’t a talent allowed to humans.
It was truly outside the norm.
It probably wouldn’t take him long to reach the same level as himself. Among those in that age group, he was probably the closest person to the next S-Class.
Of course, even so, he could never allow him to take his granddaughter away.
Fortunately, the two of them hadn’t had a formal engagement ceremony yet. If so, there were countless ways to chase him away.
Although his wife and granddaughter would strongly oppose it, he could endure that much.
In order not to repeat the tragedy of that day.
‘…Ha-yeon.’
He recalled the day he had to send away his only daughter, whom he wouldn’t trade for the world.
That day when the rain was constantly pouring down.
Seeing his daughter lying in a coffin as a cold corpse, he writhed in agony for days and nights. Even when his stomach was pierced by a monster’s attack, it wasn’t this painful.
The words Danjangjiae (斷腸之哀) kept circling in his head.
Nevertheless, he held on to his sanity. Because he still had a small and weak granddaughter left.
That’s why he couldn’t forgive his son-in-law, who had left his young daughter behind and disappeared.
From the beginning, he didn’t like him when his daughter first brought him to the family.
He couldn’t accept a man who had grown up without parents, with nothing but a handsome appearance and outstanding talent as his strengths.
But there’s no parent who can win against their child.
In the end, he couldn’t resist his daughter’s earnest request and allowed the marriage.
Happiness spread across his daughter’s face as she held the wedding ceremony amidst everyone’s blessings. Seeing his daughter’s appearance, he was ashamed of himself for being trapped in a narrow-minded way of thinking and disliking him.
Yes, what was wrong with growing up without parents?
It would be enough if he could make his daughter happy.
But he never showed up at his daughter’s funeral.
To make matters worse, he even attacked the family in his absence and tried to kidnap Hye-na.
He couldn’t forgive him. He was so angry that he wanted to tear him apart and kill him right away.
And then his granddaughter brought a man who looked exactly like him in front of him.
Handsome appearance, talent that was more than outstanding and overwhelming, and an orphan.
He couldn’t help but think of him.
“Cough.”
When he covered his mouth and coughed, blood came out mixed in.
At this point, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.
That the final blow he had received had broken through his defense and left meaningful damage.
‘A mage reached this far with martial arts alone…’
He let out a bitter laugh without realizing it.
“…I don’t know.”
Even though he had lived to be over seventy years old, there were so many things he didn’t know.
Whether he should raise a glass to the two people’s relationship for his granddaughter’s happiness.
Or whether he should turn away from his granddaughter’s tears and chase him away, trapped in the tragedy of the past.
He really didn’t know.
