## Chapter 118 – Soul Ascension Match
ㅡWhoosh!
The dryad sprinted.
An explosive burst of leg strength that didn’t seem like it belonged to a plant-based monster. With her claws extended, she charged towards us.
Was her target the mage, Roel? Or the seemingly weakest, Custo?
Whatever the case, it was clear that these two would be one-shot.
I stepped forward in front of the party.
The enemy was coming. Was I scared? Fucking terrified. But I had the armor I trusted, the powerful strength honed through killing, the experience of intensive training from the swordmaster Karin, and the certified martial prowess of a Taekwondo third-degree black belt, which didn’t even need mentioning.
I couldn’t afford to think about losing before even fighting.
I had to fight, win, and approach it with the intention of killing the enemy to actually win.
It was easy to deal with an opponent who was intimidated and cowering. But an enemy who risked their very life in a fight was a tricky one. I took another step forward. I put strength into the hand holding my sword.
ㅡFlash!
And then, I ran.
“KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!”
I roared like a beast, charging forward with my blade leading the way. If I fell behind in speed, I’d lose momentum. I, too, sprinted towards the dryad with all my might.
ㅡShhhhhh!!
The monster also roared. The exposed fangs resembled those of a leopard.
A carnivorous plant, no. A man-eating plant!
The dryad had her palms wide open, as if her claws were her main weapon. In that case, I had the advantage in reach. Her fingernails, which looked like they hadn’t been cut in years, were definitely long, but shorter than my sword. I had to use that to my advantage.
“You fucking flower bitch!!!!”
ㅡClash.
The sword I thrust out sparked as it dug between the dryad’s claws. I was going to cut her hand off, but it didn’t go as planned. She quickly twisted her hand, changing the trajectory of my blade.
The durability of her claws was considerable. But I didn’t back down.
I was heavier.
I withstood the impact of the collision with the muscles of my solid lower body. She, being a monster, seemed to have the upper hand in terms of strength, but at least in terms of size and reach, I was overwhelmingly superior. I had to make the most of these two advantages.
ㅡShhhhhh!!
Close-quarters combat continued.
I twisted the handle of my sword and put my weight behind it, intending to slam the blade between her collarbones.
Her long fingernails were being ground down.
It would be great if I could shatter her fingernails, but,
ㅡWhoosh!
The dryad slashed at my shoulder with her other hand.
I quickly changed the direction of my blade to block the following attack. I assessed the damage. My shoulder, protected by the pauldron, was unharmed, but it was clear that the leather pauldron I had bought was scratched… What????!!!
“YOU!!!! FUCKING!!!! BASTARD!!!!!!”
Had this crazy bitch completely lost it? She had ruined my precious pauldron that I bought with my own money!!!!! Overwhelmed by a huge and overwhelming rage that made me lose my mind, I was practically frothing at the mouth. I slammed a knee strike of pure rage into the monster’s abdomen.
ㅡCough!
The dryad staggered from the impact.
“You son of a bitch! I won’t go easy on you just because you’re pretty!”
I hadn’t gone easy on her from the start, but anyway, fighting at close range, I noticed that the dryad’s face was quite beautiful.
Green skin and green hair. Vines and leaves covering her naked flesh. She was a sexy figure that could be described as a forest fairy, and her daring attire made me blush, wondering what kind of maniacal underwear it was, but from now on, it wouldn’t be my face that was blushing, but the monster’s corpse that would be butchered.
I’ll show you my secret technique, the Beauty Slayer.
Kim Kkat was truly one of the most honorable warriors, showing no mercy whatsoever when facing a life-or-death duel, whether the opponent was a woman, an old man, or a child (including grandmothers in the form of young girls).
It smelled good, definitely the scent of a beautiful flower.
But compared to the scent of the leather from my pauldron that had just been torn, it was an extremely disgusting stench.
I felt the urge to tear this world apart.
How much did that cost, you bitch!
“Roel!!!! Fire Bolt!!! Signal when you’re about to shoot!!!!”
“O-Okay!”
I shouted Roel’s name and quickly executed three slashes. If I covered the monster’s eyes with my sword and Roel hit her with a Fire Bolt, it would be a critical hit.
“For my pauldron!”
ㅡSlash!
Whoosh, whoosh! She avoided two slashes and tried to create distance by springing back like a coil. Dare she take a backstep during combat? I immediately performed a horizontal Sargent Jump instead of a vertical one, chasing after her and stabbing in the final blow.
ㅡClang!
As expected, she blocked my attack with her claws. And.
“I’m shooting!”
ㅡFwoosh!
A Fire Bolt was fired from behind. I didn’t release my frog-like posture of stabbing with my sword and rolled on the ground. I had her pinned down enough, so if I hit her with a fireball here, I could finish her off.
ㅡSha, shhhh!
But unfortunately, the Fire Bolt pierced through the air and disappeared.
A miss!
“You fucking retard!!!!!”
I shouted as if having a seizure and immediately got up and slashed with my sword. I was caught off guard because I couldn’t imagine that the useless bitch would fail her attack at this timing. But if the attack didn’t work, I had no choice but to take care of it myself.
ㅡSha, shhhh!
But then the dryad faltered.
“This bitch is afraid of fire!”
Was it the lingering heat? She was wary of her surroundings after seeing the fire. Her gaze seemed to be directed at Roel behind me…. Could it be!
ㅡFlash!
“You son of a bitch!”
Evasion maneuver. The dryad, who had disappeared from my sight, ran diagonally and jumped towards Roel. You fucking bastard! Was she faster than me! I chased after her as well.
“Kya, kyaaaaaaaaaaack!!!”
“Uwaaaaaaaa!!!
Roel and Custo screamed. Custo, holding his mace, took a threatening stance, but he looked like a complete pushover. The same must be true for the dryad.
Oh my god.
Roel pointed her staff. A chanted spell. The dryad charging. Would she be able to complete the spell and attack! With my sword raised, I barely caught up with the dryad from behind. Just as I was about to swing down and slash,
ㅡWhoosh whoosh whoosh!!!
“What the fuck is this!”
Vines rose from the ground… the same trick Serka had fallen victim to!
I hurriedly swung my sword, cutting down the vines. Was this a stalling tactic!
“Zubrryaaaaaaaack!!!”
Beyond the cut vines, I saw Custo spraying blood and being thrown away.
From his mouth came a scream like that of a mythical hero who had met a tragic death due to the betrayal of his trusted comrades. He had been knocked out with a single scratch. I was screwed. I was really screwed. I stepped on the vines and ran urgently.
“Cu, Custo!”
Roel’s chanting was interrupted.
“You fucking idiot!!!!”
I felt like my head was about to explode with anger. No, logically, if you saw Custo getting attacked, you should have finished chanting the spell and cast magic to avenge him! Why are you calling out his name!!!!!!!!
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I barely managed to hold onto my sanity as it flew away.
I couldn’t let Roel get hurt.
Roel screamed and rolled on the ground. Fortunately, she avoided the dryad’s attack. Thanks to that, I gained time and caught up with the dryad from behind.
“Miss! Look at me!”
ㅡShaaa?
As I swung my sword and greeted her, she turned to look at me. The blade that cut through the air made a piercing sound as if it would slam into the woman’s neck.
ㅡClang!
It wouldn’t be that easy. The attack was blocked by her claws. But I regained the aggro that had been stolen by Roel. I decided to keep attacking and drive the monster far away. There was no forgiveness in my blade filled with anger.
“Chief’s Swordsmanship!!!”
Wrapping around, stabbing, pulling back, winding up, and slashing again. The ultimate swordsmanship that I had successfully sparred with Karin up to four times, Chief’s Swordsmanship! The dryad, who had been continuously stepping back, stepped into the bush. And then, a horizontal slash!
ㅡWhoosh!
ㅡThwack!
Chop.
Bushes and flowers fluttered. The dryad dodged my horizontal slash by crouching down. All I had cut were the bushes and the grown flowers.
ㅡSha, shaaaaaaaaaaat!!!!
Then suddenly, she let out a shrill roar. What was it? I thought she was entering a second phase due to anger, so I created some distance, but she was grabbing the fluttering petals and grieving.
“Hoo!”
This monster must be sad to see her friends being cut down because she’s a plant monster!
Weakling Discernment
Activated.
“Uahahahahahaha!!!”
Good. It had been a long time since I had fought someone on equal footing like this. Very good, she was an opponent worth risking my life for.
But you showed me your weakness. That isㅡ
Plants!
“Are these your friends!”
I ran into the bush and wildly swung my sword, carrying out a weeding operation. With my long experience in the military, my weeding level had reached the realm of mastery.
Every time the blade flashed, flowers and bushes were cut and flew into the sky. The title of Weeding Master, which deals 100% additional damage against plants! As a human being, I destroyed nature out of duty!
I will build human civilization on this land!
ㅡSha! Shaaaaaaaaaa!!!
The dryad, completely enraged, charged at me.
She was a monster who may not have had any reason to be rational in the first place, but this time her eyes were completely turned over as if she had completely lost her mind. Those sharp claws were aimed at me.
“You’re slow! Even in your charge!”
In the meantime, I deliberately grabbed a pretty flower and broke it off, and then faced her. Swoosh, swoosh! Swoosh! The claws continuously stabbed in! I slowly retreated, using my sword to block the attacks. ㅡCrack! The chaotic iron claws that came in deeply for a moment scratched my arm.
“Juaaaaaaaack!!”
I screamed, thinking I was screwed because I was being reckless again.
But I didn’t feel any pain. That’s right. The attack was on my arm. My forearm was tightly protected by the gauntlet! The dryad’s claw attacks were definitely fierce. But.
“Not enough to tear through steel!”
There was no damage to the gauntlet.
No matter how much she slashed with her claws, she couldn’t tear through steel! As expected, equipment! Equipment is the best!
Filled with confidence, I swung my sword even more boldly. My mind, except for my head, was surrounded by armor. Her attacks could never inflict a fatal blow on me! Then Iㅡ!
“You bitch!”
Ignoring the scratches, I reached out my arm.
Swish! My arm was scratched, but again, only the gauntlet was scratched, and the quilted armor was slightly torn. I grabbed the monster’s neck as it was.
ㅡCough!
Her scream erupted.
“Got you!”
I’ll stab my sword into her neck as it is!
Beauty fades quickly, so beautiful women die early!
ㅡWhoosh!
“Cough?!”
At that moment, the vines that had risen again struck my abdomen. The impact made me release the dryad’s neck. My abdomen was protected by quilted armor, so there was no injury, but the impact was fully conveyed.
ㅡShaa…
“You son of a bitch, how dare you hit a person?”
I felt a stomach ache. This bastard…
I will never kill you in a normal way.
“I’ll help!”
And Serka rushed in.
“You’re just coming now! You fucking bitch!”
“…”
Fortunately, she didn’t kick me in the back of the head. Honestly, I was preparing for that, but I couldn’t pay attention to it because of the fierce battle with the dryad. I was so glad that this bitch’s head was working.
“Go, Serka! I’ve already seasoned her! Show your true skills! The pride of a martial artist! The master of martial arts! Pour out everythingㅡ, you have!”
“Haaap!”
Serka ran out like a fist god.
ㅡClang!
The martial artist Serka and the monster dryad clashed! A fierce battle ensued. No, it wasn’t a battle! It was a one-sided and continuous attack!
“Kuhuaaaaaaaack!!!”
Serka’s uniform was torn and blood splattered. Serka screamed. Unlike me, who was wearing armor, she was wearing only a pure uniform and knuckles. She couldn’t deflect the claws at all, and just got hit with everything at once, screaming and flying into the sky. Fist God was a joke, she was completely defeated in three seconds.
Serka is screwed!
“Is she a fucking comedian!!”
I can only laugh now.
What are the other guys doing? Looking around, I saw the weeds near the Konpeito tree burning and Custo collapsed. And Roel was holding him.
You guys are really useless, you fucking bitches…
But fire.
Fire?
“Fire?”
Seeing the burning weeds, I was seized by a strange impulse.
Fire.
Yes.
Fire.
Fire is strong against plants. The fire attribute overwhelms the wood attribute. Flames burn and scorch plants, turning them into ashes. Serka was crawling on the ground, calling for her mother… The strange impulse turned into conviction.
I immediately took out an oil bottle from my pouch and poured it on my sword.
“From now on, I’ll be conducting this game.”
Flames were rising.
