The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 38: The Enemy Beneath (4)

The Rustal family’s rebellion.

An unprecedentedly large monster wave.

Each of these events was enough to be overwhelming on its own, yet they occurred back-to-back.

It was only natural to focus on resolving the crisis at hand.

However, that didn’t mean Martin could neglect his responsibilities—becoming a proper family head and acquiring the strength befitting that title.

In fact, given the current situation, he needed to pay even more attention to it.

‘Still, this is a bit… absurd.’

Martin stared ahead, a look of disbelief on his face.

Rumble!

Countless tornadoes were violently ravaging the wasteland.

While the wasteland itself had been summoned through the magic circle in the Sovereign’s Chamber, the apocalyptic scene unfolding was the result of a single individual’s power.

‘This is the power of a 10th-circle mage.’

Of course, his opponent wasn’t using her full strength.

This was just an avatar, and compared to a real 10th-circle master, it lacked in many ways.

Still, the strength of the being before him was undeniable.

– The trial is simple. Use only air manipulation to break through all the tornadoes and stand before me. –

Despite the furious storm raging around him, the voice rang clear.

Martin lifted his head and looked up at the sky.

Hovering above was Arelia von Adalbert, the first family head—or, more accurately, her avatar. She gazed down at him with a regal expression, exuding an air of majesty.

It was an impressive sight, even if her words were not so easy to agree with.

“Hmm, I think we have very different ideas about what ‘simple’ means, First Head.”

– If you’re scared, you can always give up. You can attempt the trial again later. –

Arelia’s smile was teasing as she provoked him, causing a grin to form on Martin’s lips.

Give up? In front of the first head he so deeply respected?

His pride wouldn’t allow it.

‘I’m passing this in one go.’

He resolved to surprise the first head by completing the trial flawlessly.

With his determination set, Martin began circulating his mana.

Vwoom.

Mana surged from the cores in his abdomen and head, flowing into his sword, Kaizen.

As it did, an aura blade manifested, enveloping the sword in a golden glow.

Next, Martin activated Omni Distortion, adding the power of wind to the aura blade.

Whirl!

Golden winds began to swirl around him.

Though it couldn’t compare to the tornadoes Arelia had created, the presence of his wind was clear.

‘The size of the power isn’t what matters.’

If Arelia were continuously channeling mana into her tornadoes, there would be no way to win.

But right now, she wasn’t actively controlling them.

Even though the tornadoes were devastating enough to tear the earth apart, it wasn’t an insurmountable challenge.

The key was essence.

No matter what unique ability created the wind, the fact remained that air was being manipulated.

The core of Arelia’s swordsmanship was to disrupt that flow and wrest control of it.

It was an incredibly difficult feat.

Still, Martin had confidence.

‘I’m the best at reading flows.’

This was one of the few blessings the Dragon’s Curse had given him.

He could see it clearly now—the flow of mana rampaging inside the tornado.

“Haaah!”

With a loud battle cry, Martin kicked off the ground.

Then, gripping Kaizen with both hands, he swung the sword horizontally.

The golden wind-clad blade collided with the tornado barreling toward him from the right.

Boom!

As soon as the two forces clashed, a violent storm erupted, and a powerful shockwave rippled outward.

“Ugh!”

Instinctively, Martin groaned.

Thick blood dripped from his tightly sealed lips, and his body felt like it was on the verge of breaking.

But he gritted his teeth and focused on swinging his sword.

As the wind whirled ferociously, the flow of mana changed, but Martin held it steady with his blade.

If he withdrew now, the flow would shift elsewhere, and all his efforts would be in vain.

He couldn’t afford to waste time.

There was a limit to how long he could hold the wind with his sword.

Rumble!

Pouring as much mana as he could into the blade, Martin pushed the golden energy deeper into the tornado, slowly overpowering it.

At the same time, the golden mana began to encroach upon the tornado’s core.

A glint of interest appeared in Arelia’s eyes as she watched.

‘His judgment is exceptional.’

While his talent for swordsmanship was impressive, his ability to think and adapt was just as remarkable.

“Arghhh!”

Unaware of Arelia’s thoughts, Martin let out a scream that was more like a war cry as he slashed his sword diagonally upward.

At last, the tornado was cleaved apart and dissipated into nothing.

In the process, a portion of the enormous power from the tornado flowed into Martin’s sword, causing the golden wind around him to grow even stronger.

However, this was no time to relax.

There were still many tornadoes left, and despite Arelia no longer controlling them, they continued to influence each other, growing in strength.

Martin kept pushing forward, kicking off the ground and leaping higher.

‘Not enough.’

He needed to be faster.

And stronger.

Vroom!

The golden wind swirling around his blade spun even faster, forming a circular vortex that dominated the surrounding space.

Then, a realization dawned on him.

There was a crucial detail missing from Arelia’s teachings.

“Well, well. You left out a rather important piece of information, didn’t you?”

– It’s a trial, after all. You should be able to figure out how to apply what you’ve learned. –

“Fair enough, but I’m not sure this can be called a ‘simple application.’”

Martin smirked as he activated Omni Distortion.

Whirl!

The wind gathered around him, enveloping his entire body.

He then envisioned himself becoming one with the wind and the space around him as he kicked off the ground once more.

A deafening roar erupted as a golden explosion filled the air, making it seem as if the world itself was screaming.

In that instant, Martin became a streak of light.

Crack!

The new tornado met his sword.

And that was the end.

The golden blade sliced through the massive windstorm, completely dissipating it.

Just like before, the power of the storm flowed into Martin, amplifying his movement.

‘Gah!’

Martin’s face twisted in pain.

The force he had forcibly seized was now rampaging inside his body.

While it was good that he could expel this power to push his speed to the extreme, there was a significant problem.

The friction heat.

The intense heat from the rapid movement had turned his body red, and now burns were starting to form across his skin.

‘Even so!’

Compared to the hardships he had faced so far, this pain was nothing.

Martin unleashed all the mana accumulated from the dragon’s curse.

The vast amount of mana was fully used to control the atmosphere, and his speed increased even further.

The golden flash darted around, slicing the whirlwinds one by one.

As a result, the whirlwinds that had filled the wilderness were reduced to just over ten in a mere five minutes.

And then it happened.

Arelia, who had been silently watching, waved her right hand.

Crash!

All the remaining whirlwinds merged into one.

The deafening roar that followed was like the scream of heaven and earth.

“Hoo. If it weren’t for my ancestor, or if I were even slightly stronger, I would have complained endlessly.”

– I wish you’d stop with the useless whining. You already understand everything. –

“Well, that’s true.”

Martin grinned.

What he needed to grasp in this trial wasn’t just perceiving and controlling the flow.

He had fully seen through the lesson Arelia had intentionally omitted.

“Haaaaat!”

With a shout, he squeezed out even more mana.

He forced out every last drop until the mana core, which had never been emptied due to the dragon’s curse, was finally drained.

Crack.

He heard something shatter inside the mana core in his head.

Yet Martin didn’t care. He charged ahead, clashing with the last whirlwind.

Boom!

With a massive explosion, both the light and the whirlwind vanished.

Martin’s sword was now pointed at Arelia’s neck.

Steam rose from his entire body.

– What have you realized? –

“Resonance. It’s not enough to just perceive and control the flow. You must become one with the power itself.”

– Damn talent difference. It took me over a year to realize that. –

Arelia sighed and shook her head.

She had realized the moment they first met that this last descendant had an exceptional talent.

Over the past month, while teaching swordsmanship, she had been amazed many times.

Naturally, she thought she had fully grasped his potential, but to think there was still room for surprise was beyond her expectation.

It was absurd, but at the same time, she was happy.

Proud, even, that she had helped bloom such incredible talent.

– Congratulations. You’ve now perfectly mastered the first chapter of Arelia swordsmanship, ‘The Chapter of Wind.’ You can now proudly claim you’ve learned it outside. –

“Thank you. I’m not sure if there will ever be an occasion to say so, though.”

Martin said as he sheathed his sword.

He then opened his subspace and frantically drank potions.

As expected from the highest grade, the effects were remarkable. Both his external and internal injuries healed at an astonishing rate.

While checking his condition, he nearly let out a cheer.

‘The path to the 4th Circle has opened!’

He could feel cracks forming in his mana core within his head.

This was the next step toward advancement.

If he grasped the proper clue, he would not only reach the 4th Circle in swordsmanship but also with his unique ability.

‘I failed before, but this time, for sure!’

Martin’s determination burned even hotter.

“What will I learn in the second chapter?”

– You’ll learn swordsmanship that controls flames. More precisely, it’s about manipulating heat. –

“You really put a lot of research into this.”

– I tried everything to beat that bastard, the first emperor. It was frustrating to see all the things I worked hard to build buried, but thanks to you, I’ve been able to resolve that frustration. –

“If you’re grateful, maybe you could go a little easier on me during training…”

– I’ll work you to the bone. Enough to break the record for the youngest 8th Circle swordmaster. –

Arelia’s eyes flashed sharply.

Overwhelmed by her spirit, Martin gave an awkward laugh.

“Well then, I’ll be off now.”

– Yes, you’ve pushed yourself quite hard. Go back and rest. –

“I’d love to, but it’s not that easy right now.”

– Is something the matter? –

“Well…”

Martin explained the upcoming monster wave.

He also added that it was an unprecedented event.

After hearing the story, Arelia let out a soft sigh.

– Hoo. Monsters devouring other monsters to grow stronger… The world is truly unpredictable. I’ve been on this land for over a thousand years, and still, there are things I hear for the first time. –

“I know dungeons are a realm of the unknown, but this seems a bit excessive.”

After the founding of the Altaria Empire, humanity had begun venturing into dungeons in earnest.

Since then, a thousand years had passed, and through the byproducts of dungeons, humanity had successfully ushered in the Age of Magic.

However, despite the advancement of human civilization, little had been uncovered about the dungeons themselves.

The extent of this was evident in the fact that even the total number of dungeon floors remained unknown.

If not for an adventurer discovering the 51st floor 200 years ago, humanity would still be unaware that there was anything beyond the 50th floor.

In that sense, dungeons remained a complete mystery.

– As much as the dungeon is troubling, I’m more concerned about your condition. –

“My condition, you say?”

– Yes. It hasn’t even been a few days since you suppressed the rebellion, and now another ordeal arises that you might struggle to handle. Can your body take it? –

“Thank you for your concern, but you don’t need to worry. I’ve endured far worse.”

– I don’t think that’s something to say with a smile on your face… –

“This is just to say I can handle it.”

– I truly can’t imagine what fate you bear. Every child I’ve watched over had their own burdens, but none of them compared to yours. –

“Well, I think just being able to manifest my unique ability late in life makes it a meaningful one. And the things to come? As the future head of the Adalbert family, I’ll simply have to endure.”

Arelia shook her head in disbelief before speaking again.

– I’ll say this for certain. You’ll be one of the greatest heads of the family in history. –

“Hm. Well, that’s only natural, don’t you think…?”

Seeing Martin’s awkward expression, Arelia von Adalbert chuckled.

The family’s only direct descendant didn’t just possess immense talent in martial arts and unique abilities.

Despite his youth, he displayed a mental fortitude that even Arelia found impressive.

– I can’t keep a busy child like you here for long. I won’t tell you to stop working, but remember to take care of your health. The fate of the family rests on you. –

“I’ll keep that in mind. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Martin politely bowed.

And with that, he left the Tyrant’s Chamber.

* * *

Two days after Martin had convened the grand meeting.

Kalain Gustin, a handsome man with red hair, stared grimly at the magic circle before him.

Flash!

As the radiant light burst forth, the space above the magic circle split apart.

From within the rift emerged a man with long red hair and a beard.

Kalain immediately bowed respectfully.

“I greet the head of the family.”

Mateus von Gustin.

The only branch family head said to rival Vincent nodded in acknowledgment.

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