novelraw Chapter 8 : Chapter 8
Chapter 8 : Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Tailed
‘He’s skilled. Perhaps even more than I am.’
Ered’s nerves grew sharp.
If it were a mediocre opponent, he would have noticed the tail long ago.
He would have pinpointed their location and beaten them senseless.
But now, he couldn't even estimate their position.
The follower had concealed their presence almost perfectly against a Prominence.
‘He’s like a ghost.’
Perhaps the only reason he noticed the tail at all was thanks to the follower’s consideration.
That thought even crossed his mind.
The follower had revealed exactly that much presence.
Intentionally.
‘Why is he tailing me?’
He couldn't guess.
Was this also part of the test?
That hypothesis seemed the most likely.
‘Never a dull moment.’
He began to feel a thrill.
Encountering a powerhouse of this level wasn't easy.
The problem was that, for now, he had no specific way to respond.
However, he had no intention of shaking the tail.
If he did, this enjoyment would vanish.
‘Besides, I probably couldn't easily shake someone stronger than me anyway.’
In the end, he had no choice but to wait for the other side to move first.
Ered feigned nonchalance as he strolled through the lower sectors.
He deliberately showed a defenseless side.
That way, the person would take the bait and strike.
“…….”
Yet, the follower remained silent.
‘So that’s how you want to play?’
***
Ered left the flower shop holding a paid-for bouquet.
As he moved toward the outskirts of the district, the presence of people grew noticeably sparse.
An old wall stretched along the left side of the narrow path.
After walking for about ten minutes, the straight wall curved inward and connected to a small plaza.
A rotting wooden door hung between pillars stained with grime.
It was the main gate of a cemetery.
Creak.
As he stepped inside, the static air seeped into his nostrils.
The cemetery in Sector 36 was desolate.
The tombstones in front of the graves were crude beyond compare.
They bore the clear marks of being roughly carved.
There were many graves without even such tombstones.
Ered wound his way past countless graves along a stone path.
Only when he reached the far edge of the cemetery did he finally stop.
A mounded grave.
It didn't even have a tombstone to identify who was buried there.
However, he knew this grave well.
Because he had made it himself.
This was an empty grave.
Deep within, only an empty coffin lay sleeping.
The reason was simple.
Because the body was never found.
Missing.
One day, she suddenly disappeared.
As if she had evaporated from this world.
It was sudden.
There was a time when he couldn't let go of the hope that she might still be alive.
Ered touched the identification tag on his necklace with a somber look.
It was the furthest, most secluded corner of the cemetery.
Even for this, he had nearly emptied his meager savings.
He hadn't dared to even think about erecting a tombstone.
He laid the bouquet on the grave.
She liked flowers.
“It’s been a while.”
Long ago, they had made such a promise.
If one were to leave this world first, the other would visit often so that person wouldn't be lonely.
It wasn't a serious promise.
It was nothing more than a nutrient-poor conversation brought up like a joke.
He didn't know back then.
That a day like this would truly come.
Ered straightened his uniform.
As if showing off to them.
“How is it? Looking good, right? What did I tell you? I said I’d definitely succeed.”
The slight smile that had bloomed on his lips slowly turned into a bitter one.
He had grandly promised to let her enjoy wealth and glory.
In the end, he became unable to keep that promise.
‘I’ll have to move the grave soon.’
He didn't want to leave her neglected in such a back-alley place forever.
He would reinter her in a sunny spot.
Grandly enough that anyone’s gaze would be drawn to it.
He now had the ability to do so.
Ered crouched in front of the grave.
He painstakingly cleared the messy weeds.
Just as the weeding was finishing.
“Haven't you had enough time to show your face?”
He spoke while keeping his gaze fixed on the grave.
The cemetery was located in the furthest corner of Sector 39.
It meant there were few places to hide.
Due to the nature of a cemetery, people were sparse.
Tailing someone without being noticed was bound to be tricky.
A place where silence hung like a daily routine.
Even a small sound was bound to be heard clearly.
While the cemetery was his original destination, it was also a suitable place to draw out a follower hidden in the shadows.
Two birds with one stone.
“Shall I?”
A strange man's voice.
The guy revealed himself from behind a gaunt tree.
‘I missed that?’
A chill ran down his spine.
The gap between them was less than 10 meters.
A much closer position than he thought.
‘I thought at least he’d be outside the cemetery.’
Even though he had lured the follower to a quiet cemetery to forcibly increase the difficulty of tailing, it was still at this level.
‘Then how close was he before?’
He couldn't even guess.
Ered narrowed his eyes and stared at the man.
It was an unfamiliar face.
To make matters worse, the opponent was wearing sunglasses.
It was difficult to identify him.
“I was planning to return quietly today. I didn't want to disturb your time mourning the deceased.”
“Your consideration is incredible.”
Ered let out a snort.
Who said he could just return?
He had no intention of letting him go.
“So, what’s your business?”
“That is for you to find out from now on.”
He expected that the man wouldn't answer easily.
“Just what I wanted.”
Since conversation was blocked, only one way remained.
Ered infused mana into his Arcane Sword.
Mana Blade.
A technique that maximizes the cutting power of a sword by wrapping it in mana.
Through this, he had ruthlessly shattered a Wizard's Force Field on the front lines.
He intended to give it his all from the start.
Because the opponent was a powerhouse who even fooled the superhuman senses of a Prominence.
“Up we go.”
The guy loosened his body by rotating his wrists and ankles.
His attitude was as relaxed as if he had come out for a stroll.
Seeing that, a competitive spirit burned up naturally.
He wanted to ruthlessly crush that overflowing composure.
Pat!
He immediately rushed at the guy.
The man was still busy loosening his joints.
Whish!
Ered struck down diagonally with his sword.
With the intention of taking off that damn wrist.
“Oops.”
Only then did the guy react.
Clang-clash-clang!!
As the two blades became entangled and scraped against each other, a metal chorus rang out.
After cutting at the wrist, he lowered the sword to slash the thigh, then struck upward toward the chest.
That was Ered’s plan.
However, the consecutive attacks were not effective against the guy.
‘This bastard?’
At first, he thought the guy's identity was a Prominence.
That a senior Prominence had come to test a junior's aptitude.
Because within the Empire, the only beings superior to a Prominence are other Prominences.
But the guy didn't activate his mana circuits.
On the other hand, Ered was in a state where his circuits were fully active.
And yet, he couldn't overwhelm the man.
Even the Mana Blade didn't work.
Despite clashing with red mana, the guy's sword was fine.
Not even a tiny scratch could be found.
It wasn't that the guy's sword was special either.
It was just an ordinary iron sword.
‘How is this possible?’
Ered’s eyes widened.
He had to analyze the cause.
Kagagang!
After exchanging swords a few more times, he finally had a clue.
‘The moment the swords touch, he twists the angle of the blade to deflect the attack.’
Flowing smoothly like water.
It was a subtle movement, so clever that one wouldn't notice it unless they watched with extreme focus.
If the timing of twisting the angle were even slightly late, the guy's sword would break without fail.
Against a Prominence who surpasses humans in every aspect, the time allowed for the man was a mere split second.
And yet.
He wedged himself into the split second of that split second and deflected the attacks one after another.
That wasn't all.
‘I’m being moved exactly as he intends.’
Goosebumps broke out on Ered's forearms.
The guy wasn't just deflecting attacks.
‘He’s twisting my sword into the path he wants.’
He was inducing the direction to make it easy to predict the following attack.
Ered took a few steps back.
At this rate, it's useless no matter how many times he swings his sword.
Because it will be read every time.
“Why are you smiling?”
After hearing the guy's question, Ered realized.
The fact that he was smiling.
“Because it’s fun.”
He had only traded swords a few times.
He already felt a wall from the guy.
So how could he not be enjoying it?
He wanted to break the solid wall blocking his path.
If he broke this wall, he would be able to grow one step further.
The thrilling pleasure was a bonus.
What should he do to become stronger?
Ered was seized by contemplation.
‘Concentrate.’
He decided to forget the unnecessary.
He couldn't defeat the man while carrying a bunch of random thoughts.
He was a formidable opponent.
‘You. And me.’
Nothing else exists in this world.
He poured his concentration solely on focusing on that.
He wanted to take the man down.
The fierce desire roughly burned away the unnecessary elements.
The world gradually grew blurred.
Within it, only the man’s entire body was clearly etched into his vision.
Eventually, even the surrounding noise could no longer be heard.
An unfamiliar sensation.
He even felt as if time were flowing slowly.
He didn't know what kind of phenomenon this was.
Because it was his first time experiencing it.
But it was definitely not a bad feeling.
That much was certain.
“That’s...?”
The guy started to say something, but it didn't enter his ears.
He bent both knees.
The moment his knees sprang up like coils, Ered became a streak of light.
The Arcane Sword drew a vertical line while scattering red mana.
He shouldn't just swing the sword as he pleased.
He immersed himself.
To the point where he felt the sensation in every joint of his fingers vividly.
Whoosh.
The full-powered attack was cleverly deflected this time as well, without fail.
However, there were two differences from before.
First.
Composure vanished from the guy's face.
Second.
A nick appeared in the guy's iron sword.
“…Ugh.”
A groan escaped Ered's mouth.
His brow furrowed involuntarily.
His head felt hot.
A feeling as if lava were flowing instead of blood.
Kigik!
Sword and sword collided again.
Swords crossed in an 'X'.
The sound of metal grinding as the blades clashed was noisy.
A split second of less than one second.
‘He’ll deflect the sword soon.’
Just as he had done until now.
Before the iron sword could no longer withstand the Mana Blade and broke.
Normally, it would have been a moment that passed in a flash.
But now.
Ered’s time was flowing slowly.
‘Look straight. Which direction is he deflecting the sword? What’s the timing?’
The man’s wrist holding the sword twisted toward the outside of his torso.
Seeing that, Ered let go of his strength instead.
Matching exactly the moment the guy deflected the sword.
Until now, he had been forcibly resisting the deflection.
Like swimming against a current.
On the other hand, this time he entrusted his body to the current.
In the process, the guy's wrist turned more than necessary.
It was a natural result, as Ered’s sword, which was supposed to be deflected, had no strength behind it.
He had essentially deflected the deflection.
The guy's sword tilted horizontally to a great degree, becoming parallel with the ground.
In the process, a gap appeared in the guy's chest.
He had been waiting for this moment.
Now, only one point was visible in Ered's eyes.
‘I’ll thrust as is.’
If he relied on arm strength, it would be hard to thrust accurately into the target.
Because the shaking of the sword tip would become severe.
He loosely relaxed his stiffened muscles.
‘The core of a thrust is not the arm, but the strength of the legs and core.
The arm’s role is to accurately maintain the aim.
The rest is pushed in with the body’s movement.’
That series of actions happened in an instant.
The moment Ered’s whole-hearted thrust was about to gouge into the guy's chest.
Kwang!
Suddenly, his breath was choked.
Heaven and earth flipped upside down.
Ered's consciousness was cut for a few seconds.
When he came to, he found himself crashed into the cemetery wall.
‘What happened?’
He didn't see it at all.
He saw the guy withdrawing the fist he had extended forward.
“You won.”
The guy took off his sunglasses.
A pair of red pupils were situated on his white skin.
‘He was a Prominence?’
Ered expressed surprise.
The guy had mana circuits but chose not to use them.
“I have no intention of killing you. I just wanted to verify if the Wizard Slayer lived up to his name.”
The guy approached the fallen Ered and extended a hand.
“The test ends with this—”
“Who said you could end it? I was just starting to have fun.”
What a ridiculous thing to say.
“You are in a state where you can no longer continue combat. Let alone fighting, you can't even move a single joint of your fingers….”
Don't make me laugh.
Ered realized while trying to force his arm to move.
The fact that three or four of his fingers were bent at a strange angle.
They must have been damaged in the process of falling.
Crack.
Crackle.
He forcibly reset his twisted finger joints.
His overworked muscles screamed every time they moved, but he finally succeeded in raising his collapsed body.
The still-boiling desire even swallowed the pain.
“What was that about a joint of a finger?”
As he shouted fiercely, the guy let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re just like I heard.”