The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 172

Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully – 172

The Unique World

Shua-Niel and Bathory erected barriers to block the massive explosion.

The explosion was so immense that the barriers nearly shattered multiple times, requiring constant reinforcement.

Without the barriers erected by the two great mages, they would have been blown away.

“Is Seong-Wu okay?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Seong-Wu will be fine,” Shua-Niel replied, her voice filled with conviction.

Yu Seong-Wu wasn’t someone who would die from an explosion of that magnitude.

However, even as she said it, Shua-Niel felt a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach.

If Yu Seong-Wu had died in this massive explosion…

Because the magical storm had enveloped the area, Yu Seong-Wu’s magic couldn’t be sensed, amplifying her anxiety.

As the storm subsided, a figure emerged from the center.

They prayed it wasn’t Tepes.

“That’s…!”

“I knew it!”

His clothes were burned away, but his body was intact.

Yu Seong-Wu, his body scarred and weary, walked towards them.

“Tepes has been annihilated,” he announced as he approached.

Tepes, in his final act, had unleashed all his remaining magic, causing the massive explosion.

However, Yu Seong-Wu had anticipated this. He deployed his Aura Armor to its maximum extent at the epicenter, barely managing to protect himself.

Yes, only himself.

When he came to, his clothes had been vaporized, but…

He didn’t particularly care.

It wasn’t uncommon for his clothes to be blown away during a fight.

Shua-Niel nodded, watching Yu Seong-Wu approach.

Bathory shouted.

“Hmm….”

“Clothes! Does anyone have clothes?!”

There weren’t any.

The vicinity had been obliterated, reduced to ruins.

***

Bran Castle.

In the place where everything had been destroyed by Tepes’s explosion, a figure appeared.

He reached down and picked up a few accessories scattered on the ground, muttering, “All these good things, shattered.”

Artifacts crafted from Chaos.

These were made exclusively for Vlad Tepes.

Most were designed to enhance the efficiency of his incantations.

Vlad Tepes was born human and became the first vampire, the result of accepting countless blood into his body.

The story of Dracula also played a part in his rebirth as a vampire.

Vlad Tepes possessed a rare talent.

The power within him was sufficient to qualify him as an Ascendant. Had there been no interference, he would have certainly succeeded in ascending and achieving complete divinity.

If that had happened, not only Romania but also neighboring countries would have fallen under Vlad Tepes’s control.

“It would have been possible to create a more interesting game….”

He clenched his fist, and the accessories in his hand crumbled to ashes.

A moment later, he was gone.

***

It wasn’t until Yu Seong-Wu arrived in Brasov, a city near Bran Castle, that he regained a semblance of human appearance.

He decided to buy new clothes and rest at a hotel.

“Even when choosing clothes, it has to be….”

Yu Seong-Wu, wearing a ridiculously designed T-shirt, thought he’d be better off naked.

He briefly considered tearing it apart but decided against it when he saw Bathory and Shua-Niel burst into laughter.

Yu Seong-Wu tore the T-shirt off on the spot, deciding to just wear pants.

Bathory, who had intended to tease Yu Seong-Wu, was horrified and bought him a decent T-shirt, rescuing him from his near-barbaric state.

On the way back to the hotel, they found Romania in chaos.

The cause was the fierce battle at Bran Castle.

The vibrations from the battle had echoed as far as Brasov, causing widespread fear.

Moreover, people were suddenly turning to ashes and disappearing.

These were Tepes’s followers.

There were thousands of them, so it was no wonder people were in confusion.

“It will be chaotic for a while,” Yu Seong-Wu said.

“But it will still function somehow. Although the Vlad family was in control, there were also resistance groups, made up of superhumans,” Bathory added.

“Resistance?”

“Yes. In Romania, there is a resistance against the Vlad family. The Witch Society is also planning to help, and they will soon seize power.”

No matter how ruined a country is, it still functions. Bathory said with a slightly bitter expression, leading them to a restaurant.

“This place is delicious.”

“I’m starving, so it better be good.”

“No, it really is a delicious place.”

“I’ll blow it away if I don’t like it.”

“Why are you doing this too?!” Bathory exclaimed.

Ignoring Yu Seong-Wu and Shua-Niel’s bickering, she took a seat and ordered several dishes.

Yu Seong-Wu felt like collapsing in the hotel, but filling his stomach was a priority.

Even if his body was recovering, muscle loss would occur without calories.

The meat-centered food was as delicious as Bathory had promised.

Perhaps because they ordered so much, the owner served them personally, and Yu Seong-Wu asked,

“The city is in chaos. Is it okay to do business like this?”

“Whether the country collapses or not, we have to eat to live, don’t we? I would appreciate it if you ordered a little more.”

“Add three more servings of this.”

“Thank you!”

The restaurant owner also brought out a lot of complimentary items.

Bathory didn’t eat much, but Shua-Niel and Yu Seong-Wu ate heartily.

Bathory wondered where all the food went in Shua-Niel’s small body.

“That’s right.”

Yu Seong-Wu, having removed the meat from a bone, took out an accessory from his pocket.

It was an artifact left at the site of Tepes’s explosion, the item he used when constructing his unique world [a personal reality or domain created by powerful beings].

It had caught his eye during the explosion, so he took it, hoping Bathory or Shua-Niel could analyze the incantation [a series of words said as a magic spell or charm] within.

As Yu Seong-Wu held out the artifact, Bathory was the first to show interest.

She picked it up, holding a fork in her other hand, and frowned.

“Most of the incantation has been blown away. It seems to be disposable. But I think analysis is possible, though not here. I need equipment.”

“Shua-Niel, take a look.”

“Tch.” Shua-Niel frowned, as if annoyed, and took the artifact from Bathory to examine it.

“It’s an artifact that amplifies something. As mentioned, most of the incantation is gone. Restoration is impossible.”

“I just need to know what kind of magic was contained in it. Find out later if you can.”

“Can I take it to the Witch Society and analyze it? Since it’s definitely an artifact made from Chaos, we should be able to analyze it accurately if we have a sample.”

“Do as you please.”

At Yu Seong-Wu’s answer, Shua-Niel handed it to Bathory.

If most of the incantation had been blown away, it was a useless item.

If the Witch Society analyzed it and found something, that alone would be a great discovery.

Yu Seong-Wu, having finished several more plates, wiped his fingers with a wet towel and smacked his lips.

“Shua-Niel, as soon as we return to Korea, we will start training.”

“…What kind of training?”

“We will complete the unique world. Didn’t you feel anything after seeing Tepes’s unique world?”

“…Should I run away before I get caught?”

“Thinking about running away from the unique world is stupid. Skilled guys unfold the unique world in an instant. When are you going to run away?”

There weren’t many strong people who could unfold a unique world.

But seeing Tepes use artifacts to do so, there was no guarantee that weaker individuals wouldn’t find a similar method.

Of course, those guys wouldn’t be as skilled, but at least they should be able to counter it.

Yu Seong-Wu thought that Shua-Niel was the only one who had the potential to develop a unique world.

Unfolding a unique world consumes vast amounts of magic and mental power.

It’s a task of consuming magic based on one’s will and mental image, twisting the cause and effect of reality and manifesting it as a result.

‘…Yuwol might be possible too. Once we get back, I’ll have to try them all.’

For magicians or swordsmen, the unique world is the most powerful weapon for those who have reached a certain level.

There are countless restrictions in implementing it, but if you overcome them, you can reach the peak.

‘Of course, I have to complete it first… I have a long way to go.’

Among Yu Seong-Wu’s Sword Soul Expedition, only about four people, including him, could unfold a unique world.

The three who had unfolded complete unique worlds, unlike Yu Seong-Wu, boasted tremendous power.

Of course, there was still a difference in skill that meant they couldn’t beat Yu Seong-Wu, even after unfolding their unique worlds.

When dealing with Tepes, if he could have unfolded his unique world, he could have defeated him more easily.

There was that much difference between an incomplete will and a complete will.

“Guys with divinity will all know how to unfold a unique world. Divinity is also a collection of wills. What we have to deal with in the future are guys who are close to that, or even further.”

He had confirmed the existence of those with divinity, and Tepes had also reached quasi-divinity through his unique world.

Ascendants were all those who had reached divinity, so it was clear that the guys they would have to deal with in the future were close to that level, or even further.

Yu Seong-Wu made plans to train others, mentioning this point.

It was annoying to deal with the monsters popping out of the Abyss, but now he had to deal with other powerful individuals.

A truly lamentable thing.

“Anyway, know that.”

“…What about my broadcasting time?”

“I’ll leave you that much time. Reduce your sleep or something.”

“You’re like a devil….”

However, Shua-Niel did not regret following Yu Seong-Wu from the land of the elves.

If she had stayed there, she would still be immersed in boredom, slowly turning into a tree.

Earth was a noisy place where boredom didn’t exist.

“Yeah, I should go to China. They said they dealt with the returnee, so I want to hear that story.”

“If they dealt with the returnee, are you talking about the Demonic Cult [a martial arts sect often depicted as evil or unorthodox]?”

“Yeah. The Demonic Cult Leader owes me a big debt. It’s also a way to get that debt back.”

“No, how…?”

“Didn’t you hear from Jeanne?”

“No.”

The events between Yu Seong-Wu and the Demonic Cult were not well known.

Yu Seong-Wu briefly explained what happened in Northern Europe and asked Bathory,

“And Bathory, there was something I had to ask you too.”

“What is it? If it’s a list of good restaurants, I’ll tell you as many as you want.”

“That’s not it.”

He hadn’t asked before because the situation was urgent.

It seemed like there wouldn’t be another chance to hear it if he didn’t ask now.

The reason for Bathory’s hostility towards Tepes.

She knew about Tepes but didn’t tell him.

It was over, but he had to address it.

If he let things like this slide, problems would arise someday.

“I think it’s time to explain what happened in the past. You knew about Tepes, but you didn’t disclose that information. This seems like a pretty serious issue.”

Yu Seong-Wu’s eyes narrowed.