The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 148

Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully – Episode 148

Hraesvelg

“Kill the warden…?”

Dahaz blinked his faded eyes at Yoo Seong-woo’s words.

Yoo Seong-woo had initially thought of the giants in the spire as guardians protecting the rocky mountains, but it seemed they were actually wardens, preventing the giants from leaving the village.

“Yeah. There’s a spire on the opposite side, and there was a giant bigger than you. I killed him.”

“The spire warden… right. That guy throws spears if we leave the village…”

So, the warden thought they were giants who had escaped the village and threw spears at them.

Yoo Seong-woo connected the dots.

Hraesvelg and the war, the giants and the guardians. These were all connected.

Having finished his thoughts, he asked Dahaz.

“We came to find Hraesvelg. What is your relationship with Hraesvelg?”

“Hraes… velg.”

Dahaz’s face turned pale as soon as he heard the name Hraesvelg.

“The one who devours corpses… why…?”

“Hraesvelg is an ancient Norse word for ‘corpse swallower.’ You seem surprised to hear that?” Hetris added, providing a quick explanation.

“Someone needs his tail feathers. We’re looking for him to pluck some feathers.”

“N-no, no way. Hraesvelg, dangerous… definitely die. He is… the boss who trapped us at the end of this north…”

Dahaz’s words quickened.

It was difficult to understand him because he was rambling, as if it were difficult to even talk about Hraesvelg.

To summarize, Dahaz said that Hraesvelg, despite being a fellow Jötunn [a giant in Norse mythology], had imprisoned them here, and he was still sleeping in the highest place.

He was recovering from the injuries he sustained during the gods’ war, Ragnarok [the end of the world in Norse mythology].

“Then now is the perfect time. There’s nothing easier than beating up a guy who’s resting.”

“Still, Hraesvelg… strong.”

“I’m stronger.”

Yoo Seong-woo said that and waited for Dahaz to calm down for a moment before continuing.

“It would be nice if you could tell me the fastest way to the summit.”

“Know the way… but…”

Dahaz looked at the guests who had come to the village after a long time.

Neither Jötunn, nor Aesir [a group of Norse gods], nor Vanir [another group of Norse gods].

Just humans.

Small humans from Midgard [the realm of humans in Norse mythology] with strange powers.

He hoped that the long-awaited guests would not die in vain.

Unlike themselves, who would return here even if they died, they would live free lives without being weathered.

That’s why Dahaz hesitated to tell them the way to the summit.

He was afraid that by telling them the way, those burning lives might disappear like ashes.

Dahaz closed his eyes.

“Then Dahaz… instead of telling you, there is a condition.”

“Condition?”

“…If you are so strong, liberate us…”

“How can I do that?”

“Kill Hraesvelg… and take his Baram [wind in Korean].”

Dahaz continued to speak.

If they killed Hraesvelg and took his wind, disrupting the wind that surrounded the area, their suspended death would also stop.

The giants here had been suffering from the pain of being weathered by the wind for a long time.

But they didn’t want to continue living that life, so they were asking to be freed.

At Dahaz’s words, Yoo Ji-woo said in a small voice next to him.

“Oppa, we came to get Hraesvelg’s tail feathers, not to kill Hraesvelg, right? So…”

“I accept. Dahaz.”

“…Okay, do as you please.”

“Either way, Hraesvelg is probably the master of this abyss. To get his tail feathers, we have no choice but to catch and kill him.”

All paths lead to one.

Yoo Seong-woo accepted Dahaz’s condition. Then Dahaz nodded and stood up from his seat.

“Right now… will you go?”

“There’s no point in dragging it out, let’s go.”

“Okay…”

The Sword Spirit Divers once again followed Dahaz.

Dahaz was heading towards the center of the village.

It was the large circular plaza they had passed through.

Dahaz made the group step back from the plaza, then muttered, hitting the floor with the stone staff he was holding.

“The path of the giants… leading to the summit… unwavering faith that does not collapse even in the wind…”

The spell continued.

As the spell continued, an earthquake shook the entire village, and all the giants in the village came and bowed their heads.

The group was embarrassed by the actions of the giants, all of different sizes, but Yoo Seong-woo calmly looked at Dahaz.

“It opens.”

At the same time as he muttered, Dahaz struck the floor strongly with his stone staff.

Then the ceiling of the village opened, and the circular plaza began to rise.

What was revealed inside the rising circular plaza was a spiral staircase.

The staircase, which rose at a rapid pace as if it would reach the end of the sky, stopped at some point and opened a door leading upwards.

“Huk, huk… Dahaz, magic long time no see…”

“Magic?”

“…It seems to be ancient magic using incantations. Disgustingly inefficient magic from a time when there were no letters.”

“Is it okay to say that in front of the person involved? You have a bad personality…”

At Yoo Seong-woo’s words, Jeanne thought she should be careful with her words in the future.

“Anyway, it’s my first time seeing it too. I didn’t know there would be someone using such ancient magic…”

“Then let’s go up. Dahaz, thank you. I’ll bring good news soon.”

“…Human who smells of Yggdrasill [the world tree in Norse mythology], Dahaz, hopes for your victory.”

“Wait for me.”

Yoo Seong-woo was the first to step onto the stairs. Then the stairs rumbled and began to move on their own.

“It’s not a staircase, it’s an escalator.”

It was a state-of-the-art staircase from ancient times.

* * *

“The attack is progressing slower than I thought.”

Since the promised time had passed, the European guilds were stationed at the perch of the 1st class abyss, Hraesvelg.

The route they chose was the fastest and safest route.

However, the allied European guilds could not advance as quickly as they had thought.

The path was not wide enough for many people to pass, and grotesque birds poured down from the sky from time to time.

The number of monsters attacking them was overwhelming due to the large number of people.

“Tony is in that state too…”

One of Odin’s divers pointed to Tony, who was dejected.

Tony, who claimed to be a descendant of Thor [the Norse god of thunder] and controlled lightning at will, showing the power of the lightning god, was a lively guy full of confidence.

But Tony had changed after the battle with Baek Woo-hyun.

He was a guy who had believed he was the strongest until now.

He had been defeated. And overwhelmingly so.

While wielding the same lightning power, Baek Woo-hyun was faster and stronger than himself.

The speed that he could not catch up with made him unable to call himself ‘lightning’.

Having lost his confidence, Tony was unable to wield his sword properly.

Because he had fallen into a swamp of endless self-doubt, he could no longer see the overwhelming figure who had slaughtered enemies with lightning speed.

All because of that one battle where he was defeated by Baek Woo-hyun.

“Tsk… stupid guy. How long are you going to keep digging underground?”

Odin’s guild master clicked his tongue and resumed the attack.

‘The Titan guys are probably going up faster than us, and the guys who went first…’

Various thoughts swirled in his head.

No matter how he thought about it, the calculations didn’t add up.

First of all, Sword Spirit and Black Heaven Dragon, who departed first.

The two guilds left the fastest and easiest path and chose a different path.

He could only guess if they had some other purpose.

‘But this side is much faster. We’ll be able to catch up soon.’

Odin had bet everything on this abyss attack.

The things that can be obtained from ‘Hraesvelg’s Perch’ are more than imaginable.

The corpses of the grotesque birds that flew in would be used as useful resources, and herbs were also found here and there.

In addition, the expected boss is a Jötunn appearing in Norse mythology, ‘Hraesvelg’.

Since he controls the wind, he could also expect an artifact that controls the wind.

If this abyss attack is successfully completed, Odin will advance greatly.

He would be able to recruit more promising players like Tony, and his international standing would also be firmly established.

‘But Tony is in that state… Sword Spirit, what kind of guild are they?’

His gaze turned to Tony.

He was just walking along, his head hanging low.

It wouldn’t be strange if he said he was going to quit being a diver any minute now.

It would be better if he threw a tantrum and screamed, but he didn’t, so it was even more difficult to deal with.

Guild members had tried to talk to him several times, but he didn’t answer.

‘He’s good at what he does, but his mentality is trash…’

He thought his mentality was good too.

Until he was defeated by Baek Woo-hyun.

As he was thinking that and moving his feet again, the back was noisy.

When he turned his head, people with black figures were flying in from the back.

At first, he thought it was a newly appeared monster, but they were people running along the wall.

“Black Heaven Dragon!”

Odin’s guild master, who recognized who they were at once, shouted that, and the Black Heaven Dragon’s divers ran along the wall and passed them as if they were ridiculous to walk.

People could only stare blankly at the sight that was not easy to see.

“W-what is this!”

Why is the Black Heaven Dragon, who went on a different route, suddenly showing up?

And from behind? Is there something in front of this?

Odin’s guild master, who had thought that far, shouted in an impatient voice.

“C-chase them!”

* * *

“No, why do we have to go up like this when it’s an escalator?!”

“It’s all part of the training.”

The stairs go up on their own even if you don’t climb them separately, but you can’t just sit and wait to go up.

That’s why Yoo Seong-woo ordered rabbit hopping training on the stairs.

The stairs used by the giants are incredibly wide, and since the stairs are moving, you have to concentrate all your attention on each rabbit hop.

It is a highly excellent training that requires proper control of leg strength and balance.

“You’re a rabbit, but why are you so bad at rabbit hopping?”

“Just because I have rabbit ears doesn’t mean my body structure is the same as a rabbit’s!”

Hetris and Yoo Wol were no exception.

Yoo Seong-woo walked slowly up the stairs at the very back and whipped them to climb faster.

At this rate, it seemed like all their stamina would be exhausted before they even met Hraesvelg.

In the end, someone had to take the lead and stop this crazy act.

And the only person who could take the lead was Yoo Ji-woo.

So everyone glanced at Yoo Ji-woo, but she just bit her lip and couldn’t say anything.

That’s because she was worried about what she had said to Yoo Seong-woo in the early morning with her sentimental feelings.

‘I’ll put up with it this time…’

In the end, even Yoo Ji-woo couldn’t stop Yoo Seong-woo.

Yoo Seong-woo, whose suppressor had disappeared, began to drive them even harder, and in the end, they had no choice but to go to the end of the stairs by rabbit hopping.

When everyone was soaked in sweat and panting, Yoo Seong-woo said.

“So, how is it after coming up by rabbit hopping? Are you proud? Aren’t you proud of yourself?”

Without knowing that everyone in this place might want to kill him.