The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 64

Elf (4)

He exhales a long breath.

If he had to pick the most annoying enemy for a swordsman, it would be one that can’t be cut properly.

Whether their skin is too tough, their muscles too dense, or their bones too hard…

If he can’t cut through them cleanly in one go, frustration builds up inside him.

For Yoosungwoo, that frustration had already reached his chin.

“You goddamn bastard!”

The curse word burst out of him.

The snake before him had tough skin, dense muscles, and hard bones.

The small snakes were mere liquid, yet the main body was harder than most minerals.

No matter how much he struck, only the edges were slightly cut, and scales scattered everywhere.

Moreover, the creature’s bodily fluids were poisonous and acidic, making it annoying as they splattered out with every cut.

“Hoo-eup!”

He took a deep breath and blocked the massive tail that came crashing in from the side.

The snake’s tail, made of blades, clashed with Ilsaeng [Yoosungwoo’s sword], creating a loud metallic sound.

It sounded like a bomb had exploded.

And then, the snake lunged with its jaws wide open.

Its size was disgustingly large, but its speed was also fast, and an immense amount of force was bearing down on Yoosungwoo.

If he took that head-on, he would surely be turned into a lump of meat.

He quickly moved his feet to create distance and then used the snake’s power to parry.

Shhaaaaaaaak─!!

A long scar remained from the corner of the snake’s mouth to its neck.

Broken scales scattered everywhere, and bodily fluids sprayed out.

Yoosungwoo reinforced the barrier of aura around his body against the black bodily fluids raining down like rain.

‘…The consumption is no joke.’

This was the type of enemy Yoosungwoo hated the most.

The air was full of poison, and his aura was constantly being consumed to block the bodily fluids scattering everywhere.

“Hoo.”

He exhaled a short breath and soared into the air, then adjusted his posture mid-air.

Then, he ignited his aura in his sword.

Ilsaeng vibrated and turned even redder, and even Yoosungwoo’s hair was dyed red.

And then, he fell like a streak of red meteor.

A red straight line was drawn in the air.

The black snake raised its head and opened its mouth wide to swallow him whole.

However, Yoosungwoo did not stop.

Because he had been waiting for this situation all along.

‘If it’s hard to cut from the outside, then I’ll break through from the inside.’

The red streak of meteor went straight into the snake’s mouth.

The snake swallowed Yoosungwoo in one gulp, intending to melt him from the inside, but…

Things didn’t go as it wished.

…A red light burst out from inside the snake.

The visible change began from below the snake’s neck.

Followed by a roar and intense energy wave.

Flesh and bodily fluids spewed out from the snake’s neck as if exploding.

Yoosungwoo also jumped out from within, soaked in bodily fluids, and quickly shook them off his body.

“Tsk.”

He almost swallowed some by mistake.

If he had, his insides would have melted away slowly.

He spat on the ground and raised his head to look up.

The snake was not dead yet.

Even with a large hole in its neck, it was still screaming and writhing its entire body.

The ground overturned, and dust filled the air.

Yoosungwoo hid his presence in the dust and muttered quietly.

“…Samjeong, come to me.”

The red sword of Ilsaeng scattered into a cloud of light, and a new cloud of light gathered.

Its color was a soft, light green.

The sword in Yoosungwoo’s hand had a straight blade without a guard.

Another feature was that the sword was not sharp.

The light green blade did not seem to be made for cutting anything; it was a blunt blade.

“…It’s been a while since I’ve used the Samjeong Sword.”

Samjeong Sword (三淨劍) [Sword of Three Purities].

The Samjeong Sword was not a sword made to kill someone.

A ceremonial sword used for purification rituals.

‘But that doesn’t necessarily mean I can’t kill with it.’

The Samjeong Sword was specialized in ‘purification.’

Yoosungwoo intended to use the power of purification to break through the poison and impurities that made up the snake’s body and directly strike it.

Shhaaaaaaaak─!!

The black snake shook its head from side to side, shaking the ground.

The ground cracked and overturned.

“You damn snake bastard!”

Whether it had learned or not, it started destroying the ground whenever he tried to use a big technique.

Yoosungwoo gritted his teeth and jumped over the breaking fragments.

Then, he unfolded a sword barrier to push away the bodily fluids pouring down on him and landed on the black snake’s body.

Then, the snake’s scales suddenly transformed into numerous snakes and rushed at him.

It was a very talented snake.

He swung his sword widely to push all the snakes away and then stomped down hard.

The snake’s body shook greatly for a moment.

Yoosungwoo took advantage of the moment the snake lost its balance and landed back on the ground.

This time, it was on the root of the Great Sephirot [a massive, life-giving tree], not the ground.

‘The High Elf helped.’

A root had appeared in a place that hadn’t been there until just now.

Having noticed that the foothold was unstable, the Great Sephirot had moved its root to create a foothold in just the right place.

‘Good, this is enough…….’

It was enough.

Yoosungwoo took a deep breath and stepped onto the root.

Before he knew it, the sensation felt on his bare feet was clearly felt.

“Weep! Samjeong!”

The Samjeong Sword resonated with his cry.

The Samjeong Sword, humming and vibrating, emitted purification energy in all directions, pushing away poison and impurities.

At the same time, Yoosungwoo stepped strongly on the root and moved forward.

A straight line of light green was drawn in the air.

He jumped so strongly that the root he used as a foothold shattered and scattered.

What unfolded next was a beautiful flame of deep green.

The flames fluttered.

The flames that burned poison and impurities wrapped around Yoosungwoo and burned even more fiercely, using the toxins in the atmosphere as fuel.

Samgeom – Jeolbujeonghwa (三劍-切不淨火) [Three Swords – Severing Impurity Fire].

Yoosungwoo’s third sword technique.

The flames of purification he ignited wrapped around the black snake’s head and rummaged through the inside of the wound.

And then, the ignited green flames gathered together and became a large sword.

If the sword doesn’t have an edge, you can just create one.

“Hoo-eup!”

He took a deep breath and swung the burning sword.

The large sword slowly moved forward and then struck the snake’s neck.

The place he aimed for was the place where he had directly made a hole.

He had been striking the same spot to create a wound for this one strike.

“Die-!!”

He exhaled and shouted.

The sword of flames that touched the wound slowly split the black snake’s head, and soon separated the head itself from the body.

At the same time, the snake’s body and head turned into black liquid and burst out in all directions.

The divinity of poison and impurity, which had been contained within the vessel of the body, began to spread in all directions at once.

Yoosungwoo’s flames began to devour the poison and impurities, but he couldn’t eat it all.

‘Now it’s a fight of whether the High Elves can withstand it or collapse.’

He had to protect the Great Sephirot from the impurities that were gushing out like a fountain.

He had managed to reduce the momentum to some extent with the flames of purification, but it wouldn’t last long.

Yoosungwoo slumped down in place and ignited flames around him to prevent the impurities from sweeping over his body, and waited for the poison to subside.

“It would have been even harder without Samjeong…….”

No matter how strong Yoosungwoo was, it was impossible to withstand this level of poison with his bare body.

It wasn’t like his body had reached a level of immunity to all poisons, and there was a limit to protecting himself with aura.

If it hadn’t been for the flames of purification that could only be ignited with Samjeong, he might have been swept away by the wave of poison.

He raised his head and looked at the Great Sephirot.

Even though the black wave had covered the area, the Great Sephirot was still full of life.

‘……It’s not unscathed, though.’

Looking closely, the tips of the Great Sephirot’s leaves were stained black.

It seemed impossible to withstand it without any damage.

The Great Sephirot was a tree containing divinity, but the snake also contained divinity.

He lay down on his back and spat towards the large tree.

“I’ve done my part. Take care of the rest.”

Then he closed his eyes.

It was a battle that consumed a lot in many ways.

* * *

A faint but beautiful song came to his ears.

The calm song that calmed his mind and body was just humming without lyrics, but that alone was perfect.

The consciousness that had sunk below the surface of the water rose again.

Yoosungwoo slowly opened his eyes and checked the source of the song.

“You…….”

It was the High Elf inside the Great Sephirot.

Snow-white silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her blue eyes were closed.

She was only opening her small mouth and singing.

It was a song he was hearing for the first time, but it was a timbre that made him feel nostalgic.

“……Did you sleep well?”

“How’s the Great Sephirot?”

“The Great Mother is safe, thanks to you. It will take a little longer to recover, though…….”

At Shuahnell’s words, Yoosungwoo raised his body from her lap and looked around.

The Great Sephirot and the surrounding scenery were very different from the scenery he remembered.

The Great Sephirot, which had been full of blue vitality, was a little withered.

The world that had been dying in black and purple had come back to life in blue.

There were still dull colors left, but he could tell that the things that had died had come back to life.

“……I used the power of the Great Mother Tree. It will lose its mystery for a while…… But if the children live here again, it will eventually function again.”

“I see.”

“And you…… You’re really amazing. To think you’d defeat Svafnir alone. You’re so amazing…….”

“Svafnir? Was that its name?”

Shuahnell nodded.

“……An ancient creature, a snake that brings death. That’s what we called it.”

“Your kids don’t know anything…… Ah, you said ‘we,’ so you’re talking about High Elves, not Elves.”

“Yes. It’s a monster that only appears in legends…… It’s the first time I’ve seen it in person.”

Shuahnell said that and got up from her seat, then came to Yoosungwoo and pressed her body against him.

Yoosungwoo frowned and shook her off his shoulder, but she stuck to him again.

“What?”

“Are humans all this strong?”

“There’s no way.”

“I see.”

Yoosungwoo pushed her away again, but she kept coming closer like a snail.

Then Yoosungwoo remembered what Epinel had said.

The reason why she didn’t want to reveal the existence of the High Elves.

He could tell as soon as he met her.

A young lady who doesn’t know the ways of the world…… That’s the strong feeling he got.

He didn’t feel like she would give up even if he pushed her away again, so Yoosungwoo just gave up and gave her his back.

Shuahnell put her ear to his back and acted as if she was listening to his heartbeat.

“Shuahnell-nim! Shuahnell-nim~!”

And not long after, Epinel’s voice was heard from far away.

She seemed to have noticed the anomaly inside the Abyss and came in, running with a group of other Elves.

The Elves, who had been running non-stop, surrounded Shuahnell and Yoosungwoo and said.

“Ah, Shuahnell-nim! You’re safe! I haven’t been able to sleep much because I was worried about Shuahnell-nim!”

“My lifespan has been shortened. Shuahnell-nim, I’m so glad you came back safely.”

“The highest branch of the Great Sephirot has returned from sacrifice! A festival, we must hold a festival!”

Numerous worried words poured out towards Shuahnell.

However, Shuahnell didn’t seem to be listening to the Elves’ words, and then pointed at Yoosungwoo with her finger and said.

“I’m going with him.”