The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth

Chapter 129: The Calamity of the South (4)

Swish—!

Karyl, who had been holding the Minotaur by the scruff of its neck, sheathed his Freezing Talon and drew Agnel instead. Everyone watching likely thought that the short dagger wouldn’t manage to pierce the hard shell of a monster.

However, Agnel, a weapon made of pure Clear Distilled Water, had been acknowledged even by Allen Javius.

Even though it’s an S-rank monster, its body is ultimately no different from a beast. The most vulnerable spot is the joint between the atlas and the axis.

As Karyl infused mana into the hand holding Agnel, a milky aura condensed on the blade of the dagger.

Thunk—!

Slash—!

Without mercy, he plunged the dagger into the Minotaur’s neck with all his might.

As he poured Arcane Mana into the blade emitting the aura, purple electricity sparked from the point where the dagger was embedded, making it seem like the monster was getting electrocuted.

“KUUOOOO!!”

The creature, feeling the searing pain coursing through its spine, roared in agony and began to thrash about.

“Move back!!”

“Everyone, retreat!!”

Karyl rode the Minotaur like a matador, gripping its mane and repeatedly stabbing it. The soldiers, mesmerized by the sight, hurriedly scattered away.

After immobilizing it, damage the muscles surrounding the spinal cord to prevent any counterattacks.

With a gruesome sound, Karyl twisted the dagger embedded in the Minotaur’s neck, exposing its flesh.

Crack..!!

Crunch...!!

Karyl kept pulling at the monster’s shell, eyes fixed on the pulsing flesh that stretched from its neck down its back. Then eventually, he thrust his sword into the exposed area with no hesitation.

"KRAAAHH!!"

Chunks of the creature’s flesh flew off with each twist of his blade, as though Karyl were a butcher.

“Oooh...!!”

“Whaaa...!!”

The soldiers yelled and ran away as gore rained down on them.

Thud...!!

The Minotaur, panting heavily, finally dropped its axe as its shoulder muscles were completely severed.

The final strike to the inside of the rib cage...

Karyl jumped down from the staggering creature’s shoulder, holding Agnel in his mouth and drawing the Freezing Talon.

Thunk—!

Slash—!

Before landing, Karyl thrust his sword deep into the Minotaur’s ribcage and twisted with his whole body, slashing horizontally with all his might. The blade tore through flesh with a gruesome sound, and a torrent of blood erupted from the Minotaur’s side.

"GHRAAA!!!”

The agonized Minotaur attempted to fight back, but with its arm muscles destroyed, it was unable to pick up its axe and could only roar.

How impressive....

Aben was genuinely impressed. Even an entire knight order would struggle to dispose of a Minotaur, and yet Karyl was hunting it down by himself, cleverly targeting its weaknesses. This was beyond mere skill.

“Finish it! Cut off its head and place it on a pike to show those imperial bastards!” Karyl urged Aben as he finally landed.

Not forgetting about the finishing touches, Karyl swiftly severed the Minotaur’s Achilles’ tendons, causing it to flail helplessly before collapsing.

He is such a young boy...?

Seeing Karyl up close, Aben’s initial admiration was replaced by genuine astonishment.

“Yes, sir! What are you all doing?! Behead the Minotaur right now!”

“Roger!”

“Huaaahh!!”

Aben, coming to his senses, quickly nodded and commanded the soldiers, who eagerly cheered and charged at the monstrosity. They quickly managed to sever its head, which was the size of an adult man. Its eyes remained wide open.

“Unbelievable... I’ve never seen anyone hunt like this before... How are you so knowledgeable about monsters? In any case, I can’t thank you enough for saving us.”

Aben lifted his sword with the hilt pointing up and clasped his hand together as a respectful gesture toward Karyl.

Despite being from small kingdoms, both Marze and Aben were knights renowned across the continent. And for them to show Karyl such respect meant that they acknowledged his prowess.

“It’s nothing.”

But Karyl merely gave Aben a bitter smile.

This hunting tactic of sequentially targeting the monster’s weaknesses and gradually immobilizing it was something he rarely used to do, even after becoming a Sword Saint. And even after going back in time, he wouldn’t hunt monsters like that, as there had been no need to.

Karyl hadn’t resorted to this strategy because the Minotaur was a powerful monster. He had faced monsters far more dangerous in his previous life, and even in his current one, he had battled opponents who would’ve laughed at the Minotaur.

Honestly, compared to Allen Javius or the Flame Dragon, this creature is a walk in the park.

At that moment, Karyl felt a tingling sensation in the back of his right hand, which was holding the Freezing Talon. His hand had swollen as if a lump had formed on it. It seemed the Ein Trigger embedded in his right arm, which he had obtained from the dragon’s lair, didn’t resonate with the sword.

Ice and fire—the two opposing forces seemed to compete whenever Karyl drew upon his mana.

Wait just a little longer, Ramine. I’ll get a sword that satisfies you.

Despite this, there was a reason Karyl had decided to slay the Minotaur in such a cumbersome manner. This was how Karliak, the chief of the Black-Eyed tribe and his father, used to hunt.

“Hooray!!”

After the soldiers displayed the Minotaur’s head on the pike, the onlookers erupted in cheers. Although the situation wasn’t over, the mere fact of prevailing against an S-rank monster, regardless of mana, was enough to boost the soldiers' morale.

“Beikan, Kinu, gather the troops. We’ll clear this dungeon immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Aight!”

Without delay, Karyl issued orders to the Free Army, not allowing the victory euphoria to linger.

“Do you really intend to clear the whole dungeon? I admit that you’re formidable, but... shouldn’t we withdraw the front lines while the imperial troops are still around?”

“You know that the number of monsters is an indicator of the dungeon’s size. We don’t have time to wait. We need to eliminate the raid boss before the dungeon fully forms.”

“That’s true, but...”

Aben still looked uneasy, and the reason was simple—the dungeon hadn’t even fully formed, and yet a Minotaur had emerged from it.

“Indeed, these creatures are obviously weaker than the dungeon’s master that dwells deep within it. We’ll need the Twin Amor’s forces to defeat that monster, but if the imperial army knows we’re pulling out troops...”

Aben couldn’t estimate how many more troops they would need to conquer this horrific dungeon. There were civilians in the castle who had barely escaped with their lives, and a single blunder could put them in danger once again.

“Ah...” He let out a low sigh. If the monsters outside the dungeon were this formidable, the master’s dungeon was bound to be absurdly powerful.

“Don’t worry. Only the Free Army will enter the dungeon,” Karyl explained in a calm voice, glancing at Aben’s worried face.

“...!”

“...!!”

Everyone turned and stared at him with wide eyes.

“We’re going too!” Viola hurriedly intervened, fearing Karyl might refuse.

Seeing her expression, Karyl gave a faint smile.

Minos, the King of Monsters...

Unlike everyone at the scene, Karyl knew exactly what lay within that dungeon. In his previous life, the master of the Minotaur dungeon had brought three kingdoms to the brink of destruction. Although he hadn’t fought it back then, he had encountered it on the 34th of the Pharel Tower when he sought to go back in time.

Having reached the rank of Sword Saint, Karyl had tirelessly battled with Minos for two days straight, and he had won.

Of course, it’s not an easy opponent, but...

Pharel was essentially an amalgamation of every dungeon that had emerged on the continent. And with each floor, the tower became more merciless, eventually leading to battles with monsters that no man had ever laid eyes on.

In the Phrael Tower, a Minotaur, although an S-rank monster, was merely the guardian of the 34th floor.

Although Karyl was not as strong as he had been when ascending Pharel as a Sword Saint, he didn’t think he would lose to Minos or fail in conquering the dungeon. In fact, he was confident he could conquer any dungeon out there, not just this one!

His unwavering confidence didn’t come just from having acquired magic or from wielding the Freezing Talon. It also wasn’t the result of inheriting Arcane mana from Allen Javius, nor was it fueled by the arrogance that came with the Blazing King’s power.

It was all of those things.

“...”

Karyl gazed at the black dungeon and chuckled to himself.

Come to think of it, I’ve gained a lot.

He had climbed the endless stairs of Pharel to go back in time, so naturally, his approach in dealing with monsters was fundamentally different from the continent’s knights. That’s why he was strong. Not having fear or tension allowed him to fully utilize his abilities.

Karyl’s demeanor affected other soldiers as well. Moreover, his Free Army’s strength stemmed from the unique hunting skills of the barbarian tribes, but also from Karyl’s leadership.

But there’s still so much more to gain.

Karyl bit his lower lip as if dying to savor this raid. To him, this terrifying dungeon, once called the Calamity of the South, was merely a treasure trove.

“Sir Aben, once Sir Marze retreats, assist him in clearing out the remaining monsters.”

Karyl pointed to the Fonein River, where the imperial army was stationed.

“And as for the burnt fields... There’s nothing we can do about that. We’ll have to get compensation from the imperial army.”

“What do you mean...?”

Marze and Aben exchanged puzzled glances.

“Well, the supplies of their army of seventy thousand troops should be enough to last us through winter,” Karyl replied with a smirk.

***

“Is this how it’s supposed to be done?” Suan muttered as he anchored the boat in the strait where the river and the sea met.

“It’s strange. Just like the Master said, the current seems calm. It’s not the raging Fonein I know, so it feels odd.”

“Quit talking and do what you were told. We have a lot to do. We need to head south immediately.”

At Dushala’s sharp rebuke, Suan Hazer scratched his head and untied the token wrapped around his wrist.

What on earth is that used for?

Aidan, who had accompanied Karyl in the south, stared at the Horned King in Suan’s hand with a puzzled look. From what he knew, it was made from the tooth of a monster known as the master of a dungeon. But that was it; it didn’t possess any magic power or enchantment.

“Alright.” Suan nodded and threw the token into the water with all his strength.

Plop—!

All eyes were on the water, each tense with anticipation.

“...”

However, contrary to their expectations, nothing happened. The river was as calm as before.

As they watched the token slowly sink, Dushala reluctantly spoke up.

“Is that it?”

“Well... That was all Master instructed me to do.” Suan shrugged, indicating he had no idea what was going on.

But then it happened.

“W-Wow!!”

“What the...?!”

The calm river suddenly roared back to life, thrashing about violently. The three of them quickly grabbed the boat's railing.

Splash—!!

Thud!

The bow of the boat shook violently as something large and tall emerged from the water.

"Roaaar...."

At that moment, they spotted a pair of glowing red eyes behind the cascading water, staring at them in disbelief.

“Holy....”

“That’s what the token of the Horned King is used for?”

“That’s Master for you... It’d be foolish to try to understand his ways.”

The three of them murmured in amazement.

“The Water King...” Suan gazed at the familiar figure.

The serpent slowly lowered its head toward them as if waiting for orders. The trio felt a chill run down their spines. On the forehead of the monster, known as the master of Fonein, was the seared mark of the Horned King.