*Swish! Thud!*
"Kuh!"
In the end, Deathmaster couldn’t hold out for long after Eleanora entered her second phase. Her sword struck his shoulder, forcing him to his knees with a grunt of pain. Though he gritted his teeth and tried to rise again, Eleanora’s sword was already pointed at his throat.
Eleanora appeared slightly surprised.
"Impressive. Your martial arts were sharp. Is this the combat style of your world? And some of your movements involved mana... You call them 'skills,' it seems. You don’t appear to have undergone internal training, so it must be a technique unlike the laws of this world."
She sheathed her sword and turned away, addressing the gathered adventurers.
"Good. The demons are also beings from another world, and perhaps abilities that defy our laws will be necessary to confront them. Adventurers from the stars, I have grasped some understanding of your power and its nature. I believe your strength will be of great help in the battle for Erin’s Gorge in the east."
*Ding!*
[You have gained Eleanora’s approval.]
[Roeide Duchy Favorability +20]
[Roeide Duchy Crafting Workshop Unlocked]
[Roeide Family Sub-Quests Unlocked]
*Oooooh!*
The faces of the gathered players lit up with excitement. Thanks to their efforts, the base for the next expansion, the Roeide Duchy, was now accessible.
Deathmaster descended from the dueling grounds, greeted by cheers from his guildmates in Hongbaek. However, he scratched his head with a dissatisfied expression.
Chris laughed heartily and patted him on the back.
"Well done! You got her approval, so it's a quest clear. It was probably meant to be a losing event fight anyway."
"I think I could adjust with a few more tries."
"Maybe there’ll be another chance. After all, we’ll be operating in that knight’s territory. Rain, shouldn’t we—huh?"
Chris's voice came from behind as I made my way toward the dueling grounds.
*Tap.*
I stepped up to the platform, catching the attention of Master Eleanora, who was preparing to report to the Emperor.
"Hey, where do you think you’re going, sis?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
Eleanora turned to look at me.
"We’re not done yet. You fought the tanks from two raid groups, but you haven’t fought me yet."
"You, young girl..."
Eleanora looked straight at me.
"I have already acknowledged your strength. Another duel seems unnecessary."
Why would it be unnecessary?
"I noticed some flaws in your swordsmanship that I’d like to correct. It seems like there are some issues."
Eleanora’s eyebrows twitched.
She turned fully to face me.
"Flaws in my swordsmanship? My swordsmanship is that of the Roeide family. What you’re suggesting is that the swordsmanship of the Roeide family itself is flawed."
*Clang.*
She drew her sword.
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"Of course."
"I have heard that the adventurers from the stars cannot be judged by their appearance. You look like a young girl, but I doubt you’re weak."
*Step.*
Eleanora raised her sword and assumed a guard stance.
"Let’s see if your skills match your bold claims."
---
*Clang, clang, clang!*
Her rapid strikes flashed before my eyes, but I blocked every single one. Not with skills. I moved my sword directly, intercepting the path of her strikes.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a fight like this.
In *Astria Online*, you need to use skills to deal proper damage. It’s rare to have a pure swordfight like this, the closest comparison being my duel with the ancient hero.
At my current level 50, my stats are well-balanced, and my accessory boosts are substantial. With these stats, I could at least mimic some of the swordplay from my days as a hero—though only the "basic" moves.
If I used mana, I could fight seriously. If I broke my invincibility belt and unleashed the power of the hero, I could go all out.
I glanced back at Chris, who was clasping her hands nervously as she watched me.
But I won’t do that here. If I ended up like a skewered kebab, it would be terrible for Chris’s mental health.
*Clang!*
Eleanora brought her sword down with great force, the metallic clash ringing out as I was pushed back slightly.
She seemed surprised, her eyes widening as she looked at me from a distance.
"You’re skilled with the sword. Different from the others."
"I can manage, I guess."
"‘Manage’? No, you’re at a considerable level. And somehow... you seem familiar."
*Step.*
"Girl, show me everything you’ve got."
*Swish!*
This time, Eleanora charged first.
*Clang, clang, clang!* Our swords clashed again and again, exchanging dozens of strikes. Then, suddenly, her eyes flashed as she pulled her sword back for a thrust. I angled my blade diagonally, catching her straight thrust before drawing a circle with my sword to parry it away.
*Swirl.*
With a smooth motion, I redirected her attack and completed the arc with a strike aimed at her side.
*Whoosh! Clang!*
Eleanora quickly recovered and raised her sword to block. She stepped back, eyes wide with genuine surprise.
A brief silence fell between us, and then Eleanora asked with a serious expression,
"...Girl, what is your name?"
"It’s Rain."
"And your family name?"
"Family name?"
I tilted my head, trying to remember.
What was my family name again?
On the Astria continent, my full name was *Drizzle Rain*, but *Drizzle* wasn’t a family name. It was more of a descriptive title, like "Rain of the Valley."
And in Korea? There was a surname attached to *Isulbi*.
"Uh... Jeonju Lee?"
Behind me, I could hear the snickering of our guild’s spirit mage, Cherni. Right, Cherni’s real name was *Lee Jae-wook*.
"That technique you used—it’s part of the Roeide family’s swordsmanship. You learn it once you reach a deeper level of mana control. How could someone from another world, with no connection to the Roeide family, know such a skill?"
I pouted.
"Why do you think that technique belongs to your family? Anyone who has trained in swordsmanship long enough could figure it out."
"But still, that sword movement—"
"Oh, enough."
*Step.*
I pointed my sword directly at Eleanora.
"Is this it? I’ve seen enough basic sword techniques. Now show me what you did when you fought Deathmaster. The real lesson starts there."
A blatant provocation.
Eleanora’s gaze turned icy.
*Woooong.*
Up close, I could tell. She was summoning mana.
"I’ve heard that adventurers from the stars recover from injuries quickly, and that death doesn’t mean true rest for you."
"Yeah, that’s true."
Although, the pain still feels real to me.
"Then I suppose I can fight you seriously. Losing a limb or two shouldn’t be much of a problem."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Wow, she’s not holding back with those threats.
My heart raced with anticipation. The thrill of battle was flooding my senses.
I guess I was born to be a fighter after all.
Maybe I was destined to live my life wielding a sword.
---
*Swish! Clang!*
Eleanora’s sword traced strange, twisting paths as it aimed for all sides of me. One moment, it thrust from the left, then suddenly curved to the right. But my sword moved fluidly, intercepting her blade at every turn.
Her speed had increased dramatically. But if she was using mana, then I could counter with *skills*. I was confident I could overwhelm her with the *Hero’s Power*, but for now, I had the game system to rely on.
Her attacks combined real and feigned strikes, making it impossible to block them all with just the skill-based guard that covered 180 degrees in front of me. But if I could track the real strike with my eyes, it wasn’t an issue.
A slash aimed at my left shoulder wavered. It was a feint. The real strike was targeting my right waist. I positioned my sword just right. *Clang!* Next, she went for my left thigh. This one wasn’t a feint. I blocked it smoothly. *Clang!*
*Clang, clang, clang!*
It might have seemed like I was on the defensive, but in reality, Eleanora was the one at a disadvantage. Even though she was using mana to power her attacks, none of her strikes had landed.
Eleanora didn’t stop her assault but let out a frustrated exclamation.
"Can you really see through everything!?"
*Clang, clang!*
I parried her sword and pushed her back. However, Eleanora didn’t falter and immediately continued her offense. She left no gap between her strikes, not even 0.1 seconds of recovery time between pulling back her sword and launching the next attack. Her blade sliced toward my left rib, aiming under my armpit. I focused intently on the sword.
*Swish.* In an instant, my body shifted beyond space.
A *Backstep Dodge* followed immediately by a forward charge. Done slowly, it would take me 8 meters back before rushing forward again. But doing them simultaneously granted me 0.5 seconds of invincibility while staying in place. In a fight
this fast, half a second of invincibility was a huge advantage.
*Whoosh! Clang!*
"Huh!?"
Eleanora’s eyes widened in shock. She was certain her sword had landed, but my body, now beyond space, wasn’t cut. No wonder she was confused. I hadn’t moved, but I hadn’t been hit either.
Now, Eleanora was being pushed back. No matter how fast her attacks were, they were useless if they didn’t land. Her style of mixing real and feigned strikes, in a fight of this level, was a liability. Even when speeding up her attacks, unnecessary movements slowed her down.
*Clang!*
I swung my sword, infused with the glow of starlight. Eleanora raised her sword to block, but the impact pushed her back several paces. Her expression was dazed, as if she couldn’t comprehend being overpowered despite using her mana.
I spoke, my voice calm and even.
"For someone who holds the title of Master, why are you relying on cheap tricks? What is the essence of the sword?"
"The... essence of the sword?"
"Block, thrust, and slash. What do you do when your opponent is stronger?"
"...You block properly, thrust quickly, and slash powerfully."
"Exactly. So why aren’t you doing that?"
Eleanora’s body trembled as though struck by lightning.
"But... but that would mean admitting that our family’s swordsmanship is flawed!"
I glared coldly at her.
"As you are now, you’re not worthy of the title of Master."