Extra in a Romance Fantasy

162 – Sword Master (2)

Hwarak!

—

Let me know if you need anything else!

A clear flame blazed up. And at the same moment.

Crack…!

Several monsters that had surrounded the son-in-law turned to ashes in an instant.

Considering that each of those monsters would be a formidable challenge for an ordinary academy student, it could certainly be called an achievement. Yet, the expression on Rachel’s face, the one who had accomplished this feat, was not bright.

‘…There are too many.’

Despite having taken down several monsters at once, the horde surrounding her showed no signs of diminishing.

It was in that moment that Rachel felt a pang of anxiety.

Crack!

A monster charged at Rachel.

The speed was such that Rachel, caught off guard while casting a spell, found it difficult to respond in time.

Slash!

Before the monster could reach Rachel, it was cleaved in two, its lifeless body collapsing coldly to the ground.

Even though it had been a moment where her life was nearly in danger, Rachel didn’t even spare a glance at the scene, instead beginning to prepare her next spell.

This situation had become all too familiar to her.

She had cast spells dozens of times, and the number of times her life had been threatened by monsters was in the double digits.

And each time, it was none other than Aira and Cedric who frequently dealt with the monsters.

Aira and Cedric, having stepped a few paces forward, were swinging their swords without rest, leaving the other party members behind.

As mages, they were inherently at greater risk the closer the enemy got.

For them to unleash their firepower with peace of mind, they needed someone to hold back the monsters approaching them.

In this party, that role was being fulfilled by Aira and Cedric.

If it weren’t for them, the party would have suffered near-total annihilation long ago.

No, they might have truly been wiped out.

Feeling gratitude towards them once more, Rachel prepared her magic.

‘Should I use more fire?’

Fire magic possessed strong destructive power, and especially against multiple foes, that power was maximized.

From that perspective, fire magic could be seen as the most appropriate choice in this situation.

However.

There was a problem: Rachel’s proficiency.

While Rachel had a basic understanding of various types of magic and her affinity for fire wasn’t particularly low, it was hard to say that fire magic was her forte.

After all, the primary attribute of the Sky Tower she belonged to was not fire, and her mentor, Patrick, also did not have a strong preference for fire magic.

—

Thus, the power of the fire magic she wielded was, objectively speaking, somewhat lacking compared to her level.

However, if one were to ask whether there was any other suitable magic to use, the answer would also be ambiguous.

As Rachel was lost in such thoughts, a sound flew into her ears.

Boom! Bang!

Even in this noisy situation, it was a thunderous sound that exuded an overwhelming presence.

Naturally, Rachel’s gaze turned toward the direction from which the sound came.

What she saw was a calamity-level monster and shadows, with Ethan fighting against them.

Despite facing a calamity-level monster and a ten-sword level martial artist alone, Ethan did not falter.

No, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was, in fact, overwhelming them in terms of momentum.

Every time Ethan swung his sword, the calamity-level monster screamed, and the shadows could not properly withstand Ethan’s blade.

However, if one were to ask whether Ethan was in a favorable position, that was not the case either.

It was true that the calamity-level monster suffered significant damage from Ethan’s attacks, but each time, it was recovering with an astonishing regenerative ability, while the shadows were avoiding a direct confrontation with Ethan using their peculiar abilities, thus sustaining no damage at all.

Ethan was in a similar situation, so one could say the fight was evenly matched, but…

‘…This won’t do.’

Glancing at the scene, Rachel reached a conclusion.

This situation could not continue for long.

If it did, they would have no chance of victory.

Their stamina, magical power, and mental strength had limits.

On the other hand, the monsters filling the surroundings showed no signs of diminishing.

If things continued like this, someone would eventually reach their limit, and when that happened, everything would be over.

Therefore, they had to somehow bring about a change in this flow.

But.

‘How…?’

How could she change this situation?

No matter how hard Rachel racked her brain, she could not come up with an answer regarding that method.

It was then.

“…I don’t think this can go on.”

Alexis, who had been casting spells alongside her without pause, suddenly spoke in a heavy voice.

“If this continues, a limit will eventually come. When that happens, at least we will all die, even if Lord Tugi does not.”

He spoke of death in a calm voice.

—

Then.

“I think so too. At this rate, our chances will only diminish.”

Chris agreed and stepped forward.

It wasn’t just him.

“Is there any way?”

Wilhelm, with a deeply furrowed brow, naturally joined the conversation.

And though they didn’t speak, Aira and Cedric were also listening intently to their discussion.

Confirming that everyone’s attention was focused, Alexis spoke up.

“I think we need to create an opening for Tugi.”

That was Alexis’s suggestion.

“An opening… will that be enough?”

Chris asked immediately.

“…Honestly, I can’t say. But… it seems that’s the only variable we can create and rely on in this situation.”

Alexis reiterated, and the others nodded heavily in agreement.

They knew as well.

It would be best if they could quickly clear the surrounding monsters and fully assist Ethan, but they understood that it was impossible.

The number of monsters seemed endless, and with every one they defeated, even more—no, many more—would emerge.

Even if everyone poured their full strength into clearing the surrounding monsters, they all suspected that it wouldn’t be long before the monsters filled the area again.

Therefore.

“Then let’s do that.”

“It seems we have no other choice.”

Everyone agreed with Alexis’s opinion.

“…Then, let’s start thinking about a plan.”

With that, they all began to brainstorm to create a variable.

*

“…….”

Facing the swordsman who had drawn his sword, I adjusted my grip on my own blade.

Swordsman Dreyr Heksler.

The strongest warrior of the Empire, and likely the strongest warrior on the continent.

As I faced him, I felt a deep sense of tension for the first time in a long while.

Since I emerged from the training space created by Cheryl, that is, after entering a new realm, I found myself feeling a significant lack of tension.

Even when I entered the forest, when I first encountered the shadow monster, when I stepped into the grave, and when I stood before Armianon.

I had never felt tense.

To put it bluntly, I had been pushed into quite a desperate situation against Armianon, but even then, the emotion that filled my heart was something far removed from tension.

Certainly, Armianon was a formidable and terrifying monster.

However, the pressure exerted by Armianon was of a completely different nature than that of the Swordmaster.

Facing Armianon felt more like confronting a natural disaster, while the pressure from the Swordmaster felt like a razor-sharp blade poised at my throat, capable of cutting through anything.

As a result, I had no choice but to genuinely feel tense for the first time in a long while.

I had already been defeated by him once.

And that defeat was marked by a gap so overwhelming that the word “overwhelming” hardly sufficed.

Of course, I was different now than I had been back then.

Thanks to Cheryl, I had grown significantly and had stepped into a new realm.

Yet, even in my newfound strength, I held no certainty.

No certainty that I could defeat the Swordmaster.

Even at a glance, despite standing so close, I could not gauge the Swordmaster’s level.

That was evidence that he was not definitively beneath me.

I had a vague suspicion.

That the realm I had stepped into was one he had also entered.

At the time I was defeated by him, I had already been a step ahead of the average ten-sword level martial artist.

Yet, I had failed to inflict even a single wound on him and had been utterly defeated.

Since that defeat, I had replayed that fight countless times, trying to discern.

Just how significant the gap between the Swordmaster and me truly was.

What level the Swordmaster had actually reached.

I had come to grasp that answer, even if only vaguely, after stepping into this new realm.

And now, standing here facing the Swordmaster, I had gained certainty.

That he stood on the same level as I did.

Perhaps he had already stepped into this realm long ago.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind: I might lose.

The thought that I could die this time also crossed my mind.

However.

Even knowing that, even aware of the danger, I could not avoid the fight with the Sword Master.

It seemed the Sword Master had no intention of letting me go easily.

In other words, if I couldn’t defeat the Sword Master, I would not only be unable to return to my companions, but I also wouldn’t be able to move forward.

Then, I would be unable to stop the leader of the cult… the one the Sword Master referred to as the ‘Cult Leader,’ and the continent would truly face destruction.

That much I had to prevent at all costs.

Thus, I could not avoid the fight with him.

“It seems you are ready.”

In a voice still unreadable, the Sword Master spoke.

Instead of answering, I quietly gazed into his eyes.

And—

Bang!

The fight had begun.