Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 65

A Harmonious Family Meal

Currently, Arihil, a 6-star Polden Knight, was making her name known across the battlefield, actively engaged in various fronts.

Galfor, who had already heard of her strength, immediately gave up on the idea of fighting her.

Though Galfor was also a 6-star mage, he knew that there was no way he could guarantee a victory against her.

‘No, if I fight her, I’ll definitely lose.’

Even a passing child knew that knights were strong in one-on-one duels.

He abandoned the thought of fighting and activated the magic circle he had set up on the ground.

Flash!

In an instant, the space shifted, and the cave vanished, replaced by a forest.

How fortunate he was to have spent his entire fortune to set up this emergency teleportation circle! He should at least praise the slave who had advised him to get insurance.

‘Ah, I just killed him.’

But since he’d killed the slave painlessly despite the trouble he caused, wasn’t that enough of a reward?

Just as Galfor was indulging in such pointless thoughts, he noticed the ground rushing toward him.

‘Huh?’

Thud!

No, it was the opposite.

It wasn’t the ground coming toward him; he was the one who had fallen flat on his face.

He hadn’t tripped over anything, so why…?

“Argh! W-what is this?!”

As he tried to hurriedly get up, Galfor screamed in terror when he saw his ankle neatly severed, lying far away from him.

Behind him, a woman with pink hair approached, her sword hanging by her side.

Though her face was beautiful, the look in her eyes was enough to be called death itself.

“Did you really think I couldn’t track you over such a short distance? Do you take knights for fools?”

As Arihil spoke and continued to approach, Galfor shrieked in the same high-pitched voice as his slave and scrambled backward.

“C-calm down, Polden Knight! You must have felt it too, right?! If so, you should understand! To confront an opponent so strong that our power can’t reach them, we need the power of a Guardian!”

“An insurmountable wall?”

When Arihil hesitated, Galfor, sweating profusely, smiled. My words got through to her!

“Yes! A wall! Even if you train your entire life and can’t defeat your opponent, will you just swing your sword in the air to console yourself?! Shouldn’t you find a more efficient way to get stronger? Join forces with me! I’ll give you all of my bloodstones, and you can become a Guardian’s contractor too…”

Slash!

“Sorry. I thought about it for a moment, but it seems like it’s not going to happen after all.”

Galfor’s head was severed and rolled across the ground.

Arihil let out a small sigh as she looked at the lifeless eyes of the decapitated head.

“If he had fought back instead, he might have been able to breathe for a few more seconds. Mages are truly pathetic and dull.”

After shaking off the blood from her sword, Arihil sheathed it and returned to the cave to examine the bloodstones.

‘There’s quite a lot.’

She blinked her large eyes. If the amount was just slightly more than what had been reported, she might have assumed that the informants had missed something. But this much more? Something was off.

‘So he didn’t just gather these from the Harana Canal but from other places as well?’

After packing the bloodstone pouch into her space-expanding backpack, she slung it over her shoulder.

“What could make someone so desperate to offer up living people as sacrifices for these things…?”

Arihil was skeptical about the existence of Guardian Contractors.

Since the first lower-tier Guardian’s death at the hands of the legendary Hero, who was known as the first Guardian Killer, many more Guardian Killers had emerged and were active in the world.

Guardians no longer exuded the same invincibility they had thousands of years ago, back when humanity was small and weak.

Even now, there were frequent stories of 9-star knights cutting down lower-tier Guardians, and there were even confidential reports of top-tier Guardians being severely injured in battles against 10-star warriors.

“Hmph, if humans just keep training and working hard, they can gain power comparable to Guardians without needing to make deals with them.”

Arihil shook her head, as if she couldn’t understand, and casually sliced through the neck of the dwarf slave who had been trembling beside her.

Slash!

After shaking off the blood from her sword and sheathing it, Arihil stretched her body, letting out a satisfied smile as she left the cave.

“Hmm~ I ended up with an unexpected bonus. I wonder how long it’ll take to investigate where all of this came from~”

Humming a cheerful tune, Arihil skipped out of the cave, but as her hair fluttered in the breeze, she suddenly paused, feeling a sense of unease.

“…?!”

Immediately after, she channeled all her inner energy, enveloping her entire body.

BOOM!

A sharp gust of wind swept through the area, shattering everything within a 100-meter radius into pieces.

As if a small crater had formed, the ground was completely scoured clean, leaving only overturned soil.

“Ugh…!”

Arihil wiped the blood trickling from her mouth as she staggered to her feet. She looked through the swirling dust and saw a figure emerging.

A black cloak covered the figure’s entire body, with a hood pulled low over their head, and a crudely painted white mask obscured their face.

‘What the…? They’re dressed exactly like that mage from earlier!’

A faint purple sword energy seeped out from the sword the figure held in their right hand. Although they weren’t currently emitting sword aura, the previous strike had undoubtedly been infused with it.

‘At least a 6-star knight…’

Arihil stood up, her expression showing clear irritation.

“Since you ambushed me, I suppose you’re not a knight. Which faction’s swordsman are you?”

A Kaladan knight doesn’t waste time saying things like, “How cowardly to ambush me,” or “How dare you attack a Kaladan.”

In a world where lives are on the line, anything is permissible—whether it’s an ambush or trickery.

“Why would I need to reveal my affiliation? Just know that the item you’re holding belongs to us. Hand it over.”

The man’s voice was distorted, making it difficult to understand, likely to conceal his identity. Arihil removed the hand she had been using to press against her abdomen and gripped her sword. Blood oozed from the wound, but it wasn’t severe enough to prevent her from fighting.

“You want to take it? Then you’ll have to defeat me. Isn’t that obvious?”

Arihil grinned slyly and charged at the man, who responded by leaping into the air, his eyes gleaming from within the mask.

As her white cape and the man’s black cloak mingled, their swords clashed in mid-air.

Clang!

The collision of their swords produced a shockwave, stirring up a fierce storm in the vicinity.

‘Damn, this wound…’

Arihil realized that she couldn’t muster her full strength due to the pain in her abdomen. She was being overpowered by the man in their struggle for dominance!

This was a highly unusual experience for her.

Arihil had always wielded her sword in advantageous situations, against opponents weaker than herself, so she lacked the experience to overcome a situation where she was being physically overpowered.

‘But still!’

Even though she had never experienced this before, Arihil’s eyes flashed as she recalled her younger half-sibling, who cleverly used minor techniques to compensate for a lack of strength.

Kaladan Swordsmanship, First Technique: Ultimate Move

As Arihil descended from the air, she reversed her grip on the sword with her left hand and swung it behind her back. Then, covering her face with her right hand, she shot a piercing gaze at the man.

Spiral Wheel Sword

Triple Strike

Hup! With a shout, Arihil spun her entire body like a top, slashing with her sword. Three disc-shaped waves of sword energy spiraled toward the man.

“Oh, no…!”

The man hastily raised his sword as the spinning discs vibrated the air, rushing toward him. If they touched him, anything in their path would be ground up and sliced to pieces!

Arihil was confident of her victory. Even a swordsman of the same 6-star level wouldn’t be able to block the Spiral Wheel Sword with such a clumsy defense…

Crack!

“…!”

But then, wind swirled around the man’s sword, completely neutralizing Arihil’s sword energy.

“Hah, you blocked that?”

How could an unnamed technique negate Kaladan’s secret swordsmanship? Arihil was momentarily taken aback, but she forced herself to remain calm as she landed on the ground and clutched her abdomen.

Blood was seeping more heavily from the wound on her abdomen, inflicted during the earlier ambush.

“Hah! I’m the one who’s surprised. As expected of a Kaladan! To unleash such a powerful technique even with an injured body.”

The man leisurely walked toward Arihil. Somehow, she got the feeling that he was smiling behind his mask.

The sense of superiority from having the upper hand against a fellow Kaladan swordsman!

The man must have felt it.

“Impressive. I have to commend you. Even without being a Guardian Contractor, you’re able to match the power of my techniques, even though I am a Contractor…”

“You’re a Contractor?”

Arihil forced herself to stand and pointed her sword at him, despite the cold sweat running down her back. The excessive use of a powerful technique had caused severe blood loss, making her vision blur, but she didn’t let it show.

“Yes, I’m contracted with a Guardian that controls the wind, allowing me to make my sword energy even sharper. If I pour all my strength into it, I might even rival a Seven-Star Swordsman. But to be neutralized by an injured Six-Star Swordsman… I still have a long way to go.”

“…”

No wonder the man’s swordsmanship, which seemed insignificant at first, was on par with the Kaladan’s secret sword techniques—he was one of the few hundred Contractors in the world.

“How about it? Now that you’ve witnessed the power of the Contractor you so belittled, are you a bit afraid? Do you envy this power?”

“…”

The man seemed to be deliberately provoking her, having overheard what Arihil said earlier.

“You said the Kaladan have very few Guardians to contract with, so they can barely manage a few at best. Hmm, right. Was it Charen? That little brat who’s your sister but whom you have to kill—she’s contracted with a high-level Guardian, isn’t she? Do you get it now?”

The man chuckled, finding the sight of the trembling, wounded Arihil quite pleasing.

The satisfaction of having defeated a Kaladan with his swordsmanship and the confirmation that he could easily crush a mere swordsmanship family with the power of his Guardian Contract!

“Sooner or later, you’ll fall behind that little brat, Charen. Unless you become a Guardian Contractor, a human’s limits end here. You’re aware, right? Even your ancestor, Hero Kaladan, was a Guardian Contractor! In the end, for a human to grow stronger…”

The man raised his sword high, wrapping a small storm around it.

Although such an excessive technique was unnecessary against the weakened Arihil, he wanted to display his strongest ability as he finished off a Polden Knight of the Kaladan family!

“Now, behold! This is the power a Guardian Contractor can wield!”

As the man swung his sword down, a fierce storm erupted, sending dozens of wind blades rushing toward Arihil.

‘This is the end!’

The man grinned in triumph, thinking that in her injured and frozen state, there was no way she could withstand this attack, and that she would vanish without even leaving a corpse behind.

Suddenly, the wind stopped.

“What…?”

To be precise, the wind that had enveloped the area, stirred by the man, was now sliced into pieces, as if it had been cut by a blade. It lost its form and scattered into nothingness.

“Did you know?”

Arihil struggled to speak through the pain, her voice strained.

“Our grandfather, known to be the closest to Hero Kaladan, never made a contract with a Guardian.”

“Wh-what does that have to do with anything…?”

The man tried to retort, but he suddenly realized that Arihil’s sword had been drawn and was now poised as if it had just cut through something. Instinctively, he took a step back.

“The first Guardian Contractor, Kaladan, once said this.”

‘The powers of a Contractor are like a well-honed blade; if the user lacks skill, no matter how great the power, they won’t even be able to slice a single carrot. Rely too much on it, and you’ll end up cutting yourself instead.’

“I-I… I…”

The man, who had been retreating, suddenly found himself unable to move.

He could feel it.

It was unmistakable, crystal clear.

“Ah.”

He tried to open his mouth to say something, but—

Swish…!

His lips were cut clean off, slipping to the side as they fell, preventing him from uttering a word.

“Is this the mighty power of the Contractor you were talking about? It’s nothing special.”

As Arihil snorted in contempt and sheathed her sword, the man desperately tried to speak one last time.

“Save… me…”

At that moment.

Compared to the storm the man had summoned, a small and feeble breeze blew.

Kaladan Quick Sword Style Third Technique: Dragon’s Blood Nine Sword Art.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Nine slashes struck the man’s body, tearing it apart and reducing it to fragments.

“That’s what happens when you rely on a Contractor’s power…”

Arihil grimaced, clutching her abdomen.

‘It hurts…’

Throughout history, countless Contractors had existed, but only a few of them had ever gained fame by displaying truly extraordinary power.

Most became intoxicated by their abilities, and despite their innate talents, they failed to grow, hitting a wall and falling into despair. Others were consumed by the overwhelming power of their Guardians, or worse…

They died because they couldn’t pay the price. Those who contracted with Guardians beyond their level always met a miserable end.

Arihil kicked aside the man’s mask and frowned. His face, stripped of its skin, was withered and shriveled.

“So, that’s the price of your contract.”

People often think that contracting with a powerful Guardian is an unalloyed good, but the reality is far different.

Some Guardians demanded that their Contractors slaughter a hundred humans every month to drink their blood. Others required their Contractors to commit atrocities against fairies or beastfolk.

Of course, even Guardians with benevolent dispositions required a price.

“…Executing heinous criminals every month, for instance…”

At least in the case of Guardians contracted by noble families, the price they demanded was known to be relatively small.

This is why powerful factions were still desperately seeking Guardian contracts.

“A ‘weapon’ that requires such a steep and grueling price to wield? I find it revolting.”

Suddenly, Arihil thought of Kalantatis, the mightiest of Guardians.

Hero Kaladan, who had contracted with him, was said to have gained countless powers, including the ability to speak the Dragon’s Tongue. Yet, historical accounts depicted him wielding only swordsmanship, without using any special powers.

Kalantatis was described merely as a partner who fought alongside him…

‘Even Hero Kaladan couldn’t bear the cost of using the Dragon King Kalantatis’s powers.’

She wondered.

What could the strongest Guardian possibly demand as a contract price? Could an ordinary human, unlike Hero Kaladan, survive even a month after contracting with such a grand entity?

‘Hmph, a contract with Kalantatis? Unless someone is born with the qualities of a hero, they’d die shortly after making such a contract anyway.’

Arihil had heard that every force in the world was currently mobilizing to find the whereabouts of the mysterious substance, “Estelle,” believed to be connected to Kalantatis.

She thought their efforts were foolish.

‘They should only touch what they can handle.’

She picked up the man’s mask, dusting it off lightly.

“A group with their faces painted white is gathering bloodstones for a contract with a Guardian… I’ll need to report this.”

As Arihil turned the mask over, her eyes widened.

A red magic circle pattern, resembling a spiderweb with cracks, was etched on it.

There was only one group in the world that used such ominous symbols.

“Could it be… that those who hunted the young heirs of noble families… have reappeared?”

Fifty years ago, there had been an incident where a group, having sold their souls to darkness and corrupted even the purest ideals, hunted the descendants of the world’s most prestigious families.

It was said that the madness of those days was so severe that all the noble families had to band together to eradicate the group, with the Kaladan family suffering significant losses as well.

“No way…”

Back then, the Kaladan family had led the charge, ensuring that nothing of that group remained, completely erasing them from existence.

Though she didn’t want to believe they could have resurrected, Arihil sensed that this matter was of grave importance.

“…I need to report this to Grandfather.”

She felt that something ominous was stirring in the world, beyond her understanding.