Emergency detour [3]

Chapter 9

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Episode 3 - Emergency detour [3]

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Shaking my head, I turned toward the hallway.

"....."

The roars of the monsters were already echoing from the end of the corridor, like echoes rising from the very depths of hell.

Drawing my sword, I walked calmly.

「Skill: Master of Steps has been activated」

「Skill: Weapon Master has been activated」

「Skill: Intellectual Genius has been activated」

"I should raise my stats to at least Lv 80."

Slowly, my steps quickened. The floor creaked under my boots with each stride.

Upon exiting the hallway, I was met with a scene that, had it been the old me, I wouldn't have been able to endure.

But now, I didn't even flinch. In fact, I furrowed my brow and clicked my tongue.

'Clank! Clank!'

Several abyssal creatures lunged at me. Eyes glowing with hatred. Jaws open, drooling.

It was a swarm of these things, and they kept pouring out of the rift in the sky, one after another, as if the heavens were bleeding monsters.

The sole objective was to prevent the entire temple from being reduced to ruins with no survivors.

"In a temple, the safety of the priests is the highest priority, so most of the knights and paladins should be protecting the most important people."

Brandishing my sword, I charged at the abyssal creatures.

The sound of their black flesh being sliced reached my ears like distorted music. Sticky. Dense.

The bones of these monsters were as hard as steel, but I applied enough force.

Their bodies were cleaved in half with surgical precision.

Spinning my body at a right angle, I pushed off my heels and, wielding the sword, stabbed another creature's head.

Using my feet, the footwork felt natural.

It was like dancing while swinging the sword. A dance of death.

Moving side to side, I kicked the body of one of the creatures.

'Boom!'

Its body shot backward, crashing into the others and toppling them like dominoes.

Gripping the hilt tightly, I threw the sword like an arrow. It whistled through the air and pierced cleanly through the bodies of a group of monsters.

「Stigma: Requiem of Devoured Souls has been activated」

Countless mouths and teeth appeared on the monsters' bodies. Writhing. Devouring. Screaming.

'This is the second time I've used the stigma, but it feels strange.'

I glanced at the notifications about stat increases but ignored them. I kept killing. Each strike was stronger. Each movement faster.

After a few minutes, I ran through the hallways.

As I slipped on the Ring of Light, physical fatigue began to fade rapidly.

That was one of the ring's effects. Besides, since I wasn't injured, I couldn't activate the regeneration skill.

'Either way, I'm not joining the group yet.'

Before that, I wanted to learn more about the Sword of Faith. That female paladin should know something.

'I know the sword is in the city, across the forest, but it never described the exact location of things.'

Because, in the end, it was just text. People could imagine the settings surrounding the protagonist.

That's why I never bothered to mention the exact location of some things.

"If I'm not mistaken, that woman has already encountered the sword before."

While running through the hallways, I finally exited the main area of the temple.

'Clank! Clank!'

Then I saw her.

My heart raced as a smile appeared on my face. I took a step toward her.

'Boom!'

A black and purple tentacle fell in the middle of the path. The ground trembled.

It was enormous. At least ten meters wide and rising into the sky, crossing the stain with its slimy, pulsating body.

I gritted my teeth and gripped the sword tightly.

"The body of an A-rank monster is impossible for me to harm."

In my current state, barely F-rank and without maxed-out stats, injuring an A-rank was foolish.

However.

I wasn't trying to harm it.

I used the sword as support to climb the tentacle.

I clung to the holes in the soft flesh and drove the tip into the openings.

That way, I could hold on without falling and climb the ten meters of the tentacle's height to cross to the other side.

"I'll be able to cross to the other side…"

But things don't always go as planned.

'Rumble!'

"Damn it…"

The tentacle began to move.

Slowly, it rose into the air, pulling further from the ground, and started shaking violently.

"….."

It was then that I realized.

"It's returning to the stain."

The tentacle was going back to the main body. I felt my weight no longer served as an anchor.

"….."

As I looked at the stain in the sky, getting closer and closer to it…

Suddenly, I saw a pair of eyes.

Large eyes that stared at me intently.

My body trembled violently, and my breathing grew erratic.

"Now's not the time."

I bit my lower lip hard. I felt blood in my mouth.

「Stigma: Requiem of Devoured Souls has been activated」

I knew it wouldn't work completely, but if I used the stigma to devour part of the tentacle, I could cut it and fall.

At that moment, countless mouths with sharp teeth appeared and began biting the flesh connecting the tentacle to the main body.

The flesh tore with a wet, repulsive sound.

And in the next second, part of the tentacle fell along with me.

'Boom!'

Holding on tightly, I endured the fall from at least fifty meters high.

When my feet touched the ground, I staggered.

「Karma Progression: 0.09%」

"….."

A notification appeared before my eyes.

I froze for an instant, staring at the only words I didn't expect to see so soon.

"But the stigma only ate a small piece to tear the tentacle from the main body… So then…"

Oh, right.

Recalling that I had used the stigma on dozens of monsters of at least level 8 or higher, I nodded.

"Good. I need to be careful. Now…"

I turned my head.

I saw a woman fighting alone against a group of abyss creatures. I gripped my sword and ran toward her.

'Clank! Clank!'

I sliced through the monsters' flesh, tearing limbs and stabbing without pause.

One after another, the bodies fell. The number of monsters decreased rapidly.

"It's you."

The woman looked at me with surprise.

Her face was stained with blood, but her eyes shone.

"We meet again. Let me help."

I stabbed the head of one of the creatures approaching.

The level percentage was increasing. It was rising fast.

I could reach level 40 at this rate.

After a minute, all the nearby monsters had been eliminated.

"Thank you for helping me."

"It's nothing."

Now… how was I supposed to introduce myself?

The Sword of Faith was an S-rank weapon that Seth had found.

Although in the original story, he didn't obtain it at the beginning, but rather when he was already A-rank and had an SS sword in his hands.

However, for me, who was at the start of this story, that sword was something I absolutely had to obtain.

Then, a thought sparked in my mind.

I looked at the woman. I didn't even know her name.

"Miss, do you know where the Sword of Faith is? The Holy Knight could eliminate that creature."

I pointed to the sky, where several more tentacles were beginning to descend toward the temple.

At that moment, as the woman followed my gaze, I smiled.

'Maybe I could at least get a clue.'

The woman lowered her gaze for a second and then looked at me again.

"The Sword of Faith…"

I nodded.

"Yes, see for yourself. That creature is obviously very powerful and hasn't even fully descended yet."

Just to be clear: the Holy Knight who was about to face that creature didn't need the Sword of Faith.

With his strength and his current sword, he was more than enough.

The woman looked at the tentacles again.

Her furrowed brow and the tension in her jaw betrayed that she was thinking deeply.

My smile widened even more.

'Thom. Thom.'

My heart was pounding, brimming with anticipation.

Then her lips slowly parted.

"The Sword of Faith is…"

'Boom!'

A yellow light flashed from the distance.

One of the tentacles was cleanly severed.

A man in shining armor with a long sword appeared in the air.

He made an elegant leap and, with a single motion, sliced several tentacles in half.

'The Holy Knight… This is bad.'

I didn't expect him to show up right when she was about to give me the answer.

I clenched my teeth silently.

Then the woman's voice reached my ears.

"It's the Holy Knight. It doesn't seem like he needs the Sword of Faith."

I clenched my teeth even harder.

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and stared at her.

She was watching the knight with admiration, oblivious to my thoughts.

'Torturing or threatening her won't work… So, how do I get her to tell me the location of the Sword of Faith?'

「Skill: Intellectual Genius has been activated」

My thoughts accelerated.

Thousands of ideas flashed through my mind, but I discarded 99% of them.

'Maybe…'

A spark of logic appeared.

'I could make her believe a priest needs the sword, but… how do I make it believable?'

No, a priest doesn't wield swords.

I shook my head.

They don't fight… they give blessings.

'That's it! Blessings. If I say a priest will protect the Sword of Faith with a blessing as a shield… it could work.'

If it didn't work, I'd simply kill her. I wouldn't get the location, but I'd avoid risks.

I cleared my throat, feigning hesitation.

"Miss… even though the Holy Knight doesn't seem to need the Sword of Faith… it's better if the priest carries it and uses his blessing as a shield.

That way, we prevent any possible theft or corruption."

Her eyes widened with clarity.

"You're right."

'Thom.'

My heart trembled.

I tried to hide my smile as best I could while speaking:

"So…"

I needed to make her talk. If this worked, then…

"Do you know where the Sword of Faith is?"

My voice trembled slightly with contained excitement.

"Its location?"

I nodded, trying to suppress the ecstasy rising through my entire body like a flame.

I couldn't contain the joy.

The woman's lips moved.

"The Sword of Faith should be in the display case at the altar, in the church in the city. It should be the church right next to the museum."

My heart exploded.

'So that's why I never found the location… the city is in ruins.

It's hard to identify the structures. But if I know it's next to the museum… that's enough.'

Fortunately, the museum was intact.

I just needed to identify the church once I crossed the Nightmare Forest.

"Then let's go. The city is a bit far, but protecting the Sword of Faith is our…"

Before I could finish the sentence…

The tip of my sword pierced her chest.

A huge smile spread across my face.

"Thank you for telling me the location of the Sword of Faith. I'll use it gladly."

Her eyes trembled as she spat blood.

Her gaze, filled with disbelief, locked onto me.

"W-what are you doing…"

My smile deepened.

"Why is an extra who doesn't exist in the original story asking me something like that?"

She didn't seem to understand. But that didn't matter anymore.

I slowly pulled the sword out. Her body fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Her face was pale, her lips parted in a final breath.

A pool of blood began to spread around her.

I turned around without looking back.

I ran back to rejoin the group.