The Weakest Knight Became a Swordmaster, But Only in Dungeons - Chapter 32

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Oblivious

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Weakest Knight Became a Swordmaster, But Only in Dungeons ◈

Chapter 32: Break (2)

──────

In Chapter 1, Act 7 of For Elise, the Demonkin Orankel led a monster army to attack the city of Campbell.

How had Orankel managed to bring along an entire monster army? The reason was simple.

‘Orankel triggered a Gate Break.’

Using a Demonkin authority, Orankel created a Gate at a suitable location.

After a certain amount of time passed, that Gate collapsed.

As a result, masses of Dungeon monsters poured out.

‘If I remember right, once a Gate created by a Demonkin becomes capable of breaking, they could trigger it whenever they wanted, provided they didn’t wait too long.’

If another Demonkin had taken over Orankel’s job, they would be waiting without triggering the Gate Break.

The White Wing commander had remained at the White Wing Knight Order’s Campbell Branch the entire time Elise was there.

In other words, if Violet Blackgarden had found a Gate on the verge of collapse at this time...

‘There’s a high chance it belongs to the enemy.’

Even if it were a ridiculous coincidence, that was fine. Clearing a Dungeon would be a huge win for me anyway.

‘That said, I’ll pass on telling the knight order.’

There was no time. Besides, it would be difficult to report it to the knight order while concealing my identity, and I was not even sure they would believe me.

Even if they mobilized in force, there was no way to know how the Demonkin would respond. But if they moved in small numbers, they would not be able to handle the enemy either.

So the surest option was for me to move in secret.

‘All right, I’m ready. Time to go wreck them~’

There was a high chance a Demonkin was waiting for me.

Shouldn’t I personally return the favor by cutting off their head?

And I could get rewards too. Killing two birds with one stone.

Click.

Creak.

It was a holiday.

I left the dormitory.

......

Whoooosh.

The gray sky, packed with dark clouds, poured down rain. Lightning flashed now and then, followed by thunderous rumbles.

I arrived at a cave near Tilloden Rocky Mountain.

“Violet, I’m here.”

“Mr. Hazely...!”

Violet Blackgarden, dressed in a robe, was waiting there. We had agreed to meet here after leaving the knight school separately.

As we spoke, we went over the plan again.

‘Violet waits at a suitable distance in case something happens and secures the escape route. Then I enter the Gate and clear the Dungeon quickly.’

The Gate Violet had found had reached the critical point just before collapse.

Such Gates warped unstably, making them conspicuous.

So Plan A was to clear the Dungeon before a Gate Break occurred.

‘There’s no guarantee things will go according to plan... but even if the Gate breaks, I should be able to handle it.’

As I had thought when I went to kill the Demonkin Maslo around my second week at the knight school, a Gate Break turned the surrounding area into a Dungeon.

The Dungeonized area would soon become part of this world, but until then, my unique ability to enter the Swordmaster state would remain active.

“Lead the way, Violet.”

“Yes...!”

Violet answered solemnly.

After discussing the operation, we started walking.

Our destination was near the summit of Tilloden Rocky Mountain.

I pulled up my robe’s hood to hide my face. I had also equipped magical footwear that left no footprints.

‘Violet said the Gate was concealed, right?’

If so, the knight order’s Gate-detection devices would not have detected it.

‘Then again, most Demonkin did that in the original story.’

What was this, some kind of real-life life hack? Seriously.

Before long, Violet and I split up as planned.

Shhh.

Using the effect of the dark gray cloak artifact, Kelius’s Cloak, I turned invisible.

‘Oh, I can’t even see my hands.’

I felt like a ghost. This was pretty fun.

The effect would stop working for a certain period if I used even the slightest bit of mana.

So I climbed the rest of the mountain path using only physical strength. It was no trouble.

Soon, I arrived near the Gate.

Just as Violet had said, a gate flickering unstably with crackling sounds floated in midair.

It was purple. If a gate turned that color shortly before breaking, it meant a Demonkin had created it.

Because demonic energy had interfered with it.

A semi-transparent curtain of black mana covered the area around it. It was mana-concealment magic.

However, there was one problem.

‘There’s a barrier?’

A semi-transparent barrier protected the Gate inside the mana-concealment curtain.

Violet had even withdrawn her undead servants in spirit form so the enemy would not notice them, so she had not been able to discover it beforehand.

‘Judging by how weak the mana is, it probably only detects someone entering the barrier.’

It seemed the Demonkin had put up the barrier as a precaution.

Near the Gate, a pale-skinned Demonkin sat on a cliff edge, swinging his legs.

‘Huh...? Isn’t that Ulz?’

Demonkin Ulz.

He was a boss who appeared in Chapter 2 of Elwi.

His most vicious pattern temporarily stopped anyone caught in his line of sight. How many times had I slammed my keyboard because of that bastard?

Would I be okay in my Swordmaster state?

I probably would be, but... I just had to kill him before he used that ability.

‘Did that guy take over Orankel’s mission?’

That bastard Orankel... dumping work on a senior.

Well, that senior would soon be heading to the Demonkin Planet too. He would get to have an emotional reunion with Orankel there.

‘Sneaking up from behind is... obviously impossible.’

Kelius’s Cloak could hide my presence, but the effect became useless once I got too close.

There would be countless clues to my existence, like raindrops striking me or the wind shifting around me.

A powerful Demonkin like Ulz would not fail to notice them.

Besides, I was currently only at the very beginning of the low Sword Expert rank.

In other words, if I got close to Demonkin Ulz, I was guaranteed to die a pointless death.

‘And knowing Ulz...’

As another precaution, if an unexpected variable appeared that could disrupt his mission, he had probably set up a way for his faction to learn about it.

I could not be sure, but I definitely had to be careful.

‘Once I’m in the Swordmaster state, I can use aura sense to figure it out.’

Then...

‘It can’t be helped. I have no choice but to go with Plan B.’

I placed my hands on the two famous swords at my waist and revised the plan.

I would wait for the Gate Break.

I would have to accept that the knight order would detect the mana from my Swordmaster state.

There were already rumors about a Swordmaster who had saved Elise. It would not make the risk I had been carrying any greater.

* * *

A large magic carriage of the Red Wing Knight Order raced along the trade route.

Its passengers were Elise Lorendia, Lara Twislope, and two Red Wing Knight Order members dressed in deep crimson uniforms.

Listening quietly to the rain, Elise took in the unusual mountain range beyond the window.

Tilloden Rocky Mountain.

It was a mountain filled with enormous boulders draped in greenery like hair. She had heard that their colors changed beautifully with the seasons.

It was not a particularly tall mountain, but she had heard the scenery was magnificent.

However, the rocky mountain was now covered in a thick, eerie mist because of the downpour.

It would have been nice to see it on a clear day. Elise swallowed her disappointment.

─ ‘Weren’t we already close?’

Ron’s question suddenly drifted through Elise’s mind.

‘Already close...’

Ron already considered her a friend.

On the other hand, it had not been long since Elise realized her feelings and grew attached to Ron.

That gap pricked her heart like a needle.

“Elise, what are you thinking about?”

Lara looked at Elise’s thoughtful profile and asked curiously.

Since Red Wing Knight Order members were riding with them, Lara lowered her voice as much as possible.

Elise turned toward Lara. A mischievous urge rose within her, and she smiled casually.

“I’m thinking about Ron.”

“Huh? ...What!?”

Lara’s face immediately flushed bright red.

At her dramatic reaction, the Red Wing members shot Lara annoyed looks, while Elise quietly giggled.

Then it happened.

Ding!

‘Hm?’

[The “Scenario Note” has been updated.]

[Would you like to view it?]

The moment Elise saw the semi-transparent notification window appear before her, she caught her breath.

The Scenario Note.

A mysterious ability that foretold tragedies involving herself or those around her.

There was only one clear meaning behind its sudden appearance. Elise swallowed dryly and opened the note.

[Oh, Elise. It looks like you, your friend, and the knights taking you to the order are all about to be torn apart by Demonkin and magical beasts! How heartbreaking! But I’m sure you can overcome it. Let’s work hard to change fate again this time!]

Life vanished from Elise’s turquoise eyes. As her attention fixed on the Scenario Note, even the sound of rain seemed to fade from her ears.

‘Ah... right.’

Why had she avoided becoming attached to people so easily?

Elise recalled a memory and understood once again.

“Hm?”

Lara noticed Elise’s atmosphere change abruptly.

Her expression showed that she was trying to suppress her emotions.

Since childhood, Lara had known that something serious happened whenever Elise wore that dark expression.

“Elise...? What’s wrong?”

Lara asked seriously, but Elise raised a hand instead of answering. It meant they would talk later.

“Phew.”

After letting out a quiet sigh and steadying her emotions, Elise spoke to the Red Wing members.

“Seniors, I have a request.”

“A request? What is it?”

“Could you raise the carriage’s speed to its maximum immediately?”

“What are you suddenly talking about...?”

“I have a bad feeling.”

“A bad feeling...? You can’t just suddenly say something like that...”

Then.

Boom!!

“!!”

A terrifying wave of mana spread out with a deafening roar from the direction of Tilloden Rocky Mountain.

Bang!

A Red Wing Knight Order member flung open the door of the racing carriage. Raindrops pushed their way inside.

Beyond the open door, the sky above Tilloden Rocky Mountain began to fill with white mana.

The downpour around it began to freeze, and the summit of the rocky mountain gradually iced over.

“A Gate Break...!”

Anyone could easily understand what had happened.

There had been a Gate on Tilloden Rocky Mountain, and it had reached its critical point without the Dungeon being cleared before finally collapsing.

“There was no report that a Gate had been found...!”

The Red Wing member clicked her tongue.

It was not unprecedented. A Gate could not be detected if its mana was concealed.

“That must be it...”

Elise immediately understood the cause of the tragedy described by the Scenario Note.

That Gate Break had to be the source of it.

“Report it to the knight order! Right now!”

Shing!

The Red Wing member drew her sword.

Lara panicked.

“Senior, what are you going to do!?”

“Stop the damage from spreading! We’re the first line of defense!”

Gripping the doorframe, the Red Wing member tried to leap from the moving carriage. Her hair, wet from the rain, swayed in the wind.

“Senior!”

“Hey, knight school freshmen! Join up with the knight order! You don’t need to risk your lives too...!”

Fwoosh!!

A fierce wave of mana spread from Tilloden Rocky Mountain.

Goosebumps raced down the spines of the Red Wing members and Lara.

The Red Wing member fell speechless.

A massive creature rose onto the cliff above Tilloden Rocky Mountain. It was so enormous that its silhouette was clearly visible even through the mist covering the mountain.

The creature released an icy wind and shone with white light from its eyes. The mist retreated, and the raindrops turned into snow crystals.

“What... what kind of monster is that...?”

The Red Wing member’s voice trembled as her eyes widened.

Elise placed a hand on her sword hilt. With mana like that, it would have no problem intercepting them even here.

The Scenario Note would not have foretold a tragedy for no reason. Even if they raced away in the carriage, it would be useless.

So they would hide nearby and wait for support. If there was no other choice, they would fight.

Elise made that judgment, but...

“What...?”

As she watched the mana gathering around Tilloden Rocky Mountain, she realized her judgment had only been arrogance.

Meanwhile, at Tilloden Rocky Mountain.

[Ah... how despairing. So despairing.]

Blue veins stood out against pale skin. White cold leaked from the horns on his silver hair.

Demonkin Ulz smiled as he watched the Red Wing Knight Order’s magic carriage racing along the distant trade route.

[From here, I can kill them easily. Ah, this will be so despairing....]

Demonkin Ulz wrapped both arms around himself, his voice trembling.

Pleasure ran down his spine.

He wanted to give them despair as soon as possible.

He wanted to sneer in front of the dying Elise that he would make good use of her fairy’s power.

[Yes! I’ll start with the fairy contractor’s friend and work through them one by one...!]

Finally, he would savor Elise’s despair before taking the power his faction wanted from her.

How blissful would that be? Demonkin Ulz smacked his lips.

Thud!

A white tiger magical beast, taller than most houses, planted its feet on the ground, showing off enormous fangs.

That single movement made Tilloden Rocky Mountain shake.

Grrrrrr....

The magical beast sensed the mana of Vermea, the fairy of crimson flowers, and stared at the Red Wing Knight Order’s carriage.

It was Ice-White Tiger Belork, the Dungeon boss that had emerged through the Gate Break.

Crack!

A fierce cold wind burst from the shattered Gate, covering the entire area in ice.

It was Dungeonization caused by the Gate Break.

Following the Ice-White Tiger’s intimidating presence, white tiger monsters with bodies partly made of icy skin and spikes poured from the Gate, growling.

Crack!

Whoooosh!

The downpour froze, swirled, and began to gather into one mass.

Ice-White Tiger Belork’s powerful pale-blue mana covered that condensed mass.

The ice-white tigers howled, ready to charge at any moment. At their speed, they could cross the rocky mountain and reach the Red Wing Knight Order’s carriage in no time.

[Exchange Realm Society, watch! Watch my work! And please, give me an absolutely wonderful review!]

Demonkin Ulz shouted theatrically, giggling like a child.

[Now, despair for the fairy contractor...!]

He was about to give the order to attack, but...

Splat!

Crunch!

An unexpected twist struck Demonkin Ulz.

[What...?]

A white bat familiar that had been relaying the current situation to the Exchange Realm Society, the faction he belonged to, was pierced by a mana-infused dagger and died.

What had just happened? Demonkin Ulz fell into confusion.

Fwoooosh!!

Boom!!

Blue flames suddenly erupted fiercely and swallowed the enormous mass of freezing mana.

With a thunderous explosion, the freezing mana was helplessly consumed.

Immense mana from the flames surrounded Demonkin Ulz’s skin. His eyes widened.

[Who... is it? When did they...!?]

Demonkin Ulz quickly looked toward the source of the blue flames.

Fwoooosh!!

At that moment, a snowstorm carrying a shockwave rushed toward Demonkin Ulz. He spread demonic energy and covered his face with his arms as he endured it.

Slice.

A chilling cutting sound rang out without warning. Had one of the monsters been struck?

Demonkin Ulz lowered his arms, gritted his teeth, and opened his eyes wide.

Through the sleet pouring down, a man in a robe hood, holding a black sword, had somehow approached within arm’s reach of Demonkin Ulz.

Demonkin Ulz’s eyes trembled.

The moment the man moved even slightly, he intended to use magic to stop his target.

[Who... are you?]

Cold blue light shone from the darkness beneath the man’s hood.

Demonkin Ulz recognized the unflinching killing intent in those eyes.

Ron Hazely smirked.

“Why tell someone who’s already dead?”

[What...? Uh...?]