Chapter 35 You Can Become Even Stronger
The news that the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ had broken through the 45th floor and successfully set up a new teleportation circle on the 46th floor spread like wildfire through the explorer guild.
And with it, the fact that a considerable number of clan members had fallen victim to the labyrinth.
The world was shocked by the news that 12 expert explorers had lost their lives, and while they were in awe of the historic achievement, they couldn't help but voice their astonishment.
For the guild, the loss of 12 excellent explorers was a significant blow, but the benefits of setting up a new teleportation circle far outweighed it.
After all, the mortality rate for explorers was high, and even expert explorers were not exceptions.
Whether the 12 casualties were many or few was a matter of debate, but no one blamed the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ for their mistakes.
At the very least, those with great influence seemed to have judged the losses as within the acceptable range.
That's how close death was to explorers, and it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Furthermore... the true identities of the 12 deceased remained unknown.
And then, 2 days after the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ returned from the 46th floor...
After finally finishing their reports and post-mission procedures, Logan Abrams, who had some free time, threw himself into his training.
The location was within the Kirke family's grounds.
It was a training area adjacent to the Demon Hawk Knights' quarters, with a large space that could accommodate many people at once.
But now, there was no one else besides Logan. The sky was already dyed red, the shadows were deep and dark, and they stretched out long. It was almost time for the sun to set.
In the dimly lit training area, Logan was alone, fully immersed in his training.
Ting, ting, ting!
――A cool, metallic sound echoed at a steady rhythm.
It's like the clear sound of a blacksmith hammering metal with a gold hammer. However, if one thinks about the location, it would be the sound of swords clashing, right?
But that's not the sound of swords clashing. Of course not. Logan is alone, after all.
To begin with, Logan isn't even swinging his sword.
He's just standing with his knees bent, holding the long sword with both hands at shoulder height, parallel to the ground. He's not moving his body or the sword at all. He's completely still.
However, the long sword he's holding is covered in a quiet aura.
On the sword's body ―― to be precise, on the belly of the sword facing the sky ―― there's an object colliding with it in a fixed rhythm.
It's an iron ball about the size of a thumb.
When it falls and hits the sword, it bounces back up into the air, and then falls again due to gravity, hitting the sword Logan is holding, and bouncing back up again. This repetition continues.
But what's strange is that the rhythm of the iron ball hitting the sword is fixed, and the height it bounces back up to is also fixed. Even if someone controls the point of impact to make it bounce back up straight, it should normally lose energy and speed, and the height it bounces back up to should decrease.
The reason it doesn't is simple.
The quiet aura covering Logan's sword. It's a basic Sword Technique, [Parry].
The aura that repels objects is replenishing the energy lost due to gravity.
However, what Logan is doing is not that simple. If one sees it, they'll doubt their eyes due to its strangeness.
When using [Parry] to repel something, it's difficult to precisely control the direction.
Rather, many people would say it's "impossible". And some would say it's "meaningless".
That's because the flow of the aura covering the sword with [Parry] has fluctuations, and is not uniform. There are places where the aura is slightly thicker, and places where it's thinner. And these fluctuations are not fixed. They're always flowing without the mage's awareness.
These tiny differences give rise to complex variations in the direction of the force when repelling something.
Because of [Parry], when deflecting objects, controlling the direction becomes extremely difficult.
There is only one way to solve this problem. That is, the skill ―― mastering [Parry].
However, those who prefer to use [Parry] are extremely rare. There are many skills that are easier to use and more convenient than [Parry] when it comes to defending against enemy attacks, dodging, or counterattacking.
To master [Parry], one needs not only skill proficiency but also pure swordsmanship.
In a place where monsters roam, and enemies attack one after another, a single mistake can lead to instant death. Most people wouldn't use a skill like that.
If they want to defend against enemy attacks head-on, it's better to leave it to a shield user. If they want to dodge, use a movement-based skill. If they want to counterattack, use a skill with high power or a wide range.
[Parry] is completely unnecessary. It's pointless to train in it.
The higher the explorer's talent, the more they would think that way.
Logan himself was no exception.
――But.
After starting to train in it due to a certain trigger, he began to feel that this was a surprisingly interesting skill. If he could deflect enemy attacks in any direction and with any strength he wanted, it would create new opportunities.
However, Logan's goal wasn't to master [Parry]. That was just a means to an end.
His true goal might be beyond mastering [Parry] ―― complete control over aura.
What he was doing now was just training for that purpose. It wasn't an easy training, and Logan was drenched in sweat despite his unwavering determination.
Controlling aura required immense concentration.
Even so, 2 hours had already passed since he started this training.
――Suddenly.
The sound of the iron ball bouncing back, "TING!", was different from before.
It was stronger, with a higher pitch.
The iron ball flew high into the air. Logan slowly relaxed his stance, still activating [Parry], and lightly swung his sword.
The iron ball that fell from above hit the sword's blade and, controlled by [Pally], flew swiftly towards the corner of the training grounds, where the shadows were. Its speed was incredible, rivaling that of an arrow.
However, the iron ball fired at high speed did not hit the stone wall surrounding the training grounds. Instead, it made a faint "pshin" sound, a light noise that indicated it had been caught by someone's hand.
"...Do you need something, Ail?"
Logan's straight gaze was directed towards the darkness, where a single figure emerged from the shadows.
The one wearing black attire that blended into the darkness was none other than Ail, as if summoned by his name.
"...You're doing some pretty unusual training, aren't you?"
Ail didn't respond to the question, instead commenting on Logan's training.
It was unusual, or rather, not something he'd normally do. Logan let out a wry smile as he replied.
"I'm trying to control my aura. I'm still in the trial-and-error phase."
"Your aura control seems to be going well, though?"
"Hmph, Ail knows as well, don't you? If I just use it as a skill, it's fine as it is, but I want more than that."
"...Like Aaron?"
"Yeah."
As a member of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, he has dived into the labyrinth with him many times, observing his battles from the sidelines. That's why he understands.
Aaron Gale, as a Sword Saint, Logan, and Hermit Ail, had used numerous skills that were unseen and unheard of.
There were skills that couldn't be explained by the known Unique Jobs and the skills that could be acquired through them.
He has investigated as many skills as possible, but there were several skills among those used by Aaron that didn't match any of them.
It's possible that Aaron awakened to an unknown Unique Job. However, that possibility is extremely low. Then, what other possibilities can be considered?
Logan thought about it.
Aaron was controlling his aura in a different dimension, varying known skills into unknown ones.
For instance, [Slash] and [Heavy Slash], [Aura Sword Rain] and [Dancing Aura Sword] ―― aren't they variations of the same system of skills?
Logan thought that with endless training and mastery, it might be possible to achieve that.
But how much training would be necessary to make it a reality?
And could he himself achieve it?
Logan was trying to verify his 2 hypotheses by testing them out himself.
"Logan..."
Ail, who was likely thinking the same thing, looked at Logan with an enigmatic gaze.
"You're... getting old too."
"..."
It took Logan a little while to notice the emotions hidden in Ail's gaze. It was because, back when he was still a rookie explorer, he hadn't seen that kind of gaze before.
――Pity.
A gaze that looked at someone with pity.
"Ail... what do you mean? I thought you were a true friend. So... I'll give you some advice. You should be careful with what you say about me..."
Ail smiled faintly as Logan warned him, his tone carrying an overwhelming pressure that would make even a mid-level monster flee barefoot.
But Ail didn't seem to care, and his unchanging gaze continued to pierce through.
"Logan, the Sword Saint. You're a genius who surpasses even me. I'm proud of you. When we cleared the God's Remains Labyrinth together, I was grateful to the gods that I got to party with you... I thought our achievements would become legendary, and they did. We lost 3 comrades and I retired, but our record of clearing 45 floors with just 6 people still remains unbroken... at least for now."
"... What's your point?"
"I can't bear to look at it."
Ail said.
"You, the sword saint, are trying to follow in the footsteps of the young man, who's now more than twice younger... It's like you're declaring that you'll surpass him! Don't you think that's pathetic?"
"...I don't care about pride if it means getting stronger."
"――Can you win?"
Ail's words, which sounded like he was shaking him, got a firm response from Logan. He had never thought of himself as the strongest, after all.
However, he couldn't help but keep quiet when the next question was asked.
"It seems like you've found a new training method, but can you really win with that? Will you get stronger if you keep at it?"
"...I can feel the effects. I'm confident that I'll get stronger if I continue."
"How much time do you need to train to get stronger? Even if you do, Aaron will probably grow stronger too. And he's much younger than you. It's a fantasy to think you can stay on top forever. Even explorers can't beat old age... Let me ask you again, Logan――can you win?"
"..."
It felt like he was asking something he didn't want to hear.
It was a fact that even Logan himself had vaguely realized and was trying to ignore.
As things stood, he couldn't beat Aaron Gale. In fact, the gap in their actual strength was huge. If they were to fight for real, He'd probably be "held back" to the point where...
He had come to this realization because of what happened on the 45th floor the other day. He heard from Fiona and Calum about what Aaron did to Ignitor, and that's when he realized just how far behind he was.
――This me, a Sword Saint, losing after being held back.
As a Swordsman, an explorer, a warrior, and having dedicated his entire life to it, it was a hard pill to swallow.
He never thought of himself as the strongest.
But he had always wanted to be the strongest.
That's why Logan let out a wry smile."
"Ail, you're a quiet guy, but you're good with words. You don't seem like you can be beaten with words. So I'll ask you straight out... what's your goal, or rather, what's your friends' goal? From your roundabout way of talking, it doesn't seem like you're planning to kill me...?"
"......Did you notice?"
"Of course, I noticed. We've been together for a long time. You could've easily tortured Judas and the others back then and extracted information. I thought you'd mellowed out with age, but... maybe you were trying to make me notice something?"
"......"
Ail smiled faintly, his eyes curving upwards like a crack.
"...If you understand that much, then listen. Logan... 'come here'. You can become even stronger. That's more than Aaron..."
"Hmph, is that so?"
Logan also smiled and replied.
"――But I refuse."
"What?"
Ail's eyes widened in surprise, and Logan said,
"I'm not interested in power given by someone else. I don't think it's fun to fight with that kind of power."
After a long silence, Ail spoke again.
"......Are you going to lose? Can it be that you still don't understand, even at this point? Haven't you heard about the battle between him and Ignitor?"
"Of course, I've heard. Just hearing about it is amazing, his strength is incredible."
"You can't win against him with normal methods anymore."
"That may be true, or it may not be. I won't know until I try."
"...Is that all? Logan... have you become that old?"
"I don't think I've changed since I was young."
"......"
Ail looked down, seeming to sink into silence for a while, then let out a deep sigh and slowly raised his face.
"...There's no choice. I didn't want to do it this way, but..."
He said,
"Logan, fight me."
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