The Amber Sword

Chapter 48 – Silver Mines (9)

[It’s strange. A large amount of Cold Iron. Mystic Eye Gems. It’s somehow familiar to me, but I’m certain I have never seen them together in the game before.]

Brendel was currently sitting on a pile of silver ore at the gathering site.

He had ambushed a squadron of guards with the aid of his Wind Spirit Spiders earlier. By using the White Raven Sword Arte, he extinguished their torches, ambushed them and knocked everyone out with a blow to their heads.

He took their swords and attached them behind his back on his belt before he called the girls to move the guards elsewhere in the tunnel. They then waited for the enemy commander’s next move. Medissa stood quietly with her eyes closed and looked like she was meditating, while Scarlett polished her halberd’s blade.

But Brendel was thinking back on the discovery of the Azure Quartz.

[If it’s not within the game, then perhaps…… Yes, that’s it, a forum post. I remember there’s a post about someone getting a quest in Trentheim. He discovered a vein of Cold Iron and two different types of strange materials. Eventually, one was identified as the Mystic Eye Gem, but the other had no conclusion during that time. I think it was a silver ball, but I don’t remember—]

His eyes suddenly widened at the notion of a silver ball.

Jana stared at the attack in disbelief and thought Brendel was closer to a monster than a human.

Kodan’s counterattack came as his jump brought him closer to Brendel, with his sword in a position to cleave the youth into two. Brendel immediately kicked the ground and swerved to his left, while Scarlett swung her halberd as well in a large, exaggerated arc. Kodan’s rippling muscles tensed up as he unleashed his blade from above.

The two blades collided violently, causing the metallic screams to echo in everyone’s ears. Scarlett wobbled backward a few steps and nearly toppled over to the ground Although she was a God Acolyte and her stats was higher than a normal Gold-ranked fighter, she still lost out in terms of strength and technique.

Kodan was sent hurtling back through the air from Scarlett’s attack, and Medissa did not miss the opportunity and moved closer to thrust her spear at him. Despite his unsteady landing, he managed to duck and dodge the Silver Elf’s swift strikes. His body was nimble and flexible as though he was a young man, and his aged wrinkles and white hair looked like they were lies.

The old soldier who survived the November War naturally used Aouine’s Swordsmanship, but he had incorporated his own style and elevated it to even greater heights.

His attack was a mere straightforward slash, but there was an oppressive, bloodthirsty feeling to it. Medissa guarded with her spear placed vertically to receive it, and her boots left a grinding mark across the ground as she was pushed back with her hands trembling.

Brendel suddenly felt he had misjudged the difficulty of capturing him. Be it Conrad, Tirste, or even any Gold-ranked swordsman that he had seen in the game; they were no match for this elderly man’s skill. Even Iamas back then did not give as much pressure as Kodan did right now. The swordsmanship and seemingly undefeatable aura reminded him of one person.

The Pale Knight Ebdon.

[Analyze!]

He roared in his mind and threw his sword at Kodan who ran towards him. There was no way he would be able to match the old man’s skill in with Aouine’s Swordsmanship, and he decided to even up the odds by using the system.

Kodan was momentarily confused when Brendel abandoned his sword, but he struck it away, then jumped slightly when the sword snapped into two. The youth drew another sword from his back, and that was when Kodan suddenly realized six or seven swords were hanging behind from his belt. His sword was clearly unable to handle the technique he used earlier, which was why he had to prepare that many blades.

[This must be the biggest joke I have ever seen. A Gold-ranked swordsman without a proper sword he can use?]

The old man scoffed and flickered his weapon at Brendel, aiming at his wrists, and the latter bent his knees into a low guard and parried the incoming blade by sending it upwards with his own. The two men’s swords went back and forth in a tight metallic chorus, each attacking and defending alternatively.

Brendel finally experienced Kodan’s swordsmanship fully. The old man was even more formidable than Ebdon was, and every time their blades met, there was a striking fear in his heart despite the fact that he used to be a level 130 gamer.

Kodan was surprised at Brendel’s aggressive strikes. The youth seemed like he had entirely given up his defenses to injure him. Kodan wanted to take advantage of his weaknesses, but that ordinary steel blade seemed to find its way to riposte at the very last second.

[This isn’t Aouine’s swordsmanship! Kirrlutz, no, this isn’t exactly right as well—]

However, that limit was soon reached as he eventually overwhelmed the youth in a flurry of blows and managed to kick him to the sides. He began to run to the entrance. There was no point in staying on. Once he managed to escape, he could send for help.

Scarlett had recovered and tried to bar his way, but he swung his sword in a mighty arc—

“Get lost!” He bellowed, and the girl staggered back several steps after deflecting his sword.

Kodan was briefly shocked as he had used his full strength in that swing; he expected her to be at least driven back to the walls.

Brendel was burning inside with worry. He could not allow the old man to escape. He immediately activated the Charge skill and aimed at Kodan’s legs, but the latter’s Perception was high enough to recognize the danger and turned back to deflect his sword.

[So fast!]

Kodan’s eyes widened at Brendel’s speed but quickly realized that the attack was a feint, and it had become a thrust to his chest. He hastily drew back his sword to defend against it, but that was also a feint. Finally, Brendel drew out another sword and swung at him in a horizontal slash at his arms, and Kodan was forced to dodge to his right.

Brendel’s relentless aggression caused the old man to be in a fury. The latter used his skill in Aouine’s Swordsmanship to the utmost limits, and rage fueled his blade’s trajectory.

This time, Brendel felt Kodan’s attack was not from a single sword, but a wall that could not be avoided and gave a feeling that he was about to be doomed, despite the single white line from the system’s aid. The youth gritted his teeth and parried the meteor-like attack with the two blades with the use of Power Break.

The sword smashed away the two swords and caused them to shatter into pieces, while a shockwave struck against the walls and created a huge gash that was the length of ten-odd meters. Brendel’s legs quivered, and his hands felt numb, but he quickly took out another sword.

“My lord, please move away, I’m going to use my Element Power!” Scarlett yelled.

Electricity flowed freely all over her body and weapon, and Kodan gave up on retreating to the entrance, and instead ran to the carts that were full of silver ore. He grabbed one and easily flung one at Scarlett.

“Seventh Chord— Resounding Thunderclap!”

Bright light filled the area, temporarily blinding everyone. The cart that was hurled over to her seemed to continue in its destination before it hovered a few meters, and the violent tempest of compressed air sent it back to Kodan. Slag rained across the area as the lightning superheated the metals, and the old man hid behind the carts to protect himself.

Medissa leaped across the room and lunged her spear into the cart Kodan hid at.

“Vortex Strike!” She roared.

Kodan barely reacted in time and swung his sword to divert the spear’s path, dragging the cart along with the spear. Brendel sprinted across and jumped up into the air.

“Power Break!” He forced every bit of his strength into the blade at Kodan’s other arm and snarled into his face.

As expected, Kodan had lost his center of gravity after defending against Brendel’s strike that was aided with momentum and left him open. Brendel sank his elbow into Kodan’s abdomen, and the old man grunted in pain. He wanted to continue striking him, but countless lines appeared in his vision, and he hurriedly retreated to a distance.

Kodan’s Element Power activated and caused the surrounding objects around him to forcefully scatter.

“Stop!” The Grandmaster Swordsman shouted.