Chapter 31: Just This Kind of Thing

Tch!

Marcel drew his sword and swung it.

His slashing strike carved a massive arc through the cave.

So this was what an A-Rank Hunter was capable of, huh.

Even having only seen it once, one could tell.

Marcel’s slashes were on a completely different level from anything Verdi had seen before.

No matter how dulled he’d become compared to his past, he was still someone who had once reached a certain level.

The difference between someone who hadn’t and someone who had was like heaven and earth — no, it was probably even greater than that.

WHOOSH!

Just by swinging, he stirred up a gale-force blade wind, and from his sword flowed a sword aura that could easily cleave a mountain.

Getting caught in even one of those slashes would mean instant defeat.

‘Not that that’s gonna happen, though!’

Verdi shouted confidently in her head.

Verdi had cast a Mana Shield the moment she entered the Gate.

A Level 7 Mana Shield was a powerful barrier capable of blocking even an A-Rank Demon Beast’s attacks.

SWISH!

Marcel’s sword swung toward Verdi.

No matter who the opponent was, if they looked down on him, he had no intention of letting it slide.

So Marcel put his full power into his sword swing.

The sword aura flowing from his blade carved into the cave wall.

KWAANG!

Right after a violent roar echoed. With a single slash, the inside of the Boss Room was devastated.

‘…’

The first figure to emerge from the dust was Marcel, the one who’d made the slash.

This should be enough. She’d feel the overwhelming gap in skill and regret the words she’d spoken.

That’s what he thought.

*Pat pat.*

Along with the sound of dust being brushed off her clothes, the silver-haired girl stepped out of the dust cloud with an indifferent expression, looking completely unharmed.

“…Huh?”

Marcel quickly swallowed his voice to hide his shock.

How was this possible?

Why was she completely fine?

The girl he’d thought was arrogant didn’t have a single scratch on her body.

The clothes she wore were only a little dusty, with no tears to be seen anywhere.

“…”

“…Ngh!”

At Verdi’s expression, as if asking if that was all, Marcel let out an involuntary grunt.

Marcel thought to himself.

‘How in the world…’

How had a mere D-Rank Hunter blocked his slash?

It wasn’t a full-power strike. But his pride wouldn’t allow it.

No matter how dulled his sword had become compared to the past, there was no way it could be blocked this easily!

‘No, that’s not right.’

Marcel’s twisted face quickly regained its composure.

His vast experience from climbing to A-Rank told him.

This opponent was no ordinary D-Rank Hunter.

It hadn’t really hit him before, but just now.

He’d seen the C-Rank boss, the Lich, melt away from that girl’s single spell.

If that was the case… that girl’s real skill might be at least B-Rank.

So he corrected his thinking. This wasn’t an opponent to underestimate.

But.

‘That first one was probably luck. But that’s as far as it goes.’

Marcel of the Blue Flame. In his prime, he’d ranked among the upper tier of A-Rank Hunters.

Believing he had the qualifications to challenge S-Rank was never arrogance.

Those around him, and even S-Rank Hunters, had evaluated him as having that level of skill, so he’d thought himself worthy.

The result had been failure, though.

But that didn’t change the fact that Marcel was an upper-tier A-Rank Hunter.

‘Try dodging this one too.’

Marcel shifted his grip on his sword.

Tat!

Kicking off the ground, Marcel vanished from Verdi’s sight in an instant.

High-speed movement.

A technique that close-range Hunters basically learned once they reached the level of High-Rank.

SWOOSH!

A sharp wind sound, like a missile passing by, drilled into her ears.

The moment Verdi turned her head toward the sound, Marcel was already right in front of her.

His sword aimed at her without a moment’s hesitation.

Whoosh!

The swung blade carried enough force and speed to stir up a powerful blade wind.

But Verdi easily dodged Marcel’s sword by stepping one pace to the side.

As if she’d been reading the direction the sword was heading.

“What…!”

While Marcel was momentarily flustered by the sight.

Verdi’s gaze turned toward Marcel.

And then, the moment their eyes met, Marcel felt it.

‘…!’

The sensation experienced during the S-Rank Gate, the Dark Moon incident.

That spine-chilling feeling felt in the moment the fear of death had loomed right before his eyes.

A cold chill and cold sweat ran down Marcel’s spine, and the hand gripping the sword began to tremble.

‘That’s impossible…’

Feeling the fear of death from a person, not even a Demon Beast?

And from a minor, not even an adult, at that.

No matter how much of a Hunter she was, Verdi was a rookie just starting out, and Marcel was a veteran.

Him, feeling fear toward a rookie? Rather, this was an emotion he should have been making that girl feel.

But Marcel had no time to dwell on the questions rising in his mind.

Verdi’s hand moved. Just a moment ago, Marcel had clearly seen it.

Verdi using magic without a staff or any equipment.

So he could tell. She was about to use magic now.

Verdi’s magic was a rank higher than her own, and possessed enough power to annihilate even the boss, a Lich, with a single incantation.

And so.

“Kuh!”

Thinking he might be done for if he got caught up in it, Marcel quickly stepped back to create distance.

‘Damn it!’

An A-Rank Hunter like himself, backing down because he was scared of a mere D-Rank Hunter…!

Marcel had a vague suspicion.

That girl was definitely laughing at him inside right now.

Yeah, she’d said something about an A-Rank Hunter being nothing special earlier…!

Though shame and indignation surged up in Marcel at the same time, he was a veteran.

He grabbed his trembling sword hand with his other hand, barely stopping the shaking, and repeated a couple of deep breaths to calm his mind.

Being pushed this far, there was no choice.

‘I didn’t plan on getting serious…!’

Marcel didn’t want to be looked down on by Verdi any longer.

He gripped the sword he’d been holding with one hand, this time with both hands.

Marcel poured all his focus, strength, and mana into the sword.

Then.

WHOOSH—!

A blue flame blazed up on the sword.

The flame that symbolized Marcel, once called the Blue Flame, was a secret technique no one could imitate, one only Marcel could use.

Marcel had named this technique the ‘Sword of Radiant Light.’

‘If I’m getting serious, it’s entirely your fault.’

Blame that pointless arrogance of yours.

Marcel shouted inwardly and swung the flame-wreathed sword toward Verdi.

WHOOSH!

The blue flame tried to swallow Verdi whole.

But why was it, even with the flame right before her eyes, that girl didn’t even flinch?

Ah, I see. She’s been stunned by my technique.

No matter how arrogant, no matter how much she thinks she’s special.

When faced with an overwhelming difference she can’t overcome, she’s just swallowed by fear.

Satisfied with the sight, a faint smile spread across Marcel’s lips.

‘…I’ll just scare her, just enough. So she knows her place.’

The moment he sensed victory, he felt at ease.

Thanks to that, Marcel could recall the reason he was dueling Verdi in the first place.

The Master had told him to bring her in.

Injuring the girl who would become the guild’s new talent was out of the question.

He could control the flame before the Sword of Radiant Light swallowed Verdi.

But before that, Marcel wanted to hear her surrender.

What if he obediently withdrew the flame and that girl refused to admit defeat?

Recalling the words Verdi had spat at him, it wasn’t impossible.

—I won’t lose. Not to some A-Rank Hunter wasting time loafing around in a place like this.

Grind.

…Talking like you know anything. Like you know why I’m even here!

Marcel wanted to say that, but he swallowed his indignation.

No matter how arrogant she was, he was an adult and she was a minor.

The little Master was watching from behind, too. He had to act like an adult in front of the kids.

“If you admit defeat peacefully, I will withdraw my sword.”

Marcel lowered his sword and declared in a calm voice.

If you admit defeat, this will end without injury.

That arrogant girl must have realized it by now.

That the gap between her and her opponent was overwhelming.

If she recognized her mistake and surrendered peacefully, the flames wouldn’t consume her.

Finally, with the flames right in front of her, Verdi’s mouth slowly opened.

“Barely.”

Through the flames, an unexpected single word pierced Marcel’s ears.

Quiet, but clearly audible.

“You’re using something this pathetic…?”

He had expected her to kneel, beg for forgiveness, and repent her mistake.

“An A-Rank Hunter’s skill is really low.”

What reached his ears were words he never could have imagined.

And in a voice laced with mockery, no less.

“You…”

At Verdi’s words, Marcel’s face twisted in an instant.

No matter how young she was, he couldn’t tolerate any more insults.

*Grip—*

A nervous strength surged into the hand gripping his sword.

“Don’t regret this…”

Right after he spat out those furious words.

Marcel raised his sword high again.

It was unclear whether the user’s emotions affected it, but the intensity of the blue flames emanating from the sword’s tip grew fiercer.

Marcel studied Verdi’s expression. The arrogant girl was covering her mouth with a startled look.

Did she just slip up?

‘Too late.’

I tried to end this without pain, but you brought this on yourself.

WHOOSH—!

Marcel swung the Radiant Sword in a wide arc. The blue flames flowing from the blade shot toward Verdi.

The flames became a single predator, trying to swallow the prey before it in one bite.

Verdi didn’t move. She stood without even blinking, as if she had forgotten to breathe.

“…Hmph.”

Marcel understood why.

She was feeling helpless in the face of approaching death.

It was the same sensation Marcel had experienced in the past, inside the S-Rank Gate, Dark Moon.

He wanted to make her feel that same sensation.

And he wanted to see.

When her bluff and arrogance were stripped away, the ugly sight of her crying and begging for forgiveness.

It was the moment the blue flames finally fell upon Verdi.

‘What…?’

Marcel’s eyes widened slightly.

At first, he thought he was seeing things.

*Blink.*

So he closed his eyes once and opened them again.

But he hadn’t been mistaken.

‘She’s smiling…?’

The corners of Verdi’s mouth were lifted just slightly.

The Verdi Marcel had seen until now was a girl who rarely showed any emotion.

That girl was smiling now.

In a situation that was clearly life or death, she was smiling as if she were enjoying herself.

At that sight, Marcel recalled the words the girl had just spoken.

—You’re using something this pathetic…?

Verdi’s mouth slowly opened.

“Freeze.”

The moment that cold word left the girl’s lips.

*Crack—!*

The blue flames froze solid an instant later.