018. Hunting Competition (6)
Owen, who emerged as a swordmaster after centuries and also happened to be the strongest inspector in history, had the ability to use his sword energy beyond ordinary swordsmanship. Therefore, Owen could not only use his sword in swordsmanship but could go beyond and use it as a form of ‘energy.’
As a result, Owen could engulf dozens or hundreds of demons with his sword energy, leading them to death without even drawing his sword once in the hunting competition.
‘Just being able to use the sword properly is fortunate enough…’
However, even though he had learned to use the sword almost like a swordmaster, he couldn’t manipulate sword energy like ‘Owen.’
How much effort and practice had he put into handling a sword of this caliber with his will?
Owen spent a considerable amount of time practicing because he had to handle the sword naturally, not just swing it around casually.
As a result, he became proficient enough to handle sword energy, aura, and other formidable abilities without arousing suspicion.
This alone was a miracle and nearly impossible.
It was something an ordinary person would never achieve.
However, manipulating sword energy as ‘energy’ was a completely different level.
That was an act that couldn’t even be dared to practice.
‘I made a mistake in making friends.’
Owen sighed inwardly, regretting his choices.
“…Anyway, let’s enter the abyss.”
However, regretting alone wouldn’t change anything.
Owen decided to choose the best option for now.
To delay the situation a bit.
Kyle nodded at Owen’s words.
“Yeah, let’s do that. Should we tie the horses here and go in?”
“…Sounds good.”
The abyss was an area where large demons lived.
True to their name, these demons boasted sizes double that of a human, and they were extremely ferocious, hunting down animals or killing them as they pleased.
Therefore, riding horses into the abyss was not a good choice.
It might even become a hindrance.
Because of this, before entering the abyss, the two of them tied their horses to the trees in the central region.
And then, they slowly entered the depths of the forest.
“It’s the same as ever, even here.”
True to its name, the depths of the forest, also known as the abyss, were filled with dense fog. Additionally, many tall trees loomed overhead.
Owen, captivated by the scenery, turned his gaze at the sound of a giant creature approaching.
“Sigh….”
Owen forced a bitter smile.
Compared to the medium-sized demons he saw earlier, the size and appearance of the large demon were extremely threatening, making the previously thought charming comments about their appearance now seem like a joke.
Owen tried to suppress the tension, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, intentionally ignoring the loud beating of his heart.
“Wait.”
Then, Kyle stopped him.
“You said you’d show me, right?”
Owen closed his mouth, meeting Kyle’s blue eyes filled with curiosity.
It was a strange feeling not knowing which part Kyle found interesting.
His opponent was a formidable demon lord, and the only things he found interesting were magic and the protagonist Bella.
However, understanding why he wanted to see Owen going this far was difficult.
‘Is it instinctively wanting to put me in danger?’
His conclusion was somewhat convincing.
If it followed the original work, Owen and Kyle should have a very bad relationship.
They were wary of each other, disliked each other, and had a relationship of fighting.
They were willing to push each other into pain for the sake of possessing Bella.
So, if it was a case similar to the ‘fate’ in the original, it might be possible.
At least, that’s what Owen thought.
‘It will work out somehow.’
But anyway, one clear thing was that they had to resolve the current situation.
Owen sighed and let go of the sword handle.
‘At best, I’ll get hurt a bit.’
If he failed to manipulate the sword energy and couldn’t kill the demon, he would inevitably get hurt.
It would hurt, but there was no other option.
Still, he wouldn’t die.
The person standing next to him might be an antagonistic figure in the original, but he wasn’t heartless enough to ignore someone dying in front of him.
If Owen got hurt, he would probably step in and help to some extent.
‘…If I fail, I’ll probably be suspected anyway.’
Whether I attempt it or not, I’ll be under suspicion.
Trying it out with a sense of curiosity wouldn’t hurt.
Owen reached that conclusion and slowly closed his eyes.
Then, he attempted to recall the sensation of lifting the sword energy with his sword.
Like covering the blade with the sword energy, he had to raise it into the air.
Owen directed the familiar cold energy to flow outwards.
Up to this point, it was easy.
It was something he was accustomed to, covering the blade with the sword energy when needed.
However…
‘Not the sword but from the fingertips this time.’
This time, he had to raise the sword energy not on the blade but from his fingertips, dispersing it into the air.
Owen, keeping this fact in mind, took a deep breath.
Then, the cold energy flowed toward his fingertips.
‘…Still, it doesn’t work.’
It ultimately dispersed as if something was lacking.
Owen furrowed his brow and opened his eyes again.
Unfortunately, it seemed like he had to give up.
The demons were already close.
“Why are you like this?”
Kyle asked from the side, seemingly puzzled by his attitude.
As Owen was about to answer…
-My lord, thank you very much.
An unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind.
-If it weren’t for your help, we would have died for sure.
With the voice, an image of someone suddenly appeared in Owen’s mind.
As if watching a panorama.
-No, not at all.
Then, a familiar voice echoed.
This was his.
No, it was ‘Owen’s voice.
-It might be better to leave this place. The sword energy will soon consume everything here.
Then, sensations were felt.
Unfamiliar yet simultaneously familiar.
Sensations that couldn’t be identified.
Simultaneously, the view of the forest being engulfed by the black sword energy appeared.
“…Owen?”
As Owen’s focus blurred, Kyle, sensing something strange, called his name.
Still, when Owen didn’t respond, Kyle urgently shook his shoulders.
“Hey.”
“…Ah.”
Only after Kyle shook him did Owen finally snap out of the strange panorama.
For a moment, he blinked his eyes and then stared blankly at his own hand.
Then, he soon emitted black energy from that place.
It was none other than the sword energy.
The black energy emanating from Owen’s hand quickly intensified, as if it would soon consume the surroundings.
It was so dense that it was difficult to compare it with the mist.
It was incredibly thick, enough to devour all life.
Seeing this, Kyle, with surprised eyes, quickly used magic to create a protective barrier.
In the short time he hid behind the barrier, all the surrounding life was consumed by the black energy, except for the one who emitted it.
“….”
Casually raising the sword energy as if it were nothing, Owen finally looked at his fingertips in amazement.
‘How in the world…’
Just a moment ago, it was an overwhelmingly perplexing situation.
Yet, as if lying, black sword energy emanated from his fingertips.
‘Is it because of that earlier?’
Thinking about what he just saw, Owen recalled the strange image, or rather, the memory.
‘It wasn’t something that came from the contents of the novel.’
He, who had read the original work dozens of times to the point of memorization, had no parts he couldn’t remember.
So he could say with certainty.
It wasn’t something from the content of the original work.
If that’s the case…
‘…Is it a memory?’
There was only one remaining possibility.
Owen’s memory.
The sudden emergence of it for some reason.
‘Why now…’
If it had been like this since the initial possession, it would have made some sense.
However, it had already been a month since the possession took place.
To suddenly recall Owen’s memories at a time like this was utterly perplexing.
While Owen seemed bewildered, Kyle, who had been hiding behind a protective barrier, spoke up.
“…This is amazing.”
He seemed quite astonished, muttering to himself before quickly taking in the surrounding scenery.
“But it might be a bit awkward if you use it just anywhere.”
What was devoured by the black sword energy wasn’t just the approaching monsters or the ones hiding around.
All the trees, grass, and animals that had been hiding from the monsters around had lost their breath.
“…Yeah.”
In response to Kyle’s words, Owen spoke as if in agreement.
He, too, was in a considerably surprised state.
Not only the fact that he wielded the sword energy like Owen, and the fact that he recalled Owen’s memories…
But he didn’t know that this ability could be so cruel.
Despite appearing several times in the novel, it seemed like the descriptions were lacking in this regard, possibly because the novel was more focused on romance and human relationships.
‘This is almost on the level of a disaster, isn’t it…?’
This ability seemed capable of wiping out an entire city in an instant if one set their mind to it.
It was only after witnessing this spectacle that Owen realized why the imperial family feared the Verdun Duchy so much.
This revelation continued even after Owen witnessed Kyle’s rampage.
“….”
Although it was a forest where snow had piled up appropriately due to winter weather, it wasn’t entirely frozen like this.
With a single gesture from Kyle, every place within sight was covered in ice.
Plants, monsters, everything.
‘This one seems like it could easily erase an entire city too.’
Only after seeing this scene did Owen finally understand why the imperial family regarded the Mage Tower and Verdun Duchy as enemies.
Perhaps they were afraid.
Bringing such monstrous individuals into the capital and the Grand Assembly Hall…
Could the capital disappear overnight?
Could they seize power and plunder the throne?
Such thoughts crossed their minds.
Given the overwhelming power they possessed, witnessing this scene was enough to entertain such ideas.
It would be strange not to think so.
This power was truly excessively overwhelming.
Of course, both Kyle and Owen were individuals with serious indifferences, and they had no interest in destroying the throne or the capital.
And probably, if either of them had any interest in erasing the throne or the capital, it would have happened much earlier.
Even without involving the Verdun Duke in the Grand Assembly or bringing the Mage Tower into the capital.
Even within those limited conditions, the superhuman power they possessed was more than enough to produce results.
‘…Should I do it?’
Owen soon dispelled his complex thoughts.
These thoughts were not significant to either of them anyway.
After getting rid of unnecessary thoughts, Owen, who was alone, looked at Kyle moving through the depths of the forest and suddenly threw a question.
Then, Kyle turned to Owen, narrowing his eyes.
“If you’re going to wander around using that ability, wouldn’t it be better for me to do it?”
‘Fearing that I might kill everything alive?’
“Yeah. I feel a bit sorry for Countess Ceres.”
In response to Kyle’s words, Owen slowly responded.
“…We’ve been doing this every year.”
Considering that they had been dealing with monsters in this way every year, skipping it once this year wouldn’t be much help.
Besides, it wasn’t even me who did it; it was ‘Owen.’
Anyway, our bodies were the same.
In response to Owen’s words, Kyle clicked his tongue as if scoffing and shook his head.
He seemed genuinely sympathetic toward Countess Ceres.
“Poor Countess Ceres. I wonder how much money she spent on restoring the forest.”
“She’s a wizard.”
“Hey. Do you know how much magical power it takes to restore a forest?”
Kyle spoke with an incredulous voice, seemingly frustrated with Owen’s lack of understanding of magical power, given that Kyle was a magician himself.
He seemed eager to explain that magical power didn’t just fall from the sky.
“Pouring dozens or hundreds of magical stones. Do you know how much money that would cost?”
“Is that so?”
Upon hearing Kyle’s additional comment, Owen felt a bit sorry.
It was probably because of the space I conjured earlier.
“…But aren’t you also freezing everything right now?”
As they continued their conversation, Kyle suddenly recalled what he had been doing. While Owen used his ability to make all nearby life disappear, Kyle was freezing the entire surroundings, as if an ice age had arrived.
“It seems like both the monsters and the plants are freezing to death?”
And naturally, no living being could survive in such freezing conditions.
In response to Owen’s objection, Kyle fell silent.
