[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 63

    Eldir''s killing intent was sharp to a degree that was hard to believe it came from a drunkard.

    However, Kaylen, already aware that he was a Sword Master, wasn''t particularly surprised by this.

    What puzzled him was why Eldir was directing such killing intent toward him.

    “Oppa?”

    On the other hand, Irene, standing beside Eldir, couldn’t sense the killing intent. She let out a sigh and busied herself trying to wake him up.

    That was understandable. While Eldir’s killing intent was intense, it was equally subtle.

    If Kaylen hadn’t been a Sword Master, he wouldn’t have detected that concealed energy.

    “How can you sleep now? I told you to stop drinking so much!”

    “...Ah. Right, Irene.”

    Eldir staggered as he opened his eyes. Unlike usual, they weren’t hazy but shone clearly.

    “This time... good.”

    Holding one of the five Guardian Parts, a staff, in his hand, he said:

    “I will use my master authority to appoint Kaylen as a temporary Master.”

    Wiiing—

    The staff emitted a blue mana light toward Kaylen, which soon disappeared without a trace.

    After completing a few verification steps, Eldir handed the staff to Kaylen.

    “This should work for now. Since carrying it around would be annoying, modify it as needed.”

    Kaylen nodded and promptly transformed the staff into a blue bracelet.

    “You’re quick with that.”

    Eldir observed the scene without showing his usual drunken staggering.

    Even Irene found it curious enough to ask.

    “Brother, are you sober?”

    “Yes. I dreamed of Mother. She was making a fuss, crying and shouting for me to get you married off. No matter how much of a drunkard I am, I couldn’t ignore that.”

    “Ugh, really! What nonsense! Stop bringing up marriage!”

    “Hehe, I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but what can I do when Mother appears in my dreams?”

    Eldir chuckled as he exchanged words with Irene.

    Though his left eye focused entirely on her, Kaylen felt a piercing gaze coming from him.

    The source of that gaze was his right eye, covered by an eyepatch.

    Even though it was concealed, Kaylen felt as if he was being watched intently.

    ‘He’s been like this since we retrieved the Guardian Boots.’

    His demeanor was undoubtedly unusual.

    While Kaylen deliberately fiddled with the bracelet, pretending to be distracted, Eldir continued his conversation with Irene.

    “Well, now that we’re done here, what will you do next?”

    “I plan to go to Myorn’s lab with Sir Kaylen.”

    “You? Why?”

    “He said there was something to research.”

    “...Is that so? Then go get ready. I have something to discuss with this friend of yours.”

    “Something to discuss?”

    “It’s about the Guardians. You already know all about it, so staying here would be a waste of time. Go upstairs and pack your things.”

    “Hearing you, of all people, talk about wasting time is refreshing.”

    An elf who spent most of his days drowning in alcohol talking about wasting time?

    Irene let out a small laugh and nodded.

    “Alright then. Sir Kaylen, I’ll see you later.”

    Thud.

    Irene left the underground room, closing the door behind her, and Eldir, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened himself.

    When he stood up to his full height, he was as tall as Kaylen.

    “Hoo...”

    Crack.

    Eldir stretched lightly, his movements fluid, and then turned to Kaylen with a sly smile.

    “Hehe. Seems the alcohol has worn off. It’s my first time seeing you sober.”

    “Is it because of the dream?”

    “The dream? Ah, yeah. I saw something interesting.”

    Step. Step.

    Eldir slowly approached Kaylen.

    “The Guardian—you’ve been using it well for dungeon raids. I appreciate that.”

    “It seems you have a way to know where it’s been used.”

    “Of course. After all, I am the Guardian’s Master, am I not?”

    Eldir’s gaze briefly shifted to Kaylen’s bracelet.

    “In the past, there were people who used the mana suit recklessly. So, I installed a few safeguards.”

    “I see.”

    “But don’t you wonder how far those safeguards go? Can they only track dungeon raids, or do they monitor everything else? Just how much information can this A-rank mana suit provide?”

    Eldir was smiling, but his eyes were cold and sunken.

    At his words, Kaylen’s gaze grew equally calm.

    Swoosh.

    Eldir''s battle stance remained firm, even more prepared than before.

    “Kaylen, it seems I have even more questions for you now.”

    Reaching the level of a Sword Master at his age and exhibiting the talents of a 6th Circle Meister?

    For most, achieving even one of these would be a lifetime endeavor, yet Kaylen had managed both by the mere age of 19.

    Eldir felt an even greater need to subdue him.

    “Hah...”

    The Sword Area Eldir had unleashed was quickly reabsorbed into his wooden blade.

    It was a deliberate choice to maximize the output of his Aura Sword.

    “Here I come.”

    Eldir’s figure vanished.

    Forsaking his Sword Area, he delivered a single, decisive strike aimed to kill, penetrating deep into Kaylen’s domain.

    It was the finest swordplay Eldir could muster, honed through his devotion to swift and precise techniques.

    Boom!

    His strike, however, failed to penetrate Kaylen’s domain.

    The blade was stopped cold.

    “...!”

    For a fleeting moment, Eldir’s expression faltered, his eyes shaking with disbelief.

    But he quickly steadied himself and launched another strike.

    A second blow. A third. A fourth...

    Eldir relentlessly hammered away at Kaylen’s domain, each strike carrying the full force of his lethal precision.

    Each one was an attack meant to kill.

    But—

    Crackle. Crackle.

    “Ugh!”

    Kaylen’s Sword Area remained unscathed.

    No matter how many times Eldir struck, it stood resolute, unmarred by even the faintest scratch.

    “How... How is this possible?”

    Sure, it was remarkable that Kaylen had become a Sword Master.

    Perhaps he was a once-in-a-millennium prodigy.

    But still—

    “Why doesn’t that Sword Area even show a scratch?”

    It was common knowledge: the durability of a Sword Area was proportional to the wielder’s mana reserves.

    Accumulating mana, however, was a matter of time and effort, not innate talent.

    Given the vast difference in years that Eldir and Kaylen had to cultivate their mana, by all logic, Kaylen’s Sword Area should have shattered in a single blow.

    Why...?

    As Eldir reeled from the inexplicable, Kaylen’s voice cut through his confusion.

    “This isn’t entertaining.”

    Swish.

    Suddenly, Kaylen’s Sword Area vanished.

    The impenetrable barrier Eldir had struggled to breach was now gone by Kaylen’s own volition.

    “...What’s the meaning of this?”

    Kaylen crooked a finger.

    “Come. It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper blade-to-blade duel.”

    “Ugh!”

    Eldir bit his lip in frustration.

    What an insult!

    In all his years as the head of the Elbon Guard, he had never faced such humiliation.

    To be bested not in skill, but in sheer strength of the blade itself?

    “That arrogance... I’ll make you regret it.”

    Eldir, a master of wind’s agility, wielded a sword faster than any opponent could follow.

    Without the constraints of Sword Areas, a duel of pure swordsmanship gave him a chance to win.

    In such battles, speed was everything.

    Fwoosh!

    Eldir’s figure flickered like a reed in the wind, suddenly appearing within striking distance of Kaylen, his blade aimed at Kaylen’s throat.

    Rather than clash swords, Eldir sought to exploit his speed and strike Kaylen’s vital point before he could react.

    But—

    “No... way...”

    To his shock, Kaylen’s blade was already resting against Eldir’s neck.

    “You place too much faith in speed,” Kaylen said calmly. “So predictable.”

    Before Eldir even realized it, the tables had turned entirely, and he was subdued in an instant.

    His face turned pale with disbelief.

    Kaylen looked him in the eye and spoke softly:

    “You’ve already died once.”

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]