The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 14: Adalbert Swordsmanship (1)

The Hall of the Tyrant.

Though it carried a grandiose name for what was essentially a vault, no one dared dismiss it. It was, after all, synonymous with the history of the Adalbert family.

‘I’ve finally made it.’

Just as he had never sat on the White Dragon’s Seat, Martin had never set foot inside this place before either.

Entering the hall made him feel the weight of the future he was changing. His heart pounded heavily as he took in his surroundings.

Weapons of all kinds, including swords, were arranged throughout the hall.

Each one emitted a faint glow, showcasing its extraordinary value.

These were artifacts, created by master blacksmiths using the highest-grade metals and magical stones sourced from dungeons.

Swish.

Martin reached out with his right hand toward a nearby blue sword.

However, he couldn’t touch it.

His hand passed straight through the blade.

“So this is the Permeation Barrier.”

Everything inside the Hall of the Tyrant was protected by this barrier. While the weapons could be seen, they couldn’t be touched.

There was only one way to break through it.

He had to use Spatial Domination to disable the barrier.

Other space-related abilities could break through as well, but that required a much higher level of mastery.

The Adalbert ancestors had foreseen this and prepared accordingly.

To disable the barrier, one had to prove their lineage by offering blood. If someone without the Adalbert bloodline tried, a curse would be triggered immediately.

Given how strict the conditions were, only the family head could manage the Hall of the Tyrant.

‘But that’s not what I’m here for right now.’

Martin wasn’t focused on the weapons.

Once he ascended as head of the family, he would be allowed to choose one of these treasures as his own.

Ignoring the gleaming swords, Martin moved on to the next section.

This area was filled with all sorts of rare elixirs, neatly arranged.

There were priceless ones like Mandragora, which exponentially increased mana capacity, and *Solar Flower*, which granted the power of the sun.

But there was one item in particular that caught Martin’s eye—a glass vial filled with dark red liquid.

“As expected, it’s here.”

Dragon Blood.

And not from a drake or a subspecies. This was true dragon blood, something he could drink.

In his previous life, Martin had killed a dragon in a dungeon and consumed its blood. It had played a key role in extending his life to 25 years.

‘This amount should buy me at least another year.’

Smiling contentedly, Martin made his way to the final section.

It was the library.

Large bookshelves stood in orderly rows, filled with countless volumes.

There were a variety of topics, but unsurprisingly, the majority of the books were dedicated to martial arts.

Some were written by knights of the Adalbert family, while others came from different schools or families.

Martin’s gaze shifted immediately to the bookshelf on the right.

Unlike the other shelves, this one held fewer than thirty books.

That was because the volumes here were all written by former heads of the Adalbert family.

Though each one looked impressive, the book that drew Martin’s attention was a lone, golden swordsmanship manual sitting in the center.

‘The Adalbert Swordsmanship Manual. The family’s greatest treasure.’

Every other swordsmanship book bore the name of the head who had written it, like Rothar Martial Arts.

But this manual had only the family name written on it.

It was written by the very first head of the Adalbert family and was the cornerstone that had allowed the family to rise to its current status.

Every head of the family had mastered this swordsmanship and, based on it, created their own unique style.

They had each left behind a manual of their personal insights, which had carried on the family’s glory for generations.

‘Let’s hope this works.’

Just like the other artifacts, this bookshelf was protected by a Permeation Barrier.

Direct descendants of the Adalbert family could only break through the barrier by using Spatial Domination.

‘I hope it works.’

Thanks to his bloodline, Martin could manipulate space using Omni Distortion, but it was still far inferior to Spatial Domination.

With a sharp clap, Martin slapped both of his cheeks with his hands. He had come too far to back down now.

No matter what, he would break through the barrier.

Steeling himself, Martin unsheathed his sword and cut into his left palm.

A sharp pain followed, and blood began to drip.

He clenched his left fist tightly and extended it toward the Adalbert Swordsmanship Manual, activating Omni Distortion at the same time.

His bloodied hand met the Permeation Barrier.

Boom!

“Gah!”

All he had done was make contact with the barrier.

Yet, his mana circuits twisted violently, and it felt as though his internal organs were being torn apart.

His body was already strained from the duel with Stefan. Before it could even recover, he had activated his unique ability again, and the resulting pain was excruciating.

Shhh!

Despite the agony, Martin gritted his teeth and pushed through, as golden mana surged from the center of his body.

He forced himself to twist the space.

All to break the Permeation Barrier.

Crash!

“Urgh!”

The moment his golden mana interfered with the barrier, platinum mana surged forth in response.

The resulting shockwave hit Martin with such force that he wondered if the bones in his left arm had been shattered.

Martin bit down hard on his lip.

‘I refuse to fall back into being a failure!’

The Adalbert Swordsmanship Manual held the key to reaching the pinnacle of space manipulation—mastering a unique ability at the 5th Circle.

In his past life, Martin had been forced to figure out how to control Omni Distortion on his own.

But self-teaching had its limits, and his unique ability had plateaued at the 3rd Circle.

If only he had advanced just one more Circle, everything could have been different.

“Ugh!”

Grinding his teeth, Martin focused solely on breaking the barrier.

He had to endure this pain.

Even if it meant losing the use of his left hand forever.

Crack.

A chilling sound echoed as the bones in his left arm snapped. His fingers, too, twisted grotesquely as they dislocated from the pressure.

Martin hurriedly grabbed his left wrist with his right hand, pushing his mana to its absolute limit.

Golden mana swirled furiously, relentlessly burrowing into the platinum barrier. The pain intensified, and blood began streaming from Martin’s mouth.

But the injuries didn’t stop there.

Crackle! Sizzle!

Sparks flew as the clash between his mana and the barrier continued.

The intense heat turned both of his arms a deep red, burning them.

Yet, Martin kept his focus entirely on maintaining Omni Distortion.

Then, he heard it—the sound he had been waiting for.

Crack.

‘It worked!’

A shiver ran down Martin’s spine.

A crack had formed in the platinum barrier.

He directed the remainder of his mana toward the fracture, as golden mana continuously drilled into it.

“Haaah!”

With a final shout, Martin forced his left hand into the crack.

The platinum barrier dissolved the moment his right hand touched the Adalbert Swordsmanship Manual.

“Huff… huff…”

Martin was in agony. His entire body felt like it had been through hell.

His left arm, the first to make contact with the barrier, was in such terrible shape that it was a miracle it hadn’t fallen off entirely.

His right arm wasn’t in much better condition, also badly burned.

But the worst pain came from the relentless torment of the dragon’s curse.

“Hahaha!”

Despite feeling like he was on the verge of death, Martin laughed madly. He couldn’t help it—his triumph filled him with overwhelming joy.

“Now I can take my unique ability to the next level!”

The 3rd Circle had always been an impassable wall for Martin.

But now, he held the key to breaking through that barrier.

“I’ll master this swordsmanship and—”

Suddenly—

Flash!

A bright platinum light burst forth from the swordsmanship manual, quickly spreading throughout the library.

But it didn’t end there.

The light gathered and coalesced into the shape of a person—though translucent, the figure was unmistakable.

Her long, gray hair cascaded down her back, and her sharp features and well-proportioned body resembled a finely carved statue.

Though the woman was undeniably beautiful, Martin had no time to admire her looks.

The powerful aura radiating from her was overwhelming.

She opened her mouth and spoke.

—”Greetings, child of Adalbert. My name is Arelia von Adalbert. Though I imagine you already knew that the moment you saw me.”

Just as she said, Martin knew exactly who she was.

Though this was his first time seeing her in person, he had seen countless portraits of her.

That only made the situation even more unbelievable.

‘This… this can’t be!’

His mind went blank as though he had been struck, and his body broke out in goosebumps. He was too shocked to think clearly, but his body moved instinctively.

“I, Martin Adalbert, direct descendant of the Adalbert family, greet the First Head!”

Martin knelt on his right knee, raising his voice as he saluted her.

—

Arelia von Adalbert.

Nearly a thousand years ago, she had wiped out the monsters that emerged from dungeons and founded the Adalbert family.

Though she had been defeated by the Emperor of the Altaria Empire and became his subject, she was still regarded as the greatest swordsman in history.

And now, she stood before him.

Just as she had appeared in her portraits, she wore a confident smile.

—”You seem surprised. I take it you’ve never heard stories about me?”

“T-that is correct.”

His late father had never told him anything about this.

However, Martin understood that this wasn’t truly Arelia in front of him.

After all, the First Head had lived a full life and died of natural causes.

There were no portraits of her in old age, so it was safe to assume this was not her actual presence.

—”As you guessed, I am but a fragment of the original Arelia’s soul.”

“A… a projection, then?”

—”You can think of it that way. I exist solely to teach the direct descendants of the Adalbert family the fundamentals of our swordsmanship.”

Martin clenched his fists.

How could he not be awed by this?

He now had the chance to learn from the greatest swordsman in the empire’s thousand-year history.

Even if it was only the fundamentals, that alone was an incredible opportunity.

—”I understand this is quite a shock, but as I mentioned, I am only a fragment of the original. Though I possess her personality and skills, there is still a difference between us. You don’t need to be so formal.”

Despite her words, Martin didn’t think of standing up.

Even if she was just a projection, she was still the revered founder of his family.

It felt unthinkable to address her casually.

—”My descendants are all so stubborn. Very well, then. But at least stand. I’d like to get a proper look at you.”

“Yes, of course.”

Only then did Martin rise to his feet.

Arelia’s gaze swept over him, her expression growing intrigued.

—”How old are you?”

“I am 18 years old this year.”

—”Eighteen… How fascinating. To have already reached the 4th Circle in swordsmanship at such a young age. People used to call me a genius, but compared to you, I seem rather lacking.”

“You’re too kind. I could never compare to the First Head, who is still hailed as the strongest swordsman of her time.”

—”Well, I’m still the one who lost to the first emperor.”

She said this with a calm, almost indifferent tone, but Martin was the one who ended up feeling flustered.

His real challenges were only just beginning.

—”Still, a unique ability is usually awakened around the age of ten. That’s why all the previous descendants who came here were still children. You’re the first adult to ever enter this place.”

“Does that present a problem?”

Martin struggled to maintain his composure as he asked the question.

His face may have appeared calm, but his heart pounded in his chest.

—”Not at all. As long as you passed through the Permeation Barrier, you’ve proven your worth. However…”

Arelia trailed off, a growing smile on her face.

Martin’s heart raced even faster.

—”I’ve been bound to this swordsmanship manual, but I can still observe everything that happens in this place. And I must say, you’re quite… unusual.”

“Unusual? What do you mean by that?”

—”For starters, your unique ability. It’s not Spatial Domination, is it?”

The moment those words left her mouth, Martin felt a sinking sensation in his chest.

He now fully understood what it felt like to have one’s heart drop.