The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 6: A Second Chance (5)

Gasp!

The moment we passed through the barrier and stepped inside the cave, both Sien and I froze.

It wasn’t just that.

A chill ran down my entire body, and every single hair on my skin stood on end.

A massive force emanating from deeper within was pressing down on both of us.

“This… this isn’t the power of a monster. It’s the aura of someone who has honed their martial arts to the extreme.”

Sien spoke in a trembling voice, coming to a conclusion. Then, her gaze shifted toward me.

“A person living in a dungeon of all places? Who could it possibly be? And if they’re strong enough to emit such an aura, they must be incredibly famous.”

“Hmm. You’re right, in a sense. After all, it’s an ancestor from my family.”

“What…? An ancestor?”

Sien’s eyes widened in disbelief at the unexpected response that came from my mouth.

Her reaction was so cute that I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Do you want to die?”

“I apologize.”

Sien clenched her fists, and I immediately controlled my expression.

“That aside, who is it? For you to call them an ancestor, they must be someone who lived a long time ago.”

“Huh? I wasn’t using it as a metaphor. I mean it literally—he’s my actual ancestor. He passed away about 300 years ago.”

“… You’re joking, right?”

“Why would I lie to you about something like this?”

“For someone who’s already passed away to still emit such a presence… just how powerful were they in life?”

Maintaining one’s aura after death is simple.

You just have to be overwhelmingly strong.

More specifically, you’d need to reach the 10th Circle, the level of an absolute being.

The heads of the three great noble families of the Altaria Empire had all achieved this level, with the sole exception of my father, Daniel von Adalbert.

“Hah… If they were that strong, being ‘famous’ wouldn’t even begin to describe it.”

“Well, if you’re from the Altaria Empire—or anywhere on the Cracian Continent, really—you’d definitely know him.”

“Who exactly…? Wait a minute. If he was so incredible, why did he spend his final days in a place like this? Shouldn’t he have passed away peacefully at the main family estate?”

“Don’t be so impatient, Sien. You’ll find out everything soon enough, even if I don’t explain it now.”

“What, would it hurt to tell me in advance?”

Sien grumbled, but I didn’t respond.

I simply shrugged my shoulders lightly and continued moving forward.

The deeper we went, the stronger the oppressive force became. Fortunately, the cave wasn’t that large, so we reached the end fairly quickly.

Inside was a spacious area filled with furniture, including a stone desk and various drawers.

But what truly caught both our eyes was something else.

It was the corpse, sitting cross-legged at the center of the room.

This was undoubtedly the body of someone who had died 300 years ago, yet it didn’t look like a corpse at all.

The hair was still glossy, and the skin still had a healthy complexion.

Even now, an overwhelming pressure radiated from the body, enough to leave one breathless.

It merely looked like someone sleeping with their eyes closed; there wasn’t the slightest impression that the person was dead.

“Guh!”

The moment I laid eyes on the corpse’s face, I suddenly let out a groan.

The powerful aura stimulated my mana circuit, causing sharp pain to erupt within me.

“Martin!”

Sien, startled, hurriedly rushed over to me.

She opened her subspace and handed me a potion in a glass bottle.

I quickly took a sip, and the pain subsided. As expected from a top-tier potion, the effect was excellent.

I then circulated my mana, dispelling the oppressive force.

Letting out a light sigh, I muttered in frustration.

“Hah… What a troublesome condition. The slightest problem triggers a seizure.”

“Enough with the unnecessary comments. Are you okay now, Martin?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, I’m fine now, Sien. Really, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s something I do all the time anyway. But seriously, who is this person? Surely you can tell me now.”

“Rothar Adalbert.”

“… Wha—? The Fist King? The strongest on the Cracian Continent 300 years ago?”

“That’s correct. You recognized him right away.”

“How could I not? He’s the most famous among the Adalbert family’s branch members!”

Sien unintentionally raised her voice.

Rothar Adalbert.

Despite being from a branch family, he reigned as the strongest man on the Cracian Continent.

What made him even more remarkable was that, despite coming from the swordsmanship-focused Adalbert family, he never trained in swordsmanship. He reached the pinnacle with nothing but his fists.

It wasn’t uncommon for the heads or direct descendants of the three great noble families in the Altaria Empire to rise to the top of the Cracian Continent.

But Rothar Adalbert was the first branch family member to be recognized as the strongest. Naturally, his fame shook the entire continent.

However, what made him truly legendary was something else.

“He disappeared after defeating the 22nd head of the Adalbert family. I can’t believe he was living in a place like this…”

Just as Sien said, Rothar Adalbert vanished from history after defeating the head of the Adalbert family.

Normally, he should have founded a branch family and passed on his martial arts.

As the Fist King, he was more than qualified to do so. But his disappearance left everything shrouded in mystery.

“Do you know what happened, Martin?”

“No. All my father told me was that Rothar’s body was here. He said I should figure out the rest myself.”

Though my answer was far from the truth, what else could I say?

Kalain Gustin, who inherited the Fist King’s legacy, revealed only the location of this place, withholding everything else.

The only consolation was that I didn’t need to worry too much.

“Well, I think we’ll find out soon enough.”

“How?”

“Look over there.”

I pointed with my right index finger toward the desk.

On it were three books arranged in a row.

Two of the books, on the left, were labeled simply as journals. But the title of the one on the far right was different.

It read Rothar Martial Arts.

‘Well, well.’

A treasure of immense value to anyone.

But to me, it was far more than that.

This was a martial art that could alleviate the Dragon’s Curse.

At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

After all, that damned Kalain had mastered this art and gained power from it. That power had contributed to my downfall.

In the end, the strength of my ancestor had led to the destruction of the Adalbert family.

‘Well, it’s all in the past now.’

I composed myself.

My arrival here had already changed destiny.

For now, that was enough.

Rustle.

At last, I opened the book.

—

“Hah… To think that the 22nd head of the main family and the heads of the other three great families at the time acted so disgracefully. They couldn’t accept the outcome cleanly and schemed behind the scenes.”

“To think the pride of such high-ranking individuals was crushed by someone from a branch family they considered insignificant. It’s no surprise they resorted to such underhanded tactics.”

The truth revealed in the journal was surprisingly simple.

The heads of the three great families, enraged by their defeat, relentlessly targeted the Fist King.

Sometimes they used others who had also been defeated by the Fist King, and at other times they employed assassin organizations.

The Fist King himself defeated every one of his attackers.

But in the end, he lost someone dear to him, and unable to bear the grief, he chose to hide away in this dungeon, making it impossible for anyone to find him.

In the cave, he sustained himself solely on the dew that fell from the walls, focusing entirely on leaving behind his insights.

Rothar Martial Arts was born from the man’s grief and pent-up rage.

This was evident from the words left in the final chapter:

_”Anyone who masters Rothar Martial Arts must defeat the heads of the three great families.”_

It was one of the reasons why the Fist King had stayed in this dungeon, out of all possible places.

The entrance to this cave was close to Varehein City, which was under the management of the Adalbert family.

Considering the small number of direct descendants and how rarely they ventured into dungeons, it was likely that a member of the Adalbert branch family would discover this place.

The Fist King had banked on that possibility. He hoped a member of the Adalbert branch family would find this cave, inherit Rothar Martial Arts, and strike a blow against the Adalbert family.

He had even left behind a powerful spell to ensure this outcome.

“In the end, his wish was somewhat fulfilled,” I thought to myself.

Kalain, who could be considered a branch member of the family, had accepted the Fist King’s legacy. And he had succeeded in destroying the Adalbert family.

But this time, since I—a direct descendant—had inherited it, the Fist King’s hopes were dashed.

“So, what are you going to do, Martin?”

“Well, I have to report that the Fist King was here, along with the journal.”

“You’re going to hide the martial arts manual, though?”

“The journals don’t mention anything about the martial arts, right? If I can hide it, I think I should. Credit where it’s due, but I’ll take what benefits I can.”

“… Are you sure about this? You know that everything found in a dungeon has to be reported. If they find out you’re hiding something, the consequences will be severe.”

Dungeons are strictly controlled, primarily because of their most valuable resource—magic stones.

These stones, extracted from monsters, are the lifeblood of the continent’s industries.

The nations that control the dungeon entrances, as well as the three great noble families of the Altaria Empire, owe much of their wealth to these resources.

Therefore, anyone who enters a dungeon must undergo a thorough inspection afterward to ensure nothing is hidden.

This is to prevent tax evasion and the illegal flow of critical resources.

If someone is caught concealing anything, they are punished for treason—regardless of age, gender, or status.

The inspections are rigorous for everyone, but especially so for members of the Adalbert family. This is due to the unique spatial ability only those with Adalbert blood can access.

“‘The dungeon belongs to all of humanity, even if one faction controls the entrance’… Honestly, it’s absurd. Nobles and adventurer guilds use this excuse to keep each other in check. But I could ignore this whole thing if I wanted to.”

“Martin!”

“I’m just joking, Sien. No need to frown.”

“Phew. But what are you going to do with the martial arts manual? It’s useless to you anyway.”

“Ah, that’s not true.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m planning to learn Rothar Martial Arts. Once I’ve mastered it, I’ll destroy the manual. That should solve everything cleanly, don’t you think?”

Sien opened her mouth, then closed it again, too dumbfounded to speak.

“…You’re going to learn martial arts with your body? Are you trying to kill yourself, Martin?”

My body was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

Using a sword wasn’t much of a problem.

Simply wielding a weapon granted great combat power, and I had overwhelming natural talent.

But martial arts was a different story.

Not only did it require far more intense physical movement than swordsmanship, but there was a more dangerous issue.

Martial artists absorb the full impact of attacks and defenses with their bodies.

For someone like me, whose body was weaker than that of most mages, this was essentially poison.

Sien’s troubled expression made it clear how concerned she was.

And aside from the dangers inherent in martial arts, there was something else to consider.

“I haven’t read the manual yet, but I’m sure of this. Rothar Martial Arts also originates from the Adalbert family. To properly use it, you’d need spatial abilities, just like any other martial art from your family.”

“That’s true. But there are plenty of techniques that don’t require spatial abilities. In that sense, it’s much more forgiving than the swordsmanship of the main family.”

Adalbert family swordsmanship was heavily reliant on spatial abilities. Since I couldn’t manifest those abilities, I had no choice but to learn swordsmanship from other schools.

So it wasn’t surprising that Sien’s expression darkened.

What she’d just said was a reminder of my greatest weakness.

‘Still, I have to stop him.’

It was obvious that learning this martial art would lead to self-destruction. I couldn’t just stand by and let that happen.

“But even so….”

“What’s more, the breathing technique is impressive.”

“Breathing technique? Is there something special about it?”

“Yes. The manual says that simply following this breathing technique strengthens the body. I don’t think there’s a better martial art for me right now, don’t you agree?”

“Th-that’s possible?”

“Nowadays, the Igreet family is known for their physical prowess, but the Fist King was also renowned for his strength. So it’s not surprising that such a breathing technique exists.”

Sien was left speechless.

My greatest weakness was my frail body.

Even though it had improved significantly since I mastered aura, it was still lacking.

I couldn’t even be compared to knights of a similar level.

But now there was a technique that could strengthen my body just by breathing. To say that wasn’t tempting would be a lie.

“… How much did you memorize?”

“All of it.”

“In that short time? With just one reading?”

“Why are you so surprised? You know this is nothing for me.”

“Hah. Your talent really is ridiculous.”

“I’m not deserving of such praise. While I’ve memorized the content, I haven’t fully understood it yet. But that’s something the Fist King provided a solution for.”

“A solution? What do you mean?”

“The Fist King had a lot on his mind, so he left behind a method for quickly mastering his martial arts. He said you must follow that method before practicing the techniques.”

“… I honestly don’t know what’s what anymore.”

“Who knows, maybe learning this will even trigger my spatial ability.”

“Sigh. Do as you please.”

Sien let out another deep sigh, ultimately giving up on trying to stop me.

She still thought it was dangerous, but the allure of the breathing technique was too strong.

If my body became stronger, it would extend my lifespan. There was no greater joy for her.

Moreover, the possibility that it could trigger my spatial ability weighed heavily on her mind.

Sliiide.

With Sien’s reluctant approval, I approached the Fist King’s corpse.

The powerful aura still pressed down on me, but I was able to withstand it thanks to my mana control.

With a calm expression, I extended my right hand. My palm touched the Fist King’s forehead.

At that moment…

Ssss.

The Fist King’s corpse crumbled into ash.

And at the center of it all was a glowing blue orb.

I picked it up.

‘Thank you for your martial arts. I’ll put it to good use.’

Although I had told Sien I was learning it for the breathing technique, there was another reason.

Out of all the martial arts on the Cracian Continent, none suited me better than Rothar Martial Arts. I had vowed to seize this opportunity.

‘I’ll fulfill your wish, too. Though bringing down the Adalbert family is impossible.’

I couldn’t very well destroy myself, after all.

Instead, I would become the continent’s strongest. Staring at the pile of ashes, I made my vow to the Fist King.

And then.

Gulp.

I swallowed the orb whole.