Episode 202
Chapter 66. Vanessa Olsen (2)

At the very least, death was on the line…

For Jin, this was a moment that stirred countless thoughts. No matter what happened, there was no way Vanessa would kill him today.

However, if he failed to demonstrate a skill worthy of her recognition, he would undoubtedly pay a heavy price. Most likely, he would lose the many privileges he had enjoyed as a trainee knight until now.

Swish.

Jin drew Sigmund.

“So, it sounds like my life could end with just one wrong move today.”

“That depends entirely on what you do.”

“You’re not expecting me to actually defeat Lady Vanessa, are you?”

Vanessa burst out laughing, a deep, hearty laugh.

Though it was a blatant dismissal, Jin showed no embarrassment—his expression remained calm and composed.

It was true that Jin had recently killed five White Wolf tribe assault captains and had displayed remarkable skill against Kal Zipple and Chukon Tolder.

But Vanessa was a monster among monsters—back in her youth, she had sliced dragons like wild boars in the Ante Mountains.

Aside from Sir Shiron, and if she had properly made a name for herself in Inse, she was an indispensable figure when discussing the world’s strongest.

In contrast, Jin was only seventeen, still growing into an extraordinary warrior. Asking him to defeat Vanessa was nothing more than a cruel joke.

“Is that even a reasonable expectation? Your father isn’t that reckless.”

“That’s a relief. So, what exactly do I have to do?”

Vanessa lightly twirled her sword—a cheap iron blade anyone could find at any blacksmith.

“Just once, in any way, if your sword even touches me, you pass. I’ll even count it if you just graze my sleeve.”

Shing!

No sooner had she finished speaking than Jin swung Sigmund. They were only five or six steps apart, and Sigmund, charged with lightning energy, unleashed the oppressive force of the Meiwang Sword’s ‘Pyeongsik’ technique.

“Tch!”

Clang!

Vanessa’s iron sword deflected Sigmund. In that single exchange, Jin was pushed back several steps, the power of ‘Pyeongsik’ rendered ineffective. Vanessa smiled, clearly amused by his effort.

“I thought it wouldn’t work, but you’re blocking it way too easily…”

Though Jin felt the ‘pulling’ sensation, Vanessa’s overwhelming aura and strength dulled the technique’s impact.

She was a Tenth Rank warrior.

Few could match her one-on-one. While ‘Pyeongsik’ was impressive, to Vanessa it was just a curious trick.

Had their swordsmanship been equal, it might have posed a threat, but the gap was enormous.

“I thought you weren’t a complete fool, but you’re just barely not one. To strike before I even told you to begin.”

“I thought you were giving me a chance.”

“Then you just missed it. Hmm, was that the Meiwang Sword you just used? Fascinating. Now I’m curious about your spirit energy and magic too.”

“Father told me everything. Though I never said I learned the Meiwang Sword from him.”

“When you return alive, find Sir Shiron’s spy among your comrades and make them answer for this.”

Vanessa knew the full extent of Jin’s power.

That meant creating any variables was nearly impossible. The last strike was Jin’s final chance to pull a trick.

He had to break through head-on.

Tenth Rank. It’s almost impossible to create variables against a monster like her. Even if she didn’t know about me before, it wouldn’t matter.

Vwoooosh!

Vanessa’s sword emitted a deep, resonant roar. A massive aura compressed and seeped into the blade.

That alone transformed the cheap iron sword into a weapon more dangerous than any famed blade. The dazzling aura brightened the dim wilderness around them.

Crack!

Before the sword could fall on him, Jin summoned lightning with ‘Pyeongsik’ and swung Sigmund to strike.

But then, a sudden gale swept through. The wind, trapped in the wilderness, condensed toward Vanessa like seawater spiraling into a whirlpool.

“The lightning… it’s been twisted!?”

Crackle, sizzle…! The lightning lost its path, mixing with the wind. The distorted bolt disintegrated into blue particles, and the whirlwind quickly subsided.

Thud!

As Vanessa lifted her sword to strike, shattered stones beneath her feet scattered. Before they could hit the ground, the sword energy, spreading like a sail, swallowed the debris and surged toward Jin.

Though he hadn’t even touched the sword energy, the floating stones evaporated as if ground down by an invisible force enveloping the sword aura.

Jin watched it all intently.

He hadn’t even blinked. Had he done so, missed it, he would have been reduced to dust like those stones, scattered into the wilderness wind.

Dodging the sword energy with precise footwork, he gritted his teeth and refocused on Vanessa.

Only the shattered stone floor remained where she stood.

Vanessa was pressed close behind the sword energy, holding Jin’s flank. Jin had no choice but to unleash a flash bomb hidden in his hand.

This was surely Vanessa’s first time seeing ancient light magic. Even if she had seen light magic before—from mages or dragons she had slain—the flash bomb was undoubtedly new to her.

Yet, she dodged it skillfully, as if she had faced it many times before. Whether it was thanks to her Tenth Rank senses or because Kashimir had warned her by letter, Jin wasn’t sure.

He leaned toward the former. If she had fully anticipated Chenmi’s flash bomb, she wouldn’t have had the chance to block his iron sword just now.

Zzzt!

He barely blocked the next strike, then conjured two ice daggers and fired them at her face and torso.

Of course, third-rank ice magic was no threat to her, so it was a meaningless feint. But if he kept piling up these feints, maybe one day he could land a real hit.

Clink, clink, crack! The ice daggers shattered weakly against the aura surrounding Vanessa’s body.

“A magic swordsman, huh? Interesting. It’s completely different from fighting a pure warrior.”

Her eyes gleamed fiercely as she pressed the attack, but Vanessa found Jin far more troublesome than she had expected.

He was like an assassin, unpredictable in what might spring from his hands; like an archer, firing various spells whenever distance opened; like a mage, using magic to deceive and create illusions.

Yet in close combat, he retained the brute strength unique to pure-blooded Runkandel warriors. It was more than fascinating—it was almost mystical.

And on top of that, he’s using lightning energy. Even many Ninth Rank knights would struggle. And he hasn’t even used his spirit energy yet.

Now Jin understood why Shiron was so interested.

Still, he wasn’t yet at the level to claim he could match Shiron in a duel.

“Ugh!”

Jin coughed up a mouthful of blood and stepped back. Vanessa’s last strike had left a shallow wound.

“You’re seventeen, right? Your level is unbelievable for that age. You could be compared to Luna at that time.”

“Suddenly a compliment?”

“But she was born with less talent than you. Only the sword—nothing else. Considering you have spirit energy, magic, and fate on your side, she was lacking.”

“Did Luna ever duel Father at seventeen?”

Vanessa shook her head.

“No, probably from eighteen.”

“When I return, I’ll have to brag to her. Tell her I’m better.”

“Your combat skills are impressive, but you haven’t learned to speak only words you can stand behind. That’s typical of Runkandel’s education—not exactly excellent.”

From the start of the fight until now, the flow seemed bleak at first glance.

But inside, Jin couldn’t help but feel a quiet pride.

I still have so many cards left to play, and I’m holding my own against a Tenth Rank knight…

Granted, Vanessa was wielding a cheap steel sword, not her demon blade, and was holding back somewhat. But even so, Jin was faring remarkably well.

After leaving Laprarosa, during the compass theft mission, it had been hard to gauge his true strength. The five White Wolf tribe members died too easily, and the mages were too easily fooled.

People only truly understand their position when they face a wall.

In that sense, Jin realized his growth had far exceeded his own expectations. Neither he, his comrades, nor his enemies had anticipated this—just as Vanessa was prematurely concluding.

And now…

Jin was beginning to feel certain.

If Lady Vanessa keeps fighting like this, I can easily cut her sleeve. The question is how badly I’ll have to get hurt to do it.

Since this wasn’t a life-or-death duel, Vanessa wouldn’t give her all. Otherwise, the ‘test’ wouldn’t even be valid.

But Jin thought differently.

When I find that one opening to strike and cut Lady Vanessa, where will her sword stop?

Will it stop after severing my neck? Just before? Or will it cut an arm or leg on the way?

That was impossible to predict. Vanessa had never sworn she wouldn’t kill him, so caution was necessary.

“If I decide to press the issue, I’ll have no choice but to leave everything to Lady Vanessa’s judgment. The chance she kills me is slim, but she might just take an arm.”

In fact, Vanessa was thinking exactly that. If Jin failed this trial, she planned to claim his right arm.

She believed there had to be a price for recklessly ‘judging’ Sir Siron. Challenging him to a duel was essentially passing judgment, so consequences were inevitable.

Jin quickly made up his mind.

“First, I need to show Lady Vanessa something even more astonishing. Something so impressive she won’t want to deal me a fatal blow. Something that makes her think it’s better to let me win.”

There was plenty he could reveal.

Vanessa would wait. After all, she had come to see exactly that. And Jin was confident he could satisfy her expectations.

Fzzzt!

Sigmund began to unleash his psychic energy again.

He was preparing to activate his battle spirit. As expected, Vanessa smiled faintly the moment Jin stirred his psychic power.

“If that’s your trump card, you’d better use it very carefully.”

“Take your time admiring it. There’s quite a lot to see.”