My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 14

S-Class Adventurer Inkuro.

He was not just lacking in an exceptional physical ability and combat sense; as a Magic Swordsman blessed by the fire spirit “Ifrit,” he could wield fire-based magic.

Adventurers referred to him as the “Mad Magic Swordsman,” notorious for laughing while slaughtering demons and monsters.

One could say that no living creature survived where his great sword passed.

And he was simpler and more dense than any other S-Class Adventurer.

His fighting style aimed at reckless and headlong combat, disregarding his own body entirely.

Naturally, provoking such a person led to this situation.

“Hu…”

“Ha! What’s wrong? Are you scared now that I’m right in front of you?”

He took my sigh as a deep breath, confidently smiling while resting his Zweihänder on his shoulder.

Seeing him so relaxed made me wonder if my killing intent wasn’t getting through.

‘Damn, he is really frightening.’

“That’s funny.”

…?

Wait, how does saying I’m scared turn into something funny in his filtering?

“What?”

His eyebrows twitched, and his face hardened.

‘No, it’s just that your filtering is ridiculous…’

“It’s ridiculous, so it makes me laugh.”

Damn. This expression management skill of mine—couldn’t it have been more appropriately named “Desire for Suicide”?

“What did you… this punk?”

‘I don’t even think I can consider you ridiculous. Can’t we just let this slide?’

“Even if I wanted to let it go, your struggle is just disgusting. Do you really think someone as pathetic as you could actually face me?”

Inkuro’s arms holding the Zweihänder split apart. His muscles were defined and clear, to the point they could serve as a human specimen.

“This damn punk… I was only trying to cut off one of your arms, but it looks like I’ll have to behead you and hang you in the square.”

I internally shed tears at words akin to a death sentence.

Life is tough, huh? It doesn’t make sense to get into a squabble with a guy known as the strongest in this world from the start.

“I’ll show you why I find you ridiculous in just one exchange.”

“One exchange…? How dare this punk ignore me, an S-Class Adventurer?!”

His thunderous voice drew the attention of those walking by. The atmosphere shifted, and tension hung thick in the air.

“I’ll kill you.”

‘Hah, what’s coming out of my mouth…’

“Stop flapping your gums and come at me.”

With my words, he seemed to have lost all reason, gripping his Zweihänder with both hands.

Crack—!

The ground he stood on cracked, creating a crater.

I trembled from the ominous killing intent. If I relaxed even a little, my legs would give way, and I’d collapse.

But my killing intent wouldn’t yield either.

[Skill “Killing Intent” is activated.]

As I glared at him, Inkuro’s spirit wavered.

His agitation showed on the surface. Other things aside, it seemed my killing intent was still effective. But why wasn’t he backing down?

“You should come at me with all your strength. Otherwise, you’ll be the one who dies.”

I bravely spoke up.

Surely, this could be blocked by “Absolute Defense”? But “Absolute Defense” has penalties…

“This punk!”

A massive pillar of fire wrapped around his Zweihänder. Light blazed in the dark underground market.

Using magic as a Magic Swordsman, he had enchanted his weapon.

It was definitely a type of magic that would explode upon contact.

“That arrogance! I’ll bring you down to the ground!!”

Could a symbol of arrogance even say that?

Cold sweat broke out on my hands gripping the sword.

The opportunity was singular.

If my predictions and calculations came together correctly, I could definitely block it.

He slammed the ground.

With a bang, the soil and stone fragments at his feet shot upwards.

A speed that surpassed the limits of human perception.

It felt like a person had vanished.

As I raised my sword horizontally, I spoke.

“[Absolute Defense].”

[Skill “Absolute Defense” is activated.]

Boom!

As a hologram appeared before me, an explosion echoed from above.

Bingo!

*

‘How dare he compare me to some bug and call me ridiculous?’

Inkuro was on the verge of losing his mind from Praus’s insult.

There was no place he could go where he was not respected.

Even royalty had to be cautious with their words in front of him; a person with no lineage speaking disrespectfully drove him mad with rage.

He was filled with the urge to tear Praus apart at any moment and lunged at him.

But he couldn’t. He was immobilized.

Just as he was about to kick off the ground, Inkuro’s body froze at the rising killing intent.

‘The way he speaks and his every action annoys me, but the power I feel from him is ‘real.’ If I don’t fight with all my strength, it might be me who dies.’

“You should come at me with all your strength. Otherwise, you’ll be the one who dies.”

With perfect timing, Praus’s provocation had Inkuro infusing magic into his Zweihänder.

The pillar of light illuminating the darkness wrapped around his sword.

“That arrogance! I’ll bring you down to the ground!!”

Inkuro pushed off with his legs, closing the distance of several meters in a moment that felt even less than the blink of an eye.

Praus raised his sword overhead just in time. Seeing this, Inkuro inwardly chuckled.

‘Ha! Do you think you can stop my Zweihänder with that? I’ll split you in half along with that sword!’

He gritted his teeth, summoning forth his power while bringing down the searing Zweihänder.

Bang!

Kukwawwa—!

At the moment he struck down, the air exploded, and flames erupted explosively, generating a tremendous shockwave.

The ground shook and cracked, and nearby buildings crumbled.

As the quiet dawn erupted into chaos, many began to scream.

“Uaaah!”

“Kyahhh!”

“What’s going on?!”

Caught under the sudden storm, many residents of the slums rushed outside in a panic.

“What is happening?!”

They sighed, observing the flames unleashed by Inkuro.

They realized this disaster was due to the battle between the two.

But neither of them was paying the slightest attention to the situation.

‘Oh, God. I blocked it. I really blocked it.’

Praus was immersed in elation.

‘How can a normal iron sword… how is he able to block my attack with one hand?!’

Inkuro was narrowed in focus, glaring at Praus.

He couldn’t believe that his weighty strike had been blocked by a flimsy arm.

In fact, Inkuro’s powerful explosion and heat radiating from the Zweihänder were also being effortlessly withstood.

“You…! It’s one thing to block the sword, but how are you handling the flames? You should have been burned already!”

Praus, spouting white smoke from his whole body, scoffed as though it was funny.

His ability to remain calm in front of the flames was thanks to the necklace made of “Frost’s Hobby.”

Every time the heat attempted to damage his skin, ice formed at the surface, providing protection.

However, due to the intensity of the heat, the ice was melting straight away, leading to sublimation. That was why he was surrounded by white smoke.

“Did you really think you could burn me with your level?”

Though filtered and said, he was not completely at ease himself.

His skin felt like it was burning, driving him nearly mad with pain, but he gritted his teeth and endured for the sake of bravado.

“What…?”

“S-Class Adventurers’ level has really sunk to the ground.”

With Praus’s continued provocation, Inkuro clenched his teeth.

He tried to push Praus away with his strength, but all that came was the sound of iron grinding against iron. Praus remained unwavering.

“…That’s enough.”

“What?! Ah, this isn’t over yet!”

“This isn’t a formal duel. Are you planning to destroy every house in this area?”

With just one attack, this area had already turned into a mess.

Most of the buildings within the radius of his shockwave had either collapsed or cracked. It looked as if a war had erupted.

“Like I care! I will absolutely kill you! I won’t stop until one of us is dead!”

Though he spoke heartily, he couldn’t conceal the tremor in his voice.

This was greatly influenced by the fact that Inkuro had unwittingly proven that Praus’s power was not just bravado.

‘Damn it, who is this punk?!’

He strained and struggled, trying to shake off Praus’s sword, but there was showed no sign of yielding.

‘Can’t even win in a battle of strength?! Damn!’

“How pathetic, Inkuro.”

“Cough!”

“Even as an S-Class Adventurer, you can’t see this difference in strength. That’s why you’re a ridiculous human.”

It was a complete defeat.

As that thought zipped through Inkuro’s mind, his pride, devoured by a vile inferiority complex, erupted.

“It’s not over yet!!”

He gave up on the struggle and righted his sword.

‘Is it possible for me to lose to this kind of guy? Not a chance!!’

Just as Inkuro was latching onto that thought, trying to swing his sword once more…

“That’s enough.”

The Goblin masks infiltrated between the two, directing their swords towards Inkuro.

He was unable to move at all, just like what Praus had experienced at the auction.

Inkuro grimaced.

“What are you?!”

“I told you clearly, Inkuro, that if you do this, you’d be ruining ‘that person.’ And you still chose to fight?!”

“Ha! Are you challenging me right now?!”

As Inkuro raised his voice, blood started to seep from the ears of a few nearby goblins. Their eardrums had burst.

But the goblins paid no mind, maintaining their posture.

“Even if you’re an S-Class Adventurer, you won’t win against all the goblins here!”

“Well, you won’t know until you try!”

He gripped his sword. Just as tension rose among the goblins around him.

“I’m leaving.”

“What?!”

“Fight among yourselves if you want.”

Praus sheathed his sword, deliberately casting a haughty glance at them as he began to walk away.

“Stop right there!”

Inkuro pointed at him and shouted.

“…Didn’t I show you the difference in strength?”

Praus shot a sideways glance at Inkuro, stating bluntly.

“I won’t accept that!”

“Everyone here witnessed it if you can’t see that?”

“Neither of us have fought with our full strength yet.”

“Is that so? Then fine, let’s say you won. You can declare that I was defeated officially. I honestly have no interest in that nonsense.”

Though Praus’s words were uttered just to escape quickly, it stomped all over Inkuro’s pride.

“Maria.”

“…Yes.”

Maria rushed over to Praus, gripping her robe tightly.

“Looks like you’re okay.”

He appraised her with emotionless eyes and then stared straight ahead.

Thanks to having sensed Inkuro’s extraordinary strength, Maria had kept her distance and remained unhurt.

“We’re heading to the inn.”

As she gazed longingly at the receding figure of Praus, a small hope bloomed in her eyes.

‘This person… is strong. Stronger than anyone I’ve seen in my life. If I learn swordsmanship and magic by his side, perhaps I could kill the humans who massacred our Elf Tribe and sold us into slavery…!’

Thus, Praus left the scene along with Maria.

Once Praus disappeared, Inkuro threw the Zweihänder onto the ground.

“Uuuu! This damn punk!!”

“Inkuro, the financial damage sustained from this incident will be charged to you.”

“What?! That guy did it too!”

He protested, pointing at where Praus and Maria had vanished.

“That person had no intention of fighting. Indeed, despite showing quite a gap in skill compared to you, he only defended and did not attack. He could have killed you, but he chose not to. What do you think that means, Inkuro?”

“Th-this is unfair! Uaaaah!!”

Inkuro could find no words to refute and unleashed his boiling fury with a scream.

Bang! Bang!

He stomped the ground mercilessly, howling with shame he had never felt before.

Every stomp left small craters.

‘That punk! I’ll find him and kill him for sure!!’

After that, Inkuro was required to return all the slaves he had auctioned off, and pay for the financial damage incurred during the sparring.

*

Walking past the slums, I finally stepped into the square with light magic streetlights.

At last, I could breathe a sigh of relief. Calming my trembling heart, I sat down on a nearby bench.

Hah! Hah! Hah!

Didn’t get caught, right? Didn’t get caught?!

I was inwardly applauding myself.

I survived. I really survived.

The skill “Absolute Defense” had a fatal penalty.

That penalty was none other than, “You can only block all attacks once a day, based on the exact clock.”

In other words, it was a one-time skill.

Iris, who will gain the ability to defend fully, will be able to use this skill without penalties later on; but for a mere commoner like me, such benefits did not exist.

To achieve this result against an S-Class Adventurer, despite carrying such penalties, could be considered a miracle.

“Hey.”

“…What is it?”

Maria stood before me, wriggling her fingers. I looked at her in confusion as she fumbled.

“How did you… obtain such strength?”

Such strength? Was she referring to Absolute Defense?

It appeared that Inkuro wasn’t the only one taken in by my bluff. I scratched my head in bewilderment, gazing at her.

“I don’t know.”

“I will do anything. Can you accept me as your disciple?”

…Disciple? Me, the weakling?

Caught off guard by the sudden disciple proposal, I could only stare dumbfounded.