Faint but Clear (4)

He said.

“Who are you calling?”

“You’re quite cheeky.”

Although I thought he might have guessed about Reed without knowing, this man knew Reed.

“Even though you know me, I don’t know anything about you. Shouldn’t you at least give me your full name?”

“Do you need to know?”

He rustles something out of his thick robe.

The smooth blade, over a meter long, reflects the light and is dazzling.

What he pulled out was a longsword without any fancy decorations, only the essence of the sword itself.

“You’re going to die anyway.”

The man’s figure disappeared.

Reed instinctively twisted his body.

Then, the man’s figure reappeared.

Whoosh!

The sound of the wind belatedly chases the man’s movement.

The whirlwind in the shape of a spiral centered around the tip of the sword pierced the place where Reed’s chest had been.

I need to respond.

The counterattack comes before the realization that a battle has started.

Reed clenched his right hand.

He swung his fist to slap the masked man’s face.

“Hmm!”

The man stopped in front of Reed and hit his chin with his elbow.

Fortunately, he evaded the blow that tried to pierce his chest, but the luck didn’t follow twice.

Crack!

“Gah!”

For a moment, everything in his sight ripples like waves blooming in a mirage.

The masked man responded improvisationally, and even though it wasn’t clean, the damage was significant.

Luckily, the masked man had backed off.

Reed spat out the blood pooling in his mouth onto the ground.

It was bright red blood.

‘He’s not an easy opponent.’

If Reed’s movements had been even a little slower, giving the man confidence to launch a follow-up attack…

If he hadn’t taken the risk and kept fighting in close combat without backing off, Reed would have died, just as the man said.

“You’re lucky. I thought it would be over in one blow.”

The masked man said calmly.

Reed smirked and hid his true intentions.

He put on a bluff that didn’t work.

“You think you’re lucky?”

Reed snapped his fingers and tried to provoke him.

“Move your slow body one more time. Then I’ll really kill you.”

The masked man stood still, pointing his sword at Reed.

The man was an experienced swordsman in battle.

The first attack was a surprise attack when Reed was not aware of it.

The second attack was prepared for everything, like a true magician.

No matter how weak a tower master may be, Reed is a man who stands shoulder to shoulder with high-ranking magicians.

So, he didn’t want to move rashly until he saw the cards he had clearly.

“Are you not coming? Then I’ll attack first from here.”

The magic stone embedded in the center of Reed’s gauntlet began to shine.

The man prepared for Reed’s magic chanting.

He tried to read all the moves, as he couldn’t tell what kind of magic and in what form it would attack.

However, Reed’s mouth didn’t seem to be chanting.

‘Is the magic chanting a fake?’

The man sensed that Reed had thrown a bluff.

Then, what move was Reed aiming for while standing like that?

He was looking at his waist.

‘Waist?’

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A magician always pierces the opponent’s weakness with unexpected means.

The masked man only then realized that Reed’s counterattack had already begun.

Three explosive runes were attached to his body.

The rune within Reed’s awareness glows red and vibrates.

“Die.”

Boom!

Reed’s body floated up with the red explosion.

Despite being out of range, the strong wind pressure pushed Reed’s body away.

He rolled once, regained his posture, and recovered his shaken center.

‘Did he die?’

The answer was NO.

It didn’t seem like the man would die from the explosion of the cards Reed had placed.

The masked man was an unconventional figure.

Reed immediately prepared a response.

The black smoke cleared, and the man’s figure was revealed.

The flaming robe flew into the sky, and the smoke completely cleared.

“Indeed……”

The appearance of the masked man, which had been hidden by the robe, was revealed.

He was wearing a thick leather armor over chainmail.

It was the most standard style to balance speed and defense.

Silver hair?’

It was lighter compared to his own hair color.

It was a color closer to silver.

‘What about the damage?’

There was damage.

Marks of chainmail being scratched by the rune bomb attached to his waist could be seen.

However, the man’s body was so intact that it was hard to believe he had been hit directly by the three explosions.

The floor had collapsed, and the library was destroyed, but the man’s flesh was surprisingly tough and resilient.

Reed instinctively clicked his tongue.

The man swept up the hair that had fallen in front of his mask with his left hand.

His calm appearance beyond the mask made it impossible to think he had been attacked.

“Magic without chanting… a simple magic circle… runes? You’ve managed to use runes, Reed Adeleheights. Are you trying to overcome your weakness with that?”

“You’ve got quite the insight.”

His tone was annoying, but it was even more annoying how quickly he grasped Reed’s tactics.

It seemed like mockery, but listening to his tone, it was utterly bland.

It felt as if there were no emotions.

“It’s only natural for the weak to struggle. It’s the curse of Adeleheights.”

“The curse of Adeleheights?”

Reed raised his eyebrows and glared at him.

“Like a river flowing down a mountain, gradually weakening, this too is an inevitable fate. It’s the curse of Adeleheights.”

What is the identity of this man who speaks as if he knows Reed well?

Reed couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked him.

“Who the hell are you?”

The masked man answered by pointing his sword at Reed.

“Last descendant of Adeleheights, face your predetermined tragic end.”

There was no way Reed could fully understand what he was saying out of the blue.

What Reed understood at this moment was one fact.

This man is someone who must be eliminated.

‘However…’

Reed calmly assessed the masked man’s and his own skills.

He couldn’t see the possibility of defeating this man.