Chapter 94: The Fourth Duel: Ice Sword (1)

‘How will this play out, I wonder?’

Grace let out an intrigued laugh.
Just moments before colliding with the orc, she had been quite furious.

In truth, Grace had no personal grudge against the orc.
Of course, as a beast that threatened the safety of the people, it had to be dealt with, but it wasn’t like just hearing the orc’s words made her blood boil.
The reason she had been angry was one thing.
It was because of the forces behind the orc.

She had planned to destroy the orc, one of the lackeys, and use it as a warning to Dorgon.
If you step out of line, you’ll meet the same fate.
But when Luke intervened to stop her, she had been momentarily frustrated.

‘Now that my head’s cooled, I realize this situation is a bit odd.’

As she had told Luke, the Dorgon she knew wasn’t just some brute who was good at fighting.
He was a cunning man, capable of commanding a massive army rivaling that of the northern forces.
Had he not captured Row, he wouldn’t have even known that Dorgon was preparing an invasion.

A man like that would not simply throw away one of his forces, an orc, to the north.
There must be something else going on.
She just didn’t know what yet.

‘Not sure what the plan is, but I have a feeling it’s something more.’

Grace, too, wasn’t just some warrior without wits.
She had become a duke at a young age and led the northern army to victory in the great war against the demons.
She had nearly stepped into a trap set by her enemies, and it was only later that she realized Luke had thrown himself into the fray to stop her from falling into it.

‘I owe him one.’

While feeling grateful to Luke, she continued to watch the duel unfold.
As suspicious as he was, it was oddly that very suspicion that made her trust him.
After all, she had met someone like him before.

The Hero Aran.
He had saved humanity from the demonic threat not with magic or any specific technique but with a unique power granted to him by fate.
But what made Aran special wasn’t just his abilities.

It was his ability to walk down paths that everyone else considered foolish, yet always achieving good outcomes.

Looking back, the reason she had first taken an interest in Luke was probably because she saw something of Aran in him.
Now she understood why.

Though Luke wasn’t as strong as Aran, he was unmistakably a hero, in his own way.
Unlike Aran, though, he seemed to be a hero of knowledge.

‘He knows he’s special, but he tries to hide it.’

She didn’t know why he was hiding it, but it didn’t seem to be for any bad reason, so she decided not to pry.
In time, she would find out.
However,

‘If he truly wants to walk the same heroic path as Aran, a single display of power at the Iceflower Tower won’t be enough. This stage is where he must prove himself.’

She had already seen him win through strategy, but that alone wouldn’t suffice.
When she saw the signs of something more, she allowed him to escalate the situation. Luke, as expected, made it his own and took the fight to the next level, attracting the curiosity of everyone around him.
The north valued strength above all, and Luke knew that if he wanted to finish it, he would have to do it himself.

Grace quietly supported Luke.
One of the things he had said that left a deep impression on her was when he stated that he was not a hero here to save the world, but a knight here to protect the north.

Though the full details were still unknown, the northern kingdom had found itself embroiled in a conspiracy following the events of the Iceflower Tower.
Luke, who had started showing his talents there, had become involved with her head captain.
Was this some grand fate?
Perhaps this man was…

“Hmph, it’s too early to be thinking about that.”

The knight, struggling against the orc chieftain, still fell short of Grace’s expectations in her imagination.

---

Whoosh.
As I narrowly dodged the axe swung by Glaka, my face remained tense, but internally, I couldn’t help but smile.

‘Just as I expected.’

Now that I was facing him directly, I had to admit it.
Glaka was stronger than me.
His combat experience, his size, and his strength were all superior to mine.
The only thing I had that could match him was speed.
But even that wasn’t enough to give me an overwhelming advantage like Row or Elaine’s speed.

Still, the reason I was smiling was simple.

‘Just like in the novel.’

I had a weapon that could overcome Glaka’s strength.
Knowledge.

Though Glaka was one of the strongest orcs, having fought Aran in <Brave Road>,
paradoxically, it was because of this that I could fight him.

Honestly, if I had to fight any of the other three chieftains, I couldn’t have predicted victory.
Without Sophia’s firepower, Ligrith’s archery, or Elaine’s speed and swordsmanship, I would have either struggled greatly or lost.

But with Glaka, I was confident.
Because I had read about his fighting style, his techniques, and his habits in the novel.
To put it simply, I knew how to deal with him.

‘A quick downward strike. Then, a follow-up horizontal and vertical attack.’

As expected, when the downward strike didn’t end it, Glaka didn’t stop there.
He followed up with his trademark triple strike.
Knowing this in advance, I was able to step aside and dodge each of his attacks.

‘Just like in the novel, Aran dodged like this!’

Taking advantage of the opening, I aimed for Glaka’s shoulder with Seolhan Geom, First Snow.
Glaka didn’t evade, instead using his shield in his left hand to block the strike with ease.

‘It’s hooked.’

I had become quite skilled at channeling heat into my sword now.

And this sword wasn’t the one I had shattered at Snowflake Tower, but rather one personally bestowed upon me by Grace after I became a knight.

Though not as sharp as the one Bill had made, it was a knight’s sword, boasting excellent strength and mana conductivity.

From the start of the duel, I had been preparing the heat in my hand. When I thrust, I infused the sword with it.

Naturally, Glaca, who had no idea I could use heat-infused swords, blocked it with a wooden shield…

Screech.

“?!”

A strange, ominous sound came from the wooden shield as it reacted to the fiery thrust. Glaca hastily tried to pull his arm back, but it was already too late.

The first strike of my sword pierced through without hesitation, and I felt the satisfying sensation of tearing flesh.
Swish!

“Tch.”

However, I clicked my tongue in frustration, though I had successfully landed a blow.

In the novel, Aran easily broke Glaca’s wooden shield and even shattered his shoulder, but here… was it because I didn’t want to create a one-armed ally or because Glaca’s combat skills were better than I had expected?

Though I did land a hit, it wasn’t as deep as I had hoped.

Regardless, Glaca, having taken the hit, slid back and glanced at the wound on his left arm.

“Impressive technique.”

I couldn’t say I was thrilled by his praise. With this, the fact that I could use heat-infused swords had been exposed.

‘Though I still have more cards up my sleeve.’

Knowing the novel’s details didn’t mean I could afford to relax or become overconfident.

In words, anyone can be a pro gamer, and fighting was no different.

I wasn’t Aran, and I couldn’t just replicate his strategies.

“Now that I’ve lost my shield, it’s time to attack.”

Glaca took a battle stance and readied himself.

“!”

Boom!

With a terrifying speed and pressure, Glaca charged at me like a rhino.

There was no dodging such a fierce assault, so I gripped my sword with both hands and gathered all my mana to counter.

“Ugh!”

With my sword, Snowflake’s Blade, I barely parried the heavy blow. But the force of the strike sent me flying backward.

“Ugh!”

A primal roar filled my ears as Glaca leaped high, swinging his axe down on me.

‘If it were Elaine, she’d have quickly dashed away the moment her feet hit the ground.’

I was slower than Elaine, and Glaca was faster than Boom.

In that case, my best option was to act quickly.

I swiftly drew the black obsidian dagger from my belt and cast heat manipulation.

As the blade turned red from the intense heat, I pointed it upward.

Whoosh!

The flame burst out from the obsidian dagger, shooting up.

Glaca, mid-air and about to strike, saw the flame and hesitated, trying to twist his body to dodge.

“Ugh!”

But with no solid footing, his movement was hindered, and the fire struck his left leg.

He landed heavily, limping slightly, likely due to the burn.

‘Now!’

I withdrew the obsidian dagger and leaped, aiming for his left side.

Clang!

Glaca tried to block with his axe, but I had anticipated this.

My swordsmanship, honed through consistent training, wasn’t half bad.

Clang-clang-clang!

Snowflake’s Blade, the flurry of snowflakes, relentlessly pressed Glaca.

Though I didn’t deal massive damage, his left arm and leg had both been burned by my heat-infused sword.

That had to hurt like hell.

And in a brawl, making half of someone’s body difficult to move was a serious disadvantage.

“Ugh!”

Boom!

Furrowing his brow, Glaca pushed his axe with all his might to block my attacks.

He swung it again with massive force, and I barely dodged, leaving a deep wound on his leg in the process.

“Haah.”

After dodging the blow, I took a deep breath, sizing up the situation.

Despite landing three hits while Glaca had failed to land a successful strike, the damage wasn’t as great as it seemed.

His burns aside, my hits hadn’t been deep enough, and with Glaca’s monstrous strength and massive axe, a single powerful strike could turn everything around.

“You’re impressive, but it’s not enough. Human.”

Gripping his axe with both hands, Glaca stamped his feet, preparing for another charge.

“Raaaaargh!”

Ignoring his injured leg, he charged straight at me like a wild beast.

Damn, was he not even catching his breath?

Just like in the novel, he was a berserker who cared not for his own safety.

‘If that’s the case, then just wearing him down like Elaine did won’t work.’

What is the defining feature of a berserker?
Anyone who plays games knows it. The ultimate ability of a berserker is explosive strength when their health is low.
Surprisingly, this strategy is quite effective in reality as well.
Before going on a hunt, they starve the dog, or in critical situations, gamers can become faster with quick reflexes.

Glaka is no different.
As the blood drains from his body, his urgency and rage transform into increased combat power.
Facing such an opponent, I don’t want to make him stronger by gradually accumulating damage.
I’m already in a precarious situation.

‘There are two methods.’

The first is to overpower Glaka with a single, overwhelming strike.
But the only person who could do that here is Grace, so that’s off the table.

The second method is…

“Though it’s my first time in actual combat…”

I was about to rely on beginner’s luck but then decided to trust the effort I’ve put into my training.
I haven’t spent my time only on love; I’ve trained every single day to prepare for the coming war.

If the duel with the orc was a prelude to that war,
then this is a real-world test.

I gripped a longsword in my right hand and held the obsidian dagger in my left.
I wasn’t planning to engage in a brute force struggle with an orc using dual swords.

Plunging the obsidian dagger into the ground with my left hand, I took a deep breath.

“Ha…”

Even though the crazed bull of an orc was charging towards me with fury,
I forced myself to focus and calm my mind.
With that concentration, I poured my magic into the obsidian.

Sophia’s previous advice echoed in my mind.
Don’t try to control both heat and cold at the same time.
I realized there was another layer to her advice that I hadn’t understood at first.

Whether I was holding a sword or a fork, the way I move is the same—using my hands, not my feet or mouth. The tools I use may differ, but the movement is fundamentally the same.
Heat and cold are different natural forces, but ultimately, they both manifest as abilities through my magic.

Taking this insight, I continued to operate my magic in a familiar way, but now I moved it more like driving two cars in separate lanes.
The air felt cold from my left hand, and soon the ground around the obsidian dagger began to freeze.

That was just the beginning.

‘Now, let’s create a new flower with my magic.’

I recalled Elaine’s advice.
At first, I had no idea what she meant, but as I shot fire at Glaka earlier, I started to get it.

When I imbue heat into the blade of a dagger, I can create a heat blade that causes burns just by making contact.
But if I imbue cold, the blade simply freezes and becomes cold and hard. It has no other effect.
If I press it against someone’s skin, I would just freeze them. The dagger might stick to their skin, and then it’s useless to me too.

Cold can’t be used the same way as a heat blade.
To properly utilize cold magic, it’s not enough to just freeze the blade.

‘Now, let’s spread the cold!’

Just like when I released a wave of cold to freeze the ground when I fought Row.
I filled the obsidian with cold magic and released it.

Crack. Crack. Crack.
The cold spread outward, and the ground began to freeze around the dagger.

“Ugh!”

The cold air rising from the ground made my body feel chilled, but I tried to control my body temperature with heat magic.
My body fluctuated between being cold and hot, but I forced myself to focus.

“Hah!”

With a shout, I unleashed my magic fully.

Suddenly, the ground beneath me exploded with ice crystals as the cold magic expanded.

“!”

Glaka, who had been charging at me, widened his eyes in surprise, trying to halt his advance.
But in the world, there’s a law of inertia—no matter how hard you try to stop, you need some distance to slow down.

I had planned this. When Glaka was close enough, I released the cold wave.
The result was exactly what I’d hoped for.

“Crack!”

The ice spread quickly, and Glaka’s legs were frozen up to his knees.
He staggered, panicking, trying to break the ice by moving his legs.

The cold magic I used was sourced from pure ice crystals,
and this ice wasn’t something that could be easily shattered by an orc’s strength.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Though unfamiliar with using such intense magic, I could feel my body trembling with chills,
but I held my ground, gripping my sword and preparing to fight.

“Now, the punch machine is complete.”

It reminded me of the old arcade games where you hit a punching machine to score high.
That feeling, but now I’ve infused my sword with heat to make it even stronger.

“Hah!”

I swung the sword towards Glaka.