episode_0009

‘Ugh, this is annoying.’

That was the thought that crossed my mind as Rishiel approached me.

I knew this method gave me the highest chance of survival.

And I also knew I was the one who had set it in motion.

But being dragged into such a hassle was unavoidable.

Running away wasn’t an option.

I’d have to do my best.

Yet, I couldn’t help the anger rising inside me.

‘What kind of idiotic reason is there to invade someone else’s labyrinth?’

It was absurd.

The only silver lining was that I could kill them in self-defense.

I raised my sword and glared at Rishiel.

“Your stance isn’t great. You look like a bird of prey.”

“…….”

“Ignoring me? Fine. Taming you will be fun.”

This was absolute chaos from all sides.

I steadied my breathing.

‘This is a fight.’

I had to judge things as coldly as possible.

Handling this alone would be tough. Unless it were Erme, maybe.

‘But.’

Erme would be faster at taking down the other elves.

She was already pushing one back as it was.

‘As for this one—’

It was my job to deal with her.

Buying as much time as possible would be ideal.

But as if oblivious to my thoughts, Rishiel spoke in a leisurely tone.

“You just entered the labyrinth, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Rishiel grinned at my response and took a step forward.

What the hell—

A silver rapier flashed past my cheek in an instant.

‘Too fast.’

Even when I focused, all I saw was a blur.

‘No, concentrate.’

At the end of the day, she’s still human. If I focus, I can read her movements—!

Another lightning-fast strike rained down.

This time, I saw it.

“You’ve got some nerve. I like you even more.”

I tilted my head to dodge, but—

Slick.

A few strands of hair were cut.

‘I definitely dodged that?’

Looking closely, something was coiled around Rishiel’s blade.

A faint, greenish wind-like energy.

Sword aura.

The moment I saw it, the Thief’s Ultimate provided me with information.

A power only those beyond a certain level could wield.

A force that could slice through almost anything it touched.

In this world’s terms, it was a power only achievable at Level 5.

‘This world’s…?’

A single question arose simultaneously.

Rishiel wasn’t Level 5.

Her movements were faster than Hanul’s, but—

‘Must be a special weapon…’

My thoughts stopped there.

I couldn’t continue. Because Rishiel was already attacking me again.

Swish!

The blade cut through the wind, chasing after me.

I twisted my body, tracking its trajectory.

The pressure was overwhelming.

As I dodged, Rishiel smirked.

‘…As long as I can keep dodging, it’s fine.’

My goal was to buy time, after all.

Even if Rishiel was exceptionally strong, the other elves were gradually falling.

‘But I can’t just keep stalling forever.’

My mind raced endlessly.

Maybe it was the adrenaline—my thoughts were sharper than ever.

Rishiel seemed like she came from a fairly high-ranking family.

Which meant reinforcements could arrive at any moment.

“Hah, how long are you gonna keep dodging?!”

Until I die. Or until you drop dead.

I glared at her with that intent, and Rishiel’s eyes sparkled even brighter.

Like she was looking at a toy.

I was doing everything I could.

A rapier was for thrusting. I had to avoid direct attacks as much as possible.

‘Too fast.’

From the speed of her retraction to the moment she struck again.

Maybe it was because rapiers were specialized for thrusting.

“Huff.”

I forced myself to breathe.

Somehow, I could evade her blade. And I gained one more insight.

‘I’m slowly getting used to her movements.’

Little by little, I could predict how she’d move.

Not just a blur anymore—now, I could clearly see how she attacked.

‘Should I take a gamble?’

The ability of Steal (S) was simple.

It seemed the more the opponent favored me, the more abilities I could steal.

‘Can I steal it?’

I asked inwardly.

But there was no response.

No indication of whether it was possible or not.

‘Instead of useless things like a villainess’s obsession, I’d rather steal that sword.’

The moment I thought that, Rishiel’s attack came at me.

And the instant I saw it, I knew.

‘I can’t dodge this.’

I wanted to hide it if possible, but at this point, I couldn’t hold back anymore.

‘Blood-Soaked Dagger.’

I grabbed the air and slashed downward.

A crimson dagger emerged from the hidden space, revealing itself.

Clang!

It deflected the rapier’s strike.

“Oh, that surprised me a little.”

Her wide-eyed expression was disgustingly pretty.

Pretending to be shocked after easily blocking it.

‘Annoying bitch.’

The way she spoke, as if she was above me, made my skin crawl.

My hand trembled slightly. I’d put everything into deflecting the strike, yet this brute still made my muscles shake.

I tilted my lips into a smirk.

I swung my sword.

Clang! Clang!

Blades clashed, sparks flying.

Maybe because the Blood-Soaked Dagger was high-grade.

Even when blocking something that mimicked sword aura, it didn’t feel too taxing.

‘But.’

It was exhausting.

Overwhelming.

Every clash sent a jolt through my bones.

‘She’s too strong.’

A monstrous level of strength.

And speed that would slip past me if I lost focus.

All I could do was stubbornly cling to her, refusing to let go.

Not a single advantage on my side.

An endlessly unfair game.

‘When was it ever fair?’

I exchanged blows, lips curled in a smirk.

“This is fun! Let’s keep going!”

Rishiel’s voice was brimming with excitement as she rampaged.

‘When the hell are they coming?’

I wanted to check my surroundings, but I didn’t even have the energy for that.

The moment I let my guard down, I felt like she’d drive her rapier through my throat.

But.

At some point, I started feeling slightly more at ease.

A minuscule difference.

It wasn’t that Rishiel was tiring.

Her attacks were still relentless, and I was barely holding on.

In fact, she was still holding back.

‘Am I imagining it?’

No, I wasn’t.

The blue lines were gradually darkening.

Rather than her changing—

It was me.

‘I’m getting more accustomed?’

I countered the rapier with the Blood-Soaked Dagger.

And then, a tiny gap appeared.

The moment I saw it, I attacked her with my sword.

“Hoh?”

A simple motion.

But at some point, those motions began forcing Rishiel to retract the pressure she’d been exerting.

All I did was block her attacks and strike when I saw an opening.

But.

‘It’s getting easier.’

And beyond that—

I was learning how Rishiel fought.

Her sword movements changed.

The wild, indiscriminate swings gradually refined themselves.

I thought dual-wielding would be harder to manage, but—

‘Dual swordsmanship.’

It’s easier than I thought?

But I didn’t have time to enjoy it.

My head was burning.

My heart ached unbearably.

And yet.

For some reason, I laughed.

—

Rishiel wasn’t thinking much.

She’d only come out for a light stroll, after all.

When she first saw Han Yuseong, it felt like she’d stumbled upon treasure.

So she swung her sword, intending to play with him rather than kill him outright.

And so.

She swung.

Confident that she could kill him whenever she landed a proper strike.

But at some point during those attacks—

She felt her breath hitch.

‘This is irritating.’

That was the sensation.

Han Yuseong’s swordplay was gradually refining itself.

If it had been a crude, untrained mess before—

Now, it felt like a blade that could take her life at any moment.

‘What the hell?’

She saw Han Yuseong smile.

As if this moment was the most exhilarating thing in the world.

What sent chills down her spine was how his sword seemed to evolve, mirroring hers.

His technique sharpened.

It was dizzying.

The swords in both his hands moved with precision, striking at her like finely crafted weapons.

‘Was he ambidextrous?’

As if his earlier clumsiness had been a lie.

His swordsmanship grew heavier, faster, sharper.

‘A little…’

Dangerous.

It was beyond irritating now.

Watching this monster grow stronger by using her as experience.

‘I want him.’

And at the same time, she had to kill him.

Contradictory emotions surged to the forefront of her mind.

She coveted him.

But he was a rose made of thorns—something laced with lethal poison.

And so—

“What a shame.”

Rishiel decided to kill Han Yuseong here.

She had to.

All pretense of playfulness vanished.

Rishiel adjusted her stance.

“Take this.”

The secret swordsmanship of Dark Moon.

Not something meant for a mere Level 1.

But—

‘A man like this deserves my best.’

And so she would give it.

Whoosh.

In the windless labyrinth, a gentle breeze stirred.

A faint green vortex began gathering at the tip of her blade.

‘Try blocking this.’

Han Yuseong probably couldn’t see it.

But the elves had done their best to restrain his party. Erme’s distant scream. Theresa and Marcel’s panicked expressions.

And then—

‘…What?’

Han Yuseong was smiling.

As if he’d been waiting for this.

He slowly reached out.

For some reason, the scene unfolded in slow motion.

Like watching a flashback.

His hand melted into the darkness—then vanished.

“Steal.”

Han Yuseong’s quiet voice echoed.

—

I stole something from her.

My target was her weapon.

The silver rapier came into view.

My hand disappeared into the darkness as if plunging into an abyss.

And then—

‘Got it.’

The sensation of grabbing something was unmistakable.

When was it again?

Not the bald man’s gold coins, but—

‘…Lucia.’

When I stole the villainess Lucia’s obsession, it felt like this too.

A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me.

And as if confirming it—

My hand wasn’t holding a sword.

Instead, I was clutching an inky-black gemstone.

Tock.

Before I could even identify what it was—

Rishiel’s mouth fell open as she stared at me.

“G-Give it back…!”

I wanted to check what the gem was.

But more urgent was—

Swish.

I pressed the Blood-Soaked Dagger against the gem.

An instinctive move.

The most valuable thing to the person with the highest authority here.

‘Perfect hostage material.’

Whether she sensed my intent or not, Rishiel’s expression darkened.

Like she’d been poisoned.

“…?”

I kept my guard up, glaring at her. But then—

Thud.

Rishiel collapsed.

“W-What’s happening?!”

Her voice came from behind me.

I frantically turned around.

There stood Rishiel.

But something was off.

Her figure was translucent, like a ghost.

“…?”

Only then did I see what I’d stolen from her.

[Rishiel’s Soul.]

“…”

What was I supposed to say to this?

It was clearly helpful, but—

I’d stolen something really weird.

—

My mind went blank, but I quickly remembered I was still in a fight.

So I immediately rushed toward Rishiel’s (?) body.

My target was the silver-glowing rapier.

“My Silver Eagles!”

Rishiel’s soul screamed.

But that wasn’t important.

The moment I picked up the rapier, it began emitting a faint green light.

‘Info.’

[Item] Whisper of the Wind (B-) A sword blessed by the wind. ◇Can use wind-attribute magic by consuming mana.

‘Huh? It’s lower grade than the Blood-Soaked Dagger?’

It looked fancier, though.

Well, the Blood-Soaked Dagger was a growth-type weapon.

It might not seem impressive now, but it’d improve over time.

For now—

‘Time to end this.’

Things were mostly wrapped up over there anyway.

But wasn’t it most impressive to swoop in as the savior at times like this?

‘Fatal Constitution, activate.’

With the sensation of triggering my constitution—

The elves’ bodies stiffened.

“Your leader is dead.”

(Technically, she was still alive.

She was still yapping beside me, after all.)

“If any of you want to die, come at me.”

(Please don’t, though.)

Maybe it was the aftermath of battle.

My hands and legs were trembling so much I needed to relax.

“…We surrender.”

Thankfully, the bluff worked.