Barbarian's Adventure in a Fantasy World-Chapter 18: Swordmaster Kain (1)

Late at night, the estate was illuminated only by the moonlight. Having just completed his quest of patrolling the night, Ketal walked toward his lodging with a satisfied expression. Today, he had resolved more than a dozen quests. Although most of them were minor tasks, completing so many had proven to be quite profitable.

The faster he worked, the sooner he could earn recognition as a true mercenary. It had been a productive day. Feeling relaxed, he leisurely made his way to his quarters.

Then he saw an old man standing in his path. Half-concealed in the shadows, the elderly figure lingered there.

In the pitch-black night, illuminated only by moonlight, even a toddler would know it was dangerous to roam about.

At this moment, only Ketal and the old man were present on the street.

Ketal spoke first. “You’ve been following me all day. What do you want?”

The old man, Swordmaster Kain, was taken aback, too shocked to respond immediately.

He noticed? Kain thought. He hadn’t merely been observing from afar. Despite Ketal’s inability to use Aura, he was undeniably a formidable individual. To conceal his presence, Kain had veiled himself with Aura. No matter how sharp Ketal’s senses might be, detecting him should have been impossible.

Yet Ketal’s tone suggested that he was well aware of the pursuit. When the old man failed to answer, Ketal’s face darkened.

“Are you a bandit?” he asked, tucking his silver coins securely into his coat.

His wary gaze made Kain incredulous. Is he actually scared of encountering a bandit? With that massive body?

Even seasoned brigands would retreat quietly at the sight of Ketal. However, his expression remained deadly serious.

“No, I...” Kain started to pretest but closed his mouth. It was difficult to explain who he was. Declaring himself a Swordmaster was unlikely to be believed.

Moreover, his opponent was a barbarian. Lacking extensive knowledge, he couldn’t be sure how to introduce himself effectively.

Ketal took Kain’s silence as confirmation that he was indeed a bandit.

“So, even at your age, you’ve resorted to thievery? The economy must truly be in dire straits. What a pity,” Ketal said with a chuckle.

That laugh made Kain feel unsettled. Why is he laughing about being robbed...? Does this barbarian crave bloodshed so much that he looks forward to killing someone?

Of course, that wasn’t the reason. To Ketal, encountering a bandit was just another adventure, something that added a bit of excitement to his life.

“If I capture you, it will be another accomplishment on my record,” Ketal remarked.

“No, wait...” Kain began, but he stopped himself. Upon reflection, this could be a good opportunity.

Kain wasn’t here to enjoy a casual tea party with a barbarian. He had shown himself to learn about Ketal’s power and identity. Since he was mistaken for a bandit, a direct confrontation could serve his purpose.

With that thought, Kain tensed his muscles. A standoff began between a barbarian and the Swordmaster.

The barbarian initiated the first move. He stomped the ground, and his figure vanished in an instant.

Kain blinked, momentarily thinking the man had disappeared entirely. When Ketal reappeared, he was directly in front of him.

“What?!” Kain’s eyes widened in alarm. If he stayed still, the barbarian’s hand would grab his neck. He moved instinctively, guided by the survival instincts honed on countless battlefields.

Kain drew upon his Aura. The mysterious, miraculous power within him surged to life, circulating through his body in an instant. It granted him strength that defied comprehension.

Kain stomped on the ground.

Boom!

The smooth stone pavement shattered as he leaped back at lightning speed. Ketal’s hand sliced through empty air.

“Interesting,” Ketal muttered, his face lighting up with intrigue. “You’re pretty quick.

Kain gulped as he barely escaped. If his reflexes had been even slightly slower, Ketal would have caught him.

This is absurd, Kain thought. Ketal had bypassed Kain’s sensory detection with ease. That alone was astonishing, but something even more shocking gnawed at Kain. I couldn’t sense any Aura.

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As a Swordmaster, he could naturally perceive the flow of mana used by his opponent. Yet, Ketal emitted none, nor could he detect any trace of mana from Ketal.

That could only mean one thing.

He’s moving that fast using only his physical body? Kain wondered.

Before he could fully process this revelation, Ketal fixed him with a look of pure excitement.

“This is getting fun,” Ketal murmured.

Kain felt a chill run down his spine. I have to give it everything I’ve got!

This was no time for testing. Kain sharpened his senses to their utmost, prepared to detect even the faintest movements, like the flutter of a fly’s wings.

Ketal moved again, vanishing as his foot hit the ground. With the heightened perception, Kain managed to track Ketal’s movement this time. That was how he realized, almost too late, that Ketal had grabbed his arm.

What?! Even though Kain saw it coming and that his arm was the target, he couldn’t react in time.

Ketal twisted his arm. It wasn’t just a sensation of being grabbed. It felt as though his arm had been pinned to solid rock, and now that rock was dragging his entire body forward.

The sheer force was incomprehensible.

“Argh!” Kain quickly focused his mana into his arm. The raw, overwhelming strength holding him surpassed the limits of human capability. He tried to break free with all his might. However, it was futile. No matter how much effort a human exerted, it was like trying to hold back a tsunami. The hand gripping Kain’s arm was utterly unaffected.

What... what kind of strength is this?! Kain thought. It wasn’t even a contest. Kain gritted his teeth.

Whoosh.

Mana surged from within Kain, manifesting into the physical world. His arm, caught in Ketal’s grip, began to glow with a faint bluish light. Even in the pitch-black darkness, the mysterious glow emanating from his arm was clearly visible.

“Oh?” Ketal widened his eyes, intrigued.

The bluish energy seemed to slip through Ketal’s grasp like slick oil, allowing Kian to wrench his arm free.

“Huh... huh...” Kain panted heavily, putting some distance between them while expanding his senses to the limit.

Ketal briefly glanced at his hand, then nodded in approval. “These days, even bandits have impressive tricks up their sleeves.”

Bandits? What nonsense is he spouting now? Kain thought. He was utterly exasperated. What he had just done was the manifestation of mana, enveloping his body with it. This was a feat achievable only by those at the pinnacle of their field.

Someone at such a high level would never stoop to something as petty as banditry. Yet, Ketal seemed genuinely convinced that this was some kind of bandit trick.

Kain stared incredulously at Ketal’s arm, the same one that had gripped him moments ago. His mana manifestation had been reflexive. Normally, manifested mana could tear through even the hardest steel like paper. Something as soft as human flesh would have disintegrated on contact.

Yet, Ketal’s arm was perfectly fine, not even a scratch marring his skin.

This realization left Kain even more bewildered. What kind of body is this?

The fact that even manifested mana couldn’t harm Ketal’s bare skin made Kain want to laugh in disbelief.

“You use some interesting tricks, but they’re not that impressive,” Ketal remarked casually. “Let’s wrap this up.”

With that declaration, Ketal prepared to make good on his words. He moved again, faster than Kain could fully perceive, closing the gap in an instant.

Kain’s hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword. His earlier resolve to test Ketal without drawing his weapon was long gone. The only thought that consumed him now was that failing to unsheathe his sword would lead to his downfall.

However, that decision came far too late. Kain should have drawn the sword the moment he first saw Ketal.

Kluk.

Ketal’s hand pressed lightly against the pommel of Kain’s sword. That was all it took to prevent him from drawing it.

“Ugh!” Kain struggled to resist, but the last thing he saw was Ketal’s hand descending toward his head.

Then, everything went black.

“Hm...” Ketal grabbed the unconscious Kain and stood quietly, marveling at the situation. So this is what bandits are like in a fantasy world.

Even a mere thief possessed such strange techniques. It truly was a fantasy world. If one couldn’t manage at least this level of skill, they wouldn’t survive as a bandit here.

He is stronger than that knight I fought earlier. This is the true strength of bandits in this fantasy world!

Ketal felt thoroughly satisfied. In hindsight, everything that had happened was strange, but he was fully prepared to accept anything in this fantasy world. He lifted Kain’s limp body, ensuring his strength was controlled enough to have only knocked him unconscious.

“Well then.” He decided to deal with him the next day. Dragging Kain, he returned to his lodging.