Even the Master usually felt intimidated whenever he saw the monster.
Far from showing proper skills, he was brave enough to face it without running away.
'Certainly.'
There was a man watching Charlize from a distance. Wearing a wizard's robe, his face was decadent.
'She's not an ordinary person.'
The wizard, Payne, narrowed his eyes as he looked at Charlize.
Astonished at the sight of a martial, emotionless serial killer. As expected, the hair on his skin was standing upright due to the intense pressure as goosebumps spread all over his body.
But Charlize, looking at the monster, was just apathetic.
"!"
Without notice, Charlize moved.
Holding a heavy sword, she took a light step.
'Easy.'
More than anyone else, for Charlize, defeating the monster was all too easy.
For her, it's just visible. Where the weakness was. She could just discern it. And instantly knew how she should attack.
Although it's black scales were strong, a cold blade pierced through it. She swung her sword and cut off its veins.
With large claws, its forefoot swung to tear Charlize, but she quickly dodged.
"I'm sorry, but."
Charlize bent down gently and went under the shadow of the dragon. She disappeared. And at that moment.
"You have to die."
In an instant, Charlize, who fell behind the dragon, cut down one wing of the monster.
The dragon went wild and rolled its feet in place. The ground was dug by a great force, creating a large pit.
Kwaaaa!
If trampled, she would die immediately.
Charlize walked on the dragon's back and climbed up to the main body as if she were stepping on the stairs.
The dragon turned its head and stared at Charlize with a burning gaze. Eyes full of murderous intent to tear and kill.
It opened its mouth and let out smoke. This time Charlize jumped and avoided it.
The smoke contained poison, which could melt one's skin once it came in contact with the skin
Lightly.
Although the drop was a height like the second floor of the building, she leapt gently and swung her sword toward the remaining right-wing of the dragon.
After landing, Charlize's hair floated in the air for a while and fell back beautifully.
Two wings fell to the ground with a thud. In sight was Charlize's pale skin. Holding a young face like a fragile girl.
Her captivating face along with the sharp tip of her sword caught one's attention coolly.
Payne watched the calm young girl from afar.
The dragon began to go wild as if he couldn't admit the reality. However, the pouring attack didn't faze Charlize.
She blocked the dragon's malice by swinging her sword in the air a few times.
At the same time, she tried to find a gap quickly.
'The monster.'
Payne recalled about the monster.
The monster suddenly appeared hundreds of years ago. Although opinions differed among scholars about the reason for its appearance, the orthodoxy among wizards was as follows.
'The god who created the world, Ehyrit, has died.'
The bodies of God were scattered all over the continent in numerous pieces. Since God's power was 'the creation of life', all the pieces became monsters.
It was not known why the organism bearing the divine sculpture was filled with evil things. Anyway, with the power of God, the monsters became so strong that they could not be compared to the animals of nature.
'It's full of life, closer to a tenacious malice rather than being alive.'
The only malice left was their instinct to greedily swallow everything in this land. That's what the monsters were like.
The monsters in the Lion Mountains ate a lot of innocent people.
The dragon was the same, even now. Even though its wings were cut off, its tongue flailed as it looked at her with burning yellow eyes. The dragon rushed to devour Charlize.
Charlize stabbed her sword into the dragon's weakness, defeating the monster.
It was not blood, but rather evil energy that came out. It would have affected the Master, but would it affect the Saint?
Charlize was fine.
'She is more than a Master?'
Watching the scene, Payne became surprised.
Did she even have a limit…
Usually, several masters joined forces to fight against an S-level monster for a few days before defeating it. Yet it only took her a few minutes to defeat it.
Charlize pulled out the sword and landed on the ground.
A giant dragon fell in front of a slender Lady.
An unrealistic scene.
'The fantasy dungeon was nothing.'
In the preliminary round of the fencing competition, she had to escape from the fantasy dungeon on a first-come, first-served basis. But fantasy and reality were different.
The tense feeling of reality was much more vivid and eerie.
Charlize put down the sword diagonally and looked forward. She was soon besieged by the monsters who had heard the sound.
The reason why the dragon was so troublesome was not only because it was strong, but also because it didn't move alone.
It wasn't called the king of the monsters for no reason. The monster attracted other monsters.
"Don't you want to step aside?"
As if Charlize's friendly question was a signal, five monsters attacked all at once.
Charlize's sword moved so fast that it could not be seen.
Wild beast monsters resembling hyenas. They showed their teeth, wanting to tear her flesh.
Yet Charlize had only swung the sword once and they all fell at once.
This time, a group of ten attacked to see if they had learned anything after seeing their relatives lying on the ground.
The result was,
"Haa…"
It was the same.
All the monsters laid on the ground. Since the beginning of the mountain range was like this, the road to the cave would have been difficult at first glance.
For an ordinary person, at this level, they would have ran away. But Charlize was different.
'It's good to swing the sword without having to worry about anything.'
Charlize was in a good mood.
And the sword that Charlize had brought with her so far. It was a sword to teach Dylan, a sword to defend against an assassin, and a sword to win the battle.
Being able to use a sword that contained life was more liberating than she thought.
'It's easy. Things like swords are too easy.'
Charlize defeated the monsters like a fish in water.
(T/N: It's an idiom like fish do anything in water better than land. It's used in situations where you can show your abilities well.)
To stab, cut, swing, and block.
She jumped high into the sky and did somersaults to avoid the monsters, and climbed up a tree and struck down the sword with her strength supporting her.
'Why can't everyone do this easy thing?'
She thought indifferently.
Charlize was a strong person. A one-sided absolute, close to the foul of the world.
Essentially, the monster was not a 'living thing'. So there was no guilt.
Soon, the blue stones began to overflow. A piece of Ehyrit that would surely appear when the monster was dead.
Charlize did not retrieve it, instead just walking forward. No top-level monster could stop Charlize's steps.
***
On the second day, a dark wolf appeared. It's a monster that could not be seen well, so it could be identified only by its presence.
It was quite difficult to deal with, but Charlize was a Saint. She ended the dark wolf on her own.
On the third day, a giant spider appeared. A spider that sucked human blood until one was dead.
Its eight eyeballs had a wide range of vision that one couldn't hide in blind spots. Moreover, it was a troublesome opponent which constantly gave birth to new spiderlings.
But let's try it.
The moment Charlize held her sword, everything was decided.
'Is it soon enough?'
After wielding the sword for about ten days, a white cave was seen in the distance.
She had drank valley water when she was thirsty, and she had hunted mountain animals when she was hungry.
Deep into the night, she went down the mountain. She took a room, rested, slept, and washed.
"…The white cave."
She thought the name of the cave was simple. However, it was white. Pure white.
Arriving at her destination, Charlize saw the cave.
Like marble, it reflected the sunlight and shimmered, and it had a noble and holy impression. It was pristine rather than dark.
It must have been a while since one's feet have touched it, and it was full of mysterious grass and herbs.
Charlize hurriedly searched around the cave. She finally found what looked like an heirloom. A box that looked precious even at a glance.
"…A person who doesn't have a blood relationship cannot open it."
Charlize read the sentence on the box.
'It's a structure that doesn't open unless you drop a drop of blood to recognize that you're the Duke's blood relative.'
That was why the Duke had been able to tell outsiders where the heirloom was.
'The heirloom will be in this box, so all I have to do is take this.'
She had found it.
Charlize remained calm even after accomplishing what everyone thought was impossible. That was the pleasurable feeling she held.
Charlize got the heirloom. Even on the way back, the monsters would attack. But there was nothing to be afraid of. She left the white cave with the sword in her other hand.
She was holding the heirloom with her left hand, so she would have to deal with the monsters only with her right hand.
'It's exciting.'
If the monsters were too much to deal with, she couldn't be happier.
And over the past ten days, Charlize had no wounds on her body even while dealing with numerous monsters. This alone proved her ability.
Sure enough, she soon encountered S-level monsters. Only then.
A smile bloomed in her mouth.
***
The faces of the Duke and the tactician were serious.
"As expected."
"Do you think she's dead?"
The tactician asked. The Duke was silent.
The Grandmaster hadn't returned for ten days.
He didn't even know if she went in or where she went. Although he got a report that she was sure to go all by herself.
"How would we report the Grandmaster's death to the imperial family?"
"It doesn't matter because she did it to herself. There won't be any evidence anyway. If she were caught by those monsters, she would have been eaten…"
The tactician was heavy-hearted.
'What a regrettable talent.'
Even her appearance was regrettable.
The tactician recalled the days with the Grandmaster during the 'hwagi'. A person who perfectly captured himself, who was judged to have no place to follow with resourcefulness.
But surely. The fancy dress and the slender body was far from that of the knight dealing with the sword.
The tactician reasoned.
'It was a bet I accepted because I thought that the Grandmaster would give up and return the next day.'
He thought she was only confident because she hadn't seen it in person. Once she saw the swarm of monsters, she would surely change her mind.
But. It had already been ten days since the Grandmaster hadn't returned. The meaning was clear.
The Grandmaster was dead.
"Hmm."
Even the Duke, wearing an unpleasant expression, showed a glimpse of regret. The Duke felt the same – the Grandmaster was a regrettable person.
But it was at that time.
"Duke!"
Without even knocking, the frantic servant came in at his own will.
The Duke's forehead frowned. He wanted to reproach the servant's rudeness, but the expression on his face was quite serious.
"What's going on?"
"The Grandmaster is back!"
'She's still alive?'
The Duke became surprised. He was about to confirm that Charlize was dead. Traces from her had been cut off, yet she was alive?
The duke left his seat in doubt. The tactician also followed.
Opening the curtain, light came pouring in.
Charlize turned around in half the light, then slowly looked back at them.
"Remember the bet?"
Her hair cascaded beautifully.
Just like an enthralling appearance. She smiled with her eyes folded.
The tactician and the Duke opened their eyes widely.
At that moment. They could see a shiny box reflecting light in Charlize's hand.
"You have to keep your promise."
The Grandmaster had come back alive.
By having the family heirloom, it was also the evidence of her returning alive. And the object in Charlize's hands,
"Are you ready?"
It was truly the Duke's family heirloom.