Sword Saint's Reincarnation
Book 2 Chapter 10: Veria Woodlands (1)

Rylan gave the people in front of him a helpless smile.

“We’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” he said, meeting Sarah’s concerned stare.

Before she could say anything, the crimson-haired woman next to her took a step forward.

“Be careful, you two,” Alice stated with a grave expression. “That Dungeon isn’t a joke. Retreat and call for support if anything looks even slightly off.”

Rylan nodded and glanced at the people beside her. Both Hugo and Rebecca looked equally serious.

They know it won’t be easy.

As the ones who’d fought alongside Gerard until this moment, they were perfectly aware of the Dungeon’s estimated level, based on the enemies coming out of the Gate. Still, that only made Rylan smile. He had never expected it to be easy.

He ran his eyes over the others. Aelfric stood next to Sarah with his brow furrowed in worry. Behind them, Jack and Scott bowed at Rylan with calm expressions. Did they believe in his strength? Rylan nodded at them. Daniel and Raniel were further behind, alongside the other soldiers in his usual team in the past. Different capable Mages of the Flameheart estate lined the meeting point’s sides. Lastly, Rylan looked at the person who stood at the very forefront.

“…I promise we’ll be alright, Mom,” he said with a grin.

Elizabeth’s hazel eyes went back and forth between him and Gerard, who stood next to him. She was dressed in completely different clothes from when she’d arrived; instead of a long, noble dress, she wore tight leather armor and a short robe. The armor’s color complemented her chestnut hair and made her eyes stand out.

She brought her hands to her chest, right over her heart, and stared at Rylan and his father. Abruptly, she took several steps forward and stretched out her arms. Blinking, Rylan let himself be pulled into her embrace. Her arms wrapped around his neck and Gerard’s.

Her hands are shaking.

Elizabeth opened her mouth, but her words caught in her throat. She took a deep breath.

“…Please, be safe,” she said after a deep breath, still holding both Rylan and Gerard tightly. “I can’t lose you. No matter what.”

She tried to say more but choked up. Rylan hugged her back, touched by her genuine concern.

I won’t give this up.

It was his oath.

“We’ll be okay,” Gerard whispered to her. “I love you.”

She nodded repeatedly. After a while, they parted. Elizabeth took a step back with a complicated expression. Rylan looked at the group of people in front of him. Friends, students, family, helpers and allies. There was only a single person that marred this beautiful picture. Rylan’s gaze zeroed in on Nathan Astassier, who stood in the middle of the Academy professors. The man was dressed in lavish clothing and donned a calm expression. However, he couldn’t hide the greed in his eyes as he stared at Rylan. Rylan inwardly shook his head.

“Then, we’re off,” Gerard said loudly. With one last glance at Elizabeth and Aelfric, he turned around.

Rylan waved at the group of people and followed suit. Together, they strode out of the estate into Cantavega’s streets. Outside, a single carriage awaited them. The coachman, Pedro, took off his hat and bowed at them. Rylan followed his father into the carriage and sat down, one hand on his sword’s hilt. A moment later, the six-legged lizards started moving.

“This will be the first time I see you fight for real,” Gerard suddenly said, keeping his gaze on the window.

Rylan looked at his father and smiled.

“Yeah. This will be fun.”

Gerard scoffed but didn’t reply.

Gradually, the number of people gaping at the carriage outside decreased. Buildings became less elaborate and fewer in number. After a while, the carriage stopped. Two knocks on the roof. Rylan smiled.

Let’s do this.

He stood up and opened the door, then stepped outside, followed closely by Gerard. Rylan looked to the right, beholding Cantavega’s east entrance. Beyond, there was a vague dirt path lined with tall trees. By each side of the entrance were almost twenty Mages in standardized clothing. Rylan knew there were more of them here than in any other of the town’s entrances. They looked at him and furrowed their brow, then flinched as they looked at Gerard. The guards hurriedly bowed.

Rylan nodded at them and strode out of Cantavega with Gerard. They quickly entered the shade of the crowns of the tall trees. Rylan strained his perception and other senses, preparing himself for any ambushes, and stared down the dirt path. It grew narrower as it went. It was obvious that it would completely disappear soon enough. From then on, they would be forced to weave through the tightly-packed trees and make their way through the Veria Woodlands with no guiding path.

“I’ll take you to the Gate,” Gerard said with a step forward, dragging Rylan out of his thoughts. “As we agreed, we’ll kill anything on the way to help you Level up.”

Rylan nodded.

“Sure, old man. Let’s go already.”

With a sigh, Gerard started running. Rylan followed suit, looking at his father’s back with interest.

He’s about as fast as I thought.

His estimate, based on Gerard’s speed during their spars, was proven correct. At the same time, Gerard’s speed made it obvious that he’d invested Free Points into his physical stats. Rylan breathed a sigh of relief. At least his old man was aware of their importance.

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Together, they made their way down the path. The trees became taller as they went, and the trunks became thicker. Soon, the only bits of sunlight were those that managed to dig through the gaps between the leaves. The atmosphere became heavier. The metallic smell of blood drifted in the wind, alongside the roars and wails of unknown creatures. Rylan narrowed his eyes as he looked around, sharpening his senses. A single, repetitive sound reached his improved hearing.

Heavy footsteps.

Almost immediately, he ground to a halt.

“Father,” he said loudly.

Gerard stopped running and held his staff tighter. A second later, a Magic Shield took shape around him. Without hesitation, Rylan drew his sword and circulated his mana. The whirlpool of energy within him flowed throughout his body like a raging tide, pushing his physical strength to its limits.

“Already?” Gerard asked, glancing back at him.

Rylan grinned.

“No time to waste. Now, focus. It’s coming from the right.”

His father nodded and looked to the right, raising his staff. Rylan’s calm gaze remained fixed on the direction of the incoming creature, but his other senses captured his entire surroundings.

The two of them waited for the creature to appear. Of course, it was likely possible to avoid it, but that would defeat the purpose of them being here in the first place. Suddenly, the heavy footsteps sped up. A loud roar resounded. Had the beast finally caught their scent?

Rylan swung his sword twice in a relaxed manner. The sounds only became louder and louder until a shambling figure became visible through the small gaps between the trees.

An ogre.

The ogre was taller than the trolls Rylan had encountered near Cantavega with the soldiers. Standing at a proud four and a half meters tall, the ogre was a muscular, humanoid creature with brownish-grey skin that held a tree trunk in its right hand as a large club. The ogre crushed the grass underfoot with heavy thumps and forcefully pushed its way through the trees in its way. Several were outright toppled with the thunderous noise of wood breaking apart. At that moment, Rylan’s eyes widened.

…The air?

The atmosphere had changed. From the moment the first tree was broken and felled, the air had shifted. There was now a trace of mana in it that hadn’t previously existed. This only became more obvious as the ogre tore its way through more trees. However, there was no time to think about this change too much. The monster was fast.

Gerard took two steps back while Rylan stepped forward and breathed in the mana-tinged air. With one boisterous roar, the ogre broke into the small dirt path, sending pieces of broken wood straight at Rylan, who had to tilt his body to avoid them. With a single, heavy step, the ogre raised its club high above its head, covering the few sunrays that still managed to reach the ground. The muscles along its whole body shifted in a terrifying spectacle as it became like a taut bowstring, ready to spring forth with earth-shattering power.

However, in the face of this, Rylan remained perfectly calm. Instead of staring straight at the club, his sight captured the monster as a whole. The moment the club started descending, he lowered his center of gravity.

Falling Snow Steps: Drifting.

Rylan shot to the side as the tree trunk descended like a falling boulder. The attack hit the ground, shaking it with a thunderous impact. The earth trembled. Rylan’s leap seamlessly flowed into a sprint, allowing him to circle the ogre. The monster looked over its shoulder and pulled back the club until it was parallel to its raised left arm.

A horizontal swing.

It was a better choice than a vertical attack like the previous one, but it didn’t matter. Rylan sped up, arriving next to the ogre’s right leg. His movement speed fueled a sharp diagonal slash to the calf. The attack tore through thick hide and reached the flesh beneath before being forced to stop. A few drops of blood flowed out of the wound, sliding down the ogre’s leg with a morbid beauty.

It’s got good defenses.

Without hesitation, Rylan pulled his blade out of the creature’s wound and looked up. As if it had been waiting for this window, the ogre started moving. The club forced the air to part as it was swung toward Rylan. It first made contact with the ground, but that didn’t diminish its speed in the least. It upturned the earth and continued to move toward him as the ogre let out another roar. Rylan took this in with a steady gaze.

Now.

Falling Snow Steps: Floating.

He jumped up.

“Rylan!” Gerard shouted from behind in a worried tone. Rylan grinned.

He reached his highest point before the tree trunk had even reached his previous position. Rylan felt his father’s mana hurriedly move as he began to fall. The club continued to come toward him. The moment it went through his position before he jumped, Rylan lightly landed on its surface. Gerard’s mana froze.

The swing continued on, but Rylan only drew his wand before he was violently thrown to the side by the attack’s speed. In mid-air, he chanted with a clear view of the ogre’s back. With a flip, he landed on a tree’s large trunk, parallel to the ground, and pointed his wand at the giant monster.

“Magic Missile.”

Mana gathered into the shape of a sharp blue arrow that shot forward. Without missing a beat, Rylan pushed off the trunk with his full strength, shooting toward the ground. The ogre turned around with a roar, only for the Magic Missile to dig into its left eye like a cannonball. The ogre cried out in pain, bringing its free hand to the destroyed eye. Rylan landed, carefully evaluating his body’s changes.

This stat increase is pretty good.

By using both magic and swordsmanship in the same fight, he’d made his new Class increase his stats as promised. Rylan smiled. The feeling of becoming stronger was intoxicating.

The ogre continued to roar in pain, shaking its head back and forth as blood slipped through the cracks between its fingers. A perfect target. Rylan shot forward with Drifting, rapidly closing the distance between himself and his opponent. He took one strong step forward and pointed his wand at the ogre.

“Earth Spikes.”

The ground rippled before the Spikes tore their way out of it. Instead of targeting the intact hide, Rylan made the Spikes target the cut he’d created with his slash. The sharp stone tips dug into the cut as they tried to widen the injury as much as possible. The ogre cried out again and put all its weight on the uninjured leg, likely as a mere reflex. It was an opportunity that Rylan couldn’t miss.

Falling Snow Steps: Snowfall.

Rylan stepped on the air as if it were solid ground, shooting toward the ogre’s neck like an arrow. He threw his wand upward, then held the hilt of his sword with both hands.

Stormcaller Sword Style, Second Movement: Crackling Edge.

Mana flowed along the entire weapon, especially the blade’s edge. Rylan’s muscles tensed up before springing into action at their peak. The blade cut through the air like a lightning bolt and landed straight on the ogre’s throat. The hide was cleanly slashed through amidst a storm of scarlet. The weapon split muscles and blood vessels to reach the windpipe and cleanly cut it horizontally in half, then kept going until it came out on the other side of the monster’s neck.

With one last step on the air, Rylan did a flip and lightly landed on the ogre’s shoulder. The creature’s roar was cut short by the sound of leaking air before it stumbled forward and started falling. It hit the ground like a boulder, shaking the grass and fallen leaves. Blood unceasingly flowed out of the wound. A few moments later, all signs of life left the ogre’s body.

Rylan extended his hand to the side just in time to catch the wand he’d thrown upward and smiled at Gerard, who was staring at him.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Gerard blinked before openly laughing. Once he was done, he smiled widely.

“I think we can do it.”

Rylan nodded and looked at the System window floating in front of him.

[You have reached Level 26.]

With a wave, he dismissed the notification and jumped forward, landing on the ground in front of Gerard.

“I gotta say, it’s refreshing to use Sword Arts again.”

Gerard nodded with a grin. Rylan looked in the direction the ogre had come from, past the toppled small trees and destroyed pieces of bark.

They would steadily move toward the Gate. After that, the true challenge would begin.

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