Sword Saint's Reincarnation
Book 2 Chapter 17: Basilisk Wilds (2)

Rylan pulled his blade out of a two-headed giant gorilla’s neck, heaving. The steel slid out of the deep wound, dragging itself along the flesh and muscles it had torn through. Rylan took a step back, breathing deeply.

He raised his gaze to his immediate surroundings and looked at the corpses of the monsters he’d slain. They piled on top of each other, creating a gruesome spectacle. Blood drowned the earth, flowing out of the severed limbs and heads. Some of the corpses were filled with holes made by his Earth Spikes, while others were marked only by a single, straight wound to the neck. Burns and crisscrossing cuts added the finishing touch to the carcasses of the giant beasts.

Finally, Rylan looked at Gerard. The man was standing in the middle of a barren circle, charred carcasses all around him. The smell of burnt flesh was overwhelming. At the same time, the trees all around them had been reduced either to stumps or to cinders. Their ashes drifted in the air as the sunlight shone upon them, now that there were no canopies in its way.

Without putting away his wand or sheathing his sword, Rylan walked closer to Gerard without letting his guard down. His father met his gaze.

“We need to keep moving,” he shouted as his eyes darted around.

Gerard nodded with a grim expression, then looked up. Rylan followed his gaze. Through the opening they’d created by destroying the nearby trees, Rylan could see an enormous shadow circling their current position, far above.

“That raven’s a problem,” Gerard suddenly said.

Rylan nodded. They had first discovered the bird when Gerard used Fly to rise above the trees, intent on trying to find a hill or mountain of some sort. His efforts had been fruitless; the trees were so numerous and expansive that their canopies created a veritable sea of green leaves and winding branches, keeping Gerard from seeing anything past them. The only thing they had managed to confirm was that there was no higher ground above the trees.

The reward for this attempt was the giant raven’s reveal. It had immediately dived from far above, aiming straight at Gerard. Without hesitation, the man had flown downward, back below the trees’ crowns. The monster had flapped its wings and stopped its dive a second later. From that moment on, it had followed Rylan and Gerard’s movements, circling their position in the sky, just like now.

“This whole Dungeon’s a problem,” Rylan said, looking away from the raven and at Gerard. “A giant monster that guards the skies, waves upon waves of more monsters on the ground. Some have powerful bodies, others can wield magic, and they always show up in groups. It’s a dangerous place.”

The magic-wielding monsters were comparable to weak Fourth Circle Mages. That alone was threatening enough, but the fact that they showed up in groups was the real problem. Simultaneously, the beasts that could not wield magic had powerful bodies. The simple combination of these two types of enemies made the Dungeon all the more dangerous.

Gerard nodded, then looked at Rylan with concern.

“…And you? How are you feeling?”

“I’ve managed to Level up a bit more, but I’m getting tired,” Rylan replied with a serious expression.

It had been twelve hours since they had entered the Dungeon. Their plan of finding a defensible position near the Gate and waiting for Alice and the others had gone up in smoke two hours in. Somehow, the Boss managed to constantly send monsters after them. Rylan narrowed his eyes. It didn’t matter how many he killed: more always found them all the same, as if they were endless. In a way, they had already expected the Dungeon to be packed to the brim before they entered; after all, there was a real risk of it overflowing and causing a monster wave in the near future.

But I didn’t think the Boss would use the monsters like this.

It was one thing for the Dungeon to be filled with monsters. No matter how many there were, they would only have to face a fraction of the total before finding and killing the Boss. It was another entirely for the monsters to be endlessly directed to their location.

The Boss has intelligence.

Rylan clicked his tongue. His first Dungeon in this life turned out to be quite an annoying one. The odds should have been too low to even bother thinking about, but maybe the heavens resented him.

Either way, complaining about the situation wouldn’t change anything. The only choice was to keep fighting. Rylan clenched his fist. His muscles complained. His entire body ached, even though his Level-ups had made him incomparably stronger. The repeated battles had been enough to strain him.

“Then, we should—” Gerard started, only for a loud sound to interrupt him. It was the sound of wood cracking and being torn apart. He closed his mouth.

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Exchanging a look, both Rylan and Gerard started to run at the same time. They had no clear destination in mind; they only needed to keep moving to avoid being completely surrounded.

A few minutes later, the group of monsters they’d heard found them. Rylan fought while keeping part of his perception focused on Gerard, not forgetting about his goal in the least. Empowered by his stronger mana circulation, his steel blade cut through hide and muscles, severed limbs, and destroyed blood vessels. Spells were flung whenever possible. His higher Intelligence had improved all of their effects, making them somewhat usable even in this scenario.

Once the fight ended, Rylan and Gerard continued to run. Another group of giant beasts reached them ten minutes later, as usual. They were killed, only for another wave to replace them fifteen minutes later.

In such a fashion, Rylan fought battle after battle. In a way, it felt familiar: this kind of situation was what Roland had lived for. His sweat slid down his chiseled body as his blade cleanly sliced through necks and tore through the monsters’ rib cages. Sword Art after Sword Art, he killed every enemy in his way. The metallic smell of blood and flesh filled the forest.

All of it made Rylan feel alive, as if he were just waking up from a long slumber.

With every fight, his senses became sharper and clearer, even though his body became more tired. It was as if he could hear his sword’s whispers and feel its steeled desire to keep battling.

At the same time, Gerard made full use of his own dual casting. By combining different spells, he managed to make for each spell’s weaknesses and amplify their strengths. Of course, it was only possible because of the man’s experience. Flames devastated the forest and every enemy in their way, and the earth rumbled in response. Trees were upturned by the strong winds and used as shields or destroyed entirely. Lightning flashed through the forest, amplified by water spells. Simultaneously, Gerard made use of the Fifth Circle’s Mind and Illusion spells to both assist Rylan and temporarily cripple certain troublesome enemies.

Rylan and Gerard coordinated their power to the best of their ability. None of their abilities ever affected the other, even as Rylan grew more tired. Time slowly ticked by, like grains of sand in an hourglass.

The first hour passed.

Rylan killed as many monsters as he could, not only for his own survival but also to decrease the weight on his father’s shoulders. He danced in the whirling storm of blood, magic, and steel. Supported by Roland’s experience and battle sense, there were few injuries, none serious.

By the end of the third hour.

Rylan heaved as he ran toward a Spriggan, which had both arms raised and pointing at him.

Falling Snow Steps: Drifting.

Roots tore their way out of the ground as branches above snapped and pierced through the air like spears. None of them managed to reach him. He let out a breath as he raised his sword, his muscles tensing up powerfully.

Stormcaller Sword Style, First Movement: Thunderbolt.

His speed abruptly increased, but his senses only became sharper. Avoiding every tree root and conjured earthen wall in his way, Rylan sunk his blade into the Spriggan’s chest. The creature’s sternum collapsed immediately. The blade reached its heart and destroyed it completely, empowered by his mana circulation. The monster was dead before it hit the ground.

Rylan turned around only to behold a veritable storm of fire devouring the figures of two of the huge brown bears. Sharp blades of wind felled the trees all around him, but none of them even scratched him. His gaze zeroed in on the last Spriggan, which was trying to stand its ground against the flames and wind. Without hesitation, Rylan dashed toward it with Snowfall, putting his faith in Gerard’s ability to make the spells not hit him. The moment he got in range, his sword flashed. The Spriggan’s human-looking head flew through the air. Its corpse collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Rylan breathed deeply as the storm of fire around him disappeared and the raging winds turned into a comfortable breeze. He looked at Gerard and nodded. His father nodded back. They continued to run, this time toward the Gate. As they had agreed, it would be best not to stray much farther from the entrance to the Dungeon.

The sun in the sky never moved, permanently frozen right in the middle of the artificial sky. The waves of enemies were seemingly endless. Rylan felt like he was a blade being dragged on a whetstone. Every fight made him a bit more tired, but also a bit better. The effects quickly accumulated.

By the end of the seventh hour.

Rylan heaved as he weaved between the magical projectiles of several Hobgoblin Shamans. With a leap, he dodged a Treant’s heavy swing and swung his blade. Faster than before, it sliced through the Treant’s previously tough defenses and created a large gash on its side. With Snowfall, he immediately avoided being hit before he reached the ground and kept fighting. Rylan’s perception expanded, taking in everything around him as sweat flowed down his brow.

Faster.

His movements sped up, despite his body’s exhaustion.

Stronger.

His attacks and Sword Arts became heavier and more accurate. Continuously, they tore through every enemy that was unfortunate enough to meet them head-on.

His heart throbbed with a sensation that had been all too familiar to Roland. Rylan smiled. After killing every monster around him, he supported Gerard, even if only to minimize the man’s mana expenditure.

Finally, after battling continuously, he reached the end of the twelfth hour, marking the end of the first day in the Dungeon.

Rylan looked up at the unchanging sky. Just like before, the enormous raven circled far above them like a curse. With a sigh, he wiped the sweat off his brow. His damp shirt stuck to his body, while his robe had been thrown away long ago. A few pieces of armor still remained, but most of it had been ripped off by the monsters’ attacks, especially as time went by and he became more exhausted. Numerous wounds marred his body, some of which were quite deep.

However, tired and wounded, Rylan only smiled.

I’m closer.

He was closer to awakening Aura. He could feel it. Truthfully, he didn’t expect to achieve it before he managed to clear this Dungeon alongside Gerard. Aura wasn’t so simple to acquire. Still, Dreams of Transcendence sped up his progress and he knew exactly what he needed to do because of Roland’s memories. He clenched his fist and looked at it, then raised his gaze and willed for his Status Window to appear.

The translucent System window materialized in front of him.