The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 253

The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I’m a “Farmer”, Not a Demon King! ~

Chapter 253   Black sword

..This is getting too tedious. It feels like there’s no substance or meaning in this conversation. His subordinates are probably still fighting mine in various places. Shouldn’t we just end this stupid commotion?

“I never liked you from the beginning! Since the moment you showed up in this town, I’ve wanted to kill you!”

I guess my contemptuous attitude didn’t sit well with him. Isaac stomped on the ground with a thud, causing a crack to appear, though it’s not like he split the ground apart, just cracked it around the area he stepped on. Seriously, who does he think is going to cover the repair costs?

But anyway, if he wanted to kill me, then why didn’t he just do it already?

“But you didn’t, huh? Well, couldn’t, to be more accurate. After all, you’re weaker than me.”

Yeah. Despite constantly picking fights, provoking me at every opportunity, and now shouting about killing me, he never actually came to take my life. Not even once.

In other words, his hostility toward me is just a pose to show off.

He understands he can’t win in reality. That’s why he never attacked me until now.

Even this invasion wasn’t aimed at defeating me.

“…I’m not weak!”

However, whether my words didn’t sit well with him or he couldn’t accept the harsh reality, Isaac flew into a rage and picked up some debris lying nearby, hurling it at me.

I could easily dodge it, but if I did, there might be collateral damage behind me…

“Hey, listen. The fact that you’re even thinking about using me as bait and trying to outwit me, what’s up with that? Did you realize it yourself? In your natural state, you think you can’t win against me, so you’re resorting to this?”

Saying that, I used the sheath of my sword to knock down the flying debris, killing its momentum, and let it drop to the ground.

“Damn it! I never thought about doing such a thing!”

But since I couldn’t completely kill its momentum, the debris hitting the ground raised a cloud of dust. With visibility gone, I pondered what to do next, and suddenly, Isaac burst through the dust, yelling.

His clenched fist was unleashed towards me. If it hit me head-on, even I would suffer serious damage. I couldn’t afford to take a direct hit.

Judging this, I intercepted with my sword. But the sound of impact between a human fist and a metal blade was bizarrely off.

I didn’t use the sheath or the flat side of the sword. I tried to cut with the blade, yet Isaac’s fist remained unscathed.

But well, he claims to be the boss of the west. I suppose this level of resilience is to be expected.

“Is that so? Then what were those words earlier? Even if you can’t defeat me, you’re the best as long as you ruin the environment around me? What kind of spineless talk is that? Stop thinking about the surroundings; just come and try to kill me. That’s the clearest way to settle things.”

While saying this, I continued to deflect the consecutive punches thrown by Isaac with my sword.

Well, I wasn’t exactly deflecting them; I was trying to cut, but in the end, I was just deflecting.

But well, that’s it. We don’t have all day to play around, sorry. If you had just challenged me to a duel without creating this situation, I might have faced you more seriously… Well, this is the situation you chose. Blame yourself for it.

“You’ve long since acknowledged your instincts are in defeat.”

The moment I finished saying that, I swung my sword.

Though there was still a slight distance between Isaac and me, he was slightly beyond the effective range of the sword. But that didn’t matter.

From the tip of my swinging sword, something resembling a sword stroke took form and sliced through Isaac’s torso.

What I just used was a skill of the ‘Swordsman’ class, called ‘Flying Sword’. As the name implies, it’s a slashing technique that can be projected like a flying projectile.

While there’s a slight reduction in power for the ability to send out slashing attacks, hitting it perfectly renders the difference meaningless.

“If you run now, I won’t chase you. You might not be able to stay in this town, but well, it’s better than dying, isn’t it?”

I spoke to Isaac, now bloodied and collapsed on the ground from receiving my sword.

It’s not like I have a strong desire to kill him, and we’ve known each other for over a decade. A bit of mercy shouldn’t hurt.

But you know, I’ve changed. In the past, I would’ve simply killed anyone I encountered on the battlefield without a second thought.

“《Muscle Strengthening》, 《Instantaneous Power Enhancement》, 《Reflex Enhancement》, 《Hardening》, 《Physical Ability Enhancement》, 《Extreme Physical Ability Enhancement》.”

While still lying on the ground, Isaac suddenly uttered those words.

An Enhancement Mage is a profession that, quite literally, enhances the target. It falls under the category of magic users, but unlike other wizards, they don’t learn direct offensive spells. They focus solely on enhancement spells.

In this case, Isaac strengthens himself rather than casting on others. It’s uncertain whether he can’t or won’t apply it to others, but it could be either.

He invoked all six enhancements at once. Perhaps, he activated all the enhancements he knew? He must have applied some of them before; otherwise, he couldn’t have deflected my sword with his bare hands. However, enhancement magic has its limits. Going overboard could break the body beyond its endurance.

Even so, he continued to enhance.

…Doesn’t he care about what happens afterward?

“《Magic Axe》.”

Since he was already in a state of madness, I was cautious about intervening. A colossal axe with ominous light appeared in his hand through a skill that creates tools.

“《Enhancement》! 《Ferocity》! 《Madness》!”

“Oh, oh. A grand display of skills. Sacrificing lifespan, losing reason, going to such lengths just to win.”

A Berserker. It’s a twisted profession that sacrifices reason and personal safety in exchange for strength.

Enhancement is a normal enhancement, similar to that of an Enhancement mage. Although there are some overlapping aspects, you can’t stack them, making it a reasonable skill.

Ferocity sacrifices lifespan to draw out power. That’s one way to put it.

Now, the issue lies in Madness. This is the true essence of a Berserker. It sacrifices reason proportionate to the intensity of the emotions at that moment, enhancing its own abilities.

In his case, it’s quite evident which emotions and to what degree.

…But really, to go this far. Allowing the lifespan to be shortened, reason to be discarded, and the risk of breaking the body just to win—I didn’t anticipate that.

I knew I had become complacent, but it seems I’ve become too lax. Vesnar’s group suffered for underestimating their opponents. What am I going to do when, as a surrogate parent, I make the same mistake?

“《Slashing Attack》 Yaaaah!”

Slashing Attack is a skill of swordsmen, but it’s a fundamental skill that even those other than swordsmen can learn. Warriors, martial artists, and even heroes learn such basic skills. It’s not surprising that this berserker, too, can use it.

However. Usually, when using a skill, you don’t vocalize its name.

Using it for enhancement earlier was fine because it didn’t pose any issues, and if you’re seeking a stronger effect, it makes sense to say it out loud. But when it comes to attacks, it’s different. Speaking out the skill while using it is like announcing your next move in a fight. While there are tactics to turn that into a trap, it’s doubtful that someone devoid of reason would consider such strategies.

The axe’s strike, swung in madness, slammed into the ground, sending the surrounding earth flying. As for the range… well, about a thirty-meter diameter? The damage caused by the shockwave extends even further.

Not only that, but a large crack ran straight across the ground.

If I were to take a direct hit from that attack, or even a grazing blow, I, no matter how skilled, wouldn’t escape unscathed.

An attack devoid of reason. It’s not a skill with precise control, just a straightforward display of overwhelming strength. Still, I’ll acknowledge that sheer power.

And then, the strength of your desire to win against me, even resorting to such actions, is commendable.

Consider the wrecked city after this attack as your reward.

But…

“I can’t let any more destruction happen. Fixing this won’t come cheap either.”

I couldn’t allow any further spread of damage.

With that judgment, I sheathed the sword I had.

“《Magic Sword》.”

Simultaneously, as I uttered those words, a sword appeared in my hand.

This sword, displaying a dark, murky radiance, was created using the same skill as Isaac’s axe.

The glow is said to become tainted with the number of lives it has taken, or something like that, but well, that color is fittingly justified. After all, I’ve cut down a considerable number of lives.

A magic sword created with this skill isn’t just an ordinary sword. It comes with special effects that vary depending on the nature of the one who created the magic sword, and the effects increase with the number of lives taken. It’s a rather fitting effect for the name “magic sword.”

In my case, the special effect of the sword was an enhancement of slashing attacks. In simpler terms, it’s a sword that can cut through anything.

There are magic swords out there that can generate lightning or breathe fire, so honestly, that kind of effect would have been preferable. However, being both a main and sub job as a ‘swordsman,’ my enhancement was for slashing attacks.