F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 316: Locked In

On its royal post, the sun was still hot, and yet, Walker was shaking like he was outside on a frigid winter night with no clothes on.

It was already the sixteenth match, and Onimaru Kunitsuna had yet to be put in a precarious situation, much less lose.

The win streak against fifteen SS-rankers was naturally shocking.

However, this was only around twenty percent of the reason why his body shivered like a kitten in sheer cold.

The main reason was...that!

Daru, with the momentum of having just sidestepped his opponent’s icy stab, transitioned into a spinning sweep, turning into a raging hurricane.

This move only wounded his foe’s waist, the winds dealing a bit more extra damage.

But this move was a confirmation of Walker’s suspicion three matches ago.

No...this was already a double confirmation. It was just so hard to believe that he didn’t dare conclude so easily, checking again and again.

But it could no longer be denied.

The reason why Onimaru Kunitsuna is an anomaly, aside from his generational swordsmanship, is that he could steal someone’s Sword Skills and make it his own!

From the previous matches, Walker had concluded that there was some limit to this ability.

Daru Finnley would’ve already copied every Sword Skill his opponent used otherwise.

Still, this Sword Skill...or Sword Passive, had been utterly unheard of. Even a veteran like him couldn’t exactly tell how valuable it was.

Walker planned to get to the bottom of this ability later.

For now, he continued watching.

Of course, not every battle was smooth and easy for Daru, as not only did the Sword Skills of his opponents vary, but their combat styles did, too.

Those who excelled in defense, mobility, and counterattacking proved harder to defeat than the aggressive ones, who were always caught off guard by Mountainsplitter.

Those types lasted a minute max.

The seventeenth match. The nineteenth, the twenty-first...

Daru’s win streak continued, and the more it did, the more Walker lost his composure.

Whenever the veteran thought he had already uncovered Onimaru Kunitsuna’s depth, he would realize there was more to him.

For example, Walker initially thought that the bread and butter of Daru’s offense was his overwhelming strength attribute, yet somehow, he was also deft and nimble.

His stamina seemed to be rather average, which, at the very least, explained the anomalous physical attributes, but only a bit.

It was difficult to grasp how, despite being an S-ranker whose main talent was copying others’ Sword Skills, Onimaru Kunitsuna was overwhelming the SS-rankers in physical attributes.

Walker soon realized that the secret lay with the tachi.

It was heavy, making it so that every blow was staggering, and against someone with even stats, that is a massive advantage.

Most only relied on the indestructible nature of Soulbound Swords, coupled with a high strength attribute, after all.

While there were methods to increase a Soulbound Sword’s weight, those were very rare and expensive.

The fact that Onimaru Kunitsuna was already this heavy by default or could grow heavier only added to Daru Finnley’s list of strange yet simple and effective specialness.

He can copy Sword Skills, narrowing or completely closing the gap between him and these elite novices who can simply receive it from their families, and his sword was heavy.

That was a short explanation of why Onimaru Kunitsuna was such an anomalous S-ranker.

Yet, there were still some things that couldn’t be explained by only these two factors.

There was still something missing...something that the young man was capable of that allowed him to be as competent as the Four Starblades that Walker couldn’t quite get a grasp on.

After all, unlike the likes of Skylar Ashwind, Daru Finnley didn’t have a prominent family to support him, so it was truly unbelievable how he was still at the forefront of this generation after half a year of relying on only himself.

Unshrouding this mystery was key to determining how important the young man truly was.

So, Walker continued watching, forcing himself to remain calm and keen.

***

**

Inside a luxurious office of indestructible, titanic stone blocks, a man in his early thirties with long green hair and sharp, hawk-like eyes, tapped his fingers on his shiny onyx table as he waited.

In Iron Lotus, there were Seven Divisions, each a rival to the other.

Competition always pushed these seven to greater heights, and while it hasn’t exactly been too peaceful, everything was still within the Guild Master’s absolute control.

The Seven Division Leaders are their own, minor guild masters operating within a larger, merit-based system where all of them would have to secure more resources for themselves and their members by strategically investing their Division Contribution Points — a guild currency available only to Division Leaders.

Each leader uses these Division Contribution Points to obtain more opportunities and benefits for their division members, which the division members would then purchase from the division through Guild Contribution Points earned by doing stuff for the guild, such as converting loot, completing quests, and accomplishing feats.

These Guild Contribution Points, once used to exchange for benefits from a division’s rewards exchange office, would be converted back to Division Contribution Points, which the leaders could once again use strategically with the help of their advisors.

Naturally, the exchange rates are in favor of the divisions and the guild, as the system would not be sustainable otherwise.

This didn’t mean that the members are losing out, though, as, by default, everything in the zones within guild territory is owned by the guild, and the members are merely benefitting from the guild’s influence and overall power in a realm where only the strong can even dare think of securing opportunities.

The horror stories of the abhorrent rates from other guilds — outsiders trying to purchase rights for the good stuff from Iron Lotus — also made the division exchange rates appear unbelievably generous in comparison...and very much acceptable.

A division’s collective effort to make the guild more powerful would, of course, not go unnoticed.

The more prestigious and competent a division was, the more pleasing it would look to the eyes of the Guild Master.

This would, in turn, affect exchange rates in a more beneficial way for the division and its members.

Rights to Dungeons, Special Quests, and dibs to Special Swordspawns are only a few of the opportunities that the guild offered.

The green-haired man was one of the Seven Division Leaders, and this time, he had invested the Division Contribution Points to secure a talent that could be hit or miss.

The youngster was a mere S-ranker, after all.

In a few more minutes, however, the green-haired division leader would soon learn whether his investment was wise or not.

His finger continued tapping at the onyx table.

Then, finally, a Whisper Sigil window popped up. In it was the report that he had been waiting for.

His hawk-like eyes narrowed as he proceeded to read the first whisper:

"Reporting to Division Leader Dainsleif! The investment had turned out to be a golden decision. Division Leader is truly wise!"

Dainsleif’s stiff posture eased slightly, clearly a bit relieved.

He had invested a lot of points in this risky bet.

Upon learning that Onimaru Kunitsuna was an S-ranker, his rivals hesitated. He did not.

Dainsleif was the youngest among the Division Leaders, and his division was the most recently established among the seven.

If he wanted to catch up, then risk was a no-brainer.

This was why he grabbed the opportunity. Some of his advisors advised against it, but he heeded those few who didn’t, agreeing with their stance.

Thankfully, as per Walker, it paid off.

Though to what extent, he was yet to know.

"Elaborate." Division Leader Dainsleif responded.

He suddenly felt that his representative was quite slow in typing, though he was aware enough to realize that he was merely being impatient.

A dozen moments later, he received a reply.

Dainsleif eagerly read through it, and the more he did, the faster his heart raced. The division leader balled his hand into a fist triumphantly.

This was a start.

"Great job, Walker. Once the Yggdrasil Race Event is over, immediately arrange for Onimaru Kunitsuna to be transferred to our headquarters."

"Understood, Division Leader Dainsleif."

With that, the conversation ended.

***

Meanwhile, in a dark forest that reeked of annihilation and shattered souls, an old man, dressed in an unassuming dark robe, grinned.

"Hahaha!" Caladbolg laughed, as though not afraid of calling upon the horrors that dwelled in the location he was at.

Sure enough, a gigantic black silhouette attacked from the distant mountain, one so far that the spawn should’ve been out of sight or senses.

Caladbolg’s arms flashed without him even looking in its direction.

The upper torso of the Gigantic Swordspawn slid off, then the silhouette disappeared.

"That brat really did it..."

He tapped on the Yggdrasil Race Panel, staring at the five chosen names for a while, his grin widening.

In the next moment, he pressed confirm.

"Alright then, brats. I’m entrusting this to you five. Let’s see how you guys stack with the top youths of the other races..."