I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills-Chapter 55: 0. Experiment (1)

As the Countess and the three young girls engaged in an exciting conversation, Veris was diligently swinging his sword.

What he desired was simple. The Heavenly Sword style. To regain the swordsmanship he had once given up.

It was a damn world. There was nothing more important than reinforcing his strength to survive in it.

─ Swish!

"...."

With a light strike from Veris, a scarecrow made of straw crumbled to pieces.

Not just cut or broken, but literally turned to dust.

Overwhelming power. It was an absurd level of attack power that could not simply be described as a basic attack, as he hadn't even used a skill.

"I think I did it like this."

The way Veris had fought until now was straightforward.

Instead of using a specific form of swordsmanship, he simply swung a sword infused with overwhelming mana with overwhelming strength.

There had been no enemy capable of blocking such a simple gesture. After all, it wasn't a power that an ordinary human could withstand.

In any case, if he were to acquire swordsmanship and register it in the Sword Mastery list, it meant that Veris could now wield a sword with form.

The constant yearning for greater strength always accompanied a strange fascination. Thus, Veris was training with a serious demeanor, not his usual playful self or his cold, expressionless face.

─ Whoosh!

"Was it like this?"

Since he hadn't received any system messages, Veris could only tilt his head in confusion.

Was this what it felt like when the difficulty of acquisition increased? When he practiced the Heavenly Sword style in the past, he had always received timely system notifications that assured him he was on the right path.

"How frustrating."

Eventually, Veris left the training ground.

To confirm whether he was on the right path, he felt the need to take matters into his own hands.

It was a matter of taking action, but in reality, it was merely about experiencing actual combat. He thought that if he casually dealt with some bandits or monsters near the territory, positive signals might appear.

...Of course, asking his father, Count Verden, for guidance was also an option, but due to his past of having given up the Heavenly Sword style, it felt quite awkward.

"Well then, the answer is clear."

Muttering to himself, Veris infused mana and leaped over the mansion's wall.

It was still the time when the sun was high in the sky. He needed to hurry to avoid being late for dinner.

*

"This is a strange place."

"Indeed. The situation here is very different from other territories."

"Different? How so?"

"Yes. In this Vitelbach territory, it's hard to find bandits or monsters."

"Ha! How is that possible?"

"It's something the Cult hasn't clearly grasped. We can only suspect it's something akin to a natural disaster."

"...You mean even the Cult's intelligence couldn't figure it out?"

"I can only suspect it might be related to a secret research facility that disappeared from maps long ago."

The middle-aged man nodded grimly at his companion's opinion.

Even though he was practically a newcomer, he was already well aware of that rumor.

In the past, there had been a secret research facility of the Cult on the borders of this Vitelbach territory. However, for some unknown reason, they had engaged in battle with an investigation team from the neighboring Kingdom... and ultimately, all members of the Cult had perished.

It was not something that could be understood purely at face value. Even the lowest-ranking combatants of the Cult were strong enough to stand on par with battle priests.

Moreover, there must have been several individuals trained in forbidden techniques stationed at the secret research facility, so it was absurd to think they could be annihilated by a mere investigation team from the Kingdom.

However, something beyond common sense had already occurred. A long time ago.

"I thought the Twelve Black Seats would have access to special information."

At the middle-aged man's voice, another man chuckled.

It was true that the Twelve Seats, the upper echelon of the Cult, had access to vast and secretive information compared to other members.

But no matter how much they were, how could they access information that didn't exist in this world?

The incident of the disappearance of the Vitelbach secret research facility was roughly of that nature.

"Don't be too disappointed. There are plenty of secrets in this world that even we don't know."

"True words."

With that, the conversation ended. They continued to move toward their destination.

Their destination was the central part of the Empire. Having safely crossed the eastern border, they could now arrange for a carriage to travel comfortably.

While walking for a while, the middle-aged man posed a question.

"What do you think made the leader call all the Twelve Black Seats?"

"Well, I don't know either. I can only expect it's not an ordinary matter."

"I've heard it's very unusual for all Twelve Black Seats to be summoned."

"That's true. Even for the investigation °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° of the research facility's disappearance, only one of the Twelve Seats was dispatched."

"In the central part of the Empire, there's at most the Academy... hmm?" The middle-aged man stopped speaking. The reason was simple. His keen senses detected the sounds of battle from afar.

The same was true for the man he referred to as his senior. They exchanged glances and began to move toward the source of the noise with intrigued expressions.

"Oh."

The source of the noise was indeed a battle, as they had expected. However, what was peculiar was that the one fighting against the ragged-looking bandits was a young boy.

What about his attire? He looked like a nobleman to anyone who saw him. He was dressed in a proper student uniform, as if he were a student currently attending the Academy.

"This isn't right."

The student muttered as he effortlessly cut down a bandit. The two men couldn't even grasp what he was trying to do.

The bandits were trembling in fear, perhaps sitting on the brink of death. Yet, they couldn't muster the thought to fight back or flee.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

It was a scene that even they couldn't predict, a bizarre harmony.

"Haha."

Ultimately, the two middle-aged men decided to reveal themselves before the Academy student. If he was indeed a promising student, he would surely become their enemy in the future.

Without a second thought, they intended to kill him.

"To this knight's eyes, this is quite a cruel scene, young man."

"Who are you to interfere?"

At the confident reply of the young man, the two middle-aged men chuckled.

They were strong. That's why they had risen to the Twelve Seats of the Cult, yet here was a young pup who didn't know the fear of a tiger.

With his blue hair and red eyes, he exuded an aura far removed from the ordinary. Thus, the two middle-aged men were rather pleased to have encountered him here.

Killing a future enemy in advance. What could be more rational than that? It was also a teaching of the... Demon Cult they followed.

"How arrogant. Considering you didn't even realize we were watching you."

Hearing the middle-aged man's words, the blue-haired student scoffed. Naturally, the two middle-aged men looked at him with incredulous expressions.

"...Why would I not know you were watching? I even know you're from the Demon Cult."

The nonchalant voice of the student, Veris, filled the faces of the two middle-aged men with shock.

It was something that defied common sense. It meant that Veris had sensed their presence even before the bandits did, and he had even heard their conversation.

"What...."

An absurdly ridiculous ability. They had thought he was just being cocky, but now it seemed it was the two middle-aged men who were unaware of fear.

"What a terrifying person."

Swish!

The lead middle-aged man, referred to as the senior, quietly drew his sword.

Now that the opponent had discovered their dreadful secret, there was no option to retreat. They could only choose to kill the one who knew their secret or face their own demise.

"Strangely, I keep gaining experience points."

Veris, looking at the two middle-aged men, spoke with an air of arrogance. Yet, for some reason, the two middle-aged men felt that it suited him quite well, and they wore expressions of tension on their faces.

Objectively speaking, they were strong.

They were two men who had risen to the position of the Twelve Black Seats of the great Demon Cult. It meant that an ordinary Academy student wouldn't even be able to touch a hair on them.

But... for some reason, their opponent maintained an oddly relaxed demeanor.

What that implied was simple.

That Academy student was confident he could cut down two of the Twelve Black Seats of the Demon Cult.

"I can't believe it."

They were essentially the main figures of terror sweeping across the entire continent.

Who would have imagined that while they were on the move due to a sudden summons from the central part of the Empire, they would encounter such a situation?

"Let's try using the Heavenly Sword style."

Regardless of what the two middle-aged men thought, Veris felt pleased.

Thanks to the two foolish mice who had boldly stepped into Veris's territory.