N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 332
"Hmm?"
Raon looked out the window where the sunlight was streaming in and tilted his head.
"What's this thunder?"
Even though the sky was cloudless, the sound of thunder suddenly reached his ears. It didn't seem like an empty phrase to say that lightning struck from a clear sky.
"Seems like something's going on."
He chuckled and clenched his fist, observing his hand. His stamina seemed to have partially returned, but his aura hadn't recovered much.
"I used Aura too much."
Literal as it was, he had used up all of his Aura at once, so its recovery was slow. It seemed like it would take some time to return to full power.
"Starting from now sounds like a good idea."
For a patient, time was the most valuable resource. As he considered using both the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to simultaneously recover his injuries and his Aura, his eyes fell upon the items laid out on the table.
"What's this...."
They were the prizes he had received from the leaders of the Six Kings. The platinum medal from Glenn, gloves from the King of Leckros, a ring from Chamber, an elixir from Ogram, and a martial arts book called "Bi Ryeong Do" from Derus were all displayed.
Items left by your subordinates.
"My subordinates?"
Yes.
Seeing himself referred to as a subordinate, it seemed like the guys from the Light Wind squad had left these items.
"Should I take a look?"
First, he examined the medal. There was nothing particularly special about it. It was literally a memento that the leader of the winning faction would give to the winner.
"Rimmer would probably like this."
In the continent, platinum was worth ten times the value of gold. If Rimmer had seen it, his eyes would have widened.
"But now's not the time."
He was a beggar again, after all.
Since he had bet a huge amount of money on this battle and won, this amount of platinum wouldn't even catch his attention. He chuckled at the thought of soon showing up with gold rings on both hands.
"Next is...."
Setting aside the platinum medal, Raon looked at the gloves given by the King of Leckros.
"Huh?"
Could it be that Téril?
Téril was a special metal that could extract threads, which not only had good durability but also had strong resistance to magic and deception.
Gloves made from Téril, which were more expensive than the same amount of platinum, were an item that far exceeded imagination.
"To give away such a treasure...."
He didn't know he would be given something that couldn't be priced. He felt like he would need to go visit and thank him again soon.
Raon calmed down his excited heart and then looked at the ring from Chamber.
"What's this?"
Certainly, there was a significant amount of mana embedded in it, but he had no idea of its ability.
To give a gift and not explain how to use it, Chamber seemed to be unusually mischievous for a leader of the Six Kings. He had heard that Chamber didn't act like a leader.
"For now, I'll move on."
Raon shrugged and opened the neck guard given by Ogram. A refreshing yet bitter scent wafted out.
"A black elixir?"
This is a Sound-Hwan, right?
Sound-Hwan was the highest-grade potion of the Beast Union, created by precisely combining top-grade herbs and poisons. It was a treasure worth its weight in gold, as it not only enhanced Aura but also strengthened bones, muscles, and skin.
"If I consume just this, my injuries will recover easily."
If he were to ingest the Sound-Hwan, not only would his wounds and aura recover, but he could also further strengthen his physical body.
Raon recalled Wrath's hearty laughter and formed a faint smile.
"Then, finally...."
Should he take a look at that thing?
He unfolded the martial arts book called "Bi Ryeong Do" that Derus had given him.
"It doesn't have to be the highest grade, but at least above superior."
"Bi Ryeong Do" combined close-range dagger techniques with long-range sword techniques to create an ascending martial art that could adapt to any opponent.
"It's good, but...."
He couldn't use it as is.
Derus giving him the "Bi Ryeong Do" implied that he understood everything in the book. Using the martial art as it was, which might someday become a blade that pierces Derus's heart, would be foolish.
"I should enhance and learn it."
Though impossible for others, he, possessing the Ring of Fire, could guide "Bi Ryeong Do" in a better direction. He closed the book, determined to create martial arts that were exceptional enough to pierce through Derus's heart.
Ugh...
Wrath squinted his eyes as he spat out a sigh.
A Téril glove and a top-grade elixir!
And there's a martial arts book.
Raon shook the book playfully at Wrath.
Isn't this a bit too much for just one tournament prize? How about giving a bead ice cream? What's with giving an elixir!
Wrath grumbled that the prize for a single tournament was too extravagant.
"Bead ice cream...."
Raon smirked. Other than being round like an elixir, it seemed that ice cream would suit Wrath better than an elixir.
If it were the king, he'd just wave his hand and be done with it. To waste like this, they must have lost their minds...
When Wrath was about to continue scolding, a message appeared before his eyes.
Defeated consecutive opponents at a higher realm.
"All stats increase by 15 points."
"Skill <Ring of Fire> greatly increases."
"Skill <Ten thousand flames cultivation > greatly increases."
"Skill <Glacier> greatly increases."
Thanks to defeating two strong opponents at a higher realm, all his stats increased by 15 points, and the realms of the Ring of Fire and two skills also increased.
"All stats increase of 15 points?"
This was the first time for a 15-point increase all at once.
A reward of 15 points was already substantial, but the message was not yet finished.
"Trait <Indomitable Will> grade increases."
"Trait <Bleeding Curse> grade increases."
"Trait <Spiral Power> grade increases by 2 levels."
The grades of the traits he had used during this tournament had also increased.
"It was thanks to Indomitable Will that I endured."
The reason he didn't collapse even after using up all his stamina and Auras was due to the boost from the indomitable will, which bolstered his mental strength when subjected to a significant shock.
"If I didn't have this, I wouldn't have seen Derus's expression."
Indeed, they all had their uses.
Even traits that seemed insignificant had turned out to be useful in the end. He was genuinely grateful to Wrath, who had given him all of them.
"Because there's no one but you."
All, all attributes by 15? Not 1.5, but 15?
Wrath's jaw trembled.
"Unlike you, the system seems to think that it's not a waste."
He chuckled, throwing back the words Wrath had said a little while ago.
Ugh...
Wrath lowered his head slightly and clenched both fists.
"Coming soon."
Seeing Wrath's shoulders trembling, Raon put up a sign at the door asking not to be disturbed and locked the door.
I can't stand this! What did you do to receive a 15-point increase all stats? It's like being stabbed in the head with a fork!
Wrath shouted as he rushed forward. Judging by the way his eyes were rolling, it seemed like he was receiving the anger he deserved.
Seeing Wrath sticking to his arm, Raon took out the Sound-Hwan and put it in his mouth.
The taste, like chewing on dirt-covered tree roots, spread throughout his mouth as the elixir slid down his throat. A hot energy spread haphazardly.
Get lost!
From outside, an intimidating coldness and a surge of anger emanated from Wrath.
"Heat inside, cold outside."
Perfect.
Raon smiled at the powerful energy transmitted from both inside and outside and activated the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
Goooong!
To withstand the massive coldness from the outside, Sound-Hwan melted even faster, infusing strength into the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
Although the energy of the elixir was rapidly being absorbed, that wasn't all he was gaining.
"Wrath's coldness."
Transforming Wrath's mana waves into Glacier, he had a chance to absorb it.
Maybe Wrath, with his eyes gone wild with anger, didn't realize it, but in the current situation, it was no different from a massage that restored his Aura more than twice as fast.
"Where..."
He quietly opened his eyes. Wrath was continuously emitting coldness like a baby shark clenching its fists. Seeing that, Raon slightly lowered his head.
"Thank you, Wrath."
You're truly generous in your giving.
Raon expressed his gratitude in his heart and immersed himself in his own inner realm.
* * *
Gulp.
Martio swallowed dryly upon seeing Derus and Cardis enter his treatment room. For twenty minutes since they arrived, the two of them sat in silence without uttering a word.
"Cardis."
It took thirty more minutes in the treatment room for Derus to finally speak.
"I-I'm sorry."
Cardis kneeled just upon hearing his name being called.
"What is it?"
"I, I lost to that guy..."
"That's not it."
Derus's voice remained as steady as usual. The only thing absent was emotion. There was no joy, no sadness, no anger, no irritation—just complete dryness.
Underneath that uncharacteristic tone, Cardis and Martio's faces grew paler and paler. They both knew. Derus not showing anger in situations where he should was even scarier.
"I've said it before. Stop playing with toys and finish it quickly."
"T-That..."
"It's understandable that he's falling behind the Cheongwon Sword. He was learning the ultimate technique, the Jeolgeom, of the Cheongwon Sword. But with the Sungwang Swordsmanship, it could've been finished decisively." (I don't feel like to edit Derus/cardis sword techniques, they are not important anymore at this point lol)
Derus' pupils sank into a dark gleam, and the air in the room began to dry up like a desert.
"Ugh..."
Martio suppressed the urge to clench his fists and held onto them tightly, despite the intense emotions he wanted to let out.
"It feels like my throat is burning."
Just as he thought he might not be able to breathe any longer, Derus spoke.
"You're not satisfied with merely losing to a much younger child. You've even raised his level. It's the worst of the worst outcomes."
"I-I'm sorry."
Cardis lowered his head, clutching his arm tightly. The confidence he had shown when he first came to Owen Kingdom had melted away beneath his feet.
"Next time, I'll definitely cut off that guy's neck..."
"Next time?"
For the first time, Derus smiled. It was a chilling laughter that would freeze you just by touching it.
"There won't be a next time."
"What?"
"He's a monster who could defeat you at the age of 19. In a year, he'll be standing above your head. Do you really think there will be a next time?"
"I'll work so hard I'll die! If you give me a chance, no matter how, I'll..."
"You won't even make use of that chance."
Derus's gaze shifted from Cardis's thick bandaged shoulder to her right arm.
"Your arm is not normal."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Because of his damn coldness, frostbite has formed in your mana pathways and tendons. Even if they fully recover, you won't be able to swing a sword as freely as before."
Derus looked at Cardis as if he were looking at something useless, not a son.
"Ah..."
Cardis's pupils shook violently, like a sailboat hit by waves.
"Leave. Think about why you ended up like this. Think and think again."
"...Yes."
At Derus's gesture, Cardis lowered his head and left Martio's treatment room.
"Martio."
"Yes."
Martio bowed his head as pale as Cardis, with an expression as if he wanted to grab his throat.
"How was Raon?"
Derus had ordered him to observe Raon's movements by going to the arena ground even while injured, and had come to a definite conclusion.
After organizing his thoughts, he slowly spoke.
"I've seen all of Raon Zieghart's fights up until now. He's not the assassin Raon I raised. I couldn't see any traces of the Shadow's methods in him."
Martio honestly conveyed the observations he had made while watching Raon yesterday and today.
"Is that so."
Derus nodded his head and took off his gloves. Drops of thick blood flowed from the wounds that had been there for twenty years.
"Interesting."
He licked the wound on the back of his hand with his tongue and smiled with a gentle madness.
"Uhm..."
Martio wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, looking at that eerie sight.
"There will be a final gathering tomorrow night. As soon as it's over, you will return to the house."
Derus handed the magic book he had been holding onto to Martio.
"Give him this magic book and start the dungeon conquest immediately."
"What about the Lord?"
"I think I need to move a bit to fix Cardis's arm. It would be good to check the arena grounds on the way."
He pointed towards the door through which Cardis had left and furrowed his brows.
"Ah, understood."
Martio nodded, his chin trembling slightly.
"He's a terrifying man..."
Derus wasn't planning to fix Cardis's arm for his sake. He intended to step forward to give a good impression of a caring father to the many people who had heard about Cardis's injured arm.
Although Martio had seen Derus for a long time, recently he had become increasingly eerie to the point where just looking at him sent shivers down his spine.
"Since things have turned out this way, I'm considering giving Cardis another chance. But this will be the last one."
"Yes..."
Derus took out a new pair of gloves and put them on before rising to his feet.
"Martio."
"Yes."
"Remember that you won't have many opportunities."
Derus was not just a subordinate; he was a man who could discard even his own kin. Any further failure would be no different from asking to have his throat cut.
"I will remember."
Martio bowed his head, but no words or reactions from Derus reached him.
"Ah..."
Martio swallowed his dry saliva and raised his head. Derus remained in the same eerie stance, his gaze unchanging. It felt as though his heart was being squeezed tightly.
"We'll see about that later."
Derus's chilling gaze gradually softened. After turning his gaze into a milder one, he tapped Martio's shoulder and left the room.
"Ah..."
Martio collapsed onto the bed, his eyes closed. It seemed he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
* * *
Raon slowly opened his eyes. The sunlight that had been pouring in through the window was now replaced by the gentle moonlight.
"Seems like I've recovered quite a bit."
Thanks to the energy from Soung-Hwan elixir surging internally and the cold energy from Wrath outside, most of his injuries had healed. With over half of his aura recovered as well, it seemed like he would be fully restored soon.
"Hmm."
Phew.
As Raon stretched his body, Wrath, who was lying nearby, fell down like an acorn rolling off a slope.
Y-You... how can you withstand this condition....
Wrath's arm seemed to give out, his strength completely drained.
"All thanks to you."
What's that supposed to mean...
"Because of the energy you released outside, the effects of the elixir were accelerated. I used that substantial energy to heal my injuries and even recover my aura."
Raon chuckled and shook his hand with a smirk.
Ah, ah...
Wrath finally realized what had happened and opened his mouth in shock.
"Thank you for the refreshing massage."
Raon playfully ruffled Wrath's head.
Aaaah! You little...!
Wrath lunged forward in anger, but his strength was gone, and he ended up scratching the air and falling downward.
Wait, what the hell... Somehow, my strength is draining really fast...
He realized something was wrong and his eyes widened.
"It's all thanks to you."
Raon grinned mischievously as he shook his head.
Argh, this damned brat!
Wrath tried to rush forward again, but his strength had already left him, and he stumbled down.
"Gee, nice."
Raon stretched and got up. As he enjoyed the refreshed feeling, he sensed someone's presence at the door.
"Runaan?"
As he opened the door and stepped outside, Runaan was sitting on a chair, nodding her head.
"What were you doing?"
"Breathing exercises."
Runaan blinked her sharp eyes and answered.
"Breathing exercises..."
It seemed like she had noticed Raon practicing his aura manipulation and she did the breathing techniques as well.
"Shall we go then?"
Runaan nodded lightly, as if it was nothing, and rolled up her sleeves.
"Where to?"
"The banquet hall."
She pointed to the west, indicating the banquet hall situated not far from the office.
"She said to bring you when you come out."
"Who?"
"Heavenly Blade division leader."
Saying that, Runaan picked up the clothes she had placed next to the chair. They were a splendid outfit, adorned with a combination of gold and red.
"Put this on."
"This is a bit..."
"I insist."
Runaan extended the outfit with a slightly playful expression in her eyes.
"Well, I'll pass..."
"No, you won't."
You won't!
As Raon tried to refuse and stay in the office, both Runaan and Wrath grabbed his arms simultaneously.
"I want to eat bead ice cream."
The Supreme King wants to eat bead ice cream!
They both frowned while saying the same thing.
"We still have some bead ice cream left today."
Didn't your grandfather also tell you to eat a lot of meat? That's an encouragement!
"Erm..."
Raon closed his slightly open mouth. Seeing Runaan and Wrath's sparkling eyes after giving him a massage that he didn't ask for, he found it hard to refuse.
"Well, I guess I should fill my stomach."
"Yeah. Let's go."
Runaan shook his hand as if urging him to hurry.
"Raon, you're so cool!"
Now you finally have a conscience too!
Runaan smiled thinly, and Wrath exhaled with satisfaction, remarking on the effect of his education.
"Seems like making a mint chocolate pair of fools would be interesting."
It would suit them well.
Thinking of the sight of Wrath and Runaan fighting over a single mint chocolate, Raon smiled.
* * *
After washing up and changing his clothes, Raon headed to the banquet hall. It seemed like a considerable amount of time had passed since it had started, as the inside was bustling with activity.
"Frostfire Sword of Valor?"
"White Sword Dragon!"
The knights guarding the entrance to the banquet hall recognized Raon and Runaan, and with eyes widened in surprise, they bowed their heads respectfully. Their greetings were much more refined than a few days ago at the previous banquet.
"We were impressed by Swordsman Raon's duel."
"We'll continue to support you in the future."
They conveyed their impressions of yesterday's duel with slightly trembling voices before stepping back from the windows. With a thud, the doors to the banquet hall opened.
[Winners of the Six Kings Assembly Duel! White Sword Dragon Raon Zieghart and Verdant Moon Sword Runaan Sullion are entering!]
As the doors swung open, the knights inside raised their voices.
From the moment the name "White Sword Dragon" was heard, the bustling banquet hall fell into silence.
From the leaders of the Six Kings seated at the head table to the numerous people below, everyone's gaze was simultaneously fixed on Raon as he entered through the doors.
"Let's go."
Raon lightly brushed off the weighty gazes and walked into the banquet hall.
"Yeah."
Phew! This smell is unmistakably lamb ribs! Let's start by trying some grilled lamb ribs!
As if they hadn't sensed any burden, Runaan and Wrath immediately went in search of food upon entering.
'First, let's secure our seats.'
Raon chuckled, heading towards the area where the Light Wind squad was located.
However, just as he was about to head there, the Beast Alliance (Beast Union change to Beast Alliance) members who had been scattered throughout the hall rushed towards him like a swarm.
"Whoa!"
"It's the Frostfire Sword of Valor!"
"And now it's White Sword Dragon!"
"We watched every single one of Swordsman Raon's duels! The fights were heart-pounding!"
"I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep last night!"
"Could we please shake hands just once?"
People of all ages gathered without distinction, filling the space around them to capacity. There was no room to step back or exit.
These, these guys! I just want to eat some lamb ribs, that's all!
Wrath burst out, his frustration evident as he pressed his hands down like a squashed candy.
"Raon-nim! What's the schedule for the next event?"
"Did you really create the White Void Sword Technique Style on your own?"
"I heard you've created other sword technique styles too. If the opportunity arises, could you show us...?"
With so many people talking at once, it was difficult to make out their words.
'It's going to be hard to slip away quietly.'
There's no choice.
As he prepared to exert his energy to push people aside, a thunderous noise erupted from the center of the hall, shaking the entire building.
Kugugugugug!
A powerful shockwave emanated from the point of impact, causing the people in front of Raon to automatically part and be pushed aside.
A massive figure emerged from the point of impact. Orgam. The Beast Alliance King Orgam, who had been on the platform, had descended to the floor.
Orgam approached with heavy steps and stood before Raon.
"It seems that there's no beast who's aged well in the arena, but here, you seem to look your age."
When are we getting the meat...
He gave Raon a cool smile and patted his back. The pat was strong, but it carried no malice, instead feeling refreshing.
"Thanks to the elixir you provided, I was able to recover from my injuries. I'm grateful."
The scent of lamb ribs is really strong...
Raon took the opportunity to express his gratitude for the Soung Hwan he had received from Orgam.
"In return, I need to give you thirty more. That's the deal."
"What?"
What is he saying?
The sudden mention of thirty Soung Hwan elixirs left Raon bewildered.
"Me and your grandfather made a bet, and I lost. The price for that is a Soung Hwan corresponding to the number of your subordinates.
"So, you're saying you'll give Soung Hwan to all the members of Light Wind squad?"
"That's correct."
But first, food...
Although he was admitting defeat, Orgam's smile remained intact.
"And..."
Orgam took off the coat he was wearing and extended it towards Raon.
"This Black Dragon Grape is yours."
Black Dragon and worms, let's eat first!
Wrath's irritation didn't wane even when he was admitting defeat.
"Well then, let's go!"
Great, now it's time to eat!
Runaan and Wrath, who had been searching for food, returned and grabbed Raon and Runaan, respectively.
