N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 349
In the midst of the settling dust and the return of the sea to its emerald hue, Derus Roberts emerged. His face, stained with mud, was filled with an eerie intensity unlike his usual demeanor.
"Krrraaaaaah!"
As Derus Roberts screamed to the sky, dozens of spouts of water shot up from the entire sea, colliding and merging into a black storm that swept across the entire ocean.
Kwaaaah!
The massive storm uprooted fish, monsters from the nearby depths, and even trees on the land before gradually subsiding.
Thud!
Amidst the pouring blood and flesh, Derus Robert descended to the beach. Despite the rain of crimson from the sky, not a single drop of blood grazed his body or face.
Even after turning the land and sea into ruins, Derus's resolute expression remained unchanged. His eyes were chillingly devoid of emotion, nearly impossible to read.
Derus gazed out at the sea, where a massive tidal wave had surged.
"Damn it..."
He descended into the depths to search for remnants of the dungeon, but there was no trace of the artifacts or relics he had sensed before.
He belatedly searched for bodies, but in that short moment, they had been torn apart by sea creatures and monsters, leaving only bones. Identifying their identities or how they had died was impossible.
There was only one thing he was sure of.
This was the work of humans.
If it were Martio, who is responsible, he might be in trouble. Cossini, who is good at mind control, would not have died to a beast/monster. If they thought they couldn't catch it, they would have escaped somehow.
With the disappearance of the aura of relics and artifacts, it was evident that another human or faction had intervened.
"Who could it be?"
Whoever it was, they were not an ordinary expert if they could kill everyone while evading Martio and Cossini's senses and take the relics and artifacts. They were undoubtedly at least a Grandmaster level.
"Come out."
At Derus's call, the shadows lurking in the sandy beach emerged hastily, dropping to their knees.
"Has anyone passed through here?"
"Only the residents of nearby villages."
The shadows provided names and descriptions of the villagers who had passed through the area.
"Useless."
"Ah..."
"Uh..."
With a rough gesture from Derus, the shadows froze in place, unable to even scream, turning into red dust that scattered on the sandy beach.
"Master."
Regal, who had arrived later and was waiting, lowered his head and offered a clean towel to Derus.
Derus removed his shirt and gloves, using the towel to wipe away the mud that clung to his face and body.
"Master! There's blood..."
Regal trembled as he saw the bloodstains on the towel Derus had used.
"I'm not injured."
Derus observed the blood flowing steadily from the scars on the back of his hand, a strange phenomenon that brought intense pain whenever he suffered damage or faced a problem.
It was a peculiar occurrence, either coincidental or fated.
"Regal."
"Yes?"
"Investigate the surrounding villages. No, search the entire house Robert's territory for anyone who has shown unusual behavior."
"I understand."
Despite the nearly impossible task, Regal nodded calmly.
Derus sucked in the blood on his hand and let out a chilling smile as a sinister aura emanated from his eyes.
"Even if you flee to the ends of the continent, I will find you."
He would never let them escape.
* * *
Near the Motran City forest.
The fierce wind cut through the dawn air.
The source of the wind was Dorian, who was swinging his sword in a small clearing in the forest.
Whooosh!
With each swing of his sword, cold sweat trickled down Dorian's forehead. It was a training regimen known as One Sword Concentration, where he concentrated to the utmost with each sword strike, just like when he fought an enemy.
Dorian's swordplay, which had started at dawn, continued until the sun reached its zenith in the sky.
"Whoo...."
Dorian let out a sigh as he lowered his sword.
"As Young master said."
The stronger he became, the more challenging his swordsmanship became.
The saying that there was no end to martial arts seemed fitting.
"When will I truly grow stronger?"
During his time here, he had diligently practiced swordsmanship to keep up with the other swordsmen in Zieghart. However, the more he trained, the less he seemed to understand what swordsmanship truly was.
It was clear that he was growing, but his mind was becoming increasingly complex.
"At least let's have some food."
After training from dawn to noon, his stomach growled. He sat down against a tree after eating the packed lunch he had brought from the lodging.
"When will young master return?"
It had been a while since he left, and Dorian was starting to worry. Not about Raon himself, but about the other people involved with him.
Dorian looked up at the bright sky and swallowed his dry saliva."Surely…"
It couldn't be that he's picking a fight with the Five Demons?
The Raon he had seen so far was a person who fit the term 'reckless' better than anyone else.
Breaking into auction houses to steal items, threatening foreign princesses, leaping over city walls to annihilate monsters, and gaining strength after being kidnapped by the Eden. There were several reasons why he might act that way.
"Uh, hey! hey! He wouldn't."
Dorian shook his head vigorously, then gripped his sword and stood up.
"Let's focus on training."
He concentrated his mind on the newly learned sword technique, to clear away any lingering doubts.
...
Dorian, practicing the One Sword Concentration, finally stopped when the sun set.
"Haa..."
That should be enough, right?
In truth, he wasn't practicing swordsmanship to keep up with the others, but because he was afraid of Raon.
"He might come back and say something."
He might ask him to enhance his concentration through rigorous training or challenge him to a duel, so Dorian had been training with all his might.
"At this level, even if he's the Devil himself, he won't be able to say anything."
Since he arrived here, he had trained from before sunrise until late at night, and his skills had noticeably improved.
With this level of growth, even the training fanatic Raon would surely have to commend him.
"Today's training ends here."
Dorian smiled satisfactorily as he sheathed his sword and stood up.
Clap, clap, clap!
As he was about to head back to his lodging after tidying up the surroundings, he heard a hearty applause.
"W-Who's there?"
Dorian raised his sword in alarm, but a tall man descended from a tree with a big grin.
"Oh?"
Dorian's eyes widened. Although his hair and eye color were different, there was no mistaking who this person was.
"Young master!"
"You recognized me right away?"
"Of course!"
After seeing him countless times, there was no way Dorian wouldn't recognize him even in disguise.
"Did everything go well for you during your absence?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, it went very well."
Raon nodded while shaking an extradimensional pouch.
"I'm relieved. But where have you been..."
"More importantly."
He interrupted Dorian and scanned his whole body.
"I'm impressed."
"Huh?"
Dorian's eyes widened in surprise.
"What do you mean...?"
"You, who I thought would just enjoy yourself here, have been training so diligently. I didn't expect this."
Raon spoke with a gentle smile.
"Oh..."
Dorian scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Did you watch me?"
Well, never mind!
He swung his sword all day except for mealtime today. If he saw that, even Raon, the king of the devil, would have to admit it.
"Seeing how your skills have improved quite a bit, it seems you've been training consistently. Your swordsmanship is infused with strength and finesse."
"No, it's not..."
Dorian grinned with a sense of accomplishment, relieved that he had been acknowledged and that he wouldn't have to undergo additional training from Raon.
"As young master said, the stronger you become, the more challenging swordplay becomes. I still have a long way to go."
"Krrr!"
Raon let out a satisfied sound, as if he had just downed a mug of beer.
"You're cool."
Seeing his broad smile, it seemed like his plan had worked perfectly.
"I'll continue to train diligently!"
"That's the right attitude. I should give you a present."
"A present? Alright then. Let's go. We can unwind today and..."
"Hmm? Where are you going?"
As Dorian turned around with an excited smile, Raon grabbed his shoulder.
"W-We should go back to the lodging. It's getting late."
"No, not there. I said I have a present for you."
"A present... What is it?"
Raon chuckled as he pointed at himself with a grin.
"Sparring with me."
"You're insane..."
Dorian blurted out a curse with his jaw dropping.
"W-Why are you suddenly suggesting a spar?"
"Because I can't just leave you alone when you've been training so diligently on your own. Let me help you break through that wall."
"It's fine! I can break through it on my own..."
"No, a little sparring will do the trick. Or rather, sparring will definitely help."
Raon quickly drew Heavenly Drive as if to get started right away.
"You said a while ago that you'd train harder. Well, let's train harder right now."
"...But I've been training all day."
"Then your true strength will show now. Quickly, draw your sword."
"No, I..."
As Dorian stammered, he looked into Raon's eyes. Seeing the gleaming madness in those eyes, he understood.
"Oh, right..."
This guy was crazy...
* * *
Raon's impassioned training and beating, which had left Dorian utterly exhausted, finally came to an end the next morning.
"Huff, huff..."
Dorian lay on the floor like a wet towel, gasping for breath.
"I-I'm going to die..."
He murmured, dropping his sword as if he couldn't bear it any longer.
"My, my stomach. I don't have the strength to lift a finger now."
Raon laughed heartily as he watched Dorian, who had swelled up like a frog.
"I was about to quit anyway."
Nodding, he sheathed Heavenly Drive. After training all day and sparring all night, they were both exhausted.
"Good job."
"...I thought you were going to push me harder."
"Harder?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
Dorian quickly got up and vigorously shook his head to emphasize his refusal.
"If we go any further, there's a risk of injury. But you still look full of energy."
"Oh, no!"
He lay back down and panted heavily.
Pathetic.
Wrath shook his head as he looked at Dorian.
Such a man is the subordinate of the King…
'Still, it's admirable that he trained on his own.
Raon chuckled lightly as he sensed Dorian's growth.
Although he had told him to relax and enjoy himself when returning home, the fact that Dorian had trained diligently until now was admirable.
He was originally going to eat the Sea spirit flower and do his cultivation immediately, but he gave Dorian a springboard to grow even more by sparring because he was amazed by his achievements.
'Perhaps I should help a bit more.'
He reached into his extradimensional pouch and plucked one of the leaves from the sea spirit flower, handing it to Dorian.
"What is this?"
"Eat it and cultivate your energy."
"A transparent leaf? You've brought something strange again."
Dorian accepted the leaf with trembling hands, weakened from exhaustion. Without questioning it further, he immediately stuffed it into his mouth.
"It's... delicious. And..."
Munching on the leaf, he sat down on the ground and began cultivating his energy.
He says it's delicious? I want to try one too!
Wrath bounded up with excitement, pointing at the leaf Dorian had eaten.
'Well...'
Raon glanced at Wrath and rolled his eyes.
'He hasn't changed a bit.'
The gluttonous demon lord now sought taste even in elixirs. He pitied Dorian earlier, but now he was even worse.
Just give me one...
'Wait a bit; I'll let you have some later.'
He pushed Wrath aside, saying that he would eat both the leaf and the flower soon.
Goooooooo!
Dark energy flowed out of Dorian's pores. The leaf from the sea spirit flower, with its detoxifying abilities, was extracting impurities from his body.
'Now it begins.'
Raon placed his hand on Dorian's back and infused him with aura, helping the impurities exit his body more efficiently.
When they started the cultivation at dawn, Dorian's eyes flashed open by noon.
"Wow..."
He looked at his own hands and swallowed hard.
"W-What did you give me? My aura increased, and why does my body feel so light?"
"Sea spirit flower's leaf."
"Sea spirit flower? Wasn't that a legendary flower from the stories? How did you get such a treasure?"
"I obtained it by going to the sea."
"Huh...?"
Dorian was stunned, his mouth agape.
'Well, it makes sense.'
But still, the idea of going to the sea and obtaining it himself was laughable.
"...That's it?"
"Yep."
Raon casually nodded. Dorian wasn't the type to blabber, so Raon didn't mind sharing this information with him.
"That… the legend?"
"Indeed."
Raon reached into his extradimensional pouch again and pulled out a single flower. It was unmistakably the legendary Sea spirit flower, with its sparkling blue petals, smooth stem, and transparent leaves.
"It's the sea spirit flower..."
But could humans really obtain something like this?
Dorian, who had considered it nonexistent even in his generation's marketplaces, couldn't believe that he held the sea spirit flower in his hands at less than twenty years old.
"This is incredible..."
However, Raon wasn't done yet.
"Here's something else."
Once again, he reached into his extradimensional pouch and retrieved a round bead. When he took it out, a suffocating, toxic energy seeped out from it.
“What is this?”
“A pill.”
“A pill? Where did you get that from?”
“I got it from a spirit beast.”
“……”
Dorian squeezed his eyes shut.
'He got it from a spirit beast?'
I can't keep up. I really don't know!
It is common for spirit pills that naturally occur to have a spirit beast attached to them. However, if that pill was emitting that much poison, there would have been a spirit beast that was beyond comparison to a monster, and it was shocking that he returned without a scratch. In particular, Raon's relaxed tone of voice, as if he had picked an apple while going for a walk in the neighborhood, was too scary.
“Aah…”
Dorian shook his shoulders in fear of what Raon would do when he turned 20.
'Is he going to destroy one of the Six Kings?'
* * *
Raon looked around the clearing where Dorian had been training and smiled.
“You picked a good spot. It was hard to cultivate in the lodging because of the pill.”
The poison contained in the ghost jellyfish pill was so strong that it was impossible to cultivate in the lodging. This place was spacious and had a blocked view, making it the perfect place to cultivate.
He installed an illusionary formation to prevent monsters or people from coming, and then returned to the clearing.
“It's your turn now. Watch carefully.”
“I, I can watch, but is it really okay for you to eat that pill?”
Dorian swallowed his saliva as he looked at the pill, which was glowing with poison.
“Yes.”
He nodded after tearing off a petal and leaf from the Sea spirit flower. The Sea spirit flower petals contain mana concentrated with the power of the sea, and the leaves contain pure mana and detoxification abilities. It was the power of the Sea spirit leaf that allowed the impurities to be removed from Dorian's body.
“I'm starting to think that I can't handle you anymore, young master.”
“When have you ever been able to handle me?”
“That's true too…”
Dorian scratched the back of his head and nodded.
“Watch carefully. I'll be done soon.”
“I'll guard you with my life!”
He nodded with his hand on his forehead.
“There's no need for that.”
Raon smiled and put the Sea spirit flower petal in his mouth. The five petals melted on his tongue and naturally slid down his throat. The clear energy filled his body along with the smell of the sea.
That….
When Raon was about to eat the pill and the Sea spirit flower leaf, Wrath raised his hand.
That leaf would be delicious if you wrapped it in meat and ate it….
‘Go away.’
Ugh!
Raon brushed Wrath away like he was shooing a fly.
‘I need to focus.’
If he was distracted by that guy, he would only waste his mental energy. He raised his concentration and put the ghost jellyfish pill in his mouth. This one also dissolved into a liquid as soon as he put it in his mouth, as if it was made of mana. The hot poison contained in the pill spread, causing a pain like his mouth was melting.
Kweeek!
Ras rolled around on the ground, shaking his whole body.
-It's, it's so bad! I'm going to die!
‘Just hold on for a little while.’
Raon endured the pain and swallowed the pill and leaf. His body was hot and itchy, and he felt like he was going to vomit. However, he knew that this was the only way to increase his strength.
“Ugh…”
Raon gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
“It's done.”
He opened his eyes and looked at Dorian.
“How was it?”
“I, I don't know. I can't feel anything.”
“That's because it's too strong. It'll take some time for your body to absorb it.”
Raon sat down on the ground and took a deep breath.
“I'm going to rest for a while. You can go back to your room.”
“Yes, young master.”
Dorian bowed his head and left the clearing.
Raon closed his eyes and entered a state of cultivation. He would need to rest for a few days to recover from the effects of the pill.
Wrath rolled on the ground, shivering uncontrollably.
It's... It's awful! I'm gonna die!
"Just endure a bit."
Raon chewed on the Sea spirit flower's leaf, pushing the detoxifying power along with the Ghost Jellyfish's Neidan's venom directly into his stomach.
Hey! If you eat it like that, you won't taste anything!
"Shush for a moment."
The combination of the Sea spirit flower's petal, the Ghost Jellyfish's neidan (venom), and the Sea spirit flower's leaf created an immense force that seemed to tear his entire body apart.
The sea's aura from the Sea spirit flower and the toxicity from the Ghost Jellyfish's Neidan clashed fiercely as they expelled the flows of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier from Raon's body.
"It's okay."
The combination of the Sea spirit flower's petal, Neidan, and leaf had been a concept he had been contemplating for a while. He could accept it thoroughly.
Vroooom!
Raon swallowed the shock that made him feel like he was going to vomit blood and resonated with the ring of fire. Suppressing the surging two forces, he calmed his trembling lips.
"I also like it rough, so this is perfect."
I'll make them all mine.
Raon's eyes shone with a fierce light. He was determined to make the powerful energy of the Sea spirit flower and the ghost jellyfish his own.
