N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 379
"Squad leader...."
Raon gave a perplexed look to Rimmer.
"What did you just say?"
"The first test is tomorrow," Rimmer confidently raised his chin, as if asking, "Did I do well?"
"Ugh..."
Raon pressed his temples as if trying to suppress a headache. This strange elf hadn't changed a bit from before.
'He's going to live for a very long time.'
People say sudden changes lead to death, but it seems like he intends to live for a very long time.
That pointy-eared guy is still the same!
Wrath laughed while looking at Rimmer.
Not as much as you, but you're certainly not sane.
'He's even worse.'
What nonsense! In the King of Essence's life, The King of Essence has never seen anyone as crazy as you!
He didn't stop laughing, seemingly enjoying the chaotic situation.
"Ah, Squad leader...."
"This madman! We don't have time to prepare by tomorrow!"
"We have to pull an all-nighter?"
Burren sighed, Martha clenched her fists as if ready to charge, and Runaan, thinking she wouldn't sleep again, squinted her sleep-deprived eyes.
"That elf. I knew since he got obsessed with gambling."
"Did he do this on purpose just to bet against us in the gambling dens?"
"If it's squad leader, he might have done that."
"Ugh, hearing that the test is tomorrow again..."
The members of the Light Wind squad raised their swords as if they were about to attack Rimmer.
"Come on, calm down."
Rimmer waved his hand to calm the tension, wearing a sly smile.
"I've been saying this for a while. What's most important for Zieghart swordsman is the ability to react calmly in any situation. I didn't forget, I just didn't mention it, all for the sake of your growth."
"Ugh..."
Raon let out an angry breath. Seeing Rimmer casually slip in the fact that he had forgotten made it quite evident.
That elf even has a memory problem.
"But it's not so important to prepare for the unexpected. What matters most is the training you've done and the skills you've acquired."
When Rimmer spoke, he wielded his aura. Four in his left hand, four in his right hand. Eight flawless arcs of aura were sent out.
"So, instead of blaming me, continue the training you've been doing..."
Huh!
Rimmer was shocked by the silently approaching daggers, but he immediately drew his sword and created a wind aura.
In a moment, a green light-rimmed sword barrier unfolded.
'That's not enough.'
Raon smiled coldly as he looked at Rimmer's sword barrier.
'It will be useless.'
This is completely different from the dagger skills he had seen on the cliff.
The eight daggers gathered in the center, pierced through the wind barrier created by Rimmer, and scattered like dandelion seeds, targeting his vital points. It was the Mugyeolbi's ultimate move, Palbipunghyang.
"Kuk!"
Rimmer hurriedly backed away and swung his sword, but he was only able to block three of the daggers due to the power contained in the daggers.
Buhbuhbuhbuhbuh!
The remaining five daggers struck Rimmer's body like blunt hammers.
"Gah!"
Even though Rimmer released his aura at the last moment to reduce the impact, he was unable to withstand the power contained in the daggers and hit his head on the ground.
"Ugh!"
He cried out in pain and rubbed the parts of his body that had been hit by the daggers.
"I-it hurts so much! It feels like I was hit with a hammer, not a flying dagger!"
While Rimmer was floundering on the ground like a turtle, Raon raised his finger.
"Step on him."
"I'll go first!"
"He's dead!"
"That elf needs to be beaten up a bit!"
"Now is the only chance we have to hit him!"
Burren and Martha were the first to run, and the other members of the Light Wind also rushed over and lay down to trample Rimmer.
They did not use their auras, but they all stomped on Rimmer with all their might, as if to vent their pent-up anger.
"Stop."
Raon waited until the Light Wind squad's anger had subsided before approaching Rimmer.
"Are you okay?"
"This, this unfilial child! You're too much to attack your master, you know!"
Rimmer frowned as he pressed his swollen eye sockets.
"I'm just following what you said, Master."
"What? I never said that...?"
"You said a little while ago that the most important thing for a Zieghart swordsman is the ability to react calmly without panicking in any situation. I just wanted to test your reaction, but you're pretty sloppy."
Raon repeated Rimmer's words from earlier with a cold smile.
"Guh..."
Rimmer could not say anything in response because he had said the words himself. He lowered his head.
"Ah, that's refreshing."
The Light Wind squad felt a lump in their chest melt away when the always-whining Rimmer fell silent. The other members of the Light Wind also wiped their chests as if they felt refreshed.
"We don't have time, so tell us now. What is the first test?"
"A battle..."
Rimmer muttered "battle" with his mouth agape.
"We're going to fight the Iron Fortress tomorrow."
"What, Iron Fortress?"
"That's a division with direct line as the leader and vice-leaders!"
"Why did you tell us this now if we're going to fight them!"
The members of the Light Wind swallowed their saliva at the mention of Iron Fortress.
"What's the format of the test?"
"It's a group battle in the city."
"Iron Fortress in the city...."
Raon thought back to the information he had received from Judiel about the squads and Divisons.
'Iron Fortress...'
It was a division with many direct line members, and it had recently been promoted to a division.
The leader was a peak master level, and the vice captains were both master beginner level. Even if they had grown stronger since then, they were still a formidable opponent compared to other divisions.
'However...'
The current Light Wind squad was not enough.
Iron Fortress was a division that had been promoted to a division after accumulating a lot of achievements over a long period of time, so they had a clear advantage in terms of power and experience over the Light Wind squad.
With the elixir not yet completely absorbed, it would be difficult to win.
"Can we win?"
"It'll be tough, I think...."
"We didn't have any time to prepare."
"Oh no..."
Starting with Dorian's frightened voice, the members of the Light Wind began to tremble.
"Why are you already grimacing when you haven't even fought yet? Don't you have your backs straight?"
Martha frowned as she looked at the dejected members.
"You won't know what it's like until you try fighting!"
"You don't know what ice cream tastes like until you try it."
Runaan spoke at length for the first time. She seemed to want to give courage to the anxious members.
"That's right."
Raon smiled and stood next to Martha and Runaan.
"However, it is true that there is a difference in strength and experience, and we didn't have time to prepare because of someone."
As he said this, he glared at Rimmer. He whistled as if he had done nothing wrong.
He barely managed to hold back the urge to stick a sword in his mouth.
"Hey! You're saying that too..."
"However!"
Raon interrupted Martha and looked at the Light Wind squad.
"There is no law that we cannot win if we have help."
"Help?"
"What kind of help?"
Runaan and Dorian raised their eyes.
"I will uncover the hidden emotions buried deep in your hearts,"
Raon said as he drew his Heavenly Drive. The chilling sound of the sword being drawn rang in the ears of the members.
"W-Why are you suddenly drawing your sword!"
"What are you going to do again!"
"Why are you drawing a sword instead of a dagger!"
The members of the Light Wind squad trembled as they looked at the Heavenly Drive, which was emitting a chilling chill.
"I told you a little while ago."
Raon smiled coldly and concentrated his aura on the sword.
'I will bring to light the feelings within your hearts.'
'It was time to bring out the emotions of the Light Wind squad one last time before they transformed into a Division.'
* * *
While the Light Wind squad had been practicing in the practice field and cliffs for a week, Adis Sepia, the head of the Sepia Merchants Association, had also arrived in Zieghart.
Adis Sepia knelt in front of Glenn and bowed his head.
"The small merchant of Sepia pays his respects to the sky of house Zieghart!"
"Your modesty is excessive. Rise."
He raised his head as he heard a voice that was so heavy that it felt like it was crushing his bones.
A giant from the north with blonde hair and red eyes, who was similar to Raon but had a completely different weight, was looking down at him. He felt a chill run down his spine at the dry eyes that seemed to have all the heat sucked out of them.
'This man is Glenn Zieghart, the Destructive King of North.'
Although I have met him for the first time, it is more oppressive than I had heard. He was the best among the heads of the Six Kings I had met so far.
"I apologize for being late."
Adis bowed his head with his hands on his belly.
"I know the head of Sepia is busy. Don't worry about it."
Glenn waved his hand to tell me not to worry about it.
"I don't like tedious chatter, so can we get to the point?"
"That's fine with me."
Adis nodded slightly.
"I heard that you are planning to install infrastructure around Zieghart and expand the road network."
Glenn lowered his eyes with a look of emptiness and propped his chin on his fist.
"Even if they say the Sepia Merchants Association has everything, it would still require considerable funds and manpower to undertake such a project. What's the reason for doing this?"
The man known as the Destructive King of North fixed a sharp gaze on him. He felt as though his entire body would be torn apart if he told a lie.
'I can't lie.'
'In this world, some people could get away with lies, and others couldn't. The giant before me was a typical example of someone for whom lies wouldn't work. I felt I had to be honest.'
"It's because of Raon, the Light Wind vice-squad leader."
"Raon?"
"Yes, that's right. After meeting him in person, I became convinced that if we invest in house Zieghart now, the returns on our investment will be several times greater in the future."
"Hmm!"
Glenn, upon hearing Raon's name, cleared his throat and opened his hand that had been resting on his chin, covering his mouth.
"...Is that so?"
"Oh, yes."
Adis felt a lightness in his step and straightened his hunched back as I sensed Glenn's earlier intensity subsiding.
"Why did you think of investing in house Zieghart after meeting that boy? Was it because of his strength or talent?"
"No, it's not that. It's because he knows how to move people."
"Move people?"
"Everyone knows that Raon, the vice-squad leader, is strong and talented. If he continues to grow, he might even become the greatest on the continent someday. But if he were a domineering person, I wouldn't have invested."
Aidis's eyes flashed with a pure energy that was hard to believe for a merchant
"I didn't invest in him because of his strength but because he can influence people in deeper ways."
"Is that what you mean by being human?"
Glenn lowered his head slightly, as if curious, and his eyes gleamed.
"Yes. Raon, the Light Wind vice-squad leader, can not only change himself but also positively impact many others with seemingly insignificant actions."
Adis recalled Mark Gorton and his third daughter Phalen, who had changed thanks to Raon, and he smiled softly.
"I will decided to invest in house Zieghart after seeing Raon and the Light Wind squad members members in person."
He explained his reason for coming here honestly and bowed his head.
"Hmm!"
Glenn coughed louder than before, his face slightly redder. His hand covering his mouth seemed to tremble as if holding it back.
"So that's why. Understood."
His voice had become surprisingly softer compared to earlier, and the icy air in the chamber, which had been as cold as ice, suddenly felt warmer, as if a furnace had been lit.
"Sepia Merchants Association's head?"
"Yes? Oh, yes!"
"Do you know how to handle liquor?"
"Um, I can handle it a bit."
"Then let's have a drink."
Glenn gestured towards a room to the right in the chamber, as if inviting him to follow.
"All right!"
Adis followed behind Glenn and nodded.
"Let's have a drink and talk in detail about what happened at the Merchants Association from the moment Raon arrived until he left."
"But, it might get quite lengthy if I tell you everything..."
"It's okay. Tell me everything, without leaving anything out. There's something interesting happening tomorrow, and you'll get to see that too."
Glenn clenched his fist as if he would hit someone if he lied.
"Uh..."
Adis looked at Glenn's reddened fist and cheek, trembling lips barely holding back a smile.
'What's going on here?'
Is he testing me?
---
A dark night, even the moon concealed by dense clouds.
Raon stood at the center of the five-man formation, surrounded by the Light Wind squad members whose fierce eyes gleamed as they held their swords.
Whooosh.
The Light Wind squad members let out a growling breath, reminiscent of a beast, as they exuded a rough aura that made them seem like true predators. Simultaneously, they pounded the ground.
The first to step forward were the three captains.
Kugugugugu!
A sharp wind emanated from Burren's sword, Martha's sword carried the weight of a mountain as it descended, and Runaan's sword emitted bone-chilling coldness.
Following the captains, the Light Wind squad swordsmen rushed forward, creating a whirlwind of flashing blades that raced towards Raon.
Raon aimed his sword at the hesitant sky. Bright blossoms of light, as if erasing darkness, bloomed from the blade's edge, covering the space around him.
Whaaa!
Hundreds of fiery petals scattered and clashed with the oncoming Light Wind squad sword strikes.
Kwaaaaah!
Powerful shockwaves erupted one after another as the charging Light Wind squad members were sent flying and crashed into the shattered ground.
Whoooom!
Without hesitation, Burren, Martha, and Runaan rushed towards Raon.
"Uwaah!"
"Get back!"
"..."
Raon shifted his gaze to the three captains, who were skilled in their own unique martial arts, and lifted his sword from the ground.
Zzzziiing!
The blade, which scraped the shattered ground, emitted sparks as it clashed with the sword strikes from the three captains.
Kwaaaaah!
A rotating sphere of heat shattered Burren, Martha, and Runaan's sword strikes, causing a massive explosion.
"Ugh!"
"Jiralal!"
"Hng..."
The three captains were sent flying even further than the Light Wind squad swordsmen and crashed into the walls of the training grounds.
Raon lowered his crimson-tinted sword and surveyed the chaotic scene of the five-man formation.
"Ugh!"
"This time, you won't win!"
"I may not be able to kill you, but I'll definitely give you a good punch!"
The Light Wind squad members, as if they had forgotten their defeat moments ago, lit up with yellow madness in their eyes, grinding their teeth and clutching their swords. They raised their blades, their faces contorted in fierce determination.
"Damn it! Is this the level without using his ultimate techniques?"
Burren gritted his teeth, raising his Aura.
"A swordsman who's good only at slashing...."
"At least he is handsome."
"Whose side are you on?"
"My side."
"Ugh!"
Burren and Runaan exchanged glares, engaging in a heated argument while their madness and determination were directed at Raon.
Kugugugugu!
The Light Wind squad's aura, which had been building up all day from constant battles, surged into the sky as their ominous presence expanded.
It felt as though a crazed beast had been unleashed, and it sent shivers down the spine.
Are they getting crazier by the minute?
Wrath watched their behavior and let out a futile sigh.
'Well, that's what I was aiming for.'
That's what he wanted.
Facing the overwhelming madness of the Light Wind squad as if he were taming it, Raon smiled excitedly.
"The Mad Dog squad revival."
What kind of dog's revival is this...?
