TRAIGS (Novel) Chapter 616

N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)



 Chapter 616


Note: Rampage changed to Raging Sea.

Raon wiped the sweat beads trickling down his forehead and looked at Ogram. His expression seemed sincere, as if the words he had just spoken were genuine.

'Is he really saying he'll teach me that martial art technique, the Raging Sea?'

It was hard for him to comprehend that Ogram, the Beast Union leader would teach him, an outsider, this supreme martial art.

'Even if I did help the Sran tribe, I'm still an outsider.'

In the world of martial arts, supreme martial arts are usually only passed down to direct line and those who had achieved great feats. Others were taught lesser martial arts.

Zieghart wasn't much different. They might bestow a supreme martial art upon ordinary members who had achieved great feats, but they would never teach them the direct line martial arts practiced by the head of the house or the successor.

'To teach such supreme martial arts?'

That martial art was likely one of Ogram's secret technique. He couldn't believe that the leader of the Beast Union would reveal his secret technique to an outsider.

"The words you just said..."

Raon calmed his racing heart and raised his gaze.

"Are you serious?"

"Do I look like someone who would joke about such things?"

"That's not it, but..."

"I know what you're thinking," Ogram said coolly.

"Warriors on the continent don't like to reveal their martial arts. If their techniques are exposed, countermeasures may be developed, which could put them in danger."

Raon had been experiencing this firsthand lately.

In the past, many people didn't know about the Frost Pond, so he easily cut down his enemies with the cold blade. But now, more people were aware that the Frost Pond had two blades, so they were better prepared to defend against it.

Just as Ogram said, the more a martial art is revealed, the more defensive and counter techniques would emerge.

"But what does it matter?"

Ogram raised his chin and shook his head.

"A martial art that weakens simply because it's been revealed wasn't truly strong to begin with. A genuinely potent martial art can exert its full power even when its techniques are understood."

"Hmm..."

"There are no second chances on the battlefield."

A fierce determination that seemed to crush his heart flared in Ogram's calm eyes.

"Only one chance. You have to take your opponent's breath away in that one, single chance to survive on the battlefield. the Raging Sea is a technique for that purpose. It's not a martial art that weakens just because I teach it to you or show it to others!"

Ogram pounded his chest as if making a declaration.

"In the Beast Union, there are no weaklings or weak martial arts like that."

"Ah..."

Raon clenched his trembling wrists. Ogram's words sent shivers down his spine.

"That’s right. Secret technique doesn't weaken just because it's revealed."

Garona, seemingly unsurprised by Ogram's words, simply nodded in agreement.

For a muscle-brained pig, he speaks well.

Wrath nodded his head.

Secret techniques shouldn't be weakened in any situation. The King of Essence has always frozen all his enemies, whether fighting in flames or lava.

Despite his talkativeness, he agreed with Ogram's words.

'Come to think of it...'

The head of house and Wrath are similar.

Glenn's swordsmanship isn't a sword that weakens just because it's revealed. It's literally a sky. A sky created by a sword – who could handle that?

Raon thought about Wrath as well. That guy just used the energy of ice to suppress his enemies without any grappling techniques. There seemed to be no one who could overcome that immense energy of ice he wielded.

Ogram must have offered to teach his martial art because he possessed the same confidence as Glenn and Wrath.

'Then...'

Having understood Ogram's thoughts, Raon steeled himself and stood before him.

"Please teach me."

Raon straightened his posture and bowed his head to Ogram.

"Good!"

Ogram gave a big nod as if he expected this.

"I thought you might refuse after such a long contemplation, but you're accepting it after all."

"It took me time to understand your words, Union leader."

"Understand?"

"Yes. I realized what it means to have no second chances on the battlefield. And what I need to do."

"Kuhahaha!"

He grabbed Raon’s head and burst into hearty laughter.

"Good. Good."

Ogram lowered his head and brushed Raon's Black Dragon Coat.

"Back then, I thought I was giving you an excessive gift, but now that I see it, the Black Dragon Coat has found a worthy owner."

"No, it's not..."

"Enough chit-chat, let's just begin."

He waved his hand, indicating they shouldn't waste any more time.

"the Raging Sea means 'to leap over the sea.'"

"The sea?"

"Yes. It means to pierce through the sea of shield (barrier) your opponent wields and slam this fist into their head."

Ogram clenched his fist. It looked hard enough to knock someone out instantly upon impact.

"The principles (chant) are simple. You should be able to memorize it in no time."

"Hmm."

Raon widened his eyes. He couldn't believe that a supreme martial art like the Raging Sea had such a simple principle.

[Even if it's a sea raging with rainstorms or waves lapping with gentle winds, they are all the same sea.

The sea where the sun and the moon rises is like a mirror reflecting oneself.

Only by cleansing your soul can you open the path within your own small sea.]

...

As Ogram said, the principles was short. However, there was a profound essence hidden within it. It was easy to understand, but Raon wasn't entirely confident that he had understood it correctly.

"Have you memorized it?"

"Yes..."

Raon gave a small nod.

"Then, from now on, I'll teach you how to apply it."

Ogram clenched his fist again. A colorless light flickered between his thick fingers.

"It's about application, so why are you using your fist?"

Raon swallowed nervously as he looked at Ogram's fist.

"Didn't I tell you? You need to navigate through your own and your opponent's sea. Every sea has a different flow and size. In other words, you need to pierce through the sea of the opponent, which requires countless experiences. The fastest way to do that is..."

Raon seems to understand what Ogram's next words will be before he even speaks.

"Real-world combat experience!"

Ogram thrusts out his clenched fist, moving faster than before. The fist hurtles towards Raon's abdomen.

"Ugh!"

Raon formed a flame wall with the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s fire, blocking Ogram's fist.

"You’re Wrong!"

Ogram extends his fist all the way, scowling as if to say that's not it.

Bam!

His fist pierced through the wall of flames as if there were no barrier and struck Raon's abdomen.

"Cough!"

Raon lets out a groan and collapses to the ground.

'What the...?'

For a moment, he almost lost consciousness. The immense pain washed over him, rendering him unable to even move a finger.

"I didn't teach you the principles for nothing. If you don't block using the Raging Sea, you'll feel that pain every time."

Ogram snaps his fingers as if telling Raon to get up quickly.

"I-I thought you were going to teach me the technique appl..."

"That's right. This is it."

Ogram charges forward with his fist raised, revealing his teeth in a grin.

"You'll learn it through your body!"

With those words, Ogram's punches fly faster and stronger.

'As expected...'

Raon bit his lip, recalling the Raging Sea's principles in despair.

'In this world, there's no easy way out.'

You just realized that? In Devildom, something like this is nothing. When I became the Monarch of Devildom, I faced even greater hardships...

'Shut your mouth!'

*   *   *

The sand heats up under the passionate practice of the swordsman in Zieghart’s fifth training ground.

"Runaan!"

Rimmer approaches Runaan, who was nodding off at the center of the training ground.

"Don't close your eyes! Are you trying to sleep again?"

"No, I'm not."

Runaan blinked her vacant eyes and shook her head.

"What do you mean, 'no'? You were sleeping just a moment ago!"

"I was practicing swordsmanship in my dreams."

"Dreams! You said you were dreaming just now!"

"But it's true."

She closed her eyes again as if it didn't matter what Rimmer said.

"You can leave her alone. She gets strangely stronger after sleeping and waking up."

Burren chuckles as he watches Runaan snoozing.

"Just because you get stronger after sleeping doesn't mean it's okay. It's annoying."

Martha clicks her tongue as if she doesn't like it and starts her own training.

Rimmer looked at the two of them, then back at Runaan. Despite her nodding off, the aura inside her was moving diligently as if preparing for battle.

'Could it be...?'

Runaan’s current martial level is at the Master intermediate level. For quick learners, it's the time when they slowly form their mental image, and it seems like Runaan is at that stage now.

'All the teachings from childhood finally paid off.'

Since his time as an instructor in Zieghart, he has endlessly emphasized that images and imagination are important, and finally, that advice seems to be yielding results, which warms his heart.

'And it's not just Runaan...'

Rimmer observes Burren and Martha. They've both grown tremendously, not just in physical strength but also in their mental strength. He believes they'll reach the Master intermediate level soon.

'Everyone else has also grown significantly.'

Currently, all members of the Light Wind are at the peak Expert level. Dorian and the vice captains are practically Masters already, only needing the right opportunity to break through.

'This group could truly become the strongest organization in the world.'

Rimmer feels immense pride in the remarkable growth of everyone around him. He reminisces about their initial meeting as young trainees entrusted to his care. Now, their dreams and aspirations feel intricately woven with his own.

"Hmm..."

Martha notices Rimmer's warm smile and raises an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with the division leader? Why is he smiling like that?"

"I don't know," Burren replies, scratching his cheek.

"It's like the expression people make when they're about to ask for a loan."

"That’s it! He must have lost all his money gambling again!"

Martha clicked her tongue, deciding she should warn the members not to lend money to Rimmer.

"Sir Rimmer!"

Despite the thoughts of the other two, Rimmer looked at the Light Wind members with pure eyes, lost in thought. As the door to the training ground opened, Encia entered.

"It's finished!"

She ran to Rimmer with a gray prosthetic arm that looked like it was made of iron.

"That's..."

"What is it? Of course it's Sir Rimmer's right arm."

"It's already finished?"

"I've been preparing for it since before you left for Seipia."

Encia smiled, saying that she was able to make it right away because she had already completed the measurements and design, and finished it immediately after obtaining the materials from the branches and leaves of the World Tree.

"I thought you'd make it roughly..."

"That was a joke."

Encia shrugged and shook her head.

"I'm a craftsman. I don't do anything half-heartedly or jokingly when I do my job."

She held out her self-made prosthetic arm with a confident look in her eyes.

"Take off your clothes. I'll put it on for you."

"Hmm..."

Rimmer hesitated, looking around again. All of the Light Wind division members had stopped training and were surrounding them.

“It can't be helped.”

He sighed and took off his top. The wounds had healed, and he extended his grim-looking shoulder forward.

Encia calmly examined Rimmer's shoulder as if she didn't care about the wound.

"This prosthetic arm will be connected to Sir Rimmer's nerves through the aura. You'll probably feel like you have a real hand back."

She seemed confident in the artifact she had made and immediately took the prostethic arm to Rimmer's shoulder.

The thin, cloth-like material attached to the prosthetic arm adhered to Rimmer's shoulder like rubber and matched the color of his skin.

 Woowwooong!

A faint light emanated from the prosthetic arm, causing the gray limb to change to the same color as Rimmer's skin. It appeared to be an artifact crafted with the user's comfort as a priority.

Rimmer narrowed his eyes, looking at his tingling shoulder.

‘This is….’

The moment the cloth-like thing attached to the prostethic arm touched his skin, he felt a small pain like a needle pricking his flesh and a feeling like his arm was growing.

It was a strange sensation as if the nerves inside his shoulder were meeting the nerves of the prostethic arm.

‘Where….’

As soon as he thought about moving his fingers, the fingers of the prostethic arm began to move. It took more force than he thought, but it was clear that his hand was moving as he intended.

“Ha….”

Rimmer let out a hollow laugh as he watched his hand move freely.

‘Did she really make this?’

It was so lifelike that it was unbelievable. With this, he might not be able to regain his prime strength, but he thought he could at least regain the strength he had before his arm was cut off.

“Wow….”

“It really looks like a real arm!”

“The color of the prostethic arm has changed to match the division leader’s skin color.”

“Y-your fingers are moving!”

The swordsmen of Light Wind division also looked at Rimmer's arm with surprised eyes.

“But still, it's not a real arm, so be careful. You need to practice controlling the aura as well.”

Encia adjusted the prostethic arm herself and explained the points to be careful about.

"You can withstand sword strikes without aura, but enduring strong attacks with one will be difficult."

“That's better than my original arm. Without aura, I couldn't even withstand sword strikes.”

Rimmer shook his hand, grinning.

“Well, that's true.”

Encia also laughed, realizing the truth.

“It's all done. Is there anything uncomfortable?”

“It's perfect. It really feels like my arm has returned.”

Rimmer smiled with satisfaction at the miraculous return of his arm.

“Thank you very much.”

“Please convey your thanks to Sir Raon instead. Thanks to the branches and leaves of the World Tree he brought, the side effects have been reduced, and stability has greatly increased.”

She smiled, saying that this was also thanks to Raon.

“I will.”

“Then please continue to take good care of Sir Raon in the future.”

Encia said, raising her hand as if that settled it.

Rimmer clenched his fist with his prostethic arm and nodded.

"Of course, I intend to do so."

He nodded, feeling the warmth spreading from his chest instead of the warmth of his skin.

“I've made my decision now too.”

“A decision?”

Encia's eyes widened.

“What decision?”

Runaan closed his eyes and blinked at Rimmer.

"Maybe a decision to gamble with a new mindset."

Burren laughed, making a gesture of throwing dice.

"It'd be funny if you went to the gambling den and came back with your arm chopped off."

Martha giggled in agreement with Burren.

The Light Wind members all laughed loudly at Rimmer and the captains.

“…….”

Rimmer smiled, a mixture of joy, regret, and anticipation evident in his expression as he looked at the children.

“You'll find out soon.”

*   *   * 

Kuung!

Raon couldn't control his body and collapsed to the ground.

“Ugh….”

It hurts like hell.

The pain from the fall wasn't much, but his hand, struck by Ogram's fist, throbbed as if it would tear apart.

If Ogram had exerted a little more force, his hand would have exploded.

“Kraaahh!”

He turned his gaze to the scream beside him. Garona was also face down, greeting the ground with his face after being hit by Ogram's fist.

“Phew….”

Raon took a deep breath and got up.

‘It's not easy.’

The flow of the Raging Sea that Ogram was showing was different from the martial arts he had learned so far, so it was not easy to follow even though he was using the Ring of Fire.

A week had passed since he started training, but it seemed like it would take even a hundred days to get the hang of it.

"Your determination is good."

Ogram complimented Raon who got up right away.

"I can see why you've reached such a level at your age."

He turned his gaze to Garona and frowned.

"Why aren't you getting up faster?"

“Ugh….”

Garona clutching his chest where he had just been hit, struggled to get up.

"I've taught you everything you need to know."

Ogram picked up the glass placed between the branches.

"the Raging Sea is more like a flash of inspiration than a martial art. If it fits, even a three-year-old can use it, and if it doesn't, even thirty years of training won't get you anything."

He emptied his glass and twisted his lips.

"However, such results shouldn't happen to those who learned from me."

Ogram held out his left fist, clenched. Between the gaps in his fist, a colorless light flashed as if it would explode.

He punched Garona with a stronger fist than when he hit Karoon.

Puhuhuhuck!

Garona was hit in the face without even being able to defend properly and was slammed to the ground.

His eyes rolled back completely, and his breathing became irregular. If his entire body hadn't been trembling, he would have thought he had died from a single blow.

"It's your turn next."

Ogram clenched his right fist this time and approached Raon.

Gulp.

Raon swallowed dry saliva as he watched Ogram's fist, which was emitting an increasingly intense light.

'Should I stop now?'

If he were hit by that fist, it felt like not just his bones, but his flesh would burst open. As he pondered what excuse to use to stop, he saw Ogram's eyes.

Eyes filled with trust directed at him. Seeing the trusting gaze, he swallowed back the words he was about to say and readjusted his stance.

'The Union leader is taking precious time out of his day for me now.'

Ogram was sincerely teaching me.

To slack off here or to waste time would be a grave disrespect.

Kuung!

Raon stamped his feet and clenched his fists. He used the Ring of Fire to the extreme and even evoked the Perception of the Snow Flower.

"Come!"

"That's it!"

Ogram nodded vigorously and thrust his fist that had been retracted backward.

Kugugugugu!

His breath was taken away by the gust of wind flashing between the oncoming fist. Even without employing the Raging Sea, the immense pressure that felt like it could lift his soul filled his vision.

'Don't back down, watch until the end.'

As he focused to the point of being able to see the blood vessels on Ogram's fist, time began to slow down.

The flow of the Raging Sea seemed to come into his hands very slowly.

[Even if it's a sea raging with rainstorms or waves lapping with gentle winds, they are all the same sea.]

He clenched his right fist while reciting the principles of the Raging Sea. Adding the flow of the Raging Sea to his fist, he aimed it at Ogram's fist.

Kuwhaaaaaaaaa!

The collision of fists. However, Ogram's the Raging Sea pierced through the wall of the Raging Sea that he was using and instantly reached his skin.

[The sea where the sun and the moon rises is like a mirror reflecting oneself.]

'I have to cut it off!'

Even if I can't win, I have to cut off Ogram's flow to survive.

Raon gritted his teeth and gathered the flow that was disappearing into thin air. As the rotation of the Ring of Fire accelerated, the world turned red as blood rushed to his heart, but he forced himself to focus and recited the final principle.

[Only by cleansing your soul can you open the path within your own small sea.]

As he felt that there was only him and Ogram in the world, the flow of energy in his fist began to come into view.

'Now I understand.'

The small sea within me is a metaphor.

the Raging Sea is a martial art that requires you to know yourself first before you can pierce through your opponent.

A new sword called the Raging Sea planted itself in his mental world, infusing strength into his trembling wrist.

"Huh?"

He thrust out his small but firmly clenched fist towards Ogram, who was glaring at him.

Woosh!



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