N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 623
Dorian crouched low, peering into the darkened forest. He swallowed dryly and slowly crept back behind a rounded boulder, as smooth as a turtle's shell, making sure not to make a sound.
"Whew...."
He let out the breath he had been holding against the rock.
'I'm really going to die.'
Dorian shook his head, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Two days had passed since the start of the concentration enhancement training, and he had already experienced death six times.
Once he was caught by Martha, once by the bandits, and encountered Raon four times, each encounter leaving him beaten to dust. Now he had no strength left to even sense his surroundings.
'Am I the one whose life is at stake next year?'
It was strange that he gave up his own training and put all his effort into the training of the Light Wind division, even though his life-and-death duel with the Axe King was not far away.
He felt every time that Raon was a completely different person from his timid self.
‘The division leader is sacrificing his time, so I can't just half-ass it.’
There is one reason why Raon is taking the time out of his busy schedule to focus on training the Light Wind division. To save one more life when we go on a mission.
Knowing his intentions, Dorian couldn't take this training lightly.
'It's time to move now.'
Staying in one place is not a good idea. As he was about to get up and move after taking a short rest, a black shadow fell on the ground.
"Huh...?"
Dorian's lips trembled as he looked up. Two red moons were floating above the rock. No, those weren't moons. They were Raon's red eyes.
"Aaaah!"
He screamed and tried to run away, but his shoulder was pressed down by Raon's foot, and he couldn't move.
Thud!
Raon raised his hand and stabbed Dorian's neck without hesitation.
"Ugh, aaaagh...."
He tried to defend himself using an aura shield, but Raon's attack pierced through the barrier and caused a strong shock inside. He felt his strength drain from his body as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer.
'What, what the hell is this....'
It was absurd that there was an attack that didn't even break the barrier, but simply ignored it.
‘I'm getting more used to it.’
Raon looked at his hand as if he was conducting an experiment and smiled with satisfaction.
"Is this the seventh time?"
"Why do you keep following me...."
Dorian hunched over and whimpered.
"Unfortunately, I didn't come looking for you this time."
"What?"
"Under here."
Raon pointed to the bottom of the rock where Dorian had been hiding just moments before. With a faint smile, he kicked the ground violently.
Kuuuaaaaaang!
With a deafening roar like a mountain collapsing, a huge crack opened up in the ground. Rimmer and Krein popped out of the dark, sunken hole.
"Ugh!"
"H-how...."
Rimmer and Krein gaped in disbelief, as if wondering how he could have found them under there.
"You should sleep quietly. How can you sleep while snoring?"
Raon pointed to the drool dripping from Rimmer's mouth and shook his head.
"You crazy bastard! Why do you have such good hearing? Are you an elf?"
"No, I'm a human."
He shrugged his shoulders and drew Heavenly Drive.
"Krein. There's no way out now. Let's fight!"
"Oh, I understand!"
"You take the lead. I'll prepare a surprise attack from behind."
"Yes!"
Krein stepped forward, his lips pursed. His eyes gleamed with determination.
"Sigh."
Raon watched Krein and let out a sigh.
"Look behind you."
"Even if you say that, I'm not going to fall for it. I may have been fooling around all this time, but not this time!"
Krein gripped his sword with both hands and drew out his aura blade with all his might, as if he were determined to fight to the end. The aura blade gathered around his blade, creating an energy that swirled around his sword.
"That's not it. The elf you believe in has fled."
Raon waved his hand dismissively.
"What...?"
Krein turned around, noticing that Rimmer, who he thought would protect him, was nowhere to be seen.
"That damn elf..."
"But you can't just give up because of that."
Raon took advantage of Krein turning around to strike his abdomen with Heavenly Drive.
Thud!
Krein was hit by Heavenly Drive and slammed to the ground. He screamed, his limbs trembling.
"Kuaaaaak!"
"It's true that the vice division leader ran away, but you can't just give up. You should have made a quick decision whether to fight to the end or take the opportunity to run away."
Raon carved a death mark on Krein's forehead and looked in the direction Rimmer had run away.
As he was about to follow the trail, Martha jumped out from behind the bushes on the right.
"I'm tired of running away. Let's fight!"
Martha flicked her finger as if suggesting they fight right away.
"That temperament of yours never changes."
Raon chuckled as if predicting Martha's appearance and swung Heavenly Drive.
"If you want it so much, I have no choice but to do so."
He planted Heavenly Drive in the ground and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. In an instant, he reached Martha and unleashed the Fangs of Insanity.
The silver blade bared its sharp fangs, as if it was going to bite Martha's neck.
Crrrrr!
Martha read the flow of the Fangs of Insanity and raised her sword, as the silver blade clashed with Martha's sword, a fierce clash erupted.
Kwaaaaang!
The swords clashed, and a powerful roar erupted. Martha unleashed her full strength, but she couldn't overcome the fire of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, and her sword itself began to bend.
"Ugh..."
The moment Martha's sword was about to tilt down, a wave of ice descended from a tree on the left.
Kwaaaaaang!
The silvery cold air wrapped around the surroundings and relieved the pressure of Heavenly Drive.
“…….”
Runaan descended from the tree and joined Martha's side.
"Surely, it was supposed to be a one-on-one, wasn't it?"
Raon furrowed his eyebrows, burning the cold air that had seeped into Heavenly Drive.
"The enemy's enemy is an ally."
Runaan raised her sword at Raon, declaring that she became Raon's opponent and Martha's comrade from now on.
“…….”
Watching Runaan’s heartfelt explanation, Raon extended Heavenly Drive behind him.
Clang.
Burren, who had been silently approaching, was hit by the Blizzard Sword Art and knocked back away.
“Kuggghhh….”
Burren gritted his teeth, supporting himself with his hands on the ground.
“He doesn't even fall for a surprise attack.”
"What are you up to again?"
"Just trying to block the way."
He gestured for Krein and Dorian to step back quickly.
“I see.”
Raon looked at Martha, Runaan, and Burren in turn and smiled faintly.
'The three of them know the purpose of this training well.'
The current training is not simply aimed at improving concentration and combat experience.
It is a training designed to let them experience how to move when they fail the mission and scatter and run away. These three stepped forward to buy time for their subordinates.
"Impressive, but..."
Raon rushed forward with the Supreme Harmony Steps, raising astral energy that was even greater than the combined astral energy of Burren, Martha, and Runaan's on top of Heavenly Drive. Looking at the astonished eyes of the three, he raised the corners of his mouth.
"I won't go easy on any of you."
* * *
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Glenn stood on tiger rock and watched the battle between Raon and the three captains.
“Huhuhu….”
Roenn approached Glenn with a mischievous smile.
“As soon as he becomes division leader, the first thing he does is train. Young master Raon’s consistency is unmatched."
He looked at Raon with a gentle gaze as if he admired him.
“It seems that he has something he has realized himself, so he is trying to teach it to the children.”
Sheryl nodded quietly.
“If it's what he has realized...”
“Their lack of strength.”
She shook her head.
“Raon and the Light Wind division have survived some missions thanks to the intervention of others. They can't always expect that kind of luck, so he seems to be teaching them how to escape when they fail a mission.”
“That's certainly true.”
Roenn now seemed to understand, chuckling.
"What's amazing is that his duel is approaching, but he's more worried about the other swordsmen, rather than himself"
Sheryl frowned, thinking about Raon’s life-and-death duel with the Axe King.
"He's too kind. He puts others before himself, and he thinks of his comrades first. He also has a talent that is second to none. He really takes after Sylvia."
Roenn nodded his head in agreement with Sheryl's words.
“…….”
As if they had made a silent agreement, the two stopped talking and looked up at the rock.
"Ahem...."
Glenn cleared his throat, his cheeks flushed.
"Well, it's not that impressive, but it's alright." He twitched the corners of his mouth, which had turned up.
"As the leader, you need to have that much sense of responsibility and confidence."
Glenn looked at Raon with eyes full of pride and a smile that seemed endless.
"Hehehe."
Sheryl and Roenn exchanged glances and let out a light laugh.
"My, my lord!"
By the time Raon had knocked down Burren, Runaan, and Martha, Rimmer climbed up the rock.
"Raon, please stop him! Why am I even here!"
Rimmer yelled, pushing back his sweat-soaked bangs.
"You chose to live as the vice leader of Light Wind, didn't you?"
"Y-Yes, but...."
"Following the orders of your superior is only natural. What's the complaint?"
Glenn pointed a finger at Raon, as if he would kill anyone who complained about Raon. Red lightning flashed from his fingertips.
"It's not that I have a complaint."
"If you flee during this training, I'll personally keep an eye on you for a month."
"Ugh...."
Rimmer narrowed his eyes and stepped back as soon as he heard that.
"Oh my god! Why are Grandpa and grandson the same! This damn Zieghart!"
He shouted in frustration as he retreated.
"Khhhm!"
Glen couldn't hide his pleased expression, even after being ‘Insulted’ by Rimmer. His cheeks flushed red.
"Uh...?"
Rimmer's eyes widened as he saw Glenn's smile.
"Surely he's not happy just because I said grandpa and grandson are the same? He's really insane!"
He shook his head in disbelief.
"Stop the nonsense!"
Glenn scowled, his face turning even redder as he wrinkled his nose.
"Quickly take him down!"
"Yes."
"Got it!"
Roenn and Sheryl nodded and grabbed Rimmer by the arm to drag him back down.
"Tedious! So tedious!"
"Grandpa and grandson are the same..."
Glenn smiled broadly as he watched Rimmer's retreating figure.
"Not bad."
* * *
Kwaaaaaaang!
Burren, Martha, and Runaan fell one after another and slammed into the ground.
"You've certainly improved since last time."
Raon nodded at the crumpled eyes of the three.
"Uh...."
"Ugh!"
"Damn it!"
Runaan, Burren, and Martha couldn't even answer, just wiggling their fingers on the ground with their heads buried.
"But you have to buy time. If you die, it will be a fatal blow to your team, constantly thinking about how to survive."
Raon gave advice to the three and went down the mountain to find the other Light Wind swordsmen.
As he spread his aura perception to feel the presence of the swordsmen, he felt a very small movement on his right side.
It seemed like a mountain animal, so he waited for a while, and a golden-furred marten jumped out from the bushes.
'A marten?'
Were there martens in this mountain?
He knew that there were many animals living in the North Grave Mountain, but it was the first time he had ever seen a marten.
The marten didn't seem scared and ran towards him as if it had found food.
'Surely not....'
That guess was right!
Wrath opened his eyes wide.
That crazy mad woman is sure to be here!
Wrath screamed and hid himself inside the ice flower bracelet.
"Raon!"
A muffled voice came out of the marten's small mouth. As expected, it was Merlin.
"..."
Raon immediately blocked the sound and took the marten into the bushes.
"How did you get here?"
"Because you're here. And...."
Merlin tilted her head as if wondering why he was asking such an obvious question again and again.
"Congratulations on becoming the leader of the Light Wind division."
"Haaah...."
Raon sighed as he looked at Merlin's bright eyes. Sometimes, it seemed like Merlin had more information than the Black Market.
"Congratulations on becoming the division leader. You can be the head of the house next!"
Merlin was talking about becoming the head of house Zieghart as if it were the same as becoming the manager of a bead ice cream shop. As expected, she had a hard-to-grasp mindset.
"Anyway, thank you."
He thanked her for coming to congratulate him on becoming the division leader.
"That's not enough to say."
Merlin grinned and pulled out a golden ring from her fur.
"This is...."
"A gift!"
"A gift?"
"A commemorative gift for becoming the division leader!"
She nodded again, congratulating him once more.
"I prepared it in the same color as your hair."
Merlin pointed to his golden hair fluttering in the wind.
"Hmm...."
Raon blinked his eyes as he looked at the golden ring Merlin took out.
'My first gift from Merlin.'
He had received many congratulations since becoming the division leader, but this was the first time he had received a gift. He felt awkward but grateful.
However, receiving information and receiving an actual gift were different, so he couldn't casually accept it.
"Take it. It's nothing special."
Merlin shook the ring, saying her arms were sore.
"Okay. Thank you."
He heard that it would be rude not to accept a carefully prepared gift, and since she said it wasn't anything special, he took the ring with his hand.
The plain and unadorned design of the ring strangely appealed to him.
"I'll keep it safe."
"It's not for keeping, it's for wearing. That's an artifact."
Merlin smiled as she looked at the ring.
"Huh? An artifact?"
"It's also an ancient artifact."
"You said it wasn't special!"
"It's cheap to me."
She shrugged, rolling her eyes.
"It's useless for magicians."
"Then...."
"Yeah. It's a ring for warriors. It amplifies the aura gathered in your hand."
"Hmm...."
Raon frowned as he poured aura into the ring.
'It's true.'
The aura that seeped into the ring was amplified. Just as she said, it was indeed an ancient artifact that had the effect of amplifying aura.
'But this....'
Somehow, he felt like he had seen a ring like this before.
It resembled the cheap ring he had once obtained from the black market. He hadn't found a place to unseal that ring yet, and this one seemed similar.
'Could it be the same kind of seal?'
It seemed like he needed to find the place with the phoenix as soon as possible.
'Anyway, this is not an ordinary artifact.'
Raon carefully put the ring away and looked at Merlin. She was just smiling, as if happy that he had accepted the gift well.
"How's Eden these days? Are you doing well?"
"I'm fine. Just passing the time with missions."
"The Fallen must be suspicious of you?"
"He doesn't bother me openly, so it's fine."
She assured him not to worry, saying she had made sure to create escape routes. It seemed she no longer had any interest in Eden.
"Instead, I've been busy elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?"
“Yes. Since the Five Demons has been moving, many neutral forces have been collapsing. It wouldn't be strange if a war broke out. Recently, there's even been a rumor that the tomb of the Saber Sword Sovereign has been discovered.”
"The tomb of the Saber Sword Sovereign?"
Raon's eyes widened.
What is Sovereign? It sounds like a tasty name.
Wrath stuck his head out.
'It's not food. It's a term used for a warrior who was considered the strongest on the continent hundreds of years ago. They used both the sword and the saber, and it's said they had transcended mastery in both.'
Although swords and sabers may seem similar, they are completely different weapons.
Unlike swords, which are primarily for thrusting, sabers are for slashing. Mastering both was incredibly difficult, but the Saber Sword Sovereign was said to wield both as if they were part of their body.
Even after hundreds of years, their title was still talked about, indicating they were far beyond a mere transcendent warrior.
"Yeah."
Merlin nodded, scratching her waist.
"Rumors of the Saber Sword Sovereign's tomb being found are circulating. Apparently, the map of the tomb of the Saber Sword Sovereign is currently in possession of a guy called the Wandering Revenant. (무령귀객). He must be being chased by the Six Kings and the Five Demons by now."
She shrugged indifferently, showing no particular interest.
"The Wandering Revenant..."
"I've greeted you and given you a gift, so I'll be going now."
Merlin waved her hand, saying it was time for her to leave.
"I'll keep watching over you. Don't worry."
He wanted to say that that was more worrying, but he had to keep his mouth shut after receiving a gift.
"And this little one...."
Raon swallowed his saliva as he looked at Merlin's mouth. He clenched his fists in anticipation of what she might say, and her lips twitched again.
"Can you trim his nails?"
"Na, nails?"
He widened his eyes at the unexpected words.
"His nails are growing too long and it's getting in the way of his hunting. Cut them well, trim them, and even paint them."
Merlin told him to take good care of the marten and disappeared.
Kyak. Cackle.
The marten approached and held out its paw. It seemed to be asking him to trim his nails quickly.
'Do I have to trim marten nails now?'
Raon closed his eyes tightly as he looked at the marten's paw.
'My life....'
Thanks to Merlin and the marten, a brief period of peace had come to North Grave mountain.
* * *
Raon stood on the platform of the fifth training ground and turned around.
'They look like they're about to die.'
The Light Wind swordsmen were hunched over their shoulders, looking like dogs that had returned from a walk all day.
"Since it's over, straighten your backs."
"It wasn't a week, it took three weeks."
"This Demon King!"
"Evil...."
Burren and Martha ground their teeth at Raon, while Runaan staggered and sat down.
"What kind of training for three weeks? That demon-like guy..."
Rimmer lay face down on the ground, his eyes sunken in.
Raon chuckled at the sight of the disheveled Light Wind swordsmen.
The training was going better than expected, so he extended it, and before they knew it, three weeks had passed.
It was definitely a long and hard time, but thanks to the experience they had accumulated one after another, the current Light Wind division was no longer only good at fighting head-on, but also became proficient in surprise attacks and escapes.
Now, when faced with a stronger enemy, they didn't always have to fight head-on, they could retreat and seize opportunities, which eased his mind a little.
"You've worked hard all this time."
Raon nodded, looking at Light Wind swordsmen's tired eyes.
"Rest for three days."
"Rest!"
"Finally...."
"At last..."
"We are free from the demon!"
The Light Wind swordsmen howled, looking up at the sky as if liberated from slavery.
"Before that."
Raon raised his hand towards the howling Light Wind swordsmen.
"Now, wait a minute. Don't tell me it's training again?"
"If it's that demon, it's entirely possible."
"That’s right. Since the sun is still up, let's we..."
The Light Wind swordsmen shivered, looking at the sun still hanging in the sky.
"….Eat."
As he said that and clapped again, people came in from outside the training ground and began to set up tents and tables and serve dishes that seemed to have just been made and were steaming with heat.
"Uh...?"
"What, what is this?"
"What's going on all of a sudden...?"
"Let's have a party."
Raon looked at the surprised Light Wind swordsmen and curled his lips.
"It's a reward for completing the training so well."
Wowwwww!
It wasn't the Light Wind swordsman who was the first to delight, but Wrath.
When did you prepare all this!
He licked his lips as he looked at the food and desserts being served under the tent.
'While you were sleeping.'
You little rascal! The King of Essence was right to trust you!
Wrath muttered incomprehensible praises while unable to take his eyes off the food.
"Everyone has worked hard. Eat well and rest for three days."
"Oh!"
"That's what I like about the new division leader! He's much better than the stingy previous division leader!"
The Light Wind swordsmen ran to the table that was being filled with food without even having time to greet.
"They even bring alcohol?"
"Wow, everything is high quality!"
The Gambling Monster and Rimmer went to where the alcohol was and immediately raised their glasses.
"Ice cream!"
Runaan, her purple eyes shining faintly, ran to where the bead ice cream was and started filling her plate with as much ice cream as she wanted.
"Urgh."
Martha approached Runaan and scratched her head.
"What's so good about it?"
She seemed to have approached first because she was grateful to Runaan for helping her during training.
"This."
Runaan nodded nonchalantly and handed Martha a green ice cream.
"The color is a bit strange, but is it really good?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm...."
Martha shook her head as if she didn't like the color, then took a bite reluctantly.
"Ugh! Damn you! You're feeding me poison!"
She narrowed her eyes in anger at the mint chocolate and lunged at Runaan.
"You have no taste."
Runaan shook her head and started running away again.
"Now they're practically sibling."
Burren shook his head as he watched Runaan and Martha chase each other.
The beef girl doesn't know what's good. That precious thing!
Wrath sighed as he looked at the mint chocolate that Martha had spat out.
'You guys are the weird ones.'
While Raon watched the Light Wind swordsmen enjoying their food with a smile, Rimmer, who was holding a bottle of alcohol in his hand, approached him.
"You must have spent a lot of money."
"It's okay."
He waved his hand, saying it was nothing.
"But...."
Rimmer shook his head, smacking his lips.
"There's one thing I haven't told you yet."
"What is it?"
"You have to attend the executive conference once you become the division leader."
"I know."
He had heard that there was a conference to decide various matters of the squad and the division.
"It's your first time, so you need to be prepared. I'll let you know."
"But you see."
Rimmer smacked his lips again, emptied the bottle of alcohol in one go, and continued.
"It's today."
"Yes...?"
"The executive conference is today. It starts in 3 hours."
He shook his head, looking up at the sky.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
“…….”
Hey, let's eat first!
Wrath shouted to eat the food first, but Raon put down the plate of food, closed his eyes deeply, and then opened them.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because I just thought of it now."
Rimmer raised his chin playfully.
"Hoo...."
Raon chewed his lips and picked up the plate of food again.
"Actually, I have something to tell you too."
"Oh? What is it?"
Rimmer shook his head, opening an expensive-looking bottle of alcohol.
"You know, it's usually the retiring person who pays for the food, right?"
Raon smiled faintly as soon as he took a sip of the alcohol.
"Huh...?"
Rimmer's lips trembled with a fierce look as alcohol dribbled out of his mouth.
"I've already billed the food and drink expenses to you, the retired division leader."
As Raon waved his hand, the restaurant owner and the tavern owner simultaneously gave Rimmer a thumbs up.
"W-why are you telling me this now?"
"Because you just asked me?"
"Hey!"
Rimmer was about to explode, but then he seemed to remember what he had done and chewed his lips.
"Everyone stop! Don't eat! I said don't eat!"
He shouted angrily and rushed to the buffet.
"I don't want to do the dishes for the rest of my life! Stop eating!"
"The executive conference...."
Raon looked away from Rimmer, who was stomping his feet, and savored the taste of his food.
"That should be interesting."
