C804
[The <Focus> trait has evolved beyond 12 stars into a new trait [Forever Unrippled Mind].]
Raon swallowed with difficulty as he read the message about his trait's evolution.
Can traits evolve?
He had thought that since martial arts levels started at 1 star and ended at 12 stars, traits would also stop growing at 12 stars.
But contrary to his expectations, the <Focus> trait had once again grown beyond 12 stars and had become a new trait.
'Forever Unrippled Mind...'
Just as one can only see their reflection in still water and not in rippling waves, Forever Unrippled Mind meant maintaining a calm and serene mental state at all times. In other words, it seemed that when <Focus> became <Forever Unrippled Mind>, he could now maintain maximum concentration in any situation.
"This is insane."
Raon smiled as he turned to look at Wrath.
'Why didn't you tell me this...?'
-Grrrr.
When Raon was about to ask Wrath the reason, the demon king gnashed his white teeth.
- What the heeeeell! What madness! Why did you let it evolve? You should have left it at 12 stars!
As always, Wrath treated the system like a person, accusingly pointing at it and hurling insults.
- I can't take it anymore! I'm going back to Devildom right now and destroying everything!
He grabbed his head, unable to accept the situation.
- I don't know what it is, but thanks anyway.
- I'm about to die of rage! Shut up!
'Mmm.'
Raon left the furious Wrath alone and checked the messages again.
[The sprout of the Ten Thousand Swords has begun to grow.]
[All stats increase by 20 points.]
[The rank of the <Evil Eye of Wrath> trait increases.]
[The rank of the <Spiral Power> trait increases.]
[The rank of the <Focus> trait increases.]
[The <Focus> trait has evolved beyond 12 stars into a new trait [Forever Unrippled Mind].]
[A new title <Tenacious Leech> is created.]
20 points, rank increase for three traits, and a title creation.
Although this reward might seem small compared to the many benefits gained from recently achieving impossible feats, it definitely wasn't. Seeing Wrath, who had been pleased with the <Tenacious Leech> title, foaming at the mouth as soon as he saw Forever Unrippled Mind, it was clear that this was one of the major rewards received so far.
-Ugh...
Wrath sobbed, his chin trembling.
- I shouldn't have bothered you about getting the Tenacious Leech title. The one who had their blood sucked the most by that guy was me, the demon king...
He sobbed and said that he had been left dry from their first encounter until now.
"It's mutual support, isn't it?"
Raon smiled and patted Wrath on the shoulder.
- Mutual support? Is that something that should come out of your mouth?!
Wrath shouted loudly.
- You suck my energy to the bone, throw me a few pieces of pearl ice cream, and call it mutual support? You damn angel-winged bastard!
- That's not a compliment, is it?
- Of course not! It means you're twice as bad as dog poop!
He raised his fist, exuding intense anger.
- Apologize right now! Apologize for saying mutual support!
'I'm sorry.'
- Grrr! Your apology makes me even angrier!
Wrath yelled that he couldn't take it anymore and extended his fist.
'What am I supposed to do...?'
Raon lightly blocked Wrath's fist and then examined the <Tenacious Leech> title. <Tenacious Leech>: When learning martial arts or skills from an attached opponent, understanding and concentration increase, and the opponent's favor is gained.
'Oh?'
He was worried because the name Tenacious Leech sounded strange, but the content wasn't bad.
-Urgh...
Wrath gaped after examining the effect of the title.
- G-gaining favor while acting like a leech? Are you saying people should smile while having their blood sucked? What kind of perverse effect is this?!
He muttered that it was scary, his chubby cheeks trembling.
- What side are you on! You should know that I, the demon king, live like that!
Wrath waved his arms and yelled at the system to get out right now.
"My ears hurt. Please stop."
Raon shook his head as he pushed away Wrath who was clinging to him.
- You leech-brained fool! Would you put up with it if you were me? Having chunks of flesh ripped off you every day!
Wrath roughly pulled at his own hair, telling Raon to put himself in his shoes.
'Ah, I understand.'
Raon let out a long sigh. He had finished reviewing his rewards and wanted to rest quickly, as the wounds from his training match were starting to ache.
'When we go home, I'll eat whatever you want for a whole day.'
Raon recited the only spell that worked on Wrath as he extended his hand.
- Kiaaang!
Wrath bared his teeth like a cat, as if saying absolutely not.
'Two days.'
- Kiaaa!
'Three days.'
- Kia?
'Four days.'
- Kung! Deal!
He finally accepted the deal, nodding his head.
- Ah, I'm tired today! We should hurry up and go.
Wrath said he was eager to return home and immediately put on the ice flower bracelet.
"Haha..."
Raon shook his head as he watched Wrath disappear, wagging his tail.
"It's me who's tired."
He quickly changed clothes and lay down on the bed.
"I don't know if I'm living with a demon king or raising a ferocious cat..."
Sometimes he was more mature than Glenn, and other times he became more trivial than a spoiled kitten. He still couldn't understand that demon king.
'The day we can see those bright stars is not far off...'
Raon slowly closed his eyes as he looked at the night sky of the Holy Sword Alliance, which shone like a sea of stars.
"It's time to go back."
* * *
The moment Raon fell asleep. The Rector welcomed two guests in the reception room.
"You must be very happy."
Lawrence sat on the sofa, stretching his hunched back.
"Your grandson is so talented that you must feel full even without eating."
He frowned as he took a cookie from the table and put it in his mouth.
"It's not just the stomach that's full."
Zalek twisted his lips as he caught Lawrence's words.
"With a grandson who's the greatest talent on the continent, you must feel refreshed even without sleeping."
He sat on the sofa with a snort.
"Je je je."
The Rector leaned back in his chair with a big smile, looking pleased to hear praise for Raon despite the underlying sarcasm.
"Don't laugh, tell us. What happened all this time?"
Lawrence leaned forward, pounding his chest as if he was frustrated.
"What the hell did you do to create a twenty-something monster who's on my level?"
He nodded his chin and said he couldn't imagine someone like Raon existing.
"It's not exactly like that."
The Rector shook his head calmly.
"If you hadn't been so kind to him, Raon wouldn't even be standing today."
He smiled softly, expressing his gratitude.
"There's no need to put murderous intent into a regular match, right?"
Lawrence snorted, saying it was obvious.
"And Raon, that arrogant brat, didn't provoke any murderous intent in me either. The outcome would have been the same."
He chuckled and said it would have ended in a draw anyway.
"Is that so."
The Rector smiled softly as he looked Lawrence in the eye.
"It's curious. It seems you've become quite friendly with Raon."
"C-close? What are you talking about? I'm relieved that that annoying guy is leaving soon!"
Lawrence shook his head vigorously, hiding his flushed face behind his long hair.
"You're not honest with yourself yet. However..."
Zalek let out a dejected laugh as he watched the embarrassed Lawrence.
"You've improved a lot compared to before. This must be thanks to Raon too."
He lowered his eyebrows and said that Raon's role had been significant.
"Mind your own business!"
Lawrence turned his face abruptly, and his ears turned red.
- Stop it! Tell me how you found that guy!
He lowered his hand, saying his curiosity was like thorns in his mouth.
"I'm interested in that part too."
Zalek nodded as he sat next to Lawrence.
"How could you bring a direct lineage of Zieghart as your grandson?"
He also expressed his curiosity about Raon and Rector's circumstances.
"Well, it's a bit of a long story, but..."
The Rector moistened his throat with tea and began to tell the two men everything that had happened.
"...I see."
Zalek bit his lip hard.
"Now I understand why I felt an unusual despair from that young man."
He nodded heavily, saying that he could finally understand Raon now.
"That damn guy..."
Lawrence let out a long sigh and clenched his fist.
"When he learned about my past, he had a strange empathy in his eyes. I thought it was just sympathy, but it wasn't. He's lived a life as hard as mine."
He nodded and said he felt he could understand Raon's life too.
"And the Alliance Leader too."
Lawrence frowned as he looked at Rector, who had his hands clasped.
"So, the reason you came earlier and asked me to take over the Holy Sword Alliance if you died was also because of Raon."
He tossed back his disheveled white hair and said he understood everything now.
"That's right."
The Rector stroked his chin calmly.
"I was thinking of sacrificing my life for Raon. I had already taken care of all those who worshipped the previous Alliance Leader, so I thought you could take over the Holy Sword Alliance."
He smiled slightly and said he had trusted Lawrence.
"Then you should have told me this story!"
Lawrence frowned and asked why he was only talking about this now.
"I'm sorry."
The Rector bowed his head and said he had no words.
“…I don't have children or grandchildren, but I understand the Alliance Leader.”
Zalek nodded calmly.
"Is this what it means to grow old?"
He smiled softly as he looked at the Rector.
"Haha, I thought I was the only one experiencing the crazy events of the world, but I guess not."
Lawrence clicked his tongue and looked up at the ceiling of the reception room.
"I didn't know there was anyone in worse shape than me who was living so diligently."
He bit his lip as if he was ashamed of the years he had spent locked in his cave.
"It's not too late yet."
The Rector shook his head as he looked at Lawrence.
"You can't change the past, but you can change the future with your own hands, right?"
"Of course I know that."
Lawrence's golden eyes shone as if he had been waiting for this.
"When Raon and Martha attack the White Blood Religion, I'll be there too. No, I'll be at the front."
He gritted his teeth and swore to avenge his mother, who had been his nanny.
"Before, I was too afraid to even say it out loud, but thanks to that crazy guy, it seems I've gained some courage."
Lawrence showed a slight smile as he remembered Raon's reckless attacks.
"Mmm."
Zalek extended his hand over the table, clicking his lips.
"I'll join you when that time comes."
- Why, you old coward? Did you grow fond of Raon after he bullied you?
The Rector twirled his finger around Zalek's head, letting out a mocking chuckle.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Zalek slapped the Rector's hand away, frowning.
"I can't abandon my second disciple, who I took on in my later years."
He clicked his lips and said he was thinking of Dorian.
- Didn't you say he wasn't your disciple?
The Rector chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
"Ahem, don't play with words."
Zalek cleared his throat and looked down.
"Dorian is too kind. He's even more cowardly than me, so I can't help but worry."
"Then someday, Dorian might surpass you."
The Rector nodded slightly, observing Zalek's wrinkled expression.
"Well, that could happen."
Zalek showed a slight smile, as if he actually liked that.
"It seems I'll join you that day too. This has become interesting."
The Rector took a costly bottle of liquor from the bookshelf and placed it on the table.
"It's a rare case, isn't it?"
Lawrence's eyes widened as he looked at the bottle.
"It's to commemorate. Let's have a drink, hoping that the three of us will be reunited on the day we attack the White Blood Religion."
He filled Lawrence and Zalek's glasses with liquor and raised his own glass first.
"To my grandson's happiness."
"To avenging my mother."
"To the coward."
The three men's drinking session, which began with their individual vows, continued well past dawn.
* * *
In the dark dawn.
The Game Monster stopped in front of the door to the Fifth Training Ground.
"Has he come again today?"
He smiled as he felt the presence of someone inside the training ground.
"It's truly something unique, I assure you."
The Game Monster clicked his lips briefly before opening the door and entering. The first thing that caught his attention was Rimmer, who was stomping on the ground of the training ground.
What wind has blown you here?
The Game Monster approached Rimmer, frowning deeply.
"You've been going out at dawn for two months to prepare for swordsman training and haven't even shown your shadow at the den. Have you gone mad?"
While Raon was at the Holy Sword Alliance, Rimmer had been going to the training ground at dawn to prepare for swordsman training, and focusing on his own cultivation at night after everyone had left. It was so unlike Rimmer that it was worrisome enough to make him think the world might be ending. It was like seeing that elf when he first arrived in Zieghart.
"Why are you scolding me even when I'm living diligently?"
Rimmer shrugged as if he was dumbfounded.
"Since the division leader isn't here, I'm simply filling in as the interim division leader."
He gestured with his hand and said he was simply replacing Raon in his absence.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The Game Monster lowered his eyebrows deeply, looking suspicious.
"Are you doing things now that you never did when you were division leader?"
"If I had remained the Light Wind division leader, I probably wouldn't have done this."
Rimmer shook his head as he looked at the well-trodden ground of the training ground.
"But Raon is the division leader now. I don't want to tarnish his reputation."
He showed a slight smile and said that was all.
"You're serious, aren't you?"
The Game Monster narrowed his eyes as he looked at Rimmer, who seemed to have distanced himself.
"You truly consider Raon your King."
"I've been saying it all along. He is our King. Even though he's still a bit inexperienced."
Rimmer muttered that things would change even more in the future and told him to remember that well.
"Hmph. He's your King, not ours."
The Game Monster shook his head firmly.
"Your heart has already surrendered, but you still pretend otherwise."
Rimmer smiled as he looked at the Game Monster.
—You're here at this hour because of Raon too, aren't you?
—Eh, don't talk nonsense! I'm just here to ask you a favor...
"Says the man who gasps like a puppy every time Raon brings alcohol when he comes back."
He stuck out his tongue as if he knew everything.
"W-who's a puppy?!"
The Game Monster gritted his teeth, his face turning red.
—Well, regardless of whether we're dogs or cats, Raon will return changed, so we can't sit idly by either.
Rimmer said that was all and continued to order the training ground.
—Let me ask you one thing. What will you do if Raon has no intention of becoming the Head of House?
The Game Monster stood in front of Rimmer with a serious look in his eyes. He seemed ready to attack Rimmer depending on his answer.
—It's my wish that Raon becomes the Head of House, but even if he doesn't, it doesn't matter. Isn't it a subordinate's duty to follow wherever they go, the one they've recognized as King?
Rimmer shrugged and said that was all.
"Mmm..."
The Game Monster loosened his grip, as if the answer was unexpected.
"And instead of paying attention to me, worry about that side. Right now, every time..."
As Rimmer shook his head, a strong vibration came from the direction of the Lord's mansion. All of Zieghart began to tremble as if an earthquake had occurred.
"That old man is causing earthquakes every day because he's suffering from Raon withdrawal symptoms!"
Rimmer pointed at the trembling Lord's Mansion and yelled.
"It's because of that guy that I can't sleep anyway!"
* * *
The Rector held a small feast on the mansion's training ground before Raon's return. Although it was incomparably smaller in scale than the festivals of Zieghart, the alcohol and food were prepared with ingredients cultivated by the swordsmen themselves, giving them a unique flavor and aroma.
- That! Try that first!
I can understand even if you say it only once.
Raon put the pumpkin pie that Wrath had pointed out in his mouth. The crispy bread, sweet pumpkin, and peanuts that had seeped in between created a strange harmony.
- It's amazing! It has a healthy taste, but it's addictive!
"I know. The first taste is bland, but it catches you again and again."
Raon agreed with Wrath and put another piece of pie in his mouth.
- There's no fancy or stimulating flavor, but you can sense the sincerity. This kind of thing is sometimes enjoyable.
Wrath clicked his lips and said he liked it.
You're very picky, I swear.
- It's not that I'm picky, you're just boring!
He shouted not to say nonsense and gestured for Raon to eat new food.
'Alright, alright.'
As Raon headed towards the food Wrath wanted to eat, he glanced to his right. Burren, Martha, and Runaan were chatting with the swordsmen of the Holy Sword Alliance, and perhaps because they had been training daily, there was a sense of camaraderie like the one there was between comrades.
“It was a good decision to bring them.”
In the end, they couldn't break through the Grandmaster wall, but the three reached the peak of the Master level. It was a great achievement, as they could break through the wall at any moment if given the right opportunity.
"Of course, the one who made the biggest change was that guy."
Raon smiled slightly as he watched Dorian move through the banquet hall as if it were his own home. With his unique kindness, he seemed to have formed relationships with everyone in the Holy Sword Alliance, generating laughter as he distributed supplies here and there.
'His growth in martial arts is minimal, but...'
He has become stronger than anyone. Although he himself didn't understand it yet, if Dorian fought with his mind's eye open, he could defeat even stronger swordsmen. The ability to read an opponent's thoughts was a skill very much like that of a cheat.
- Of course, I too...
When Raon turned his head with a smile, his gaze met Lawrence's. The latter was leaning against the wall, looking at him fiercely, as if something had bothered him.
"Sir Lawrence?"
Raon approached Lawrence and bowed his head.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!"
Lawrence lowered his eyebrows as if telling Raon to mind his own business.
"...Ah!"
Raon looked at Lawrence and smiled slightly.
"Are you sad that I'm leaving? Ah, as I thought, the loneliness..."
"W-what nonsense are you saying?! I'm glad you're leaving!"
Lawrence gestured for Raon not to say nonsense. He was so nervous that the drink he was holding spilled everywhere.
"You're right."
Zalek approached from the side and nodded.
"He cried because you're leaving."
He laughed and said that Lawrence had shed tears during his drinking session with Rector.
"This old man has gone senile! Who cried!"
"You cried because Raon is leaving. You said you'd be lonely again..."
- Shut your mouth! Do you want to fight? Huh?
Lawrence yelled at Zalek, his face turning red.
"Can I participate in the fight? I've had some new inspirations while meditating over the past few days."
Raon smiled as he pointed at himself.
"Shut up!"
Lawrence grabbed his head and begged them to be quiet. As everyone was enjoying their time, a man appeared at the entrance of the rocky mountain leading to the Holy Sword Alliance. The red-haired man with a black patch covering both eyes twisted his lips and wore a tattered dragon robe over his shoulders.
"As expected... he came here."
-
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