C969
"Argh!"
Martha shouted to the sky after reaching the top of the sand mountain.
"This damned heat!"
She shook off the sand clinging to her arms and legs, feeling as if she had stepped into a boiling cauldron.
"I can't get used to this cursed sand hill."
Burren sighed deeply as he stood next to Martha.
"I feel like my flesh is cooking."
He murmured wearily, shaking his reddened hands.
"Help me..."
Runaan swayed like a reed in the wind, with drooping eyes.
"Here, take some water."
Dorian pulled a bottle of cold water from his bag and handed it to Runaan.
"Thanks..."
Runaan couldn't even finish his gratitude before grabbing the bottle like a baby.
- "Me too! Give me some!"
The Game Monster snatched the water bottle from Dorian's hand as if stealing it. His sweat had noticeably decreased, as if much of the alcohol had left his system.
"Drink slowly."
Mark Goetun wiped the sweat from the Game Monster's forehead with a compassionate look.
"No way..."
Kerin stomped his foot and twisted his mouth.
"How does that guy manage to finish his training so quickly and come out?!"
He shouted, unable to understand Raon.
"I heard Alice transcended again, but how did she manage that in just three days without even lifting the curse? I thought it would take at least a week!"
Krein exclaimed that Raon had left the training room too quickly, kicking the sand beneath his feet.
- "Do you still doubt that monster?"
Trevin gently tapped Kerin's head, calling him foolish.
"I knew it from the moment I saw Raon for the first time. I immediately realized that he is different from us."
He smiled slightly, saying he could feel Raon's extraordinary nature from their first duel.
"That guy knows it too."
Burren shook his head and watched Kerin shake his fists.
"True. He's just throwing a tantrum because it's hard."
Martha snorted and patted Kerin on the back.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Kerin was hit and fell onto the hot sand with a scream.
"I want pearl ice cream..."
Runaan complained, apparently struggling more than usual.
"Is this ice cream?"
He brought his mouth down to the ground, his mind foggy as he confused the golden sand with lemon-flavored ice cream.
"Are you crazy?"
Martha quickly reached out to prevent Runaan from eating the sand.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!"
She gently brushed the sand from Runaan's face, despite his frowning.
"Damn, damn!"
"Ugh..."
Yua and Julius were the last to climb the sand hill, completing the ascent for all the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"Here, drink some water..."
Dorian, who had indirectly helped create this sand hill, nervously offered water.
"Where did our Palace Master go this time?"
Martha squinted and looked around for Raon.
"He's probably watching us from some shadowy place, just like his personality..."
"I'm right behind you."
Raon's voice came from behind Kerin as he clicked his tongue.
"!! Eek!!"
"Ah!"
Kerin and Dorian, who was beside him, jumped like startled rabbits.
"I saw how all of you climbed from behind."
Raon nodded, examining the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace from Burren to Yua.
"It seems you've adapted to the sand and are climbing quite well now."
He smiled with satisfaction, saying their movements were good.
"Can't we stop this already?"
The Game Monster sighed deeply with fishy eyes.
"I really feel like I'm going to die; I can't breathe..."
He shook his head and asked them to consider his age.
"Exactly!"
Kerin stepped forward and nodded.
"Training is good, but no matter how much we climb, we can't adapt to this. It's always tough!"
He furrowed his brow, suggesting that it might be better to change the method.
"Everyone seems fine despite saying they're dying."
Raon shrugged and looked at the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"And not just you, but everyone."
"Eh?"
Kerin blinked and looked back.
"Mmm..."
"Now that I think about it, we seem better than before..."
"It's tough, but now it seems we can endure it."
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace tilted their heads, observing that they were still standing.
"On the first day, everyone collapsed after climbing this sand hill twice. But..."
Raon pointed to the sand hill they had all climbed, raising a finger.
"Today, you’re still standing even after climbing it three times."
During the first training session, the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace had collapsed as if they had fainted after the second climb. Their physical and mental strength had been exhausted to the point that they could not push themselves any further. But now, they stood before him, perfectly fine even after the third climb.
— "I, however...?"
Runaan barely moved his finger, leaning over the sand like melted ice cream.
"..."
Raon slightly tilted his head.
- "Are you ignoring her?"
Wrath rolled his eyes, seemingly incredulous.
"Moreover, I’ve been gradually increasing the heat of the sand every day. The fire that permeates this sand today is about twice as strong as on the first day."
Raon touched the sand and nodded.
"You increased the heat?"
"We had no idea..."
"That's why we couldn't adapt."
Burren, Martha, and Trevin laughed dryly, now understanding why they couldn't get used to the heat.
"Everyone has made great progress. Your mental strength has sharpened like a sword, and your physical skills have improved tremendously."
Raon spoke with certainty as he removed the restrictions he had placed on the bodies and energy centers of the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"Ah..."
"I feel power surging from my toes."
"My body feels light, as if all the weight has disappeared."
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace trembled all over, seemingly feeling the changes through their revived aura and physical abilities. It felt similar to the euphoria one experiences after gaining a significant amount of stats.
"That's not all."
Raon raised a finger toward the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"You've also gained resistance to fire while climbing the sand hill. Now you should be able to ignore low-level fire magic."
The heat he had infused into the sand today was stronger than third-circle fire magic. Now the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace should be able to ignore fire magic below the third circle.
"To think we achieved such growth just by climbing a hill..."
Burren chuckled in disbelief, looking at his own hands.
"No wonder the Head of House praised him so much."
Martha nodded, saying she now understood Glenn's and Karoon's expressions after leaving the Hall of Self.
"Raon, you idiot..."
Runaan called him an idiot, seemingly resentful for having been pushed into such heat despite becoming stronger. It was admirable that he had kept going until the end despite his cold nature, which must have made it difficult.
- "This king followed us too!"
Wrath waved his hand and said that even his soul was made of ice.
- "To endure so much heat, today we'll eat pearl ice cream!"
'...'
He immediately ignored him.
- "Hey! Don't ignore this king!"
Raon let Wrath's shouts enter one ear and out the other as he reevaluated the state of the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace. Seeing that they still had energy left, it seemed they could move on to the next stage immediately.
"I feel like we could do anything now!"
Kerin smiled, doing a somersault in the air, seemingly satisfied with the rapid growth.
- "Hey! You shouldn't say those things..."
Burren tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
"Do you feel like you could do anything?"
Raon smiled and covered Burren's mouth. He had been wondering how to start the second training immediately, but thanks to those words, it seemed he could begin right away.
"Oh...?"
Kerin gulped audibly as he realized he had made a mistake.
"Wait a minute. I didn't mean that..."
- "Well. Since our dear Kerin has given us permission, we can leave immediately."
Raon told everyone to follow him and descended the sand hill.
"Crein..."
"I knew that mouth of yours would cause trouble."
"You and I are going to have a talk after today's training..."
The swordsmen cursed Kerin under their breath as they went down the sand hill.
"Ugh!"
Kerin grimaced, holding his head as if he imagined what was to come.
"In the end, it's you who does it."
At that moment, Dorian smiled, grabbing Kerin's shoulder.
"I’m finished!"
He hummed a tune as he descended the hill, saying he was finally free from being scolded for the sand hill incident.
"Damn it!"
Kerin shouted, hitting his mouth.
* * *
Raon found himself in the fifth training ground, watching the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"This is scary..."
Kerin gulped audibly and lowered his gaze.
- "There's no reason to be afraid! We've overcome that hellish sand mountain!"
Martha shouted at him to have confidence and patted Kerin on the back.
"That's right. Cheer up."
"We'll endure together."
Burren and Trevin also nodded, saying it would be alright.
"That's not all..."
Kerin bit his lip and rolled his eyes.
"It’s obvious that the Palace Master will call me first!"
He sobbed, saying it was clear that Raon would call him first, calling him “dear Kerin” or whatever.
"Ah..."
"That's true."
Burren and Martha nodded, understanding Kerin's fear.
"May he rest in peace..."
Dorian pulled out a statue of the goddess from his bag and began to pray, as if Kerin had already died.
"You crazy bastard!"
As Kerin gritted his teeth and threw a punch at Dorian, Raon struck the ground with his Heavenly Drive, drawing everyone's attention.
"We will now begin the second training. As you may have noticed, it will be a sparring match with me. The first opponent is..."
"Ugh!"
Kerin stepped forward even before Raon called him.
"Martha, come forward."
However, Raon first called Martha, not Kerin.
"Eh? Me?"
Martha approached with wide eyes, as if surprised.
"Eh? Ehh!"
Kerin screamed that he was safe and hunched his shoulders. The color returned to his face, which had turned black from fear.
"Draw your sword and come at me with all your might."
Raon nodded and told her to try anything.
- "Alright. Don’t blame me if you die."
Martha charged forward, gritting her teeth. She struck with strong sword blows, raising her full Astral Ring. Wham! Martha's sword strike, which seemed to bear the weight of the earth, fell, but Raon easily deflected it with his thin sword.
"Ugh!"
Martha was pushed back, unable to withstand the recoil from Raon's sword. Raon seized this opportunity and pressed on, striking Martha's waist.
"Ugh..."
Martha rolled on the ground, unable to endure the sudden impact.
"You can't be unable to withstand even that."
Raon gestured with his hand, telling her to surrender if she couldn't get up.
"Who are you talking to?"
Martha gritted her teeth and stood up again, wielding her sword against Raon once more with the weight of the heavens. Wham! Raon resonated the Fire Ring. He imitated Martha's sword skill to show her a path to becoming stronger. Clash!
Despite clashing with the same swordsmanship, Martha was obviously pushed back, leaving deep footprints in the training ground as she was forced to retreat.
"Damn it!"
Martha shouted and attacked, her pride seemingly wounded by feeling overwhelmed by her own sword skill. Clash! Raon gently brushed aside the enraged Martha and shook his head.
"Think. Consider what the difference is between my sword and yours."
He pressed Martha with her own sword while giving her the most important advice.
'What am I missing?'
Martha squinted like a thread, examining Raon's sword.
'Now that I think about it...'
Raon swung his sword with a force and speed similar to hers, without using all his power.
"What is this? Why am I being pushed back when it's the same sword technique?"
She couldn't understand why she alone was being pushed back when the strength, aura, and swordsmanship were similar.
"If you don’t understand, you’ll have to keep taking hits."
Raon smiled brightly despite his harsh words and struck Martha's entire body.
- "Isn't this just stress relief?"
Wrath laughed incredulously.
'Not at all.'
Raon pursed his lips as he saw Martha getting back up despite being hit that way.
'Look at those eyes.'
Even though her body was covered in bruises, Martha's eyes were not dead. It seemed like she would bite with her teeth if she didn't have a sword.
"Argh!"
Martha shouted and attacked Raon. If she was pushed back, she would run forward again, and if she was repelled, she would attack once more. By this point, she had been hit so many times that it was impossible to count.
'What’s the difference?'
Martha gritted her teeth as she blocked Raon's sword strikes with her body.
'That guy's sword and mine are exactly the same... Wait a minute!'
Why had she accumulated aura near the edge of the sword? Unlike her, who had aura around the entire blade, Raon had concentrated much aura around the edge of his sword.
'It could be!'
Martha bit her tongue and stomped the ground. She wielded her sword, concentrating the aura on the edge like Raon. Boom! A massive explosion occurred when the edge of her sword, focused on the aura, clashed with Raon's. Unlike before, Martha did not immediately regain her footing but held firm, with their swords intertwined.
"To think that concentrating the aura on the edge of the sword to add weight makes such a big difference?"
Martha's shoulders trembled as if she had reached a profound understanding.
"I never thought it would be so simple..."
"The changes and growth often arise from the smallest things."
Raon patted Martha on her bleeding shoulder and told her he was glad she had discovered it.
- "No, if it were something like that, you could have told me..."
"A martial artist must be able to recognize their own problems to climb higher. The First Patriarch must have wanted to teach you this as well."
"The next one, Burren."
Raon gestured for Martha to step back and called Burren.
"I'm in your care!"
Burren bowed politely and stepped forward to the center of the training ground.
"Ugh..."
Kerin let out a sigh of relief.
'Thank God.'
He had been tense watching Martha roll around as if she were dying, but fortunately, no one called his name. It seemed Raon would finish training with all the upper members before moving on to the regular swordsmen.
"If I’m lucky, maybe I won’t have to do it today?"
Raon trained with Burren for over two hours. At this rate, it seemed he wouldn’t have to train until the day after tomorrow.
'Should I take a sick day?'
While thinking of how to avoid it, Raon turned around.
- "Martha, just as I enlightened you, now it's your turn to teach the others."
Raon gestured for Martha not to rest and to take care of the young swordsmen.
"For the first..."
Raon looked at Kerin with a chilling smile.
"You know who it is, right? You can repay him in the same way he treated you."
He told her she could do whatever she wanted and then turned his back again.
"Eh? Ehh!"
Kerin trembled all over as if he had been struck by lightning.
"Alright. Very well."
Martha grabbed Kerin by the shoulder with a mischievous smile.
"Come with me. This older sister will kindly teach you."
She cast a cold glare as if she wanted to return everything Raon had done to her.
"Wait a minute! I’ll learn from the Palace Master! Please forgive me!"
Kerin fell to his knees and said he didn’t want to face Martha at all.
"Sure. Don’t worry. You’ll learn from me too."
Raon smiled and shook his head.
"No!"
"Yes!"
Martha dragged Kerin to a corner, holding him by the nape of his neck.
"Aaargh!"
"Of course, we start with dear Kerin."
Raon nodded with satisfaction, listening to Kerin's screams.
- "You're crazy..."
Wrath shook his head as if he were completely disgusted.
* * *
Raon returned to the annex building at dawn after finishing the training of the Light Wind Palace. He was about to head straight to his room, too exhausted to appreciate the garden, when he noticed someone standing in front of the lake. It was a familiar back.
'Why are you here?'
Raon immediately approached the lake and bowed.
"I greet the Head of House!"
"Don’t raise your voice. The others are sleeping."
Glenn turned slowly and put a finger over his mouth, indicating him not to speak loudly.
"I apologize."
"How is the training of the swordsmen going?"
"They're following well and growing faster than I expected."
He told Glenn that if things continued smoothly, he could help everyone grow at least one level soon.
"To think that you’re applying the training methods you acquired in the Hall of Self directly to your subordinates, you’re quite an unusual guy."
Glenn looked at Raon with eyes tinged with admiration.
"Most martial artists tend to keep their most important training methods a secret."
"I prefer that we all become stronger together."
Raon said without hesitation that he wanted to become stronger along with everyone in the Light Wind Palace.
"Is that so?"
Glenn nodded, drawing a faint smile on his lips.
"I regret to ask when things are going well, but I have a favor to ask of you."
He licked his lips and said that Raon might not be able to train the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace for a while.
"Is it a mission?"
Raon narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"It’s a mission, but it will be more important than that."
Glenn pulled out a white envelope from his chest. On the exterior of the envelope were five stars drawn.
"The Conference of the Five Kings."
He handed the noble-looking letter to Raon.
"I would like you to participate as the hero who killed the Master of the Black Tower."
-
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