Raon ignored the sulking Wrath and carefully examined the message that appeared before his eyes.
[You have created the Transcendent martial art
[You have received the acknowledgment of
[Due to the effect of the title
[You have fully acquired Garunua.]
[All abilities increase by 25 points.]
The flow of the Gale Wind Style engraved in the mana circuit underwent a subtle change.
The self-rising wind gently enveloped his entire body as if it were alive, then roughly swept through the entire training room.
He couldn't tell exactly what had changed yet, but he could feel that an important aspect of the Gale Wind Style had ascended to a higher dimension.
Following that was the effect of the ability increase. His senses sharpened as if his muscles and bones had hardened further and his skin had swollen.
Considering the rewards pouring in as soon as he named it Gale Wind Style, it seemed he had chosen the name well.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he examined the part about Gale Wind Style becoming a Supreme martial art.
'Wrath.'
-Why are you calling me! You heaven-dweller!
"Hmm..."
I'm not sure how Wrath himself feels, but from my perspective, it sounded like nothing but praise. Smiling awkwardly, I pointed to the message for him.
'What does it mean that the Transcendent martial art has become Supreme?'
-Hmph. The martial art you created, Gale Wind Style, was straddling the realms of Transcendent and Supreme from the beginning. That's why I said it was not bad. However, due to your inadequacy, the last piece was slightly misaligned.
Wrath shook his head, slightly bending his round finger.
-Thanks to this king's great praise, that misaligned piece moved on its own and straightened into the form it should have been in originally.
He raised his chin, seemingly expecting gratitude.
'The last piece....'
Raon activated the Gale Wind Style. No, as soon as he thought about it, the wind rose on its own and enveloped the back of his hand.
'This is....'
He swallowed dryly as he watched the wind surge up like a shield protecting the back of his hand.
'Is this automatic sensory integration?'
The most important thing he considered while creating the Gale Wind Style was its compatibility with the Light Wind Division's swordsmen.
He wanted to create a supplementary martial art that could help them even as they learned other martial arts and grew further.
That purpose seemed to have carried through, achieving sensory integration and resonance for the caster's convenience.
The current Gale Wind Style, once activated, didn't need separate operation; the wind followed the caster's body according to their will.
And thanks to the effect of Garunua, it was the most suitable wind for that moment.
-Sharp winds when attacking, sturdy winds when defending. And it's all automatic. What a damn good martial art!
Wrath suddenly frowned, shouting that he didn't like it. It was as good as high praise.
'Indeed. It's worthy of being a Supreme martial art.'
He had thought it would be difficult to create a sensory martial art with just the Fangs of Insanity, but the system had filled in that deficiency. It wasn't an exaggeration to call it a serendipitous encounter. (E/N: I wonder if I'm missing something in translating. I don't understand how can a system literally improve an existing martial art. That makes no sense to me)
'Thank you.'
Raon smiled at the message sent by the system.
-Not to that thing! You should be thanking this king!
Just as Wrath was waving his hands and jumping up and down, the existing message disappeared, and a new message filled its place.
[The title
[All abilities increase by 5 points.]
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
-Stop giving him so much! This guy's going to burst!
Wrath screamed, asking why the system was being so generous when it wasn't even its own.
Raon smiled as he looked at the
'No matter how I think about it, Focus seems to be the best trait.'
The reason I often enter a state of enlightenment and transcendence is all because of the high grade of the
At first, I thought it wasn't much, but looking at it now, it was as precious an ability as the Ring of Fire.
'I'm getting help in many ways.'
In fact, even without Wrath, I would have become stronger because of my past life memories and the Ring of Fire.
But reaching mid-level Grandmaster like now would have been impossible, and I might have died during a mission. Thinking about that, I felt grateful to Wrath and the system.
'Thank you.'
Raon patted Wrath's round back with sincerity.
-Wh-What are you doing!
Wrath jumped back in surprise. He turned his head sharply like a cat and licked his back with his tongue.
-Why are you suddenly acting like this!
"No, I'm just saying thank you."
-Cancel it! Cancel it right now! What curse have you cast on this king!
"It's not a curse, I'm being sincere..."
-Shut up! There's no way someone like you would say thank you!
"..."
I just said thank you because I was grateful, but when he reacted like that, I couldn't respond.
"What exactly do you think of me?"
Raon chuckled as he looked at the growling Wrath.
-Angel! Celestial! Some heaven-related bastard!
Well, isn't that a compliment...
* * *
After leaving the training room, Raon immediately summoned all members of the Light Wind Division.
Burren, Martha, and Runaan stood below the platform with the other swordsmen, while Mark Goetun stood straight on the platform.
Rimmer, who arrived late, lay sprawled on his special seat to the right of the platform and let out a long yawn.
Raon examined the faces of the swordsmen one by one before stepping up onto the platform.
"You all know why I went into the training room."
The Light Wind Division nodded as if they obviously knew.
"It was to create a martial art for the Light Wind Division. Fortunately, I was able to achieve that goal."
Raon smiled faintly as he saw the Light Wind Division's eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Our Division Leader is really crazy..."
Martha let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Creating a martial art in just a week?"
"That's what I'm saying. I thought it would take at least a month."
Despite his words of disbelief, Burren wore a heated smile. His eyes were blazing with an even more intense light than the other swordsmen.
"As expected, my choice wasn't wrong."
"Choice?"
Runaan tilted her head as if asking what he meant.
"It's nothing."
Burren waved his hand dismissively.
"What's the name of the new martial art you created?"
Krein asked, raising his hand eagerly.
"It's called Gale Wind Style."
"Gale Wind? Another 'gale wind'? God doesn't give everything, your sense for naming is really lacking, even if nothing else." (E/N: on the one hand, maybe Gale Wind should have be translated Light Wind. On the other hand, it's not Raon who named the squad to begin with...So I dunno what Krein is referring to.)
He chuckled, asking if "gale wind" was all Raon knew.
"...I see."
Raon nodded, twisting the corner of his mouth upwards.
"Well said, Krein."
"Huh?"
Krein opened his eyes wide, as if asking what Raon meant.
"Since it's hard to grasp what kind of martial art it is just from the name Gale Wind Style, it would be better to show you directly."
As he said this, he raised a finger slightly.
"Krein, step forward."
"Ugh..."
Krein's jaw trembled as he looked around, but no one would meet his eyes.
"As the adults say, it's better to speak less. They're never wrong."
Dorian took out a mask from his belly pouch and covered his mouth.
"Ugh..."
Krein bit his lip as he stepped onto the platform. His steps were even more lifeless than a zombie's.
"There's no need to worry so much."
Raon waved his hand lightly as he looked at Krein.
"I won't use flames or frost."
"R-Really?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
Krein seemed to think it might be manageable if Raon wasn't using flame or frost aura, and he drew his sword while biting his lip.
"I've improved my skills too! Don't regret it later!"
He shouted with vigor as he stomped on the floor.
Swish!
Sharp sword aura burst from Krein's sword, shooting simultaneously towards Raon's shoulders, waist, and thighs. It was a fast yet dazzling movement. It wouldn't be strange to say he had indeed grown.
Raon neither defended nor used aura as he watched Krein's sword strikes rapidly closing in. He merely raised his left hand.
As soon as he sensed the danger of the incoming sword strikes, wind surged from the back of his hand.
A shield of wind rose with a blue light, exhaling a heavy breath.
Whoosh!
Krein's sword strikes couldn't penetrate the wind that had surged from the back of Raon's hand, and they faded away fruitlessly.
Raon formed a hand seal with his left hand that had successfully defended. The wind that had formed the shield gathered like a cloud at the end of the hand seal, taking the shape of a blunt club.
Thwack!
Before he could defend, Krein was struck in the abdomen and fell off the platform.
"Gaaah!"
He screamed while clutching his stomach.
"Th-That hurts like hell! And what the heck was that wind just now!"
Krein flailed his limbs, caught between pain and curiosity. His expression showed that even after experiencing it directly, he wasn't sure what had hit him.
"The aura didn't move, so why was there wind and light..."
"I did use aura."
Raon shook his head as he looked at Krein.
"I had activated the Gale Wind Style before you all came."
"B-But I didn't feel anything?"
Burren swallowed dryly as he approached the platform. It seemed even more surprising because he had the same wind attribute.
"The Gale Wind Style is a bit different from the martial arts you're currently learning."
Raon stirred up wind above his finger.
"This is more of a reaction than a martial art."
"Reaction? Explain it in more detail... please!"
Martha thumped her chest as if frustrated.
"To put it simply, Gale Wind Style is a supplementary martial art. It's a supplementary martial art designed to make your swordsmanship stronger, faster, and more solid. However, you don't need to be consciously aware of it."
As soon as Raon finished speaking, the wind burning on his finger surged into the sky, becoming a massive tornado.
"Once you manifest the Gale Wind Style, you don't have to worry about it afterwards. The wind will naturally assist your movements."
"Is, is that even possible?"
Mark Goetun's eyes trembled as he let out a shaky breath. It seemed to be an astonishing thing even to him, who had encountered numerous martial arts.
"It might be hard to believe, but it's true. I used the super-sensory ability of the Fangs of Insanity. Of course, luck also played a part."
"Wait a minute."
Rimmer narrowed his eyes as he sat up.
"There are many martial arts where wind assists the martial artist. But I've never heard of one that activates automatically, even among Transcendent martial arts. Don't tell me that this Gale Wind Style is..."
"Yes. It's a Supreme martial art."
Raon nodded calmly.
"..."
Silence fell over the entire fifth training ground at the mention of a Supreme martial art.
"S-Supreme, you say?"
"...Is our Division Leader really insane?"
Burren and Martha gaped in disbelief.
"Supreme..."
Even Runaan seemed surprised, the blankness in her eyes melting away.
"Hah!"
"The s-second martial art he created is Supreme?"
"Is that even possible?"
The Light Wind Division, coming to their senses, muttered in disbelief.
"I'll say it again, I was lucky. Even if I tried to create it again, it wouldn't come out the same."
Raon waved his hand, insisting it was really just luck.
'Since I didn't actually create it with just my own power.'
The Gale Wind Style I created had only reached the peak of Transcendence, not touching Supreme. It was thanks to Wrath that the Gale Wind Style became what it is now.
'Thank you.'
He blinked his eyes, looking at Wrath again.
-Such a lucky bastard! Cursing this king again!
Wrath started chanting strange spells, claiming he would overcome the curse of the celestials. Raon just left him alone, finding it bothersome.
"Creating a Supreme martial art isn't something you can do with luck."
Rimmer shook his head with a hollow laugh.
"Just when I think you've reached your limit, you show the next thing. Now I don't even know where your limit is."
He blinked with an expression of awe, knowing the value of a Supreme martial art due to his high level of attainment.
"It wasn't something I did alone."
Raon calmly closed his eyes and then opened them.
"The martial arts of the Sword Saint and the martial arts manuals provided by the Head of House were helpful. And..."
He looked at Rimmer with a faint smile.
"The Vice Leader played the biggest role."
"Hm? Me?"
"Thanks to you teaching me Garunua and providing inspiration, I was able to establish the foundation of the Gale Wind Style. Without that, I could never have created it. Thank you."
As he said this, he bowed deeply.
"...Is that so."
Rimmer's lips trembled slightly before he smiled as if it were nothing.
"Good job."
As he waved his finger and was about to leave, Raon grabbed his shoulder.
"Where are you going?"
"Huh? Since it's all over. I'm going to the gambling den..."
Rimmer swallowed dryly as he saw the sudden coldness in Raon's eyes.
"We still have time left, don't we?"
Raon smiled as he looked at the setting sun.
"Let's train."
"Wh-What training! And usually at times like this, we're supposed to part ways coolly!"
Rimmer shouted, asking if Raon had never read a hero's tale.
"I don't care about hero's tales. From now on, there are no exceptions in the Light Wind Division."
Raon's lips twisted fiercely.
"Everyone will train together until you can activate the Gale Wind Style!"
At those words, the faces of all the Light Wind Division members turned pale.
"Ah..."
"E-Everyone training together?"
"Training together until we master a Supreme martial art? That's impossible even two years from now!"
"We might grow old and die here."
"Th-That's right. He was that kind of person. The atmosphere was so good I forgot..."
"Hey! You elf! Why did you have to pass on a martial art and create more work!"
"Why did you have to give him inspiration!"
The Light Wind Division members rushed at Rimmer, not Raon, shouting at the sudden announcement.
"Ugh..."
Rimmer made a crying face as he was hit by his disciples.
"How was I supposed to know that crazy guy would create a Supreme martial art!"
* * *
On the Tiger Rock of North Grave Mountain.
"Hahaha!"
Roenn looked down at the fifth training ground and let out a hearty laugh.
"I expected him to create a decent martial art, but to think it would be a Supreme martial art!"
He nodded his head emphatically, seeming genuinely impressed.
"The Supreme level isn't the issue."
Sheryl blinked rapidly as she let out a sharp breath.
"The activation method of the martial art itself is incredibly ingenious. It feels like an enhanced version of the semi-automatic shield used by high-level magicians, but how..."
She also licked her lips, wondering how he had developed such a martial art.
"If mastered properly, it could make a huge difference in both defense and offense."
Sheryl's eyes sparkled as she said she looked forward to the Light Wind Division's growth.
"Ugh..."
Glenn slightly bent his upper body and trembled his shoulders as he looked at the fifth training ground.
'As expected, he likes it.'
'Of course. His grandson created a Supreme martial art, how happy must he be.'
Sheryl and Roenn smiled at each other, as if they knew what expression Glenn was making without even looking at his face.
"Head of House. How about calling Raon soon to praise him?"
"That's right. A Supreme martial art is certainly worthy of praise."
The two offered a new strategy to try to narrow the distance between Raon and Glenn, even if just a little.
"Damn it..."
But contrary to their expectations, Glenn was seething with anger, his eyes fierce.
"H-Head of House?"
"Hmm..."
Sheryl and Roenn widened their eyes at Glenn's unexpected reaction.
"Wh-Why are you like this?"
"Don't tell me there's some problem with the martial art Raon created!"
Their expressions became urgent, knowing that learning an incorrect martial art could damage one's energy center and mana circuits.
"That's not it."
Glenn shook his head, biting his lip.
"It's a martial art I have to acknowledge. It's not lacking in any way as a Supreme martial art."
He acknowledged the Gale Wind Style as an impressive martial art.
"Then why..."
"Because I lost."
Glenn clenched his fist so tightly it made a cracking sound.
"Lost..."
"Didn't Raon just say it? That the biggest help came from that damned elf!"
"Uh..."
"Hmm..."
At those words, a bewildered light filled Sheryl and Roenn's eyes.
"Grr..."
Glenn bit his lip as he looked at Raon.
'He's admirable. Such an admirable child.'
Even for a Transcendent, creating a Supreme martial art is no easy task.
Even he couldn't say with certainty that he could do it now, yet Raon had created a Supreme martial art in just a week.
It meant Raon had another rare talent different from just using martial arts, so he couldn't help but be pleased.
However, something even more infuriating had occurred.
'That he received the biggest help from Rimmer!'
He had predicted this situation from the moment Raon said he had received Garunua from Rimmer.
He desperately wanted to go back and give Raon an even better martial art, but such martial arts were rare, and there was no guarantee it would suit Raon.
The biggest problem was that there had been no reason to give such a reward.
He had felt uneasy for some reason, and it had ended up like this. His hands trembled with frustration that his name hadn't come out of Raon's mouth at the end.
"H-Head of House. Please don't worry about it."
"Yes. Your name was mentioned too, wasn't it?"
Sheryl and Roenn still looked dumbfounded, but they shook their heads, trying somehow to comfort Glenn.
"The world doesn't remember second place. Only first place matters."
Glenn gritted his teeth, looking not at Raon, but at Rimmer.
"Next time, I absolutely won't lose!"
"..."
Sheryl and Roenn's eyes cooled sharply.