"Huff..."
Krein climbed North Grave Mountain, which was shrouded in darkness, exhaling a murky breath. His eyes were shaking violently as if they had fallen into a sea of anxiety.
"Where is it?"
Krein pressed his lips tightly and rolled his gaze from side to side.
"They must be watching..."
Just as he was about to hide his body behind a large zelkova tree while swallowing dry saliva, it happened. A blue blade sprang out from the shadow of the tree and flew towards Krein's neck.
"Eek!"
Krein struck down the sword that had sprung from the shadow with the sword in his hand, even as he was startled.
"Ugh!'
However, the force behind the sword was too strong, and he was roughly thrown back like a kicked stone.
"Ugh..."
As Krein raised his gaze with a painful groan, Burren shook his head with a dry look in his eyes.
"The direction was right, but your reaction was slow. Focus more."
Burren told him to get his act together and disappeared into the darkness.
"Huff..."
Krein wiped the sweat flowing from his forehead and got up.
'It's dangerous here.'
He slowly moved to the right, lifting his heels so as not to make a sound. Just as he was about to hide behind a large rock that looked like a tiger, fierce footsteps were heard from up the mountain.
"Were you here?"
It was Martha. She rushed in like a fierce tiger, wearing a refreshing smile that could captivate at first glance.
"Aaaaah!"
Krein screamed and thrust his sword at the oncoming Martha with all his might. It was a desperate struggle to survive.
"Too late!"
Martha shouted that she could see everything and lightly deflected Krein's sword attack. A powerful shockwave burst between the swords, and Krein was pushed to the right, kneeling.
"Ugh..."
Krein's hands trembled as if he hadn't fully dissipated the shock contained in Martha's sword attack.
"Can you do more?"
Martha swung her sword down with a chilling smile. A heavy slash, like a giant swinging down a greatsword, fell towards Krein's head.
'Is it my head? Not my chest? I'll die if I get hit by that!'
Krein exploded the astral energy he had accumulated above his head, which Martha was aiming for, while holding back tears that were about to burst out. With a violent explosion, Krein was thrown back and buried in the ground.
"Ugh..."
Krein groaned, unable to even lift his head due to the severe impact.
"If you were certain, you should have blocked it right away! Why are you hesitating and making a fuss!"
Martha kicked him in the stomach, saying his concentration was lacking, and disappeared back up the mountain, snorting.
"Ugh..."
Krein slowly raised his body, his arms trembling.
'If I stay here, I'll meet that beast again.'
Even though his whole body was drained of strength, he had to move forcibly. If he got hit by Martha again in this state, he wouldn't be able to wake up for a while.
"Hup."
Krein went back down the mountain, lowering his breathing as much as possible, as if he had become a plant. As he tried to get away from Burren and Martha, strangely, it felt like a chill was rising in his bones.
"Cold? No way!"
Just as Krein was about to retreat while swallowing dry saliva, a silver wind blossomed around him.
'Damn! She's here!'
It was obvious who it was. Runaan had raised a frosty wind to envelop his surroundings.
'Where is she?'
He could feel a chilling blade in the silver storm, but he couldn't gauge its exact location. Sweat dripped from his hands due to the tension.
'I have no choice but to erase it before it comes!'
Not knowing where to attack, the correct answer was to erase all of the opponent's swords. Krein pulled up his aura with all his might and poured out saw-shaped astral energy towards the frost surrounding him. The wave of astral energy spread like a spider web, erasing the silver wind.
As he was trying to catch his breath, thinking it was fortunate, five streams of sword attacks sprang out from the settling frost.
Krein was hit by Snow Flower's blade and rolled over the frozen ground, being pushed back.
"Ugh..."
Krein raised his trembling head, exhaling a painful breath.
"..."
Runaan, who had revealed herself from the frost, was looking at him with calm eyes.
"You shouldn't let your guard down until the end. Think about how to reduce damage, whether blocking or dodging."
Runaan tapped her head twice as if to say he should always think, and disappeared along with the frosty mist.
"Ugh..."
Krein couldn't get up and just lay there.
"I'm really going to die. Why did I end up like this?"
Raon had said it would be a bit of hard training, but experiencing it firsthand, it wasn't just a bit hard, it was hard enough to die.
'They intensified the concentration enhancement training...'
Until now, the concentration enhancement training involved surprise attacks that could be blocked moderately, and once you met an instructor, they wouldn't touch you again until you hid.
But in today's training, there were attacks filled with killing intent that would kill you if you just blocked moderately, and not only Raon, Rimmer, and the Gambling Monster, but even the monstrous squad leaders joined in, making it impossible to relax.
It was so hard that even though dawn had long passed, he wasn't sleepy at all.
"Argh!"
"Aaaah!"
"W-wait a moment!"
The sound of swords clashing and the screams of the Light Wind division members could be heard from here and there. It meant that not only himself but the entire Light Wind division was being beaten up all over North Grave Mountain. To be honest, it felt more like one-sided violence than training.
"Damn..."
Krein closed his eyes tightly and straightened his waist. He couldn't stay still because if he met another squad leader, Rimmer, or Raon like this, he felt like he would be beaten until he really fainted. He had to get up, even if it was hard.
"Haa..."
As Krein got up, catching his breath, someone appeared on the opposite side.
"Eek!"
"Ugh!"
As he raised his sword in fright, a groan came from the other side as well. As he narrowed his eyes to see who it was, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, revealing the other person's face.
"Dorian?"
The swordsman in front of him was Dorian. However, he too seemed to have been beaten up nicely, as his clothes were in tatters and both his eyes were blackened like a panda's.
"Why are you here?"
Dorian is one of the people who dragged the Light Wind division into this hell. He couldn't understand why one of the instigators was swimming in this lava.
"Ugh..."
Dorian wiped his tears with his torn sleeve.
"They said I only awakened the Mind's Eye, but my skills are still the same, so I have to go in too..."
He sniffled, saying Raon had forcibly pushed him in.
"They're all hitting me harder because I can see the direction of attacks."
Dorian sat down with a thud, saying he was being hit even harder than the other Light Wind division swordsmen.
"Huh..."
Krein let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the crying Dorian.
"Is our Division Leader really human...?"
Usually, internal informants or spies who help from enemy lines are given consideration, but Raon had dragged even Dorian, the number one contributor to this training, into hell. It wasn't human nature.
"I'm scared. So scared..."
Krein shook his head as if terrified by Raon's ruthlessness.
"If I, if I were stronger than that person..."
Dorian raised his clenched fist towards the night sky.
"I would have hit his stomach every time we ate..."
He bit his lip, saying it was a shame that he was weak.
"Me too."
Krein nodded his head with a sigh.
"If I were stronger than the Division Leader, I would have just smashed his head every time we made eye contact!"
He shook both hands, saying it was regrettable.
"Will the day come when we become stronger than the Division Leader?"
"Would it?"
Krein shook his head at Dorian, telling him to wake up from his dream.
"Why did you help that guy in the first place!"
He frowned, saying he resented Dorian for causing this situation.
"Did I know this would happen!"
Dorian jumped up and wrinkled his nose bridge.
"Even the Mind's Eye couldn't see that person's nature!"
He shook his head vigorously, saying this situation couldn't be read even with the Mind's Eye.
"Ah, really, I can only curse..."
Just as Krein was about to let out a well-ripened sigh, it happened.
"Aaaaargh!"
Someone's scream rang out right next to them. It was unclear how they were hit, but it was a horrific scream as if they were being stabbed to death.
"..."
"..."
Krein and Dorian immediately closed their mouths and silently got up. The two nodded to each other and quietly disappeared into the forest.
"Aaaah!"
"Kyaaah!"
However, not long after, their screams rang out in harmony.
* * *
"Sounds good."
Raon twitched his fingertips, using the screams of the Light Wind division swordsmen as a song.
-To create such a hell, and even put that wallet guy in it, you really are...
Wrath looked at Raon with trembling eyes, as if he had encountered an angel.
'It's true that his skills are lacking.'
Raon waved his hand lightly.
'Dorian needs to grow more too.'
Although Dorian had awakened his Mind's Eye, there wasn't much change in terms of his martial prowess. Since he had infinite potential for growth, it was the right method to raise him firmly, even if it was difficult, rather than letting him idle.
-That's true, but from a humane perspective... no, sorry. You're not human anyway.
Wrath shook his head, saying he had made a mistake.
'I am human though...'
Raon clicked his tongue and grabbed the Heavenly Drive with both hands.
-But why are you just standing still? I thought you'd go around beating them yourself?
Wrath blinked his eyes, saying it was unexpected.
'I'm going to beat them in a different way this time.'
Raon grinned and threw the Heavenly Drive he was holding with both hands into the air. As his aura and willpower naturally connected, the Heavenly Drive let out a cry as if it were alive.
-Huh? N-no way...
'Yes. It's the ancestor's Sword Control.'
Thanks to seeing the Sword Control in his dreams and fully mastering the Martial Arts Manual of Sword Control, he was able to implement the First Patriarch's Sword Control, albeit weakly.
'It's still very immature though.'
The power and speed were lacking, making it difficult to use in actual combat, but it was sufficient for training.
-T-then are you going to attack the Light Wind division guys with that?
'That's right.'
Raon grinned and sent the Sword Control, tinged with a pale flame, up into the sky.
'I train, they train, it's killing two birds with one stone.'
-No, that's impossible to block!
Wrath shook his head vigorously, saying it absolutely shouldn't be done.
-Even those squad leader guys won't be able to block it!
'That's not my problem.'
Raon, without erasing his smile, shot the Sword Control towards the nearest Light Wind division swordsman. The Heavenly Drive became a yellow flash, cutting through the night sky and falling towards the shoulder of the swordsman hiding behind a rock.
"Kyaaah!"
Dorian, who was catching his breath behind the rock, raised his sword in fright. Since even the Mind's Eye couldn't read the trajectory of the Sword Control, extreme confusion welled up in his eyes.
"Where is it coming from!"
Raon lightly deflected Dorian's sloppy sword attack and struck his stomach with the sword hilt.
"Guh!"
Dorian let out a quack-like scream and sat down on the spot.
"T-the Sword Control is really too much..."
He shed chicken-drop-like tears, asking if Raon was trying to kill him.
"Relying too much on the Mind's Eye isn't good either. You need to build real skills for the Mind's Eye to be more effective. And..."
Raon nodded as he spoke to Dorian through the Heavenly Drive.
"If you want to hit my stomach, challenge me. You're welcome anytime."
"Eek!"
Dorian's jaw trembled in fright.
"Y-you heard?"
"How could I not hear when you were talking so loudly?"
Raon chuckled as he examined Dorian's pale face.
"T-then..."
"Yes. Now I have to mess with Krein too."
Just as he was about to move to find Krein, Dorian raised his hand.
"Um, Division Leader?"
"I can't go easy on you."
Raon shook his head, saying he was sorry but he couldn't ease up on the training.
"That's not it..."
Dorian lowered his posture slightly and lowered his voice.
"Can't you hit Krein harder than me? Please."
He clasped his hands together, saying he didn't need to be excused from training, but could Raon please hit Krein twice as hard.
'See.'
Raon shrugged his shoulders, pointing at Dorian.
'All humans are like this.'
-You taught them that!
* * *
Raon finished the Light Wind division's crisis perception training before sunrise and came down from North Grave Mountain to return to the Fifth Training Ground.
A fierce wind sound could be heard from inside. Mark Goetun had stayed behind alone and was still swinging his sword.
"How's the training going?"
Raon approached Mark Goetun and tapped his scabbard.
'He has grown, but it's still a bit disappointing.'
Originally, Mark Goetun should have been taken to the Holy Sword Alliance along with the three squad leaders, but since he didn't know what the actual Holy Sword Alliance was like, he couldn't take the swordsman with him. Now he regretted not being able to take him.
"Huff..."
Mark Goetun lowered his sword and wiped the sweat flowing from his forehead.
"I've trained my best here, but I'm still lacking a lot."
He shook his head, seemingly recalling Burren, Martha, and Runaan who had returned with outstanding growth. However, he didn't show any feelings of self-deprecation. He just smiled calmly as if he was doing what he had to do.
"You don't seem impatient."
"Of course."
Mark Goetun nodded calmly.
"Before Raon took me in, I had been stuck in one place for decades. Even the slightest growth now is heaven to me."
He smiled, saying this moment when his efforts were bearing even small fruits was happiness.
"I see."
Raon smiled gently as he faced Mark Goetun. As expected, the mental strength of people who have experienced pain to the point of wanting to die seemed different.
-What nonsense! Explain it properly! Heaven isn't such a good place!
Wrath shook his head vigorously, saying that the Devildom was actually a better place.
"Ah, but these days I've been thinking about expanding my sword techniques."
"Expand?"
"I've been training in one direction for too long, so I think it would be good to add other sword techniques or principles."
Mark Goetun smacked his lips, saying he was considering whether to expand his martial arts path in several directions.
"Is that what you want to do?"
"Well, to be honest, I want to keep going as I am. But to grow more, I think I need a bit more diverse..."
"Learning various sword techniques and swordsmanship will certainly not be a loss. However..."
Raon shook his head as he looked at Mark Goetun's sword, its handle bandage completely torn off.
"It's not like you become weak or slow just because you follow one path. If you stick to your own path, you might see results faster. When I went to the Holy Sword Alliance this time..."
He told Mark Goetun about the beliefs and strength of the Holy Sword Alliance swordsmen who walked only one path.
"I see. Such people..."
Mark Goetun clenched his fist, seemingly excited to hear that people like him who walked only one path could reach higher places and be stronger.
"So I have a suggestion."
"If you have a suggestion..."
"How about visiting the Holy Sword Alliance?"
Raon took out an envelope from his chest.
"Me to the Holy Sword Alliance?"
Mark Goetun swallowed dry saliva as he looked at the envelope.
"I use a blade, not a sword, is that alright?"
"I was worried about that too, so I left a letter with Rector, but when I actually went there, as I just told you, the Holy Sword Alliance is a place where people live too."
Raon smiled faintly and held out the introduction letter he had written to Rector.
"It will definitely be of great help to you."
The wall of Grandmaster is high. Even among those called geniuses who quickly rose to Master, very few reach the realm of Grandmaster. Mark Goetun knows the pain of not being able to grow and regrets his past days, so he's working harder than anyone else, which means he will surely be able to reach Grandmaster.
He might be overthinking it, but among Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Mark Goetun, it seemed Mark Goetun would be the first to break through the wall.
"..."
Mark Goetun looked at the introduction letter with shaking eyes, then reached out as if he had made up his mind.
"I'll go."
"Good choice."
Raon smiled and handed the introduction letter to Mark Goetun.
"When will you depart?"
"If I've made a decision, I should move right away."
He nodded, saying he would go tomorrow.
"Ah, then let me give you one piece of advice."
Raon raised a finger.
"There's a swordsman named Lawrence living in the back mountain of the Holy Sword Alliance. He's a really kind person who teaches martial arts well. Make sure to visit him every day to learn."
He grinned as he said this.
"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind."
Mark Goetun said he would do so and left the training ground.
-You, you really are giving up on being human, aren't you?
Wrath shook his head as if dumbfounded.
-Why are you creating a path that kills both of them!
"Somehow..."
Raon chuckled as he watched Mark Goetun's back.
"I feel like they might become good friends."
* * *
Raon went to the Shadow Agents after finishing breakfast.
"Welcome to the Shadow Agents."
Chad, the Shadow Agents' Leader, greeted him with a smiling face at the door, as if he had been waiting.
"I received a message from the Head of House. You're investigating the First Patriarch's whereabouts?"
"Yes. There's something I'm curious about."
"Haha, that happens sometimes. This way, please."
Chad said he would guide him to the underground where the records of Zieghart's past were kept, as he entered his office.
"Why to the office..."
"Even the most trivial content about Zieghart is prohibited from being leaked. Only those who have received permission from the current Shadow Agents' Leader can enter, so there's a path in here."
Chad tapped the windowless wall several times with his finger, and with a thud, the wall split open, revealing a path leading downwards.
"Wow..."
Raon widened his eyes. It was amazing that he couldn't detect the entrance right in front of him even if he hadn't released his aura perception. It seemed like a device made by an incredibly skilled master.
"Follow me."
Chad nodded carefully and went down. The stairs were wide, and permanent lighting was on around them, so there was no problem going down.
"To be honest, I was also curious about the First Patriarch, so I did some research. However, there wasn't much recorded other than what's already known. There won't be any information about him within the last 500 years."
He clicked his tongue, saying you'd have to look at historical materials from 700 years ago to barely find stories about the First Patriarch.
"I see."
As he went down the stairs listening to Chad's words, his feet soon touched the ground. When he raised his gaze, countless bookshelves were standing like trees growing in a forest, and books and documents were piled up thickly in them.
"This is the history of Zieghart."
Chad walked forward with a flush on his cheeks as if excited.
"The closer you are here, the more recent the events, and the further away, the more past events."
He said it would be better to start searching from the inside for content about the First Patriarch and walked forward.
"Thank you."
Just as Raon was about to follow Chad, nodding his head, it happened. Golden flames sprang up from the dark floor as if he had stepped on a trap and enveloped him.