"Of course, there are still many areas where you fall short."
Unlike usual, Glenn didn't just praise Raon but pointed out his shortcomings while slightly furrowing his brows.
"Originally, I should have been the only one affected by your Soul Sword."
He understood exactly what mistake Raon had made.
"Yes."
Raon nodded calmly.
"Perhaps because I haven't held a sword in too long, I made a mistake."
As Glenn said, when he unleashed his enhanced Soul Sword, Glenn should have been the only person affected. However, when he gripped his sword, countless emotions and memories surfaced, and he unconsciously put too much force into it, affecting the swordsmen in the training ground as well.
Of course, today's experience would greatly help their growth, but a mistake was still a mistake.
"Hmm..."
Glenn made a satisfied sound as he watched Raon calmly accept his mistake.
"That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your sword. Even I was astonished by the willpower contained in that downward slash."
He opened his trembling lips, saying he hadn't expected this level of growth.
"For Father to acknowledge him to that extent..."
Karoon listened to Glenn's words and lowered his eyes before opening them again.
"It seems I'm still lacking after all."
Even seeing emotions from Glenn he had never experienced himself, he calmly composed his mind.
"That was energy that spread by mistake...?"
Alice laughed hollowly while touching her still-chilling neck.
"You're truly insane. This is beyond human capability!"
She applauded Raon, saying she could only marvel.
"That's right! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you've truly surpassed humanity now!"
Balder nodded blankly, agreeing with Alice's words.
"But when will my martial arts manual come out! You've surpassed humanity, now give me one!"
He sniffled as he brought up the martial arts manual again.
"No. I am human."
Raon turned his gaze toward where Alice and Balder stood and smiled gently.
"I made a mistake because I'm human."
Unlike his usual cold demeanor, he smiled openly while saying he could make mistakes.
"Everyone makes mistakes, and that's how we learn."
He had always shown a perfect image, but that was rather inhuman. Making mistakes, regretting them, and gaining new insights was what a human life was about.
'Pursuing perfection as a superhuman was ultimately a path with a predetermined end.'
Raon clenched his subtly trembling hand.
'As a human, I can't always be perfect. Rising from a martial artist to a superhuman and then descending back to being human again...'
Was the path to becoming stronger. After surpassing Grandmaster to become a Transcendent, he thought he would have to live his entire life in this realm of monsters. But that wasn't it. Because he was born human, living as a human was the true path to becoming stronger.
"I'll continue to learn new things. Though I may make mistakes again."
Raon smiled without reservation, satisfied with his current self. His smile was so pure and warm that it could be seen anywhere in Zieghart.
"Huh...?"
Burren blinked blankly while listening to Raon's words.
"That's Raon. No, our Palace Master?"
He swallowed dryly, remembering how Raon had always shown only perfection and had recently preached even more about superhuman mentality.
"He can make mistakes too…."
Martha smirked and nodded.
"That bastard. He finally smells like a human!"
She curled her lips upward, seeming to like Raon's changed appearance.
"Mmm..."
Runaan sniffed behind Raon as if she had returned to childhood.
"It's different... Cool but warm..."
She kept her eyes closed for a while, saying that warmth had been added to Raon's previously merely cool scent.
"So he won't hit us anymore?"
Krein clapped his hands loudly, saying this was good.
"Everyone makes mistakes!"
He grinned, thinking he wouldn't get hit anymore.
"I don't think that applies to us..."
Dorian shook his head as he read Raon's thoughts.
"Raon wants to make all of us Transcendents too..."
He let out a long sigh, thinking things would be even harder from now on.
"Your words are correct. People make mistakes and grow by building upon them."
Glenn smiled faintly, seeming pleased with Raon's words.
"Congratulations on becoming human again from a superhuman. Though it will take some time to stabilize."
He nodded broadly, as if looking forward to Raon's future even more.
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind."
Raon understood the meaning of Glenn's words and bowed his head seriously.
"Even if it's slow, I'll try to climb following the proper path."
He smiled gently while speaking of his own realization.
"Ahem! Then let's resume the test."
Glenn, seemingly in a good mood from Raon's response, resumed the final test in the training ground without hiding his twitching lips.
-The Nadine bread geezer's words were right.
Wrath tilted his chin toward Raon.
-You still have a long way to go! You haven't even reached this king's knees!
He snorted, saying Raon had only reached his toes.
'I know.'
Raon smiled faintly and waved his hand.
'But someday I'll catch up.'
He nodded while saying words he couldn't say before, speaking as a human.
-This guy!
Wrath was annoyed by Raon's calm response but also seemed pleased as he smiled, showing his teeth.
'Shall I watch more comfortably now?'
Raon dusted off his hands and watched the swordsman coming forward in a relaxed posture. As he was about to focus his gaze to enjoy others' swordsmanship, he heard a low voice from beside him.
"From superhuman back to human..."
It was Karoon.
"So that was right after all."
He smiled faintly as if he had figured out what the words spoken in his conversation with Glenn meant.
"Superhuman and human..."
Balder also seemed to have realized something as he exhaled a heavy breath.
"When will you make my martial arts..."
"..."
Raon pretended not to hear and turned his gaze forward again.
-Come to think of it, why aren't you keeping your promise with that lump?
Wrath tilted his head, asking if it wasn't about time to do it.
'Well...'
Raon chuckled and lowered his shoulders.
'Since I'm human too, I find it a bit troublesome.'
-Huh...?
Wrath blinked as if dumbfounded.
-How can you use that excuse already! You sneaky bastard!
***
After two months of Glenn's guidance ended, the test to prove the swordsmen's achievements began.
"Huh!"
Raon gasped as he watched Sif Leon of the Central Martial Palace, who was the first to step forward and demonstrate his swordsmanship.
'Has he broken through another level?'
He hadn't known since he had been away for about a month, but that swordsman had overcome another wall in the meantime.
"Thank you."
Sif Leon bowed to everyone and descended from the platform. He was about to walk past Raon but suddenly stopped.
"Thank you, Light Wind Palace Master."
Instead of returning to his place, Sif Leon bowed respectfully to Raon.
"Yes? Why to me..."
Raon's eyes widened as he looked at Sif Leon.
"If it's because I selected you, there's no need to thank me. Your talent and effort..."
"No."
Sif Leon shook his head calmly.
"Didn't you give me advice here? It was as helpful as the Head of House's guidance."
He bowed once more, saying he was able to achieve great growth thanks to Raon's advice.
"I see..."
Raon rubbed his chin awkwardly as he received Sif Leon's gratitude.
"If you ever need my help, please let me know."
Sifren Leon assured Raon that he would come running if needed, as long as it wasn't related to the Central Martial Palace, and then returned to his seat.
'He's an unusual person.'
Raon smiled faintly.
'I didn't help him much. Grandfather's help must have been much greater.'
He focused on the swordsman from the Loyal Sword Squad who came up next, thinking Sif Leon just viewed him favorably. But that person also sought him out immediately after finishing his swordsmanship demonstration.
"Thank you, sir. My sword is different thanks to you."
The swordsman from the Loyal Sword Squad also bowed like Sif Leon, saying he had grown thanks to him. It wasn't just these two. Everyone who went up on the platform came to him to express their gratitude before returning to their places.
'What's going on?'
Raon touched his ear, which had heard words of thanks more than twenty times.
'I really didn't do anything.'
It wasn't something he had done for them. In fact, he hadn't given advice to help them. It was only for his own growth, but hearing words of gratitude made his face flush with embarrassment.
-Human affairs aren't decided so simply.
Wrath chuckled.
-Even if you didn't particularly want to help them, they received great help from you. If they feel gratitude toward you, it's good to accept it as it is.
He curled his lips as if he had never been complaining.
-That's the path of humans who cannot live alone, and what you pursue, isn't it?
Wrath tilted his chin, telling him to become even more human.
-Well, seeing your face is red now, it seems unnecessary to say.
He laughed, saying it was amusing to see how varied his expression changes had become.
'Thanks for the advice, but...'
Raon narrowed his eyes while touching his flushed cheeks.
'You're not a demon king, are you? You're human, right?'
He was bewildered that Wrath knew human affairs this well.
-This king has told you many times!
Wrath exhaled a long breath through his nose.
-This king is more human than you! Until recently, you were colder than a demon king...
'Quiet.'
Raon pushed Wrath's cheek with his hand and turned his gaze to the platform.
'Now our kids are starting.'
Since it was the Light Wind division's turn, he needed to focus on what had changed in them.
"Euriyaaaaaa!"
Krein was the first to step forward here as well, displaying fierce swordsmanship brimming with confidence. The sword cut through the air with a whooshing sound! But it wasn't just powerful swordsmanship; his sword now contained discipline that had previously been faint. If he continued to develop this way, he would be able to complete his own sword style.
"P-please take care of me."
In contrast, Dorian stood with his sword while his voice trembled. His sword, like his usual personality of taking care of everything, meticulously blocked any space where the enemy could escape. It felt like a net spreading from the sky to surround everything.
"I am Burren Zieghart."
Burren was originally a swordsman who displayed noble and elegant swordsmanship. However, perhaps realizing something from watching Karoon here, his swordsmanship now showed a ferocity that wasn't there before.
'No, that's not all.'
Raon curled his lips upward as he watched Burren's roughly descending sword.
'His Sword Domain is opening.'
Mysterious energy waves bloomed from Burren's sword. It seemed to be reading his will and intent through his aura before the Sword Domain opened.
"Watch closely!"
Martha's swordsmanship style hadn't changed. It still focused everything on charging power and destructive force. However, because she had pursued a single path, her sword now possessed power and speed on a different level than before.
'She can't use a Sword Domain, but she's opened a new path.'
No matter how calm and defensively skilled a swordsman might be, they wouldn't be able to continuously block Martha's sword.
"Mm..."
Runaan's sword went beyond splendor to contain true beauty. Every time she wielded her sword, blue frost scattered throughout the head of house's training ground as if the Northern Sea's aurora was descending. But each of those frost fragments was an Astral Ring. Even a fellow Grandmaster who touched those fragments would turn into a block of ice.
'Runaan has made the most progress.'
Raon let out a breath as he watched Runaan's brilliant swordsmanship.
'Not only has she approached Transcendence, but I can feel the flow of a Sword Domain too.'
Whether it was because her contract with Sloth was her greatest serendipitous encounter, Runaan had approached the wall of Transcendence and emanated the fragrance of a Sword Domain like Burren. She would become a much greater force than he had anticipated.
'This is good.'
Raon nodded, satisfied with the achievements of the greatly grown Light Wind Palace swordsmen. It seemed he could put them through even stronger training now.
"Next."
Glenn's gaze turned to Raon's side.
"Karoon Zieghart."
"Yes."
Karoon nodded heavily at his call.
'I was curious about this one too.'
Raon licked his lips as he looked at Karoon standing beside him.
'Strangely, it's hard to read him.'
The fact that Karoon was below him was the same now as before. No, the gap should have widened even more, but strangely, his achievements weren't easily perceptible. It felt like fog had settled. It seemed like Karoon was hiding something important.
"I will begin."
Karoon didn't step forward to the platform like the others. As if imitating Raon, he took just one step forward from his place and gripped his sword. The blade hummed as he drew it! The moment Karoon raised his sword with flames dancing around it, his sword vanished like a phantom from everyone's eyes in the training ground.