Burren's sword fell with precise and sharp strokes, drawing lines thinner than hair on the training ground floor. He unleashed precise sword strikes with no deviation from those lines, creating hundreds of cracks throughout the Central Martial Palace's training ground.
Burren stopped his hands only after swinging his sword for over two hours without a moment's rest, as if trying to shake off not just the training he had missed, but his emotions as well.
"Damn it!"
Burren pressed his lips down tightly as he looked at his slightly trembling hands, as if dissatisfied with his swordsmanship.
'Lack of competitive spirit...'
It wasn't just simple competitive spirit. The competitive spirit that the Monarch of Envy spoke of wasn't directed at others, but specifically toward Raon who stood before them. That difference was why Martha was chosen.
'To think I'd fall behind in competitive spirit...'
Since childhood, he had lived with the mindset of never losing to anyone so as not to burden his father. He acknowledged Raon and had resolved to catch up to him someday, even if he was a monster beyond genius.
'No, I only thought I had made that resolution.'
If he had truly resolved to catch up to Raon, there was no way he wouldn't have been chosen by Envy. It seemed that at some point, he had given up on the desire to catch up to Raon and accepted reality.
'Honestly, it's not strange.'
Raon possessed demonic talent. He had reached a realm that even his most respected father couldn't reach, displaying martial prowess that could cut down even the Dragon Lord, so giving up was natural.
'But...'
Martha didn't give up. Unlike him who had abandoned his competitive spirit toward Raon, Martha had resolved to keep chasing after him even if it was slow and difficult, and that difference surely created yesterday's result.
'How can she do that?'
She was able to save her mother thanks to Raon! Martha must have seen and felt more than him since she saved her mother thanks to Raon. He was a being who had surpassed transcendence to reach the absolute realm, and was the benefactor who saved her mother - how could she maintain competitive spirit toward such a person?
'Damn it...'
Burren bit his lips until they bled.
'I know the reason, but there's no method.'
After much contemplation, he understood why Martha was chosen, but he didn't know how he could match her competitive spirit.
'Because Raon is too immense.'
To him, Raon Zieghart was both a wall and a god of martial will. He didn't know how to have competitive spirit toward such a person.
"Haah..."
Burren was about to lift his sword again with his weakened hands.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind."
A low voice came from behind.
"Ah!"
When Burren turned around, his father Karoon stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
"What happened?"
Karoon stroked his chin as if telling him to speak if he had worries.
"Well..."
Burren swallowed dry saliva while looking at Karoon's calm eyes.
'Father must be having a hard time too.'
Since Karoon was rivals with Raon over the position of head of house, he worried whether it was alright to share his concerns with him.
'I'll definitely get scolded.'
Karoon would surely frown and scold him for being pathetic. But if not now, it seemed difficult to consult with his father, so he gathered courage.
"Actually..."
Burren explained, excluding the demon king story, that he had missed an opportunity to gain enlightenment due to his lack of competitive spirit toward Raon.
"Raon is such a perfect martial artist that I don't think I can have competitive spirit toward him by any means now..."
He finished his worries with a long sigh.
"Is that so."
Rather than getting angry, Karoon closed and opened his eyes as if it could be so.
"Everyone has walls that block their path. When you see that wall up close, it looks impossibly high and solid."
He looked up at the sky as if he had experienced such things himself.
"However, if you look at that massive wall from far away or from above, it appears smaller and thinner than you thought."
Karoon calmly explained how to view walls based on his own experience.
"Raon may seem perfect as a martial artist, but as a human, he still has many shortcomings. It seems he only recently understood human emotions."
He nodded, telling him to practice viewing the wall called Raon from a lower perspective by considering such aspects.
"Ah..."
Burren felt goosebumps rising along his spine as he listened to Karoon's words.
'Certainly...'
Raon was certainly a swordsman who had reached the absolute realm, but as a human, he was far lacking. When he overlapped the martial artist Raon Zieghart with the human Raon Zieghart, he could see the wall that formed him becoming much lower.
"Th-thank you."
Burren bowed to Karoon who had given him important advice.
"If you have worries in the future, feel free to come anytime. I've only now..."
Karoon drew a very faint smile and stroked his chin.
"Become able to act as a father."
He coughed once as if slightly embarrassed by saying the word father, then turned his back.
"Well then."
Karoon waved lightly and left the training ground.
"..."
Burren pressed his lips down tightly as he watched Karoon's back. Unlike the wall called Raon which had become somewhat lower and thinner, the wall called Karoon began to look higher and wider than before.
'Thank you.'
Father.
***
Raon pushed back Wrath, who was boiling red like tomato stew, and checked the newly obtained reward message.
[You have slain the Dragon Lord!]
[You have toyed with
[You have achieved a great feat!]
[All stats increase by 100 points.]
'100 points.'
Having cut down the Dragon Lord with his sword and toyed with the Monarch of Envy with words alone, honestly even 100 points felt insufficient. In his personal opinion, receiving 200 points wouldn't have been strange.
'It seems 100 points is the limit.'
There had been times when he received over 100 points when two achievements overlapped without checking rewards, but he had never received more than 100 points at once.
It seemed 100 points was the maximum reward he could receive through messages.
-What a shameless bastard!
Wrath trembled his jaw as if dumbfounded.
-You stole 100 points of my stats, and what's with that dissatisfied expression! Do you really want to die!
He raised his fist as if telling him to come to his senses.
'No, I just think after killing three Ancient Dragons and the Dragon Lord, and even tricking Envy, they could give a bit more.'
Raon tilted his chin, saying it was strange to receive the same amount when he had achieved greater feats than his previous accomplishments.
-Hmph!
Wrath snorted briefly.
-Your martial prowess and experience back then versus now are as different as heaven and earth, so of course different standards should apply!
He nodded, saying it wasn't strange.
'Because my martial prowess and experience have changed...'
Raon nodded as he repeated Wrath's words.
'It's not wrong.'
As Wrath said, his martial prowess, mental strength, and experience had changed dimensionally from before. If he accomplished past achievements now, it would be difficult to receive even 50, let alone 100.
-Now you're making sense.
Wrath exhaled white breath.
-The achievement you accomplished this time is worthy of even my recognition, but there should be limits!
As he nodded, saying this time it was somewhat worthy of recognition as if comforting him.
[You have received high recognition from
[All stats increase by 20 points.]
As soon as Wrath acknowledged he did well, an additional reward message immediately appeared.
"As expected, giving more is right."
Raon drew a satisfied smile as he received the additional reward. With 120 points rising simultaneously, he felt new vitality surging through his body that had already transcended humanity.
-Eh...?
Wrath's eyes went blank.
-What is this! I acknowledged it, but I didn't want this to happen!
He screamed about why rewards were being given arbitrarily.
'Shall we move on to the next."
Raon left Wrath who had started throwing a tantrum and checked the next reward content.
[New trait
'Scale of the Heart?'
Since he couldn't tell what kind of trait it was from the name alone, he immediately checked the content.
[
As soon as Raon saw the content of the new trait, he exclaimed with his mouth.
'This is pretty good?'
Perhaps because he had created the new Soul Sword Life Beyond Death, the reward was also a trait related to Soul Sword. It was the most important ability that strengthened Soul Sword's power and durability, so laughter came naturally.
-Da-damn it...
Wrath ground his teeth as if he didn't like it at all.
-How much of my power is being consumed creating the traits this guy needs!
He shouted at the invisible system to please stay still.
'You should make what's needed, what's not needed has no meaning.'
Raon covered Wrath's screaming mouth and checked the remaining messages.
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
[The rank of the trait
Raon gaped as he looked at the trait growth messages.
'Thirteen at once?'
There were so many trait growth messages that when he counted them, there were thirteen. They were all abilities he had used this time, but rising all at once felt good yet bewildering.
'And Soul Sword went up two levels at once.'
Perhaps because he had subdued the Dragon Lord with Soul Sword Life Beyond Death, Soul Sword rose two levels at once. It was a much more satisfying reward than expected.
-Th-thirteen?
Wrath's lips trembled, having turned pale blue.
-Really, please stop! Are you really going to leave only bones in my main body!
He ground his teeth as if asking how much more would be given away.
'Don't worry. There's not much left now.' (E/N: Not much left of Wrath's body, yes)
Raon lowered his hand as he dismissed the reward messages he had finished checking.
'If I just kill Derus Robert, then after that...'
He was about to tell Wrath about his plans after dealing with Derus Robert, but then, an intense wave was felt from the direction of the annex building's garden.
"This is!"
Raon swallowed dry saliva and burst out through the annex building's door.
"Huh...?"
He gaped at the man standing proudly in front of the annex building's garden.
"Please take care of me from now on."
The continent's strongest and absolute martial artist called the Sword God. Glenn Zieghart revealed an aura filled with fighting spirit along with cold eyes.
"G-Grandfather?"
Raon's jaw trembled as he looked at Glenn emanating intense energy.
'Did he really only think about training?'
Looking at Glenn's eyes and aura, it was clear he had come here thinking only of training, contrary to his expectations.
'I feel sorry to Grandfather.'
He had thought Glenn was only thinking of playing around, but that wasn't the case. Feeling sorry for misjudging him, his back naturally bent.
"Since I made a promise, I should keep it."
Glenn unpacked the bundle he had brought, as if he came to keep his promise. He was about to take out a book with no name written on it from the slightly opened bundle. From Glenn's bundle, along with the book, toys and board games like cards, rubber balls, chess boards, and toy soldiers came tumbling down.
"..."
Raon couldn't speak for a while as he looked at the toys scattered on the floor.
"Hmm! Cough cough cough! Wh-why is this here..."
Glenn also seemed at a loss for words, his face reddening as he coughed repeatedly.
-That old geezer really...
Wrath drew deep wrinkles on his brow as if Glenn was more absurd than any reward he had seen so far.
-I regret having acknowledged that old man!
Stop embarrassing the absolute!