Chapter 45

The trainees didn't move even after the Owen Kingdom's envoys had left. They kept staring at Raon's back, as if they were out of their minds.

Since they'd been watching Raon, they knew he was strong. However, since he'd been always moving softly, they'd never imagined he would move so quickly with such powerful strikes.

"Uh, uhh…"

"Was he that strong?"

"Wh-why is the difference getting larger…"

When the trainees couldn't come to their senses, a cheerful clap could be heard from the platform.

"Good job, everyone."

Rimmer grinned, sitting at the edge of the platform.

"Thank you for doing your best in the sudden spar."

"You're welcome!"

"Thank you for creating an opportunity to spar with the knight trainees of the Owen Kingdom!"

The trainees lowered their heads, expressing their thanks in return.

"I'm glad you think that way."

Rimmer grinned, fluttering his feet in the air. He looked to be in a better mood than usual.

"Well, since everything is over, I should tell you a few things. First of all, you know the knight trainees that fought against you today? They aren't normal knight trainees."

"Pardon?"

"What are they, then…?"

When he stopped speaking, the trainees swallowed.

"They are the elites that the Owen Kingdom is training properly. They are the talented people that will become the royal or silver knights in the future."

"Eek!"

"Royal knights and silver knights!"

"I knew they were too strong…"

The trainees' jaws dropped.

There were only the elite of the elites among the royal and silver knights of the Owen Kingdom.

Royal knights were the shields that protected the king in the castle, and silver knights were the swords that threatened their enemies.

It wasn't an understatement to say that the two knight orders were the most elite troops in the Owen Kingdom.

The trainees couldn't hide their surprise at the fact that they'd fought equally against the knight trainees that would belong to such orders.

"Having fought equally against such children is certainly something to be praised for. Give a round of applause for yourselves, everyone!"

"Yeahhh!"

"Wowww!"

"We won!"

The trainees raised their hands and shouted with joy.

"Hmph!"

"Head instructor."

When Rimmer was enjoying the cheers, a hand was raised from the center. Burren was standing while still staggering.

"Can I fight them again in the future?"

Burren's expression was as wrinkled as if he was facing an enemy.

"You look like you've lost or something."

"If I didn't win, it's not different from losing."

"Personally, I like that attitude."

Rimmer smiled and nodded.

"The knight trainee that you fought against has been called the future captain of the royal knights. If you keep improving yourself, you will meet him again—even if you don't want to. Of course, when that time comes, he will be a knight instead of a knight trainee. Then…"

"I will have to become a swordsman."

A heated haze appeared in Burren's green eyes.

"Exactly."

"One more thing."

"What is it?"

"If the knight trainee I fought against was the future royal knights captain, what was the third prince? It wasn't swordsmanship that just any royal blood would have."

Burren's question was justified. The third prince was ridiculously strong, despite the fact that he was fifteen years old.

"I heard the third prince will be the kingdom's strongest sword in the future."

"Eek!"

"Wow…"

The training ground was filled in silence at Rimmer's response. The trainees turned around to look at Raon, their eyes wide.

Their expressions were full of wonder about the kind of monster Raon was, that he could easily defeat the guy who would become the kingdom's strongest sword.

"Today's training is over. Since you've spent more stamina than usual, go back and rest."

Rimmer clapped his hands and disappeared from the platform. However, the surprise directed at Raon didn't disappear from the trainees' eyes.

***

Leaving behind the astonished eyes of the trainees, he left the training ground first.

He would've normally stayed in the training ground to practice, but he was quickly headed to the dormitory because he had something to do.

Upon entering the room, he sat on the floor and tapped on the flowery bracelet.

Whoosh!

Blue ice blossomed like a flower from the bracelet. However, the coldness was trembling as if it was filled with anger.

Damn it! How could he lose to you with that kind of power?! I trusted him because he was royal blood, but he is so stupid and inferior!

Wrath grit his teeth, filling the entire room with coldness.

If the King of Essence was in his position, you would've been ripped to shreds by now after becoming a block of ice. He is called a prince, despite not even being able to use his power? How pathetic!

It looked like he felt some kinship to the prince since he was a monarch of devildom. He looked really frustrated at losing the bet, to the point that he was angry and talkative at the same time.

Back in devildom, the King of Essence could beat down stronger enemies with a smaller amount of mana. Then, during fights between monarchs…

"Ah, okay. Stop there."

When Raon tapped the bracelet, Wrath stopped talking.

'I have to stop that at all costs.'

Whenever he said, 'Back in devildom, the King of Essence', it was a sign that he had to stop him immediately. If he kept listening to him, he wouldn't get his reward until the next morning.

"You can talk later. Give me my reward first, okay?"

This is rigged. I didn't know he was incapable of using the power he had.

Actually, the third prince had fought well. But the 'Ten Thousand Flame Cultivation' was just too powerful, regardless of the amount of aura he had.

"So, are you saying you won't give me my reward? Despite being a monarch of devildom?"

What do you think the King of Essence is? A human that tells lies habitually? I keep my word, even if it is rigged!

[You have won the bet against 'Wrath'.]

[The reward for your victory is being distributed.]

[All stats have increased by 4.]

At the same time as the stat increase message appeared, his whole body shivered, as if he had been electrocuted.

"Haaaa…"

The exhilaration of his body and mind growing at once was so electric, he would never get used to it. He could perform any mission if that was for that reward.

* * *

Clench.

He tried clenching his fist. With his stats increased by 4 at once, he could feel a clear difference in his grip and muscle strength.

Status Window

Name: Raon Zieghart.

Title: First Victory.

State: Curse of Frost (Six Strands)

Trait: Wrath, Ring of Fire (Four-Stars), Water Resistance (Four-Stars), Perception of the Snow Flower (Two-Star), Ten Thousand Flame Cultivation (Two-Stars), Coldness of the Frost (Two-Stars), Fire Resistance (Two-Stars)

—

Strength: 47

Agility: 47

Stamina: 48

Energy: 36

Perception: 58

It wasn't just the rewards. Thanks to his continuous training, his stats had increased a lot. The bigger numbers filled him with joy, just from looking at the status window.

Tsk.

Wrath clicked his tongue while glancing at the status window that he couldn't even see. It looked like he was extremely unsatisfied.

Are you happy?

'I'm happy.'

Raon responded without hesitation.

Well, you shouldn't be. No matter how strong you get, you are just a possessed body for the King of Essence. There's nothing in the world that the King of Essence can't accomplish.

While murmuring that the time was near, he emanated coldness.

"Ah, okay."

The temperature had gotten so low that frost fell on his skin, but he didn't feel cold at all thanks to his 'Water Resistance'.

"Do your best."

He pushed away Wrath by shuddering lightly and stood up.

Don't underestimate the King of Essence. Even if it takes a hundred years, your body will end up becoming mine.

'Alright.'

Gaaaah!

When Wrath's coldness started to erupt like a volcano, he opened the door and went outside.

Underestimate him?

Of course he wouldn't.

Wrath was an enemy, and the most dangerous one at that.

The reason that he cultivated 'Ring of Fire' every day, and that he trained his body and mind, was so that he didn't lose his body to him.

Although he acted relaxed in front of him, he was never careless.

Dying in vain once was enough. He had to become stronger in order to survive, and for the sake of his revenge.

Raon left the dormitory and went back to the training ground, where everyone had left. He swung his sword the whole night.

***

Three months had passed since Raon sparred with the third prince of the Owen Kingdom.

He easily defeated the third prince, who was called the future strongest sword of the kingdom, but Raon only focused on training—as if his victory was left in the past.

He recently obtained the nickname 'training ghost', or 'training genius', from the trainees. Though, they only called him by that when he wasn't around.

"I can't even properly see his sword anymore."

"Doesn't that guy look even stronger now? His swordsmanship and footwork have gotten even more natural."

"He doesn't just look it; he must be stronger."

"That's too much."

The collateral trainees were filled with amazement, watching Raon keep training like a person possessed.

"I thought I caught up to him a little, but there's no way."

"Same. Though, I also trained until the soles of my shoes became rugged…"

The trainees were already impressed and had increased their training time when Raon managed to beat Martha. It wasn't just after the spars with the Owen Kingdom.

They'd thought the difference between them and Raon would've decreased a little thanks to their training, but it wasn't the case.

"This is, erm…"

"Difference in talent."

"Yes. The talent we are born with is different. We can't help it if effort can't bridge the gap…"

"Do you really believe you've done your best from one pair of shoes getting rugged?"

"Hmm?"

The trainees turned around when they heard the sharp voice.

"Eek!"

"Aah…"

"L-Lord Burren!"

Burren was twisting his lips, his arms crossed.

"It's easy when you just praise him with a cool word like talent. You can convince yourself that you can't do it anyway, even if you do your best. However."

Walking past the trainees, he continued.

"You can only say that after breaking ten pairs of shoes, rather than just one."

His words weren't directed to the trainees, but to himself—the one that had been jealous of Raon without knowing how hard he'd worked.

"Th-that's right."

"Sorry…"

"You don't need to apologize to me. It's your life, after all."

Burren picked up the training sword that was behind the trainees and headed towards the center of the training ground.

"Young master Burren… Doesn't it feel like he's become softer?"

"He would've completely ignored us before…"

"Hey, someone is coming. Shut your mouth!"

"Hup!"

The trainees closed their mouths, seeing Martha approaching from the left side.

Tap.

Martha took out a training shoulder and put it on her shoulder. Fluttering the short hair that barely reached her shoulders, she walked towards the training ground before she stopped.

"He became softer?"

She glanced at the trainees with clear disdain.

"He is like a volcano right before its eruption, yet you call him soft. Your eyes are worse than a rotten orc's."

Martha sneered and walked towards the training ground.

Raon and Runaan moved their bodies without any break, and Burren and Martha swung their swords without losing to him.

"Wow, it's so breathtaking."

The trainees sighed, shaking their heads.

Monsters lived in the fifth training ground. And there were four of them…

"Well, that's true. But…"

One of the trainees was looking at his training shoes, before he raised his head.

"Isn't this the best place to increase our abilities?"

"Hmm, that's true."

"You're right."

The other trainees nodded. They'd certainly been improving a lot faster ever since they arrived at the fifth training ground.

"We should start as well."

Finishing their short break, the trainees entered the training ground once again, wielding training swords.

"How nice."

Rimmer was sitting on the tree behind them with a smile on his face.

"With the pillars holding on so well, the rest follow."

He looked at Raon, Burren, Runaan, and Martha—in that order—as they swung their swords in the middle of the training ground. Since those four children, all with different characteristics, were doing their best… Those who were behind naturally followed.

The four of them were actually contributing to the children's growth more than the instructors.

"Hmm."

Rimmer curled his red hair as he sat on the tree, then nodded.

"It should be fine to have them participate in a real battle."

____

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