Chapter 380
Chapter 380
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP. 79 – His Growth is Eye-Opening (4)
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...In an instant, the surrounding air grew heavy like a lump of iron.
Creak!
'A monster, as expected...'
A single bead of cold sweat formed on Lee Han's brow for the first time.
The air around him pressed down relentlessly until his feet sank deep into the dirt with a thud.
As if the constant relaxed smile had never existed, Kaiser wiped it away and adopted a serious expression.
Just that alone made the atmospheric pressure unbearably heavy.
The air itself was starting to weigh down in response to his mood.
This was what happened the moment the man called the Mercenary King revealed his "true intent."
But the question was...
'Why the sudden change?'
He skipped the questions he was supposed to ask, posed something bizarre instead, and now he was getting all serious out of nowhere.
Lee Han even began to suspect if this guy was going through menopause, his mood swinging wildly.
[Kiiing...]
He spotted the mongrel flattened pitifully, whining under the heavy pressure. Though impressed that mere presence alone could exert such dominance, Lee Han pulled his feet from the dirt and steadied his stance.
He should have been on guard from the start, but now he needed to sharpen his focus even more.
"You can use both hands. Of course, I'll stick to one."
"......"
"This isn't provocation. It's purely sincere."
"...Let me think about it."
"Haha, fair enough. Then, here I come."
Whoosh!
"─Now."
Kaiser closed in with an impossibly light step.
His movements were still fluid, but unmistakably...
Slash!
"!!"
"You reacted, as expected."
...sharper than before.
He barely dodged the punch, but the graze left his cheek burning.
A split-second slower, and it would have torn right through.
But dodging didn't mean he could relax.
Whoosh! Whish! Whoooosh!
The strikes came without respite.
Heavy yet razor-sharp, like blunt axes hurtling toward him.
Slash! Slash!
His clothes shredded where they hit, his skin turning red as if scorched.
"Impressive. Without using that Indestructible technique or any reinforcement, you're withstanding all my blows? What a body."
It didn't sound like praise.
Not in the least.
'Sounds like he found a sandbag with great feedback. Damn it.'
He'd unwittingly become a punching bag, and Lee Han desperately tried to counter while reacting.
But.
Thwack─.
"!!?"
"Move a bit sharper. What's the point if you're this sluggish?"
Before he could fully extend his fist, it crumbled futilely, leaving him open again and again.
He was being toyed with.
Like a child performing tricks while the adult Kaiser chuckled indulgently.
It wasn't funny, but that was the gap in skill.
He'd trained hundreds of times harder.
Experienced thousands of times more real combat.
He felt more complete than any warrior Lee Han had faced.
...Aura Users included.
And this sensation wasn't mere illusion.
"Let's pick up the pace."
"!!"
Whoosh!
A blade-like gale engulfed Lee Han in an instant.
Slash! Slash-slash!
Not figuratively—actual wind blades assailed him.
It felt like razors carving his arms, shoulders, forehead, cheeks, sides, and stomach. Protecting his eyes and heart, he barely endured.
And then.
Thud─.
"Hm, looks like Round 2 is my win too."
"Haa, haaa. Haa..."
"Try harder. I said you can use both hands—young folks these days lack flexibility."
Round 2 ended.
No, "endured" was more accurate.
"Damn it..."
"Heh, wonder how long you'll last."
"I'll land one for sure."
"Looking forward to it."
...Yet even after over 10 rounds, Lee Han never landed a counter.
Boom!
"...Oof."
Orthos reflexively averted his eyes.
What the─!
Thud!
...It was too brutal and pitiful a sight.
Not an execution, yet he was getting pummeled mercilessly. Jeez.
The knight was being utterly toyed with by the man called the Mercenary King.
Unable even to properly respond, he just took hit after hit.
No path to recovery in sight—he could only endure.
"Sss..."
"Kiiing..."
He's losing?
Orthos's second head and snake tail looked crestfallen.
Though he hated the human, seeing his chosen master in such a state soured his mood.
Orthos seriously pondered if he should intervene.
"Yeah, Sir Knight's definitely on the back foot."
"...Wol."
"Back foot? He's getting beaten black and blue. Nah, no way. Sir Knight's fighting well. So cheer him on, okay?"
"Wol... Wol!?"
Half-agreeing but bristling with pointless defiance—"Why should I cheer for that damn human?"—Orthos froze in shock.
Not just the maid's sudden approach.
"W-Wol?"
His second shock: 'How does a human understand me?'
The maid, with her signature eye smile, replied.
"I just do."
"???"
How?!
"Huh? Easily?"
"!!"
"Oh, not reading your mind. It's just obvious."
"......"
"Hehe, you're a bit like Sir Knight. Maybe pets resemble their masters?"
"...Wol."
Don't insult me—Orthos bristled as if deeply offended but didn't attack the maid.
...Something told him not to.
"Ufufu."
The maid gently stroked his back, finding him adorable. Orthos melted under the warm, pleasant touch but snappishly turned his head to hide it.
She beamed, thinking him cute, and turned her gaze forward.
To watch him still giving his all.
"Sir Knight, hang in there."
Whispering her strong trust and faith in him.
Drip... drip...
"......"
"Haa, not only tough, but stamina for days. Normally, you'd collapse from exhaustion by now."
"......"
"Not even arguing back anymore? No fun."
"Hmph, getting pummeled—why would it be fun?"
"Finally talking! Thought you'd passed out standing. Haha!"
"...Shut up and swing."
"Still going? Persistent."
"You're the persistent one."
Lee Han had every reason to say that.
25 rounds.
This pointless bout had seen him beaten and downed 25 times already, yet Kaiser hadn't asked a single proper question.
Instead.
─Try harder.
─Not thinking of giving up yet?
─Admitting defeat is a warrior's virtue too, haha.
He kept patronizingly urging him to stop, nearly giving Lee Han a rage-induced illness each time.
...But the loser stays silent.
No right to protest, even with a mouth.
He could argue he wasn't down yet, so not a loser.
'Over 25 rounds without landing a hit—what else is this but defeat?'
In truth, if the opponent wanted, he could've been beaten anytime...
"No, that's not right."
"?"
"Like you, I've fought purely with skill—no Fighting Technique or tricks. In that sense, I punched with full intent to knock you down. But you didn't fall. So you haven't lost, and I haven't won. ...Though objectively, I'm dominating."
"...Damn. Who asked you to read my mind?"
"Your face is an open book. Never heard that before? Your thoughts show plain as day?"
"......"
"Heard it plenty, huh."
"...Guess I need acting lessons."
Grumbling curtly, Lee Han reset his stance.
"Continue?"
"Obviously. Questions don't matter now—gotta land one out of pride."
"Tenacious. With such a skill gap."
Kaiser sounded daunted, yet pleased.
Few could spar with him this long anymore.
"Most break or quit fighting me. One or the other."
"......"
"Hope you don't."
Thud!
Now, no hourglass or Orthos signal needed—they rested exactly one minute, sparred exactly three.
Their internal clocks more precise than any glass. They squared up again, and Kaiser resolved.
'Time to end it.'
Fun, but pointless now.
Just toying—no gain for either.
Besides.
Smooth.
'It's respect for a warrior.'
Can't let a fine warrior break further.
Bang!
Kaiser's body surged, fist thrusting out.
Whoooosh!
Blade-wind punches same as before, but this one carried decisive power—like a spear piercing the chest.
─Spear Strike hidden in the blade.
Even if blades were endured, no surviving this spear.
'Been fun.'
Fwoooosh!
In respect, Kaiser unleashed a blow worthy of him.
─Thwack.
"─That's how it's done."
"......"
"Damn, no wonder I stayed a sandbag."
"You..."
"'Thinking before moving' was why I lost."
"......"
"Phew, now we can have a real spar."
Grumbling with a sigh, and Kaiser blinked at the man who'd effortlessly parried his spear-like fist.
Hallucination?
So...
Flash!
He struck again, but soon.
Thwack.
...Blocked once more.
"...Not luck."
"Told you—I get it now."
"Ha..., haha!"
Kaiser laughed again, losing count of how many times today.
This damn guy!
'Baltar, you rotten bastard. Hogging this fun one all to yourself?'
He inwardly cursed his rival and former comrade.
What a jerk.
But rather than dwell, Kaiser chose to savor the present.
Because.
"─Welcome. To taking one step closer to the 'world of supermen.'"
This was the moment to congratulate the junior truly beginning to transcend humanity.