The Bandit's Mockery
The swirling dust had settled quickly.
Sybel and the mercenaries stood perfectly healthy.
Sybel sparkled with his sharp yellow eyes, while the mercenaries wore tense expressions.
They all had eyes, after all.
They had seen the pure white aura hurtling straight toward them.
That meant the black-haired man standing right in front of them was a Sword Master.
Why on earth would a Sword Master come to such a backwater place?
These people were the ones treated with the weight of national authority.
They rarely moved unless a war broke out.
Of course, there were Sword Masters even among mercenaries.
The Storm Falcon, owner of a divine weapon that chose its own master, and Kalard, the Mercenary King who had abandoned his noble title to roam the continent searching for the strong.
Apart from those two, no mercenaries ranked as Sword Masters.
What about knights? No way.
Not a single thing about their appearance, behavior, or the axe in their hands looked knightly.
What was the true identity of this guy?
The mercenaries gripped their weapons tightly.
They were tense, but not afraid.
Because the ruler of Cologne, the owner they served, was right in front of them.
With this man around, even a Sword Master wouldn't scare them!
Just as the mercenaries finished preparing to charge at any moment, Sybel slowly opened his mouth.
“When did you figure it out?”
Gannon swallowed hard and tried to interpret, but Jin Chen shook his head.
“Ah, it's fine. It's all burned straight into my head.”
“Eh?”
“I understood every word he said.”
“H-how is that possible?”
Gannon's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had never seen anyone cast magic without incantations.
Even the simplest spells required chant words, after all.
“Is it really possible? So I understand it correctly?”
“B-but what is all this…?”
“First, get over there to the corner. Don't stick around here or you'll be in deep trouble.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Gannon dragged the toppling merchant table across the floor and shouted at Balkan.
“T-tell everyone to retreat!”
“I-I'd like to retreat too, but…”
Balkan stared at the Kogirash birds with a bewildered expression.
Jin Chen pointed at the corner with his chin while looking at the Kogirash.
Kugugugu!
The Kogirash birds ran off to the pointed spot like well-trained puppies.
By the time Gannon and the others had retreated far away, Jin Chen turned back to Sybel.
“I have a rough idea who you are.”
“Unfair of you. I still haven't figured out your identity.”
“What's there to figure out? You're just human.”
“A human? Why do I feel nothing at all? You're swinging that aura blade around like it's a toy.”
Sybel's words made Jin Chen grin brightly.
“You'll find out soon.”
“I don't seem inclined to tell you nicely.”
“Yeah. The method will be different…”
Swish!
Jin Chen's body vanished as if it had been erased, appearing right in front of Sybel.
“Watch carefully and carve it into your skull!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
The axe came crashing down toward Sybel's head at terrifying speed.
Kwaaang!
With a massive explosion, dirt and debris exploded outward in every direction.
Puk puk puk!
“Kyaaaack!”
“Kraaaaah!”
The mercenaries screamed and rolled on the ground.
Sybel suddenly reappeared in front of the house.
“Crude method.”
Before Sybel could finish, Jin Chen appeared right in front of him again.
“Then let me teach you bandit manners!”
Jin Chen thrust out his fist without a second thought.
Kwaaang!
Another thunderous boom rang out, and Sybel's body smashed straight into the house.
“Sybel, my lord!”
“T-this bastard! How dare he touch Sybel!”
The mercenaries erupted in fury as Jin Chen stepped onto the ground and spoke.
“Do you want to know who I am too?”
The mercenaries had no idea what he meant.
They could only stay silent in the face of that overwhelming aura radiating from Jin Chen's body.
At that moment,
Kugugugugung.
The entire house shook violently, and Sybel shot out like a rocket.
He was now clutching a single beautiful sword in one hand.
Jin Chen let out a short laugh at the sight.
“Your body really deserves to be called the pinnacle of the ground.”
“I'll make you understand just how terrifying the price of a man-sized monster is.”
“Man-sized? It's my personality. And I swear to you… you can't fix that. Why? My own masters gave up on me.”
Jin Chen leaped into the air at terrifying speed and swung his axe at the floating Sybel.
Kwaaang!
Sybel raised his sword to lightly block Jin Chen's axe.
From that point, the two clashed at blinding speed.
Thud thud thud!
The massive explosions shook the entire house.
Everyone stood stunned, staring at the source of the sound.
Gannon muttered with an unbelievable expression.
“W-who exactly is the ruler of Cologne? How can he fight Chaeju like an equal!”
“There is only one being who can fight a Grand Sword Master on equal terms.”
Balkan's words made Gannon shake his head roughly.
“Impossible. Chaeju is a dragon. Why would a dragon…”
“What are you talking about? You say Chaeju is a dragon?”
“Of course. At that age, possessing such strength.”
“Hyeeok!”
Balkan froze in shock when someone slammed him into the ground.
Kwaaang!
Gannon and the others looked at the crater on the floor and prayed desperately.
Please let it be the black-haired kid!
It can't be Chaeju. It has to be!
Just as they hoped for different people, someone fell from the sky.
Clang!
“What is this? Is that all? I'm disappointed.”
The moment they heard that voice, Gannon and the others clenched their fists.
It's Chaeju!
In contrast, the mercenaries let out a short groan and lowered their heads.
At that moment, someone stepped out of the crater.
Thud thud.
Sybel's blond hair and flashy clothes were so disheveled they were barely recognizable.
Jin Chen smirked and opened his mouth again,
when Sybel's voice suddenly rang in his head.
“Let's move the battleground, you foolish human. I'll show you what true strength is!”
Filled with thick anger, Jin Chen smiled even more deeply.
“I can do the same thing, kid.”
“I told you to move the battleground.”
“Why? What's the difference?”
“Are you scared?”
“Ha! This bastard seems to have figured out my personality in no time.”
“Can you use magic?”
“If I could, I would've brought an interpreter along, right?”
“Then don't refuse!”
Just as Jin Chen was about to ask what he meant by refusing, Sybel suddenly teleported right in front of him and shouted shortly.
“Teleport!”
Paaaaat!
Before the words finished, both Jin Chen and Sybel simply vanished.
Gannon, watching the scene, muttered hesitantly.
“L-language magic?”
A realm where magic could be cast directly with words, without any incantation.
The strongest magic passed down from the dragon tongue magic of the dragons.
Sybel had cast that magic.
Gannon collapsed onto the ground like a deflated balloon.
We went to the wrong line! We went to the wrong line!
Feeling that something had gone terribly wrong,
***
A desolate desert with no living creatures in sight.
A space filled with emptiness instead of quietness, two figures appeared.
Swish.
The two figures emerged naturally, as if they had simply stopped hiding.
They were none other than Jin Chen and Sybel.
Jin Chen slowly scanned the surroundings and spoke.
“This is a perfect place to fight.”
“Honestly, I'm still doubtful you're human. That strength can't be allowed for humans.”
“Of course. Only someone like me can be this strong.”
“I acknowledge it. You are strong. So strong that even human standards don't apply.”
“Tch. That bothers me somehow.”
Jin Chen slung the axe over his shoulder and continued.
“Who are you to be lecturing me on my strength? After all, you've only taken my beatings.”
“That's why I brought you here. To make you realize what true strength is!”
“Do dragons really talk so much?”
As if there was no longer any reason to hide, Sybel slowly nodded.
“This time, learn for yourself. What kind of being a dragon actually is!”
Hwaaah!
Radiant golden light erupted from Sybel's body.
At first the golden light was only the size of a human, but it instantly swelled to an enormous size.
Paaaaat!
Jin Chen quietly stared at the light.
He had first heard about the dragon from Gannon.
When he heard that it was a legendary lifeform like a dragon, he had always wanted to meet one someday.
He wanted to see exactly how strong it was.
But he never imagined it would happen so quickly.
That's why it was more fun. That's why he had waited.
Until the monster returned to its true form.
Paat!
The golden light vanished in an instant, and a gigantic monster appeared in its place.
A body of golden scales so enormous it dwarfed even a Wyvern monster, a pair of horns atop its head, and wings large enough to cover a whole mountain range.
The dragon told in legends from the Central Plains was clearly different.
Jin Chen swept his gaze over Sybel's true body and spoke.
“I have to admit this.”
He lowered the axe from his shoulder and continued.
“You must have been desperate enough to urinate yourself.”
-My name is Sydortabel! I am the Lord of the Gold Dragon. I will watch how far your rudeness can go.
“Why the sudden self-introduction? Well, I should at least tell you my name. That way you won't feel so wronged when I beat you.”
Krrrrrrrr.
Sybel growled as if annoyed by the words.
Jin Chen chuckled and spoke.
“Jin Chen, the leader of Jinryong Chae.”
He raised the axe and pointed it at Sybel while speaking.
“Remember this name well. It is the name of the strongest who will crush you.”