Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Four Weeks Later
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As I was about to prove that I was the real Ruan Bednicker, I suddenly changed my mind.
‘Four weeks.’
About a month.
It was by no means a short amount of time.
I found myself curious about how much stronger they had become during that period.
*Thud.*
The moment I landed after leaping from the tree, Mir was the first to charge.
He swung his hammer with a bold and vigorous spirit.
I twisted my upper body slightly to dodge, surprised by the sheer force of his attack.
‘This kid—’
There was almost no wasted motion in his movements.
The old Mir would have frozen up in front of someone bigger than him…
But now, there was no sign of fear. His gaze was fixed squarely on me.
*Whoosh!*
Next, I dodged Evan’s blade as it slashed diagonally. It wasn't perfect, but their coordination was natural.
I watched the sequence of his second and third strikes, nodding inwardly.
‘The Raven style.’
If Juan had succeeded in his ritual, what would have become of Evan?
I had seen the answer to that question in my first life.
Evan would have likely survived the training retreat one way or another, but he would have already awakened as the Young Lord of the Dark Cult.
He would have infiltrated the Hero Organization Heros while hiding that fact.
In other words…
Evan Helvin’s actual betrayal occurred years earlier than was commonly known.
‘And now?’
This boy was still the Evan Helvin I knew.
A cadet who stubbornly adhered to his family’s swordsmanship, aimed to honor his father’s name, and held the ambition of one day defeating the Demon King with his Raven style.
I was pleased by this fact.
In the end, without the High Priest’s interference, Evan was the type of person who, after a brief period of wandering, would have chosen to carry on his father’s legacy.
*Fwoosh!*
At that moment, an intangible arm shot up from the ground.
Charles’s Blessing.
I leaped lightly to avoid the gray hand, then kicked Evan and Mir in the chin as they closed in from both sides.
*Thwack!*
“Ugh…”
“Gah!”
While the two of them staggered back, I climbed back up a nearby tree.
“What are you doing? Snap out of it!”
“Ugh… B-But he’s so fast…!”
“I can see that! He’s deflecting our combined attack like it’s nothing…”
Charles ground her teeth, glaring up at me.
I settled comfortably on a branch and opened my mouth.
“Anyone would think you were pulling off some grand combination. The formation is decent, but your coordination is still clumsy. Your timing for the surprise attack was also boringly predictable.”
Mir stared at me with a blank expression.
“…Since when can undead talk so well?”
“Something’s not right.”
They weren't completely clueless, as their grips on their weapons loosened.
The only one who remained on guard was Charles.
“Don’t let your guard down. This forest is messed up to begin with, who knows what kind of creature will pop out? It might not be an undead, but a monster that uses illusions.”
“Now that you mention it…”
“We’re changing formation. I’ll go in, so this time Evan, you go first—…”
“…”
I watched the three of them strategize for a moment.
Their words were harsh, but I could feel a faint sense of trust in their voices.
They might not be friends, but they seemed to have developed a relationship akin to comrades-in-arms.
It was a far cry from the first time I remembered them meeting.
“…”
I pictured myself standing among them, and a small smile escaped my lips.
It felt a little bittersweet.
I wondered if they would have gotten closer and stronger faster if I had been there with them.
Of course, that might just be my ego talking.
*Clap!*
I clapped my hands together, drawing their attention.
“Let’s stop fighting. I’m not an undead or a monster that uses illusions. I’m the real Ruan.”
“Ha.”
Charles sneered.
“Someone who’s been missing for over four weeks suddenly appears, and you expect us to believe that?”
“You have a point. Then ask me something only I would know.”
“…Are you seriously suggesting a pop quiz right now—?”
Charles, who had been scoffing, suddenly froze. She then asked with a strange hesitation.
“A-Ahem. Then, what does Sir Hector like?”
“I don’t know.”
“What about Sir Hector’s birthday…?”
“How the hell would I know that?”
“You’re brothers!”
“We’re not that close, you know?”
“You were bragging before that your brother adores you!”
Did I say that?
“Charles, let me ask.”
Evan stepped forward, leaving Charles to eye me suspiciously.
He asked in his characteristically calm tone.
“Where did I say my mother was from?”
“Colland, in the northern part of the Empire.”
“What is the name of the swordsmanship I use?”
“The Raven style.”
“The last time we saw each other, who had the most cadet points?”
“That jerk, Caron.”
“Who was my roommate during the training retreat?”
“You, obviously.”
“Hmm…”
Evan spoke with a troubled expression.
“I-It seems to be him.”
He then looked at me with an even more complicated expression.
“…We thought you were dead. What on earth happened to you?”
“A lot of things. In the end, you could say I got a little lost.”
“For four weeks?”
“It’s a big forest, you know.”
“Well…”
Evan didn't seem entirely convinced by my excuse, but it was also too ambiguous for him to outright deny it.
“Anyway, it’s good to see you all are doing well. Have you collected a lot of orbs?”
“…!”
At my mention of the orbs, the three of them tensed up again.
It seemed they had finally realized that, monster or not, fellow cadets were also rivals.
“You don’t have to be so jumpy. My only targets are the purple orbs.”
As I said this, I carefully observed Mir’s expression.
He was terrible at hiding his feelings.
Mir let out a blatant sigh of relief, and his grip on his hammer loosened slightly.
‘Looks like they don’t have any.’
At least, these three didn't possess any purple orbs.
I suddenly wondered.
What would I have done if they did?
Would I have taken them by force? Or would I have just let it go?
I wasn’t sure myself.
“…How can we trust you?”
“How about this?”
I took out one of the blue orbs from my pocket and tossed it.
Startled, all three of them dodged it simultaneously.
“This is…”
“A blue orb. I don’t quite remember how many points it’s worth.”
“Fifteen points!”
“Right, right. Thanks.”
“Hehe… Don’t mention it.”
Charles shot a glare at the fawning Mir before turning back to me.
“A blue orb is quite valuable—what are you planning?”
“No ulterior motives. The maximum number of orbs you can carry is three, right? I plan on filling all my slots with purple orbs, so I have no need for a blue one.”
“…”
“This is where the deal comes in. Do you happen to know the location of any purple orbs? If you tell me, I’ll give you these too.”
I started juggling the blue orbs, my mouth watering slightly. It didn't look as cool with just two.
I should have waited a bit longer to give the first one away.
In any case, the three of them exchanged glances upon hearing my proposal, finally looking to Charles.
It seemed she had become the leader of their group.
After a moment of thought, Charles spoke in a cautious tone.
“…Alright. We accept. However, the situation in the forest is constantly changing, so don’t take our information as gospel.”
“Of course.”
“First, we’ve identified the locations of three purple orbs in total.”
“Oh…”
I hadn’t expected them to have located all of them.
“You look like you think this just got easier, but it won’t be that simple.”
“Hm?”
“To start, Caron and Sir Hector each have one.”
As expected.
My intuition was spot on.
“That’s great. What about the last one?”
This time, Evan spoke up.
“The location of the last purple orb is dangerous, Ruan. It’s better if you don’t go after it.”
“Hm?”
That was unexpected.
Someone more dangerous than Caron or Hector?
Was there really such a person among the cadets?
“There are only three purple orbs in this test, and the instructors actually told us their locations from the beginning.”
This was news to me.
“There are three particularly strong monsters in this test. The [One-Eyed Ogre] and the [Queen Butterfly] were defeated by Caron and Sir Hector, respectively. That’s how they each obtained a purple orb.”
Charles said with a hardened expression.
“…The last monster was impossible. We even tried to raid it as a large group once, but we failed and barely escaped.”
“What kind of monster is it?”
“For now, we’re calling it the [Master of the Cave].”
Evan continued.
“It’s in a cave in the northern part of the forest, but no one knows exactly what kind of monster it is. It’s covered in some kind of strange rags. All we know is that it’s as big as a giant…”
“It’s not a giant. Definitely not,” Mir interjected with a sullen voice.
I nodded.
“Alright. Thanks for the information.”
I tossed both remaining orbs to them.
Evan, catching them in surprise, asked.
“If you give us all of them, what will you do?”
“I told you, I’m going to get the purple orbs.”
Truthfully, if their locations hadn't all been confirmed, I would have kept one as insurance, but now I had no need to worry.
I stretched my back and spoke.
Three days was plenty of time, but finding Caron and Hector in this vast forest would be quite a hassle.
I needed to move quickly.
“W-Wait a minute, Ruan!”
“…?”
Evan stopped me just as I was about to leave.
He made a complicated face, then forced a smile.
“…I’m glad you’re alive.”
“You guys too.”
I gave him a thumbs-up in reply, then truly left this time.
The ‘cave’ was in the northern part of the forest, they said?
I guess I’ll head there first.
* * *
Caron Woodjack was born in the Sinking Swamp, one of the Empire’s four forbidden zones.
By the time he developed a sense of self, there was already a weapon in each hand. By the time he could run on two feet, he knew the taste of every blade of grass that grew in the swamp.
He had cheated death at least ten times before he was old enough to understand the world. While pampered noble scions were learning etiquette and culture, he was learning hunting and survival firsthand.
So, no matter how harsh the Bednicker family’s notorious training retreat was, he had no reason to be nervous.
They had lived different lives, had different experiences.
The same went for the other cadets.
A systematic curriculum, excellent teachers, priceless spirit pills… 실전, real combat, was a hundred times more important than any of that.
And as long as there were instructors acting as a safety net, this training retreat could never be a perfect simulation of real combat.
Therefore, the words of his respected father, Hyde Woodjack, had come as a surprise to Caron.
—Do not touch the Bednicker bloodline.
It was a piece of advice that felt foreign to Caron.
Until now, Hyde had only ever warned him to be careful of monsters and other beasts—prey, in other words.
Would this training retreat be different?
Would the scions of the Great Families change Caron's preconceived notions about nobles?
In the end, they didn't.
They had supposedly gathered the most talented cadets from all over, but not a single one of them caught Caron’s eye.
With just one exception.
Among the Grand Master Teachers, Caron was particularly impressed by the Hunt Master Teacher, Tanko…
He had heard of his fame as a former Great Warrior, and his teaching methods and content resonated most with Caron.
His skill was beyond question.
Yet, on the very first day, some crazy bastard tried to spar with that same Tanko.
‘Ruan Bednicker?’
Until then, Caron’s attention had been on Hector Bednicker.
But Caron quickly realized that even Hector was no match for him.
‘He’s one of the three children the Iron-Blooded Duke especially cherishes, wasn't he?’
And as far as Caron knew, the name Ruan was not among those three.
‘Perfect.’
This was a chance to witness the skill of the Great Warrior Tanko.
That is, if his opponent could even last a single exchange.
How many of the Great Warrior’s attacks could that scrawny-looking kid withstand?
Caron watched the duel with such thoughts…
…And for the first time in his life, his face hardened at the sight of a peer’s skill.
‘What in the world is that guy…?’
Those without a discerning eye wouldn't understand.
They would think Tanko was overwhelming Ruan from start to finish.
A fool like Hans even claimed that Ruan was receiving special treatment.
Not at all.
Ruan’s physical abilities were certainly not top-tier, but his ability to react was flawless, even in Caron’s eyes.
So much so that even Caron, if he were in Tanko’s position, would have had no choice but to award bonus points.
‘His experience in one-on-one combat is absurdly vast.’
That was the one thing Caron lacked.
Experience fighting other people.
Even considering that, the skill gap between him and the other cadets was so immense that he had never once lost a sparring match…
But even for Caron, it would be impossible to engage in a duel of that level with Tanko.
He knew it instinctively then.
He had to be more wary of that Ruan fellow than of Hector or Seren.
However, the person Caron was watching most closely vanished for a ridiculous reason.
He had wandered into the forest at an unauthorized time and disappeared.
Of course, Caron's instincts told him there was more to the disappearance…
But he felt no need to dig into it.
After that, Caron widened the gap between himself and the other cadets, securing his first-place position. He had no doubt he would graduate with this rank.
*Clang!*
The moment his blade clashed with Hector’s, Caron’s eyes narrowed.
His opponent’s sword felt strangely heavy.
*Screeech.* As their swords remained locked, Hector opened his mouth.
“Do you know the point difference between you and me?”
“Who knows… I don’t really pay attention to the scores of those below me.”
“Thirty-seven points. But the gap would have been much smaller otherwise.”
“Oh. Is that so.”
Caron scoffed openly, but Hector continued without taking offense.
“For the past month, I’ve been losing at least one point every single day, guaranteed.”
“…What?”
“For the last four weeks, my sparring partner has been Hunt Master Teacher Tanko.”
Caron froze.
“You wouldn’t have known. Just as you said, you never once looked back at those chasing you.”
“…”
“Neither did I.”
Hector said.
“Naturally, I never once beat Master Teacher Tanko. Nor did I receive any bonus points for my combat skills like that guy did.”
Hector grinned.
“But in the end, it seems to have been the right choice.”
“…!”
The moment Hector twisted his wrist, Caron’s dagger slid smoothly down the blade of his sword.
Seizing the opportunity, Hector put force into his grip and swung upwards.
*Clang!*
With a clear ring, the dagger went flying.
Caron grimaced, feeling a sharp pain in his wrist.
“Caron Woodjack, it seems I now have the upper hand in one-on-one combat, don’t you think?”