Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Alliance
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Thump, thump…
The rolling orb happened to touch the tip of my foot, so I picked it up.
It was nice that the monster’s bodily fluids seemed to vanish along with the halo of light. It wouldn’t be dirty even if I put it in my pocket.
A purple orb.
This meant that the monster I had just happened to run into was the “Master of the Cave” that Seren had mentioned…
No wonder it was so tough.
“Don’t touch it. That’s mine.”
Caron spoke in a low tone, aiming his bow at me.
Hector, startled, stepped in to stop him.
“W-Wait. Hold on.”
“Are you protecting him because he’s your brother? I’m disappointed, Hector Bednicker. Have you forgotten this is a test—?”
“It’s not like that. For now…”
Hector looked at me with a complicated expression.
“Are you… really Ruan?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not an undead, are you?”
“Give me a break. I’m getting tired of that misunderstanding.”
Even though I’d only experienced it once.
“So you were alive…”
“Of course.”
“Then where in the world have you been all this time? What happened to you?”
“…”
I looked at Hector for a moment.
He was a Bednicker, after all. Unlike the others I had lied to, it might be okay to tell him the truth.
If only Caron weren’t here, I might have.
“Let’s talk about that later. For now, I need to achieve my goal.”
“Goal?”
I silently showed him the purple orb.
As expected of someone who grasps situations quickly, Hector’s expression instantly hardened.
“…You’re not satisfied with just that orb; you intend to take both of our purple orbs as well?”
“I’m in a bit of a desperate situation.”
“Ha.”
Caron sneered openly.
“I don’t know where you’ve been rolling around, but with your skills—”
“Shut your mouth and focus, Caron Woodjack.”
Hector warned in a low voice.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll lose all the orbs you have. That guy… he’s stronger than the monster we just defeated.”
“…”
Caron didn’t seem to fully believe Hector’s words.
But he looked at me as if something clicked and asked.
“…Were you the one who wounded the ‘Master of the Cave’?”
“That’s right. You basically stole my prey, so you can’t complain if I attack, can you?”
Just then, Hector interjected.
“Even if we just hand over the orbs?”
“What?”
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Caron whipped his head around to glare at him, and I, too, looked at Hector with slight surprise.
The Hector from not long ago would never have made such a proposal.
It was true that I had dealt a fatal blow to that so-called Master of the Cave…
But the creature had managed to escape just fine in that state.
Meaning the wound wasn’t fatal enough to kill it completely.
Which meant these two had also struggled quite a bit to take it down, yet he was offering to meekly hand over the fruits of their labor to an enemy.
‘Of course, Hector has some idea of my strength.’
The option to give up because he would lose a fight… was something the old Hector would never have considered.
In other words, the current Hector had learned how to swallow his pride.
“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”
I said with a smirk.
Hector’s reaction just now had actually made me more curious.
I wanted to see for myself how he had spent these past four weeks.
“I figured as much.”
Hector let out a sigh.
Clang!
He immediately drew his sword and parried the Seven Sins Sword I swung at him.
*Whew.* A whistle escaped my lips.
The force I felt from the clashing swords was quite formidable.
As we exchanged a brief flurry of blows, I realized Hector’s swordsmanship had improved significantly.
And that wasn’t all.
“Brother, did you happen to spar with the Savage Sword Master?”
“I did.”
I knew it.
No wonder his sword path had a beast-like momentum.
Such savage movements were absent in the old Hector, which was natural since he had only received systematic training under a sword instructor since childhood.
‘Nice.’
Flexibility had been added to his rigid swordsmanship.
Eliminating a weakness was an achievement that could only be gained by realizing and admitting one’s own shortcomings.
Warriors who could honestly accept their own flaws were surprisingly rare.
On the other hand.
*Fwing-!*
I dodged an arrow that flew in during the heat of battle.
“You haven’t grown at all.”
“Who are you to judge me?”
I let out a small laugh and then threw a palm strike at Hector.
Hector instinctively pulled his sword hand back to defend, but the purpose of my palm, imbued with internal energy, was less about destructive power and more about pushing him away.
“Ugh…!”
Hector’s body flew through the air and slammed into the cave wall.
He looked as if he was about to regain his posture immediately, but I had already thrown the Seven Sins Sword.
*Thud!*
Of course, even for me, I had no intention of killing or seriously injuring Hector here.
The Seven Sins Sword appropriately pierced through Hector’s clothes and embedded itself in the wall.
Given the structure of his clothes, it would take him some time to get free.
In the meantime, I dashed toward Caron.
*Fwing- fwing- fwing-.*
Caron shot arrows once more. I dodged two and snatched the third out of the air.
“Ha…! Try catching this one!”
Caron’s lips twisted into a sneer as he shot just one arrow this time.
Its trajectory was almost insultingly straightforward.
‘His traps are so obvious.’
Was it because he’d only been fighting beasts and monsters?
No matter how cunning they were, they couldn’t compare to a person.
I chuckled and decided to play along with this obvious trap.
I caught the incoming arrow with my free hand.
“You fool!”
The moment Caron let out a jeer, I felt heat from the arrow I’d caught.
*Boom!*
A small explosion followed.
As dust obscured my vision, I heard Caron’s voice.
“That’s what you get for foolishly believing your enemy, Ruan Bednicker. That arm is useless n—.”
At that moment, I brushed aside the dust and appeared right in front of Caron.
Seeing Caron’s eyes widen, I wielded the other arrow I was still holding like a dagger.
“Kuh!”
Caron hastily focused on evading.
“You seem desperate to dodge. Is there poison on the arrowhead?”
He didn’t seem to have the leisure to answer.
Meanwhile, I felt a presence from behind; Hector had approached.
“…”
Even though he had flanked me, he showed no sign of attacking easily. He had realized that the opening I’d revealed was a trap.
I continued to attack Caron as I spoke.
“Hey, brother.”
“W-What is it?”
“You’ll get beaten less today. Back off.”
“Huh?”
Hector responded with a rare, dumbfounded voice, so I repeated myself.
“Back off. If you don’t want to die.”
Hector was silent for a moment, then took out the purple orb from his pocket, placed it on the ground, and said.
“…Thanks.”
At that, Caron burst into an incredulous laugh and said.
“These bastards, acting all chummy just because they share the same bl—.”
*Smack!*
I slapped Caron across the cheek with the hand holding the arrow.
“—”
He wore a stunned expression, like someone who had been slapped for the first time.
Well, at this point, maybe it was his first time?
Anyway.
“Now that my brother’s out, you’ll have to take his share of the beating, right?”
“Cut the crap—.”
*Smack!*
“Who do you think I a—.”
*Smack!*
“Would you just listen to m—!”
*Smack! Smack!*
Hector was silent for a moment before speaking.
“I… will go check if the exit is completely blocked.”
“Go ahead.”
“W-Wait! Hector. What about our temporary alli—.”
“I have no memory of such a thing.”
“You son of a bi—.”
*Smack! Smack!*
Hector turned his back heartlessly, pretending not to hear the familiar sounds.
* * *
I had finally secured three purple orbs.
But to achieve my goal, there was still more to do.
I needed to keep the other contenders with similar scores in check.
My current score was 89 points, adding 75 to my initial 14…
I had taken all the purple orbs, worth 25 points each, but the 15 and 20-point orbs were still out there.
This meant that those with scores roughly between 30 and 60 could easily surpass me depending on the orbs they acquired.
I pondered for a moment, and then a brilliant idea struck me.
“Alright, listen up, guys. The three of us are now in a temporary alliance.”
“…”
Caron’s mouth twitched at the words “temporary alliance,” but having just received some physical therapy, he said nothing.
Having often received similar treatment from my master, I could easily recognize the signs.
Hector asked.
“A temporary alliance?”
“Yep. You two want to maintain your high ranks, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Then here’s the plan. First, I’m going to keep taking your orbs.”
The expressions on their faces were a sight to behold.
“That means you two will maintain your current scores until the end of this test.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“It’s simple. If you want to graduate with your current ranks, you’ll have to stop the other Young Lords from collecting any more orbs.”
So, this was my plan.
Every Young Lord participating in the special test would maintain the score they started with.
At my selfish words, Caron spoke in an irritated voice.
“Isn’t that less of an alliance and more of us just cleaning up your mess?”
“You really think so? Hey, Caron. Think carefully. Even with three purple orbs, my score is only 89. I can’t get first place even if I died and came back to life.”
“…”
“My goal is just to make it into the top three. For personal reasons, I absolutely have to graduate. So, it’s fine if brother Hector surpasses my score. I won’t say a thing.”
“Hmm.”
Hector, understanding the true meaning of my words, nodded.
“I see… To get into the top three with my current points, I have no choice but to take all the orbs from the other Young Lords.”
“Exactly. Caron, your point total was 102, right? For example, if Seren gets three indigo orbs, she’ll gain 60 points for a total of 109. You’d lose your first-place spot.”
“…”
“So, while you’re at it, I’m asking you to keep the other Young Lords in check too.”
Only then did Caron seem to realize I wasn’t just spouting nonsense, and he fell into thought for a moment.
Honestly, I could have used my fists to make him submit, but even he must have lines he wouldn’t cross.
He wasn’t a man with low pride, so there was a limit to what beating him into submission could achieve.
As expected, after finishing his thoughts, Caron spoke.
“…If my rank is maintained by doing so, then fine. I accept.”
“Excellent. Then let’s the three of us happily monopolize first, second, and third place.”
I smiled and held out my hand.
“Let’s go, let’s go, fighting!”
“…”
“…”
However, the two most stoic Young Lords in this training assembly did not respond to my cheer.
* * *
Leaving Caron and Hector behind, I left the cave.
Sticking with them wouldn’t have been a bad idea, but I suddenly felt the urge to be alone.
‘Today is Friday…’
The test would end on Monday morning.
That meant I still had three days left.
Three days was both a short and a long time, and in my personal opinion, it was the perfect amount of time for a rest.
When I was engrossed in training on Spirit Mountain, my master would occasionally grant me a vacation, and it was always for exactly three days.
- My master really knows what’s up. A two-night, three-day vacation is the best. One night and two days is too short, and three nights and four days just drags on.
My talkative third martial brother had enthusiastically agreed with me.
Somehow, I felt that opportunities to explore the “Butterfly Forest” like this would be rare in the future, so I decided to treat this place as a decent vacation spot.
First, I designated a cabin east of the camp as my villa and briefly broke away from my disciplined routine.
I’d nap for three or four hours during the day, then find myself unable to sleep at night, staying awake until dawn.
I would also lie on a thick tree branch and count the stars visible through the leaves.
I forgot that I was in the middle of a training assembly, forgot about the Demon King I met in hell, and forgot about the mission given to me.
I didn’t even feel the urge to circulate my energy.
It was a satisfyingly lazy life after a long time, but the only drawback was the food.
When I got hungry, I would catch fish from the stream and roast them, but of course, they weren’t delicious.
I wanted to cleanse my palate with other meats or fruits, but…
Monsters disappeared the moment they were killed, and although the end of winter had passed and the new year had begun, the weather was still chilly, making it hard to pick any fruit.
In any case, I was emotionally very much at peace.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t had a single moment of peace like this since I regressed.’
I wasn’t talking about regressing during the training assembly.
After waking up as the 15-year-old Ruan Bednicker, I had almost no time to rest.
I mean, I almost had my tendons cut the moment I opened my eyes.
After that, I faced death in the Jewel Mountains, and even after returning to the main house, I was swept up in one incident after another.
Truthfully, being a martial artist by nature, I didn’t mind that intense life…
But I also felt that people needed rest.
And being alone like this sometimes seemed like a good thing.
I deliberately avoided other Young Lords whenever I sensed their presence, and I didn’t bother the monsters unless they encroached on my territory.
One day passed, then two… and finally, the morning of the last day of the training assembly arrived.
“…”
Watching the rising sun, I circulated the Flame Arts of the Greatest for the first time in a while.
And I was slightly surprised.
I didn’t know why, but the internal energy in my Dantian had stabilized into an ideal form.
How should I put it?
It felt as though my external and internal arts, which had been out of sync since my regression, had finally achieved harmony in this very moment.
“Ah-.”
I had a sudden realization.
The body, too, needs a period of adaptation. That sometimes, it needs a moment to catch its breath.
*Fwoosh…*
Basking in the morning sun, I began to circulate my energy.
A harmonious body.
And the Flame Arts of the Greatest, having reached this stage.
The total amount of internal energy accumulated through circulation had increased significantly.
While I was at it, I tried melting the Spirit Jade.
“Oh.”
As expected, the process was much faster. At this rate, I would be able to completely melt the Spirit Jade within half a year at the latest.
“Today… I think I’ve taken about two steps forward.”
I chuckled and rose to my feet. The unusually fresh air filled my lungs.
Just four weeks ago, the forest dawn had been quite chilly, but now the air had warmed considerably.
Perhaps spring was on its way.
“……?”
At that moment, my developed senses picked up an undeniable presence.
The owner of the presence was moving stealthily but swiftly through the forest, getting closer to me.
It didn’t seem hostile, at least.
*Fsh-*
Soon, a man in a neat, formal uniform appeared before me.
A familiar face.
“You’re…”
“Collector Zein, at your service.”
“Right.”
Zein bowed respectfully.
For some reason, he seemed much more polite than when we had last met.
“Do you have some business with me?”
“Young Master Ruan, I have been briefed on the general situation by the Head Instructor. I, too, heard the story during the transmission. First, I wish to express my respect for the achievements you have made.”
“…”
As he spoke, Zein bowed his head once more.
When he lifted his face again, I could feel a sense of goodwill directed at me. Getting a Collector's goodwill was a completely different matter from being the Iron-Blooded Duke's son.
Like Keian, these men were attack dogs who, depending on the situation, would draw their blades even on direct blood relatives of the family.
‘As expected of a Bednicker servant.’
Just like the family where only skill and results mattered, those below them had similar inclinations.
I nodded and spoke.
Somehow, I had a feeling I knew why this man had sought me out.
“Outsiders are forbidden from entering during the training assembly.”
“Yes.”
“And yet, for you to appear so openly…”
“…There is only one person in the Bednicker family who can stand above the family law.”
Zein said with a faint smile.
“The Family Head summons you.”