Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The Undefeated Great Warrior
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I didn't know much about the Hunting Master Teacher, Tanko, but I could easily tell the man had not had an easy life in the empire.
He just had that look about him.
A rough way of speaking, rugged features, and the distinct, foreign appearance of a minority tribe from the plains...
I bet that before he earned some renown, he probably lived a life where people picked fights with him at every turn.
“By now, you should understand the importance of points.”
The Hunting Master Teacher said.
“Ruan Bednicker, you currently have 11 points. If you lose to me, that will become 9.”
“I don't mind.”
“Is that so?”
The Hunting Master Teacher glanced behind him.
A few of the knights standing in the back approached and began to observe the other scions' spars.
It seemed to be a measure to prevent the fights from getting too violent.
“I hear you use your fists.”
As expected of a Grand Master Teacher, he had already heard the rumors about my spar with Hector.
As for equipment, I had the Seven Sins Sword, but I had no intention of using it right now.
I didn't have the confidence for it, either.
“That's right.”
“Good. Then I'll face you bare-handed as well.”
His tone was condescending, but this much was okay.
I actually considered it an appropriate penalty for him.
“And I'll only use one hand. That should make things somewhat fair.”
“...”
“Why the long face?”
“Aren't you overdoing it a bit?”
“I'm the one who decides that.”
“Hmm. I suppose so.”
I nodded nonchalantly, but fighting spirit was surging within me.
Setting aside the fact that my opponent was a remarkable man...
When a martial artist is disrespected to this extent, it's only human nature to want to land a punch.
***
One of the things I hate hearing is the bullshit line, 'They can't perform to their full potential in a real fight.'
In the first place, all spars and mock battles are for real combat.
It means that even if you're undefeated in practice, it's meaningless if you can't deliver that performance in a real fight.
Can't perform to your full potential in a real fight?
It's the opposite.
That pathetic display in a real fight *is* their true skill.
However, even I don't deny the necessity of sparring.
“...”
The Hunting Master Teacher had a very unique aura.
Although it was a spar, a ferocious killing intent was radiating from his entire body in waves.
Even I, who knew it was an intentional display, felt tense.
An average scion would probably have trouble keeping their wits about them in front of this man.
*Thump.* The moment the Hunting Master Teacher kicked off the ground, I felt the oppressive pressure of a beast with bulging muscles ramming its body into me.
‘A first strike?’
Unexpected.
In a spar like this, it was customary to let the weaker party attack first.
And this man was an instructor, no less.
‘Ah. Is that why?’
As an instructor who had to teach, perhaps he'd deliberately chosen an unexpected attack rather than a conventional fight.
In fact, even without that reason, this fighting style seemed to suit him.
He didn't have the face of someone who would care about customs or traditions.
I didn't avoid the Hunting Master Teacher's charge and ran to meet him head-on.
The moment the distance between us closed, the Hunting Master Teacher's movements slowed slightly.
I instantly focused on the shift in his center of gravity... and the moment his upper body twisted, I sensed he was about to throw a kick.
*Swoosh-!*
It was an ironclad rule not to use mana in these spars.
Even so, the sound of his kick just now sent a shiver down my spine.
This much speed without mana?
In my past life as a mercenary, I had never seen anyone who had honed their body to this extent.
I'd dodged it by a hair's breadth, but I wasn't sure if I could deflect the next attack so well.
To be honest, it felt like half of it was luck.
‘Or was it?’
Perhaps the Hunting Master Teacher had held back a little.
This time, I didn't feel offended.
Having witnessed his level firsthand, I could accept the difference between an instructor and a scion without any resistance.
If I took a clumsy defensive stance, I'd just get cornered.
But if I fought him head-on, I'd be defeated before five breaths were out.
‘What a shame...’
It would have been more fun to fight with my fully grown body, not this incomplete one.
On the other hand, it was also intriguing.
Fighting a strong opponent under such unfavorable conditions was, in itself, a way to gain a lot of experience.
I ran through a few strategies in my head and bent at the waist.
I decided to first make use of one of my few advantages: my small frame.
*Swoosh.* The instant I darted into his guard, I thrust out an open palm.
I didn't imbue it with internal energy, but the form was that of the White Sun Eclipse's second technique, the Scorching Wheel.
*Thwack.*
The attack landed cleanly.
No matter how tough someone is, taking a blow to the solar plexus without mana reinforcement would make them stagger like this.
For a moment, his entire body was exposed, but I didn't follow up and immediately pulled back.
*Swish.* By a razor-thin margin, the Hunting Master Teacher's hand grazed the tip of my chin.
I didn't just watch his brutish hand move away.
I reached out and grabbed his wrist.
It was his right arm.
‘He used his right arm, which means the one he isn't using is his left.’
He had sealed his own left arm, and I had hold of his right.
Moreover, this close-quarters situation was my favorite fighting distance.
I swung my right hand and slammed it into the Hunting Master Teacher's jaw.
*Crack!*
The Hunting Master Teacher's jaw swelled and turned red.
The first effective hit.
It was proof that the attack had landed properly, but something felt off.
It was his expression.
It wasn't the face of someone who had been caught off guard.
Before I could follow up with another strike.
*Smack.* An intense, searing pain shot through my abdomen.
My vision momentarily went black, and my legs gave out.
Before I could even collect my body and mind, I was kicked away. I rolled twice on the ground and then shot back to my feet.
“Cough.”
A beat later, I exhaled sharply and stared straight ahead.
I saw the Hunting Master Teacher charging at me like a beast.
With no time to recover, I clashed with him.
We exchanged blows at close range.
As I countered his offensive, I realized what had just hit me.
It was his knee.
Not only that, but he also frequently used his elbows as weapons in the exchange.
‘...What a sly old fox.’
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
For the Hunting Master Teacher, not using one arm wasn't much of a penalty.
His primary weapons were his legs all along.
‘A peculiar martial art...’
Is this the unique martial art said to be used by the warriors of the plains?
In any case, whether it was a knee or an elbow, a single hit was painful enough to make my mind go blank.
If he were to add mana to those techniques, every single attack could be called a killing blow.
So, I came to the surprising conclusion that the Hunting Master Teacher's fighting style was similar to my own.
After all, every technique of the White Sun Eclipse was a killing blow.
My combat style mostly consisted of improvisation—or to put it bluntly, brawling—and finishing things off at the decisive moment with the most suitable technique from the White Sun Eclipse.
Finding a commonality between my martial arts and my opponent's, the gears in my head suddenly began to turn at high speed.
I forgot I was in the middle of a fierce battle and became lost in thought.
The latter techniques of the still-incomplete White Sun Eclipse.
It occurred to me that I might find a clue to creating them through this spar.
***
Most of the spars ended quickly.
To be precise, no spar lasted longer than five minutes.
Because they were spars, the attacks were bold, and fights of that nature were bound to conclude quickly one way or another.
“I lost.”
“I have lost...”
“Kugh.”
The losers hung their heads, their faces filled with despair.
Most of those who lost would not be eating dinner tomorrow.
In contrast, the winners' expressions were naturally bright.
The use of points had not yet been fully revealed, but they had realized that, at least in this training retreat, they were as precious as life itself.
“...I... I lost.”
Hector admitted his defeat with a dazed expression.
“A good fight.”
Seren sheathed her sword with a blank face and gave a short bow.
Hector watched her, biting his lip.
His clenched fist trembled.
More than resentment for his opponent, he couldn't stand the shame he felt for himself.
He had boldly declared it in front of Ruan.
That in this training retreat, he would come out on top, that he would definitely achieve something.
How long had it been since that declaration, only for him to suffer such a disgraceful defeat?
“...Were you hiding your strength?”
Call it the pathetic excuse of a loser if you want.
But Hector couldn't shake the feeling that the person before him had suddenly become stronger.
Seren Goodspring.
His opponent, who had no connection whatsoever to a warm spring day, looked at Hector with eyes like chips of ice.
“Of course not.”
“Then you're saying you got this strong in such a short time?”
“Something like that.”
*And I'll keep getting stronger,* she thought, but didn't say the words aloud.
In the first place, Seren possessed the potential to grow stronger faster than anyone else in the world.
She had never revealed the reason to anyone, nor did she intend to.
*-You said you'd tell me some secret if we met again alive.*
‘...Damn it.’
That crazy bastard, he's really lost his mind.
Why did he have to go and say something like that and make things so awkward for me?
...Of course, she was the one who'd brought it up, so there was nothing she could do but curse herself.
Seren clicked her tongue and looked for Ruan.
She was curious who this person of interest was fighting, but she couldn't easily find him.
Then she saw a spot where an unusual number of people had gathered.
Seren walked over.
Fortunately, she didn't have to push through the crowd; the scions parted to the left and right for her.
At times like this, she was a little grateful for the reputation she usually found so cumbersome.
Anyway, beyond the crowd was the Ruan she was looking for... and the Hunting Master Teacher.
“Huh.”
I was wondering which unlucky bastard was fighting an instructor, and it was him?
What could have happened?
Seren knew Ruan was no ordinary guy, but most of the scions here wouldn't know that.
With his reputation at rock bottom, he could have picked anyone he wanted to fight...
‘Was fighting the instructor his intention?’
It was a crazy thought, but knowing that crazy bastard, she felt it was entirely possible.
And Seren, who had been grumbling inwardly, soon stopped her useless thoughts.
“...”
“...”
Instead, she understood why so many people had gathered here, and why they were all silent.
First of all, both of them were fighting bare-handed.
It was strange, considering most of the participants in this spar had chosen weapons like bladeless swords, spears, or wooden swords.
But watching them directly, that question naturally faded away.
For those two, wouldn't it actually be safer to give them wooden swords?
The Hunting Master Teacher, Tanko.
Everyone knew of the Grand Master Teacher's strength, but...
Seren knew a little more about Tanko than the average scion.
That man was an expert not only in hunting, but also in one-on-one combat.
That's because he was a former Great Warrior of the Plains.
To earn the title of Great Warrior on the vast plains, the open lands stretching at the eastern edge of the empire, one had to be the best in every aspect.
In hunting, of course, but also in combat.
One of the trials to become a Great Warrior was to travel across the plains and earn the recognition of the 27 representative tribes.
And the method of earning recognition was, for the most part, combat.
And as far as Seren knew, Tanko had achieved the most victories among all the Great Warriors in history.
‘The Undefeated Great Warrior.’
He wasn't actually undefeated, but it was said that no one ever objected to him being called by that title.
In that case...
Did the spar look so even because Tanko's current identity was that of a Hunting Master Teacher, not a Great Warrior?
Of course, Seren's keen eye had instantly noticed the penalty the Hunting Master Teacher had taken on.
The fact that Tanko wasn't using one of his arms.
*Swoosh!*
Just then, Ruan leaped into the air to dodge the Hunting Master Teacher's kick.
A fatal opening. The Hunting Master Teacher threw a punch.
“Whoa...!”
At that moment, someone let out a gasp of admiration.
Seren's own voice might have been mixed in.
Ruan, who had jumped, twisted his body in mid-air and clung to the Hunting Master Teacher's arm.
To Seren, it looked like a large snake had wrapped itself around the Hunting Master Teacher's arm.
*Crrrack!*
‘A joint lock!’
She was astonished.
Even to Seren's eyes, it was an incredibly precise and refined technique.
At this rate, his shoulder would be dislocated, or worse...
...At that moment, the Hunting Master Teacher slammed his left elbow down onto Ruan's back.
*Crack!*
“Guh.”
Ruan's body fell to the ground. But when he lifted his head, he was wearing a faint smirk.
“You used your left arm.”
“...”
The Hunting Master Teacher looked down at his arm, his face stiff.