Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Trial by Fire
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The Hunting Master Teacher opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, as if searching for words.
In the meantime, I mulled things over.
Regardless of the current state of the battle, I realized there was little to gain from fighting any longer.
In that case, there was no reason to continue the spar.
“I lost.”
“…”
I wasn’t disappointed by the outcome, but I was disappointed that the spar had turned out this way.
In a spar, a mock battle, it's much harder for the weaker person to defeat the stronger one.
You can't make bold attacks that disregard your own life.
But of course, the moment those constraints are lifted, it's no longer a spar.
“…”
The Hunting Master Teacher looked at me with his stern eyes. He wasn't exactly a man with a pleasant disposition, and something felt off.
Surely he wouldn't pick a fight with me for admitting defeat, would he?
“…Regardless of the process, you lost in the end. That's a two-point deduction.”
“Yes, sir.”
I meekly accepted the deduction.
Naturally, losing two points wasn't pleasant, but I judged that I had gained something more valuable.
To be frank, the spar I just had with the Hunting Master Teacher was the highest-level fight I'd had since my regression.
I feel a bit bad for Keian, who's been trading blows with me all week, but it's the truth.
I also gained some inspiration for the latter forms of the White Sun Eclipse, so from today on, I'll be thinking about new forms while I circulate my energy.
“However…”
“?”
Just then, the Hunting Master Teacher looked at me and spoke.
“The perfection of your martial arts, your adaptability, your perseverance, and the fact that you didn't lose focus and launched a counterattack until the very end… And since you made me go back on my own words, I'll give you three points separately.”
So…
The two-point deduction still stands, and I received an additional three points.
Does that mean my points increased by one in the end?
“Thank you.”
I replied in a dazed voice, but the Hunting Master Teacher had already turned away.
Just then, I felt a piercing gaze from somewhere.
I turned my head and saw a face, a head taller than the others, glaring at me from among the young elites.
That guy's name was…
‘Karon Woodjack?’
The only son of Hyde, known as the Empire's strongest ranger.
We've never spoken, but in a way, he's as famous as Hector or Seren, so I know of him.
‘What are you looking at?’
I mouthed the words, and Karon silently looked away.
What's with that bastard?
* * *
“You were amazing today.”
The day ended, and as I lay in bed, Evan spoke to me.
I replied with my eyes closed.
“What was?”
“You fought the instructor.”
“I lost, though.”
Evan let out a dry laugh.
“Of course you lost. The Hunting Master Teacher is a powerhouse known as the 'Undefeated Great Warrior.' They say everyone in the eastern plains knows of him.”
“I see.”
I wasn't sleepy, but I was in the middle of reviewing today's spar.
Feeling interrupted, I replied with a hint of annoyance, and Evan, perhaps sensing it, fell silent.
‘Hmm.’
I hate having to walk on eggshells around people.
But for now, I remembered my task of getting closer to this guy.
I had no choice but to open my eyes and ask.
“You seemed to have won today.”
“Oh, you saw?”
“No. But if you'd lost, you'd have a gloomy look on your face.”
“That's true.”
Evan grinned and continued.
“My opponent today was the youngest daughter of the Lubieta family.”
“Oh-ho.”
One of the future big shots.
The Lubieta family is one of the most powerful among the Great Families, and their youngest daughter, Charlotte Lubieta, is famous enough for even me to know.
Evan is also famous enough to be known by those in the know, so their match probably drew the attention of the young elites.
“She was strong. To be honest, I won half by luck. I heard she usually uses a blunt weapon, but I don't think the instructors prepared anything like that.”
True, it's easy to make a wooden spear or sword, but making a blunt weapon would be difficult.
A mace would be impossible, and at best, a club would be the limit, right?
“…Still, I won. I proved that my father's martial arts are strong.”
“You learned martial arts from your father?”
“That's right. He's my one and only master.”
Evan said with a voice full of pride.
“Not many people in the world thought highly of my father. To be honest, he never made a name for himself as a martial artist.”
Evan smiled and said.
“But my father is my pride. With the [Raven] he taught me… I will definitely succeed.”
A faint heat emanated from his calm voice.
I know the circumstances under which a person speaks with such a voice.
It's a voice that can only be produced when one holds genuine respect for their master and takes pride in being their disciple.
“…”
I still don't know much about Evan.
What I heard before my regression were mere rumors, and I had only picked up a few things about the Helvin family.
Naturally, I know nothing about the current family head, Evan's father.
But hearing Evan's voice now, I know one thing.
Evan's father must be a good master.
“What do you consider success?”
“Huh?”
Startled by my sudden question, Evan stammered.
“Joining the [Heros], becoming a hero… helping a lot of people… and eventually, driving out the cult and the Demon King to bring peace to the continent?”
Surprisingly, Evan's ultimate goal was similar to mine.
That means, as long as Evan doesn't lose sight of that goal, he will one day become my ally.
“But my immediate goal is to complete this training retreat in one piece.”
“I see. Good luck.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Evan thanked me out of the blue, but this time, I didn't answer and just closed my eyes.
Fortunately, Evan wasn't clueless, so he didn't try to talk anymore.
Soon, only the sound of breathing could be heard in the room. In the quiet stillness, we slowly drifted off to sleep…
…
…
[WAKE UP—! ALL YOUNG ELITES, WAKE UP—!]
…only to open my eyes ten minutes later.
[THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! MONSTERS HAVE INFILTRATED THE CAMP! ALL YOUNG ELITES, PREPARE FOR BATTLE AND ASSEMBLE AT THE TRAINING GROUNDS!]
What the hell is this situation now?
* * *
I quickly straightened my clothes and rushed out of the building.
Thankfully, the instructor's voice had been so loud that most of the young elites had gathered at the training grounds, their faces still heavy with sleep.
Standing on the platform with a calm expression was an instructor I hadn't seen before.
“I am Soymond, one of the instructors. I'll skip the detailed introductions, so for now, focus on the current situation. The magic circle protecting the camp has collapsed for an unknown reason.”
“What?”
The dazed young elites were now wide awake.
“A place with this many people will soon attract the monsters of the forest. The instructors are holding them off at the front line, but some will inevitably slip through.”
Soymond took a deep breath and said.
“You know what I'm trying to say, don't you? Survive, no matter what.”
“…”
“Now, I'm off to join the other instructors.”
I watched Soymond's back as he stepped down from the platform and disappeared into the forest.
The young elites, who had been suppressed by anxiety, finally squeezed out their voices.
“Monsters are coming?”
“I-Isn't this a lie? I heard the magic circle in this Butterfly Forest was created by the great mage Asad. It can't be breached that easily…”
“You're mistaken.”
Hector corrected the foolish-looking young elite—on second glance, it was Karis.
“The range of Lord Asad's barrier only extends to the walls of the main estate. It's unlikely he would have cast a protective spell all the way to the heart of the [Butterfly Forest]. If there is one, it's probably just to prevent us from leaving.”
“Th-That can't be…”
The color drained from Karis's face, turning it a deathly pale.
I agreed with Hector's words, but… separate from that, I was certain this whole situation was another test.
‘There isn't a single instructor here.’
It would be one thing if that instructor, Soymond, hadn't left, but leaving only the young elites behind is strange.
One or two people joining the front line won't drastically change the tide of battle. In that case, it would be more rational for one of them to stay here and take command.
‘Are they trying to test our ability to handle a crisis?’
Considering we'll be fighting the Dark Cult in the future, it's certainly the most important criterion to evaluate.
How many of them have noticed?
It wasn't hard to figure out, but unless you were born with it, it was difficult to remain calm in a situation like this.
It might be different if you had a lot of experience.
‘Experience.’
The one thing the geniuses gathered at this training retreat lack.
And a life-or-death struggle is the perfect way to explosively gain that experience.
‘Twenty percent…’
The death rate of the Bednicker Family's training retreat.
At least twenty percent of the young elites here will die.
So, at this moment, no matter which young elite faces a life-threatening crisis, the instructors will not intervene.
I'm starting to get a feel for the direction this training retreat is heading.
*Rumble…*
Just then, an eerie presence was felt from beyond the forest.
The young elites drew their weapons, their faces pale, but their legs were already backing away.
But not all of them.
There were some who entered a battle stance without panicking.
From what I could tell, the quickest to move was Karon Woodjack.
He had the air of someone who had crossed the line between life and death since he was young. He seemed to be the only young elite who fulfilled the aforementioned criterion of experience.
Behind him were familiar faces like Hector, Seren, and Evan.
Looking at them now, they were the top talents who had received bonus points in the last run.
I didn't join them.
They're the type to do well on their own anyway. It would be better for me to do my own thing.
‘This is a good opportunity for me, too.’
I drew the Seven Sins Sword from my waist.
Its appearance is pretty shabby, but it's a relic of the Nameless King, so it won't break just from being swung around.
*CRACK!*
Just then, a giant tree collapsed, and a monster finally revealed itself.
“It's here!”
“Wh-What in the world is that—”
“Ugh…!”
It was a creature that looked like a centipede, but it was the size of a house.
And it wasn't just one; it appeared with a swarm of smaller younglings clinging to it.
They're disgusting even when they're the size of a finger, but now they were unnecessarily large, which was nauseating.
The young elites were startled by this impressive sight, but thankfully, no one seemed to be panicking like an idiot.
The instructors may have treated them all like greenhorns, but that was just to set the mood…
Objectively speaking, the kids gathered for this training retreat are indeed outstanding.
*Rumble!*
The swarm of young centipedes was the first to charge.
“Damn it!”
“We have to fight!”
Seeing this, the young elites drew their weapons.
They probably intend to fight in a way they're comfortable with for now, but it will be hard to keep that up until the end.
At some point during this engagement, a crisis will arise…
And to overcome that crisis, they'll have to mobilize every means at their disposal.
So the reason the instructors staged this whole show is because they want the young elites to quickly adapt to the mysterious power known as the Blessing.
Thinking that far, I couldn't help but pause for a moment.
‘What about me?’
I also received a Blessing.
I definitely received one, but I still don't know what my Blessing is.
Compared to the others, I haven't even reached the starting line.
And yet, I acted all high and mighty, looking down on the other young elites.
- *Do not be arrogant.*
Perhaps this very thought is arrogance, hubris even.
“Hooo—”
I recalled my master's advice and calmed my mind.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Perhaps during this training retreat…
I, too, should be trying to figure out how to use my Blessing.