Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Good Things Should Be Shared (1)
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"Hmm... I don't know."
For a remark that came after a long silence, it was disappointingly lackluster.
'If he's the one my senior chose, there must be something special about him...'
But Ralph couldn't see anything particularly remarkable in Yuri.
"Still, he uses mana quite efficiently. No wasted movements. Looks like he built a solid foundation from a young age. Whose son is he? Seems like he comes from a respectable family?"
That was the extent of Ralph's assessment of Yuri.
Unaware of when Johan and Yuri had met, Ralph had judged based solely on Yuri's current display.
"Heh heh heh."
At Ralph's evaluation, Johan simply chuckled without a word.
'From a young age, my ass. The kid's only been handling mana for a little over two weeks.'
Yuri was minimizing unnecessary mana expenditure, deploying it only where essential.
It was a mana control method so clean that even a master like Ralph acknowledged it.
What was even more astonishing was that Yuri had figured it out on his own—no teacher involved.
And in a mere two weeks since first encountering mana.
'Eh, must be because he grew up poor. Even saves on mana like it's precious. Tsk tsk.'
Johan inwardly clicked his tongue, dismissing Yuri's innate talent as mere thriftiness.
He then turned his gaze to Yuri's opponent.
At the same time, Johan's lips curled upward.
"Looks like all your grandson inherited from you is that sturdy body."
At Johan's teasing tone, Ralph gave a wry smile.
"...You noticed?"
"I'm not blind. The kid's swinging wildly at empty air right in front of him—how could I not? If he'd inherited even half your old temperament, Yuri's head would've been smashed open and rolling on the ground by now."
"The way you put it..."
"Tsk tsk. How did a guy called the Slaughterer end up with such a softie?"
"......"
"Wait... So you basically set up this spar just because of your grandson?"
"Well, among other things."
"Pffft hah."
As Johan's laughter rang out, Ralph's wry smile deepened.
'This guy Mu...'
The reason Yuri had dodged everything so far was partly because he was quick.
But more fundamentally, it was because the attacking grandson was only throwing attacks that "wouldn't land."
If Mu had gone for a real strike, the spar would've ended the moment it began.
But grandson Mu hadn't.
No, he couldn't.
'Hmm. Even in a spar, he's holding back for the opponent.'
His only son had been frail and gentle, unlike himself.
His mana body arts relied on a robust physique, so his son couldn't inherit them.
That's why he'd been overjoyed when his grandson, a spitting image of himself, was born.
But like his father, the grandson had been born with a gentle nature.
'Gracie, you're fortunate. Your son and grandson... they both take after you completely.'
The son and grandson had inherited the personality of his late wife perfectly.
He didn't dislike their personalities.
It was that gentle disposition that had captivated him at first sight, that he'd loved deeply. How could he resent children who inherited it fully?
However.
'I just wished he'd have some fighting spirit...'
He didn't expect his grandson to harbor a killer instinct like he had in his youth.
He simply wanted him to have some grit.
It was the bare minimum to survive in the Sword Lord's era.
That's why he'd gently coaxed his grandson into sparring Johan's disciple.
He'd hoped a spar might ignite some competitive fire in Mu.
But the disappointing result drew a sigh from him inevitably.
'Still a long way to go. A long way.'
At just thirteen years old.
His grandson's life was only beginning.
Ralph believed he would change with age, but the regret was unavoidable.
Meanwhile, at that moment, Yuri finally noticed something off.
'Well, now?'
His opponent's attacks were fierce and sharp.
Some were even too fast for his senses to track.
Attacks that clearly should've been hard to dodge.
Yet somehow, he evaded them effortlessly.
'What the...? Is he missing on purpose?'
The same situation repeated several times after that.
Yuri kept dodging while observing his opponent's demeanor.
He sensed hesitation in the movements.
It was as if the opponent was deliberately holding back his power.
That was when Yuri became certain.
'This guy's... unable to attack?'
He was just pretending to attack.
Realizing this, the corners of Yuri's mouth twitched upward.
'Oho? Is that how it is?'
The attacks were still destructive and threatening, but now they held no fear.
They wouldn't reach him anyway.
Yuri's eyes gleamed as he shouted.
"Old man! Sword for me too!"
At the cry, Johan grinned.
As if he'd read Yuri's mind.
"Here!"
With a casual flick of Johan's hand, a wooden sword from the edge of the clearing flew toward Yuri—whish!
"Thanks!"
Catching it deftly, Yuri leaped back to create distance and faced Mu.
'I don't know why he can't attack...'
Grip tightening on the wooden sword.
'But if you're gonna keep playing nice, that's fine by me! Because...'
Yuri shot toward Mu.
Grinning wide, he yelled.
"You can't hit, but I can!"
Closing the gap with agile footwork, Yuri leaped high and swung down powerfully.
"This is what they call a freebie!"
Freebie.
Yuri spat out the mercenaries' slang for "free win" with relish.
Johan spat in laughter.
"That idiot. Pffft!"
Yuri didn't hear Johan's mockery.
He was simply convinced his attack would land.
But there were a few facts he hadn't realized.
First, the ten-year-old before him was a genius who'd trained in mana body arts for nearly a decade.
Second, the one who'd laid that foundation was none other than master Ralph.
Third, thanks to exceptional talent and a fine teacher, Mu had already reached unofficial first-grade level.
And decisively, the last one.
The fact he hadn't considered, assured that the opponent's attacks wouldn't reach him.
The reason Johan couldn't help but scoff.
It was simply this.
'...Huh?'
The opponent might not hit him, but that didn't mean his "weapon" wouldn't.
Proving it, Mu's wooden spear slithered like a snake to parry Yuri's wooden sword.
At a speed worlds apart from before!
Boom!
'...?!'
The instant wood clashed, Yuri felt a tearing pain in his grip.
'What the hell kind of power?!'
It was an overhead strike with his full body weight, yet Mu's upward block from below shoved the sword aside.
Effortlessly, almost pathetically so.
'Ah...'
In that moment, Yuri had a gut feeling.
'...I'm screwed?'
And that was Yuri's final memory.
Crack—!
Mu's spear snapped the wooden sword in two, then slammed into Yuri's forehead.
Thwack—!
A bursting sound echoed, and Yuri's body spun backward through the air, flying far away.
Seeing it, Johan clapped.
"Whoa, he flew far."
And just as the words left his mouth, Yuri hit the ground.
Face-first, no less.
Splat—!
After a perfect face-plant, Yuri twitched slightly before going limp like a soaked rag.
Seeing this, Mu dropped the wooden spear, hands trembling.
"D-Did I... kill him?"
Shocked at the thought of having killed someone, Mu's face drained of color.
That was when.
"You...!"
The supposedly dead Yuri sprang up, pointing accusingly at Mu.
"You... that... luring me into letting my guard down by not attacking on purpose...? N-Not bad... I... went easy on you 'cause you're like a little brother... really... it wasn't... this was unfair from the start... c-call it a draw... you, just you wait... later..."
He was speaking, but Yuri's consciousness had already faded.
The words spilling from his mouth were the honest truth from his subconscious.
But Yuri's rambling didn't last long.
Spurt—!
Gushing twin nosebleeds, Yuri's upper body pitched forward.
Thud—!
In the quiet clearing, the sound of his collapse rang out loudly.
All eyes turned to the sprawled Yuri.
Ralph blinked in disbelief.
"...Where'd you pick up such a shameless brat?"
At the question, Johan straightened up.
"He's not my disciple."
"......"
"Absolutely not."
"...Who said otherwise?"
"Anyway, no."
"......"
After vehement denial, Johan approached the fainted Yuri, squatting beside him.
He said to Ralph.
"Congrats. You won the first round."
There was no trace of defeat's bitterness in his voice.
As if he'd known they'd lose.
Ralph, too, had expected victory as a given, so he replied nonchalantly.
"Then when do we start the second round?"
"That's actually why I'm saying this... Mind if we impose on you for a while?"
"Hm?"
"Heh heh. We dunked him in fire, pulled him out—now it's time to temper him."
Saying so, Johan patted the back of Yuri's head—smack smack.
Understanding, Ralph shrugged.
"Do as you like. Even if you train him starting now, I doubt it'll change much."
Hearing that, Johan hoisted Yuri onto his back.
He grinned.
"Who knows? It might make a big difference."
With those words and a cryptic smile, Johan leisurely left the clearing.
* * *
That afternoon.
Drip— drip— drip drip drip—.
Yuri awoke to the sound of light rain.
He quietly sat up and looked around.
The feel of beast hide beneath him.
What seemed like a cave.
The slightly dimmed sky.
The patter of drizzle on leaves and the scent of rain.
As awareness of his situation sank in, his face grew even more blank, an inexplicable frustration welling up inside.
Just as unbearable stuffiness twisted his features.
"How's it feel? To lose."
"Ah......"
The raspy voice from behind.
He knew who it belonged to without deep thought.
No, more accurately, he had no room to care who it was.
Johan's offhand remark revealed the source of the horrific frustration boiling in his chest.
A small sigh escaped Yuri's lips.
"I... lost, huh."
The identity of the frustration weighing on his chest.
It was none other than the sense of defeat.
Defeat.
A word he'd never once considered in his life.
His opponent had years of training, while he'd only begun mana a couple weeks ago.
He hadn't used his avatar.
It was just the first of three rounds, best of two wins!
None of it consoled him.
'I... lost?'
He'd lost.
Fought someone and lost for the first time.
Utterly one-sided.
That fact alone dominated Yuri's soul.
Yuri stared blankly at the falling rain.
His prolonged silence continued.
Johan watched without a word.
Rattle—.
As the rain grew heavier.
Yuri's tightly shut lips finally parted.
"Never again......"
His resolute voice mixed into the heavy downpour.
"I don't want to lose. Ever again."
Yuri's fierce eyes gleamed brightly in the gloom.
Heh—.
Hearing the boy's monologue, Johan's lips curled wide.
And so, from the day of Yuri's unforgettable first defeat in life...
Six months passed.
* * *
By late summer, as spring had faded and the heat began to break, the humid winds turned slightly cooler.
The seasonal shift reached Ralph's home at the foot of the Frostwall Mountains.
One slightly overcast afternoon.
In the spacious backyard clearing, Ralph gazed at the sky, frowning faintly.
"Hmm... Looks like a downpour's coming."
His voice dripped with displeasure.
Not because of the impending rain.
"If it's gonna rain, why haven't those two showed up yet! What the hell are they doing?"
The two guests who'd arrived in spring and stayed six months—Yuri and Johan.
They'd set today as the second spar day, yet they were ten minutes late. They were the culprits behind his irritation.
Mu, noticing his grandfather's foul mood, hesitantly spoke.
"Sh-Should I go look for them?"
"No need. What do you mean 'look for'? If they're any later, just forfeit them."
"But Yuri hyung said he'd definitely win today... I was really looking forward to it..."
"You fool, the one he said he'd beat is you! You should be thinking of winning too!"
"Do I have to? Dad said sometimes losing is part of winning sometimes?"
"Tsk, what a fine thing your father taught you. Tsk tsk."
"I... I don't really want to fight Yuri hyung... Couldn't we just say we lost, Grandpa?"
At his grandson's question, Ralph sighed inwardly.
Somehow, that Yuri had won Mu over completely; Mu followed him like an older brother.
Mu had always disliked fighting, but after hanging with Yuri, he dreaded this spar even more.
A faint pity crossed Ralph's face as he looked at his grandson.
'Mu...'
Superior physique and rapid growth.
Talent that might seem a blessing to others.
But it distanced Mu from peers.
Children's gazes toward Mu always held wariness and fear.
Even older boys, even adults.
Realizing this, Mu couldn't mingle with kids.
In that situation, Yuri treated Mu like a normal kid, or a little brother.
The only one outside family who didn't see him as a monster, who treated him ordinarily.
Even in a spar, Mu didn't want to fight such a person.
Knowing this, Ralph still shook his head.
"No, you can't."
"But..."
"If you concede defeat before even fighting, that's a huge insult to the guy who's prepared for today."
"......"
"Didn't you see? That kid coming back every night looking like shredded rags."
Half a year ago, after the first spar.
Johan had said they'd impose for a while.
But most of Yuri and Johan's time was spent deep in the mountains.
They trained all day in the wilds, and late at night, Johan would carry a half-dead Yuri back.
Every day, without fail.
In truth, they only slept at Ralph's house.
Having seen this daily for six months, Mu could say nothing to his grandfather's words and bowed his head.
And at that moment.
"They're here."
Ralph's gaze turned to one side.