The Gentleman's Duel
Raon woke up the moment dawn broke. Because it was the usual time, his mind naturally cleared without any need to force himself awake.
Yet there was one difference from his usual routine: the message hovering before his eyes.
[Due to Sloth's effect, all stats have increased by a tiny amount.]
A pleasant notification floated there, announcing that his stats had risen.
'I can definitely feel it.'
Because his senses had sharpened, he sensed that his physical abilities had grown, even if only by a small margin.
It was not a large increase compared to when he trained at full power, but it was still a fractional gain below one point. The fact that his stats had climbed this much simply from sleeping defied belief.
'If I hadn't become a Demon King, that would have been it.'
When Las had explained why Sloth had become a Demon King, Raon had wondered how such a thing could happen. It was precisely because of this ability. It claimed that simply sleeping made one stronger. How ridiculous.
'Moreover...'
After Raon rose to his feet, he lightly rotated his shoulders and ankles.
'My body feels lighter too.'
Without any fatigue, his body felt as light as a feather. Although not mentioned in the description, it seemed Sloth possessed the ability to sleep deeply as well.
Crunch.
Las, displeased with all of it, burst out of the bracelet and gnashed his teeth.
-That damn sleepy bastard! You gave me way too much power!
'What?'
-Then what else? Even if the increase is small compared to your training, the feeling should still be there, right?
Las, declaring that Sloth had clearly gone mad, hurled curses one after another.
-Giving such insane abilities to a guy who’s already growing like a monster, later in the Demon Realm I’ll make sure you never sleep again.
'Hmm...'
Raon clicked his tongue.
'Thinking about it, both of them are a bit pitiful.'
Las had been mocked while watching everything, and Sloth had been deceived without knowing the truth. A faint sense of sympathy stirred in Raon for both Demon Kings.
-W-what? Pitiful? How can you say that after doing it yourself! You damn bastard!
'Damn bastard...'
The thought that a human who had heard the word "demon bastard" from a Demon King’s descendant several times was the first time brought a smile to his face.
'Still, this ability isn’t perfect.'
-What? Is there a flaw?
The mention of a flaw made Las’s eyes widen.
'Yeah. A desire to sleep a bit longer has appeared.'
Because of Sloth’s effect, unlike before, the feeling of not wanting to get out of bed sprouted slowly.
-Hmm? You got up right away, didn’t you?
'I have strong willpower, after all. It’s meaningless.'
-Then it means it’s useless for you! Mocking this King again!
Thinking he had been deceived, Las bit his lip and stirred up a cold wind.
'Calm down. You want to hand out stats right after waking up?'
-Uwaaak!
Las let out a strange cry and froze. Even though he was angry, it seemed he did not want to give stats.
"Ah."
Raon chuckled and glanced at the black flower bracelet hanging from his wrist.
'This bracelet contains Sloth’s soul, right?'
-W-when did this King ever say something like that!
'You said yesterday that I took Sloth’s soul. Isn’t this it?'
-Eh...?
Las’s mouth fell open in a daze. Although Raon had seen this guy for a long time, this dumb expression was the first time.
-I-I said that? It can’t be...
Desperately turning his head to hide his expression, but it was useless. Since he could not lie, awkwardly deflecting was also part of it.
'Right. I don’t know what it is, but it’s something that has Sloth’s soul embedded.'
-Krru, your intuition is filthy fast!
Las clenched his fist and turned his head. His eyes glared at him with a fierce gaze.
-That damn guy gave me a soul-embedded item because he liked my slyness! You idiot!
'Indeed.'
Raon shook the two flower bracelets and nodded.
'It’s good that you listened to me.'
Las was not simply giving stats; he was also sprinkling various hints and information with his mouth. It reminded Raon of the wooden pillar that becomes a resting place even after death.
'So what kind of ability is this?'
-I don’t know.
'What?'
-I really don’t know. Not Sloth, but because some of his soul is embedded, the ability will be determined according to your future actions. And...
'And?'
-Hmph! Find out for yourself!
Las let out a fart and turned his body. From his expression, it seemed he would not open his mouth for a while.
'That’s enough.'
Raon smiled contentedly. If Sloth’s soul was embedded, it would be something extraordinary, so just waiting calmly would be fine.
-Just one thing to advise.
Las turned around again. A fierce momentum flowed from his blue eyes.
-If you ever face arrogance, jealousy, greed, you would never have survived. If you met lust, you wouldn’t even be able to collect your bones, and if you were in a place like gluttony, you would have been eaten as is...
'Gluttony isn’t you?'
-Shut up!
The guy could not maintain the serious face and turned back with an irritated gaze.
-Anyway, remember this encounter with the stupid Sloth as your lifelong luck.
Raon wanted to say his lifelong luck was meeting this idiot Las, but he barely held back because it seemed like he would cause a fuss.
-You won’t have such an opportunity again.
'Hmm...'
Raon looked at Las floating in the air and clicked his tongue.
Seeing Las, who had shrunk after using all his power yesterday, strangely, really strangely, a sense of "fool" emanated from the names of the Demon Kings.
'Rather.'
I want to meet him soon?
***
To adapt to the rapidly rising stats over a short period, Raon went to the training ground.
After loosening his body lightly, he swung his sword vertically downward. Accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, the falling blade carved a clear sword mark on the floor.
Even without using aura, the sword wind that naturally bloomed was a miracle created by strength, agility, and fine senses.
Thud!
Stomping on the ground, he stopped the sword midway. The soft flow of the Refining Sword Technique stretching along the horizon. The rippling sword strikes cut through the cold darkness of the early morning.
The moment Raon slightly rotated his ankle, the sword momentum changed drastically. A calm, endlessly flowing river rippled like waves of the sea.
Mad Fang Sword. The fierce sword strikes, like those of a starving beast, slashed through the air and carved red scars.
The training ground floor cracked like a spiderweb from the powerful force waves, and the cool air heated up like summer.
"Huu."
Raon exhaled the rising breath and lowered the sword.
"This is beyond my expectations?"
The power of the increased stats was beyond expectations. Probably, it would take quite a bit of time to perfectly control the strengthened physical abilities.
"Still, it’s good that I can see a path to growth."
In his previous life, he could not see a path to becoming stronger. It felt like walking alone in the darkness, but now it was different. Even if it would take a lot of time, the path to growth was visible, so his heart raced.
"Shall I use it?"
Raon raised the sword again and used the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames to its full power. The heat blooming on his shoulders made the land like eternal snow boil like lava.
Goooooo!
On the blade resembling a snowy plain, bright red flames danced like a snake’s tongue. The flames that covered the entire blade danced in the air, forming a dragon-like shape.
When Raon had two horns on his head, he kicked the ground and thrust the sword.
Kwooooo!
From the center of the training ground that day, the roar of a dragon burst out.
***
At the Lord’s Manor of Zieghart.
"Lord!"
Rimer opened the huge door with a rough force that could shatter it and entered the audience hall.
"That guy. Can’t you lock him up somewhere?"
Glenn frowned at Rimer, who was walking cheerfully.
"If you lock him up, he’ll dig a tunnel and come out."
Roen shook his head with a gentle smile.
"Lord! Did you see this?"
Rimer waved the letter in his hand with a refreshing smile.
"That’s..."
Glenn narrowed his eyes after confirming the wax seal on the letter.
"Why is the report from Habun Castle in your hand?"
"I sneaked it while bringing it to report."
As if it were something to brag about, Rimer laughed loudly.
"You crazy guy."
The disciple of that master. Glenn was saying to Rimer what Las always said to Raon.
"Roen. Throw that guy into the cave right away. Lay iron plates on the floor and ceiling, and don’t let him out under any circumstances."
"Hic! Why, why are you doing this?"
Rimer shook his head quickly and waved the letter.
"Lord, I ran here as fast as possible to deliver Raon’s news to you, so if you do this, it’ll be disappointing!"
"It’s not me, but you want to know, right?"
"Well, that’s true too. Every time I receive a report, it surprises me, so I have no choice but to wait."
Other trainees had shown outstanding performances at their assigned positions, but no one could follow Raon’s achievements.
Raon could tell that the gap between him and the other trainees had widened even just from hearing the reports.
"Then I’ll read it."
"Wait."
Glenn flicked his finger. The letter held in Rimer’s hand floated softly into his palm.
"W-what? Are you using the formless technique to snatch the letter?"
"......"
Rimer let out a dumbfounded laugh, but Glenn did not even look at him and tore open the envelope.
"To see the achievements of my grandson first, using the absolute martial arts..."
The formless technique used just now was not a simple aura manifestation, but one that could only be used by reaching the realm of the ultimate. Raon had not thought that he would use the absolute martial arts to just snatch a letter.
"Hmm..."
Glenn’s mouth corners, as he read the letter straight, shook like a fishing hook floating on the sea.
"W-what content is it that makes you like that?"
"I don’t know well. It’s the first time I’ve seen you like this in a long time."
Although Glenn’s expression did not change much, the two could tell that he was very happy.
"Hmm, nothing special."
Glenn muttered that it was a trivial matter and threw the letter. The flying letter naturally fell in front of Rimer’s feet as if saying "send it quickly."
"Umm..."
"Let’s see it first."
Rimer and Roen nodded their heads and simultaneously looked at the letter.
On the small piece of paper, it was written that Raon had saved Habun Castle again and become the hero of this place, and that everyone in Habun Castle had decided to become Raon’s power.
"Hic!
"Wow..."
The two could not take their eyes off the letter and let out cheers.
"This guy is really something, isn’t he?"
Rimer stood in front of Glenn with his mouth wide open.
"Even if you saved everyone, it’s not a normal thing that even the strict Milland uncle would stand behind Raon! It’s a real achievement!"
"It’s not that special."
Unlike Rimer who was boasting, Glenn shook his head calmly. But he could not hide the twitching corners of his mouth.
"It’s not special?!"
Rimer hardened his expression and continued.
"Habun Castle is the land of warriors. Their loyalty is firm, their beliefs are strong, and their martial prowess is outstanding. Gaining the hearts of such people will become a great power for Raon in the future."
"I agree. Habun Castle is a place with high honor. People who will come to help no matter where Raon goes or what he does."
"That’s something you only know after seeing it."
Unlike Glenn’s blunt words, his mouth kept twitching. It seemed like he could not hold back laughter at the unexpected report.
"Hey, stop holding back and laugh heartily."
Rimer stretched his own mouth corners.
"Why are you using the formless technique to find out the news of your grandson first, and why are you forcing muscles to hide your rising mouth corners? If you showed even one-tenth of sincerity, Raon would hug you saying 'Grandpa!' but you’re really picky like the top in Zieghart... Hic!"
As Rimer was speaking, he screamed and threw his body.
Kwaaang!
The floor he was standing on blackened and he sat down.
"B-brain? Are you really trying to kill me?"
Rimer gulped dry saliva while looking at the floor.
"It’s not bad either."
Glenn slowly stood up. His cheeks were slightly flushed, perhaps because Rimer’s vital point was a bit embarrassing.
"Wait, wait a minute. On this day of my disciple and Lord’s grandson achieving a great feat, if someone dies, it’s bad luck..."
"Creating a sacrifice isn’t bad either."
"S-sacrifice? Me?"
A brain lightning flashed like burning the world from Glenn’s long fingers. When that light was about to reach out, Rimer gritted his teeth and clasped his hands.
"I can’t die like this! Sword Realm Manifestation!"
At Glenn’s hesitation due to the majestic voice, Rimer kicked the ground and opened the door to the audience hall.
"You know you can’t spread this rumor, right? I’ll come back later! I’m leaving now... Eh?"
Rimer, who was boasting and trying to run away, opened his eyes wide. His feet did not touch the ground. His body had floated up, caught in Glenn’s aura.
"H-his Lordship of Zieghart, the most excellent in history. Please forgive me just this once..."
"Roen. Dig a hole in the ground."
Rimer waved his hands like a fly, but Glenn’s gaze sank even colder.
"Today is that guy’s funeral day."
"Uwaaaaaak!"
A yellow lightning struck from the Zieghart audience hall.
***
Raon exhaled slowly as if bored, and opened his eyes. His red eyes, blending composure and seriousness, sank deeply.
'Perfect.'
After adapting to the gradually strengthening body over four months, he raised the achievement level of the newly learned martial arts. As planned, the best body condition was created in four months.
'I can fight deliciously.'
I won’t be able to defeat Milland, but it does not seem like I will lose ugly.
When Raon organized his mind and stood up, the door to the accommodation opened and Dorian entered.
"Master. It’s time!"
He swallowed dry saliva with eyes full of worry and expectation.
"Commander is already out and waiting."
"Got it."
Today was the day of the duel with Commander Milland, who was promised four months ago.
It was fortunate that he could start with the best body condition from the last opportunity in Habun Castle.
"Let’s go."
Raon picked up the sword hanging on the wall and left the accommodation.
"Raon! Win!"
"You have to defeat the commander before leaving!"
"I believe in you!"
Nodding to the soldiers’ cheers and cheers, he entered the training ground. The outside of the training ground was packed with knights, examiners, and soldiers, leaving no room to step.
"Is everything ready?"
Milland, standing in the center of the training ground, sent a plain gaze.
"Thanks to waiting, I’m fully prepared."
Raon smiled and bowed his head.
"Good. It won’t be boring."
Milland threw the thick coat he was wearing. Stomping on the heavy ground, he placed his hand on the sword hilt.
"Then there’s no need to drag it out. Come."
The gentle momentum like spring suddenly turned into a storm, becoming a powerful qi.
Milland’s aura, accumulated over decades on the battlefield, began to oppress his whole body.
Goooooo!
Raon grabbed his trembling hand and resonated the Ring of Fire. Raising his soul’s level, he raised the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames.
Kwoong!
Kicking the ground with power enough to crack the floor, he jumped into Milland’s space. The start was Mad Fang Sword. The crazy beast’s fangs fell like lightning.
Kwaaaang!
The sword strike was impeccable in speed, power, and direction, but Milland just lifted his sword lightly to break Mad Fang Sword’s teeth.
Although the attack was perfectly blocked, Raon’s gaze did not change. Mad Fang Sword was a sense that pierced the enemy’s gaps. This was the start.
Clang! Clang clang!
The silver light unfolding from Raon’s and Milland’s hands collided countless times.
The powerful shockwaves shattered the frozen ground, and the fierce waves clashed and exploded in space, but Milland did not budge an inch. It was truly the stance of an iron man.
"Strength and speed are good, but not sharp enough. Is that all?"
Milland’s voice sank coldly. It was a gaze looking down at the ground from above.
"There is no such thing."
Raon’s pupils had red flames flickering. The flower buds in the sword’s edge bloomed like starlight.
"From now on, it’s the beginning."