The Shadow's Pursuit
Raon had just finished his regular training and immediately headed toward the indoor training ground.
The other children were panting heavily as they collapsed, but he exhaled lightly and sat down on the chest muscle training machine without a care.
*It’s no wonder this is passed down as a legendary technique.*
His body was exhausted, but the Fire Ring spun around his heart, restoring his stamina and mental strength.
He had pushed his physical limits to the absolute extreme in training, yet he was now moving at full power again. That was why it was called one of the continent’s greatest treasures.
“Huff…”
Raon adjusted the weight five kilograms higher than yesterday and lifted the machine. He moved slowly to properly stimulate his pectoral muscles, expanding the range of motion to the maximum.
*Thud.*
After completing six sets and standing up, a sound came from the adjacent machine—someone sitting down.
*Who is it?*
The only person who usually came around was that odd green-haired man with a pouch stuck to his belly. Curious, Raon turned his head.
*Runaan?*
The person sitting on the next machine was Runaan Sullion, with her long silver hair swept back.
Runaan had set the weight much heavier than Raon’s and began using the machine.
*Whoosh!*
Her posture when lifting the machine was almost identical to Raon’s. It wasn’t about the number of reps or the weight—it was all about focusing on muscle stimulation.
*What is that?*
‘I don’t know.’
Raon stared at Runaan for a moment before leaving. To give his muscles precise stimulation, he moved to another training machine.
“Hup!”
After adjusting the weight, he lifted the machine. He pushed beyond the maximum weight while rotating the Fire Ring.
“Huff!”
Normally, he would subtract ten kilograms from the current weight, but thanks to the Fire Ring, he could lift the full weight and perform more reps.
After training until his arms and chest trembled, he set the machine down, and again, someone sat on the adjacent machine.
*No way?*
He turned his head while lying down. As expected, it was Runaan. She had set an even heavier weight than Raon’s and began lifting.
*Why is she doing this?*
Raon narrowed his eyes. Runaan, who had shown no interest in Rimer or even the trainees, was now following his exact posture with the same machine.
*Is this a coincidence?*
Thinking it over, training the smaller muscles after the larger ones was only natural. He rose, thinking it was just a coincidence.
Just in case, he headed to the shoulder training machine.
*Creak.*
After adjusting the weight and feeling the stimulation on his shoulders, he lifted the machine. After completing one light set, Runaan walked over.
She watched him lower the machine, then sat beside him and adjusted the weight. Again, it was heavier than Raon’s.
“Hup!”
Then, staring straight ahead, she began lifting the machine without hesitation.
*Even after receiving such provocation, he remains silent! How long will he keep his tail tucked like a squirrel?*
*Provocation…?*
Raon turned his head to look at Runaan. She was using the machine while staring straight ahead as if he didn’t exist.
*What is she thinking?*
At first and second, he thought it was coincidence, but seeing her follow him to the shoulder exercises made it clear she was tailing him.
However, he couldn’t read her thoughts. Her eyes were as cold as ice, and the light in them was fierce, making her intentions impossible to discern.
*I don’t know? You’re provoking me by saying you’re better than me. Punch me in the face right now!*
Wrath didn’t care that she was a woman, an adult, or anything else. As his namesake, he was furious about everything.
*Just stay quiet for a bit.*
Raon ignored Wrath’s rage and stood up to begin squatting. As expected, Runaan followed beside him, bending her thighs with an even heavier weight.
“W-what?”
“Why are those two stuck together?”
“Why is Runaan-nim so concerned about that brat?”
The children training in the training ground gathered around Raon and watched Runaan training beside him with their mouths agape.
*Crunch.*
After finishing his sword training, Burren entered the training ground with the other branch families and saw the scene, grinding his teeth.
“Ugh!”
“Runaan, why there…?”
The branch families glared at Runaan training beside Raon.
“Hmm.”
Raon watched Runaan, who was receiving everyone’s attention.
Her silver hair sparkled like moonlight, and her skin was snow-white. Her features were delicate yet sharp. She had a beautiful face that could only be seen in paintings, but her gaze was sharp and devoid of warmth.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
When Runaan finished a set, Raon approached and asked.
“….”
Runaan stared at him for a long time as if seeing a strange creature.
“No.”
She said that and began lifting the machine again, this time with an even heavier weight.
*I don’t know either.*
Raon shrugged and stood from the machine. Since he would soon get bored, he decided to leave her alone and do his own thing.
While he was pondering what to do because his routine had suddenly changed, small footsteps sounded from behind.
When he turned, Runaan was scanning his surroundings with her purple eyes.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
“….”
Runaan didn’t answer and only met his eyes. Her gaze was like a cat that had just woken from a nap.
“Hah.”
Raon exhaled lightly and approached another training machine. Runaan followed him as if waiting and used the same machine.
***
A week had passed since Runaan Sullion began observing Raon Zieghart.
“Hmm.”
The moment she entered the indoor training ground, she found Raon. He was lifting the machine as quickly as always, just like every day.
*It’s heavier than yesterday.*
The weight Raon was lifting had increased by five kilograms compared to yesterday. In fact, that wasn’t strange.
If someone trained diligently, increasing the weight wouldn’t be unusual.
But if the weight increased every day? That wasn’t normal growth.
*How is that possible?*
Most people wouldn’t know, but Raon Zieghart had lifted over ten kilograms in weight during the past week. Even if a child’s growth was fast, that was an impossible number.
*They said he was a patient…*
His face was pale, and his limbs were as thin as twigs. But his will to endure was more stubborn than anyone else in the training ground.
*Is it because of his posture?*
Raon’s posture when lifting the machine was slightly different from others. Perhaps that unusual posture allowed for such growth.
Runaan, having made up her mind, sat on the adjacent machine to the one Raon was using for chest exercises. Then, following the posture Raon showed her, she lifted the machine.
“Hmm.”
She didn’t feel anything special. It was just a bit more muscle stimulation.
*Nothing special.*
Just as she was about to lift the weight in her original posture, she took a deep breath.
*What?*
When she inhaled the unknown cool scent emanating from Raon, the machine she was holding suddenly felt as light as a feather.
*What is this?*
It felt like her strength and agility had increased in an instant. The weight that should have been difficult to lift had become easy.
But the strange sensation disappeared the moment Raon, who had been staring at her for a moment, left.
“Ah…”
Runaan looked at Raon’s back with a regretful expression as he headed to the next machine.
*Could it be?*
Runaan immediately moved to the seat next to him, following Raon. She set the weight even heavier than usual and lifted.
“Ugh…”
It was too much. Lifting the machine was too difficult. But as Raon started exercising and the cool energy flowed out, the weight began to feel lighter again.
*It was real.*
Lifting a machine ten kilograms heavier than what she could normally lift wasn’t just a feeling. It felt like her abilities had truly been enhanced.
“Hup!”
She was pushing the weight beyond her limits, but there was no burden on her shoulders or arms.
After finishing her enjoyable workout, Raon was standing in front of her.
“Do you have something to say?”
The blond-haired, red-eyed boy who carried the Zieghart bloodline asked.
“No.”
Runaan shook her head. Raon glanced at her for a moment before heading to the next machine.
*I have to keep following him.*
Runaan followed Raon’s back with eyes that sparkled like a cat’s.
It was good that she could train with a heavier machine, but the cool scent emanating from him was even more appealing.
***
Rimer climbed the mountain behind the main house of the Zieghart family.
“Tsk.”
The man who was about to step onto the flat rock in the middle of the mountain shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“You come to my nap rock every day. It seems your grandson is worrying you a lot.”
At those words, an old man with a sharp gaze like a sword stood on the rock—Glenn Zieghart.
“….”
Glenn said nothing and stared at the faintly visible mountain ridge.
“Hmph.”
Rimer let out a fart and leaned his back against the rock. The two men stared silently at the falling sun for a long time.
“Sigh. Just ask. Why do you have to hold the weight so tightly?”
Rimer sighed and jumped onto the rock where Glenn was sitting.
“The children are doing well. To be honest, it’s surprisingly intense training.”
“Surprisingly?”
“I entrusted the training to the children’s autonomy.”
“I know that.”
“Actually, how much will the will of children aged twelve to thirteen amount to? I thought most would slack off after a week. But!”
It wasn’t just words. When he first decided on this training, he had planned to select only twenty out of one hundred sixty.
“It seems there will be many more than expected. Thanks to the family head’s grandson.”
“Grandson? Burren?”
“You know everything but pretend not to. It’s Raon.”
“I don’t know what’s happening in the training ground. You said you’d handle it yourself, so why ask me to be careful?”
“Hah, really.”
Rimer scratched his red hair vigorously. The old man waiting because his grandson was worrying him was frustratingly clueless.
“That guy is different from what the family head or Sylvia thinks.”
“What do you mean?”
Glenn’s gaze remained the same, but his voice changed noticeably.
“You’re weak both physically and mentally, so you wanted him to fall quickly so he wouldn’t get hurt, right?”
“I never did that. I only said not to discriminate.”
“Anyway, I tried to drop Raon as quickly as possible.”
A cold wind blew through Rimer’s blue eyes.
“But that kid is a monster. His mental strength isn’t normal. It’s higher than that of a warrior who has survived dozens or hundreds of battlefields.”
Among the countless talents Raon had seen throughout his life, this was special. He had to rub his eyes every morning to check if he was seeing things.
“When training started, Raon was at the bottom of the one hundred sixty, but now, after three weeks, he has settled in the middle. Do you think this is possible?”
“….”
“What I thought was, I imagined Raon wasn’t a patient but was hiding his power. But that’s impossible. His body still flows with vicious cold energy.”
Recently, only Raon’s training drew attention. He poured out his full power in every single moment of training.
“I’m even considering calling Raon alone for private training.”
Since he was giving his all to the carefully prepared training more than anyone else, it was only natural that Raon had grown closer to him.
“Is that all?”
“That guy doesn’t stop even if frost covers his body like a winter tree. The other kids are stimulated by his appearance and train even more enthusiastically. It’s like a stimulant for the fifth training ground.”
“Hmm…”
Glenn scratched his chin with an expressionless face, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t hide the slight upward curve.
“Surprisingly, the number of children who will pass seems significant.”
He muttered that he was tired of it, but his eyes were smiling.
“Doesn’t it put a strain on Raon’s body?”
Glenn was silent for a moment before speaking.
“Hmm…”
Rimer swallowed the saliva he couldn’t hear.
*It’s beyond my expectations.*
Glenn knew Raon was special, but he didn’t expect him to ask directly.
It seemed the affection he couldn’t give to his youngest daughter had transferred to Raon.
“That’s strange. It’s definitely straining, but he recovers surprisingly quickly.”
“Can’t you figure it out properly?”
“That’s right. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone’s potential or condition avoided by the continent’s ten heavens.”
Rimer answered while tilting his head. He had seen others’ potential and conditions better than anyone, but Raon was an exception.
To be honest, Raon was more surprising than Glenn, who had reached the peak of the continent’s strongest.
“Rimer.”
“Yes?”
“You’re not Raon’s personal instructor but the head instructor of the fifth training ground. Don’t just think about Raon—pay attention to all the children who will help the family.”
Glenn spat out words full of dignity and descended the mountain.
“Hah.”
Rimer let out a sigh of disbelief.
“What are you saying while just listening to the Raon story?”