The Fifth Expert Falls
Raon lay sprawled on the ground, staring up at Garnet with his eyes rolled back, and clicked his tongue.
‘What an idiot.’
Ignoring the power contained in his sword, he flaunted his style by slightly twisting the blade.
Since such pathetic technique couldn't possibly work, he was pushed by the force of his own sword and hit his forehead, passing out with drool dripping from his mouth.
‘I thought it would be fun, but he's an idiot.’
Raon looked at Garnet's swollen forehead and turned away.
"What... this..."
Burren was the first to catch his eye. With green eyes twisted in shock, he let out a breath.
"What have you been doing for the past year!"
He jumped up and shouted. It seemed he was in awe of the scene where Raon's strength alone shattered the opponent's flow.
The other Jungmu Pavilion experts also had their mouths agape in daze, but their reactions were a bit different.
"W-what is this..."
"He got hit by his own sword and passed out?"
"You idiot!"
"Sigh!"
"Tsk tsk."
They sighed and cursed, saying Garnet had done something stupid, unlike Burren.
The fact that Garnet had done something stupid was true, but no matter who was there, the result would have been the same.
"Next."
Raon, with eyes wide open, turned his head to the training instructor Leff.
"I haven't warmed up yet."
"Of course! We haven't started either! Dolan!"
Upon Leff's call, the blue-haired expert in the middle stood up. He looked strong with good build.
"Face Raon."
"Yes!"
Dolan stepped onto the training ground. His size was almost like an orc, blocking the view behind. He frowned at the carried Garnet.
"Don't look at me the same as that idiot. If you get complacent, you'll regret it."
"I don't have a personality that gets complacent."
"Good. Come!"
Raon nodded and stomped the ground. Like when he defeated Garnet, he swung the sword high into the sky and brought it down. The explosive force was contained in the sword strike, falling like lightning.
"Hng!"
Dolan raised his sword to block before receiving the maximum force of the falling training sword. A good defensive method against Raon's strong power.
‘Still no.’
Raon slightly twisted the direction of the sword. The blade, aimed at the center, fell just a half-step up onto Dolan's sword.
Kyaang!
At the moment the swords clashed, Dolan's training sword shattered completely.
"Eh!"
Dolan's eyes widened in surprise at the broken sword. But it was too late.
Ppeoeoeok!
Raon quickly spun the training sword and brought it down on Dolan's head.
A sound like breaking stone echoed, and Dolan rolled his eyes and fell. His large body toppled, scattering the sand on the training ground.
"No difference."
Raon clicked his tongue at the twitching Dolan. He had fully guarded against his power, but not his technique. Thanks to that, by slightly twisting the sword path, he could shatter the weak point of the training sword.
"Without aura, in that split second, you aimed at the weakness?"
Burren's voice rang out. He had properly seen it and understood the situation.
"What kind of guy is this..."
So he was even more surprised, biting his own fingers.
"Hmm..."
Listening to Burren's praise, he looked at the experts. His eyes were spinning, not knowing that Dolan would fall in one hit. His expression was half out of his mind.
"Ended it in one strike again."
Raon looked at the dazed Leff and smiled faintly.
"Call the next opponent."
***
At the midpoint of Bukmang Mountain.
Glenn and Rimer stood side by side on a grand rock that looked like a tiger roaring.
"Lord. Do you know that Raon went to the Jungmu Pavilion for training?"
Rimer shook the document he took out of his pocket and laughed.
"I know."
Glenn nodded slightly, as if it was nothing.
"Then do you know why that guy went to the Jungmu Pavilion?"
Rimer looked towards the west where the Jungmu Pavilion was and clicked his tongue.
"He went to pick a fight with the Jungmu Pavilion."
"Fight?"
"I expected some, but I never imagined he'd cause an accident on the first day of training."
Karun had shown his dislike for Raon openly many times, but he never imagined he'd charge head-on without running away.
Raon Zieghart was an onion-like kid who showed different sides no matter how many times you peeled.
"His disciples are really something."
Rimer muttered that his master must be handsome and laughed.
"What did he do today to cause an accident?"
Glenn turned around for the first time. His eyes narrowed slightly as if to hurry him up.
"That crazy guy today... ah, he won't tell!"
"..."
"Lord doesn't tell even though you ask... kheuk!"
As Rimer was speaking, his face turned and he fell. Glenn couldn't hold back and slapped him with a non-physical strike.
"Kueuk..."
Rimer grabbed his jaw and trembled. It seemed he was hit properly, the world spinning.
"Hit? Hit now? This is too much! What country is it that slapping with non-physical if you don't tell..."
"If you don't want to be hit again, tell quickly."
Glenn's eyes burned red. If he didn't speak, he'd really throw the second punch.
"Ah, I understand."
Rimer exhaled roughly and stood up.
‘If you're so precious about your grandson, show it a bit!’
If the person who slaps with non-physical for not telling about Raon really values his grandson, he should cherish him. He was worried it would end without telling.
"Quickly tell."
"Raon that guy, right after starting training today, smashed all the training equipment prepared in the Jungmu Pavilion. And..."
Rimer told how Raon happily smashed the training tools in the Jungmu Pavilion and beat the inspectors who were running, sending them to the infirmary.
"He almost died from laughing while trying to escape Urek's hand after breaking things with strength and saying he was cheated!"
He said he had to see Urek's expression himself and laughed.
Hut.
"Eh? Lord laughed just now!"
"What laughing."
Glenn turned his head, but the slightly raised corners of his mouth couldn't be hidden.
"Seeing you laugh from outside, it seems you'll live long and have many things to see."
"Shut up. But how did you know that?"
"Except Karun, all the strong ones in the Jungmu Pavilion went on missions. They were hiding against the walls to avoid the surveillance eyes."
Rimer laughed as if it was nothing.
"Anyway, Raon is really something to see. He went into the enemy camp openly and caused an accident, then slipped out like a minnow. More than Lord when he was young."
"That was possible because the Jeonma Division and Battle Thunder Squad were out. If they were there, it would have been blocked earlier."
"So you sent your second son too? To take care of your grandson?"
Raon saw Karun leaving the Jungmu Pavilion with his guards when he returned. From the situation, it seemed Glenn was sending him.
"Not a word. I sent him to reduce unnecessary sacrifices on the battlefield."
Glenn waved his hand saying it was unnecessary, but from that reaction, his true intention could be seen. He truly valued Raon and Sylvia.
"Raon returning. It's really fun every day. I look forward to what accident he'll cause tomorrow."
Rimer muttered that now that Karun is gone, he could openly watch.
"The next accident is already happening."
"Eh?"
Glenn looked towards the direction of the Jungmu Pavilion and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
"He's currently beating up the idiots who are obsessed with outer appearance and name value."
***
Kwoong!
The blue-haired expert fell outside the training ground with his tongue out. In the center of the training ground filled with heavy silence, Raon laughed.
"Five."
He had defeated five more in the same way as the one who just fell.
It wasn't difficult to defeat the Jungmu Pavilion experts in one strike because not only physical ability but also sword skill was superior to Raon's.
"Eh..."
"Is, is this a dream?"
"Five lost? Just with sword skill?"
"Is that sword skill? Just a downward strike!"
"He didn't just do one downward strike, five couldn't block it! You idiot!"
The people watching the duel could no longer ignore the experts Raon defeated. They accepted that Raon's sword and physical ability were superior to theirs.
"What kind of guy is this..."
"He wasn't that bad even when fighting with Rayden."
"What did he do in Habun Castle? Are all those rumors true?"
"Damn! Without aura, I can't win..."
The experts glanced at Raon and swallowed dry saliva. Everyone lowered their heads, unwilling to fight him.
"Hah..."
Burren exhaled a breath and frowned. Unable to hide his surprise, his eyebrows lowered, but his eyes were sparkling blue.
He was clearly thinking of a way to counter Raon's downward strike filled with power without aura.
Burren was the only one here with fighting spirit.
"Next?"
Raon put his sword on his shoulder and called the next person, but no one came.
"If none, then stop..."
"Can I do it?"
Clicking his tongue, he was about to step down from the training ground when a voice came from behind. Turning around, a young man with one eye covered by hair raised his hand.
"You are..."
The aura was tightly wrapped, different from the other experts with unusual hair shape. He remembered the name from Judiel's document.
‘Horaine.’
One of the two vice commanders of the Battle Thunder Squad in the Jungmu Pavilion. He was said to have surpassed Expert High-Class, and indeed, he was releasing qi different from the previous experts.
‘Good.’
Finally, a worthy opponent appeared. Raon turned his body and nodded.
"Of course."
"It feels good."
He laughed and stepped onto the training ground. Behind him was Urek, the chief administrator he had seen earlier. Probably he had called Horaine who was training elsewhere.
"You're fighting without aura?"
Horaine asked while putting on the blue jade bracelet himself.
"Yes."
"This is also fun."
With that said, he drew his training sword.
"Don't give up first."
"H, Horaine-nim!"
"It can't be! You might get hit in one strike!"
When he said he wouldn't give up first, the Jungmu Pavilion experts came out in a group to stop Horaine.
"You're an idiot. You Jungmu Pavilion guys who got hit like that. You're giving up first!"
Horaine glared at the Jungmu Pavilion experts with cold eyes and turned his head.
"Come."
"I won't refuse."
Raon stomped the ground hard enough to make the training ground shake. In the blink of an eye, he tore through Horaine's space and swung the sword down.
Chiing!
It was the sword strike that no one had blocked so far, but Horaine twisted the sword at the exact moment to perfectly deflect it.
"Wow, the power is amazing. I almost dislocated my shoulder."
Laughing leisurely, he swung the sword he had spun.
Uwoong!
Although no aura was attached, the sword tip was trembling. It was a sword technique of change that if you misjudge the aiming direction, you'd get hit.
‘It was said he has strong pride.’
According to Judiel's info, Horaine had a personality with strong pride. So the place he would aim was obvious.
Jjeoreong!
Raon unfolded the Refining Sword Technique and perfectly blocked the forehead that Horaine's sword was aiming for.
"You block as if you knew it all."
"Because it's obvious."
"Arrogant."
Horaine's eyes sparkled fiercely. He bent his waist like a wolf and leaped to bring down the sword. Again, the sword tip was trembling, making the direction unpredictable. It seemed to be his sword technique's characteristic.
Raon didn't retreat and focused his awareness. The change in the sword tip that shook like wind-blown leaves was the smallest right before attacking.
‘Now!’
At the moment the sword tip's change became visible, Raon's sword shot out like lightning.
Jjeoreong!
The training sword that deflected the sword strike with change brushed past Horaine's waist. He aimed for the abdomen, but in that time, he twisted his body in the air and stopped at the point of touching, which was good because he wasn't just a vice commander.
"Raon Zieghart, right?"
Horaine exhaled a breath looking at the torn side.
"You're not normal."
Laughing, he rushed again. Faster and more varied footwork than before. He was moving on the right and left even though he was in front.
‘But I've already seen it.’
The sense of higher value than strength didn't miss the enemy's movement without opening the senses with aura.
Raon swung the sword towards the direction the sense was pointing.
Kyaaraang!
Horaine, who was approaching for a sneak attack, hurriedly spun the sword to defend.
‘No need to miss this opportunity.’
Chasing Horaine retreating with quick steps, he unfolded the Mad Fang Sword one after another. Fierce sword strikes like a beast's claws hunting the prey's back.
Kong! Kyaegyaegang!
Horaine kept defending without being able to reverse the pushed position once.
"Mad..."
His expression showed clear panic, not predicting this situation.
If he was the end of Expert, then he was the end too. His physical ability was superior, so there was no reason to be pushed.
Hwook!
Raon inhaled Horaine's anxiety and drew the sword horizontally.
Jjeoreoeng!
With a sound like crushing iron, Horaine's sword bounced and stuck into the ground.
....
No one in the training ground was making any sound. Urek who brought Horaine, Leff who was judging, and Burren who was watching with gritted teeth couldn't open their mouths.
"Hah, I lost."
The first to regain his senses was Horaine himself. With an incredulous laugh, he looked at himself.
"You really fought without aura? Your power is at the level of an Ogre."
Horaine grabbed his trembling wrist and scanned his body. An expression of disbelief.
"Huh! H, Horaine-nim lost too?"
"Is this possible?"
"This is a guy who just became an expert..."
"Eh..."
The watching experts barely regained their senses and trembled their lips.
"Hmm..."
Horaine maintained his smile and looked at the experts one by one, then approached.
"First, I lost, that's it. Want a rematch?"
He pulled out the sword stuck in the ground and put it on his shoulder.
"It's not an excuse, but my sword skill relies quite a bit on aura. How about it?"
That's what he said. He was an expert using Change and Illusion. If he used aura, it would be a different level.
"Very good."
"It feels good too. It's the opposite of what I heard."
When Raon nodded, Horaine smiled and took off the blue jade handcuffs. When the dam blocking the aura broke, his momentum exerted overwhelming waves that crushed the skin.
Gooooooo!
Horaine's qi wrapped around the entire training ground beyond the duel field like a living creature. As expected, Expert Peak-Class. It was a gaze looking at the Master.
‘There.’
His aura was not ordinary. It was an attribute aura with coldness similar to Runaan's. The heat in the training ground was pushed back by his aura and cooled.
"Even if you regret it, it's too late."
Horaine raised his chin and lifted the corners of his mouth. It seemed he thought he would definitely win if he had aura.
"Regret?"
Raon laughed and pulled up the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames suppressed by the blue jade. The blazing red flames rose and crushed the cold in the training ground.
Kugugugu!
The waves of flames spreading from his feet melted the rocks and sand and wrapped the space.
"What..."
Horaine's eyes shook like a blue fish in the massive qi that didn't lose even a little to him.
"Did you think you would win with aura?"
Red light appeared in Raon's eyes. He raised the sword burning with red flames and aimed at Horaine.
"Here. I'll tell you who regrets."