A Gift That Can Only Be Given Here
As the silt settled and the sea reclaimed its emerald hue, Derus Robert rose from the water.
Mud streaked his face, and unlike his usual composure, it was filled with something chilling and deeply unnatural.
"KRAAAAAAAH!"
Derus Robert threw his head back and unleashed a monstrous roar at the sky. The entire sea heaved, and dozens of waterspouts erupted from its surface. They collided, fused, and became a black storm that swept across the ocean in every direction.
The colossal tempest ripped fish and monsters from the nearby waters and tore trees from the land by their roots, grinding them to pulp before it finally began to subside.
Amid a rain of blood and shredded flesh, Derus Robert descended onto the beach. A crimson downpour still fell from the sky, yet not a single droplet touched his body or his face.
Even after reducing both land and sea to ruin, Derus's rigid expression did not ease. A coldness so intense it was hard to look at gleamed in his eyes. He turned toward the ocean, where a massive tsunami still surged, and ground his teeth.
"Damn it..."
He had descended all the way to the deep sea and examined the dungeon's wreckage, but the presence of the relic and the spiritual beast he had sensed before was nowhere to be found. He had searched for the corpses afterward, yet in that brief span of time they had been torn apart by deep-sea fish and monsters until only bones remained. He couldn't even identify them, let alone determine how they had died.
There had been one relatively intact corpse, but it bore only the crushed wounds of bone and flesh from the dungeon's collapse.
I didn't salvage a single thing.
He had lost Matio, Cosini, and the rest of the Shadows. The relic and the spiritual beast had vanished, and he couldn't even grasp what had happened. It was the worst possible outcome—one he had never even imagined.
But one thing is certain. This was the work of a human.
Matio, with his strong sense of duty, might have been a different story. But Cosini, whose specialty is mental manipulation, would never have died to some spiritual beast. If he'd thought he couldn't take it, he would have found a way to escape. The fact that the relic and the spiritual beast's presence both vanished means another human—or another faction—intervened. That's certain.
Who the hell was it?
To slip past Matio and Cosini's senses, kill everyone, and walk off with both the spiritual beast and the relic—that's no ordinary expert. At minimum, they have to be Grandmaster-level.
"Come out."
At Derus's call, the Shadows who had been hiding in the sand urgently burst forth and dropped to their knees.
"Has anyone passed through this area?"
"No one except the residents of the nearby village, my lord."
The Shadows bowed their heads and recited the names and descriptions of the villagers who had come through.
"Useless trash."
"Ah..."
"Uh..."
At Derus's rough gesture, the Shadows' bodies froze in place. They didn't even have time to scream before they crumbled into red powder and scattered across the sand.
"My lord."
Rezel, who had arrived late and been waiting, bowed his head and offered a pristine white towel. Derus removed his upper garments and gloves and wiped the mud caked on his face and body.
"M-my lord! There's blood..."
Rezel's jaw trembled as he saw the bright red blood staining the towel Derus had used.
"I'm not injured."
Derus narrowed his eyes as he watched blood drip from the sword scar etched into the back of his hand.
Should I call it mysterious?
Whenever he suffered a loss or a problem arose, this old wound would well with blood and inflict a deep, searing pain. Whether by coincidence or fate, it was a truly strange phenomenon.
"Rezel."
"Yes, my lord."
"Investigate the surrounding villages. No—search the entire Robert domain. Find anyone whose movements are even slightly unusual."
"Understood."
Even though it was a nearly impossible task, Rezel bowed his head with composure.
Derus sucked the blood from the back of his hand into his mouth, a chilling smile playing on his lips. A pitch-black aura slowly coiled from his eyes.
Even if you flee to the ends of the continent, I will find you. I will never let you go.
The forest near Motrun City.
A fierce wind split the dawn air. The source of that wind was Dorian, striking with his sword in a small clearing among the trees.
Every time he swung, cold sweat rolled down his forehead. This was Single-Strike Focus training—executing each form of his swordsmanship with the same extreme concentration he would use in actual combat. The sound of Dorian's sword wind, which had begun at dawn, only ceased once the sun had reached the center of the sky.
"Haaah..."
Dorian let out a long breath and lowered his sword.
The Vice Leader was right. The stronger you get, the harder swordsmanship becomes.
Swordsmanship, which ought to become easier and simpler as one grew stronger, instead erected new walls with every stage of growth. This must be why they said there was no end to the martial path.
When am I ever going to grow?
He had trained his swordsmanship steadily throughout his stay here so he wouldn't fall behind the other swordsmen of the house, but the more he trained, the less he understood what swordsmanship even was. He was definitely growing, but his mind was growing more tangled by the day.
I should eat first.
He had trained from dawn until midday, and his stomach was rumbling like thunder. After eating the lunchbox he'd brought from the inn, he leaned his back against a tree.
When is the Vice Leader coming back, anyway?
A long time had passed since Raon had left, and he showed no sign of returning. He hadn't even said where he was going, so Dorian was a little worried. Not about Raon, of course—about the other people who might get tangled up with him.
Dorian swallowed dryly as he gazed at the sky, where sunlight filtered down in dappled patterns.
Don't tell me... he's not picking a fight with the Six Kings and Five Demons and coming back, is he?
The Raon he had known so far was a man for whom the word "reckless" was a perfect fit. He'd stormed into an auction house and stolen items, threatened a foreign princess, leapt over castle walls to slaughter monsters, and come back having gained weight after being kidnapped by the Five Demons. Given all that, it wasn't entirely unthinkable.
"N-no way! That can't be it."
Dorian shook his head vigorously, gripped his sword, and stood up.
I'll just train.
To banish his stray thoughts, he unfolded the newly learned Meteor Swordsmanship and poured his entire mind into it.
Dorian swung his sword using the Single-Strike Focus method until the sun set, then collapsed onto the ground.
"Haaah..."
This should be enough, right?
The truth was, he wasn't training his swordsmanship to keep from falling behind. He was doing it because he was terrified of Raon.
I have no idea what he'll say when he gets back.
He might say Dorian's skill hadn't improved and put him through concentration-enhancement training, or demand a spar. That was why Dorian had been training with everything he had.
At this level, even that demon of a man won't have anything to complain about.
He had been training from before sunrise until night ever since arriving here, and his skill had improved noticeably. With this much growth, even a training maniac like Raon would surely praise him.
That's enough for today.
Dorian sheathed his sword with a satisfied smile and stood up. Just as he finished tidying the clearing and was about to return to the inn, a crisp round of applause rang out.
"W-who's there?!"
Dorian's jaw trembled as he drew his sword—and a tall red-haired man dropped down from the tree above.
"Huh?"
Dorian's mouth fell open. The hair and eye color were different, but there was no mistaking who it was.
"Vice Leader!"
"You recognized me right away?"
"Of course I did!"
He had seen Raon countless times. Even in disguise, there was no way he wouldn't recognize him.
"Did everything go well, wherever you went?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you, it went perfectly."
Raon nodded, shaking his Subspace Pouch.
"That's a relief. But where did you..."
"Never mind that."
Raon cut him off, looking Dorian up and down.
"I'm genuinely moved right now."
"Huh?"
Dorian's mouth formed a round O, not understanding.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden..."
"I thought you'd be loafing around here eating and playing. I never expected you to be training this hard."
Raon smiled softly, as if impressed.
"Ah..."
Dorian scratched the back of his head and ducked his chin.
He was watching me? Yes!
Today, aside from mealtimes, he had done nothing but swing his sword. If Raon had seen that, even that demon king of a man would have no choice but to acknowledge him.
"Your skill has improved quite a bit. That means you haven't just been training today—you've been at it consistently. There's power and principle in your swordsmanship now."
"N-no, not at all."
Dorian grinned, flushed with the thrill of being recognized and the relief that he wouldn't have to do extra training for Raon.
"It's just like you said, Vice Leader. The stronger you get, the harder the sword becomes. I still have a long way to go."
"Khh!"
Raon let out a sound of satisfaction, as if he'd just downed a mug of beer.
"That's impressive."
Seeing that broad smile, Dorian felt his plan had worked perfectly.
"I'll keep giving it my all in training from now on!"
"That's a great attitude. I think I should give you a gift."
"A souvenir? Then let's go. We can catch up today and..."
"Hmm? Go where?"
Just as Dorian turned around with an excited smile, Raon caught his shoulder.
"T-to the inn, of course. It's getting late."
"No. I said I was giving you a gift."
"You can give me the gift at the inn..."
"Can't. This is a gift I can only give here."
"W-what's the gift?"
Raon grinned and pointed a finger at himself.
"You're insane..."
Dorian's mouth fell open and a curse slipped out.
"W-why a spar all of a sudden..."
"You've been training so hard on your own that I just can't leave you be. I'll help you break through that wall you're stuck on."
"I'm fine! I can break through it myself..."
"No. Once you take a few hits—I mean, once we spar a bit, you'll improve."
Raon drew the Heavenly Sky Sword as if eager to get started.
"You just said you'd give it your all from now on, didn't you? Not from now on—let's start right now."
"...I've been training all day."
"Then this is the perfect time for your true skill to come out. Draw your sword."
"W-wait..."
The situation was unfolding in the exact opposite direction of his plan to improve his skill so he wouldn't have to spar or do concentration-enhancement training.
Why. Why did it turn out like this?!
Dorian's lips trembled as he lifted his head and looked into Raon's eyes. The moment he saw those eyes blazing with crimson madness, he understood.
Ah. Right. This guy was a lunatic all along...
Raon's education—or rather, beating—inspired by Dorian's passion, only ended the following morning.
"Hnnnngh..."
Dorian lay sprawled on the ground like a wet rag, gasping for breath.
"I-I'm gonna die..."
He dropped the sword in his hand, as if declaring he was done.
"Go ahead and kill me. I don't even have the strength to twitch a finger."
Raon chuckled at the sight of Dorian, his belly puffed out like a frog's.
"I was going to stop anyway."
He nodded and sheathed the Heavenly Sky Sword. After training all day and sparring all night, of course Dorian was exhausted.
"Good work."
"...I thought you were going to say we should keep going."
"Want to?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
Dorian shot up and shook his head so fast it was almost invisible.
"Any more than this and you'd risk injury. Though you still look like you've got energy to spare."
"I-I don't!"
He flopped back down and panted.
How pathetic.
Wrath shook his head as he looked at Dorian.
To think a fellow like that is a subordinate of This King...
Still, it's admirable that he trained on his own.
Raon let out a faint laugh as he sensed Dorian's grown presence. He'd told Dorian to take it easy because he didn't want to add pressure when the boy was heading back to a house that only ever gave him a hard time. The fact that Dorian had trained this whole time was genuinely impressive.
Originally, Raon had planned to consume the core and the Ocean Spirit Flower and begin cultivating immediately, but Dorian's achievement had been so surprising that he'd used the spar to lay a foundation for even greater growth.
Should I help him a little more?
He reached into his Subspace Pouch, snapped off one of the Ocean Spirit Flower's leaves, and held it out to Dorian.
"What's this?"
"Eat it and cultivate."
"A transparent leaf? You've brought back something weird again."
Dorian took the leaf with a trembling, exhausted hand. Trusting Raon, he asked nothing more and stuffed it straight into his mouth.
"I-it's actually good. And... huh?"
The moment he finished chewing the leaf, he sat down on the spot and began to cultivate.
He said it tastes good? Let This King try one!
Wrath bounced up and down, pointing at the leaf Dorian had eaten.
Haa...
Raon shot Wrath a sideways glance.
He never changes.
This gluttonous Demon King was now looking for flavor even in spiritual elixirs. He'd called Dorian pathetic, but he was even worse.
Come now, just one...
I'll eat them in a bit. Just wait.
Telling Wrath he'd eat both the leaves and the flower, Raon pushed him aside.
A black aura flowed out through Dorian's pores. The detoxifying power of the Ocean Spirit Flower's leaf was drawing the turbid energy from within his body.
This is just the beginning.
Raon placed a hand on Dorian's back and pushed aura into him. He helped Dorian absorb all of the Ocean Spirit Flower's energy and used the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames to aid his cultivation so the impurities would drain more thoroughly.
The cultivation that had begun at dawn reached midday when Dorian's eyes snapped open.
"Whoa..."
He stared at his own hands and swallowed dryly.
"W-what did you give me? My aura's increased, and why does my body feel so light?"
"A leaf of the Ocean Spirit Flower."
"Ocean Spirit Flower? What's an Ocean Spirit Flower again... HUUUH?!"
Dorian shot to his feet in shock.
"The Ocean Spirit Flower? That legendary Ocean Spirit Flower?!"
His eyes bulged as if they might pop out of his head.
"That's right."
Raon nodded lightly. Dorian talked a lot, but he was good at keeping secrets, so there was no harm in telling him.
"Th-that's a spiritual elixir from the legends! Where did you even get a treasure like that?"
"I picked it in the ocean."
"Uh... huh?"
Dorian lost his words, his mouth hanging open.
Of course he picked it. But is that all you're going to say?!
It wasn't some oyster. The casual "I picked it in the ocean" made a hollow laugh rise in his throat.
"...That's it?"
"Yep."
Raon pulled a flower from his Subspace Pouch. Blue petals that shimmered like the sea, a smooth stem, and transparent leaves. It was unmistakably the Ocean Spirit Flower of legend.
"It really is the Ocean Spirit Flower..."
But this is something a human can actually obtain?
The Ocean Spirit Flower, which even his own merchant guild—one of the continent's five great trading houses—had determined no longer existed, was sitting in the hand of a young man who wasn't even twenty. He couldn't believe it.
"I've got this too."
Raon reached into the Subspace Pouch again and pulled out a round orb. A suffocating venom, nauseating just to look at, swirled and rose from it.
"W-what's that?"
"A core."
"A core? And where did you get that?"
"I killed a spiritual beast and pulled it out."
Dorian squeezed his eyes shut.
He killed a spiritual beast and pulled it out... I can't keep up. I genuinely don't understand this guy!
It was common knowledge that spiritual beasts attached themselves to naturally occurring spiritual elixirs. But a core that radiated that much venom would have belonged to a spiritual beast on a completely different level from ordinary monsters—and Raon had come back without a single scratch. What was truly terrifying was Raon's casual tone, as if he'd just gone down the street and picked an apple.
"Aaaah..."
Dorian's shoulders trembled at the thought of what Raon would become once he turned twenty.
He's going to wipe out one of the Six Kings and Five Demons, isn't he...
Raon smiled as he looked around the clearing where Dorian had been training.
"You picked a good spot. The core's venom is too strong to cultivate at the inn."
The venom dwelling in the Ghost Jellyfish's core was far too potent to cultivate at the inn. This place was spacious, and the view was blocked, making it a perfect space for cultivation. He set up an illusion formation to keep monsters and people away, then returned to the clearing.
"Now it's my turn. Keep watch."
"I-I can keep watch, but are you really going to eat that core?"
Dorian swallowed dryly at the sight of the core, its venom blazing and seething.
"Yeah."
He plucked the Ocean Spirit Flower's petals and one leaf, then nodded. The petals contained mana concentrated with the ocean's essence, while the leaves held pure mana and detoxifying power. It was the Ocean Spirit Flower's leaf that had drawn the impurities from Dorian's body.
"I don't think I can keep up with you anymore, Vice Leader."
"When could you ever keep up?"
"Th-that's... also true..."
Dorian scratched the back of his head and nodded.
"Keep a good watch. I'll be done soon."
"I'll guard you with my life!"
He nodded with a hand to his forehead in a salute.
"No need to go that far."
Raon chuckled and put the Ocean Spirit Flower's petals in his mouth. The five petals melted on his tongue and slid naturally down his throat. A clear, pure energy filled his entire body, carrying the scent of the sea.
Just as he was about to eat the venomous core and the Ocean Spirit Flower's leaf, Wrath raised a hand.
If you wrapped some meat in that leaf, it would taste...
Get lost.
Urgh!
Raon swatted Wrath away with the back of his hand as if shooing a fly.
Focus.
If he let that creature distract him, he'd only waste his mental energy. He pulled his concentration back up and put the Ghost Jellyfish's core in his mouth. This, too, was condensed mana, so the moment it entered his mouth, its form dissolved and flowed. The scorching venom packed inside the core spread, bringing a pain as if his mouth were melting.
Gyaaaaah!
Wrath rolled on the ground, his entire body trembling.
I-it tastes terrible! This King is dying!
Just endure it a little.
Raon chewed the Ocean Spirit Flower's leaf and, together with its clear energy, pushed the core's venom straight into his stomach.
Hey! If you eat it like that, you can't even taste it!
Be quiet.
The Ocean Spirit Flower's petals, the Ghost Jellyfish's venomous core, and the Ocean Spirit Flower's leaf intertwined, exploding into a colossal energy that felt as if it would tear his entire body apart. The Ocean Spirit Flower's oceanic energy and the Ghost Jellyfish's venom shoved aside the flow of the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames and Glacia, colliding against each other with ferocious force.
It's fine.
The combination of the Ocean Spirit Flower's petals, the core, and the leaf was something he had been thinking about the entire way here. He could take it.
Raon swallowed a shock that felt as if he would vomit blood and resonated the Ring of Fire. He crushed down the two surging energies, the corners of his trembling mouth curling upward.
I like things rough myself, so this works out. I'll make all of it mine.