A Monster Beyond Genius

"Hah."

Rimer let out a long sigh as he watched the trainees start back toward the village.

"They really don't have a flexible bone in their bodies."

He shot a sideways glance at Burren, who was sticking to Raon's heels. He'd thought the boy had loosened up a little since they first met — but apparently that change applied to Raon alone.

Well. That figures.

Burren's turning point had come the moment he witnessed Raon's effort with his own eyes. It wasn't strange that the only person he showed a different face to was Raon.

Runaan's changed too.

The child who used to wear her feelings so thinly, who never let anything show, had started speaking with certainty and putting her heart into the open. That shift would leave a deep mark on her swordsmanship as well.

And Marta.

The look in her eyes was unmistakably different. Raon's fight, and the will behind it, seemed to have struck her to the core.

The reason she's taken an interest in the Sword World is because she wants to catch up to him.

Marta had started reaching for the Sword World because she wanted to chase Raon down — or else stand at his side.

Rimer studied every last one of the trainees as they went, and he could feel it: all of them had grown, whether in strength or in spirit. Pride swelled in his chest — and right on its heels came a flush of shame that he hadn't arrived in time.

"Alright, then… urgh!"

The moment he tried to follow after them, a grinding pain tore through his lower abdomen.

"Damn it…"

That was the price of forcing a ruined dantian — and of opening a Sword World on top of it. It felt as though life itself had been shaved away.

My lifespan's taken another hit.

He hadn't spelled it out to the trainees, but for anyone who wasn't of Zieghart, opening a Sword World meant offering up life force that went beyond mere stamina. He was neither young nor healthy. The years left to him had been cut down considerably.

Ah, well. No regrets.

He'd already lived as long as he needed to. From the day his dantian shattered, being alive hadn't felt like living at all. It was only after he started teaching those children that it had felt like he'd been given a new life — so the years he'd lost weren't a waste in the slightest.

"Hoo…"

Rimer waited until the pain in his heart and dantian subsided, then pushed himself to his feet. Down below, he could see the villagers bowing their heads to Raon.

"Still. I ought to live long enough to see that kid standing at the top."

He chuckled to himself, alone — and then vanished from the spot like the wind.

The protection of Sephia Village and Sephia Mountain fell under the jurisdiction of Zieghart's Southwest Branch.

"Tsk."

Burkas, Head of Zieghart's Southwest Branch, clicked his tongue as he made for Sephia Village.

Eden, they said?

A trainee named Crain had come running to report that Eden had appeared in Sephia Village. He'd claimed Raon Zieghart had sensed the Crimson-Eyed Ghost's observation — and frankly, Burkas thought it was complete nonsense.

And for good reason. To even feel the Crimson-Eyed Ghost's gaze, a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠martial artist needed to be at least Expert Mid-Class. The idea that Raon, who had only just turned fifteen, could sense something like that didn't hold water.

"Branch Head, this doesn't make any sense. Do we really have to go? We already investigated everything."

Vice Branch Head Servian fell in beside him, grumbling. He'd been the one who surveyed Sephia Village and Sephia Mountain, and he clearly didn't appreciate having his work questioned.

"This isn't about Raon. Burren, Runaan, and Marta are there. If anything happens to those three, the entire branch could lose its head."

"Ugh, just hearing that is horrifying."

"Watch your face. No matter what… huh?"

Burkas's eyes flew wide at the blood spread across the road into the village. He followed the stream of it — a trail running like a river — and a massive green body came into view.

"A-an ogre?"

A round, vicious face. A torso and limbs as thick as several logs bound together. It was the corpse of an ogre — the so-called King of the Forest.

"It's an ogre!"

"W-why is there an ogre here?"

"And two of them…"

The branch swordsmen stopped dead before the corpses and swallowed hard.

"Hrm…"

Burkas examined the bodies and his brow furrowed. A sword stroke that had split a vital point in a single blow. That was the work of a master.

Eden or not — something definitely happened here.

Dead ogres. Blood. And mixed in with it, human blood and scraps of clothing.

"Raise alert status to maximum."

The look in Burkas's eyes changed. He broke into a run toward the village, and the branch swordsmen followed with grim faces.

The village entrance had been crushed as if a giant had stomped through it, and the sight only made them push faster. They were just about to pass the heart of the village when the trainees appeared in front of them.

"You…"

Burkas looked at the trainees standing at the front and couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finish the sentence.

What in the world is this…

Raon Zieghart.

The fragile-looking boy's left arm dangled like a rag, and fist-sized holes had been punched through his waist and thigh. And yet, even in that condition, the child didn't let out a single groan. His eyes were as clear as a lake at midnight.

A fierce presence radiated from him even through the wounds. It felt like standing before a seasoned swordsman who had built his stature through countless accomplishments.

"I am Raon Zieghart, top trainee of the Fifth Training Ground."

Raon offered a courteous bow.

"Ah — r-right. What on earth happened here? Did Eden really show up?"

Burkas stammered, thrown off by the boy's unshaken composure.

"They did."

With that, Raon tossed two helmets down at his feet.

One was the Green War Ghost's helmet, engraved with an orc warrior's head. The other was the Blood-Mad Ghost's, carved in the likeness of an ogre.

"Th-the Blood-Mad Ghost and the Green War Ghost? E-Eden actually appeared?"

"We took down the Green War Ghost. The instructor killed the Blood-Mad Ghost."

"Instructor?"

"Instructor Rimer."

"Ah…"

The Blood-Mad Ghost was a martial artist who had almost certainly reached Master. The fact that Rimer — with his shattered dantian — had taken that thing down was enough to stun him.

"As expected, he's an incredible man… w-wait!"

Burkas's mouth fell open. Something even more astonishing than Rimer killing the Blood-Mad Ghost had only just registered.

"Y-you said you took down the Green War Ghost?"

"Yes."

Raon nodded, his gaze perfectly even.

"H-how? How could any of you possibly take down the Green War Ghost?"

Rimer killing the Blood-Mad Ghost was already shocking enough — but trainees bringing down the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Green War Ghost and the Green Ghosts was, frankly, absurd.

"We managed."

"C-come on, give me the details!"

"Mm. The one behind me can fill you in. I need to get these injuries treated."

"Ah — right. Of course you do."

Burkas nodded. Raon's wounds were, without question, severe. An ordinary person would have been screaming and carrying on.

"Servian. Treat Raon."

"A-ah, yes."

Servian — Vice Branch Head and healer — had been standing there in a daze. He snapped out of it and followed Raon.

"So. What happened here? Tell me everything. Don't leave a single thing out."

"I don't know if you'll believe it, but…"

Burren recounted everything that had taken place, without a hint of exaggeration or omission.

"You're telling me that makes any sense…"

Burkas's voice came out hoarse and strangled. The story was so far beyond reason that the words stuck in his throat.

"It's the truth, though."

Every last trainee — Burren, Runaan, and Marta included — nodded.

"Ha…"

He didn't know whether to laugh or not.

They flanked the Green War Ghost, cut off his arm, and took his head?

That alone was astonishing. But what came after left him with nothing but stunned silence.

He held out against the Blood-Mad Ghost for nearly ten minutes…

Burren had said that after sending everyone else to run, Raon had pinned the Blood-Mad Ghost down until Rimer arrived.

A fifteen-year-old trainee who hadn't even earned the title of swordsman, crossing blades with a Master. It was so ridiculous his head went blank.

"Hoo…"

Burkas let out a long breath and studied the trainees. Not a flicker in their eyes. Every word they'd spoken was the truth.

He turned and looked at the house Raon had gone into.

He swallowed without meaning to. Even Glenn, the current head of House Zieghart, could not have faced the Blood-Mad Ghost at the age of fifteen.

Those two words were all that came to mind. Raon Zieghart was a monster who had transcended the very concept of genius.

"W-well then, I'll be going."

The man who had introduced himself as Vice Branch Head Servian finished wrapping Raon's entire body in medicine and bandages, then stood.

"Thank you."

"Ah, no, not at all."

He waved it off and stepped outside.

"Haa…"

Raon endured the pain and leaned his back against the wall.

It feels like a dream.

He still couldn't quite believe that this defective body had cut down the Green War Ghost and come out of a fight with the Blood-Mad Ghost alive.

I got lucky.

When he'd struck down the Green War Ghost, the trainees had drawn the enemy's eyes, and that had given him the edge. The growth from that fight was what had let him endure the Blood-Mad Ghost. If he'd fallen even a little short, both battles would have been moments where lives hung by a thread.

Instead, I got to grow again.

Raon clenched his fist. Through that desperate fight with the Blood-Mad Ghost, his stats, his experience, and his caliber had all risen. The difference between the him from before Sephia Village and the him of now was the difference between heaven and earth.

He had now firmly stepped into the realm of Expert Low-Class.

So you really can't get stronger without suffering, is that it.

He'd felt it in his previous life as well. It seemed you had to ride the wave of a crisis before opportunity would come.

And besides…

Raon grinned and gave the ice-flower bracelet that housed Wrath a little shake.

"Thanks to you, I got to grow one more time."

"Nngh…"

Blue flame flared from the ice flower, and Wrath rose from within.

"This King has never placed such a slipshod wager! You failed to kill that brutish fool in the ogre helmet!"

"That's not how it was."

Raon shook his head.

"The wager between you and me was the Blood-Mad Ghost's death. Meaning it didn't matter who brought him down."

"Grrraaah — damn it all!"

Wrath hauled up a violent surge of fury. He lamented that the situation had been so urgent he hadn't set the terms of the wager properly.

Hrm…

Raon didn't needle him the way he usually did. He frowned instead. Unlike usual, Wrath's emotions were landing deeper in his chest.

Because I took in his wrath?

He'd received Wrath's rage — and that seemed to be why he could feel the creature's emotions more clearly.

More dangerous than I expected.

He'd taken in a mere ten points of wrath, and the aftereffects were considerable. The contract with this one would have to be approached with the utmost caution.

"Shall we check it over again?"

Raon raised his voice a notch, as if it were nothing, and called up the messages that had already passed.

Just like when he'd won the third wager, the additional points had come through as well. A reward as generous as Wrath himself.

Raon clenched his fist. As the stats rose all at once, he could feel the muscles that had gone hollow with exhaustion stirring back to life.

"This King never should have made such a damned wager!"

Wrath bellowed that it had been a trick, and blanketed the entire room in frost.

"You already know. There's still more."