Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Episode 006 (4)
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A moment of bewilderment washed over him, but it didn't last long.
It was only after a few more seconds of silence that Kuhn steadied his expression.
Kuhn regulated his slightly ragged breathing and slowly shifted his gaze.
In front of him stood a fox cub, still growling lowly as it stared him down.
'Hm.'
Kuhn's eyes calmed with composure.
His gaze, now serene, seemed to double-check this absurd situation—a beast challenging him to a duel.
'Its belly low to the ground, tail raised high toward the sky. No real malice or hostility...'
Even so, it was unmistakably entering a hunting stance.
Other signs confirmed it: three tails hanging long and low like counterweights for balance.
A speechless beast, but anyone could see this posture meant one thing—it was ready to fight.
Kuhn's brow furrowed ever so slightly at the creature's behavior.
'Is it really telling me to come at it?'
Perhaps annoyed by Kuhn's delayed reaction.
Grrrrowl!
The cub suddenly raised its front paw.
Then it tapped the training ground floor insistently, its eyes urging him on as if to say, What are you hesitating for?
Each tap made its tail fur bristle aggressively like a porcupine's quills, then settle.
'A provocation with its front paw.'
Kuhn let out a wry smile despite himself at the sight.
That adorable appearance might make one want to scoop it up and bite it playfully, but he knew exactly how devastating that tiny paw could be.
It had slammed Barison's massive frame to the ground with a casual swipe.
'Lucky we went easy on it.'
If it had gone all out from the start, Barison's bulk might have turned into ground meat before Kuhn even intervened.
'Full power could shatter a human skull in one blow.'
Recalling the forest incident, Kuhn gripped his wooden sword tighter, his face hardening.
'That paw's destructive force rivals a top-tier aura practitioner.'
Maybe even more.
With that thought, a strange tension spread through his body.
...As if in response, a dull ache tightened the base of his neck, and Kuhn quietly sighed.
'Hoo.'
It wasn't a sigh laden with meaning.
Just a ritual to loosen his rigid body, even if only a little.
'No idea why it's suddenly challenging me to spar...'
Or if a beast even understood the concept of a duel.
Still, ramping up tension prematurely wasn't ideal for him.
Besides, he'd wanted a sparring partner anyway.
'No reason to refuse.'
What mattered wasn't whether the opponent was human.
It was how much it would help him grow.
In that regard, the fox cub was perfect.
With that, Kuhn banished all stray thoughts and raised his wooden sword straight.
Maintaining just the right level of tension, he slowly assumed his stance.
The cub growled in satisfaction at Kuhn's posture.
Grrrrowl—.
'That's not a fox cub. It's not a fox cub.'
Perhaps repeating that mantra had worked.
His heart raced, and the power of Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits began spreading through his body.
Woooong—.
The familiar hum, like a swarm of bees taking flight.
"Here I come."
With that, Kuhn's form shot toward the cub like an arrow.
Whoooosh!
For an instant, the surroundings seemed to blur and rush past—an illusion born of blinding speed!
Back when he'd first awakened in the Lion’s Den, maybe it would have been different.
But now, a mere ten meters across the training ground felt like nothing to him.
As if to prove it, the distance closed in a blink.
Whoooosh!
Two steps—that's all it took to cover ten meters!
The next moment, Kuhn's wooden sword unleashed a ferocious strike like a thunderbolt.
A blow blending basic forms from the Lion Tempering Swordsmanship primer with intermediate subtleties!
Kraaack!
'If I could use the Mute Sword Style, it'd be even better...!!'
Unfortunately, the Mute Sword Style wasn't something one mastered for sparring in just a month of training.
A relentless clash erupted—wooden sword against fox paw!
—Pah-pah-pah-pow!
'—Kuh!'
Strikes that could easily crush an adult man's skull whistled past his ears.
Blocking iron-reinforced wood with fluffy paws—it was utterly unnatural.
Papapapah!
At the barrage's end.
Shockingly, it was Kuhn who got repelled.
Unlike his aggressive charge, his body skidded backward across the training ground floor.
'...Kuh!'
Numb pain shot through his wrist.
Good thing he'd instinctively raised his sword to block.
Failure would have sent him crashing into the wall from the sheer force.
'Or worse...'
In the worst case, a few ribs might have snapped.
—Chill.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine as Kuhn shuddered.
It matched his expectations... no, exceeded them in ferocity.
'And that's not all.'
The power was bad enough, but the real issue was its movements.
Less human, more beastly.
'Of course, being a beast makes it obvious...'
For instance, fluidly whipping its three tails to deflect and redirect his sword's force.
Or bouncing off walls, ceiling, and floor like a ball.
Movements impossible for humans. Unpredictable, every one.
They made fighting it a nightmare.
Raw power wasn't the only threat—that was why.
'This is...'
It felt like facing a top-tier aura practitioner.
Kuhn muttered with a hollow chuckle, recalling its motions.
Strength comparable to Lion’s Den regular instructors.
B-rank monster by adventurer standards.
On par with a mature orc or hobgoblin.
Luxurious opposition, given his current level.
But.
'I'm not planning to stagnate here forever.'
Adjusting his assessment upward, Kuhn steadied his breath and resumed his stance.
"Hoo."
Was it realizing the fox cub's skill surpassed expectations?
Or some other reason?
A bizarre heat surged from his heart, racing through his veins.
Fwoosh!
'Top-tier, huh.'
Different from Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits' power or aura.
Not mere battle lust or excitement—something darker, stickier.
Resentment. Vindictiveness.
'Even for a broken body.'
This wouldn't do.
A year of secluded training ahead—if he couldn't surpass even this cub, revenge on Loberian was a pipe dream.
'Loberian, and...'
His vassal lords, the long-term pawns.
Visualizing their faces, cold fury laced with deep-seated grudge rimmed Kuhn's eyes.
Even the cub bristled instinctively at the murderous aura.
But only for a moment. Grr?
Thud—Kuhn exhaled sharply and shook his head. The vengeful glare had long vanished.
'No rushing. Focus on what you can do now.'
Revenge against the new head of House Dun Bringer, a grandmaster no less.
Haste would help nothing.
Excessive grudge clouded judgment, leading to failure even in the doable.
Like over-tensing before a duel.
'Hide the venom. Let it fester deeper, like poison brewing within.'
With emotions sorted, Kuhn half-opened his narrowed eyes.
Swish—.
Then, in a calmer voice, he addressed the fox opposite.
"Sorry to keep you waiting—..."
Grr?
"...Here I come again."
His best, right now.
Kuhn's form launched toward the cub once more like a bolt.
——Whoooosh!
5.
The northern continent's winters are long and brutal.
Even they eventually end.
The season had turned full circle, and the bone-chilling winds began shifting direction.
Feeling the warm breeze slip through the slightly open window brush his fingers, Veil Jordic, Chief Administrator of the Lion’s Den, methodically flipped through the stack of papers in his hand.
—Rustle.
Papers frequently mentioning the "Swamp of Death" and "Red Bone Mountains."
Naturally, these were the sites for the next Lion’s Den trials.
Unlike the first trial's instructor duels, the second was a competition across vast areas.
Pausing mid-flip, Veil spoke bluntly.
"About a week left until they emerge?"
The Deputy Administrator, standing nearby, replied deferentially.
"Yes. A few days' rest after, then straight to the trial sites."
Trainees from the first and second dens to the Swamp of Death; third and fourth to the Red Bone Mountains.
The deputy hastily added,
"One concern, though—reports of anomalies in the Red Bone Mountains lately. Like monsters from the central habitats fleeing in panic, changing territories..."
"Monsters fleeing in panic, shifting habitats..."
Only one cause for that.
New predator displacing them, forcing a search for new grounds.
The Red Bone Mountains already teemed with dangerous beasts.
Whatever drove out its central rulers could be unimaginably powerful.
A foe beyond the trainees' capabilities.
As the deputy broached it,
"Enough."
Veil cut him off sharply, his eyes and voice icing over dismissively.
"You seem to misunderstand—we're not raising greenhouse flowers."
The deputy flinched involuntarily.
"N-no, sir."
"Then focus solely on preparing the trials."
"Y-yes, sir!"
With the report done, the deputy withdrew quietly.
Alone in the office, Veil set down the papers with a thud.
Thump—.
Several others slid aside.
Staring at one, Veil spoke.
'...Despite the elders' forged order, no leniency—make him trial and train like the rest?'
About a week until Kuhn and the trainees' seclusion ended.
Recalling the family head's command via Killingum, Veil curled his lip faintly.
Sssmile—