Chapter 9
Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Episode 003 (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
About four months had passed since then.
As the thick sunset began to drape along the edge of the forest, a group of boys trudged in a line toward their dormitory.
They were all around fifteen or sixteen years old, every one of them visibly exhausted and drained.
Naturally, these were the trainees of the Lion’s Den.
The trainees from the same Third Den as Kuhn had just finished their daily training and were heading back to the dorms.
"Ugh... ugh..."
One of them let out an involuntary groan as he walked.
"...This is... rough."
The trainee mumbling that had pale fingertips, and heat rashes dotted his body and face.
Starting with him, groans began to leak out one by one from the others in similar states.
"Me too..."
"Feels like I'm gonna die."
"...My stomach hurts."
At a glance, their faces didn't look worn out just from training—something else seemed to be the cause. And that was when it happened.
Another nearby trainee suddenly widened his eyes and shouted as if he'd been waiting for it.
"M-My stomach suddenly...!!"
Gurgle, gurgle, groooowl—.
Before the words even finished, a thunderous rumble exploded from his gut like a bolt of lightning.
"Ugh, urk!"
At the sound, a few trainees pinched their noses and openly hurled mocking remarks.
"Phew. Stinks."
"Right? Doesn't it smell like farts from somewhere?"
"Must've shit himself. Heh heh."
True to boys their age, their taunts were bluntly crude.
But not everyone present joined in the ridicule.
Only a few trainees who looked relatively fine, like the mockers, threw out the jeers.
The majority watched the retreating figure of the afflicted trainee with sympathetic gazes.
'Can't be helped—...'
Coughs, chills, stomachaches, and the like.
The severity varied slightly, but that was it.
Most of the trainees were dealing with the same or similar symptoms as the one who'd dashed off ahead.
Moreover, their numbers had dwindled from over one hundred fifty to around one hundred thirty.
All changes that had arisen since they began consuming the 'Witch's Garden'.
'No wonder—even on the first day they drank the poison, three trainees lost their lives.'
If minor ailments could be cured at the cost of a life, it wasn't entirely a bad trade.
Meanwhile, Kuhn's steps had brought him to his own quarters.
—Creak, click.
Unlike his mutterings, Kuhn's face looked far better off than the other kids'.
A bit of dirt from training and a hint of fatigue clung to him, but that was all. No traces of poison aftereffects anywhere on his face or body.
Catching sight of himself in the window glass, Kuhn subtly moved his arm.
As he placed his palm over his heart, a presence began to emanate from deep within his chest.
Woooong—.
A humming like a swarm of bees taking flight, the sensation of a beast that had gorged on prey and turned docile lurking beyond his chest.
It was the presence radiated by the Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits mana heart.
It felt somehow larger than before. Kuhn curved his lips into a grin at the sensation.
'Grown to nearly eighty percent?'
To exaggerate a bit, his magic power had nearly doubled.
An astonishing growth spurt in just four months—hard to believe.
At the same time, unless he'd somehow gotten his hands on an elixir, it was a level of change that simply couldn't happen.
Staring at his reflection in the glass, Kuhn continued.
'Who would've thought Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits had the power to devour poison.'
Not just devouring it, either.
As if that weren't enough, it digested the swallowed poison, converting it into its own power and bulking up.
Recalling the memory mid-thought, Kuhn involuntarily clicked his tongue.
The reason his own magic power had swelled like he'd ingested an elixir was exactly this.
'In a way, it's like consuming an elixir every three days...'
No wonder his magic power had no choice but to grow.
'...The problem is that this aspect of Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits doesn't exist in the memories Master passed down.'
Kuhn adjusted his posture, lost in thought.
'Hm.'
It wasn't just this incident, either.
Insights into body techniques, swordsmanship, or curses, among other things.
Master's memories were already fragmented and chopped up in places, shrouded in a foggy haze.
'Then why—...why did Master cut out those memories?'
Even without complete memories, deducing the reason wasn't hard.
Just as the question stemmed from Master's memories, so did the answer.
'Curses are arts that deviate from the righteous path—even learning the same one yields different results depending on the life you've lived?'
Then, was this poison-devouring ability of Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits a new outcome because he'd cultivated it himself?
Or merely a fragment of information that had been excised?
Mid-deliberation, Kuhn lightly shook his head.
'Hoo—.'
He'd pondered it countless times over the past few months without answers.
No point dwelling now; it wouldn't yield results.
Better to focus on what he could do at the moment.
'Like... filling my hunger with protein while deliberately ingesting poison to boost my magic power.'
As he said, if it was about taking in poison, he had plenty of options beyond the Witch's Garden.
A hazy moon began to rise outside the window.
Noticing it, Kuhn swiftly stood.
Snap—.
Leaving his assigned dorm room, heading somewhere.
His steps led beyond the forest boundary shrouded in deep darkness—to the depths where wild beast signs had recently surged.
And...
A few figures watched Kuhn's distant form intently.
2.
"Where's that guy off to now?"
Rat, the boy with prominently bucked teeth, pouted and grumbled.
Gazing down at Kuhn entering the darkened forest through the dorm window facing it.
His cronies chimed in one by one.
"Yeah, seriously. Hmph."
"Maybe...?"
The once scant gang of three had grown to five, including their leader Barison.
As chatter flowed among the kids, one suddenly spoke up.
"Think that bastard's sneaking off to train?"
"Train? Again?"
"Yeah. After dinner's free training time, right? You can rest or train."
It made sense.
A few cronies nodded in agreement.
"Hm. Maybe..."
After all, Kuhn was one of the trainees showing the biggest changes in the Third Den.
Gone was the kid who always lagged behind even in basic stamina drills.
At some point, he'd started pursuing training with a venomous glint in his eyes, enough to send chills down their spines.
And moreover—.
Even more shocking was his swordsmanship improvement.
'Back when he first learned swordplay, his form was sloppy and weak.'
'But suddenly, he started wielding Lion Tempering Swordsmanship like a pro.'
Even if it was just the basics.
The growth speed was unbelievable for a total beginner.
Most shocking of all was the fight a few weeks ago among the kids.
As brawls over meals grew fiercer, sparks flew to Kuhn from a few gangs, and two of them ambushed him.
It was more a sneak attack than a fair pincer.
But lo and behold.
'The ones who ended up battered were the two who attacked.'
'That guy's skill let him take on two without a scratch.'
'And those two weren't total pushovers...'
—Gulp.
A few cronies involuntarily swallowed, recalling Kuhn wielding his wooden sword like lightning.
And then.
Barison stared into the forest where Kuhn had vanished with an odd look before speaking.
"Let's follow him."
"Yeah. Follow h— What?"
Rat, who'd unconsciously agreed, startled and replied.
"F-Follow him?"
Barison looked down at Rat, his voice hesitant and tinged with fear.
"What? Scared?"
Rat clamped his mouth shut at the question.
Kuhn's image of soloing two trainees still burned vividly in his mind.
But he couldn't show that weakness here.
It might get him kicked from the group.
Worse, he could be next on the menu—fear crept up his neck.
Stammering, Rat opened his mouth.
"N-No way."
Hiding his trembling voice, he hurriedly justified.
"H-He's alone, and we've got five. N-No reason to shake. B-But—..."
"But?"
Barison's fierce glare followed.
"Th-The forest has venomous snakes and beasts. Not just wildcats or foxes anymore—even b-boars show up sometimes...?"
With razor tusks and massive bulk for body slams that could fell full-grown trees in one hit.
Not quite monsters, but boars were plenty threatening.
Such a beast could deter even Barison.
"Yeah? But he went in alone."
Despite the intent, Barison wasn't dissuaded.
"And we've got five."
Far from it—he looked even more fired up, addressing the gang.
"If we don't crush him here, we might never get another shot."
Considering Kuhn's growth rate, it wasn't empty talk.
Besides, just look at Rat—they weren't normal kids hanging with Barison.
Twisted ones who loved bullying and robbing others.
Barison shrugged at them, adding,
"Plus, deep in the forest, no one's around to help him."
Did it sound convincing?
The kids began nodding one by one.
"R-Right?"
"W-We’ve got five. He's alone—..."
"J-Just rough him up a bit, heh heh. Then we can snag his rations starting tomorrow."
As the gang's mood tipped, Rat squeezed his eyes shut and boldly shouted.
"Y-Yeah, let's go!"
A desperate, whatever-happens cry.
Barison's lips curled in satisfaction.
"Good."
Then, glaring at the forest Kuhn entered, he said,
"Everyone, grab your wooden swords."