Inside the Light Wind squad leader’s room, the dim moonlight was passing through the dusty window.
It was still labeled as the lounge for the head instructor, and Rimmer stood up with a rustling sound.
The way his body was swaying suggested that he had just woken up.
“Haa…”
Rimmer sighed, taking off his charred coat.
“I managed to return here alive.”
He couldn’t remember how he reached the squad leader’s room. He must’ve come to his most comfortable place in his half-conscious state after getting hit by Glenn’s lightning.
‘It hurt a lot today.’
Naturally, Glenn never used an attack that would critically injure him or leave any aftereffects. His lightning usually only gave pain, but it was a bit different that day.
It struck him faster than his Sword Field’s activation, and it was powerful enough to shred the Sword Field itself. It looked like Glenn managed to surpass a wall once again.
‘He is really amazing.’
He was still advancing despite having already transcended humanity. Glenn was literally mystery itself.
Once he overcame his inner demon, one-third of the continent would’ve become Zieghart’s domain if he resolved himself instead of listening to those that were neutral.
‘I should be more careful in the future.’
Rimmer chuckled, stroking his blackened red hair. He decided he needed to stop himself from making fun of the grandfather that worried too much about his grandson. He might really die if did that, since Glenn had gotten even stronger.
“Huah.”
Rimmer raised his hands and stretched.
‘I’m glad the mission went well.’
The Light Wind had a real battle against the Five Demons, which was a priceless opportunity, and Raon managed to defeat an apostle.
Since Glenn even opened the Library of Enlightenment to offer a huge gift to the members, it could be called the best outcome.
‘He will look after Raon even if I don’t say anything.’
Since Raon was Glenn’s most cherished person, he would be rewarded with something even more special. There was no need for him to worry.
‘I can rest assured now.’
Rimmer picked up the reward pouch that he had received from Glenn. Although he was punished, he didn’t take back his reward. Rimmer liked that clean way of handling matters.
‘However, I shouldn’t go to the gambling house for now.’
Since Glenn was glaring at him, he figured he should stop visiting the gambling house for a while. Rimmer decided he would try to read the mood while training the squad members for a few days.
“Then I’ll go and rest… Huh?”
He put the gold pouch in his inner pocket and opened the door, and someone was approaching from across the training ground. The owner of those familiar steps and the red eyes glowing in the darkness was Glenn.
“M-My lord?”
Rimmer narrowed his eyes upon seeing Glenn.
‘Why is he coming here?’
He couldn’t understand why he was coming towards him at such a late hour, as he had already received his reward and punishment.
‘Ah! That must be it!’
He must’ve brought him some medicine since he didn’t properly control his power with the lightning.
“You don’t need to be so considerate… Ugh!”
Rimmer started to cheerfully greet him, then stopped. The cold expression on Glenn’s face didn’t suggest he came to give him medicine or apologize to him. He looked more like a villain who came to devour him alive.
“Did you even teach the children how to gamble, on top of being crazy yourself?”
“What? Me?”
What is he talking about? What gambling?
“I didn’t mind it if you were the only one to lose money and ruin yourself, but you are now trying to influence the young sprouts.”
“M-Me?”
He did often tell the children about him winning or losing money, but he never, ever taught them how to gamble.
“You are so obvious, even as you are trying to deny it.”
Glenn raised his hand towards the sky, and Rimmer became unable to move, as if shackles were binding his arms and legs.
Rumble!
Clouds darker than the night sky gathered, forming into a thundercloud.
“Since I went easy on you earlier, I’ll make it stronger this time.”
‘That was easy? I almost fainted from the pain!’
“Since this is your retribution, you should gladly accept it.”
There was only one thing Rimmer could say, while looking at the crimson lightning falling towards him.
“…Did I do that?”
* * *
The Heavenly Blade division leader rubbed her eyes before looking at the open area again. It was Raon. It was Raon for sure, but he looked like Glenn using his footwork for a moment.
The reason Raon looked like Glenn was simple.
‘He got better…’
Raon’s Supreme Harmony Steps now had power. It was mysterious and dignified, just like Glenn’s demonstration.
‘How did he do that in such a short amount of time?’
Even though he was focused the entire time, it had only been seven hours. As far as she knew, it was impossible to comprehend a great technique like Supreme Harmony Steps in such a short time, which was even shorter than a night.
‘What is going on…?’
Raon didn’t do anything special. He kept observing the footprints before practicing the Supreme Harmony Steps, then checked the footprints again before extending his Supreme Harmony Steps. However, his footwork began to feel like Glenn’s at some point.
The Heavenly Blade division leader tried biting the inside of her cheek, trying to see if she was dreaming.
It hurt. It wasn’t a dream, yet it felt like one. Cold sweat trickled down her back because of the impossible reality she was witnessing.
‘How did he do that?’
She couldn’t understand how a rookie, one who wasn’t even a Master yet, could acquire the Supreme Harmony Steps—which is an extremely advanced technique. Although she knew that he was talented, she never imagined he was capable of such a thing.
“Haa…”
She stopped observing the surroundings and focused on Raon. The footprints were reflected in his red eyes. It was the ultimate footwork that Glenn had left for him.
‘Is he actually…’
The Heavenly Blade division leader’s lips started to tremble.
——————
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‘Completely immersed in his practice?’
Warriors that reached a high stage sometimes had their senses multiplied dozens of times, with time flowing slowly during their training or in a fight to the death.
It was a phenomenon known as immersion, trance, or ascension, and Raon seemed to be in that state.
‘How could a rookie that hasn’t even reached Master level achieve immersion during his training?’
It could happen during a fight to the death, but entering trance during training was extremely rare. She could count on her fingers how many times she had experienced it herself, and all of them happened when she reached enlightenment after she became a Master.
She couldn’t believe that Raon was completely immersed, since he wasn’t even a Master yet—not to mention, the training he was doing was too difficult for him, which should’ve made it difficult to focus.
“So, this was the reason the head of house told me to watch him.”
Glenn wasn’t asking her to guard him when he told her to watch Raon. What he meant was for her to watch and learn what kind of person Raon was.
“Mysterious, curious, and eccentric.”
Those were the only words that could describe Raon. Although her life was full of ups and downs, it was her first time seeing someone like him.
Thud!
Raon kept practicing the Supreme Harmony Steps in his immersion. It didn’t look like he cared whether he was making progress or not, since he kept following the footprints with his entranced eyes before extending his legs.
Despite the distance between them, she could feel Raon’s focus which was as sharp as a blade. Although the sun had already begun to rise, she couldn’t leave her spot because she was too curious about how much he would achieve.
“Hmm?”
While she was watching Raon, she could see a maid from the annex building coming to the open area with a tray of food in her hands.
‘Shall I stop her?’
The immersion Raon was in was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Getting interrupted might result in losing all the enlightenment he had received so far, and even end up with an internal injury.
As the Heavenly Blade division leader decided to act, the maid stopped approaching Raon and watched him for a bit, before returning with the food she brought. The annex building fell silent after that, as if the night fell once again, and the maids that came out of the building never went to the open area.
‘It can’t be…’
The Heavenly Blade division leader swallowed nervously, before looking at Raon once again.
“Has this actually happened multiple times before?”
His footwork was slowly and slightly becoming similar to Glenn’s Supreme Harmony Steps.
* * *
* * *
Raon stopped his steps once he encountered the third moon in the open area of the annex building.
“Haa…”
He sighed, sitting on the footprint-covered ground. Because he was so focused on it, he couldn’t even move a finger.
He lay down and looked up at the sky. Looking at the moon, which was getting close to the full moon, made him smile. He felt great, even though his body and mind were completely exhausted. He knew that the Supreme Harmony Steps he would use in the future would be different from what he’d been using in the past, and that was why he was smiling.
‘I’ve definitely progressed.’
He had a long way to go before he could complete the Supreme Harmony Steps. Dozens of years of training wouldn’t be enough to reach Glenn’s level.
However, the footwork that couldn’t even be called average was now usable in an actual fight. It was a tremendous amount of progress, considering he had only practiced for two days.
‘But it’s still lacking.’
He knew that because he had completely memorized Glenn’s demonstration. He copied his posture, principles, and movements exactly, but his footwork was still somehow different.
‘I wonder what it is.’
He had a feeling the problem was something more fundamental than his stage or the proficiency of the Supreme Harmony Steps. However, he couldn’t determine the exact reason.
‘Hmm… I must’ve overworked my brain.’
His body had also reached its limit, making him sleepy and unable to think. He figured he needed to sleep before figuring out the difference between him and Glenn.
You damn bastard…
As he was about to fall asleep, Wrath ground his teeth.
The King of Essence couldn’t sleep at all for the past two days because of you, yet are you trying to fall asleep now?
‘Wrath, it’s been a while.’
It’s been a while? Whiiiile? I won’t allow you to sleep! That much is a given, and I won’t overlook this resentment for missing eight meals!
Missing the meals must’ve been based on how many times the maids left when they came to deliver the food.
Whoosh!
Along with a ferocious look in Wrath’s eyes, wrath and coldness started spreading out from him. The coldness surged like a tsunami to engulf his mana circuit and energy center, while the 25 points of wrath deeply engraved in his heart started to crush his soul.
The King of Essence is going to take over your body to eat delicac—wait, to conquer the world!
‘You were trying to say delicacies, right?’
Shut your mouth!
Although Wrath must’ve been using his full strength, the pain Raon was feeling wasn’t that much.
And the reason was simple. It was because the Ring of Fire was still rotating despite his exhausted state.
Whir!
The Ring of Fire was melting Wrath’s coldness and suppressing the wrath as naturally as breathing.
Argh! Wh-Why?
Surprised by the fact that he couldn’t even win against Raon in his dead-tired state, Wrath’s jaw dropped.
‘You… are no match for me.’
Why am I unable to score when you don’t even have the strength to speak?
‘…I have no strength to speak but I can still stop you.’
Raon smiled powerlessly, continuing to use the Ring of Fire. He was too exhausted to rotate the six rings at once, but he managed to resonate the five rings while enduring the pain.
Wh-What the hell is wrong with you? How can a mere human…
As Wrath grit his teeth in confusion, messages announcing his defeat appeared.
The reward would’ve been a single point in one stat normally, but all of his stats increased instead because he was completely exhausted. The system was truly fair.
Daaamn it! I couldn’t sleep nor eat, and now I’m even losing stats!
‘That’s why I told you to stop.’
Raon felt like he could have a nice sleep since he had been given a present before falling asleep.
New messages appeared when he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore.
Th-This is that thing from back then! The cheat ability that gives you a bunch of stats just from sleeping!
Raon closed his eyes, using Wrath’s scream as a lullaby.
Sloth, you idiot! I’m definitely going to find you! The main body of the King of Essence is going broke because of you two bastards!
