Even though the King of Essence is extremely merciful, he can’t overlook this matter!
‘You call yourself merciful? That’s such bullshit.’
Raon sighed. Wrath was flipping out, and his rampage was about to start. Raon ignored him and checked the messages that had appeared.
[You’ve witnessed a transcended sword.]
[All stats have increased by 10.]
[Three traces of the sword have been engraved in the mental world.]
[The proficiency has increased for the sword’s properties.]
[Title The Survivor has been created.]
Raon couldn’t stop his exclamation as he read the messages.
‘There are so many rewards… No, this might be natural.’
He went through a fierce battle, utilized Wrath’s power, and even watched a fight between the transcenders. Considering what all he did, the number of rewards he received wasn’t exactly strange.
Uaaaah! Damn it!
Mr. Giving Doormat was screaming in denial though.
Whap!
The ten-point increase in all stats removed his pain as if he had been healed completely.
‘Gaining stats always feels great.’
His injuries weren’t actually healed, but the exhilaration from getting stats removed the pain. He felt like he could finally think straight.
‘What are the three traces of the sword engraved in the mental world?’
It was telling him that three traces of sword were engraved in the space where he fought against Loctar and endured Wrath’s assault, but he couldn’t exactly understand what it meant.
It is what it says.
Wrath glared at him. It seemed to be an expression of his irritation, but he didn’t look scary at all because he looked like cotton candy.
It’s not just the mental world. It means that the trace of the sword you’ve witnessed will be engraved in your brain.
‘Trace of the sword? Does it mean…’
You guessed right. The three techniques your head of house used after opening the sword field were engraved in your head.
‘…That’s crazy…’
Raon’s chin trembled unconsciously.
‘His techniques are being engraved in my head? Those three strikes?’
He wasn’t really aware of what kind of techniques they were, but he was aware that they were part of one of the few transcendental swordsmanship on the continent. His heart pounded like crazy from realizing that such a great swordsmanship was engraved in his head.
‘Then can I also use those…?’
You can’t.
Wrath shook his head firmly.
This is your current realm.
He raised his hand by the width of the pillow on the bed.
Actually, I’m overestimating you a little, considering how fast you’ve grown so far.
‘How about the head of house, then?’
That old man…
Wrath furrowed his brows and floated into the air to point at the ceiling.
‘The ceiling?’
He already went through the roof and reached the sky. You are even weaker than one of that old man’s fingers in your current state.
He ground his teeth, telling him that he shouldn’t even hope to achieve Glenn’s level.
‘I thought so.’
Raon chuckled and nodded. Wrath had previously mentioned that he needed to exchange tens of thousands of blows to defeat Glenn, and he must’ve gotten even stronger since then. Raon was too weak to look up to such a transcender.
‘Does that mean that I’ll realize what kind of swordsmanship that was once my realm becomes higher?’
Indeed. Although that might never happen.
Wrath told him that he might never be able to find out what kind of technique Glenn had used, as if he were making fun of him.
‘That’s fine, then.’
Raon was satisfied with that. He was fine as long as he could one day learn what kind of technique Glenn had used.
‘Because I have no intention of copying it as-is.’
He wasn’t going to copy Glenn’s sword—just use it as a reference to create his own sword field. Copying other people’s techniques wasn’t going to allow him to ascend to a higher realm.
‘I’ll reach it eventually if I keep sucking the stats out of you.’
Argh…
Raon shook his hand with a snicker, and Wrath’s eyes became distorted. Raon couldn’t understand why he kept provoking him with words when he should’ve learned by then that he couldn’t possibly win.
Raon easily defeated Wrath and looked at the next message.
‘The proficiency increased for the sword’s properties.’
It was telling him that the proficiency of his swordsmanship principles had increased after watching Glenn’s technique through the Ring of Fire.
And the message implied that all of his swordsmanships had improved instead of a specific one. Raon couldn’t believe his eyes even though the message was right in front of him.
‘They are both so…’
He couldn’t tell whether he should be praising the Ring of Fire or Glenn.
‘And finally.’
Raon checked the title after seeing the message at the bottom.
[The Survivor
This title is given to the one who looked for a way to survive in a crisis instead of losing their calm.
Effect: All stats +5, the head cools down during a crisis.]
Judging from the description, he must’ve gotten the title because he took Eden’s treasures to get stronger despite being kidnapped.
‘This is pretty good.’
Even though he’d been an assassin, the crisis still managed to shock him sometimes. The title should be helpful if he had to face such dangerous situations.
‘Haa…’
Raon checked all of the messages before smiling in satisfaction.
‘These are the best rewards so far.’
He especially liked the part where his swordsmanship had improved, and Glenn’s techniques had been engraved in his mental world.
‘I’ve gotten closer to the Sword Field Creation.’
Since the rewards had further developed his mental world, it wasn’t an overstatement to say that he’d gotten closer to the Sword Field Creation.
‘I want to try moving my body already.’
His limbs were itching for action. He wanted to try swinging a sword already.
Hey!
‘Are you still unhappy about it? Isn’t it about time you stopped…’
That’s not it!
Raon sighed in response, and Wrath shoved his face into him.
The King of Essence has a question for you.
‘Hmm?’
Raon narrowed his eyes. Despite his expectations, Wrath’s face was completely calm.
You mentioned that the halfling was one of the two heads of the helmet group, didn’t you?
‘Are you talking about the Fallen?’
That’s right. You said that he was one of the two people who could deal with the bloody demon.
‘I did.’
Who is the other one, and where are they?
Wrath’s face was completely stiff, which was rare coming from him.
‘I don’t really know either.’
You don’t know?
‘I said that there are two people in Eden who can deal with the White Blood’ Religion’s leader, but only one of them is active.’
Are they inactive because of an injury?
‘I don’t know about that, either.’
Raon shook his head.
What do you mean…?
‘There was a prestigious house called Rumen a few dozen years ago. They were famous for their spear techniques.’
Rumen?
‘Yes. They weren’t as strong as the Six Kings and the Five Demons, but they were prominent enough to be ranked right under them. However, that house… was ruined overnight.’
House Rumen’s spearmanship was excellent enough to be considered the best in the continent. They would’ve become the seventh king if they’d kept accumulating power for dozens of years, yet the huge house had perished overnight.
‘Eden’s second head was the perpetrator of that incident. However, that’s what Eden said, and no one survived or witnessed it. That’s why no one knows whether he really exists or if he’s just made up.’
Because House Rumen’s sudden downfall was such shocking news, there were countless rumors about Eden's second head, but he had never appeared nor acted after that.
Some people even started to believe that he never existed in the first place.
‘But why are you asking… Don’t tell me, are you thinking that he must be another demon king?’
Indeed.
Wrath nodded. He must be thinking that the other head must’ve been related to the Demon King of Pride, as the Fallen had the power of the Monarch of Pride.
What is his name?
‘The Heavenly Demon.’
There was no way to know which helmet he wore, whether he was a man or a woman, or whether he really existed or not, but Eden’s demons called him the Heavenly Demon.
The fallen heaven and the heaven of demons…
Wrath frowned. He looked like he realized something.
Is that…
Just as he was about to ask another question, the ward’s door opened.
“Huh? Raon?”
Runaan had brought a wet towel and bandages for him, and her eyes turned round upon seeing him. Her surprised voice resounded, and people’s screams followed right after.
“Gasp!”
“Vice squad leader!”
“Sir Raon!”
“Did you finally wake up?”
The Light Wind squad gathered around Runaan and completely covered the door.
“Raon!”
“You bastard!”
“He’s finally awake!”
“Wow!”
“Vice squad leader!”
Starting with Runaan, Burren, and Dorian, every member of the Light Wind squad ran into the room.
“Woah!”
Raon tried to stop them with his hand, but the Light Wind squad ran straight up to him and pounced on the bed like puppies welcoming their master.
“You are finally awake…”
“It looks like there are no major problem.”
“Sniff! I’m really glad!”
Runaan pouted while holding his hand, Burren breathed out a sigh of relief, and Dorian sniffled with teary eyes.
“You took way too long to wake up!”
“How are your injuries?”
“Sir Raon!”
“Vice squad leader!”
Everyone from the Light Wind squad was crushing him on the bed. The pain was a secondary problem because he couldn’t even breathe.
“What a heartwarming sight.”
“Argh…”
Rimmer was there before he knew it, and grinned at him while saying that it must be nice to be young even though Raon was running out of breath. Raon realized once again that he was completely useless.
“You bastards, I’m a patient right now…”
Raon barely managed to move his finger with unfocused eyes.
“M-move back, everyone!”
Burren finally realized the situation and made everyone move away. However, Dorian and Runaan were determined to stay next to him.
“Haa…”
Raon exhaled roughly and wiped off his cold sweat.
‘I almost died right there.’
A little bit longer and he would’ve become famous for suffocating to death at the hands of his companions after surviving Eden and the White Blood Religion.
‘Still…’
It wasn’t a bad feeling. It was because Raon was aware that they were worrying about him from the bottom of their hearts.
Zieghart had taken an important place in his heart through the incident, and he felt like the Light Wind squad had become even more important to him.
“Hmm?”
Raon examined the Light Wind swordsmen one after the other with a faint smile on his face, but tilted his head upon noticing someone was missing.
“Where’s Martha? Was she injured or something?”
“That’s not the case.”
Rimmer shook his head in front of the door.
“It’s not because of an injury, but she looked shocked for some reason.”
“Shocked?
“I can’t tell what the problem is because she refused to say anything, but she hasn’t come out of her room for two days now.”
Burren shook his head, saying that it was an unusual behavior coming from her.
‘Now that I think about it…’
Raon remembered Martha dropping her sword upon seeing the White Blood Religion’s leader and the Fallen. Even though they were such powerful opponents, it was strange for her to do that considering her personality.
Beef Girl indeed fell silent after seeing those two.
Wrath also nodded, saying that it wasn’t normal.
‘The Fallen and the White Blood Religion’s leader.’
Raon narrowed his eyes while remembering their appearances.
‘I’m gonna need to visit her.’
* * *
* * *
Raon got up after the Light Wind squad finally calmed down and left the room. Various parts of his body were still hurting, but it wasn’t exactly unbearable.
He wanted to visit Martha since he needed to exercise for rehabilitation anyway, but Runaan refused to leave his side. It looked like she wanted to guard him because she was too upset when he got kidnapped.
“I’ll be fine here, though.”
“Just in case.”
Runaan shook her head and looked around with her blank eyes.
‘I’m still glad that her blank eyes returned.’
Runaan’s eyes were extremely sharp and had even turned into a frightening red color during the incident, but they had returned to the blank purple color. Her slightly unfocused eyes gave him a sense of relief.
“Alright. Please guide me to Martha’s room.”
“Mhm.”
Runaan nodded and headed to Martha’s room, which was located at the deepest part of the lodging area.
What’s up with you? You normally prefer training over caring about her.
Wrath approached him while floating in the air.
Is this another scheme of yours?
‘…How could this be a scheme?’
Raon laughed bitterly. Wrath apparently believed that he was planning something in every move he made.
‘I just wanted to check how she was doing.’
Really? When you only care about something if there’s something to gain?
‘I used to do that, but it will be different in the future.’
Wrath was right. If the same thing had happened before the kidnapping event, he would’ve brushed it off as nothing special.
However, everyone had come to save him, and Martha was one of them. That was why he wanted to check on her condition and help her if there was anything he could do.
“It’s here.”
Runaan pointed at the tightly closed door at the deepest part of the corridor. Untouched food was placed on a tray in front of the door. Raon could guess that she hadn’t eaten for the two days she had stayed in her room.
Knock. Knock.
Raon knocked lightly. Even though he could sense a person’s presence inside the room, there was no reaction.
“Martha.”
He called her name, and a small bit of movement was detected inside the room. However, the door still didn’t open.
“I’m entering. Tell me if you don’t want me to.”
Raon picked up the food tray and approached the door.
“I don—”
“I’m entering because you didn’t respond.”
He opened the door and entered before she could say no.
Since the windows were covered by curtains, the room was completely dark. He couldn’t find Martha on the bed or the chair.
“Why did you enter?”
A dry voice could be heard from a corner. Martha was crouching in a corner with a blanket covering her.
Is she really Beef Girl?
‘Hmm…’
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the depressed slant of Martha’s shoulders. Her situation seemed more serious than he thought.
“Because you didn’t respond.”
“Seriously, you bastard…”
“I’m turning the light on.”
He could still see Martha even without the magic lamp, but he decided to light it because he figured it would be better to have a bright room.
“Ack!”
Martha briefly groaned, as she hadn’t seen the light for a long time.
Raon placed the food tray on the table before sitting on a chair.
That food is pretty good. Are you going to eat it?
‘Are you serious about that?’
Raon decided to ignore Wrath since he was spouting nonsense, instead looking at Martha.
“Did something happen?”
“…Nothing happened. Leave already, because I want to be alone right now.”
Martha helplessly shook her hand.
“Haa…”
Raon briefly sighed, as it was difficult to believe that such a weak gesture came from Martha.
“You know, I always thought I was alone.”
“What?”
“It was the same when Eden kidnapped me. I never thought someone was going to come to my rescue. I just braced myself to survive on my own.”
It was true. The reason he took the elixirs, sparred against Unfaceable Snake, and absorbed the helmet’s soul was to catch the opportunity whenever one presented itself to him. The house coming for his rescue was beyond his imagination.
“However, my mindset has completely changed thanks to all of you coming to save me.”
Raon lightly tapped on the table with his finger. A pleasant sound resonated throughout the silent room.
“It was all thanks to you, Runaan, and everyone coming to save me that I could gain this sense of belonging.”
He looked at Martha before looking at Runaan standing behind him and nodded.
He’d been treating them with a small amount of companionship and the intention of repaying his debt of gratitude, but it felt like that kind of calculation had completely disappeared.
“There are many problems in the world that can’t be solved on my own. I should actually say that it’s more improbable that I could solve anything on my own. We aren’t the head of house, after all.”
Raon smiled faintly and stood up from the chair.
“Since I just managed to realize I wasn’t alone, I don’t think I’m entitled to give any advice. However, you should still tell me if anything is worrying you, as I’ll worry about it with you as if it’s my business.”
Raon was about to leave to give Martha some time to think about it when he could hear the sound of the blanket dropping onto the ground.
“My mom…”
Her wet voice echoed throughout the room. Raon looked around, and dull light was radiating from the droplet necklace that she was holding onto tightly.
“My mom was there.”
