Chapter 25

### The Sword Emperor Reincarnated in the Sword Clan (25)

The Galápagos Islands are as perilous and vast as the burden on the Dragon Knight Order assigned to them.

Each member is a formidable warrior, at least at the 6th stage of the External Force Realm, yet it is common for them to run around day and night without breaks or holidays.

Still, their salaries are several times higher than in other regions, so they endure day by day, looking forward to the few days of vacation they get each year, which could be considered their peaceful daily routine.

"Good work."

"Oh, you're here to relieve me."

Frankie, a mid-level knight of the Dragon Knight Order, waved to the junior knight who had come to relieve him.

The watchtower, towering at 30 meters, was a height they could easily reach with a few leaps. Grady, the mid-level knight who arrived a few minutes early, put down his belongings and said to Frankie,

"Senior, did you hear about it?"

Frankie asked in return,

"Hear what? Did something interesting happen?"

"It's about Adnor, who was training in the Forest of Scraps."

"Ah, that lazy guy? He must be close to the 3rd stage. Did he cause any trouble?"

The Forest of Scraps was a region of little interest to them, but Adnor, the chief, was somewhat special.

His achievements were nearly at the Demon Master Realm, and his body was trained with powerful elemental mana. If he reached the 3rd stage, he would become an existence that newly ascended External Force Realm warriors couldn't handle.

No apprentice knights went to the Forest of Scraps, perhaps because it didn't pay off, so the surveillance had become a bit lax.

Could someone have died or been seriously injured in the meantime?

"He's dead."

"What!? Who!?"

"Adnor. When his body was found, his bones were completely eaten away, and it was impossible to tell who did it."

Frankie's eyes narrowed in surprise.

"Was there a monster that could kill him? His defense at the 3rd stage is not much different, so it would have been hard to kill him."

At the initial stage of the External Force Realm, one could cut his fur but not his bones.

He had fled to the center of the island to preserve his life for that very reason. Beyond the second level of danger, it was not a place where a D2-ranked creature could survive unscathed.

"They say the skull fragments showed that a blade was driven under the jaw, piercing the brain and exiting through the top of the head. He was killed with a single, precise strike."

"That's not the skill of our apprentices."

Grady nodded in agreement.

"Even among the bachelors, there are few who could do that. I thought it might have been you, but it wasn't?"

"Are you testing me? Do you want to die?"

Frankie playfully tapped his head a few times and then returned to his usual expression.

"Did someone make some extra money while on patrol? After all, we planned to either drive Adnor deeper into the forest or eliminate him once he reached the 3rd stage. It wouldn't have been a problem."

"Yes, Banneret said the same thing."

"Then don't dig deeper. You don't want to get on your seniors' bad side, especially the nasty ones. If you get marked by them, you'll suffer for a long time."

Grady sheepishly agreed.

"You're right, Senior. I was so focused on satisfying my curiosity that I didn't think that far."

"There's not much else to do on this island, so it's an unwritten rule not to interfere with each other's side jobs. No one dislikes getting more spirit stones just because the salary is good."

Frankie, who had given him advice, looked at the distant mountains for a moment and then voiced a sudden thought.

It was the story of a boy that had been briefly discussed within the Dragon Knight Order.

"By the way, what's the new first-year doing? It's been three months, and I haven't heard anything about him."

Grady also recalled his existence.

"Oh, Leonard. He rarely leaves his house. When he does go out, he just picks some fruits, mushrooms, or catches some fish."

"Does he plan to keep training until the 5th stage of the Body Tempering Realm? It will take some time with the Pentacore. It's fortunate he's diligent, though."

"Banneret said he has the potential to reach it within half a year. He should come out in three months. After that, we'll need to focus on his training."

Among the apprentices, even the weakest had reached the 10th stage of the Body Tempering Realm, and most had broken through the 1st stage of the External Force Realm.

On this island, the 5th stage of the Body Tempering Realm was the level where one could barely survive, and even then, bad luck could lead to a violent death. They were targets that mid-level knights had to keep a close eye on.

"He must have brought back a lot of spirit stones. To break through the 5th stage with the Pentacore without hunting is quite an achievement."

"He brought back 3,000 spirit stones, all from the Pentacore. He's from a collateral branch and has no sponsors, yet he ranked first. Some say he even impressed Director Fabian."

Frankie, who had made a round mouth, exclaimed,

"Kya! If his core was better, he would have been on the elite track. What a waste, what a waste."

That was the extent of his thoughts on Leonard.

"How are the fourth-year apprentices? Are they doing well?"

"They're pretty useful, but they keep trying to go into dangerous areas, which is a problem. But they need that kind of spirit."

"Tsk, they'll get into trouble one day…."

"That's why we're here to watch over them."

Their voices carried in the wind from the high watchtower and then faded away.

There was no entertainment on the island.

Their idle chatter continued for quite a while.

* * *

Then it happened.

"Achoo!"

The young man, who had just finished a hunt and was checking around the new recruit's residence, sneezed loudly.

It was a rare occurrence for a warrior who had broken through the External Force Realm.

"What's wrong, Hayden? Did you catch a cold?"

Gail, a young man with a head taller than the other two, chuckled and teased him.

His skin was tanned from the island's intense sunlight.

Hayden's eyes widened.

"Idiot, an External Force Realm warrior doesn't catch a cold. Someone must have cursed me."

"You must have deserved it. Surprising."

"Shut up!"

The young man, Ian, watched the bickering pair with a disdainful expression and sighed deeply.

"Please grow up, you fools."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Gail shook the sword in his hand, and Ian's face contorted in disgust.

They had been traveling together for years, but his terrible sense of humor was something he couldn't tolerate. Hayden, feeling the same way, smacked the back of his head and snapped,

"Brat, stop making dog sounds and put your sword away. It'll be a problem if the seniors see you."

"Why?"

"What do you think it will look like if you're walking around with a sword near the first-year's house? A kind senior? Or?"

"...A bastard who came to eat the flea's liver."

Gail put his sword away, convinced by Hayden's words.

"Don't forget. We need to be good seniors to the juniors who are struggling on this island."

Ian had said this many times, but Hayden still seemed unconvinced.

"Is that kid worth it? Sharing some food is fine, but there's no guarantee that anything will come back to us."

"You're mistaken."

Most people ruin things by approaching in that way.

Ian, who had learned interpersonal and political skills from a young age, knew this well.

"Networks are built without expecting anything in return. It's like striking a vein that might burst at any time. If you can form a proper connection with one in a hundred or one in a thousand, it's more meaningful than a million fools."

"Hmm."

"Besides, this first-year has a recommendation from Director Fabian. It's unprecedented. He's worth keeping an eye on."

For a moment, Hayden and Gail were impressed, but they soon became disinterested.

Leonard hadn't left his house today.

"Without seeing him, how can we build a network? It's always a waste of time."

"Ugh, is he just shy? Or is the timing bad?"

Ian scratched the back of his head and then placed a bucket of dried fish in front of the door before turning around.

"Well, let's take it slow. He doesn't seem to have any intention of leaving the island."

"Thinking about it, it's already been three months. Who won the bet?"

"It's invalid. We were all wrong."

"The longest one wins. I win."

"‘Shut up!’"

The trio walked away, bickering, and they never knew that Leonard, whom they had been trying to meet, was watching them from a tree.

"...They're a bit rash, but they seem to have good hearts."

Leonard was inwardly impressed.

'Many of the young talents from prestigious families and major sects have rotten hearts despite their skills.'

This was true not only for the evil sects and demon paths but also for the Five Great Families and Nine Great Sects, the face of the righteous martial world.

They bullied and extorted weaker martial artists, and within their own sects, they frequently used poison and hired assassins to sabotage their competitors.

Their cowardice in front of the strong and arrogance in front of the weak were despicable.

'But these kids, even when they scheme, don't fall into evil ways and try to achieve their goals through kindness. That's quite remarkable.'

Their mischief could be seen as childish, and to Leonard, who had only aged in appearance, they were endearing.

'I should remember this and teach them a thing or two. Gail, Hayden, and Ian, right?'

The reason he observed the three from the tree was simple.

To perform the face-changing technique, he needed to observe the person's facial features, aura, and movements.

Leonard faced a problem he hadn't considered before.

'The hair color is the issue. I didn't pay attention to it in the Central Plains because there was no need to change it. I'll have to borrow the appearances of Hayden and Ian.'

Unlike the blonde-haired Hayden and Ian, Gail had brown hair and tanned skin, making him difficult to imitate.

His build was also larger, creating a sense of incongruity.

Leonard's hands moved swiftly, pressing and rubbing specific acupoints on his face in a regular pattern.

The face-changing technique he had learned from a secret manual found on the body of the Hundred-Faced Demon Thief.

Crack, crack, creak, snap.

Despite the bone-chilling sounds, there was almost no pain.

Leonard didn't stop for several minutes.

And then.

"Hmm."

Leonard, who had transformed to look like Hayden's twin, checked his reflection in his sword.

"Not bad for the first time in a while."

There might be some differences if someone looked closely, but that was unlikely.

Another advantage was that it didn't require continuous use of inner energy to maintain.

Once the initial acupoints were stimulated, the transformation could be maintained semi-permanently. This was how the Hundred-Faced Demon Thief could wander the martial world for over ten years.

Unfortunately, he would have lived longer if he hadn't tried to steal a traveling bag from Lian Wuxie, who was staying at the same inn.

'All preparations for entering the island's interior are complete.'

Leonard's eyes flashed brightly.

10th stage of the Body Tempering Realm!

The amount of inner energy boiling within him had increased several times over. This was why he would be discovered if he broke through the 6th stage of the External Force Realm.

His dantian, meridians, and blood vessels had expanded, causing a ripple of energy around his body.

Swoosh.

Red, black, blue, white, and yellow sword auras rose and then faded from the surface of Leonard's sword.

The Five Elements Sword Aura.

In martial terms, he had reached the pinnacle of the first-class realm.

'Once I break through the External Force Realm, I'll need to prepare four more swords.'

He planned to practice the flying sword technique, as suggested by Duan Muzhen. Starting with the Five Colors Sword Aura was ambitious, so building a solid foundation would make it easier to achieve.

"It will be dark soon."

Leonard looked at the western sky.

The sun was setting.

Naturally, the dark night favored monsters over humans, and few apprentices were active during this time. Thus, the eyes watching them also decreased. Not only the number of people but also the distance and accuracy from the watchtowers were significantly reduced.

Therefore, the chances of finding Leonard if he entered the island's interior were slim.

Especially if he used a martial technique for stealth, it would be even more difficult.

Leonard, whose presence had become ghostly, began to walk into the island's interior without hesitation.

A land where D2-ranked monsters like Adnor acted as corpse cleaners and B-ranked monsters like trolls were not uncommon.

To the Swamp of Bone Piles.

Just three months into his first year, with only the 10th stage of the Body Tempering Realm, he had entered the island's true survival competition.