Chapter 2: Transformation (2)

The Croton Peninsula, known for its resemblance to a dragon's head.

Among its regions, the Irons Manor, situated in the dragon's mouth, was abuzz with festive atmosphere.

What stirred this remote manor was a single piece of news.

[Young Master Gunter will take the Cradle's test, and it will be open for everyone to see!]

This was officially announced from the manor a few days ago.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the manor, and people gathered in small groups to discuss it.

"If it's the Cradle's test... the Black Sword Soldiers will come too, right? I never thought I'd see a Black Sword Soldier in my lifetime."

"Who wouldn't? It's all thanks to Young Master!"

"But... will Young Master be able to enter the Cradle? I've heard that even renowned geniuses fail the qualifying test. What if our Young Master...?"

"Hey, that's a bad omen! Our Young Master won't fail!"

Fifteen years ago, a boy was born into the Irons family.

Gunter, the heir to the manor, displayed exceptional talent from a young age and was known as a prodigy.

As time passed...

When Gunter, the pride of the manor, announced his intention to enter the 'Cradle of the Dragon,' a place established by the Sword Lord for the world's geniuses, the manor's people and retainers rejoiced.

"The Lord must be watching over our manor! That's for sure!"

"If Young Master follows in the Lord's footsteps and returns from the Cradle... the glory of Irons will shine even more brightly!"

The current Lord had also visited the Cradle of the Dragon over twenty years ago.

Due to this, the Irons, once a small, remote manor, became a prominent family in the Croton administrative region within just one generation.

All because of a single genius born from the Cradle.

Moreover, the current Lord often spoke of his son.

"Gunter's talent surpasses mine."

A genius recognized by another genius.

The current Lord had no doubt that his son would pass the Cradle's test, and thus announced the public viewing of the test process.

This was a performance to show the people that the Irons' glory would continue in the next generation.

The Lord's strategy worked, and the entire manor was filled with hope.

Then, a rumor that further heated the atmosphere spread from the manor.

"The Lord's guest, a Master, is staying here!"

Master.

The impact of this word was incomparable to the Cradle's test.

The established martial system, set by the Sword Lord Luke Ryder, starts from Unofficial Rank 5 to Unofficial Rank 1.

After that, those who surpass the ranks begin from Official Rank 1 and gradually ascend.

The Official Rank 9, reached by a few geniuses after long training, is a realm few can achieve.

And the title of Master is bestowed upon those who break through the 9th rank and reach a new realm.

There are only 22 officially recognized Masters in the world.

Excluding the Sword Lord, who is called a superhuman, they are the strongest humans in the world.

Such a being in this remote land!

And at the same time as Young Master Gunter's Cradle test!

What could be the reason for the Lord's guest to stay here?

"Surely, he must have come to see Young Master."

"Perhaps he has come to take Young Master as a disciple!"

"Ha, if Young Master becomes a Master's disciple..."

If that were to happen, it would mean having a Master, equivalent to a strategic weapon, as a backing.

"I heard that a small manor's young lady became a Master's disciple and revived a nearly ruined family. It was a complete turnaround!"

"If Young Master becomes a Master's disciple... Croton will be firmly in our manor's hands!"

The manor was bustling with growing hope and excitement.

However, unlike the manor's excitement, the atmosphere in the manor house was chillingly cold.

"Left?"

A low voice in the silence.

The owner of the voice was none other than the manor's lord.

Ashraf Irons.

The ruler of Irons, known as the Blue Wolf.

The steward's head bowed deeply at the lord's stern voice.

"According to the confirmation, that's correct. The room we provided has been empty since two days ago. We waited, but he hasn't returned."

The steward's report that the Master had left made Ashraf's face even sterner.

The steward, sensing this, spoke cautiously.

"Should we send someone to find out where he went?"

"No need."

Ashraf shook his head lightly.

"If he decided to leave, we can't stop him."

Ashraf's face was filled with regret.

'Left... '

He had managed to arrange a meeting by using past connections when he heard that the Master was looking for a disciple.

He believed that Gunter's talent would easily catch the Master's eye and become a disciple, but the Master's evaluation of Gunter was simple.

[The kid is better than his father.]

That was all.

The Master, who didn't say much after that, left as suddenly as he came.

'Gunter's talent... didn't meet his standards, I see.'

Ashraf, unable to relax his stern face, forced himself to look away and spoke.

"How is the preparation for the test going?"

"It's proceeding without any issues."

"Make sure to pay attention until the end."

"Understood. I will finalize the preparations and take my leave now."

The steward bowed deeply to his lord and left the office.

"Hmm..."

Ashraf's low groan revealed his regret and discomfort.

At that moment, he didn't know.

The 'Master' he thought had left was still in his manor.

And as if it were a fated encounter, he had met a new connection.

* * *

The deep sunset began to spread over the Irons Manor in the early evening.

Ding.

A young boy, holding a money pouch from the herb shop owner, stepped out of the door.

Black hair and golden eyes.

His plain clothing contrasted with his fair skin and sharp features.

A small teardrop under his left eye added to his mysterious aura.

Now fifteen, Yul put the money pouch in his pocket and entered the alley of the market.

And it was at that moment.

"Hey!"

Yul's steps halted at the familiar voice from behind.

"Huh."

He sighed and turned around.

In front of him stood a large, stocky boy.

Yul's expression crumpled.

"...You again?"

The boy's name was Dert.

He was an orphan who had come to the Irons Manor before Yul.

While Yul moved alone, Dert gathered other orphans and acted as their leader.

Moreover, he constantly picked fights with Yul.

One could say they were natural enemies.

Of course, it was one-sided, with Dert hating Yul.

'After not seeing him for a while, he's at it again.'

As if to prove Yul's prediction, Dert grinned, revealing his broken front tooth.

"You little brat... you're in for it now."

The boy's low voice was threatening.

But Yul just sighed.

"Huh... What is it today?"

"Again? Again?! How can you say that after what you did to my teeth?!"

"Who asked you to start it?"

"Shut up! Today, I'll pull out all your teeth! I'll make you drink soup for the rest of your life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, ten children appeared behind Dert.

That wasn't all.

Thud.

A few more boys with clubs appeared from the opposite alley.

Yul was completely surrounded.

Dert's grin widened, clearly pleased with the situation.

"I knew you'd come to sell herbs today, so I've been waiting here since morning!"

"Ooh? You actually used your head? I thought you just carried it to balance your shoulders."

"...We'll see if you can still talk like that in a bit."

Dert, glaring, nodded, and the boys closed in on Yul.

On average, they were 17 years old.

Twenty boys with clubs were a violent group that could easily take down several adults.

It seemed impossible for the small-framed Yul to face them.

But despite the dangerous situation, Yul's face showed annoyance rather than fear.

"Did you guys come out of the womb with no learning ability?"

Indeed, if they had any learning ability, they wouldn't keep coming back after being beaten.

Muttering to himself, Yul quickly scanned his surroundings.

Soon, a low sound of frustration escaped his lips.

"Tch."

They were well-prepared.

'There's really no way out.'

Normally, he would have used guerrilla tactics to strike and retreat, but the narrow alley made that impossible.

'You're using your head, unlike a pig.'

If he got beaten with clubs, it would be a big problem.

His only asset was his body.

If he were injured, no one would take responsibility or care for him.

He would just starve to death.

'No choice. Just... a little... dip my toe in and get out.'

Though he didn't like the situation, it was the only option now.

"Hmm..."

Yul made a decision, closed his eyes slightly, and took a deep breath.

His shadow moved strangely.

But this was only for a brief moment.

None of those surrounding Yul noticed the change.

Then.

Flash.

Yul's golden eyes glowed as he opened them.

"I'm busy, so let's make this quick."

Otherwise, the 'curse' would deepen, and he didn't know when 'it' would burst out.

Yul made a quick decision and launched himself.

The boys also began to act.

"Attack!"

"Kill him!"

"Ah!"

The boys swung their clubs like swords.

Whoosh, whoosh.

In the narrow alley, dodging the powerful swings was difficult.

But Yul was different now.

Whoosh.

He easily dodged a club coming from the front by twisting his body.

Crack.

He punched the jaw of the boy opposite him.

Whoosh.

He ducked to avoid an attack from behind.

Thud.

"Keh?!"

He kicked the attacker's stomach with a back kick.

Whoosh, whoosh.

"Ow!"

Thud, thud.

"Ugh!"

Yul dodged the reckless attacks and countered with punches and kicks.

Each time, one of Dert's gang fell.

Dert, watching from a distance, was shaken.

'That monster brat!'

He had observed Yul's usual routes for days and armed himself differently this time.

He thought this would be enough to show Yul his place.

'What... what is that?'

To Dert, Yul's movements were abnormal and unfamiliar.

They were also very different from what he knew of Yul's abilities.

'Does he have eyes on the back of his head?'

How could he move like that?

Is this really a fifteen-year-old street kid?

While Dert was inwardly screaming, the twenty boys were already lying on the ground, groaning.

"Ugh."

"Ugh..."

Yul glared at Dert among the fallen boys.

Dert shuddered under Yul's gaze.

He bit his lip.

"Ah! Die!"

Dert swung his club wildly and charged at Yul.

Whoosh.

Despite his size, his club whistled through the air more powerfully than the others.

But Yul easily dodged and punched Dert's chest.

"Ugh?!"

The pain from his chest made Dert gasp for breath and fall to the ground.

"..."

Dert, pale and trembling, looked up at Yul.

Yul, squatting in front of him, slapped Dert's cheeks.

"Hey, hey! Breathe, breathe!"

"Phew!"

After being slapped a dozen times, Dert finally gasped for air.

"Ugh."

Yul, looking at the drooling Dert with disdain, spoke.

"Hey, I have a question."

"..."

"Why do you hate me so much?"

This was a question Yul had had for a long time.

He hadn't done anything to harm Dert's gang.

Yet, Dert constantly picked fights with him.

Each time, Yul beat him up, but Dert never gave up and kept coming back.

Yul couldn't understand why Dert was doing this.

"Ugh..."

Dert, curled up in pain, glared at Yul.

Grinding his teeth, he spoke in a low voice.

"Just..."

"Just?"

"Just, I hate you! You're just another orphan... no different from us! But you act like you're better than everyone else!"

Dert first met Yul half a year ago.

When he was gathering and leading other orphans like himself.

Dert had invited Yul to join him.

But Yul's response was simple.

"Get lost."

A short but clear rejection.

After that, Yul lived alone, not joining any group.

He acted as if he had nothing to do with Dert.

'It started then!'

If asked when he started hating Yul, Dert could answer without hesitation.

It was the moment he saw Yul's indifferent eyes when he rejected his invitation.

"Your eyes..."

"What about my eyes?"

"Your smug eyes! What makes you think you're better? What makes you so special?!"

Dert's voice, filled with anger, made Yul's golden eyes lose their vitality.

They were eyes that didn't seem to belong to a fifteen-year-old.

Cold... no, even colder than before.

Dert felt a chill run down his spine, thinking Yul might do something.

He closed his eyes tightly.

But.

"Is that so?"

Yul stood up without doing anything.

He looked down at Dert and spoke.

"You seem to have a misunderstanding. I've never acted smug."

Yul's golden eyes, which had lost their light, swept over Dert and the fallen boys.

"I just... thought it was boring."

With that, Yul put his hands in his pockets and left the alley.

Dert, left behind, could only watch Yul's retreating back.

A while later, Dert's gang, groaning, got up.

"Ugh, boss... let's just leave Yul alone."

"Shut up! How long are you going to lie there? Get up now!"

"Ow!"

Dert and his subordinates, like defeated soldiers, supported each other and left the alley.

Once everyone was gone, the alley fell silent.

From a corner of the alley, a small shadow appeared.

The shadow, watching Yul's direction, muttered.

"In the dragon's mouth... lives a human in the form of a monster. Hehe."

The low, hoarse voice was filled with excitement and joy.