Chapter 4: Transformation (4)

The voice that suddenly rang out was not particularly loud, but it echoed as if spoken directly into the ear.

The people in the square turned their heads, searching for the source of the voice.

And the black swordsmen, who had abruptly stopped.

Among them, the black swordsman squad leader had turned pale and was breaking out in a cold sweat.

“……?!”

It was a hoarse, unremarkable voice.

However, the killing intent it carried could not be dismissed as trivial.

The squad leader, a black swordsman who had reached the 7th rank of the public, was frozen by the mere killing intent in the voice.

‘Who is this?!’

The squad leader, too, was a man who had honed his skills through countless battles.

He forced his stiff body to relax and reached for his sword.

Creak, creak—

His stiff body screamed in protest, but he gritted his teeth and moved his arm.

Just as he placed his hand on the hilt of the sword—

“If you draw that, consider yourself dead.”

The voice rang out again.

This time, everyone knew its source.

Or rather, the owner of the voice had revealed his position on his own.

Creak, creak—

A strange sound of footsteps.

Creak, creak—

As the owner of the voice approached, the crowd around him parted as if under a spell.

Then, the figure of the voice's owner was revealed.

Standing about 170 cm tall, with a face that looked well over seventy.

Gray, unkempt hair and beard.

A gruff appearance and a vagrant-like attire.

And a sword hanging from his waist.

His overall appearance was peculiar, but what caught everyone's attention the most were his legs.

Creak, creak—

The strange sound of footsteps that had been heard since a while ago.

It was the sound made by the old man's right leg, which was fitted with an old wooden prosthetic.

Creak, creak—

Strangely, the old man's gait did not feel like that of someone with a prosthetic leg at all.

If one hadn't seen the prosthetic with their own eyes, they wouldn't have thought he had any leg problems.

“Who is he?”

“Some old beggar?”

The crowd buzzed at the old man's appearance.

Meanwhile, the black swordsman squad leader's face had become even stiffer.

‘Could it be?!’

The first thing a black swordsman does upon joining is to memorize the details of the continent's top-tier strong individuals.

Especially when it came to famous individuals, even the smallest details had to be memorized, and among these, there were those classified as special targets.

‘This person… how could it be?!’

The challenger recognized by the great swordmaster.

The individual known as the master of masters.

His name slipped out of the squad leader's mouth.

“Johan Redner.”

Among those who walk the path of the sword, no one, not even those who aren't swordsmen, would be unfamiliar with this name.

As if to confirm this, gasps of shock erupted from all around.

“Johan Redner?”

“Could it be… that Johan Redner?!”

While the title of a master was prestigious, no master was as well-known as Johan Redner.

Born in the cradle, he had challenged the swordmaster twice and lost both times.

The only one to survive a failed challenge.

Thus, he was known by other titles as well.

“Unbreakable Sword?!”

“Unbreakable Sword Johan Redner!”

The Unbreakable Sword.

At the mention of this title, the crowd's attention focused on the gruff-looking old man.

Excitement spread like wildfire.

“A master! And an Unbreakable Sword at that!”

“Is it really Johan Redner? For real?”

“Hey, you! Didn't you hear what the black swordsman said? Do you think they were lying?!”

“Wow… to see an Unbreakable Sword after the black swordsman!”

“But why is a master here?”

“Can't you see? He's here to see our young master!”

“Oh, so the master staying as a guest of the lord is him?!”

“Then, could it be… that our young master Gunter is becoming this master's disciple?”

“Of course! If it's the young master, he has the qualifications!”

Johan's sudden appearance.

Especially since he appeared during Gunter's test, people were excited and began to speculate.

Meanwhile, Johan casually scanned the crowd, ignoring the attention focused on him.

Then, his golden eyes met those of someone at the edge of the crowd.

‘There you are.’

A faint smile appeared on Johan's lips.

At that moment, Ashraf approached with the nobles and bowed.

“I thought you had left.”

“I was planning to, but not before seeing something interesting.”

“Huh?”

Ashraf asked, but Johan did not answer.

Instead, he rummaged through his clothes.

“Let's see, I think I put it here… Ah, there it is!”

In Johan's hand was a black dragon badge.

It was impossible to tell if it was black due to age or if it was originally made of black material.

Ashraf's eyes widened at the sight.

‘This is…? ’

The dragon badges issued in the cradle are graded based on their material.

The highest-grade dragon badge, the platinum White Dragon Badge, is awarded to those with the greatest talent.

Even among these, it is said that there is a higher-grade dragon badge.

A dragon badge that is rumored among the cradle's cadets.

‘…Black Dragon Badge!’

Ashraf's gaze could not be torn away from the Black Dragon Badge.

Johan casually tossed the precious Black Dragon Badge to the black swordsman and said softly.

“I, Johan Redner, the second cadet of the cradle, request a qualification test.”

The crowd buzzed at Johan's words.

“What… what is he saying?”

“The Unbreakable Sword is requesting a qualification test?”

“But the young master's test is over, right?”

“You idiot! He means the Unbreakable Sword is recommending someone else to the cradle, not our young master!”

“So, who is it?”

“…Who, indeed?”

People were confused, thinking there was no one besides Gunter who could be recommended by the Unbreakable Sword.

Johan, as if mocking their confusion, pointed a finger.

“The one who will take the test… is him.”

Johan's finger pointed.

People standing in a straight line with the tip of his finger were startled and moved aside.

One, two, three.

Twenty people in a row moved to create space.

As the human barrier parted, a young boy finally appeared at the end.

A boy with golden eyes and black hair.

Yuri did not avoid being pointed out.

Instead, he pointed to his own face in disbelief and asked.

“…Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Johan chuckled, and Yuri gave him a cold look.

The sudden situation caused a murmur in the crowd.

“Isn't that Yuri?”

“Who is he?”

“Well, there's an orphan kid who lives outside the city walls, right?”

“So… that Johan Redner is recommending this kid to the cradle?!”

“What's going on…?”

Unlike the surrounding reactions, Yuri remained still.

Instead, he raised his guard and observed Johan.

‘This old man is a master, right?’

The fact that he was the famous Unbreakable Sword was somewhat surprising.

But that was all.

‘…What does this old man have in mind?’

Yuri knew that there was no such thing as a favor given without conditions.

However, from experience, favors were more often disguised malice than genuine kindness.

This was why Yuri remained cautious.

He spoke casually.

“Why me?”

“Because I recommended you.”

“So, why did you recommend me?”

“It's my decision.”

“Don't play games.”

“What games?”

“Even geniuses fail this test. How can I pass it?”

“Haha. Do you truly think so?”

Johan laughed and looked at Yuri.

As if saying, "Don't play games with me."

His gaze seemed to say, "I know you well."

Yuri's face turned cold, feeling as if his inner thoughts had been exposed.

His tone changed.

“Old man, do you know me? Why are you acting so familiar?”

A tone devoid of any courtesy.

Yet, Johan laughed as if enjoying it.

“Of course! I know you well!”

“…?”

“Cripple, cripple! A cripple who will soon die.”

“…?!”

Yuri's pupils dilated.

His heart pounded fiercely.

‘This old man… what does he know about me?’

Does he know about my condition?

Or is he just insulting me?

Many thoughts raced through his mind, but Yuri maintained a calm face and asked.

“So, you're saying you'll recommend me to the cradle? Old man?”

“Yes.”

“I appreciate the offer, but whether I take the test is my choice, right?”

Choosing to reject an opportunity that others would kill for.

But Johan appreciated Yuri's caution even more.

Continuously doubting and reassessing one's situation.

Isn't that a necessary trait for survival?

Johan burst into a hearty laugh.

“Offer? I'm not doing you a favor.”

“Then what is it?”

“I want to make a deal with you.”

“Deal?”

“There's something I want to confirm through you.”

“…What is it?”

“Once you pass the test, I'll tell you.”

Yuri's eyes narrowed, and he asked immediately.

“So, what will I gain from this deal?”

As if waiting for this question, Johan continued.

“You, somewhere, are broken, right?”

“…?!”

Yuri's eyes widened.

‘This old man… he knows!’

When Johan called him a cripple, it wasn't just an insult.

He was seeing through Yuri's condition.

‘How…? I've never told anyone.’

Yuri's eyes wavered, and Johan smiled.

“Terrible headaches, vomiting blood, and… don't you sometimes see yourself in your dreams? A monster, raging and going mad?”

As Johan spoke, Yuri's face darkened.

A strained voice escaped Yuri's lips.

“Do you know about this curse?”

“Curse… curse. Hmph, not a wrong word. If left alone, ‘that thing’ would have devoured you. You must have guessed, right? That your life… is like a candle in the wind?”

“…”

“What will you gain from this deal?”

Johan, with a deep smile, made an offer that couldn't be refused.

“I'll save you and tell you what this curse is. If you accept the deal….”

Johan drew his sword from his waist and extended it forward.

“Come and take this sword. Show me. Show me if I need to save you from this curse!”

Yuri silently stared at the sword Johan offered.

‘He says he'll save me…’

The curse that made him a ticking time bomb.

Yuri didn't want to die; he wanted to live. That's why he had traveled across the continent, seeking a way to remove the curse.

With the belief that if he kept searching, he would eventually find it, he met countless people.

But through this, Yuri only learned how to face the harsh reality, not how to remove the curse.

When he finally found someone after much searching, he received cold, dismissive responses due to his young age and lack of resources.

Or he faced the false tongues of those who tried to exploit him.

Thus, he had never even found a clue about the nature of the curse.

‘This old man I met for the first time today knows about my curse…’

And he says he can free him from it.

‘Can I trust him?’

It doesn't seem like a deal that would harm me.

What does this sinister old man want from me?

Does he really know about the curse?

Many questions filled his mind, but his heart had already made a decision.

Yuri took a step forward and sighed.

Thud.

“Ha…”

At fifteen, a young age.

But having lived a more intense life than anyone, he felt it more acutely.

‘I want to live.’

He didn't want to die like this.

He wanted to live longer.

Driven by this desire, he put strength into his legs.

Thud.

The hesitant step he took at first gradually became more determined.

Thud, thud.

Passing the people who were watching him, Yuri reached Johan.

“…I'll warn you.”

He glared at Johan and extended his arm.

Yuri's pale hand finally touched Johan's sword.

“I'll show you what you asked for, but… if anyone dies, it's not my problem. It's all on you, old man.”

Click.

With a heavy sound, Johan's sword was completely transferred to Yuri.

The deal was sealed.