Chapter 99

EP.99 Rak van Grace

The wind always blew in the North.

The wind, which retained its chill, was fierce. The wind of the North was a symbol of cruelty.

The harsh environment showed no mercy to those who lived there. Those who resolved to live in the North had to be tough.

To avoid being torn by the fierce wind.

To endure the harsh environment.

They trained themselves. To survive in the North, where it was difficult for a human body to endure, they yearned for ways to survive.

"The history of the North is a history of survival."

The warriors of the North are strong. They do not survive because they are strong; they are strong because they survive.

Rak recalled this sentence.

"......"

Rak looked at the forest shrouded in darkness.

Red eyes flashed from between the bushes, beyond the trees. He sensed movement. They hid their bodies but did not completely conceal themselves.

'They are approaching.'

The movement drew closer.

Rak estimated their number by sight. There were many, but their condition was not good.

Rusty weapons.

Shabby equipment that could barely be called armor.

Their bodies were stained with soot and dirt.

They looked like soldiers retreating after a defeat. Perhaps there was a training ground for apprentice knights on their route. It was unclear.

'Soldiers in poor condition.'

However.

'Even so, they are soldiers.'

Soldiers who have experienced the battlefield.

Rak read a fierce killing intent in their eyes. They were not to be underestimated.

"......Huh."

Rak took a deep breath and assessed the situation.

Dumac had gone to call the instructor. It would take at least ten minutes for reinforcements to arrive.

Ten minutes.

That was the time Rak had to endure.

"Is that so."

Rak nodded.

"It's a real battle, then."

There was only one question to ask himself.

'Can I do it, or can't I?'

Was it reckless or not?

Rak answered the question he posed to himself.

"I can do it."

That was enough.

Should he run?

Should he endure until reinforcements arrive?

Was hiding the right choice?

Rak dismissed all these thoughts. They were unnecessary and worthless. Now that he had made his decision, there was only one thing Rak needed to think about.

'How will I hunt?'

Rak gripped his axe more firmly.

His prey was right in front of him. A hunter does not run when faced with prey.

Crack.

Rak's fingers dug into the circuit etched on the axe handle, making a loud noise. The axe handle trembled in his hand.

Acceleration (Accel).

Muscle Enhancement (Muscular).

He unleashed the spells he had stocked.

The movement drew even closer. The sounds of movement revealed themselves from the darkness.

Torches illuminated their faces.

Red eyes, filled with killing intent, glinted menacingly in the night. Their gazes fixed on Rak.

Rak's red eyes narrowed.

'The key is the flow.'

If you lose the flow, you get swept away.

To seize the flow, you must use Heat. Use it, but don't be dominated by instinct. At that moment, he had to awaken the strange sensation he had briefly experienced during the practical exam.

It was a difficult task.

A difficult task, but.

'I've done it before.'

Rak raised his arm, gripping the axe.

As if taking this as a signal, the soldiers of the demon realm began to charge at Rak. Arrows flew.

Roar!

Their cries echoed in his ears.

And, amidst all of this, Rak's axe handle made a light sound.

The axe handle touched Rak's heart.

Heat (Heating).

Thump, Rak's heart beat loudly.

2.

"Even if that boy Rak is outstanding, isn't it a bit too much to send him to experience the battlefield, Laniel?"

"Hm?"

At Roselle's question, the woman who had been sprawled on the sofa, engrossed in a novel, slowly lifted her body.

Her tousled ash-gray hair swayed.

Laniel, dressed in pajamas, blinked and looked at Roselle. It seemed she had been reading a novel before going to sleep.

"Isn't that the truth?"

Roselle sighed and said.

"I admit the boy is outstanding. Still, isn't he too young? Even if the Combat Magic Department emphasizes practical experience... "

"Well, I was about that age too."

Laniel shrugged.

"Was I twenty? Or nineteen? I think I first went to the battlefield around that time."

"You're a bit different, aren't you...?"

Roselle rubbed his temples.

This incompetent disciple often projects his own specialness onto others.

'Even if Aphria is a prestigious school and the Combat Magic Department produces capable soldiers... '

That's a story after graduation.

They still had much to learn. At the very least, sending them to experience the battlefield so early seemed unreasonable to Roselle.

"Still, isn't the battlefield a bit much? They could be injured by a stray arrow."

"That's why I took precautions... Honestly, I don't think they'll need it."

"Since you've taken precautions, I won't say much... But, Laniel, I'm saying not to demand the experience of a hero from students."

"Hm?"

At the question, Laniel tilted her head.

Just as Roselle was about to sigh and explain from the beginning, Laniel blinked and blurted out.

"It's not that different, though."

"What?"

"I know we're special. If they were other students, they wouldn't be sent. They'd just be Belnoa? Or maybe he's not that type."

Muttering, Laniel raised her arm and tapped the corners of her eyes with her fingers.

"I can see it."

"......What can you see?"

"Whether they belong to that group or not."

"That group?"

"It's a bit hard to explain, but there's something about it. I can just see it."

Sword Master, Kuntel.

The last mage of the fallen nation, Kellharum.

The ghost of the front lines, the Sword Demon Draka.

Reciting the names of those who etched legends on the battlefield, Laniel said.

"Not heroes, but those called superhumans."

Not chosen by the stars, but those who trained themselves to achieve superhuman strength.

"Uncle Kuntel says you can see signs in such kids... "

Laniel smiled.

"To me, Rak is one of them."

She stated with confidence.

"Once he gets the hang of it, he'll catch up before graduation."

"Who will he catch up to?" Roselle asked.

In response to the question, Laniel did not answer.