Chapter 98

98. The First Boss, Leang (16)

Imitation. At first, it might be good.

Just by imitating, one can make rapid progress, and people who don't know better often look up to them.

I was once like that.

When I wanted to complete a quest in "The Hero of the Academy" but failed.

When I couldn't get the hidden piece I wanted.

I looked up strategy cafes and followed their play, successfully getting what I wanted.

But.

"Boring."

Just imitating someone else's play.

The spaces moved, the dialogue choices, even the angles and timing of skill usage.

Following someone else's footsteps might give a momentary satisfaction.

But the fun and happiness I felt when I did it myself.

That, it could not provide.

That's right. I had to blaze my own trail and play in a way no one else had thought of.

It had to be fun, happy, and only then could I be called.

"A hero."

* * *

"Leang! What are you doing now!"

"......"

"That brat, you can't even beat him! Do you think this is acceptable!"

Leang. He was talking to a demon.

To be precise, a demon inside the magic sword.

9th Tier. A low-level demon among low-level demons.

"Let's make an additional contract! If you make a second contract with me, you can take out that guy in one hit!"

The demon's whisper tickled Leang's ear.

Leang closed his eyes. He didn't want to hear or see anything.

Then.

A forgotten memory from the past resurfaced.

After being kicked out of the Lester family, he wandered around the empire, continuously training in swordsmanship.

He happened to meet that guy.

The 14-year-old boy who had insulted his brother and left.

Of course, he was now a 22-year-old, well-mannered young man.

"Ah, you know! In the past, I was a skilled guy!"

"Hey, Mr. L. Shut up and drink your alcohol!"

Leang quietly waited for the drinking session to end.

And the moment the drunk man entered a deserted alley.

"Fight me."

He challenged him to a duel.

For some reason, he felt he had to.

"What? You're crazy! Get lost!"

"......The duel has already begun."

After throwing a sword to him, the duel started.

Before the third move, the match was decided.

"K, Kaaaaaah!!"

The inexperienced brat rolled on the ground, his arm cut.

It didn't even look like a 3 cm cut.

Leang grabbed the brat's hair and declared boldly.

"Brat, how do you feel?"

"K, Kuh...... Who are you! Who are you, really!"

"I am Leang of the Fleur family. You have lost to the Fleur family."

"What? Fleur? Impossible! That sword technique just now was from the Lengta family! You're not from the Fleur family!"

"No, I am definitely from the Fleur family. I am the second son, Leang of the Fleur family!"

The unrecognized Leang.

And the unrecognized victory of the Fleur family.

Leang was boiling with anger.

"Ah, you know! Impossible! The Fleur family is known for their solid and impressive stance! Not like the flimsy trash you just showed!"

Choked!

Trash? What I've built up until now?

"Hey, wait! I misspoke...... Gah!"

Leang immediately gutted the guy.

Later, I found out that the guy was such a troublemaker that even his family had disowned him.

He had been kicked out of the academy too.

No need to worry about murder charges.

But Leang couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"......I'm not from the Fleur family?"

That evening, after practicing the Fleur family's sword technique all day, he realized.

His sword technique had already deviated significantly from the Fleur family's.

To the point where it could be considered a different technique altogether.

'It's not bad.'

The reason Leang left the family.

To incorporate techniques from other families and strengthen the Fleur family's sword technique.

It had become a completely different technique, but......

'I've come too far. I have no choice but to continue as I have been.'

Desperately hoping this path was the right one.

From then on, he devoted himself even more to imitation, and his reputation began to rise.

The name "Leprael of a hundred defeats" was forgotten, and "Leang the Imitator" became the representative of the Fleur family.

Ten years after leaving the family.

Leang decided to return to the family.

His brother Leprael welcomed him warmly.

The problem arose during dinner.

"Brother, I have improved the family's sword technique. Let's use this from now on."

Leang said confidently.

His created sword technique was that powerful.

But the response was.

"......Leang, haven't you realized yet?"

"Huh?"

"Sigh...... I thought you would have realized after 10 years, but I was mistaken."

"Brother...... I did my best for the family. How could you do this to me!"

Leang was furious.

After imitating other families' techniques, being ridiculed, and enduring countless humiliations and persecutions.

"Is that the Leang the Imitator?"

"Hahaha! What a joke. Imitating other families' techniques?"

"Should we teach you our family's sword technique?"

Pride, self-esteem, self-respect. He had to abandon all of it.

To revive the family. But to reject it!

Not even to give it a try!

"Our family's sword technique is not weak! Not to the point of losing to a 14-year-old!"

"Brother, I may not be like you, but you have talent. You can definitely become stronger than them. It's still possible even now."

"With this trash sword technique?"

"......Do you know what steel is?"

Strong and solid, a lump of iron mixed with various elements.

But it can become anything.

If it goes through the process of being hammered thousands, tens of thousands of times.

"Anything can become a solid entity. People are no different. Only through that arduous process can one become a solid person."

"......"

"Our family's sword technique represents the will of steel. Since it can become anything, it can blend well with other families' techniques. But if the core is shaken."

It will collapse. Just like you now.

"......That's impossible!"

Leang, whose 10 years of effort were negated, finally burst with anger.

He challenged his brother, the head of the family, to a duel.

Leprael said nothing. He silently brought out his sword.

"Alright, if that's your decision, let's do it. If this makes your inferiority complex disappear, you can insult me as much as you want."

The duel began.

Leang easily took the upper hand. Leprael kept falling and getting back up.

A duel where the winner and loser were already decided.

In the middle of the boring fight, Leang realized something.

'Brother knew he would lose. Yet he accepted the duel.'

Why?

"......You won't understand."

Leprael staggered and got back up.

He leaned on his sword, his legs trembling as if they would collapse at any moment.

But he managed to stand up again.

"......Standing up, enduring."

Like steel.

"With the will of Fleur."

Was it intuition, or instinct?

Leang suddenly felt fear and immediately used a secret technique.

The third secret technique of the Laphrel family.

Illusion Sword.

The fifth secret technique of the Fleur family.

Steel Storm of the Sky.

Leang could only widen his eyes. His secret technique had been shattered.

Snap, snap.

Even his left arm was bleeding.

Of course, Leprael was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

'Steel Storm of the Sky. A secret technique so silent and quiet, it's terrifying.'

If I had used that?

...No. Let's not think about that.

I won, and my argument was right. The family's sword technique is weak.

So Leang set out on another journey, fleeing.

I don't even know how much time has passed.

'I can never be a hero.'

At that moment, a black dog appeared and spoke to him.

"Do you need help?"

This was the first meeting between the demon and Leang.

* * *

Time passed.

The Fleur family disintegrated with his brother's death.

In contrast, Leang's reputation rose even higher.

'Should I call it good luck?'

He made a deal with a demon and obtained a magic sword.

A magic sword that helped him easily use secret techniques from other families.

Although he had to pay a part of his body as a price for using it.

But a small piece of flesh was enough, so Leang thought it was a good deal.

Recently, Leang was traveling between large parties, eager to witness secret techniques from other families.

While being invited to various places and continuing his activities, he overheard a conversation.

"Leang is here, they say. He's rising these days."

"Pfft, he's just a clown."

"Right. A clown who imitates techniques."

What a bunch of clowns.

Third-rate nobles whose families I don't even know.

But Leang couldn't laugh. He had entered a plateau.

Being able to use techniques from other families was good.

But he couldn't surpass the originals.

This gave Leang a great sense of frustration.

Then, a letter arrived from Andwood Academy.

The content was long, but summarized, it was simple.

They offered him a position as a teacher at the academy.

Leang was deeply moved. A teacher from a family no one knew.

'I'm going to be an academy teacher.'

Not only could he build a good resume, but he could guide lost children onto the right path.

It was the perfect job for him.

'Well, it's a bit disappointing that I can't learn more techniques from other families, though.'

While preparing for this.

A butler from the Vurn family came with a letter.

The letter contained a predictable request.

A predictable request to keep an eye on Teron.

'Sure enough, noble families are different.'

Even with their advanced secret techniques, they don't let their guard down.

They always try to get more and push down those who have less.

As he was about to tear the letter in front of the butler and refuse.

"The Duke said that if you accept the offer, he will provide all the support you want."

Gold, women, fame, or something else.

But Leang wanted none of it.

He was about to sneer and put more force into his hand.

"Once a month, you will have the opportunity to spar with the family of your choice."

He paused.

The right to free sparring. This was an incredible opportunity to address Leang's shortcomings.

"......Even the Vurn family?"

"Of course. He also mentioned that you probably wouldn't want that."

The Vurn family is not a sword family but a martial arts family.

A family that has reached the pinnacle of martial arts with fists and feet.

Leang, who craved sword techniques, wouldn't ask for a sparring session with them. That was the implication.

No matter how he thought about it, it was a favorable and generous offer.

So Leang.

"Polite refusal. Please tell him to find another teacher."

He expressed his refusal.

"Understood. Here is the communication number. If you change your mind, please contact us anytime."

The butler from the Vurn family left. The communication number was left on the table.

'I won't contact them first, but......'

There's no absolute in this world.

And as expected, right after the new semester started.

Leang fell into despair. The children's sword techniques were too advanced.

How many times had he bowed to learn a single secret technique?

Here, those techniques were as common as dirt.

In the end, Leang had to resort to the sealed magic sword again.

And the result of that action.

As you can see.

He was facing death.

* * *

"Mr. Zero......"

"Hehe, you're finally coming to your senses?"

Is it because he lost too much blood, or because the magic sword is starting to take over his body?

Leang's focus is blurry.

Either way, it's not a good situation.

"Sorry. I'm just starting to......see things clearly."

"......"

"Despite trying to ignore it, I've finally realized. The reason I could become 'Leang the Imitator.'"

The reason Leang could build his reputation as 'Leang the Imitator.' It was because.

"The Fleur family's sword technique emphasized the basics."

Because the balance of the sword technique was well-maintained.

Because it was a technique that trained the core muscles used everywhere.

That's why Leang could easily absorb techniques from other families.

"That's right. I thought I was a genius or something. But to forget the basics...... Haha, I can't face my ancestors."

"......"

"Mr. Zero, can I ask you for one favor?"

"Yes, please speak."

"Cut off my right arm."

"But......"

"Please. The noise is making it hard to have a conversation. I......"

Leang continued with a smile.

"With my last disciple."