Chapter 16

Zighardt's patriarchal hall, where Sigmund's massive sword was being sharpened, emitted a fierce aura. Glen Zighardt, the master of the grand mansion, sat on his throne and narrowed his eyes.

'Now that I think about it...'

There were words spoken by the charlatan who had left, known as the Saint of Rags.

'There are cases of special talents.'

Frederick had mentioned that among the children with the Cursed Cold constitution, there were those with special talents.

'Has that talent manifested?'

If not, there was no way Raon, who was supposed to be eliminated immediately, could have held on this long.

"Hmm..."

Glen exhaled a heavy breath. This was a side of him that he could not show in front of others, the Northern Warlord, the Sword Emperor.

'It was a mistake. A huge one.'

In the past, when he had transcended the human realm, his emotions had dried up like the desert sand.

During that time, he did not show any affection to Sylvia, who was born then, unlike the other children. He treated her like a caretaker, giving her only tasks to do, not as a father.

The youngest, who had not received a father's affection, a mother's love, or the camaraderie of siblings, lived on like a broken doll and eventually left the family with a man she met outside.

'At that time, I really didn't care.'

He knew that the reason Sylvia left was due to the sowing of discord among siblings and the insubordination of subordinates, but he did not care.

At that time, he had no interest in what happened to Sylvia. His mind was only on becoming stronger and making the family greater.

Five years later.

Only after regaining human emotions by breaking through the wall of magic did he realize the enormous mistake he had made.

He was able to send guards to rescue Sylvia and the unborn Raon, but they had already turned to blood before he could see their faces.

'Pathetic.'

He bit his lip in self-disgust. Whether as the patriarch of the Zighardt family, the Northern Warlord, or the Sword Emperor, he could not change the past.

The emotional chasm between him and Sylvia was deep, and it was impossible to mend.

'Raon.'

Therefore, he resolved to protect his youngest grandson at all costs, even if it meant being hated by Sylvia and Raon.

Knock knock.

Just as he was reaffirming his resolve, a knock came from the door.

"Hmm..."

Glen wiped the weary look from his face, exuded a cold aura, and spoke.

"Enter."

* * *

Raon calmed his excited breath and entered the indoor training ground.

'Finally, my body feels loose.'

Thanks to consistent training over two weeks, he had reached the level of the middle group in most exercises.

At this rate of growth, he thought he could reach the level of Baren or Luna before the exam.

'Shall I start today?'

Just as he picked up the shoulder training equipment, Luna approached from the left.

"Ah!"

She began lifting a much heavier piece of equipment with a dazed expression, as if drooling.

-That dimwitted girl is here again.

'Put it down.'

Since she wasn't causing any harm, he ignored her and continued his training. Then, he heard someone sit down on his right.

"Sorry, did I disturb you?"

A round-faced trainee with a pouch on his stomach scratched his head. He was the only one who ever spoke to him.

'His name is Dorian, right?'

He always cowered in fear at Rimer's instructions but was tenacious and quick on his feet.

"Want some?"

Dorian took out a round cookie from his pouch and offered it to him.

"Uh..."

He took the cookie by reflex. When he tried to give it back, he felt a strong gaze from the side. Luna's purple eyes sparkled like a snowy field.

-This is the first time I've seen that dimwitted girl with such an expression.

'She likes cookies?'

Her gaze was fixed on the cookie.

"Want to eat it?"

"..."

Raon extended the cookie to Luna. She hesitated, twitching her hand like a wild cat, before snatching it away.

"...Thank you."

She thanked Raon and Dorian in turn and bit the cookie like a rabbit nibbling on grass. Her stiff expression softened as she savored the taste.

When she takes it, she's a cat; when she eats, she's a rabbit; and usually, she's a dimwitted dog. She's quite unique in many ways.

"Um, Lord Raon?"

Dorian put the remaining cookies back in his pouch and turned his head.

"Can I train next to you?"

He said he wanted to learn some techniques.

"Sure."

Raon nodded. His rapid growth was due to the Ring of Fire and his past life experience. It didn't matter if someone copied his posture.

"Thank you!"

"There's no need to thank me."

He waved his hand in response to Dorian's gratitude and focused back on his training.

Creak!

While intensely stimulating his muscles, he heard the sound of the equipment moving at the same speed and range from Dorian's side.

The same was true on the left where Luna was.

'What strange guys.'

-This king likes that green weasel-like guy.

'Why?'

-He didn't bow to this king. It's the first reverence I've received since awakening.

'...'

Raon almost said it wasn't for him but decided to keep quiet to avoid trouble.

'They're three.'

* * *

Week 5.

Raon overtook the middle group in the morning run and joined the upper-middle group.

That evening, when he was doing voluntary training, one more person joined him, along with Luna and Dorian.

Week 10.

Raon was leading the upper-middle group in the morning run, and that evening, another trainee joined him.

Week 15.

Raon entered the top group. The six people next to him also saw a vertical improvement in their performance.

* * *

Four months had passed since the temporary training at the Fifth Training Ground began.

The variety of training Rimer instructed increased, and the difficulty level kept rising.

The training, which started in the morning and continued until evening, left even the upper group, known for their outstanding physical strength, showing signs of fatigue.

Of course, the basic framework remained unchanged.

The training from morning to afternoon, which Rimer directed, and the individual training from evening onward were all voluntary.

If someone gave up during training or skipped voluntary training, Rimer and the instructors did not react at all.

If someone asked for guidance or advice, they would provide accurate information, but that was all. They did not encourage or urge anyone to train harder or more consistently. They seemed more like observers than instructors.

Leaving everything to the autonomy of twelve- and thirteen-year-olds was innovative, to say the least.

In reality, the collateral branches and recommended students, who were confident in their abilities, did not put their full effort into the training and did not participate in voluntary training at all.

They believed they could become regular students without engaging in such low-level training.

However, there was one thing that changed their behavior.

Raon Zighardt.

The one who was infamous for all the wrong reasons began to bring about positive changes in the Fifth Training Ground.

When the training first started, Raon's physical strength was in the lower ranks.

In the first run, he finished but did not reach the middle group, and his face turned pale as if he were about to die.

But he persevered.

He completed the training that even those with good physical strength dropped out of and started voluntary training the earliest and finished the latest.

Despite panting and exhaling white vapor, Raon continued to train his body to the limit, and the next day, he showed the immediate results of his training.

His physical strength, muscle power, and agility improved noticeably, and his ranking, which was in the lower ranks, rose to 10th out of 160.

The children who witnessed this were shocked.

The collateral branches, the children of the vassal families, and the recommended students no longer took things lightly. They trained with all their might and participated in voluntary training without fail.

They began to see Raon, whom they had only considered a laughingstock, as a rival.

Of course, there were exceptions.

The direct descendant Baren and the collateral branches who followed him ignored the extreme physical training, considering it unnecessary, and focused on practicing the sword and fist techniques they had learned from their families.

Time flowed like a stream as each of them gave their best.

* * *

"Huff!"

Raon exhaled a rough breath while running in the morning.

Although his physical strength and agility had improved significantly over time, he still felt exhausted since he always ran at full speed.

'Still, things have changed.'

He no longer saw the backs of the many children who had blocked his path in the first run.

Thanks to his improved abilities and the Ring of Fire, there were now fewer than ten trainees in front of him.

-Pathetic. Even after a month, so many maggots are still in front of you.

'This rapid progress is impressive.'

Ras was still the same, always complaining and urging him to push his body to the limit every day.

'I thought I could catch up quickly, but those two are different, indeed.'

Raon's gaze turned to Luna and Baren, who were running far ahead. He had always felt that they were on a different level.

They were born with the best talents, had strong willpower, and received thorough training from their families, never slacking off.

They had their flaws, but they were just twelve years old, so it wasn't unusual.

'Shall I run a bit more today?'

Raon pushed off the ground with the Ring of Fire at its maximum capacity.

His lungs felt like they were tearing apart, but he continued running, using the Ring of Fire as a support.

"What, what is this!"

"Raon Zighardt!"

"Oh no!"

The top group children, who were overtaken in an instant, widened their eyes.

Whoosh!

Baren and Luna turned around at the sound of the wind from behind.

"Hmm..."

"..."

Baren frowned like tree bark, and Luna's eyes sparkled like a cat discovering a jewel.

They turned their heads as if daring the others to catch up and started running forward again.

'Surely different, but...'

Raon smiled thinly as he watched their backs.

'There's enough time left.'

At his current growth rate, he thought he could surpass their physical strength, muscle power, and agility by the time of the exam.

Of course, if they used Aura, that would be a different story.

'Aura...'

The direct descendants, collateral branches, and vassal family children, including Luna and Baren, had already learned Aura cultivation techniques.

On the other hand, while he had mastered the ancient training method, the Ring of Fire, he had not yet cultivated any Aura.

'I need to learn it...'

As the time to cultivate Aura approached, he was a bit conflicted.

'The previous one isn't bad.'

The Shadow Aura cultivation technique he had learned in his past life was a good cultivation method.

It could be cultivated with an attribute, was secretive, and sharp, making it excellent for assassination and personal combat.

'But...'

The Shadow Aura cultivation technique could not make him the best. Since he had decided to live as a martial artist rather than an assassin, he needed a superior Aura cultivation technique.

'To achieve that, I need to earn merit.'

From what he had seen and heard, Glen was the same. A cold-blooded person who thought only of the family, but someone who gave clear rewards and punishments.

If he graduated at the top of the basic training, he would surely receive a fitting reward.

'My goal is clear again.'

To return Sylvia to her original position and to learn a good cultivation technique, he needed to train even harder.

-What are you doing? Don't be satisfied with surpassing the maggots; catch those two. Running ahead of this king is unbearable.

Ras's anger surged, making his chest tighten. He gritted his teeth and continued running, and after a while, a message appeared.

[You have endured the stimulation of <Anger>.]

[Your physical strength ability has increased.]

-Ugh, again!

Raon nodded as he watched Ras vent his frustration.

'I need to use this guy well, too.'

* * *

"Today's training ends here. Those who want to do voluntary training, do so; those who don't, don't."

Rimer left the training ground without hesitation after finishing the afternoon training. He muttered that he was going to drink while whistling a tune.

"Huff..."

Baren exhaled an annoyed breath as he watched Rimer's back.

'I really don't like him.'

He knew Rimer was called the "Sword of Light," but recently, he had become nothing more than a loafer.

During regular training, he would lie down and watch casually, and he showed no interest in voluntary training.

To think he would take the exam to become a regular student, he seemed more like a grasshopper jumping around than an elf.

"Lord Baren, are you not doing voluntary training today?"

While frowning at Rimer's back, Crane and the collateral branches approached cautiously. They had become quite close.

"I will."

Baren nodded and picked up a wooden sword. A smile formed on his face at the pleasant hardness of the handle.

"Let's start."

"Yes!"

Baren and the collateral branches practiced the sword techniques they had learned before coming here, each practicing separately.

Baren was so engrossed in his sword training that he put his sword down only after the sun had completely set.

'After all, sword training is the most peaceful time for me.'

Practicing the sword techniques taught by his father calmed his irritated mood.

"That's enough for today."

"Yes!"

"Good job."

The children bowed their heads in respect at Baren's command. He was the youngest among them, but his position as a direct descendant and his absolute talent naturally placed him in a leadership role.

"Those who want to do additional training, follow me."

Baren put down his wooden sword and entered the indoor training ground. He frowned.

'That guy.'

Raon was doing strength training with the equipment, and Luna and a few other trainees were closely attached to him.

"Huff..."

Baren exhaled a breath filled with heat. In fact, what really annoyed him was not Rimer or the instructors.

'Raon Zighardt.'

The lowest-ranked family member, whom he had never paid attention to, was becoming increasingly annoying.

'Why are they sticking to that guy?'

Luna, who had talent comparable to his as a direct descendant and was the daughter of Sleyon, the strongest of the vassal families, had no reason to stick to Raon.

'Damn it.'

The sight of Luna, whom he considered a rival, showing no interest in him and following Raon around made his blood boil.

Recently, even the recommended students he had thought were decent were gathering around Raon, making him even more irritated.

"Don't mind them. They're just sticking together because they're lacking."

"Even if they're the best, they can't do anything about the vassal families."

"What are they trying to do by gathering like that?"

The collateral branches snickered at Raon and Luna, but Baren did not laugh.

Honestly, Luna's talent was clearly superior to the collateral branches behind him.

"Tsk."

Baren clicked his tongue and entered the training ground.

He went to the side of Raon and Luna, who were training their lower bodies, and lifted a heavier weight than the two of them.

"Wow!"

"Indeed, Lord Baren!"

"How can he lift such a weight...?"

Not only the collateral branches but everyone in the training ground burst into exclamations and applause.

Despite receiving looks of admiration and shock, Baren's expression hardened like tree bark.

'Those guys!'

Because Raon and Luna did not even look at him and continued their training.

Boom!

Baren roughly put down the equipment and stood up, but the two did not even turn their heads. They seemed to have made each other their rivals and were focused on lifting the equipment.

"Ugh..."

Baren's face turned as red as an apple. He opened the door with a bang and left the training ground.

'I'll show them if I can make that face even if I take the top spot overwhelmingly!'