Chapter 34

Marta Sieghart has a strong sense of pride.

The reason she failed the previous class was not due to a lack of skill, but because she had nearly killed the two upperclassmen who had offended her.

Since then, various troublesome things had happened, so she had tried to get by in the Fifth Training Hall, but there was one person who got on her nerves.

Raon Sieghart.

The brat, who was not at all like a child, kept bothering her.

She wanted to fight him right away, but as Rimer had said, hitting a kid who hadn't even mastered aura was a despicable act, so she held back.

That's why she was happier than anyone else when she heard that Raon had mastered aura. She could finally repay the humiliation from before.

The sparring match began, and Raon crossed swords with her.

His swordsmanship talent shone even more in actual combat. He showed almost perfect defense even against a sword technique he had never seen before.

But from the moment she used Titan's aura, Raon was pushed back like a paper doll.

As expected.

The size and purity of the aura were worlds apart.

Everything was under Marta's control. She could break Raon's bones if she wanted to.

Yet, despite knowing this, Raon's eyes did not lose their fire.

It was as if he was challenging her, saying, "Come at me anytime!"

It was absurd.

She felt like she was looking at a stupid rabbit that didn't even realize it was in her grasp.

What a pitiful guy.

Marta sneered and swung her sword, imbuing it with even stronger aura and power.

Bang!

There was a small tremor in the sparring hall.

But the guy held his ground.

Even when she swung her sword continuously, he didn't fall.

She was annoyed.

His ambition to rise despite his lack of talent made her blood boil.

‘Don’t blame me.’

Even if his limbs were broken, it couldn't be helped. Marta summoned even more intense aura and pointed her sword forward.

The stance of a rock.

She intended to pierce Raon's defense with the sharp momentum of a rock.

Just as she was about to push off the ground.

A red flower bloomed at the tip of Raon's blade.

A tiny flame.

But the moment she saw the vivid and beautiful red fire, a chill ran down her spine.

‘What is this?’

It was eerie. An unknown sense of unease washed over her.

‘No!’

Marta gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe, or rather, didn't want to believe that she had been scared by someone like Raon, even for a moment.

Whoosh!

She poured Titan's aura into the blunt blade of the practice sword and struck it down.

Sizzle!

At that moment, Raon took a step forward. The small flame on his practice sword created a line.

A red line drawn from left to right. The Titan's aura that touched this line melted away.

And.

Crack!

The sturdy practice sword split in two and floated in the air.

Thud!

The broken blade embedded itself in the sparring hall, the sound reverberating in Marta's ears.

“Ah….”

Marta stared at the broken sword in disbelief.

“What, what’s going on….”

She trembled, both her lips and hands, as if she couldn't believe it.

“Is this the talent you were talking about?”

Raon Sieghart's eyes were cold. The flame that had been burning at the tip of his sword had already disappeared.

“A talent that can't even withstand a single strike. If that's all it is, it's meaningless.”

“You, you….”

Marta Sieghart, unlike her usual self, couldn't come up with any retort. She bowed her head, just like the broken sword.

* * *

“What, what is this! What just happened!”

“The practice sword, wrapped in Titan's aura, was cut in one strike.”

“Crazy….”

Raon felt the gazes of the other trainees, filled with confusion, disbelief, and shock. It seemed they had forgotten how to breathe.

“Huh….”

Rimer, standing in front, was no different. His long ears were even more pointed, and his eyes were wide open.

Cutting Marta's sword in one strike was surprising even to him.

‘Well, I was surprised too.’

The power of the first stage of the Flame Technique, Manhwa Gong, far exceeded his expectations. If he hadn't controlled it properly, he might have cut Marta as well.

‘If this is the power of a two-star…’

The thought of the power after three stars made his heart race.

“Ugh….”

He lowered his gaze to the groan coming from below. Marta's eyes were burning red.

‘She won’t admit defeat like this.’

It wasn't a look of submission. She hadn't even seen her sword being cut, so she wouldn't accept defeat.

“I won’t admit it.”

The words Marta had expected came out of her mouth. She threw away the broken sword and clenched her fists.

Roar!

Titan's aura enveloped her body, creating an unbreakable rock-like momentum.

“I knew you would.”

Raon nodded and put down his practice sword.

“I’ll make you admit defeat.”

“There’s no way!”

Marta pushed off the ground. This time, she charged from the left, not the front. Her movements were stiff, but fast and heavy.

“Hah!”

She approached in an instant and thrust her fist with a yell.

Bang!

Raon struck her fist with his elbow. The immense impact twisted Marta's body.

But she didn’t stop. She clenched her teeth and continued to throw punches.

Thud!

She drew a circle with her hand. After blocking her punch softly, he kicked her abdomen.

“Gasp!”

Even though the punch landed, Marta only let out a weak groan and didn’t back down. Her mental fortitude matched her solid aura.

“Ah, still going!”

Marta bit her lip and threw another punch. The martial arts of a prestigious family shone even in her panic, as she drew a proper stance.

‘But that’s not enough.’

Her punches were fast, accurate, and powerful, but that was all. Her training was far from enough.

Thud!

He dodged the punch aimed at his forehead and struck Marta’s waist with the edge of his hand.

“Gasp!”

The shock that penetrated Titan's aura made saliva drip from Marta's mouth. She shuddered for a moment, then counterattacked even faster. Her ferocity didn’t match her refined appearance.

‘She has a strong will.’

To counterattack after receiving a series of punches that would have knocked down an adult swordsman, her mental and physical endurance were beyond that of a trainee.

“Hah!”

Marta rolled her feet. The sand on the sparring hall floor stirred, momentarily obscuring her vision. Before she could gauge her movements, a punch came from the right.

Bang!

A punch like a boulder from a catapult. Each time she blocked it with her forearm, her whole body shook.

“Ugh!”

Marta, seizing the rare opportunity, stopped breathing and threw countless punches.

Thud!

After throwing twenty punches in an instant, Marta paused to catch her breath, and Raon's punch hit her abdomen.

“Gasp!”

Marta clutched her stomach and took a step back. Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

“Your punches are nothing compared to your words.”

Raon shook off the arm and wrist that had blocked Marta’s punches.

“How….”

“Good.”

He mocked the flustered Marta and twisted his wrist.

‘The Flame Technique is also excellent for defense.’

Perhaps because it was based on an image of an unextinguishable flame, the aura of the Flame Technique was efficient not only in attack but also in defense.

“Huff….”

Marta bit her lip and lifted her head. Her clenched fists began to gather Titan's aura.

Roar!

The technique of focusing aura in one point. To use this at her age, she truly had outstanding talent.

Her face no longer showed excitement. The light of clarity returned to her eyes, which had been filled with anger.

“Admit it. You’re strong.”

The aura gathered in Marta’s fist took a proper form, meaning she had reached the level of a sword user.

“I’ll admit defeat if you can surpass this!”

Marta charged like a bear that had spotted its prey. The heavy momentum was like a boulder rolling down a mountain.

“Huff.”

Raon exhaled a thin breath, stepped into a stance, and threw a punch.

The rotation that started from his ankles, passed through his thighs, and reached his waist, imbued his punch with explosive power.

Bang!

The flame-imbued punch shattered the mass of brown aura and twisted Marta’s arm.

“Ah….”

Marta’s face, with bloodshot eyes, was visible as her Titan's aura was torn apart.

Whoosh!

Caught in the aftershock of the punch, she staggered back like reeds in a storm.

“Ugh….”

Marta’s neck trembled, and she closed her eyes, falling backward. Even in a faint, her clenched fists remained tight.

‘Her mental fortitude is remarkable.’

Her mental strength was hard to believe for someone who was about to turn fifteen. It was more surprising than her skills and talent.

“Huff!”

“Eh….”

“Ah, it’s overwhelming.”

“It can’t be. How did you….”

The trainees who followed Marta and those who stood against her were all too shocked to close their mouths.

“Raon Sieghart….”

Buren, clenching his fists, glared at Raon.

“…”

Lunan, with her usual indifferent expression, had a cold sweat trickling from her pursed lips, indicating she was excited.

“Ouch….”

Rimer stood there for a moment, then ran to check on the fallen Marta.

“Tsk, I should have scolded you, but you fainted.”

Rimer checked Marta’s condition and clicked his tongue.

“That’s enough for today. Everyone, go back and think about what you lacked today.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then, everyone except Raon, dismiss.”

“Why me….”

“There are things to give and scoldings to do.”

He smiled and ran over the wall to the infirmary.

“Raon Sieghart.”

As Raon was staring at the wall Rimer had jumped over, Buren approached.

“I expected you to catch up.”

He had an ambiguous smile, as if he was both impressed and hopeful.

“I’m different from Marta. I won’t give up even if you run ahead like a rabbit, and I won’t let my guard down even if you move slowly like a turtle. In the graduation exam, I’ll stake everything I have to defeat you.”

Buren left the sparring hall with a cool expression.

‘He has definitely changed.’

Buren was no longer filled with arrogance and jealousy as before. It seemed he had realized something, discarded his arrogance, and gained confidence.

Tap tap.

Someone tapped his shoulder from behind. Turning around, he saw Lunan with her purple eyes wide open.

Nod.

She nodded her head vigorously. It seemed she was saying he did well. She left the sparring hall with a box of pearl ice cream tightly held in her arms.

“Really.”

Raon opened his mouth in exasperation. He still didn’t understand what that kid wanted. Shaking his head, he walked to the platform where the chairs were.

While sitting on a chair and waiting for Rimer, a book on the platform caught his eye.

The book Rimer used as a pillow when he took naps. He opened it.

“Huh?”

Raon’s eyes widened as he read the contents.

‘This is….’

He thought it was just a pillow, but it wasn’t. The book contained detailed descriptions of the trainees' strengths, weaknesses, and methods for improvement.

He read the content about Buren on the first page.

‘He has outstanding talent, but his arrogance is excessive. Since becoming a trainee, he has undergone many changes. He has realized that his shortcomings are mental and is spending time on meditation. He uses elegant and systematic swordsmanship, which he values….’

It would be difficult to write such detailed content without closely observing the trainees. There were as many entries as there were trainees.

‘Me….’

Raon read the content about himself.

‘He showed innate talent in swordsmanship and fist techniques, and has an excellent sense of mana, but is struggling to master aura cultivation techniques. He needs education on attributes. Finding a way to