Chapter 67

The room, filled with black wooden furniture, exuded an antique charm. The sound of scratching quill filled the air. The source of the sound was the desk. A middle-aged man with silver hair, like a snowy field, was drawing mysterious patterns on a blank page. Strangely, the patterns he drew would disappear after a short while, making the book appear as if nothing had been written on it. The middle-aged man never paused, continuing to engrave the patterns.

Suddenly, a drop of blood fell from a wound on his right hand, staining the book. The middle-aged man's hand stopped for the first time, and his gaze fell on the bloodstain that had turned the white page red.

Tsk.

The silver-haired middle-aged man, the ruler of the Southern Region, Darius Robert, clicked his tongue.

‘Still hasn’t healed.’

The wound on his hand, which he had received 17 years ago when he killed a hound named Raon, had never healed. Despite consuming high-quality elixirs and seeking the help of renowned healers and priests, no one could erase the scar.

‘But it hasn’t worsened either.’

The wound neither healed nor worsened. It remained as it was, as if to remind him of something. Truly a mysterious occurrence.

“Do you want me to remember the dead spirits?”

Darius Robert smiled wryly and stroked the wound on his hand. The blood that had been seeping out slowly stopped.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t look back. I will only move forward.”

He picked up the fountain pen again and began drawing patterns on the book. He continued this until the sun set and a new one rose. When Darius finally turned the last page, the cover of the book, adorned with a black dragon, came into view. It looked vivid, as if it were alive.

“It’s done.”

Darius Robert smiled in satisfaction at the completed book.

‘Now, the grand plan is almost complete.’

As he placed his hand on the book, the eyes of the black dragon on the cover flickered.

* * *

The new year had dawned.

Raon, now 15 years old, sat with his eyes closed at the site where the charcoal kiln once stood. His appearance was a perfect embodiment of the word "beautiful." A red mist continuously rose from his shoulders, and a cold aura emanated from his pores. The interplay of cold and heat created a fog-like mist around the charcoal kiln.

Raon didn’t open his eyes until the sun set behind the western mountains. His stillness, like a statue, finally changed when the moon rose. The red mist on his shoulders turned into a crimson flame, and the steam from his pores turned into cold air.

Crack!

As the fire and cold air competed, sparks flew.

Raon opened his eyes. His red eyes, like lightning, pierced through the darkness of the night.

Grip.

He clenched his fist and exhaled with excitement.

“Finally.”

Above his constricted voice, translucent messages appeared.

[One strand of the Frost Curse has disappeared.]

[Manhua Gong has reached 3 stars.]

[The Cold of Frost has reached 3 stars.]

[Snow Flower’s Sense has reached 3 stars.]

[Fire Resistance has reached 3 stars.]

[Sword Expert - Beginner stage has been reached.]

[Aura manipulation speed has increased.]

[All stats have significantly increased.]

[Sword skill proficiency has increased.]

[Movement skill proficiency has increased.]

The messages rose one after another.

“Finally an Expert.”

Raon nodded in satisfaction as he confirmed the messages.

Thanks to continuous training amidst various events, he had reached the Expert stage within a month of the new year. Although it was only the Beginner stage, the sense of achievement brought a smile to his face.

- Expert? Even a Sword Master is just a trivial insect, yet you’re happy about becoming an Expert?

Ras snorted, clearly displeased.

“At 15, becoming an Expert is a rare feat.”

Being an Expert is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement, but on a continental scale, it’s hard to be called a powerful individual. However, for a 15-year-old, it would be a shocking achievement even in the Six Emperors or Oma.

- Age? Only fools consider age on the battlefield. The weak remain weak, regardless of age.

“You’re right. There’s no fool on the battlefield who would show leniency to a younger person.”

He nodded and smiled.

“But I don’t plan to stop just because I’ve become an Expert.”

Raon pushed aside the sneering Ras and stood up.

‘Light.’

Perhaps due to the loosening of the cold restraints that always seemed to bind his body, he felt as light as a leaf, brimming with vitality.

“Status window.”

After lightly moving his body, Raon called up the status window.

<Status Window>

Name: Raon Zighart.

Title: First Victory.

Condition: Frost Curse (five strands)

Traits: Anger, Ring of Fire (4 stars), Water Resistance (4 stars), Snow Flower’s Sense (3 stars), Manhua Gong (3 stars), Cold of Frost (3 stars), Fire Resistance (3 stars), Bleeding Curse (1 star).

Strength: 55

Agility: 56

Stamina: 57

Spirit: 40

Senses: 62

Seeing the status window, a smile involuntarily spread across his face. The levels of Manhua Gong, Cold of Frost, and Fire Resistance had increased, and his stats had significantly improved. Not only that, but his mana circuits had expanded, allowing him to manipulate more aura at once and faster.

‘Even though it’s the Beginner stage of Expert, it should be comparable to the Intermediate stage.’

The thought of possessing superior martial prowess, beyond the visible levels and stats, made his hands clench with strength.

- Pathetic. This power can’t even withstand a single finger, let alone a fingernail, of this king.

“You’re right.”

Raon smiled.

- Then why are you smiling?

“Because in the past, you wouldn’t even mention a fingernail. By acknowledging my growth, aren’t you admitting it?”

- This king would never acknowledge a mere human!

“Your voice is slightly trembling, so I’m right. Spending time with you has helped me understand your thoughts to some extent.”

- A human who tries to see through this king deserves to have his bones chewed up!

Ras’s cold aura surged like a tidal wave.

Whoosh!

Raon activated his 3-star Manhua Gong, melting all of Ras’s cold aura.

“Is that all? If you don’t recover your strength soon, you’ll end up being eaten by me.”

- Hmph! Listening to your nonsense reminds me of old times. When this king was in the Demon Realm, there were demons who came to the castle to cause trouble…

“Ah, I need to stretch my legs.”

- Where are you going! Listen to this king!

* * *

“Training is over.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Limer’s concise voice made Raon exhale a heavy breath and bow.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

The trainees followed Raon’s lead and shouted their gratitude.

“Alright.”

Limer grinned and waved his hand. Though it seemed he was just giving a casual response, it was his way of acknowledging them.

‘It seems everyone has become familiar.’

Raon nodded slightly as he looked at Limer, the instructors, and the trainees. After spending over three years together, they had grown quite close. Even the most picky of them, Burren and Martha, had become more understanding as they got to know Limer better.

“Sir, you were 20 minutes late today, so shouldn’t we add 20 minutes to the training?”

Of course, there was no compromise when it came to tardiness.

“We’ll make up for it tomorrow. Today is enough.”

Limer laughed awkwardly and stepped down from the platform. The way he was backing away suggested he was about to run away after making a casual remark.

“Those on duty, start cleaning the training ground.”

Raon muttered, “Still the same,” and turned to give the cleaning instructions.

“Understood!”

Dorian, the one on duty, nodded vigorously and ran to the corner where the cleaning tools were stored.

“Huff!”

He stopped opening the tool box and screamed when he saw someone standing next to him.

“What? Is it so bad to be on duty?”

Martha, with her black hair now reaching her shoulders, frowned.

“No, no. Absolutely! It’s an honor….”

“Tsk.”

She clicked her tongue and, picking up the equipment for cleaning the training ground, started her duty before Dorian.

In the past, Martha would have offloaded the menial tasks to the collateral or recommended trainees and gone to the main training. But due to Raon’s instructions, she couldn’t avoid her duty.

“Are you all done gawking? Start cleaning, or get out!”

“Huff!”

“Oof!”

Martha stomped her foot, creating a powerful vibration. The trainees, who had been staring at her blankly, hurriedly ran to the exit.

“Eek!”

Dorian, standing next to her, was startled and fell to the ground.

“You’re still the same. Has your personality only changed with me?”

Raon turned his head at the voice behind him. Limer was grinning and approaching.

“Running from Burren’s nagging?”

“Ah, I forgot something and came back.”

“Forgot….”

“Everyone, pay attention!”

Limer clapped his hands, and the trainees, who had been running away from Martha’s scolding, stopped.

“I have something to say.”

As the trainees gathered, Limer climbed back onto the platform.

“I forgot something very important.”

He scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.

“What is it now?”

“Ah, you’ve been given your second mission.”

Instantly, silence fell over the entire training ground.

“Mission!”

“You forgot that?”

“This guy is really….”

The trainees gritted their teeth, not expecting him to forget the mission.

“Mission….”

Raon closed his eyes.

‘It took longer than I thought.’

He had expected the second mission to come quickly after successfully completing the first one, but it had been more than half a year.

‘Either Zighart is raising the children to be more delicate than expected, or the missions are extremely difficult.’

One of the two. Personally, he hoped it was the latter. It would provide a greater opportunity for growth.

“Orcs have appeared near the Sebu village in the southern part of Zighart.”

Limer pointed to Sebu village in the empty air. The fact that he didn’t bring a map was clearly out of laziness.

“Go to Sebu village, eliminate the orcs and monsters threatening the people, and protect the village. In other words, your mission is to protect the village and exterminate the monsters.”

“Orcs!”

“Monster extermination!”

Monster extermination, compared to escorting or exploring dungeons, is the easiest and most satisfying mission. Since it was easier than the first mission of exterminating bandits, the trainees cheered.

“Liking the mission, aren’t you?”

Limer clicked his tongue and continued.

“Unlike the first mission, the instructors won’t move. You’ll be going to Sebu village alone. You’ll have to think and make decisions on your own from the start to the end of the mission. It won’t be easy.”

“I have a question.”

Burren raised his hand.

“What were you thinking to forget and only now mention a mission where we go alone?”

“Hmm, that’s not a question but a reprimand, isn’t it?”

Limer broke into a sweat.

“Huff!”

Burren scowled like tree bark and sighed.

“Then I’ll ask a real question. If an insurmountable crisis arises, how should we handle it?”

“Assessing that is part of your ability. If the mission is too difficult, it’s also a skill to know when to give up and return. Therefore….”

Limer’s gaze swept over the trainees and stopped on Raon.

“This time, leadership skills are important. In a crisis