Flames of exhilaration were burning in Raonâs eyes as he closed the book.
âItâs an intuition sword.â
An intuition sword was a type of swordsmanship that increased its level through real battles instead of repeated practice of the technique.
It was also the technique the sixth training ground trainees used to almost defeat Burren.
Since it could be used in a real battle as soon as it was learned and the level increased pretty quickly, an excellent intuition sword could hardly be obtained with money.
âAnd this one is a high-grade intuition sword.â
He could tell because he had learned an intuition sword in his previous life. The Fangs of Insanity was an advanced swordsmanship, good enough to be called high-grade among the intuition swords.
âBut itâs ferocious.â
It was a priceless technique, but it was awfully violent.
Fangs of Insanity. Just as its name implied, it craved stabbing into the enemyâs throat.
âI need to be careful.â
If he made a mistake, the sword could stab his own throat instead of the enemyâs. It seemed he needed to be careful as he learned.
Raon opened the book and started reading once again. He carefully double-checked everything, just in case he missed something.
âThis is weird.â
He felt like the back of his head was tingling each time he read the book. It felt like the Fangs of Insanity had something else mixed in on top of it being an intuition sword.
âIâm not sure what that is.â
He examined the drawings and words in detail, but he couldnât find out what heâd was missing.
âAnyway, this is a great harvest.â
He would have to keep swinging his sword as often as he breathed at Habun castle. He could probably complete the Fangs of Insanity while fighting over there.
âLetâs try the posture for now.â
Raon put down the book and stood up. Wielding his sword, he tried practicing the basic postures of the Fangs of Insanity one after the other.
For every swordsmanship, the basics were the most important part. Application was only possible once he had the perfect basic posture. And the basics were even more important for an intuition sword, which had simple forms.
Looking at the book, Raon practiced until he perfected his posture, then unsheathed his sword.
Once he got the posture, it was time for the real battle. After all, it was pointless to practice an intuition sword on his own.
âReal battle, huhâŚ?â
Raon smiled, tapping on the sword hanging around his waist.
âIt would be nice to spar with them after such a long time.â
***
The next day, Raon went to the fifth training ground after finishing his daybreak cultivation. The training ground was completely empty.
After warming up lightly, he was practicing the posture and principles of the Fangs of Insanity that heâd learned the day before. It was at that time that the training groundâs door opened and Burren entered.
âI thought I would be the first one to arriveâŚâ
Burren frowned and started warming up. Since it was time for individual training, very few people arrived as time passed.
After polishing the posture of the Fangs of Insanity, Raon looked at Burren. Judging from how he was training a swordsmanship he had never seen before, he mustâve learned a new technique as well.
After watching him training for a while, he resumed training the Fangs of Insanity. After around two hours passed, the door to the training ground burst open and Rimmer walked in with his hands held together behind his back.
âYou guys are still the same.â
The way he swaggered while yawning looked exactly like a jobless layabout. However, his left eye was slightly dark, as if bruised.
Was he beaten up in the gambling house?
âIâm going to sleep, so if anything happensâŚâ
As he walked towards the head instructorâs room, Raon blocked his way.
âCan you please watch me spar?â
âSpar? With who?â
Rimmer turned his head to look for the opponent. However, no one was raising their hand.
âIâm going to spar with Burren.â
âHuh? Me?â
Burrenâs eyes widened, as a full moon, in surprise.
âOut of nowhere?â
âYou donât want to?â
âY-yes! I do!â
Burren quickly nodded his head.
âIâll do it! I mean, let me do it!â
âI canât miss this opportunity.â
Burren hadnât fought against Raon since he was beaten up during the temporary trainee exam. He knew that Raon was strong, but he still wanted to try fighting him.
âHmm, itâs annoying.â
Rimmer frowned, scratching his cheek.
âInstructor.â
âPhew, alright. Get yourselves ready.â
âYes!â
Burren nodded and ran towards the center of the training ground.
âArenât you going?â
âInstructor, if ever it looks like Iâm going to hurt Burren, please stop me.â
âStop you?â
âYes.â
That was the reason he didnât ask Burren for a duel until Rimmer had arrived.
The Intuition Sword was difficult to control. He could easily inflict a serious injury on Burren with a single mistake.
âHaa, itâs really annoyingâŚâ
âPlease.â
Raon bowed and went to the temporary arena. Despite what he said, Rimmer was going to stop him for sure.
Raon wielded a dull training sword and faced Burren. Every trainee that had been training stood back to watch them.
âPhew, letâs start, haaa, the spar.â
Rimmer raised his hand, visibly showing off his unwillingness.
âDonât use any extreme move that can kill and wield your blades for your development.â
âYes!â
âYes.â
âAnything you want to tell each other?â
He bobbed his finger, signaling them to be quick about it.
âIâm going to use a new technique. You should be careful, since it can be dangerous.â
âIâll be using something Iâm already used to. It will be different from that time.â
Raon told him he would use a new technique, and Burren said he would use an old one.
âAre you done? Then, begin!â
Rimmer lowered his hand while saying that, and Burren and Raon kicked the ground at once.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Burren grit his teeth.
âThis is my opportunity.â
He had been dreaming about sparring against Raon constantly since losing to him.
Raonâs growth could be called brilliant, but he had also been working hard endlessly. He wouldnât lose so easily like before.
âHaaaaa!â
Instead of the new swordsmanship, Burren used the Kirin Swordplay that he learned from the direct line training.
Whoosh!
The sword accelerated with his determination to win. The blade reached Raonâs forehead in no time.
âHuh?â
Burrenâs eyes widened. Before his sword managed to touch Raon, his sword burst up like lightning.
Clang!
An intense collision bent the trajectories of the two swords at once.
âUghâŚâ
Burren quickly withdrew and bit his lip.
âIs he really attacking preemptively?â
Raon had always fought by observing his opponent first before making his move. He didnât expect him to start attacking first at all.
âFine! Bring it on!â
When Burren fixed his grip after getting pushed back, Raon kicked the ground and came rushing at him.
He used the second technique of the âKirin Swordplayâ against Raon, sword swinging down diagonally.
Clang!
His hand trembled because of the enormous power of Raonâs attack. However, it wasnât the power of his sword that made Burren flustered.
It was Raonâs violent spirit. The ferociousness was completely different from the way he had been so far, giving him goosebumps.
Clang! Clang!
Buren ground his teeth, blocking Raonâs strikes as they stormed at him.
âI havenât been training so hard just to lose like this!â
He brought out every last bit of aura he possessed. He connected the rotation, starting from his lower body up to his sword, to swing it straight at him.
Kirin Swordplay, Severing Slash.
The rotating attack was aimed at Raon.
âHuffâŚâ
However, Raon didnât step back. He dashed towards the Severing Slash with an even more ferocious spirit.
Clang! Claang!
He repeatedly swung his sword to rip apart the Severing Slash. It looked like a savage beast biting its prey with its molar.
However, Raonâs sword was still hungry after eating up the Severing Slash. It dashed towards Burren to chew on bigger food.
âEek!â
Burren ground his teeth. He lowered his posture, thrusting his sword with the sharpness of the wind.
Rumble!
Even though it was the best attack he could use currently, Raonâs sword was even more ferocious as it slashed him.
Creak!
The extreme spirit of Raonâs sword easily ripped apart Burrenâs last attack.
âWh-what is that sword?â
Burrenâs jaw dropped. Raonâs sword looked like a venomous snake that only looked for the weakness in his swordsmanship. It was fast, tenacious, and powerful, making it impossible to escape.
âEek!â
Burren hurriedly tried swinging his sword, but Raonâs sword was faster.
The light reflected from the sword shone right in front of his eyes. His sword had already reached right under his nose.
âItâs not over yet!â
The Burren from the past wouldâve closed his eyes by then, but he was different now. He forcefully twisted his body to withdraw. However, Raonâs sword followed him right away, as if it was expecting him to do soâjust like a living animal.
Clang!
Raonâs sword pierced through his technique, intended as a surprise attack, and rushed towards his throat. It looked like he had no intention of stopping, as the swordâs speed wasnât decreasing at all.
âTh-this is crazy! This is a spar!â
As Burren started screaming inside, the blue wind appeared.
Clang!
Along with a rough metallic sound, Raon was bounced far back.
âJeezâŚâ
Rimmer was standing in front of Burren, an annoyed expression on his face.
âHaa, thank you.â
Raon raised his staggering body and bowed at Rimmer.
âY-you bastard! Were you trying to kill me?â
Burren pointed his trembling finger at Raon.
âI told you to be careful because Iâm not used to this sword.â
âThatâs just a way of greeting!â
âI was serious, though.â
Raon dusted off his clothes and casually responded.
âYou crazy bastardâŚâ
Burren looked like he was still out of his mind, as he was using the vulgar speech he usually hated so much.
âWell, is that it?â
Rimmer sheathed his sword and yawned.
âIâm going to go to sleep thenâŚâ
âNot yet.â
Raon blocked Rimmerâs way and shook his head.
âHuh? But you donât have any sparring opponents anymore. I donât think Burrenâs going to fight you.â
âThere are plenty over there.â
He turned around and pointed at the trainees spectating them.
âU-us?â
âWhy would we?â
The trainees who were suddenly designated started stepping backward.
âDespite being the top trainee, I havenât been paying enough attention to you guys. I shall check your current abilities before leaving.â
âBut IâŚâ
âUh? Uuh?â
âW-wait! My dormitory is on fireâŚâ
âI refuse your refusal. Krein, let us start with you.â
Raon refused their refusal, dragging Krein into the arena since he was the easiest target.
âW-wait, seriously?â
Kreinâs lips were trembling. He thought Raon was crazy for asking him to fight after showing off that violent swordsmanship just then.
âS-somebody! Sir Burren!â
âHmmâŚâ
Krein asked for help, but Burren turned his head away, pretending he didnât hear him.
âInstructor?â
âWell, itâs a bit annoying for me, but your abilities will certainly improve after fighting against a swordsmanship like that.â
Rimmer urged Krein, telling him to do it quickly since he was going to do it anyway.
âDonât worry. The instructor will stop me if it gets dangerous.â
Raon smiled and drew his sword.
âIâm coming!â
âArrrgghhh!â
The trainees' screams resounded endlessly throughout the fifth training ground that day.
***
âTsk.â
Raon clicked his tongue, sitting at the training ground. The wide training ground was completely empty, and he was sitting there alone.
âI canât even spar anymore.â
He kept sparring with the trainees for the past two weeks, coming to the training ground every day.
He thought it was a great plan with two benefits at once: helping the other trainees improve and practicing the Fangs of Insanity. Apparently, he was the only person who thought of it that way.
No one would fight him anymore, now that two weeks had passed.
Burren didnât even come to the training ground anymore after seven spars, and Martha disappeared, shouting âfuucccck!â after ten defeats.
And Runaan was watching him through the crack of the training groundâs door, with half of her face hidden.
âArenât you going to spar anymore?â
It seemed she was significantly shocked from the way she was asking.
âI wonât.â
Raon shook his head and Runaan entered the training ground. She trotted towards him and sat next to him.
âHaaâŚâ
Raon shook his head.
âI canât spar with the trainees anymore.â
The fact that they were too scared of him was a problem, but the difference in ability had become so wide that it became pointless.
âBut I did manage to learn something.â
He managed to find out the characteristics of the Fangs of Insanity through the spars against the trainees.
âA ferocious wolf.â
Fangs of Insanity was a terrifying swordsmanship that specialized in penetrating into the opponentâs disordered flow or defective parts to tenaciously rip them apart.
The trainees were afraid that the instincts of the Fangs of Insanity would find their weaknesses, more than its ferocity.
Even though Burren and Martha challenged him again when they were about to forget about it, they ran away afterwards.
âButâŚâ
Raon glanced at Runaan sitting next to him. She never asked him for a rematch after the first spar against him, unlike Burren or Martha.
It looked like she disliked the idea itself of fighting against him.
âRunaan.â
âMhm?â
âSpaâŚâ
Runaan drifted away before he even finished saying spar. It was really mysterious how she was using footwork with her ass touching the chair.
âI wonât do it. I wonât.â
Runaan came right back next to him when he said he wouldn't do it.
âI guess itâs because of Syria.â
Syria Sullion. It mustâve been because of that crazy bastard that Runaan didnât want to fight against people close to her, even if it was just a spar.
The King of Essence can fight you all night long. But you will obviously be squashed to death by the King of Essenceâs pinky finger.
âYou can fight me?â
Yes, give me your body. The King of Essence will create the spiritual world andâŚ
âRejected.â
Y-you bastard! The King of Essence was seriousâŚ
Raon flapped his hand like a fan to send Wrath flying away. He kept swearing while drifting away to the wind, but Raon ignored him since he would return soon anyway.
âHaaâŚâ
Raon sighed.
âAnyway, how shall I train from now on?â
As he was pondering how he could increase the proficiency of the Fangs of Insanity, the training groundâs door burst open.
âHey, I can hear you sighing from my room!â
It was Rimmer. He walked up while scratching his head, then stood in front of Raon.
âIâm guessing you donât have any sparring opponents, right?â