Jin and the Youngest Division's successful return from their respective missions were the hottest topics within the intermediate class.
Nobody had predicted this outcome. Most people believed that while some members of the Youngest Division would return alive, many of them would perish during the mission.
However, Jin was the biggest surprise. He had to assassinate the Master of the Hidden Palace's lover in Mamit, and no one thought it was achievable.
They all thought that Jin would return without completing the mission. No one in the world wants to die at the tender age of 15.
"Kuhahaha, the flag-bearers who assigned you this mission must be taken aback. I bet they're fuming right now."
Even Zed was surprised by the success of the mission.
He praised Jin in front of the other cadets several times and showed his satisfaction and delight. Every time it happened, the Tona twins shrank back in fear, and the other cadets accepted that Jin had become the new trend of the intermediate class.
Yes, the new trend.
The members of the Youngest Division were the target of envy from the others. More and more cadets were hoping to join the Youngest Division instead of Myu, Anne, or the Tona twins' factions.
But there was one group of cadets who were grinding their teeth in irritation as they watched this new trend.
"From what I've heard, some random magician happened to attack the inn where the assassination target was residing on the same day. The damned Young Master Jin has such good luck."
"What an unfair world. Not only was he born a Runcandel, he's also blessed with good fortune? Some of us are only intermediate-class cadets even though we used up all the luck in our lives… Tch."
They were the cadets from Myu and Anne's faction, including Kajin Romello, sitting on the ground and complaining together.
Previously, they were at the top of the food chain in this jungle-like intermediate class, but recently, their authority and power had taken a nosedive.
The lowly cadets who once used to be wary of them were now sucking up to the Youngest Division, and that annoyed them to death.
"If Young Master Jin or the other brats were exceptionally strong, I'd accept this outcome. But Young Master Jin is only a 4-star knight, and the others are 3-stars! Kajin, are we seriously letting them do as they please?"
Kajin smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"What would happen to us if we attempted something? He may be irritating, but Young Master Jin is still a pure-blooded Runcandel. There's nothing we can do until Ladies Myu and Anne give us ord—"
Kajin suddenly stopped talking.
He noticed that Jin—who was sitting on the other side of the training ground—was suddenly approaching them.
"…Why is he—? Did he hear us?"
"He didn't. It's impossible with this distance."
"Unfortunately, I heard everything, my friends."
Jin shrugged and spoke as he joined the group. Kajin and the others' expressions visibly darkened. Despite his shock and surprise, Kajin changed his attitude and let out a soft chuckle.
"My apologies, Young Master Jin. Lowly weaklings like us are only able to rival your mighty strength by talking behind your back like this. Please forgive us for this blunder."
Kajin's sarcastic and arrogant tone surprised his own associates. Even the other cadets in the area who were having their own conversations stopped talking and turned to them, eyes wide open.
But the boy in question didn't think much of Kajin's words.
"I mean, there's nothing to forgive. I'm not a flag-bearer yet, so strictly speaking, it's not up to me."
"You may say that, but can't you use your authority as a Runcandel to have a lowly cadet like me be whipped as punishment? I shall humbly accept any punishment you are to give me."
The situation had turned sour, but Kajin hadn't forgotten that Myu and Anne—who were backing him—had far more authority than Jin.
"Why do you believe that I'd do such a thing?"
"Because of my insolent and disrespectful attitude."
The other cadets began to gather around them, whispering to each other. Class had ended for the day already, so Zed and the assistant instructors had already left.
"Hey! Kajin! Watch your tongue when talking to the young master!"
"Are you crazy? He's already overlooked your offense. Don't push your luck!"
"You guys are the ones who shouldn't push their luck. I'm the one who'll get punished, not you bastards. Geez, all of you have grown so much in such a short while. You couldn't even look me in the eyes until not long ago. Should I consider you guys as part of Young Master Jin's faction now?"
Kajin glared at the spectators and they avoided his gaze.
He was the apex predator of the intermediate class until Jin arrived.
He was one of the most skilled 5-star knights in the class and had the support of Myu and Anne Runcandel. Even the Tona twins couldn't carelessly talk to Kajin.
"What a distasteful sight, Kajin."
"Yes, I bet it must be distasteful to you, Young Master. But I find it equally unpleasant to watch others respect you for a mission you didn't accomplish with your own strength. It's only because you're a pure-blooded Runcandel that they're wagging their tails at you."
"This crazy bastard! Who do you think you're talking to…!"
Shling!
The onlooking Mesa stepped forward and unsheathed her sword. She was about to leap at Kajin to murder him, but Jin raised his hand and stopped her.
"Young Master! I must kill that insolent bastard today. Even if I die trying, I will definitely cut off an arm at the very least!"
"Enough."
Mesa hesitated for a moment before putting away her blade.
"It seems you've misunderstood me, Kajin. When I said it was a distasteful sight, I wasn't talking about your sarcastic comments to the others or your insolent attitude towards me."
"Ha! Then what is it that you found so distasteful, Young Master?"
"As a 5-star knight, you are one of, if not the most skilled cadet in the intermediate class. You may even be stronger than me. So why do you resort to simple badmouthing behind my back?"
Shling!
This time, Jin unsheathed his sword and aimed it at Kajin.
"You could just slander me right in my face. Was it because you weren't courageous enough to face me in a fight? I'm pretty certain I said anyone could attack me if they wanted to on my first day here."
Kajin raised his head and silently stared at Jin's eyes.
"…Are you certain about this?"
"Indeed. Stand up and ready your sword."
Jin took a few steps back and prepared his stance. Kajin only stared dumbfounded and the other cadets couldn't hide their shock and tension.
Just why was Young Master Jin doing this?
Everyone was asking the same question. While Jin was strong, they all believed that he was still lacking compared to Kajin and that he could never win against the 5-star knight.
"No need to go easy on me. Let's take this seriously."
"That sounds like you want me to go all out and even use aura."
Kajin stood up and unsheathed his own sword.
"Correct."
"You will regret this, Young Master. Don't think that you'll be able to take me by surprise and cut my arm off so easily like last time. You will need to go all out in order to even dream of facing me."
"If I were to go all out, you would never be able to win against me, even in a thousand years."
"What an empty bluff!"
Clang!
Kajin was the one to make the first move.
He shortened the distance between them in an instant and made use of his superior build to overpower his opponent in a frontal attack. Each sharp swing created deep reverberations which made Jin stagger.
'His attacks are all so heavy.'
Kajin Romello, 24 years old, 5-star knight.
He was only an intermediate cadet in the Runcandel Clan, but in the outside world, he was strong enough that every group and organization around the world would try to recruit him. Even if he left the clan right now, he could easily find a job as a knight and be revered by the public as a respected warrior.
Amongst all the people Jin had faced in a duel of swordsmanship, Kajin was the strongest opponent so far, even if you included Jin's adversaries from his past life.
'But compared to the people I'll be fighting from here on out, this is nothing.'
Clang! Clang!
As the battle continued, Jin kept retreating as Kajin chased him like a predator. One could easily notice the overflowing malice in Kajin's eyes as he swung his sword.
"Keuk!"
"Are you giving up already? Do you finally have a grasp of reality now? You aren't skilled enough to pick a fight with me, Young Master!"
Kajin instantly changed his stance and grabbed his sword with both hands. He then enveloped it with aura and swung it with all his might.
It was as if he were wielding a warhammer instead of a sword. He had even tilted his sword to strike with the flat of his blade.
He was trying to destroy Jin's guard.
Boom!
Even though Jin parried the blow, an explosion resonated in the area and Jin barely managed to hold onto his sword.
However, his posture was disrupted. It was the same for Kajin, but that was his intention from the start; Kajin had swung with all his might expecting to ruin his stance.
Making use of the recoil from his extreme swing, Kajin roundhouse kicked his opponent in the thigh. The shin guards he was wearing amplified the total force and damage.
Jin ground his teeth as his thigh throbbed in agony. He didn't have the time to groan out loud. Kajin had already regained his balance and was making a flurry of attacks.
Slit!
Kajin's blade grazed Jin's forehead, cutting off some of his front hair. Had Jin not leaned his head backwards, his brain would be visible to everyone by now.
At that moment, Taimont stood up in a hurry. He was planning on stopping the fight as he feared for the Young Master's life. However, Mesa stopped him.
"Do you think the Young Master will lose?"
The convinced Taimont scratched the back of his head awkwardly and sat back down.
By now, all the spectating cadets believed the battle was completely one-sided. Compared to the breathless Jin, Kajin was still swiftly swinging his sword covered in powerful and glaring aura.
However, Jin wasn't retreating out of fear.
He was trying to concentrate his mind on a certain sensation.
'Just like when I got hit by Haytona's steel marble… I can slowly start seeing the trajectories of Kajin's attacks.'
The strange sensation he had felt when he trained with the Clear Stones with his brothers.
There are an infinite number of paths a single blade can take when gliding through the air. But for a 5-star knight, there are only so many trajectories they can take with their level of skill.
That was especially the case for opponents like Kajin, who was letting rage control his mind and body. Thus, Jin decided to end the fight with the next three moves.
He had to provoke Kajin even more to make him use his hidden skills and techniques in case there were any.
"I've gotten a good grasp of your attacks now. You won't be able to win against me."
"I see that you'll continue bluffing to the end, Young Master."
Jin only had to dodge the attacks two more times.
He believed that Kajin was going to adhere to the attack patterns he had used so far.
There was no need to change plans or tactics when it had been useful so far. In fact, now that Jin had provoked him by saying he could read Kajin's moves, the 5-star knight was never going to change his approach due to his fury and arrogance.
But if Jin avoided Kajin's attacks perfectly two more times, Kajin would have to make a choice.
Either he changed tactics with a calm mind, or he used his most powerful attack that Jin wouldn't be able to evade or block even if he saw it coming.
And needless to say, the fight progressed just as Jin had predicted.
One left swing followed by an irregular upward slash. Jin didn't parry those attacks and dodged them perfectly. He spread his feet apart and crouched to avoid the first move, and side-stepped in advance to dodge the second one.
During this short exchange, Kajin's mind was in turmoil. He admitted that Jin could've evaded the first left swing. But the boy had dodged the unpredictable upward swing even before Kajin had begun to raise his sword.
"Tch!"
Thus, Kajin released all the aura he had to power-up his third attack. Whether Jin had evaded his attacks by reading his moves or through pure coincidence, the boy wouldn't be able to dodge this one. The human body wasn't as free and flexible as water.
And in the slight chance that Jin did manage to avoid it, his stance would be completely ruined, creating a great opening for Kajin to take advantage of. Therefore, Kajin decided to release a large amount of aura so powerful that no 4-star knight could ever defend from.
"This is—!"
The end!
But Kajin couldn't finish his sentence. Something unexpected had occurred.
Jin didn't try to evade the powerful attack. Instead, he covered his own sword with aura as well and swung it with all his might, receiving the attack head-on.
Booom!
When the two blades met each other, the one who was pushed back was, surprisingly, Kajin. The 5-star knight had lost to the 4-star.
He had been pushed back in a battle of strength. Until seconds ago, he had been overpowering Jin with his bigger build, but Kajin had been overwhelmed this time around.
His eyes trembled as he couldn't hide his shock. The aura covering Bradamante had a colour and glint that was far deeper than that of a 4-star knight.
"I also thought it would take me a few more years to reach 5-star."
Swoosh!
Jin made use of Kajin's disarray and bolted before him.
Anyone would be in a predicament when facing an opponent who was far stronger than what they had initially expected.
Kajin finally realized he had let his guard down when Bradamante's blade reached his neck.
And so, the victor was decided.
"Did you… trick me? To think you were 5-star already… haha."
Kajin spoke in a disheartened voice as his sword fell to the ground.
"No, you just don't know me well enough. I never fight a battle where I'm not confident of winning."
"Wh-What's going on here?!"
Two individuals came running belatedly to the training grounds; they were the Tona twins, who had heard the news of this fight moments ago.
The twins couldn't hide their astonishment as they saw the two figures standing at the center of the crowd.
'H-He defeated Kajin? The youngest actually beat him?!'
Jin turned around and sheathed his sword. As he passed by his older brothers with a slow pace, he calmly said,
"Nothing important."
The twins felt chills run down their spines and got goosebumps from their little brother's words.