It felt like walking to the stars.
Jin knew he was walking forward, but he didn't feel like he was getting any closer. Just as he would never reach the stars, he felt as if he would never reach Temar.
He painfully drew Bradamante, hands trembling.
He struggled to even gasp for each breath.
Every time a breath of hot air traveled through his throat, it felt as if he were swallowing a bundle of knives.
'Cut. I will cut him.'
In his blank mind, it was those words that echoed.
Not letting his will bend in any situation, he swung his sword ten thousand times; the first swing the same as the last.
To someone who was almost deemed to be a strong warrior, what else would be better? Despite the torture, Jin was feeling more and more accomplished after each step.
'Even if I can't see it, I'm advancing.'
He didn't feel like he was getting closer, yet he knew it was so.
No one knew how long he walked.
Slowly, his pitch-black vision slowly regained its colors.
In his hazy vision, Temar's silhouette was ever so close. Beside him was a woman whose presence Jin could detect.
'Who is that?'
He didn't even dare to ask about her presence.
More specifically, he couldn't.
Filled with the thought to defeat Temar, Jin had no room for any other thought to take place. The person next to Temar was not at all important. Paying her any mind could waver his focus and will.
Temar smiled again.
Clenching her fists, Misha intently watched as Jin struggled to walk through flat sand. She couldn't see his smile.
'He's a child full of surprises… I would have never thought he would make it this far, Master Solderet.'
The goal of the third trial matched Jin's expectation.
To have the will to defeat anyone, no matter who he met. To not lose a glimmer of hope even when met with someone like Temar Runcandel.
However, walking all the way to Temar's feet was never part of the trial.
This place was not built only for Jin Runcandel, but also for all Runcandel magic swordsmen who wielded spiritual energy.
Because of the humiliating oath between the Runcandel Clan and Zipfel Clan, a new successor appeared a thousand years after Temar's death.
Any Runcandel magic swordsman had to go through this place.
If the contract weren't signed, at least ten others would have sought this land. However, amongst them, how many would make progress like Jin did? With a body that hadn't reached twenty years of age, no less.
'Besides Cyron Runcandel, no one would compare. No, not even he would make it this far…'
Not even a hundred steps remained between Temar and Jin.
An incomprehensible amount of mental strength would have been depleted just for this task. However, it seemed like Jin's steps were getting quicker.
If the pressure created by Temar was fire, then time was a hammer. That fire and time constantly beat Jin; the closer he got to Temar, Jin was getting sharper.
He was becoming a blade.
And ultimately, the sword reached Temar.
Bradamante no longer shook. The midnight sun soaked the blade sky blue.
One more step and a swing, and Temar would be finished.
'No!'
Jin's eyes widened.
As soon as he was ready, Temar disappeared. He came all this way to swing his sword, yet the mirage just disappeared.
Those who pursued an oasis just to find a mirage would never face as much disappointment as Jin had.
"Temar!"
He screamed into the empty desert. In his splitting voice was a genuine shout.
"Temar! Where did you flee, Temar?!"
Jin swung his sword in the air as he screamed his ancestor's name.
Yet Temar didn't return.
The man who once stood in the distance, emitting immense pressure, no longer existed.
"Damn it!"
The thousands of strings that kept Jin together—the will that kept his body intact—snapped all at once.
Disappointment filled that void. A sense of loss swallowed him whole.
Jin then swung his sword five times.
'The woman! That woman next to Temar might know something!'
Recalling Misha's presence, Jin glanced around. However, she had already fled to her hiding spot beyond the Great Desert's barrier. From Jin's perspective, she was just a mirage on a sandy hill.
"Ha…!"
Thud!
Jin fell on his knees. He couldn't comprehend it. To kill Temar, he slaughtered his brothers and slayed the master he loved. It would have been the same even if it weren't the Tona Twins and Valeria. Murakan, Gilly, Luna, Yona, Kashimir, Enya, Alisa. No matter who it was, he would face the same—or even greater—internal conflict.
Swallowing his emotions, he finally arrived at the finish line.
'And it was an empty conclusion.'
Along with a void in his heart, rage emerged.
However, he couldn't even throw a tantrum at the sandy winds around him. He couldn't wait for Temar to reappear either. Even if he waited, he probably wouldn't return. Compared to any other moment, his gut had a stronger premonition than ever.
Jin calmed himself down and looked around.
To achieve internal tranquility, he needed a lot of time.
'Hilarious. I came all the way here, preparing myself for the gates of death. Now that he's gone, I just remember that I no longer have any water or food…'
By the time he met Valeria, the second mirage, his supplies bottomed out. The short regeneration after his fight was all he had left.
However, just because Temar was gone didn't mean he was going to stop. Though, he no longer had the will to advance any more.
It would have been better if he never met Temar.
—When the third mirage ends, release your spiritual energy. Then, the Illustrious Legend Tribe will appear.
He decided to cast Spiritual Energy Release, just as Murakan instructed. Either way, all of the trials had finished, and he thought it was the time to meet the Illustrious Legend Tribe.
Whooooosh…
Jin emitted black spiritual energy. He didn't notice it, but his spiritual energy had become much stronger and darker. His accomplishments after the third trial.
Sitting in the sand for a while, Jin continued to emit the dark smoke.
Yet the Illustrious Legend Tribe was nowhere to be seen.
'The three mirages ended, though…?'
Had Murakan been mistaken? Or did the land of inheritance for the Shadow Blade not exist in the first place?
The anxiety hit him. He released as much spiritual energy as he could, but no one approached.
The night arrived.
The sun continued to burn in the sky, oozing a disgusting heat wave. Jin blankly stared into the empty desert.
"HAHAHA!"
He howled in laughter. If he didn't let out something at the top of his lungs, he would have never been able to alleviate the suffocation in his chest.
"These dogs.Yeah, I'll fucking do it. Uh-huh. Let's see who comes out on top."
He didn't even know who he was talking to at this point.
Jin decided to walk. Even if he didn't reach the land of inheritance for the Shadow Blade, he couldn't let his life end in this godforsaken desert.
The moment his right foot left the sand, he heard a voice.
"You pass."
Jin stopped in his tracks and looked around.
A beastman he had never seen before stood a distance away. He looked almost exactly like a human, save for his two hands covered in black fur, the fist-sized gemstone stuck in his chest, and the tail.
A Illustrious Legend Tribesman.
Jin blinked and rubbed his eyes. Maybe his eyes were too dry. Standing two meters tall, the beastman blocked the sun. Expressionless.
Jin didn't even want to know where the beast appeared from. He was used to the desert being full of surprises.
"If you had only sat, complained, and given up or just asked the gods to save you, it would have been over for you."
"What?"
"After the third mirage disappeared, you thought the test was over. Well, in Solderet's standards, it is."
"Yeah, so you're telling me… that the test was over a while ago. When the third mirage disappeared."
The beastman shrugged and nodded.
"Basically. However, that's not enough for our standards. If you're not a warrior who doesn't lose your spirit until the end, you don't deserve to be taught what we teach. For that reason, you pass."
Shiiiing!
A fire sparked within Jin's eyes as he drew Bradamante. He immediately charged.
Clang!
The beastman effortlessly flicked the blade away and smiled.
"Why are you angered, Solderet's thousand-year contractor? Do you want to fight?"
Jin didn't continue his onslaught. He sheathed Bradamante. Compared to a moment ago, where he was filled with rage and bloodthirst, he looked rather calm.
"No. Simply put, you guys have been toying with me this entire time. I needed to get some rage out of myself."
"Yeah? You stopped not because you don't stand a chance against me?"
Jin burst into laughter.
"Do I look scared to you? I will fight you if you want me to."
The beastman found Jin very interesting. He stared down at the child without a word.
Then, he smiled.
"I like you a lot. You differ from all of the other humans that I've met. Usually, humans pissed their pants when meeting us."
"You only chose weaklings to fight."
"Hahaha! Who knows. You could take that however you want. Back then, we were undefeatable."
The beastman saw Jin speechless, so he lightly patted Jin's shoulders.
"I'm Tantel. What is your name, child of Solderet?"
"Jin Runcandel."
"Alright, Jin Runcandel. I'll give you one piece of advice. I'm on the tolerant side, so I can take your disrespectful attitude as cute outbursts. But be careful when you meet the Brethren of the Battle Temple."
"Battle Temple?"
"Just as the name goes, brothers who are worshipped in the Halls of Battle Gods. Crazy strong. Anyway, your current demeanor would earn them a valid reason for an extra meal. They don't like you as much as they do Solderet."
Tantel swung his sword in the air towards the sky. A massive dimensional portal opened, and the forgotten civilization of the Illustrious Legends emerged.
—————