"Hmm…"
Raon's hands trembled, despite his calm mind.
"You don't need to be so nervous. We just want to talk."
The long-haired collateral at the front approached him. Raon knew his name already. Krein Zieghart. He was the guy who picked a fight with him that morning, and he had also shown a rather brilliant talent during the Judgment Ceremony.
"Hey."
The three children who were next to Krein stuck themselves to Raon's sides and his back, when Krein pointed with his chin.
"Talk? What kind of talk do you want?"
He wanted to step back, but it was impossible to retreat with three people blocking his way.
"You'll know once we get there."
"Follow quietly."
Krein gestured with a grin, and the two guys next to him started to push him with their shoulders.
Since Raon was small for his age, while the collaterals were rather big, it looked like adults taking away a kid.
"Wa-wait a second. How about we talk here?"
"It's too late."
"You shouldn't have been so arrogant."
As Raon shrugged and lowered his gaze, the collateral children giggled and put their arms under his armpit.
You told me you would show me what I wanted to see, but what are you doing now?
'Simmering the rice takes time. This is the same, so wait a little.'
"Kuh!"
Raon was thrown to the wall after being dragged helplessly to the training ground's vicinity. It was a dark and secluded place, with no one in sight.
"Wh-why are you doing this?"
"You elixir-boosted punk."
"What?"
"You got abandoned by the direct line, but you dare to boast with the power of a lucky elixir?"
"You wouldn't even have been able to run today if it wasn't for the elixir you got from the Saint."
"You wimp!"
The collaterals' expressions became fierce, like savage beasts who presented with their prey.
'For that ridiculous reason…'
The childish and shabby reason seemed to prove that they were still kids.
'And they don't seem to think that they might lose, not at all.'
Raon sneered.
'I guess that's normal.'
Unlike him, who was twelve years old, the collaterals were thirteen years old, and their bodies were also a lot bigger. Since they had been training for a long time, they didn't even consider the possibility of losing.
"Don't worry, we will make it unnoticeable."
"It's not the first time we've done this, after all."
"Just like what the instructor said, we are going to just have a chat between fellow trainees."
The collaterals approached while swinging their fists.
"You're right."
Raon raised his head and smiled.
"Damn right."
The fear and confusion in his eyes could no longer be seen.
"You bastard!"
The one with the bowl cut at the right side of him punched him.
After twisting his shoulder to dodge the fist, Raon used his right elbow to strike his chest.
"Gack!"
The bowl head quacked with his head on the ground, unable to breathe. He kept scratching the ground, trying to respire.
"Wh-what happened!"
The narrow-eyed one to his left kicked at him.
Whack!
Raon fended off against it using his left hand. Then he approached him and struck his solar plexus using his fist.
"Kuh…"
The narrow-eyed child tumbled on the ground, grabbing his stomach as his eyes turned white.
Wham!
The guy from behind slammed down with his two fists clenched together. Raon deflected it with his palm and kicked his abdomen.
"Huff!"
The biggest guy gasped, collapsing on the ground.
"Wh-what are you all doing? Why are you losing to that bastard?!"
Krein, who was the last one standing, stepped back. His hands were shaking as he stuttered.
"We are having a talk between fellow trainees, just as you said.'
Raon approached Krein, matching his steps to his retreat.
"Don't come any closer!'
Krein swung his left fist as he shouted, followed by his right fist. It was a well-trained, consecutive attack.
However, the one on the receiving end wasn't a normal twelve-year-old child.
Crack!
Raon's hand twisted up like a poisonous snake. He grabbed Krein's left arm and twisted it to the right.
"Kuah!"
Krein shrieked, unable to finish swing his right fist due to the arm-breaking pain.
"It's not over yet."
Using his left hand like a blade, he chopped across Krein's right waist.
"Kak! Kuaah!"
Krein rolled on the ground while screaming as if he was facing his last moment.
That's a marvelous scream. But his skull is still intact. Break it right now.
'Always the skull…'
Raon shook his head and looked at the four collaterals, who were squirming on the ground.
"What shall I do?"
Raon turned his head and approached the collateral children with killing intent in his eyes.
"Waa!"
"Uhhh!"
"Wh-what…"
The collaterals shivered in anguish. Their expressions weren't just confused, but terrified.
"Uhh…"
Krein's teeth chattered, as if he were cold.
'What is this guy…?'
It was a spirit that couldn't be felt from Burren, nor from the older children of the direct line. From Raon they felt something other than aura, something darker than that.
'It's like facing an adult…'
And it wasn't just any adult. It was the same chilly feeling as meeting the eyes of one of the leading figures of the family.
"The deeper the talk, the better."
"Uugh!"
"Pl-please!'
As Raon approached with a smile, the collaterals' teeth chattered as if they were looking at a god of death.
***
Unable to even scream, the collaterals rolled up like maggots as he kept punching them.
This is refreshing for once. It's the first time that I took a liking to you.
'Thank you, I guess.'
Raon kept beating up the collaterals, so much that Wrath applauded. Moreover, he was hitting where it hurt the most, although it didn't look obvious.
"Kuh!"
"Uwaa…"
The collaterals couldn't even meet Raon's eyes anymore. They were just curling up like shrimps, fresh out of water.
"Pl-please, stop…"
"I'm sorry!"
"Ugh!"
Raon taught them a clear lesson. They shouldn't even look at his toes.
"What we had today was a talk between fellow trainees, right?"
"Eh, yes!"
"Th-that's right!"
"Am I right to assume that you won't tell anyone about our talk?"
"Of… of course!"
"Definitely!"
Since Krein and the collaterals wanted to stop getting beaten up, they nodded their heads.
"Then let's get the finishing touch before ending our conversation."
"Fi-finishing touch?"
"What do you mean…?"
"Who convinced you to do this? Was it Burren?"
"Uh…"
"Sorry? N-no, that's not the case."
The collaterals shook their heads.
"Then what is it?"
"Lo-Lord Burren never ordered us to do th-this."
"That's right. He actually told us to stop. It was just that we…"
"Is that so?"
Raon sneered. Judging from their frantic expressions, they weren't lying. Burren really must not have been involved.
'He isn't completely rotten.'
Burren clearly wasn't favorable to him, and had a foul mouth, but he didn't seem to be complete garbage.
"You'd better behave if you don't want to have another talk tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!"
"Certainly!"
"We won't even step on your shadow!"
Raon turned around, hearing the collaterals' responses. When he was about to leave the alley, a notification tone could be heard.
Ding!
***
Tap.
In the alley that Raon and the collaterals left, Rimmer stepped down.
"Hmm!"
Looking at the collaterals, who were helpless as they left, he licked his lips.
'That was an entertaining sight.'
He was just wasting his time like always, but he ended up watching something great.
'I get more curious the more I watch him.'
The Raon that he saw today wasn't the pathetic patient that Glenn and Sylvia had mentioned.
'Is he a genius?'
Raon had never been taught martial arts. He had never hit anyone, nor was he ever hit by anyone. However, the movements that he had shown proved otherwise.
He avoided the first fist with the least movement possible and struck back immediately after.
He finished his second and third opponents before they could even grasp the situation with a single strike on their vitals. It was a bit rough, but his punches weren't at the level that a first timer could have pulled off.
He'd thought that he just had excellent willpower, but it also looked like he was talented in martial arts.
'I guess he isn't a Zieghart for nothing.'
Rimmer grinned, remembering how Raon beat up the collaterals and threatened them.
It reminded him of the Glenn that he had met back in the days when he had thought he was the strongest. He didn't look exceptional at first, but he was more extraordinary than anyone when he acted.
He had even managed to impress Rimmer, who used to despise humans. Needless to say, that was the type of man he was.
'On top of that…'
The way Raon threatened the collaterals using their own words was even more like Glenn.
"A mysterious talent among the best talents…"
Rimmer cheerfully rolled on the ground.
"My heart is racing."
The corners of lips twisted up smoothly.
***
Raon entered room 405, following the number on the key that the instructor gave him in front of the dormitory.
It was a wide room, not much different from his room in the annex building. The bed looked comfortable, and there was enough space to train the 'Ring of Fire'.
'Then…'
After quickly looking around the room, he sat on the bed and brought up the message from earlier.
Agility has increased by 1.
It was a message telling him that his agility had increased, along with a message saying that Wrath was satisfied.
'I can increase my stats like this?'
Apparently, satisfying Wrath gave him points, just as withstanding his intervention did.
However…
It's a mistake! The King of Essence isn't satisfied! It's still not enough! You should have at least cut their heads off!
Since Wrath was making a fuss, he got it regardless of Wrath's intentions.
Those stats that you've been getting! Where do they even come from?!
Apparently, Wrath didn't know where the stats came from either.
'Do you not know either? It's your own ability, yet you know nothing.'
This all happened because you stole it from the King of Essence!
"Well, the fact still remains that you don't know."
Kuh…
Wrath's voice trembled, as if all his pleasure from earlier had vanished.
Alright, I'll check on it. Wait for me.
With that, Wrath's presence disappeared. The bracelet was still there, but his soul seemed to be gone. Raon tried swinging his hand, but nothing happened.
"It's silent for once."
Raon lowered his hand. Thinking that he would use this opportunity to take a bath, he headed to the bathroom on the fourth floor.
After taking a quick bath, he returned to the room. Without even drying his hair, he sat down on the ground.
'He is actually a goose that lays golden eggs.'
He grinned, looking at the flowery bracelet on his wrist. Gaining stats for being acknowledged, or withstanding his interruption, was as good as getting them for free.
Since he had the 'Ring of Fire' and 'Water Resistance', he wasn't going to lose to Wrath, either. Only benefits existed.
'Shall I train before he comes back?'
Satisfied, he closed his eyes to practice the 'Ring of Fire'.
It was as he was about to start the training that he heard it.
Kuh!
"Are you back already?"
When he opened his eyes, clicking his tongue, Wrath was on his wrist and shivering.
You thief!
"Thief?"
You were stealing the power that the King of Essence had left in the main body!
'Main body?'
When he thought about it, Wrath had said he was the king somewhere, calling himself the King of Essence. He didn't remember because it wasn't important.
It's devildom! I was the monarch of the devildom!
'I see.'
He nodded slightly, since he wasn't interested.
Crack!
He could hear Wrath grinding his teeth.
What's that answer?! You are just a dung fly, stealing the power of the King of Essence! You should kneel and worship me!
"You aren't giving it to me because you want to, so is there any reason why I should be thankful?"
Kuh…
Wrath just groaned, as he couldn't say anything about it.
Your arrogance truly reaches heaven.
"Not really."
Raon shook his head. He never thought about anything like that. Wrath was just too used to being worshiped, to the point that he couldn't handle direct answers.
The body of the King of Essence is currently linked to you. That's why the status window has been passed on to you.
'Hmm…'
So, I have a suggestion.
"Suggestion?"
Let's make a bet. If you win, I'll give you the stat points. But if you lose, you shall take my wrath.
Wrath's voice contained anger and resentment, just like when he'd met him the first time.