In the open area outside the pub, Raon was facing the yellow eyed swordsman.
Not only the people inside the pub, but also the soldiers that had heard the rumor were gathered around, filling the surrounding area. Some people even started gambling on them.
"He is Turka from the Wolf Mercenary Corps! He will bite down and won't release his opponent like a wolf once the fight begins!"
"He's right. You don't need to accept his challenge! Let's stop."
The scout seniors were worried about him, but Raon shook his head. There was no reason for him to refuse when a scapegoat to increase the Fangs of Insanity's proficiency had appeared all on his own.
"It's alright. I don't tend to refuse fights."
Raon smiled confidently and stepped forward.
Damn it! There's a saying that a demon that dies after eating has color and charm. The food is getting cold!
'I'll order new food for you.'
Ahem, well. That's fine.
Wrath moved back, telling him to order the same things, especially the pizza. The dignity of the demon king was as light as a feather.
"I'm the leader of the fourth team of the Wolf Mercenary Corps, Turka."
"I'm Raon."
Turka was treating Raon respectfully despite him being much younger than himself. However, he couldn't hide the slight belittlement in his eyes, which meant that he didn't completely believe the story of him killing six shark moles on his own.
"Allow me to experience the extent of the swordsmanship that killed a shark mole in a single strike."
While saying that, Turka kicked the ground and drew his saber. He held the sword straight up to pierce the sky, then slammed it down. It was an attack using the saber's thick and heavy blade to his advantage.
However, neither its power, speed, nor trajectory managed to surpass Raon's expectations.
Raon slashed up with the Fangs of Insanity, aimed towards the saber slamming down at him like lightning.
Clang!
The collision between the sword and saber, imbued with aura, cracked the frozen ground of the open area.
"You blocked that?"
Turka's eyes widened to the point that they looked like they would explode, as he didn't expect him to block it instead of avoiding it.
"I told you."
Raon pushed back the heavy saber with his thin sword and smiled coldly.
"My sword is fierce."
"Keuh!"
Turka's saber bounced off to the right side, facing a ferocious strike similar to a savage beast showing its teeth. Raon didn't miss that opportunity and thrust his left fist.
Whack!
The fist crushed the wind and struck the right side of Turka's waist.
"Kuah!"
Turka bent at his waist like a shrimp, then was slammed into the ground.
"Uhh…"
"H-how did Turka lose so easily?"
"He should've been one of the ten strongest of the Wolf Mercenary Corps."
"How did a fist make such an earth-shattering sound?"
"How did he fend off a saber using that thin sword? That's the strangest part."
The mercenaries and the spectators looked back and forth between Raon and Turka in surprise.
"I went easy on you on purpose."
Raon leisurely rested his sword on his shoulder.
"Ugh…"
Turka stood up, supporting his body with the saber. His yellow eyes were wavering like a sailboat facing a tidal wave.
"You asked me to show you my sword. I haven't even gotten started yet."
"Arrrgh!"
Raon flicked his four fingers and Turka grit his teeth, rushing at him. He was still keeping his cool headedness despite his confused state, befitting a mercenary that had experienced countless battles.
Raon hacked with the Fangs of Insanity, aiming towards the horizontal swing of the saber.
Clang!
A thunderous noise of smashing metal resounded, and Turka's saber was pushed back. Even though it looked like he was reaching his end, his eyes were still alive. He twisted his waist in midair to slam his saber down.
"That's much better."
Raon bent his knees slightly and slashed his sword in a low trajectory, like a flying swallow.
Clang!
Turka's wrist that was holding the saber was snapped, as if it were broken. It was the effect of the Fangs of Insanity, creating an opening against the opponent.
"Keuh!"
Turka withdrew in a hurry and Raon advanced like a tempest.
Whack!
He pierced Turka's space and walloped his chest with his left shoulder.
"Keuh…"
Turka collapsed onto his back as his eyes turned white. Foam was coming from his mouth.
Raon dusted off his hands lightly and looked behind him.
In the middle of the astonished gazes directed at him, he pointed at a member of the Wolf Mercenary Corps, who was watching them with his mouth wide open.
"You shall be next."
Raon smiled in excitement and wielded his sword.
"You don't want it to end like this, right?"
* * *
After leaving his luggage in his lodgings, Radin went to the commander's room right away.
It seemed they were in the middle of a conference, since Commander Milland was looking at the map along with his son, Vice Commander Terian.
"Weren't you supposed to return in two days?"
Milland raised his head, sticking the red flag model on the map.
"I had to return because of an incident."
Hearing Radin's serious voice, Milland put down the flag model and Terian uncrossed his arms.
"I'm listening."
"The shark moles came up to the fifth tunnel."
"Fifth? The fifth tunnel is at the forest's outskirts!"
Terian slammed the desk, as he found that to be impossible to believe.
"Yes, it's also my first time seeing shark moles coming near Stallin Mountain."
"How many of them were there?"
"Six of them appeared at once."
Radin put down the wrapping cloth containing the shark moles' fins.
"Huh!"
"Are they leaving their territory to that extent…?"
Both Milland and Terian were unable to take their eyes off the fins in surprise.
"Wait a moment! Why are you so healthy if six shark moles ambushed you? What about the casualties? How many people have died?"
"There wasn't a single casualty."
"Huh?"
"What?"
Their eyes became even wider than before in their surprise.
"H-how?"
"You shouldn't have been able to kill the shark moles on your own."
"I'd like to ask a question this time."
Radin swallowed and raised his head.
"Raon. Who the hell is that guy?"
His eyes were filled with astonishment, as if he'd returned to the night of that day.
"The reason I, no, we are still alive is thanks to Raon. He warned us in advance about the shark moles approach, then killed the six shark moles on his own. I didn't even need to do anything."
"Are you telling me he killed six shark moles on his own?"
Terian's voice was trembling.
"Yes, it was completely overwhelming. Using one strike per shark mole, he killed five of them in an instant, and when the last one tried to run away via the underground passage, he broke through the ground by throwing a dagger."
Radin's eyes were still trembling.
"I've seen countless warriors and heroes in this hellish ground, but that was my first time witnessing someone possessing such prowess at that age. What kind of monster have you assigned to us?"
"..."
Milland just stared at the map without responding.
"How were his scouting abilities?"
"I got angry."
"What?"
Milland narrowed his eyes because of his unrelated answer.
"Identifying the geography, monster tracks, time and weather, map reading and direction. He knew everything like a scout that's been living here for years. He even knew about the empty soil that can be dug out easily."
Radin sighed deeply.
"He was so excellent that I ended up acting irritated, yet he reassured me instead at the dangerous moment."
"So, you are saying his personality is also great."
Thinking about something, Milland tapped the old desk with his scorched black finger.
"Yes. He didn't brag about his feats, nor did he swagger about because of his knowledge. It was only for two days, but he got along with the scouts as well. If I hadn't witnessed his swordsmanship, I would've thought he was just a mercenary or a hunter that'd been living a difficult life from childhood."
"Then how about the other guy?"
"Dorian? Honestly, that guy is even more strange."
Radin closed his eyes.
"Even more strange?"
"Yes, he carries around all kinds of objects. I've never imagined in my entire life that I would sleep on a mattress and drink warm tea during a scouting mission."
"How about his personality?"
"He is kind. He is a bit cowardly, but he cares about his surroundings and gives away what people need. I can't be certain since I haven't been with them for a long time, but I think they are both nice guys."
Radin gave him his honest opinion on Raon and Dorian.
"So, please tell me! Where did those weird monsters even come from? They must be from a prestigious family, right? I should've realized after noticing the glamorous impression coming from their faces!"
"They are…"
As Milland was about to respond, an urgent knocking sound could be heard.
"Commander!"
Charles, one of the adjutants, opened the door and entered with his reddened face.
"What is it?"
"Y-you know…"
"Calm down and speak."
"It's about the two recruits that joined us two days ago."
The three people's eyes shone at the same time, hearing the word recruit.
"One of the recruits is fighting against Turka of the Wolf Mercenary Corps. They are apparently fighting using real swords in front of the Branch of Frost."
"What? Why?"
"That's pretty obvious. Turka must've picked a fight after hearing the rumor about him killing shark moles on his own."
Terian responded, as if he watched the scene with his own eyes.
"Wolves…"
Milland frowned. The Wolf Mercenary Corps was immensely helpful during battles thanks to their courage and combative spirit, but they loved battles too much.
They tended to pick fights inside if there were none outside, so they were causing various problems.
"I think it'd be better to stop them before someone ends up heavily injured as the fight escalates. Even though Raon is there and is strong enough to deal with shark moles, he won't be able to win against Turka, who has experienced countless battles."
"Haa, that's really annoying."
Milland clicked his tongue and looked at Terian.
"You should go there to stop them from fighting, then bring Raon here."
"Understood."
Terian nodded and left the commander's room. Radin said he would go with him and followed.
"Hmm…"
Milland sighed lightly, looking at the shark mole's fin on the ground.
"Is change coming?"
The old soldier that'd been defending that place for his entire life didn't exactly like change. He sighed lightly, hoping that his old body would be able to withstand the coming changes.
* * *
"Those Wolves seriously cause nothing but trouble!"
Radin frowned, running towards the Branch of Frost.
"That's why I told you that their brains are made of muscles. I said that we shouldn't accept them!"
"It's true that they don't care about the consequences, but it's also a fact that they are extremely helpful in battles. No one's better than them when it comes down to close combat."
Terian nonchalantly stated the truth.
"Well, that's true."
Radin licked his lips and nodded.
"Anyway, I won't let them get away with it if they touched our recruit."
"Didn't you say he was a strange monster?"
"Monster, ghost, or whatever, he is my subordinate since he joined the third scouting party! I'll protect him until he leaves on his own. And I even owe him my life."
"Heh."
Terian grinned. Radin was a classic northern man that was warmer inside than their outer appearance suggested.
'Putting that aside…'
He hoped that Raon wasn't severely injured.
Even though he was from Zieghart and possessed an extraordinary talent, he shouldn't have been able to win against Turka, who became stronger through real battles.
After all, fighting against monsters and fighting against people were completely different matters.
"Whoaaa!"
They increased their speed a bit more, and the Branch of Frost's signboard came into their sight. Shouting sound could be heard. The area was already completely filled with people, so there was no room for them to enter.
"Huff!"
Terian kicked the ground and leapt over the wall of spectators.
"Huh…?"
Landing at the edge of the round, temporary arena, he was immobilized like a rock upon seeing the unexpected sight.
'Why are they…?'
The five courageous mercenaries that hadn't even yielded in front of monsters were stretched out on the ground with their faces turned blue.
And…
Whack!
Along with the powerful sound of smashing a boulder, another mercenary was slammed into the ground like a stake.
"Whoaaa!"
"He won again!"
"It's six wins in a row! That boy smashed six Wolf Mercenaries on his own!"
"It's crazy! The rumor wasn't a lie!"
"He is a sword demon, a sword demon!"
The shouting spectators were praising Raon, who had defeated six Wolf Mercenaries on his own.
"Huh…"
Terian looked to his right with a trembling chin.
The blonde swordsman, filled with a frightening anticipation, was pointing his sword against the Wolf Mercenary Corps.
"Since this is starting to get boring, come at me all at once."
Facing the spirit coming from his red eyes, Terian unconsciously stepped backward.
____
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