'Hero's road?'
Raon's eyes widened when he read the message. He was confused, since he couldn't figure out its meaning.
'What is th… ah!"
It was when he was trying to read the message once again that another message appeared.
[Your soul level has increased.
All stats have increased.]
A thrill pierced throughout his body, like lightning. It felt like electricity entering through his head had reached the soles of his feet. He had the impression that his soul had reached a higher dimension for an instant.
Tsk, what a damn lucky guy.
Wrath frowned, glaring at the message. It was an extremely annoyed expression.
'What is all this?'
It's just what it says. Your soul is imbued with heroic karma.
'Why?'
Power dwells inside words. And a song is even more powerful than that. Since the pineapple girl's song described your heroic side, the level of your soul has increased thanks to that.
'With only that much?'
Obviously, that's not all.
Wrath turned his head to look at Yua, who was still singing.
Remember what I told you before. The pineapple girl is talented at singing. But she is actually even more talented than what the King of Essence expected back then. Your accomplishment managed to gain such a power because it was her that created the song and sang it in front of many people.
'Which means…'
Yes. The reason your soul's level and stats have increased is thanks to her singing about you. You should be grateful.
'Huh…'
The more you display your heroic side, and the more her song spreads to the people, the more your soul's level, stats, and traits will increase drastically.
'That's impressive.'
Raon exclaimed in admiration. He noticed it when he was emotionally touched but calling her a genius wasn't enough to describe Yua's talent in singing. People often said that an excellent bard's song had a soul, and apparently that was what he'd just heard.
"…Those steps will be remembered forever through the winter's melody."
Yua perfectly finished the song of triumph and smiled brightly.
"Woooow!"
"Yua! This uncle holds you so dear!"
"Our Yua is too good to stay in this place! Let's send her to the continent!"
"Yua! Yua! Yua!"
The soldiers that heard Yua's song stood up to break out in applause and loud cheering, to the point that it felt like the ground was shaking.
"Thank you!"
Yua slightly bowed in three different directions, then walked down the platform towards the table where Raon and Dorian were sitting.
"How was it?"
"Wow! You were really amazing! I'm so impressed! You are almost as good as me."
Dorian blabbered about some ridiculous things and gave a thumbs up.
"What gave you the idea of writing a song?"
"My grandfather always said I should be thankful to the people that fight here."
Yua smiled cheerfully and waved her hand to her grandfather, the manager of the Branch of Frost standing on the right.
"I heard the swordsman Raon struggled a lot this time, so I tried making a song from what I heard and saw!"
"I see."
Raon knelt to meet Yua's eyes. Her round eyes sparkled like a rabbit's.
"Thank you. It was really nice."
"Okay!"
Yua flapped her hair and hopped.
"Then, come to our restaurant later. To…"
"To increase the sales, right?"
"Wow, you understand it so quickly now!"
"Of course I do."
Raon smiled, watching Yua's hair flapping around.
"Then, make sure to visit later!"
Yua waved her hand, and ran towards the manager, who was waiting for her.
Raon.
Wrath stuck his head out from the bracelet.
'What's up?'
A human being should pay back the kindness they have received.
He was right. However, because it was a demon king who was saying it, Raon remained speechless.
From the way the King of Essence saw it, you've received a huge favor from the pineapple girl.
Raon could expect what he was going to say next with his mouth of ice.
Earlier is better when it comes to repaying a favor. You have to do it right now. Go to the Branch of Frost right now and order all the food…
'Haa.'
Raon shook his head looking at Wrath, rolling his eyes.
And you've also received a favor from the King of Essence. It's an extremely huge favor on top of that.
'What favor are you talking about?'
The King of Essence taught you Glacier!
'But I already paid the price for that.'
Do you seriously believe a single pineapple pizza is as valuable as such a great ability?
'How are you even acting exactly the way I expected you to?'
It felt like he really became the Monarch of Devildom through hopscotch, since he couldn't hide his intentions at all.
I'm able to hide my intentions, I'm simply not hiding them. Demons are true to their desires, they don't tell any lies when they talk about them. And the King of Essence has never once lied, even in Devildom.
That was true. Wrath had never lied before, although he avoided speaking in some cases. The reason Raon believed that he was actually a king was because he had never lied before.
If you understand, let's get going. Since the Branch of Frost has been full for four days straight, it should have free spaces today!
'Alright, alright.'
Raon sighed softly. Since he was helped by both Wrath and Yua, it seemed to be a good idea to repay them adequately. Honestly, food was an extremely cheap price to pay for what he got.
You made a great decision!
Wrath giggled and surged into the bracelet.
"Where are you going?"
Once Raon stood up, Dorian raised his head.
"I'm going to eat at the Branch of Frost since it's been a while. Let's go together."
"Huh?"
Dorian tilted his head instead of standing up.
"Why?"
"They are closed today since they've been open for four days. That's why Yua told you to visit later, you know?"
"Ah, is that so?"
Raon blinked his eyes and looked at Wrath, who was dancing on the bracelet.
'They are closed today.'
…What is this bullshit?
Wrath started scratching the table like a cat, his hand made of coldness, and shouted.
Are you plotting together to make the King of Essence starve? Why are you getting in the way of the King of Essence each time I try to eat?
'It's your destiny. Let's go to the soldiers' cafeteria instead.'
Raon snickered and headed towards the soldiers' cafeteria.
Onion stew, dry and crumbling bread, overcooked chicken, and unsavory sauce! Today's set menu is the worst!
'How do you even know about today's menu…?'
Wrath had memorized the entire cafeteria menu, which changed every day, as if he actually liked it despite what he said.
He was truly a weirdo.
* * *
Saian Canyon was filled with ferocious and powerful monsters.
A tremendous number of monsters were dashing between the plunging cliffs, like a river flooding through a broken dam.
And on the opposite side of the canyon, where the monsters were flooding towards, there was a wall of humans.
Stalwart warriors holding double edged axes and thick greatswords were standing in a line, staring at the monsters charging towards them.
Vrrrrr!
A majestic sound resounded from a horn, and the warriors brandished their weapons.
"Charge! Kill them all!"
The gigantic middle-aged man standing at the front dashed into the wave of monsters, slamming down an axe the size of a human body.
Wham!
Monsters and the ground exploded together, signaling the great war between humans and monsters.
"Let's gooo!"
"Shred them to pieces!"
"Wipe them out, don't leave a single one of them alive!"
"Waaaaah!"
The warriors swung their swords and axes with fierce smiles on their faces. The dry canyon was gradually filled with the blood, fervor, and the exhilaration of battle.
And there was one swordswoman that stood out on that battlefield, where both humans and monsters were abnormally large.
Her black hair and black eyes displayed her elegant beauty as the swordswoman dominated the battlefield. The powerful strength and the systematic trajectory of her strikes quickly turned the monsters into a pool of blood.
She was the smallest one on the battlefield, yet she was the most gallant of them all. Even the monsters fell back upon facing her ferociousness.
However, the black-haired swordswoman didn't seem satisfied with that, as she kept moving nonstop to smash the monsters.
The battle that started at daybreak continued until evening, and the canyon was filled with the corpses of warriors and monsters.
Enough time had passed for even the seasoned warriors to be exhausted, yet the black-haired swordswoman hadn't slowed down at all since the beginning. She kept beheading the monsters and crushing their hearts. One might think she had a berserker spell cast on her, but her eyes were as clear as the moonlight coming from the full moon.
"We won!"
"It's our victory!"
"Yeaaaah!"
The canyon's battle ended in the humans' victory, and the defeated monsters returned to their barren land over the blood of their fallen fellows.
"Huff…"
The black-haired swordswoman finally stopped her sword and raised her head. Her blade spilled more blood than anyone else that day, and the number of corpses fallen under her was the biggest of them all.
"You look so excited, Martha."
A middle-aged man, who seemed to be the leader of the warriors, walked towards her from behind as she was catching her breath.
"It was an overwhelming performance, enough to satisfy me. Are you trying to catch up to your head of house?"
The middle-aged man put his bloody axe on his shoulder and smiled broadly. He was the ruler of Saian Canyon, Camain's castellan and the strongest warrior—Beruan.
"I shall catch up to him. But I have another mountain that I need to cross before that."
Martha frowned, shaking off the blood that was on her sword.
"A mountain to be crossed?"
"It's a damn fucking high mountain."
"Are you saying that there's someone stronger than you among your peers?"
Beruan's eyes widened. Martha was already a proper warrior when she arrived. He was wondering why she was desperately practicing, but it seemed she had a rival.
"Three times… No, I lost four times."
Martha murmured that it was all she could say since she kept running after that.
"Don't worry."
Beruan smiled and tapped Martha's shoulder.
"You've experienced countless battles since you arrived here and trained your body and mind harder than anyone else. No matter who that might be, he must be weaker than you are now."
"No."
Martha adamantly shook her head.
"He is the real deal, the first that I've met. He is the true monster, different from the fakes people call geniuses or prodigies. I don't think I can catch up to him even if I train several times harder than what I'm doing right now."
"That much?"
Beruan narrowed his eyes. Martha was even more talented than his son. He became curious about the boy that made such a genius experience a sense of defeat.
"I can feel it with my skin."
Martha grasped her arm, which had goosebumps on it.
"That bastard's breath as he is gets stronger, even at this very moment."
She did her best to train, but she didn't think she could win against Raon. She wanted to win against him wonderfully and cancel the promise that made it so that she would obey his commands, yet she just couldn't imagine winning against him.
Moreover, her true enemy—the White Blood Religion—was incomparably stronger than Raon. It was impossible for her to destroy the White Blood Religion and find her mother if she couldn't even win against Raon.
"What is his name?"
Martha turned around, looking at Beruan's surprised eyes. She created an energy layer so that no one else could hear them, and slowly opened her mouth.
"Raon. Raon Zieghart."
She clenched her fist and continued.
"He is my benefactor and saved my life, and he is the man I need to win against at all costs."
"That doesn't seem to be the only reason."
Beruan chuckled.
"Fine. I'll train you personally for the rest of your stay here."
"What? Why all of the sudden…"
"In return, you shall bring it to me."
He slammed the ground with his axe and raised his chin.
"The news of your victory against the boy named Raon."
* * *
There was a desert called Levine at the northwest of the continent.
That particular terrain, covered with white sand, was also called as White Sand instead of Levine.
Despite the color, it was still a desert. However, because it was unexpectedly rich in resources, the humans and monsters coexisting added into its strange characteristics.
A small village existed at the entrance of that desert. It wasn't a natural place, but a temporary village created by the Marco Company—one of the six companies of the continents—for Levine Desert's pioneering project.
Inside that village, a blue-haired young man was busily moving around.
"Burren! Come this way!"
"Burren! It's strange over here."
"Hey! Burren!"
The people in the village waved their hands at him, calling his name.
"Argh, stop calling me! You can do it on your own!"
The blue-haired young man called Burren frowned, stomping on the ground. Despite acting angry, he still went to the right to flatten the land, then went to the left to build the column. He helped everyone.
"Burren! A sand scorpion has appeared! Come here quickly!"
"Damn it! Why is everyone looking for me?"
Burren shouted as if he wasn't going to help, but he still put down the column to run towards the village's entrance. His mouth kept complaining, but his body was helping with everything asked of him.
"Hmm."
A smart-looking man wearing a monocle licked his lips, watching Burren run outside the village.
"That's unexpected. He is far different from his first impression."
"It must be all thanks to the president's teachings."
The old merchant smiled, wearing a turban around his head.
"Teachings? I didn't teach him anything."
The current president of the Marco Company, Leniton, closed his eyes. Burren was already completely zealous when he first arrived there. He had been fighting monsters or helping with the pioneering in the daytime, and he had been training himself during the night for over half a year already.
It was a schedule a normal person wouldn't be able to carry out, which expressed how much of a desire Burren had to get stronger.
"He is an amazing fellow. He seems difficult to get along with at first, but he is actually kindhearted, and his power makes it difficult to believe he is only sixteen years old. Ah!"
The old man just remembered something and clapped his hands.
"Now that I think about it, did you hear about the incident in Habun Castle?"
"The story about a swordsman around Burren's age who defended the destroyed castle wall on his own?"
"Yes. But there was an even bigger incident after that."
"A bigger incident?"
"Yes. I heard that Eden attacked them using an ice troll lord. Moreover, they used the opportunity when Milland was outside with Habun Castle's elites, and the blonde swordsman defended against them on his own…"
The old man told him all about the incident that happened in Habun Castle a few months ago.
"I-I can't believe it."
"That's what I thought at first, but it appears to be true. I heard that all the soldiers in Habun Castle witnessed it."
"Hmm, then…"
Leniton pointed at Burren, who was entering the village, and smiled mischievously.
"Tell him that story you just told me."
"What? Why are you asking me to do that?"
"I want to see his reaction."
"Oh, I see. I'll do it."
Realizing his intentions, the old man walked up to Burren and told him about the story from Habun Castle.
"That damn bastard!"
Burren's green eyes sparkled like the desert sand.
"I knew he would do that! That guy never sits quietly!"
He looked happy as he smiled, his clenched fists trembling.
"Is he the goal that you mentioned you would catch up to?"
Leniton was standing in front of Burren, having approached him at some point.
"Yes, he is."
"What is his name?"
"It's Raon."
"He must be strong."
"He is strong. Judging from the story, he must've gotten even stronger now."
"Then why do you look so happy?"
Leniton narrowed his eyes, watching Burren be filled with joy.
"Shouldn't you be angry or depressed if your objective has gotten even stronger?"
"No. Catching up to him is worth it exactly because he is strong, and he will get even stronger."
Burren adamantly shook his head. A ray of light shone in his clear, emerald-like eyes.
"If Raon doesn't get stronger, then my goal won't move from there. The stronger he gets, the more I will progress alongside him."
"I see."
Leniton's mouth curved up. He looked at Burren with a delighted smile.
"Well, I actually realized that because I met him."
"You make me want to meet this Raon boy."
"I'm sure you will be amazed."
"But I'm more interested in you."
"What?"
"There's few people that truly know his weakness and praise his rival. If I had to make an investment, you would've been my target."
"Ah…"
Since it wasn't something he'd expected, Burren's eyes widened.
"But it looks like you are very close to Raon. It's interesting that you are rivals and close friends at the same time."
"C-Close friends? Not at all! We are just enemies!"
"It doesn't look like it, though. You must be close friends from the way you smiled earlier."
Leniton raised his chin while smiling mischievously.
"I told you we aren't!"
Burren shouted loudly.
"I have no intentions of being friends with a guy like him!"
* * *
In a yellow forest where the sounds of bugs, reptiles, and monsters resounded throughout the place in disharmony, a purple-eyed swordswoman with her silver hair tied to the back was dashing through the jungle, twisted like a coiled snake.
Despite her noble appearance, her natural movements made it look like she was part of the jungle.
"Kiee!"
When the silver-haired swordswoman tried to pass next to the swamp, a dark attribute monster with a crocodile's appearance, a Crocodark, popped out from under the swamp and opened its mouth.
Cring!
As if she knew it was coming, she drew her sword from around her waist and swung it. The silver frost spreading from the blade brushed past the ground and froze both the monster and the swamp.
"Kiyaaa!"
"Kieee…"
The other monsters that followed it were also frozen stiff.
The silver-haired swordswoman stomped the ground, looking at the monsters crawling out the swamp one after another. Along with the sound of a thud that resounded throughout the earth, the silver frost spread from where she was standing to completely freeze the surrounding area.
"Huff!"
The silver haired swordswoman turned around midair and dashed over the frozen swamp. Small birds and insects flocked over her head like a swarm of bees, but they were all pushed back before reaching her because of her frozen breath.
As such, she kept running in a straight line until the village came into her sight. A warrior holding a spear and a shield, wearing a brown and red wooden mask, appeared in front of her.
"Kuaaah!"
The warrior thrust his spear, surrounded by an intense red aura. When the powerful strike was rushing towards her, a wind of frost stormed over her blade.
Crrrring!
The silver frost spread out in concentric circles and froze everything, including the warrior.
"Keuh…"
The masked warrior could only groan, his legs and arms completely frozen.
The silver-haired swordswoman nodded slightly at him, then entered the village he was guarding.
"Woaaah!"
"She didn't even take six hours to cross the jungle!"
"You're in first place, Runaan!"
"Even the adults don't usually have a record like that!"
"It's not just the adults—they need to be at least at a warrior captain's level!"
"Runaan! You really are amazing!"
Instead of attacking her, the people at the village entrance surrounded her and cheered.
"Thank you."
Runaan nodded at the villagers without showing any expression.
"I'm looking forward to the future if you've already reached this level."
"I know, right? Was there anyone that was this strong at sixteen years of age? Wasn't our chief the only one?"
People smiled, telling her that she would become the most powerful woman.
"There is one."
"Hmm?"
"There's a boy that is way stronger than me."
Runaan joined their conversation, which was a rare occurrence.
"W-Way stronger?"
"Than you?"
Runaan nodded.
"That means… Did you come here to win against him?"
A tall, red-haired woman moved next to Runaan. Her face couldn't be seen because she was wearing a wooden mask, but the pressure spilling from her was as majestic as the ocean.
"No."
"No? Then why?"
"I want to get strong enough to help him from the side."
Runaan repeated exactly what she used to say, like a habit from back home.
"I see."
The masked woman chuckled and slapped her back roughly.
"Having a goal is a good thing, regardless of what it is. However, your talent can reach way further than that. Don't be too focused on what's right in front of you."
She spoke, then waited for the next candidate to cross the jungle.
"Hmm."
Rei was the tribe's chief, and a Master level warrior. Looking at her back, Runaan climbed the tree in front of the entrance.
'Shall I eat one, since it's been a while?'
Since she'd finished crossing the jungle, which could be called Katam Jungle's trial, she felt like she could indulge herself in the luxury of eating the bead ice cream.
'But there's not many of them left.'
While she was swinging her feet in the air as she pondered, a young villager's voice could be heard. It was Laim, who guided her the first time she arrived.
"Wow, when did you get here?"
Caw.
The sound was coming from a crow behind Laim.
"Huh? Why are you sticking to me? Do you like me or something?"
Caw!
It looked like Laim had become friends with a jungle crow that came into the village, as they were cheerfully playing together.
"Fine! I'll make the difficult decision of raising you. Let's decide on a name first!"
Laim licked his lips for a while, before clapping his hands.
"Raon! Since you are as dark as a shadow, Raon seems to be a great name!"
As soon as Runaan heard the name Raon, she jumped down the tree.
She went to where she heard Laim's voice, and she found Laim facing a jungle crow with feathers twisted like a vine.
"Runaan? Weren't you in the middle of a trial?"
"I finished."
Runaan replied simply, staring gently at the crow.
Caw!
The crow turned its head and cawed, as if it were asking her why she was staring at it.
"Hmph."
Runaan turned her head to look at Laim.
"Gasp!"
Laim stepped backward, facing Runaan's unusually intense gaze.
"Wh-What's up? If I made a mistake…"
"What was its name?"
Runaan pointed at the crow, taking short steps.
"I-It's Raon…"
"Change the name."
"No, but I already named him Raon…"
"Change the name."
"But he is dark like a shadow. It's common to name black ones Raon…"
"Change the name."
Her purple eyes narrowed frighteningly.
"Why so suddenly…"
"Change the name."
The young man's eyes trembled, Runaan pressuring him more and more intensely.
Why was she doing that?
* * *
Four months had passed since the war against Eden.
Likely because many monsters died during the war against the lord after the wave, no monster showed up around the castle anymore.
They kept scouting constantly, but there was no sign of gathering monsters or anything significant, and Habun Castle was more peaceful than ever.
However, unlike the others, the person that created that peace—Raon—was busy every day. And the reason for that was obviously because of his training.
As soon as his arm recovered from its injury—as quickly as a troll, even—he stayed in the training ground every day to keep swinging his sword the entire day.
"Huff…"
After training the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and his swordsmanship until the moon rose, Raon raised his body and exhaled heavily.
'It's difficult.'
He'd witnessed a fight between a blonde swordsman and an orc lord upon touching the jewel in the White Spirit Armor. He was trying to reproduce the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation technique that the swordsman had used, but it wasn't going as he wished.
It seemed to be because his swordsmanship and aura were at a way higher level than where Raon was currently at.
'The orc lord was extremely powerful as well, I guess.'
The orc lord that fought against the blonde swordsman didn't seem to be a simple monster, as his pressure was similar to at least a warrior at the Master's level. Neither of them were something Raon could fight against in his current state.
'But I'll still continue.'
Raon never gave up, in either his previous or his current life. He believed that he would one day reach that man's level if he kept constantly training his sword and tempering his body.
"Sir Raon!"
As he was about to start swinging his sword once again, Dorian opened the door to the training grounds and stuck his head in.
"It's time for the night watch."
"Ah."
Raon sighed sadly, looking at the moon in the sky. It was time for his mission.
"Alright, let's go."
He sheathed his sword and followed Dorian towards the castle wall.
"What does the young master think about while you keep repeating the same technique over and over again?"
"I don't really think about anything. I'm just practicing."
"Huh?!"
It was just a normal answer, yet Dorian's jaw dropped.
"When you said that you were just practicing, you looked like a person from a completely different world. I don't think I can do that at all."
Murmuring that he couldn't stop himself anymore, he took out an herbal juice from his belly pocket and started to drink it.
"Do you want some?"
"No, thanks."
Raon shook his head and climbed the castle wall. The clear moon was floating in the night sky, not a single trace of clouds in sight. He could even see the white mist surrounding Stallin Mountain in the far distance.
'It's nice weather.'
Thinking that he would be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery during the watch, he started using Glacier.
He didn't need to stand there doing nothing just because it was a mission. Since he had to watch his surroundings, it was the perfect time to expand his ocean of perception.
'By the way.'
Raon looked at Wrath, who was hanging around his wrist, while observing his surroundings through the ocean of perception.
'He is rather silent nowadays.'
Except for throwing a tantrum to eat at the Branch of Frost, he had been so silent recently—to the point that it was strange.
'It'd be better if he picked a fight.'
Since making a bet or fighting against him would easily increase his stats, he missed him picking fights.
While he was licking his lip, Wrath rose up like smoke from the flower bracelet. After staring for a while at the distant Stallin Mountain, he turned his head.
Raon Zieghart. I have something to tell you.
'I can't eat right now. I'm in the middle of a mission.'
That's not what I was going to say! Is the King of Essence a useless mouth to you?
'Were you not?'
Ugh! Seriously, you… Haa.
Wrath grit his teeth. He narrowed his eyes to glare at Raon, then started sighing.
'What's the matter then?'
Make a bet with the King of Essence for the first time in a long time.
'A bet?'
Did he just say a bet?
The cheating gamblers said that the most difficult part about cheating was to get a doormat to participate. And now, the doormat just walked up to him and straight up participated in the gamble.
Raon's eyes were covered in red fervor.
Was the doormat Wrath striking again?
____