Unfortunately, the rumors about Raon destroying the Central Martial Palace's training equipment, beating up their swordsmen, and even defeating the vice-squad leader of Striding Lightning Holline hadn't yet begun to spread.
Since the witnesses of that astonishing scene all belonged to the Central Martial Palace, there was no reason for them to spread such a humiliating rumor.
Additionally, General Administrator Urek and Training Instructor Reff made sure that they wouldn't say anything about it, so those surprising events were silently buried in the training ground.
But secrets don't exist in the world.
Inside an old pub located in the south side of Zieghart, there was a man—or rather, an elf—whose mouth was as light as a feather. The secret that the entire Central Martial Palace tried to hide was about to leak from him.
"Eh, but this is a secret. I really shouldn't be talking about this…"
Rimmer licked his lips while scratching at his red scalp.
"Why are you telling us that it's a secret after you've kept us waiting for so long?"
"It's been thirty minutes already! Tell us! Now!"
"That's right. How long are you planning to take? What did Raon even do there?"
"I'm so curious that I'm about to die!"
The people inside the pub were yelling at Rimmer and throwing glasses at him as he hesitated. They were extremely irritated, as he was just keeping them waiting after he said he would tell them a secret.
"Say it right now, before I kill you!"
"I can't suppress my anger any longer!"
"Sir Rimmer!"
"Enough already!"
Everyone inside the large pub grabbed their forks and knives while looking at Rimmer's mouth. Some swordsmen seriously looked like they were about to draw their swords, their hands on their scabbards.
"Ah, it can't be helped. I'm telling you because it's you guys. You should never say this to anyone else, alright? Never!"
Rimmer gave the line that people that don't keep their secret usually offered as he looked around at the people inside the pub.
"I get it! I'll make sure to spread the rumor, so say it already!"
"That's right. What problem did Raon cause this time?"
"Argh! That damn elf is even more human than a real human!"
"Hmph!"
Enjoying the people's gazes, he nodded slightly and gulped down his beer.
"I'll start the story, then. My 'dear student' Raon, who inherited all of the great Rimmer's excellent aspects, started his internship in the Central Martial Palace. And he…"
Rimmer told them about the way Raon didn't just follow the Central Martial Palace's training but completely overwhelmed it, and that he beat up all the swordsmen there with sheer strength alone.
"And this is the best part. Guess who appeared after Raon won five times in a row! It was the Striding Lightning's vice-squad leader, Holline. That genius asked for a spar against him, and my 'dear student' Raon accepted it. It was a proper duel between two geniuses. At first, they fought by using swordsmanship alone, without aura, and Raon achieved an overwhelming victory against Holline."
"Woaaah!"
"Gasp!"
"S-Seriously?"
"Did Raon really win against Holline?"
The people inside the pub were so surprised that they dropped their glasses and utensils.
"But the story isn't over yet! Holline admitted his defeat, then asked for a rematch using aura. My 'dear student' Raon accepted it like the cool guy he is once again, and the second round started. Raon was using his flame aura, and Holline was using his ice aura as they jumped at each other."
"Wh-What happened then?"
"Who won in the end?"
"Say it faster!"
"Sir Rimmer! I'm suffocating to death!"
"Ahem, Ahem!"
Rimmer didn't say anything, clearing his throat while pressing on his Adam's apple.
"Ah, I'm a bit thirsty right now. I need to finish telling the story, but I'm just so thirsty right now…"
"Argh! Manager, bring that damn elf five glasses of beer!"
"I'm a bit hungry as well…"
"I'll order the side dish! Bring everything on the menu!"
"I don't have enough money to gamble today…"
"Shut up and take my money!"
Because Rimmer stopped right before the best part, the enraged people threw silver coins at Rimmer.
"Justice is still alive in the continent! Everyone, thank you!"
Pretending to wipe his tears away, Rimmer collected the silver coins inside his pouch.
"Consider this an investment in my future success…"
"Ah, we don't care about that! Continue the story already!"
"The wait is killing me!"
"Continue! Continue! Continue!"
"Y-You are scaring me a bit with that. Fine."
Feeling a madness that could kill him if he delayed even further, Rimmer continued the story.
"Raon and Holline clashed with each other head on. You must already be aware that Holline uses the variable sword and the illusion sword. Against those techniques, Raon…"
His vivid description of the battle sounded as if he had watched the spar directly.
"Hasp!"
"Haa…"
"It's insane. It's really insane!"
Everyone exclaimed at once upon hearing that Raon had defeated Holline's sword with a technique that fluttered with flaming flowers.
"Did he seriously defeat a vice-squad leader at seventeen years of age?"
"I've had this feeling since the last time I heard rumors about him, but he is a real monster."
"My only regret is that I didn't personally witness the spar. A storming flower of flame sounds so amazing…"
Even the people that weren't interested in the story before had gathered around and started talking about Raon's prowess and swordsmanship. In no time, everyone inside the pub was talking about Raon.
"Huhu."
Rimmer left that noisy place and grinned, counting the silver coins in his hand.
"This is what we call a win-win situation."
Rimmer was getting rich while Raon became famous. He was killing two birds with one stone.
Proving to be a perfect example of a bad teacher once again, Rimmer went to the gambling house.
"I can smell the jackpot today!"
* * *
Damn it!
Raon moved even deeper into the cave, pulling Wrath—who kept struggling—along behind him.
You idiot! Do you really believe they are foolish enough to let you inside a cave containing their ancestor's legacy?
Wrath frowned, looking around at the walls of the cave.
The cave that their ancestors went to train in must be somewhere else. This place must be a meaningless place of hardship.
'That might be true.'
Raon nodded. Considering the fact that Reff sent him inside the first cave, the first master's legacy shouldn't be there.
However, going through hardship should still grant enough of a reward from the system, even if it was a fake.
It's a waste of time. No, it's a waste of my stomach! How are you supposed to endure two weeks with shitty bread like that? The King of Essence would rather die right here!
Wrath laid on the ground and started squirming, like a kid throwing a tantrum after being forced to follow his mother through the grocery store.
'It's fine, since it's not a waste for me. No matter what's in there, your excellent system will grant me enough of a reward.'
Ugh…
Wrath violently ground his teeth—he knew better than anyone else what he meant.
That arrogant nose you've stuck in the air will be crushed into the ground one day!
'Ah, that's fine. My nose is high enough right now.'
Raon smiled and brushed his finger over his nose.
Arrgh! That's not what I'm talking about!
Wrath looked like he would immediately jump at him as he extended his hand, but he didn't actually attack him since he had just given away some stats.
'Let's talk about it again once we reach our destination.'
Don't even bother trying it. It's distorted inside.
'Distorted?'
Raon asked, but Wrath turned his head away and didn't answer. It looked like he was sulking. Raon figured he should go ahead and check things out, so he continued walking.
The cave was deeper than he expected, and he finally reached the end after walking for ten minutes.
The orange light that came from the small, shining rocks was lighting the cramped and bumpy place.
Floor, walls, and ceiling were covered in scratches from a thick greatsword. Although they looked like a child's scribbles, Raon got the impression that he'd seen them before.
However, he felt suffocated and nauseous as soon as he entered the place, to the point that he couldn't afford to check the marks in more detail.
It was because the flow of mana was abnormally distorted.
"It wasn't just an impression."
Raon bit his lip. He had thought that the deeper he entered, the stranger the movement of mana had become. The distortion he was facing was the reason for it.
"Were you talking about this twisted mana earlier?"
Yes. There must've been a clash between powerful existences in this place. The flow of mana has twisted, like rose bushes.
Wrath nodded while looking around at the floor and ceiling.
The human body follows the flow of mana in nature. However, the mana in this place is going wild, just like you.
The coldness coming from Wrath's hand fluttered around in random directions, as if they had been carried by the wind.
Just staying in this place should be painful for a human like you, who possesses unnecessary good senses.
"You're right. My headache and the dizziness are getting worse over time."
Raon nodded while catching his breath. He felt like the world was spinning around him just from staying there. He felt nauseous, as if he were in a rocking boat, and he felt suffocated—as if a boulder were pressing upon his heart.
The guys earlier must have seriously hated you to have forced you to enter such a place, where it's impossible to train.
'Is it really impossible to train?'
Because of the twisted flow of mana, cultivating aura or practicing with your sword while using aura will screw with your mana circuit and result in internal injuries.
Wrath wagged his finger, telling him that it was impossible.
And with your keen senses, you won't even be able to hold out here, let alone attempting to train. Since there's nothing you can obtain here, you'd better leave right away. And throw away that bread that taste like rubber!
"Hmm."
Raon closed his eyes, not listening to Wrath's ferocious advice.
'My mana circuit is indeed affected.'
On top of the headache he had, his mana circuit and energy center also started to shake because of the mana that he inhaled.
`They told me to sharpen my mind and sleep less, but I have no choice but to reduce my sleep in this place."
Because of the headache and his trembling energy center and mana circuit, his nervousness would make it impossible to sleep.
That's why you should leave already.
'I don't want to.'
You stubborn bastard! Why do you have to be so obstinate when the world of delicacies is waiting for us just outside?
'Burren also should be holding on next door. I'm not running away alone.'
You idiot. You are the only one experiencing this pain.
'What?'
The other caves also have some distortion in the mana, but they aren't as bad as this one. They were only slightly shaken in comparison to this. That shitty-eyed child must be feeling a slight amount of headache, to the point where he must be bored by now.
Wrath frowned, telling him that he already checked everything.
"So, that was why he did that."
Raon looked around and snickered. That was the reason Reff blocked the other paths and sent him to the first cave.
"He didn't expect me to hold out here. Reff was planning on laughing at me once I came out before sending me to another cave."
It must've been his revenge for disgracing the Central Martial Palace in multiple ways. He could only laugh at how petty it was.
'I'm sure Burren wasn't aware of it either.'
Considering he said that the training wasn't efficient, he shouldn't have been aware of the fact that the first cave had a much more distorted mana than the others.
There was no way Burren wouldn't have said anything if he knew about it, since he couldn't stand injustice.
If you've finally realized it, let's leave already. It's impossible to hold out here.
'I said I don't want to.'
Are you seriously planning to stay here despite all of my kind advice? Are you really going to eat that unsavory bread?
Wrath actually hated the Nadine bread more than the distorted mana.
"I shall meet the expectations they have for me."
You crazy, bread-loving bastard!
Wrath burst out in anger as Raon sat down, ignoring him.
'I can't use the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation or Glacier here.'
Because of the twisted mana, using the energy of one affinity would immediately cause problems for his body.
'However, I should be able to use the Ring of Fire.'
Although the Ring of Fire had fire in its name, it was an ancient cultivation technique that followed the flow of nature. Its purity would probably be able to tame the twisted mana.
Raon closed his eyes and rotated the Ring of Fire. The five rings crossed with each other, resounding in harmonious concert.
Whir!
The flow of mana crumpled and twisted like a rusty wire, before the entanglement loosened like it had been heated and mixed into the Ring of Fire's clear resonance.
'It worked.'
Although he couldn't control the mana outside of his body, the distorted mana and mana circuit inside his body began to stabilize.
'Let's do this.'
Raon wanted to see how astonished they would be.
Raon entered into a deep Focus, feeling his throbbing heart echoing in the cave.
* * *
Reff didn't return after Raon and Burren went inside the caves, smiling coldly in front of the entrance.
"Did they both go inside?"
Reff looked around after hearing a low voice from behind him. General Administrator Urek was walking towards him, massaging the back of his neck.
"Hmm? Did you actually lead him into the first cage?"
Urek narrowed his eyes, looking at the opened first cage.
"Please excuse me. I couldn't suppress my urge."
Reff bit his lip as he looked at Urek.
"I wanted to see a humiliated expression on his arrogant face."
The first cave wasn't related to the first master of Central Martial Palace and had nothing but heavy distortion going for it.
It was normally sealed, but he released the seal and put Raon inside because he wanted to humiliate him.
"…That's understandable."
Urek slowly nodded. Since he was also still angry at Raon, he could understand why Reff did that perfectly.
"Did he enter just now?"
"Yes."
"Then he will come out within an hour."
The stronger the warrior, the more difficult it was to handle the entangled mana inside the first cave. Since the intermediate Experts couldn't hold out for more than three hours, Raon wasn't expected to even last for an hour.
"I was worried that Sir Burren would spoil it, but it was fortunate that he didn't know about it."
"He wouldn't know. This must be his first time coming here as well."
Urek nodded, looking at the fifth cave that Burren had entered. Since the cave was only accessible after becoming an official swordsman, it was natural that Burren didn't know about it.
"You must be planning to humiliate him to your heart's content once he comes back out."
Urek nodded, understanding Reff's plan completely.
"Indeed. I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't see his disgraced face."
Reff murmured that he couldn't sleep for the past few days and clenched his fist.
"I'm also curious about that face. I'll stay here and watch for a bit."
They smiled coldly in front of the cave, waiting for Raon, who they expected to come back out soon enough.
However, Raon far surpassed their expectation of one hour. Two days later, and he still hadn't emerged.
* * *
Tsk…
Wrath slowly clicked his tongue and popped up from the bracelet. Raon was sitting in the same spot, having remained unmoving for two whole days.
Hey.
He tapped Raon's shoulder, but there was no reaction. He wasn't moving at all, his eyes closed like a doll's.
Raon Zieghart!
Calling that weasel's name didn't do anything either. He almost looked like he was dead as he kept cultivating, breathing slowly.
The mana is gradually stabilizing…
Wrath narrowed his eyes, checking Raon's insides. They were way more peaceful than in the beginning, as if the tidal wave that used to reach the sky had transformed into a small wave against the shore.
Ring of Fire…
Considering the fact that it could block his wrath, and even take in and purify such a distorted mana, the Ring of Fire must've been a transcendental technique.
Fine. That Ring of Fire is fine, and I'm fine with you stabilizing yourself…
Wrath ground his teeth while looking at Raon.
But I haven't eaten anything at all in two days!
Ever since he met Raon, eating had become his only pleasure in life. However, that had completely stopped over the past two days. He would even settle for eating the bread that tasted like rubber at that point.
You damn bastard! Please eat something, I'm fine with that unsavory bread!
Wrath screamed, smacking Raon's shoulder.
I can't live without eating any longer!
'...'
Raon couldn't help but think after hearing his scream…
Monarch of Wrath? Bullshit.
Wrath must've been the demon king of Gluttony and was just disguising himself as Wrath.
____