The Goddess of Battle had a rather small body compared to the other beastmen. Compared to Jin, she wasn't as big. However, just by her presence, the goddess absolutely dominated the Twelve Fighting Legends beside him. The gemstones seemed to glow like the sun because of her presence.
Their hearts shone so brightly, Jin would have covered his eyes with his hands.
"Did you say your name was Jin Runcandel?"
A clear but deep voice.
"Yes."
"Weird. You look completely different from Temar, but your aura is very similar."
Jin didn't answer and just looked into her bottomless eyes, her long hair waving in the air like fire.
It didn't take long for her to judge and make a decision about him.
"I like it, prospective apprentice."
'After looking at what? Just because my energy is similar to Temar's?'
He had questions shoot across his mind, but he didn't dare ask them.
'I can see the first patriarch left a lasting impression on these arrogant people.'
Remembering their confrontation, it was obvious. The one warrior who could have dominated the land was none other than Temar Runcandel.
"Certainly… His aura is similar to that of Temar."
"However, he may be able to become a more overwhelming warrior in the future."
"Don't get your hopes up too much, Garmund. That's very greedy."
The Fighting Legends exchanged some comments as they examined Jin.
He basically received the approval from the head of the temple, but he didn't feel too good about it.
'They're all thinking of me as Temar's shadow.'
He couldn't deny that Temar was the most legendary warrior in history. He also couldn't deny that Temar basically built the Runcandel Clan, so Jin would have never existed without him.
However, he never wanted to be remembered as Temar's subordinate. Jin didn't think that surpassing him was impossible.
Furthermore, although it wasn't a real fight, Jin defeated him before coming to this place.
"I am Jin Runcandel."
"Do not speak when not spoken to by the goddess."
"You spoke of my ancestor, so I wanted to clarify my name."
"You little—!"
One Legend stomped forward, but the goddess slowly raised her hand. All of the Legends kneeled and bowed.
"Fufu… Alright. We did dwell on the past with our future in front of us. Jin Runcandel, my name is Vahn."
She didn't have any name that signified her clan or family.
Whomever's womb they were birthed, they all treated each other like siblings.
"No need to add any prefix or suffix. Just Vahn is fine."
"Is that alright?"
"We don't share hierarchical respect like your human society. It doesn't matter if you just call me by my given name. However, there is one thing you should be careful of with your words."
"What would that be?"
"Before the entire tribe accepts you, you must never call them your brethren."
Jin nodded. Some of the Legends swallowed their smirks, the look in their eyes saying the same thing: this bastardly human will never receive our approval.
Yet Jin didn't care.
Those who easily revealed their emotions weren't problems at all. Those who were honest were simple. And those who were simple were easy to convince.
The Legends who hid their emotions… Convincing them would be a challenge.
'Goddess of Battle Vahn too. She said she likes me, but I don't know if she's being honest or not.'
Vahn stood up from her throne and walked towards Jin. She unbuckled the sheath on her side and handed the sword to him.
It was a very normal sword. Nothing that a legendary beastman would use.
"Use this sword when learning the Shadow Blade technique."
The smirks on some of the Legends grew. Jin understood their glee as soon as he held the sword.
'My spiritual energy…!'
The sword was absorbing it. It appeared to be a normal sword at first glance, but it drained Jin's spiritual energy like a leech, leaving no evidence behind.
A completely different experience from when he awakened his blade by concentrating his spiritual energy into it.
"It's the Shadow Vacuum. I'm sure you've never felt this before. Ever since you contracted with Solderet, spiritual energy never left your body."
"If I hold onto it all day, then I'll be completely drained."
"Your ancestor, Temar Runcandel, overcame that sword fairly quickly. Just as you confidently claimed your name, can I anticipate some achievement?"
It was hard to answer.
The speed at which the sword drained Jin was ominous. As soon as he realized its hidden features, he tried to control his spiritual energy. However, the more he resisted, the stronger the vacuum got.
'Shit's annoying.'
Jin initially nodded. If he couldn't do what Temar did, he would be treated like a successor forever.
He just needed to find a way. Just as always.
"We begin tomorrow at dawn. You are dismissed."
"Understood."
Jin exited the temple, and the Legends clicked their tongues.
"He should be thankful for even being compared to Temar. Our second successor will face the consequences of his arrogance so soon."
Seventh Legend Beliz shrugged and responded.
"Don't you think that's a little harsh, Vahn?"
"What is?"
"Temar received the sword after completing Shadow Blade 1st Form. He was way past 20 as well. I don't think Jin is suited to deal with the sword."
"What's wrong, Beliz? You already love the second one? It's true that we're hyped for the second inheritor in history, but we must remain strict within the temple."
Garmund responded, and the goddess smiled.
"Our time is frozen, but it has been a thousand years since Temar died. It won't be strange if someone stronger than Temar was born. I just want to know if humans—Runcandel—got stronger in those years."
* * *
The night was long.
No one was supervising him, but Jin constantly held onto the sword. Before dawn even came, every bit of spiritual energy disappeared from his body.
'Weird.'
The moment he opened his eyes, he tried to release spiritual energy.
A weak black dust wrapped around his body, as if the training he had done to achieve 6-star had disappeared.
After detaching the sword from himself, the release got better over time. However, in order to recover his original state, he had to constantly practice without laying a finger on the weapon.
The first to teach Jin was the Eighth Legend.
"Who's the Eighth Legend, Tantel?"
"Brethren Garmund. The tallest and the one with the longest beard."
"Ah, that man."
Garmund was one of the Legends who openly showed emotion. Compared to the Shadow Vacuum homework, it looked as if convincing his first instructor would be easier.
"Anyway, how does the hierarchy amongst the Legends work? Does a lower number mean a higher rank?"
"If I exclude the Chief Brethren, there is no hierarchy. We only use these terms to show respect. So, essentially, we're equivalent troops in human terms. The number is just to signify the order at which we attained Legend status."
"That's an unexpectedly fair system…"
"We have never clashed swords within our tribe. We don't need that kind of pathetic hierarchy."
"That's funny."
They walked to the training area at the center of the temple. A massive open space that took a majority of the temple's estate.
There was no training equipment. Just a jagged stone floor that looked like it hadn't been managed for years.
However, the moment Jin stepped onto the warm stone floor, he instantly knew why it was built in such a way.
'This floor is inconceivably firm…'
It wasn't just any stone. It could be compared to Bradamante and the Black Light Cuirass's thousand-year steel.
Cracks and crevices littered the flooring, making Jin wonder how much training this tribe had done before their extinction.
'And is that one, from Temar?'
There was a giant sword mark that stretched across the entirety of the training grounds. A crater approximately a hundred steps long.
At the end of the crater, Garmund stood with his arms crossed.
'Well, a hundred steps isn't too big if I think about it… Can I, as of this moment, leave such a sword mark on this flooring?'
He would never know if he never tried. Jin hadn't mastered the Shadow Blade at all, but just as he cut through Myuron's hell gate and Goltep's hammer, just as he walked all the way to Temar, he knew it was possible as long as he had the will to do so.
'Well, that's only if the Shadow Vacuum didn't take away all of my spiritual energy.'
Jin adjusted the cursed sword on his belt. There was only half a year until the Compass interception operation. He had to overcome the Shadow Vacuum and master the Shadow Blade before returning to his team.
"Your ancestor left this mark, Second One."
"I thought so, Garmund."
Then, Garmund turned his head towards Tantel and glared.
'Did you tell this damned kid my name?'
"Ah, Eighth Brethren. Shouldn't this fellow know his teacher's name beforehand?"
"I don't even think of this human child as my apprentice!"
"Of course. Anyway, I shall take my leave. Hopefully, our first apprentice after the past thousand years won't die on the first day."
"Hmph. You say the same things as the Seventh Brethren. That's up to this kid. Hold your sword, child. Before our training, there's something I need to confirm. If you can't even do this, I will not train you."
The moment Jin unsheathed the sword, Garmund smiled.
"Swing your sword ten thousand times. And make it consistent!"
Jin let out a refreshing shout within.
That was the one thing he was confident in.