Raon entered the newly created passage and examined the cracks all over the walls, ceiling, and floor.
'They aren't simple traces, they are traces of a battle.'
They implied that the Zieghart ancestor who could use the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation had fought someone in that place.
'Is this a trace from Revolving Sky?'
There was a sword trace on the right wall that looked like it had been grated in by a saw blade. Considering how much was cut off from the wall, his Revolving Sky must've been a lot more powerful than Raon's, even though he had managed to make it stronger than before.
'And those countless holes must've been made by the Flame Spirit.'
Hundreds—even thousands—of holes covered the left wall, which had to have been left by the flower petals of astral energy scattered by the Flame Spirit. One difference between it and Raon's Flame Spirit was the fact that there was an embarrassing amount of difference in the number of flower petals.
Raon swallowed nervously upon finding a huge hole.
'The Flame Dragon Art…'
The Flame Dragon Art was a simple technique that focused the most on power among the skills in the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's swordsmanship, and that made the difference even more noticeable.
If Raon's Flame Dragon Art could be compared to a hatchling's breath, the trace on the wall was left by an ancient dragon's breath.
"Haa…"
Raon wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and kept going down.
'He also used Crimson Slash and Firewall.'
The traces that looked like it was hit by lightning and a shield were Crimson Slash and Firewall's traces respectively. More than half of the traces inside the dungeons were the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's sword techniques.
'I don't know this one…'
He found a trace that was definitely left by his ancestor, but he couldn't tell what technique it was. It looked like it was devastated by a wave, and it must've been a higher-level technique than those he saw before.
'Who could've been his opponent if he had to fight so hard…?'
Raon had only seen him through dream-like visions, but he was aware that his ancestor's might had reached the heavens. The fact that a warrior like him had to unleash so many of his abilities signified that his opponent was also powerful.
Raon's eyes widened as he examined the traces on the other side.
'Was this…made by a sword?'
The traces seemed to be made by a sword and not at the same time. He tried using the Ring of Fire, but it was still difficult to figure out.
'But…'
One thing was certain, and it was the fact that they were extremely powerful. He could tell from the sword traces left by his ancestor's enemy that their might had also reached the heavens. They were an incredibly powerful person.
'Neither of them managed to overwhelm their opponent.'
The sword traces left by the two suggested that neither of them had managed to emerge victorious. All of the traces told him that they kept fighting each other to the best of their abilities.
Hmph, it looks like you finally opened your eyes.
Wrath snorted at him.
That's right.
He nodded while examining the sword traces.
They were left by a fight between powerful beings who managed to polish their sloppy skills.
'Powerful beings…'
Raon narrowed his eyes.
'Which means they were incredibly powerful people.'
Wrath judged people by their might. The fact that he called them powerful meant that they were complete monsters that had transcended the human realm—after all, he even looked down on Grandmasters.
To be precise, this entire dungeon was created from the battle between those two.
'They created a dungeon from the fight?'
Yes. They still had enough power to fight after creating this passage, and that's what left those traces on the walls.
'Huh…'
Raon's jaw dropped as he looked back at Wrath.
'Now that I think about it, this place is under the ocean.'
The energy was bound to scatter under the ocean, and it was difficult to connect the swordsmanship's flow. Since the tunnel shouldn't have existed in the past, they had to have fought while holding their breath, and that fact blew his mind.
'…There's no end to the path of power.'
But of course. There is a long way in front of a greenhorn like you, since even the King of Essence has a ways to go.
Wrath sneered and shook his hand.
'I see. I have a long way to go.'
Raon smiled and examined the sword traces once again. Revolving Sky, Flame Spirit, Flame Dragon Art, Crimson Slash, and Firewall. He recalled all of them before placing his hand on the last trace that he'd failed to understand.
He followed the trace with his hand to better examine it. The trace went from the wall to the floor, but he couldn't really see the trace on the floor because of the soil.
Rustle.
Raon carefully dug the soil out and examined the sword traces on the floor.
Whir!
He used the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation because the soil was harder than he thought, and red light spread out from the traces.
Whir!
The magnificent lines coming from the ancestor's unknown traces seemed to be telling him to try repeating them.
"Ah…"
Raon couldn't think about anything else. The new swordsmanship filled his mind.
[The Ring of Fire has observed the Flawless Sea of Fire.]
[You've entered an extremely focused state.]
Raon didn't even read the messages that appeared in front of his eyes—he just focused on the sword traces as he dove into the lake of immersion.
Again? Are you really entering a trance again? Why would you even get a trance while digging underground?!
Wrath's eyes widened and he grabbed Raon's shoulders.
This should count as cheating! Where's the god to bring justice?!
* * *
"Stop."
Martio stopped walking and looked upwards. His eyes narrowed.
"It felt like the mana above fluctuated just now."
He turned his head towards Kosini to ask for her opinion.
"Yes, it did fluctuate."
Kosini slowly nodded.
"It wasn't just above, because it's also fluctuating from below."
She pointed at the floor with her index finger.
"Why is that happening?"
"I already told you. There should be a monster protecting the relics down there."
Kosini raised her chin slightly and smiled.
"It should've already noticed our approach, since it's powerful enough to easily devour the sea monsters we've encountered so far."
"I haven't felt anything though."
Martio spread his aura perception as much as possible before shaking his head. He tried focusing on probing the lower area, but he didn't manage to find anything. A small amount of heat was all he could feel.
"It should be difficult for you to notice because it almost reached the rank of mythical creatures thanks to the artifact's power. It's very similar to the mana of nature."
"Which means, this turbulence can only mean that…"
"Yes. It's getting ready to fight us."
Kosini nodded and extended her hand forward. Mana spread from her hand to carefully dig out the soil from the ground, tamping down the soil to create a foundation that wouldn't collapse.
"I see. It's understandable. However…"
As the ground quickly changed in shape, Martio watched it for a bit before he raised his head.
"I feel anxious somehow. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Are you talking about what's happening above?"
"Yes."
"Haa…"
Kosini sighed and shook her head.
"Why are you so anxious about this when we have my alarm magic and the sentries you placed at various locations?"
She furrowed her brow at his pathetic behavior and continued.
"It's because you are such a coward that you lost that position."
"You are still running your mouth thoughtlessly. The same goes for you, your mouth is the reason why you are still a vice squad leader."
"Hmph…"
Kosini lowered her eyes and turned her head away upon meeting Martio's cold gaze.
"Anyway, it's impossible that anyone would come here. Even if someone managed to find this place, they would've entered while we were away. No one would be crazy enough to enter while we are all inside!"
"Hmm…"
Martio stopped talking since he agreed with her.
"I've far surpassed my weekly working hours. You shouldn't try to provoke me, because magicians are very sensitive, unlike stupid assassins."
Kosini wrinkled her nose and increased the amount of mana she was controlling. The digging and the tamping speed became twice as fast as before.
Whoosh!
She watched the creation of the tunnel for a while before she turned around.
"I'm also curious about something."
"What is it?"
"Why are you so devoted to him? You're still blindly following him even though you had to resign from your leadership position, and he's still bringing you around for some reason. I don't really understand either of you. It almost feels like you love each other at this point."
"Love? It's not that different actually."
Martio's gaze turned dark.
"He's pretty much God to me. Do I need a reason to devote myself to God with affection?"
"…God, you say?"
"Yes. I'm just worshiping him, just like the Holy Kingdom worships the goddess."
"Hmm…"
"I'll dedicate my life to him until the last drop of blood leaves my body."
Kosini swallowed nervously upon seeing Martio's frightening gaze.
'He's crazy.'
She was also Derus's follower, but Martio, Regel, and that man were the only people who loved him so much without being brainwashed.
She could understand why Derus kept Martio with him even though his skills had declined. He was pretty much a fanatic at that point.
Kosini covered her goosebump-covered arm and twisted her lips.
'It might be very interesting if one of the two ends up dying.'
"Huff…"
Rimmer was staggering along the road and sighed deeply while supporting himself on a wall.
'It hurts so damn much.'
His shoulder that Glenn hit him with lightning was sore. He realized once again how hateful the lightning attribute was because he could never get used to it.
'No.'
Rimmer narrowed his eyes while looking at his hand, where he was wearing a bunch of blackened jeweled rings.
'Maybe I can still stand because I've gotten used to it already.'
He realized that he used to faint from Glenn's lightning—and he wouldn't even wake up for a while before.
He had to stay bedridden and limp for a day at least, but he didn't even faint after the lightning hit him directly last time. It was difficult to walk, but he was still capable of moving.
"Hmm…"
Rimmer raised his hand and unleashed the lightning that was still filling his body. Green lightning burst from his fingers with a zapping sound.
He'd previously used that lightning energy as a temporary measure, but it looked like the lightning ended up dwelling in his wind attribute mana because of the continued exposure.
'This might be a natural outcome.'
He was actually getting hit by that lightning once every three days on average when he tried counting, and he realized it would've been stranger if he wasn't getting any lightning energy in his body after that.
"Humans are indeed adaptive."
It still hurt, but he managed to realize how mysterious a human body was because it even managed to adapt to the head of house's lightning energy.
'Wait a second, maybe I can use this for—'
"Haah!"
As Rimmer was plotting something shady with a grin on his face, a loud shout of concentration could be heard from the direction of the fifth training ground.
'It's nighttime, though.'
Even though it was bedtime already, the fifth training ground was as bright as day and many people seemed to be inside.
"Hmm?"
Rimmer smiled faintly and climbed on the oak tree next to the training ground.
'They are all here.'
Every Light Wind member except for Raon and Dorian was inside the training grounds, and they were practicing their swordsmanship. Moreover, they were properly training to the best of their abilities instead of simply warming themselves up.
'What's up with them?'
He was curious about why they were still training wholeheartedly even though they had managed to achieve great results from the Six Kings tournament. After all, it hadn't been a long time since they returned to the house, and Raon wasn't even around to supervise them.
'It must be thanks to Raon as well.'
He convinced himself that they must've been eager to get stronger because Raon's fighting spirit during the Six Kings tournament had impressed them.
'This is nice.'
He smiled unconsciously and felt proud of Raon, who kept advancing endlessly, and the Light Wind squad, who wanted to follow his example.
'It's about time.'
He figured that it was time for the squad to advance to the next level.
Whoosh.
He could hear a small sound of wind from the tree next to him. Rimmer turned his head and smiled.
"What do you think, my lord?"
His eyes reflected the image of Glenn, who had already climbed the tree.
"About what?"
"It's all thanks to your cherished grandson that they are all training like there's no tomorrow. You must be proud."
"Ahem!"
Glenn cleared his throat and averted his gaze. His earlobes had turned red.
"There's nothing to be proud of. It's only natural for warriors to train."
"But they don't usually train so hard right after their return."
"Hmm…"
"That's why…"
Rimmer raised his hand while noticing that Glenn's mouth had slightly curved into a smile.
"I'd like to change the Mad Dog squad, I mean, Light Wind squad into the Light Wind division once Raon returns. Is that fine with you?"
"Light Wind division…"
Glenn didn't respond immediately, stroking his chin while watching the Light Wind squad swing their swords.
"You should be aware that you have to pass a test."
"Of course."
"You will make the request through formal procedures."
"Yes!"
Rimmer immediately nodded, and the jewels hanging from his neck were fluttering together.
"And get rid of that mess."
"That won't do! This is my expression of reverence towards my god of wealth, Raon! I definitely won't take them off!"
He extended his hands while resolutely refusing to obey.
"You are becoming more and more crazy."
Glenn sighed and flicked his fingers to throw something at Rimmer.
"Huh?"
Rimmer stretched his hand to catch it, and he realized it was a high-quality ointment for burns.
"Is this…?"
"I'm not giving it to you because you deserve it."
That was the last thing he said before he disappeared.
"Huh. Is he even giving me medicine just because I complimented his grandson?"
Rimmer's jaw dropped as he looked at the ointment. It was the first time he'd ever received ointment from him after the countless times he was beaten up.
"Raon is so effective that it's almost frightening…"
He shook his head and returned to his room.
However, there was one thing that Glenn and Rimmer were both unaware of.
The Light Wind squad's reason for training so hard wasn't because Raon's battle had impressed them.
"You absolutely can't stop swinging your swords! That wacky bastard is definitely going to nitpick on our progress once he returns! We need to make sure to get stronger at all costs!"
Burren slammed down his sword with bloodshot eyes. The wind created by the sword sounded like a cry of despair.
"I even won the tournament though! Shit! Shiiit! Shiiiiit!"
Martha kept swearing at every occasion as she violently unleashed her swordsmanship. The training ground's floor was getting cracked because of her wrath.
"Uuh…."
Runaan seemed to be sleepy because she was nodding off while swinging her sword. Her blank eyes had completely lost focus, and they looked like they were covered with a hazy mist.
"Sniff!"
"I-I wouldn't have joined the Light Wind squad if I knew this was going to happen…"
"He's a devil. He's the devil of mockery who sees people as a plaything!"
"S-save me…"
"I want to die… Please kill me…"
"A human being can't live like this!"
Because Raon had told them that he would make them go through focus enhancement training if they hadn't gotten better by the time he returned, all of the Light Wind swordsmen were desperately practicing their swordsmanship.
"You are even worse than a devil!"
* * *
You are even worse than a demon king!
Wrath ground his teeth at Raon.
Why do you always get these great opportunities?!
A trance was a stairway towards enlightenment. It was an even better opportunity than a highest-grade elixir, an ancient artifact, or even equipment forged by a master craftsman.
An average person might not even reach a trance once in their entire lifetime, but the madman in front of him was digging in the ground to steal something and suddenly went into a trance.
It was so ridiculous that Wrath was left speechless.
This is mindblowing…
He'd witnessed countless existences in his long life from human, demonic, and heavenly realms, but Raon was definitely the only one who received so many opportunities. He felt like the entire world was helping him.
This is so irritating!
Wrath grabbed Raon's shoulders with trembling hands and violently shook him.
Wake up! The King of Essence won't let you have your way after you only gave him Nadine bread for five days straight!
"..."
Regardless of Wrath, Raon kept staring at the wall in an extremely focused state.
'The swordsmanship isn't the only thing I should be looking at.'
The traces on the walls were carved during a battle against an enemy. His ancestor wasn't simply practicing on his own, and he needed to take that into account to properly figure out the technique.
'The traces are so long…'
It didn't seem to be a single attack, unlike the Revolving Sky or the Flame Dragon Art, because the sword traces on the wall reached the area below.
Raon descended to keep examining the technique. He felt like he was walking on clouds.
'Slash, strike, and block.'
A single swing managed all three of those.
A master's writing was often admired as being written with a single stroke, and that was how the traces on the wall were connecting everything with a single swing.
Raon kept descending while keeping his excitement in his mind. The long traces that continued like a snake finally came to an end with a dot.
The moment Raon's heat entered that final dot, a new image was created in his head.
Cring!
A wave of fire emerged alongside the silver trajectory and engulfed the southern sea.
The scenery that his ancestor had created with that technique was filling his view like a panoramic landscape.
'What an unbelievable technique…'
It was a special martial art where the technique itself was a principle.
'Kuh…'
A scorching pain could be felt in his heart and brain, where the Ring of Fire was rotating. It must've been because he was trying to witness a swordsmanship that far surpassed his realm.
'I know I can't learn everything from it, and I'm also aware that I'm inadequate. However…I can't stop.'
He longed for his ancestor's swordsmanship, just like a child who had eaten a cookie for the first time in his life, and focused his entire mind on it.
He couldn't take his eyes off his ancestor's swordsmanship—it was as if it were a delicacy that he'd never tasted before.
He had to narrow his eyes, but he managed to witness his ancestor's flow until the very end, and a small explosion occurred in his mind.
You bastard! You should share some of your luck!
He could finally hear Wrath's voice.
Zzt!
Raon opened his eyes. For a moment, his eyes sparked gold.