Ghislain and the knights, who were about to head out on a hunt, stumbled upon the group.
The thoughts of the knights seeing Donkard for the first time were unanimous.
'Disgusting....'
'Does that bastard not even wash?'
'He calls himself a king, but is he the King of Beggars?'
Donkard was filthy to an unbearable degree. His unkempt hair and tangled, overgrown beard seemed to ooze stickiness just by looking at him, and mysterious stains were smeared all over his body.
On top of that, the stench was overwhelming, enough to make everyone around him retreat. Even his subordinates, who had accompanied him, kept their distance.
Despite this, he couldn't be taken lightly because of the look hidden beneath his filthy exterior.
His eyes were like those of a beast that relentlessly craves blood. No, judging by his appearance, it was clear he had already abandoned being human.
He was a dirty beast that had forsaken civilization, living solely to eat, sleep, and hunt.
"Khrrh… I heard some new guys have been messing with our hunting grounds… Who's the leader here…?"
Donkard spoke in a slow, deliberate tone, his eyes scanning Ghislain and the knights. As he spoke, saliva dribbled out intermittently.
Kaor and the other knights all turned to look at Ghislain. Naturally, Donkard, his subordinates, and even the bystanders also focused their gaze on Ghislain.
"Are you the… leader here…? Khrrp."
Donkard swallowed the saliva that was dripping from his mouth and asked again.
At that, Ghislain threw an arm around Kaor's shoulder and smirked.
"From now on, this guy will be the boss around here."
At the sudden declaration, Kaor turned to Ghislain and asked.
"So that makes me… the lord of Fenris?"
"Not exactly."
"Then what kind of boss?"
"Well, once my training is done, I'll be leaving, right? If you want to live comfortably here, you'll have to take charge. That way, you can keep these locals in line and live peacefully, don't you think?"
Kaor nodded. As long as the lord wasn't around, he was the strongest in the area. That much was obvious.
Donkard, observing Kaor, let out a chuckle.
"Hurhurr… Alright, then let me make you a proposal…"
Kaor, now acting as the temporary leader, stepped forward boldly.
"What kind of proposal?"
"You seem to have some skills… Why don't you join me? I'll make sure you're treated well."
"Hmm."
At that, Kaor tilted his head briefly before turning to ask Ghislain.
"What do you do in situations like this?"
"That's for you to decide. When I leave, you can try getting along under his command if you want."
Ghislain replied with a laugh, and Kaor snorted as he turned back to Donkard.
"You, bastard, should join under me. Do that, and I'll spare your life."
The confident statement made everyone around burst into laughter. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken so brazenly to Donkard.
It's always entertaining when new faces appear—an undeniable truth of the world.
Donkard also smiled as he glanced at Ghislain and the knights. However, his eyes gleamed sharply.
'Too many of them… It's a bit risky to kill them all…'
It wasn't because killing was forbidden. Laws like that were just for show anyway.
The real problem was that these opponents weren't pushovers, and there were quite a few of them. Sure, he could take them down, but with the monster wave season approaching, it wasn't worth the risk.
If his men were injured or killed in the fight, they'd be at a disadvantage. A weakened force would invite attacks from other hunters.
But he couldn't just leave them alone either. Someone in power couldn't afford to let challengers go unchecked. That's how organizations function.
Donkard stared at Kaor and spoke.
"Let's settle this with a one-on-one duel… If I win, you'll hand over the inn and leave this place. If you want to hunt monsters, find another fortress… If you're scared, you can leave right now…"
"What? A one-on-one duel? You dare to challenge me, the so-called greatest swordsmanship genius of the Lutania Kingdom?"
No one actually called him that. Donkard smirked wickedly.
"Exactly… Of course, killing is prohibited, so we'll fight with fists… Though if you get beaten to death, that's not my problem… Keh-kehk."
"This bastard talks a big game, huh?"
Kaor was not the type to tolerate provocation. He flared up and took another step forward.
Ghislain, watching Kaor's back, spoke leisurely.
"Hey, you got this, right? Just do as you were taught."
"Watch closely. I'll stomp this bastard right into the ground."
Kaor cracked his neck from side to side and grinned. Donkard also smirked as he stepped closer to Kaor.
Soon, the crowd cleared a wide space for them. These kinds of duels were so common that everyone seemed accustomed to it.
The moment the space opened, Donkard launched a surprise attack with his fist.
Bang!
Kaor quickly crossed his arms to block the punch. A tingling sensation ran through his arms, making him slightly tense for the first time.
Donkard continued to smirk with his lips twitching.
'Not bad… Let's see how you handle a bit more power.'
Bang! Bang!
Donkard's punches grew faster as he channeled his mana. Despite his disheveled appearance, he was surprisingly skilled.
"Ugh!"
Kaor was startled. Donkard's abilities were far better than he had anticipated.
'What the hell? This bastard is strong!'
Kaor had fought countless knights during his time in war. He knew that he was already one of the top knights in the North.
Thanks to Ghislain's training, his skills had improved even further. He had thought that no ordinary knight could stand against him.
But the longer the fight went on, the more Kaor found himself being pushed back.
'Damn it! This guy's no joke!'
Donkard's punches were so unpredictable that Kaor, who prided himself on dealing with unconventional attacks, was left speechless.
It was clear that Donkard wasn't calling himself king in this rough territory for no reason.
'Stay calm, stay calm.'
Despite his thoughts, Kaor's hands and feet began to falter.
Kaor had learned the basics from Ghislain and even mastered some advanced sword techniques. These teachings had helped him overcome his limitations and break through a small wall.
However, the advanced techniques required years of training to fully engrain in his body. It wasn't something he could perfectly understand and execute in a short time.
Ghislain, watching Kaor's movements, clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, it's always that impatience of his."
Changing one's innate temperament is difficult. Even more so when it has been ingrained through countless brushes with death.
The more Kaor fought, the more impatient he became, reverting to his old habits of recklessly aiming for vital points to kill quickly.
His movements grew disorganized, and he fell back into relying on his familiar, comfortable techniques and habits.
"Argh!"
Without realizing it, Kaor's face twisted in frustration, and he clenched his teeth.
At first, he landed a few hits, but his punches began missing more and more. Meanwhile, Donkard's face grew increasingly relaxed.
'Heh-heh… Judging by how he fights, he's like me—someone who built their skills purely through real combat. His abilities seem decent, but he doesn't know how to use them properly. The perfect type to die on the battlefield…'
Donkard chuckled instinctively. He could feel his opponent's confusion and desperation.
He had fought countless battles in this place. Through fight after fight, he had survived and perfected his own techniques.
If both fighters honed their skills through real combat, age and experience would inevitably favor him.
In essence, Donkard was a superior version of Kaor.
Now fully confident, Donkard calmly blocked Kaor's attacks while delivering precise counterattacks.
Thud! Thud!
"Urgh!"
The accumulated blows began to take their toll, and Kaor grew increasingly exhausted.
His face started swelling, and blood trickled from his mouth—perhaps his inner cheek had torn.
The knights of Fenris, who were watching, were deeply shocked.
Kaor was one of the strongest in the territory. Yet Donkard was steadily overpowering him, leaving them in disbelief.
'As expected, this place isn't as simple as it seems.'
'There's no way people who've spent years hunting monsters are pushovers.'
'Were we just frogs in a well?'
Seeing Kaor, who was stronger than them, get beaten, the knights felt a wave of nervousness. The confidence they had gained from overpowering hunters early on rapidly crumbled.
Even the spectators, realizing that the tide had turned, began jeering at Kaor and cheering for Donkard.
"Wahaha! That's what happens to punks who act without fear! You were great when fighting monsters, weren't you?"
"Hey, redhead! Put up more of a fight! You were doing well at first—what happened?"
"Donkard really is strong. It makes sense—this is the guy who killed over a thousand monsters single-handedly. He's not called the King of Ironcliff for nothing."
Despite their dislike for Donkard, the hunters also relied on him. After all, he was the one who had killed the most monsters in the area.
And they didn't like Ghislain's group, who had suddenly appeared and disrupted the hunting grounds.
This atmosphere made Kaor even angrier.
'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!'
It felt as if a blazing fire was rising in his chest. He couldn't bear this humiliation.
'If it were the old man, he wouldn't be losing like this.'
Gillian was a man of iron. Rough on the outside, but with something vast and unyielding within.
No matter how strong Donkard was, Gillian would have calmly taken him down. No, if it were Gillian, Donkard would've been reduced to a bloody mess long ago.
Thinking about this made Kaor realize just how skilled Gillian truly was. But Kaor still couldn't bring himself to accept it.
'I'm stronger than the old man! I am!'
No matter how hard he tried to stay calm, his emotions wouldn't settle. His insides churned.
Wham! Wham! Wham!
Now, all his punches were missing. Donkard dodged them effortlessly, as if toying with Kaor, while throwing out his own punches.
Smack!
Kaor took a blow to the jaw and rolled backward. It seemed Donkard wasn't even putting much force into it, as if to mock him.
Feeling humiliated, Kaor quickly scrambled to his feet, but the spectators only mocked him more.
"Hahaha! That guy's so weak! And he came here acting all tough with skills like that?"
"Look at him, still standing because of his pride."
"Hey! Put a little more effort into it! Donkard hasn't even used his killer moves yet!"
Hearing jeers from all around, Kaor glared at the crowd and shouted.
"Shut up, you bastards! After I kill this guy, I'll slaughter all of you too!"
It was an outburst full of frustration, but it had the opposite effect. The crowd only mocked him more.
"You damn fools!"
Kaor ignored them and swung another punch at Donkard. He couldn't stand that mocking look in Donkard's eyes.
"I'm the strongest, you bastard!"
"Yeah, right."
Kaor's movements grew too wide and exaggerated. Donkard dodged effortlessly and countered with a punch.
Thwack!
"Guhhh!"
It seemed Donkard was ready to finish it. The punch landed harder than any before, sending Kaor staggering backward, blood spilling from his mouth.
'Am I… just this pathetic?'
The emotional pain outweighed the physical. Regret washed over him.
'I should've trained harder…'
He thought he'd mastered everything Ghislain had taught him. But at some point, it had all slipped from his mind.
Instead, he was fighting as he always had—using the crude techniques he had picked up before.
'Was I only strong against weaker opponents?'
He remembered how easily he had defeated the knights of Cabaldi, thanks to what Ghislain had taught him.
But now it was clear. That victory had only been possible because of a simple skill gap. That slight edge had given him confidence and allowed him to utilize what he'd learned.
Facing an opponent with more experience, he couldn't even remember the techniques he had been taught, let alone use them effectively.
'I'm always like this…'
He should've trained properly instead of half-heartedly. He had learned just enough to get by and grown complacent. Honestly, he had gotten bored of repeating the same drills every day.
Those small lapses had accumulated, leading to this moment.
'The lord was right.'
He had always been someone who only acted when circumstances forced him. That was why the lord had told him to stake his life in battle to grow stronger.
Without that pressure, he would never have trained consistently.
It was thanks to a bit of talent and luck that he had come this far. His stubbornness and ferocity only manifested during fights, like a rabid dog.
But his ferocity never extended to his efforts in training. In hindsight, this humiliation was inevitable. And that realization only deepened his despair.
As Kaor staggered, Donkard approached him.
"Time to die, you bastard."
As Donkard bared his yellowed teeth and swung his fist wide, Ghislain's voice echoed in Kaor's ears.
― "One step to the right."
Kaor's body reacted instinctively to Ghislain's command, a result of the special training.
Swish.
"Huh?"
Donkard's fist missed its target. Seizing the opening, Kaor immediately drove his fist into Donkard's side.
Thud!
"Urgh!"
Staggering, Donkard took a step back. Kaor turned to glare at Ghislain and shouted.
"Stop interfering! I'll take care of him myself!"
The onlookers stared at Kaor in bewilderment. To them, it seemed as though Kaor was randomly picking a fight with Ghislain, who hadn't even moved.
Those unaware of the technique of transmitting speech through vibrations in the air wouldn't understand what was happening.
It was a skill so advanced that only someone with Ghislain's level of mana manipulation—someone ranked among the top seven on the continent—could conceive of it.
Ignoring Kaor's outburst and the crowd's reactions, Ghislain continued speaking.
― "Get a grip. You have the skill to beat him and you know how. The problem is that your body hasn't fully internalized it, and your impatience is holding you back. Starting now, this is training. Real combat is always the best training. If you argue, I'll put you into special training alone."
"Argh! I told you, I'll do it myself…!"
― "One step back."
Swish.
Despite his irritation, Kaor's body moved reflexively again. Donkard's punch missed once more. Kaor threw a punch in return, but this time, Donkard dodged.
― "Close in."
Kaor immediately pushed off the ground, closing the gap between him and Donkard. Before he could throw a punch, Ghislain's voice rang out again.
― "Half a step left and pivot."
Kaor shifted slightly. Without realizing it, Donkard's face followed his movement.
― "Strike."
Though this was a fistfight, Kaor had trained in swordsmanship. Now, he was merely applying those techniques to hand-to-hand combat.
Following Ghislain's instruction, Kaor extended his fist as if thrusting a sword.
Thud!
Blood sprayed into the air as Donkard's nose was struck, snapping his head backward.
[T/L: Please support me and read 320 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]