Chapter 114: Training as if It Were Real Combat

Alkas, who had just caught his breath, began by checking on the condition of the patrol unit again.

In the meantime, the knights under his command were dismantling the troll and harvesting materials from its body.

“Phew…”

“The outer perimeter is secure. And the number of injured stands at twenty-one.”

“That’s not a small number.”

“The damage from the troll wasn’t insignificant.”

“Are the injuries serious?”

“For now, most are only minor wounds.”

“That’s a relief. But I noticed your movements were quite sharp back there. Did following the Master yield any results?”

He looked genuinely curious.

At that, Cayman scratched the back of his head and replied,

“Thanks to being pushed to my limits, I suppose?”

“Was it that rough? What exactly did he have you do?”

“Well… let’s say I fought an orc barehanded?”

“With your fists? What on earth…”

“I honestly thought I was going to die.”

Even now, just remembering that time made Cayman’s knees tremble.

Of course, his skills had improved as a result.

“He truly is a unique person.”

“Indeed. Far too unique. I’d rather not get dragged off like that again.”

“When I first heard you’d been kidnapped, I was utterly shocked.”

“When I came to, I was in a cave. Scared the life out of me.”

“I can imagine.”

As they chatted, the two continued cleaning up the battlefield where they had fought the troll.

Then, from the east, other knights came running in a hurry.

“This time it’s werewolves!”

“Roughly ten of them!”

At the knights’ shout, Alkas quickly issued commands.

“Senior knights to the front, charge! Junior knights, support from the flanks!”

Attack was the best form of defense.

And with wounded among them, simply holding their ground could endanger everyone.

Once the order was given, the knights rushed forward, swords at the ready.

Cha-chang! Chang! Chwaaaak!

The battle resumed, blood splattering in every direction.

Before long, Alkas, who had charged to the front, swung his sword with a sharp gleam.

“Support the left flank—don’t let it collapse!”

“I’ll go!”

Cayman, who had been fighting toward the rear, quickly stepped up.

Just then, one of the werewolves lunged at him.

Kraaaagh!

Chwaaaak—!

“Urgh! There are five left, right?”

Werewolves were smaller than trolls but had far superior regeneration.

And unlike trolls, they were extremely agile, making it dangerous to fight them without blocking their paths.

Everyone knew that well, so they fought close together to limit their movements.

Meanwhile, a few people calmly observed the chaotic scene from a distance.

“Ten werewolves might be a bit too much, don’t you think?”

“Too much? If this is supposed to be training for real combat, they should be able to handle at least that much.”

It was Raion and Patrick.

The two stood balanced on a thick tree branch, speaking as they watched.

“For training, it does seem quite grueling.”

“That’s the point. Hm… maybe next time I’ll bring in kobolds?”

“Kobolds live near the northwestern mountain ridges.”

“And who was it again that said this was tough?”

“These men are to become the Master’s sword. We can’t allow them to swing wildly when it’s time to be sharpened.”

“Well said.”

Raion said that and vanished.

Soon after, the werewolves were nearly all defeated by the swords of Alkas and his knights.

A few knights, completely drained, collapsed to the ground.

For many of them, it was the first time in their lives they had fought so desperately with their lives on the line.

But even that moment didn’t last.

This time, more than thirty kobolds came charging in as if being chased by something.

Kraah! Kraah! Kraaagh! Krahk!

“Damn it! Why the hell are so many monsters coming at once!”

Even the normally composed Alkas cursed as he raised his sword.

The knights’ faces began to pale—but surrendering wasn’t an option.

With trembling arms, they lifted their swords once more.

“Fight! Survive till the end!”

The battle continued, giving them a true taste of what the so-called monster hell of the Clamen Mountains was like.

Alkas’s shout echoed through the chaos.

“The number of wounded keeps increasing!”

Cayman, barely holding on, blocked another kobold’s attack with difficulty.

Seeing that, Alkas gripped his sword tightly and swung.

Chwaaaak—!

A kobold’s head flew through the air.

Alkas didn’t stop there.

Chwaak! Chwaaaak!

Krahk! Kraahk! Kak!

The kobolds’ screams rang out.

Seeing their kin fall, other kobolds that had been attacking the knights turned and rushed at Alkas.

“Come on then! I’ll kill every last one of you!”

The uninjured knights gathered around him. They needed to draw attention away from their wounded comrades.

Fortunately, the kobolds charged toward them, furious at the deaths of their own.

The knights’ swords didn’t stop.

Even in his exhausted state, Alkas kept swinging, cutting down kobolds one after another.

“There aren’t many left now!”

Even as he shouted, he worried another wave of monsters might appear.

The surrounding knights felt the same.

To end it, Alkas summoned the last of his strength and slashed through two kobolds.

Chwaak! Chwaaaak—!

“Haah! Haah! Is… is it over?”

Corpses of kobolds and werewolves lay scattered all around.

Even then, Alkas didn’t let his guard down as he scanned the dark surroundings.

“This was madness…”

It was now the first night of training.

After enduring continuous monster attacks, regret began to sink in.

Still, it was difficult to retreat while leading the injured and the other knights.

If they were to plan a return, it would only be possible after restoring the condition of the men as much as possible.

“The number of injured has increased by twenty since earlier.”

“You’re not unscathed yourself.”

“Are you all right, Captain?”

“Hmm…”

Alkas wasn’t unharmed either.

After facing both werewolves and kobolds, his body was covered in small cuts and bruises.

But he didn’t show it.

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re wounded, you should treat it immediately.”

“Worry about the others before me. Especially you—treat your arm first.”

Even now, blood was trickling down from Cayman’s left elbow.

When he faced the kobolds earlier, he had failed to dodge their fangs and got bitten.

Though he quickly tore himself free, he couldn’t avoid being injured.

“I’m all right too.”

“This is truly brutal…”

“Fortunately, our food supplies are intact. But… it’s only the first day. Will we even survive this?”

Cayman asked the question himself, but his voice was full of uncertainty.

At that, Alkas let out a long sigh without realizing it.

“We have to survive somehow.”

At the same time, his gaze turned to the hand gripping his sword.

When he had swung it earlier, he had felt something different.

‘Has my sword gotten lighter? No… that can’t be.’

It happened when he was exhausted and fighting the kobolds.

Even though he was so worn out that dropping his sword would’ve been natural, his arms had felt unusually light.

It was such a strange sensation that Alkas opened and closed his hand several times, testing it.

From afar, Raion watched Alkas and the knights with a faint smile on his lips.

“So, he’s finally beginning to blossom.”

“Have you achieved the result you were hoping for?”

Patrick, standing beside him, asked with a curious look.

Raion nodded slightly.

“I expected it to take longer, but it’s happening sooner than I thought.”

“I agree. Sir Alkas’s skills do seem to have changed a little.”

“If it’s you, Patrick, I knew you’d notice.”

“Shouldn’t you lend him a hand, though?”

Was that a knowing question?

Raion took Patrick’s words with a meaningful smile.

“No need. He has to grasp it on his own. I’ll correct him later if needed.”

“You must have your reasons.”

“For now, let’s let them rest well tonight.”

“The monsters won’t stay quiet.”

Up to this point, Raion had been the one luring the monsters—from the trolls to the kobolds.

Of course, even if he hadn’t, the monsters would have appeared on their own as time passed.

Raion had merely hastened the process.

“They’ve worked hard. A little reward is due.”

Shrrrk…

Raion drew the single-edged sword hanging at his waist from its sheath.

At that sight, Patrick lowered his head slightly and said,

“I’ll take care of it.”

“No. I should stretch my body now and then, too.”

“I’d rather you not overdo it.”

“It’s just a light warm-up.”

Shoooosh! Thud.

Raion and Patrick dropped from the tree branch and landed softly.

They walked in the opposite direction of the knights’ camp, soon sensing a noisy presence nearby.

“An orc pack?”

Kraaaach! Kach!

As they emerged from the forest, an orc encampment became visible along the middle slopes of the mountain range.

There seemed to be over fifty of them.

As the night deepened, the orcs appeared to be preparing to go hunting.

Raion’s lips curved into a smile when he spotted them from afar.

“If we leave them be, they’ll probably charge toward the knights’ position, won’t they?”

“They’d be annihilated for sure.”

“Then I’ll have to take care of this properly.”

Raion swung his sword once, then dashed toward the orc encampment.

Tatadadadada! Shuaaaak!

His speed accelerated rapidly until his figure seemed to vanish.

Chwaaak!

In an instant, his sword—coated with aura—sliced through the orc guarding the entrance of the camp, cutting it clean in two.

The real battle began from there.

Yet, what unfolded inside the encampment was less a battle and more of a massacre.

Six days later.

Early in the morning, Raion and Patrick had arrived at Azura Port Village.

Before long, a massive ship appeared on the horizon.

Thanks to favorable winds, it didn’t take long for the vessel to reach the shoreline.

“They’ve finally returned.”

Lord Shtefan Palvin had come out to greet them as well.

From the great ship that was now docking, Jade and Caldein leaned out over the railings.

“Master! We’ve returned!”

“Our trade mission was a success!”

Beside them, the merchant Fordman shouted proudly.

At the sight, Patrick instinctively stepped back a little.

Meanwhile, the ship completed its docking without issue.

Fordman, Jade, and Caldein entrusted the unloading to others and disembarked.

The three walked straight to Raion and bowed deeply.

“We’ve returned, Master.”

“Well done. Was the journey fruitful?”

“It was a whole new world. Some incidents happened, but overall, it went well.”

Raion nodded, as if already knowing what Jade meant.

He had, after all, received several mid-journey reports through the communication device known as the Post.

“Caldein, did you find something you liked?”

In Caldein’s hand was a staff as tall as he was.

It was made from Steeloud wood harvested in the Sellios Dungeon.

The quality was exceptional, and the flow of mana from it was immense.

“I’m very satisfied.”

“And your magic? Have you gotten used to Fifth Circle spells yet?”

Caldein had shown some lack of skill back in the Sellios Dungeon.

He needed to become proficient quickly for the real battles ahead.

“I’m still training.”

“May I take a look at your staff?”

“Here it is.”

Raion accepted it and released his own mana—not aura, but pure magical energy.

Wuuuuuuung—!

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