Chapter 31: Hesitation Is Defeat

“My lord… forgive my audacity. I’ve been cornered, and I saw no better option.”

“I dare to ask you this because there is no one better than you. For one month .. would you be willing to teach me how to wield the sword?”

The request caught Asterion off guard.

Even Vanessa looked surprised.

Despite its apparent simplicity, the request was anything but trivial.

Ethan was asking the strongest knight in the kingdom to become his mentor.

And implicitly, he was choosing to begin as a knight, not a mage .. contrary to his original plans.

It was a gamble.

But judging by the Uncrowned Emperor’s personality, Ethan believed he would walk away unharmed even if rejected.

Though… he was betting on the opposite.

Asterion stared at him. For a brief moment, his eyes gleamed as he stepped closer.

“You truly never hesitate,” Asterion mused with a smile.

“Is it courage that makes you speak your mind so freely… or are you simply a madman who doesn’t grasp consequences? I wonder.”

Then he turned his back to Ethan.

“Come see me later tomorrow. I’ll give you my answer then.”

It was an unexpected response.

But Ethan was not disappointed.

It wasn’t acceptance .. yet it wasn’t rejection either.

The possibilities were still open.

Understanding this, Ethan bowed his head slightly.

“Thank you, my lord. For everything.”

Asterion waved him off dismissively.

“There’s nothing to thank me for. The damage I’ve caused you may outweigh any benefit you gain.”

Then he turned back, delivering his final words before departing.

“Whatever awaits you from now on, remember this well, Ethan Heart.”

What he said next made Ethan’s eyes widen, a solemn expression settling over his face.

“Never hesitate. No one will wait for you if you do. Keep moving forward. Never stop.”

“Hesitation… is defeat.”

Those words struck Ethan heavily.

Asterion departed, disappearing alongside Vanessa.

Ethan stood there, staring at the spot where they vanished ..

Then suddenly ..

He laughed.

He laughed and laughed, his chest shaking, his stomach aching.

“Yes… hesitation is defeat, Asterion Heart.”

He clenched his fist.

Those words were not new to him.

They were painfully familiar.

In Ordeal, certain bosses spoke unique lines whenever they killed the player.

Only the main bosses did this .. no one else.

Their words often reflected fragments of their true selves.

Among the many lines Ethan had heard again and again from a particular boss, one echoed louder than all the rest:

“Hesitation… is defeat.”

Staring at the door through which Asterion Heart had left, Ethan tightened his grip.

’I don’t know how things will end between us in this world.

Whether I’ll one day stand on the opposite side of the battlefield against you… or manage to spare you from your fate.’

’But Asterion… you are one of the few I will never forget.’

The reason Ethan dared to be so bold before the Uncrowned Emperor .. the reason he took such a dangerous gamble ..

Was a single line he had once heard from him.

Hesitation… is defeat.

From that alone, Ethan understood that Asterion despised those who hesitated… and respected those who did not.

Every move Ethan had made since the beginning of that session had been chosen based on that understanding.

From attempting to take his own life… to asking Asterion to teach him the sword.

Everything had been calculated.

There had been no room for randomness.

A frightening smile curved his lips as events unfolded in his favor thanks to Asterion. Ethan had already begun planning his next steps.

But the sound of approaching footsteps behind him pulled him back to reality, dragging him out of his private world.

Turning around, he nearly forgot that his companions were still there in his excitement.

Seeing Moon approaching him with quick strides .. the others following behind her .. Ethan smiled at them brightly.

“A lot happened, everyone… but I’m truly grateful. Thanks to you, I still have this chance. I—”

Slap!

He never finished.

The force silenced him instantly.

Ethan realized it too late .. when heat flared across the left side of his face, and his neck nearly snapped from the sheer strength of the strike.

His head had turned ninety degrees.

With difficulty, he forced himself to look toward the one responsible for the sharp pain throbbing through him.

It was Moon.

Though she hadn’t meant to seriously injure him, her strength had numbed half his face.

A splitting headache followed. Dizziness overwhelmed him, and before he knew it, he collapsed onto the floor in a seated position.

From below, holding his cheek, Ethan stared up at her.

He was confused at first.

But the expression on Moon’s face…

That was when he understood.

Moon Heart stood there, her emotions tangled beyond concealment.

She looked angry.

But more than that—

She looked heartbroken.

Her face twisted as she spoke in a trembling voice.

“Is your life so cheap to you… that you’re willing to throw it away so easily? Without even hesitating?”

Hearing that, surprise flickered across his face.

He understood now.

“If you were so desperate to die, why didn’t you just die inside the cursed domain? Did you come back to life… only to make us suffer through watching you lose it again!?”

Her voice wavered .. something that did not suit her usual composed, resolute demeanor.

She stumbled over her words.

And that made them weigh heavier.

Because it revealed how deeply she felt them.

Ethan opened his mouth, trying to apologize.

But hollow words were useless now.

In front of those who had defended him more fiercely than anyone else… he had nearly ended his life .. nearly forced them to live with a trauma they would never forget.

He understood that.

And regret stirred within him.

But that understanding had come too late.

Moon turned and left without another word.

The rest of the squad had watched in silence the entire time.

None of them intervened.

Because they felt the same.

That was why none of them could bring themselves to stop her.

After Moon left, Alicia hurried after her, saying she would stay by her side.

Raiden gave her a grateful look.

Meanwhile, little Chai slowly approached Ethan, who was still seated on the ground.

“Does it hurt?” he asked gently, placing his hand near Ethan’s cheek.

Ethan shook his head, forcing a weak laugh.

“Yeah… it hurts a lot. But for some reason… what she said hurt more than anything else.”

Chai smiled at that.

“That’s good. It means your heart hasn’t died yet.”

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