Chapter 161

‘I didn’t expect it to apply itself like this.’

Raon smiled slightly while checking his increased stats. Having all of his stats increase for sleeping for two days was literally a case of getting stronger while sleeping.

He couldn’t suppress his laughter as the table was filled with steaming dishes, and exhilaration ran through his body from the increased stats. 

I had a bad feeling for a reason…

Wrath glared at the message, his eyes trembling in disbelief.

How are you getting a point increase in all stats just from sleeping? What madness is this?

Just like the steaming food, coldness steamed from his head.

How could he give you that stupid ability? Sloth, you damn idiot!

As Wrath was about to use his wrath, Raon quickly picked up his spoon to put the seafood stew in his mouth.

I’ll make you unable to sleep forever! And you shall… Ohh!

With the seafood stew’s sweet and hot taste spreading in his mouth, Wrath suddenly stopped speaking.

Ooh!

Because it was a proper meal for the first time in a long time, Wrath stopped controlling his wrath and coldness to stand still and exclaim.

Th-This is nice. It tastes sweet at first, and hot in the end. The King of Essence loves this taste!

He pointed at the next food without even trying to hide the way the corners of his mouth were trying to reach the sky.

What are you waiting for? Take the fork and pick up the cream shrimp! Put that shrimp in your mouth immediately, as if your life depended on it!

‘But you said you lost your appetite.’

I’m sure you don’t know about this, as you will eat anything like an animal, but appetite is something that can suddenly appear or disappear.

‘Even so, the change was too quick…’

Shut up and eat!

‘Alright, alright.’

Raon snickered and picked up the fork. Since he had even received extra stats, he could happily fill his stomach.

He listened to Wrath’s advice as he said that he should start with light food and gradually move on to the heavier ones, slowly emptying the dishes on the table.

How did you like the King of Essence’s choices? The knowledge and experience of the person savoring the dish is as important as the food’s taste itself.

‘I’m not sure. It didn’t feel any different.’

That’s why I’m calling you an animal. You know nothing about delicacies.

Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic response.

In Devildom, restaurants are ranked by Michelin standards. A better restaurant is rated with more skulls, and the King of Essence is one of the judges that decides on the number of Michelin skulls…

‘They were all decent, but the stew was the best.’

They offer a bunch of food to the King of Essence each time the Demon God Ritual is held in order to gain his favor…

‘Regardless of the taste, I need the soup to fill my stomach.’

Turning a deaf ear to Wrath, Raon just mumbled his impression. As a result, the conversation between them was getting nowhere.

As Raon was emptying the remaining few dishes while ignoring Wrath, people started to murmur from the table next to them.

“Is that him?”

“Raon Zieghart…”

“Did he really win against Sir Holline?”

“That’s impossible! He just became a swordsman recently.”

“He must’ve cheated. You also saw it during the last outing, there’s a drug to temporarily increase strength and aura.”

“That’s totally possible.”

“But he really fucking eats a lot, even though he doesn’t even belong to the Central Martial Palace.”

Raon looked at the table the voice was coming from. They were faces that he hadn’t seen before. They seemed to be the Central Martial Palace swordsmen that had returned alongside Karoon.

‘He said the damage was still insignificant.’

Since Urek said that the damage he inflicted to the Central Martial Palace wasn’t that much, it would be fine if he destroyed a bit more.

‘Are you satisfied now?’

This is enough, since the King of Essence doesn’t eat that much nowadays.

Wrath patted his belly, which was swollen like a pot.

“……”

He just said that he didn’t eat that much when ten empty dishes were displayed on the table. He was clearly closer to Gluttony than Wrath.

Raon sighed slightly and cleaned up the dishes before standing up.

“He won’t last long anyway.”

“Since he has no background, he will just get used up and killed.”

“He might not even last that long.”

The swordsmen at the table were still acting like butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths.

Step.

Raon walked towards their table as they blatantly blabbered about him.

Crack!

He pressed on the table’s center with his finger while using the King of Destruction’s power. With a creaking sound, a distorted hole was made in the center of the table.

“Stop talking behind my back. If you have something to say to me, say it to my face instead, dear seniors.”

Raon looked around to check their faces, then smiled cheerfully.

“You said earlier that it was impossible, so do you want to confirm it for yourselves?”

“What?”

“You can find out whether the rumors were true or not by personally sparring with me.”

“Fine!”

The long-haired man sitting at the center stood up.

“I’ll personally confirm whether you cheated or not to defeat the swordsmen of the Central Martial Palace!”

A powerful energy wave could be felt from him. He was around the advanced Expert level, and his confidence was as strong as his prowess.

“Be my guest.”

Raon jerked his chin towards the door.

“Let’s go outside, so that we won’t unnecessarily damage the cafeteria.”

The long-haired man wrinkled his nose and went out the door, with Raon and the other swordsmen following him. He came to a stop at the center of the small training ground that was closest to the cafeteria.

“Draw your sword.”

“What shall we do about aura?”

“……”

The long-haired man narrowed his eyes in contemplation. He seemed to be concerned about the rumor of Holline’s defeat.

“It is allowed, of course. Come at me with everything you have!”

“Team leader!”

“I-It’s dangerous!”

The other swordsmen were trying to stop him, but the long-haired man didn’t listen to them and got ready to fight.

“…Everything I have?”

‘But you don’t deserve all that.’

Raon smiled coldly and drew his sword.

“Begin the spar!”

The long-haired man glanced sideways, and another swordsman raised his hand.

“Haap!”

The long-haired swordsman kicked the ground and dashed forward. He reached the area in front of Raon in an instant, thanks to his toned muscles and proper footwork. The blow that followed it wasn’t intended to kill, but was powerful enough to break a part of Raon’s body.

‘So that’s your level.’

Raon slashed down diagonally.

Clang!

The sword flew away from the long-haired swordsman’s hand. Raon used his confusion to punch his abdomen with his left fist.

Smack!

Along with the refreshing sound of a direct hit, the eyes of the long haired swordsman rolled back as he collapsed backwards. Foam kept coming from his mouth.

“Hmm.”

Raon put his sword on his shoulder and looked around at the other swordsmen.

“Uhh…”

“D-Did he just send the team leader’s sword flying in a single blow?”

“His hand is torn. How did that…”

“W-Was the rumor about him being as strong as a troll for real?”

Their lips were trembling as they looked at the unconscious long haired swordsman.

“Next.”

It was the return of the King of Destruction after two weeks. 

* * * 

As Urek was sitting at a desk and writing a document in a hurry, Reff burst through the door and urgently ran up to him.

“General Administrator!”

“I’m busy right now.”

“This is also an emergency!”

Urek frowned and raised his head upon hearing that it was an emergency.

“Say it quickly.”

“Raon, that crazy bastard started to destroy things once again.”

Reff’s round chins were trembling in anguish.

“I went there when I heard there was an accident, and I found ten of the swordsmen that returned yesterday unconscious on the ground with their eyes rolled back.”

“Haa… What was the reason this time?”

“I couldn’t ask them because they were unconscious, and according to that bastard Raon, he defended himself because they picked a fight…”

“That son of a bitch…”

Urek violently scratched the wooden desk with his finger. It must’ve been true that they picked a fight, but there was no need for him to knock everyone unconscious like that.

Beating up one person would naturally discourage others from fighting him. He must’ve pulverized everyone on purpose.

“How are the men?”

“Their lives aren’t in danger. However, they will have to recuperate for about two weeks, and…”

“And?”

“The wall and a s-slightly expensive tree were destroyed during the spar…”

“Tree? Wait a second! Where did the fight take place?”

“It was at the small training ground next to the cafeteria, and the tree snapped when the wall was destroyed.”

“D-Don’t tell me…”

Urek stared blankly at the desk.

“Yes, it’s the Sairan tree.”

“Arrrgh! Raon!”

The Sairan tree was extremely expensive because its subtle fragrance had the effect of keeping people awake. Urek started to space out upon hearing that Raon actually destroyed that tree.

“The total damage he’s inflicted is over 10k gold now…”

It was terrifying. Although Karoon didn’t usually scold people because of money, 10k gold was enough to make him angry.

“Wh-What shall we do?”

“Remove everyone.”

“What?”

“Tell people to never pick a fight with him, and to just ignore him even if he walks up to them!”

“U-Understood!”

Reff raised his hand to salute before running outside.

Urek tapped his head and quickly finished writing his document, then went to Karoon’s office in the center of the Central Martial Palace.

“Haa…”

He sighed like a sick chicken and stared at the heavy-looking black door.

‘My limbs are trembling.’

When Karoon Zieghart went to the troubled region, he literally annihilated one of the factions instead of just stopping the war.

He would’ve returned in two weeks, if it wasn’t for Glenn’s additional orders. He had the power befitting one of the strongest monsters of Zieghart.

However, the monster seemed to be in a bad mood, and his uncomfortable atmosphere sent chills down his spine. The thickness of the door wasn’t enough to prevent Urek from noticing his irritation.

‘I guess it’s obvious.’

With the rumor about Raon destroying the equipment, beating up the swordsmen, and defeating Holline—the vice-leader of Striding Lightning—it was only natural that Karoon would be annoyed.

‘It also ruined the reputation of the Central Martial Palace.’

The Central Martial Palace wasn’t exactly the strongest, but it was called the bravest. Even though most of its forces weren’t present due to a mission, it was unavoidable that bad rumors would spread after they were thoroughly defeated by Raon, who was just a novice swordsman.

Although they gained some reputation from the perfect accomplishments during the mission, the amount Raon cheapened it must’ve been several times over.

‘Damn Rimmer…’

At first, Reff wanted to catch the one that spread the rumor to cut their tongue off, but he didn’t even need to search. That crazy red-haired elf was talking about it everywhere, not even trying to hide his identity.

Knock knock.

Resolving himself to beat Rimmer up one day, Urek tapped the door with the back of his hand.

“Enter.”

Before the second knocking sound, a solemn voice could be heard from inside, telling him to enter. Urek caught his breath and slowly opened the door.

Whir.

As soon as he opened the door, streams of threatening atmosphere assaulted him. Feeling like his skin dry up, Urek swallowed nervously and knelt.

“G-Greeting the palace master!”

Since Karoon enjoyed formalities that Glenn didn’t, he waited until Urek finished his polite bow before nodding at him.

“Stand up.”

“Ah, yes!”

Because Karoon’s voice was filled with anger, Urek grasped his pounding chest and stood.

“Report.”

Goosebumps appeared in his skin from hearing that. Karoon was telling him to describe everything that happened without missing a single detail.

“I-I wrote up a report about it.”

“I was to hear it from your mouth.”

Karoon took a glance at Urek’s report and placed it on the desk.

“U-Understood. In the beginning, I followed the palace master’s orders and tried to figure out Raon’s abilities…”

Urek described what happened with Raon while bending his back like an old man to look as pitiful as possible.

He added that he followed the order from time to time, and that Reff acted on his own accord to emphasize that it was mostly not his fault.

“…And he is now resting after leaving the first cave.”

A frightening glow appeared in Karoon’s eyes upon hearing that Raon held out inside the first cave.

“F-Fortunately, I was able to complete the palace master’s orders. His strength and agility are at the level of a troll, and he can even defeat a highest rank Expert by using aura. Although he hasn't become a Master yet, he is undoubtedly going to face the wall soon.”

Urek continued, trying to read Karoon’s mood.

“Because of the fact that he held out inside the first cave where the mana is distorted, it can be deduced that one of the techniques he learned has a special ability. It wouldn’t be wise to use formations that twist mana or cause dizziness against him.”

Karoon remained silent, his eyes shining faintly. It looked like he agreed with him.

“And this is the important part. He has a weakness.”

“Weakness?”

Karoon opened his mouth for the first time, despite having stayed quiet the entire time.

“Yes!”

Urek figured it was his opportunity and quickly nodded.

“He got frostbite during the spar against Holline, although he was only exposed to a small amount of ice. Since his hand was still red when I saw him in the cave, he must be extremely weak against ice.”

“Ice, huh…?”

“Everyone forgot about it by now, but Raon’s mana circuit was originally blocked by ice. We can use this as a deadly dagger against him for sure.”

Since Karoon was interested, Urek took a step towards him and clenched his fist.

“We should be able to get rid of him with a small cost by using ice.”

“Indeed.”

The uncomfortable murderous intent stopped coming from Karoon. Urek could feel that his back was drenched in sweat, but he realized he managed to survive.

“What shall we do about him now?”

“Let him be without doing anything.”

Karoon lightly shook his hand.

“Since he defeated Holline, we need at least a Master to neutralize him. But if we do send a Master to him, people will only end up insulting us and claiming that we are using power against a seventeen-year-old boy. Just let him be, since there’s not much time left. He’s not going to live a long life anyway.”

“An excellent decision.”

Urek had reached the same conclusion, but he still praised Karoon. He was actually impressed that Karoon made a calm judgment despite his anger.

“However, you should still make preparations.”

“By preparations, you mean…”

“We are going to need a scapegoat to take the blame after he becomes crippled.”

“Ah!”

“Eden—no, Balder might be a good candidate.”

A frightening glow appeared in Karoon’s eyes. It seemed he would even sacrifice his younger brother for his plan.

“I-I’ll try making the plan.”

Goosebumps appeared on Urek’s limbs in his terror as he bowed.

“Ah, and the last young master went to the fifth cave…”

“Don’t speak about him.”

Karoon firmly shook his hand.

“I thought he got a bit stronger, but his eyes were completely ruined.”

“Uh…”

Urek shuddered, as he didn’t expect him to say that.

“I couldn’t see any spite or evil in him. I was planning to raise him, since he was slightly talented, but a weak guy like that with a meek mind isn’t worth my attention.”

“Th-Then, during the Selection Ceremony…”

“Yes, I have no intention of choosing him. Get rid of him, just like the third and the fourth.”

“……”

‘Just like the third and the fourth’ meant that there was no place for Burren in the Central Martial Palace. Urek couldn’t understand his decision, but Karoon was the god in that place, and he had no choice but to follow his orders.

“Take care of the idiots that yielded to Raon’s sloppy provocation as well.”

“Understood.”

Urek politely bowed, then left the office.

‘He is so cold-hearted that it’s scary…’

But that also meant that he was worthy of his devotion.

* * *

Raon wanted to become the King of Destruction once again, but outside of the first day, he was unsuccessful. No one was trying to pick a fight with him anymore, and they didn’t yield to his provocations, either.

Urek and Reff stopped him from ‘accidentally’ destroying equipment, but the powerhouses like the division leader, the vice-division leader, and the squad leader were nowhere to be seen.

He wasted his time by destroying some property while pretending to train, and five days passed in no time—putting an end to his internship.

“You’ve worked hard for the last month, and in the future…”

Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at Reff as he gave some lame speech from the platform.

‘He’s smart.’

Karoon must’ve realized that there was no point in fighting him and ordered the swordsmen of the Central Martial Palace to completely ignore him.

‘That’s a nice way of handling it.’

A Master level warrior such as the division leader, division vice-leader, or squad leader were necessary to deal with him, and they would only be humiliated upon defeat while having nothing to gain from victory. The way Karoon stopped everyone from making anything happen was a good method.

‘Well, I did everything I wanted to do.’

The damage he inflicted to the Central Martial Palace could be roughly estimated to 15,000 gold, and he managed to beat up more than twenty swordsmen—a lot more. He had no regrets, as he had inflicted enough damage and gained enough of a reputation.

Raon was curious about the face Karoon was making, but he didn’t show up until the end. What a narrow-minded guy.

You must’ve enjoyed blowing off the steam by destroying as much as you pleased.

Wrath shook his head, murmuring that it was such an awful thing to do.

“…Please become a respectful swordsman of Zieghart using what you learned here.”

Reff finally finished his boring speech, and the few swordsmen present applauded. Of course, the round of applause was directed at Buren instead of Raon.

“Are you returning immediately?”

Burren turned his head and asked his question.

“Yes. There’s nothing left to do here.”

“Then let’s talk for a bit.”

He pointed at the small training ground, gesturing for him to follow. Raon nodded and followed him.

“I know that you hate my father.”

Burren turned around and leaned his back against the wall at the end of the training ground.

“It’s natural that you’d be angry at my father, since he started it first.”

His eyes were extremely clear, despite his rough appearance.

“So, what are you trying to tell me? Do you want me to stop fighting him?”

Raon nonchalantly met Burren’s eyes.

“No, it’s only right for you to see it to the end, since you aren’t the one who started it. However…”

While Raon was thinking that it was rather unexpected for him to say that, Burren continued.

“He is my father. I still remember him personally giving me a training sword and teaching me swordsmanship when I was five years old.”

“……”

“My goal has always been to be recognized by my father. I haven't managed it yet, but I’ll make him look back at me one day.”

“I see.”

Raon just nodded. Just like him, who defended Sylvia when she was condemned by everyone in the house, Burren also seemed to consider the narrow-minded and petty Karoon an excellent father.

Everyone was different. Raon would’ve been unable to understand that fact in his previous life, but since he had a lot more experience now, he could somewhat understand his feelings.

“That’s why I’ll stop you if you pick a fight with my father. And I’ll do the same if it happens the other way around.”

“Other way around? Do you mean that you are going to stop your father if he tries to kill me?”

“Yes.”

Burren nodded resolutely.

“I don’t know what you think about me, but you are my rival and my benefactor.”

“You can forget about how I saved your life, though.”

“You did save my life, but I’m calling you my benefactor because you made me realize my stubbornness. Please don’t ask me about that anymore, it’s embarrassing.”

Burren lowered his head. The completely red earlobes showed his embarrassment. Raon didn’t feel too bad about being called a benefactor, probably because he shared similarities with him.

“Anyway, I’ll stop the fight between you two. Mark my words, and properly prepare for the Selection Ceremony! Many people will try to scout you!”

After saying that, he even used footwork to quickly leave the training ground.

Those shitty eyes don't look that great without spite.

Wrath snorted in displeasure. He used to dislike him for being arrogant, but now he didn’t like him for not being arrogant anymore. It was truly difficult to satisfy a demon king’s tastes.

Raon licked his lips as he watched Burren get further away. It was too bad for Burren, but he had no intention of leaving Karoon alone.

In fact, even if he left him alone, Karoon would be the first one to strike. Their relationship was bound to come to an end one day.

With Karoon’s death.

* * *

Apple meat pie, pineapple cookie, pineapple…

Raon was returning to the annex building with Wrath, who was singing about what he wanted to eat.

“Hmm?”

A tall, middle-aged man was standing on the central road, which used to be empty until just a moment ago.

With broad shoulders, his angular chin gave him a manly impression. And the pressure emanating from him was imposing enough to send chills down the spine.

He was a Master, and he’d reached that level a long time ago. Such a powerful warrior walked towards him with shining blue eyes.

“I’m Ayad, the leader of the White Lotus Division. I’ll get straight to the point, Raon Zieghart. Join the White Lotus Division and become my sword.”

“I don’t want to.”

Raon immediately shook his head.

“…Huh?”

Although Ayad looked like he would never be surprised, he lost his composure in an instant.

“Asking me to become your sword as soon as we meet is too sudden.”

“B-But I heard you like getting straight to the point?”

He slightly tilted his chin in confusion.

“I like being straightforward towards others, but I don’t like others being straightforward with me.”

Raon shrugged, gesturing that it was obvious.

“Huh…”

Since Ayad didn’t expect such a decisive refusal, his eyes lost focus for a moment.

It’s normal to be bewildered if you aren’t aware of it.

Wrath snickered, his head popping out of the bracelet.

That this guy is insane, and went insane again.

‘Which means I’m sane, right?’

……

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]