Chapter 286

I had a non-date date with Rize in the middle of the night.

Thanks to that, I felt a little closer to Rize. It was like the distance between us had shrunk.

Usually, I would think of the Saint persona, which made me hesitant to get closer, but now it was different.

-Thump!

“Ugh?!”

“Come on, get up. It’s not over yet.”

The problem was that we had gotten too close for comfort. I doubled over, clutching my belly.

That’s because Rize, in her Gwonseong form, had just punched me in the gut with a fist the size of a cauldron lid.

Sure, she had the Steel King traits and could use magic power, but it still hurt like hell.

“Brother Sivar is like an insect. Tough exterior, but soft on the inside.”

*Cough! Cough!*

Rize was comparing me to a bug, but I was too busy coughing to argue.

My skin was fine, but it felt like my insides were all tangled up. I almost hurled.

“But you can’t make your insides tough, can you? So the best protection is to use magic power.”

*Cough! Ugh…*

You talk like it’s easy. How much effort and talent would it take to master that?

Letting out a sigh inwardly, I slowly straightened my knees. Standing tall, I found Rize right in front of me.

There she was, standing confidently in her Gwonseong form, arms crossed, giving off some serious intimidation.

Honestly, could I ever beat this human? She was even a hardcore counter to Demons.

‘Thank goodness Rize isn’t my enemy.’

If she were, I’d probably be hiding like a mouse, story or no story.

If I were to progress the story, I definitely wouldn’t have enrolled in the academy.

‘She really is the embodiment of restraint.’

Even the Demons were wary of Rize. In such a scenario, there was nothing I could do.

I faced Rize with a serious expression, which made her smile as if satisfied.

It was not the soft smile from yesterday, but a menacing smile that showcased her clean set of teeth. It made the intimidation even stronger.

“A relentless spirit that never gives up. It truly never changes.”

“Let’s do more.”

“Very well. As I mentioned earlier, to enhance regeneration, this method is effective.”

The training Rize and I were doing was singular: pushing regeneration to its absolute limit.

I could regenerate even from losing a finger, but Rize wanted something beyond that.

She aimed for a level of regeneration that could heal internal injuries—extremes of regeneration, really.

We were literally trying to bestow the regeneration of a Demon.

‘But I feel like I’ll end up exorcised beforehand…’

It was just bare-handed punches, but it hurt too much. If she used divine power, I’d be feeling the agony of my insides burning.

Just thinking about it was terrifying. Just touching my skin felt like pouring hydrochloric acid; how excruciating would be to my insides?

Anyway, since Rize had shown me the method, I was willing to follow it. Even if I was a brute, the results were assured.

“After this training, I’ll have you cut off your finger. We need to check your regeneration.”

“··· ···”

It sounded like a mad scheme, but it was undoubtedly training. A training that a suspect would never attempt.

The funny part was that it actually worked. I could really feel my regeneration strength increasing.

“Brother Sivar, that’s enough. Take a short break and then go see Rod.”

“Ouch, ouch…”

I rubbed my newly severed and quickly regenerated finger as I shuffled off.

Meanwhile, Rize forcefully brought Grace, who had been throwing a tantrum. Poor thing, she was the weakest among us.

With less than a week until the special day, we were deep into a grueling training regimen—none other than special training under the Sword Saint and the Saint herself.

Rize handled the physical aspect while Rod took care of the technical stuff. Thanks to that, my skills were drastically improving day by day.

‘Of course, there weren’t any noticeable changes yet.’

Be it physical or technical, neither could achieve dramatic changes in such a short period.

Yet we couldn’t afford to do nothing, so we went with special training methods.

“Tough, right? Here’s a potion.”

“Thanks.”

On top of that, Eli even personally provided us with potions. You might have guessed, she made them from herbs she gathered in the forest.

I grabbed the potion from Eli and chugged it down. Despite its bitter taste, the sweetness lingered as my fatigued body gradually felt better.

Having just done some rigorous physical “training,” I needed to ease my muscles. This potion was made for that.

“Tasty.”

“It’s sweet, right? I added some sugar.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yep. Sugar helps with absorption. It’s actually better to add it.”

Eli’s potion-crafting skills had been improving exponentially.

She had practically become Rod’s personal physician, boiling herbs for detox as usual.

She even found a way to counteract the toxic herbs given by those demon henchmen.

According to her, a lethal poison could turn into a nutritious food if boiled instead of soaked in water.

“Want a hug?”

“I’m sweaty.”

“That’s okay. Just a hug.”

Eli said this as she hugged me. It felt like I was touching clouds in the sky.

The potion was great, but this hug was even more effective. It calmed my mind, allowing the magic power to circulate even better.

What on earth is this lump of flesh that makes both my body and soul feel healed? I can’t even figure it out.

While I was half-laying down, using my potion pouch as a pillow, Eli started to poke my cheek.

In my position, just raising my head meant I was face-to-face with Eli.

Was it really that enjoyable to poke my cheek? Eli wore a pure smile characteristic of a country girl.

Looking up like this made me realize again just how pretty Eli is. Her skin was flawless, and her looks were as noble as any aristocrat.

“Phew-”

“Oh, let the air out. I want to poke you more.”

I puffed air into my cheeks on purpose, and she started to whine. I complied with her whims.

Then, in that state, I lowered my head to look ahead. Rize was taking care of Grace.

Kara and Luna were with Rod, and it was a 2-on-1 match rather than a 1-on-1.

Meaning, Kara and Luna were working together to face Rod, both wielding swords.

-Clang! Whoosh! Clang!

With real swords in hand, the sound of metal clashing was sharp and clear. I watched their duel intently.

The reason it was a 2-on-1 instead of a fair fight was ‘cooperation.’ As Rod said, the world isn’t fair.

When facing a hard-to-defeat foe, hit them all at once—that was his practical advice. We were practicing that.

‘Unless you have four arms, it’s a struggle.’

In reality, due to Luna and Kara’s combined efforts, Rod was gradually pushed back, at least from an outside perspective.

Each person has two arms. So when an equally skilled opponent comes along, the situation quickly becomes overwhelming.

Even lacking skill, if the opponent has superior coordination, the gap swiftly closes—multiplication rather than addition happens.

‘Hmm…’

I keenly observed the trio’s duel. Kara and Luna’s synergy was impressively executed.

Although Luna’s lack of experience meant Kara primarily took the lead, Luna was no pushover either. She helped out without a hitch.

Let alone from time to time when her unique talent shined through. The combination of talent and keen eyesight made their coordination possible.

‘But still…’

-Clang!

“Ugh!”

Rod swiftly countered Kara’s sword with a clean move. Surprised by his strength, her arms flew up.

Her upper body opened up completely. Just when Rod was about to stab her in the heart, Luna intervened right beside her.

Luna intervened to buy Kara some time to regain her stance. Just as said, they managed to fill in each other’s gaps.

But who is Rod? He’s the ‘Sword Saint,’ having gone through life and death countless times to reach the peak.

-Puh!

“Ugh?!”

Before Luna could even raise her sword to defend, Rod charged in with a shoulder tackle.

He predicted she would jump in and intentionally led with his shoulder.

-Thud!

Luna stumbled out of the way as Rod’s sword tip found its way to Kara’s heart. Essentially, she was as good as dead.

Kara stared wide-eyed for a moment before breaking into a grin and raising her hands in surrender.

“I concede. We lost.”

At Kara’s declaration of surrender, Rod also sheathed his sword, wearing a satisfied expression.

Meanwhile, Luna, who had been knocked aside, got back up. Unlike everyone else, she looked displeased.

This duel was meant for Luna’s sake. Of course, she was upset about losing.

“That was excellent. You’re improving day by day.”

“You mean Luna, right?”

“Of course.”

“Even though I lose every time?”

Luna grumbled while brushing off the dust. It was clear she wasn’t satisfied.

But from my perspective, Luna was improving at an incredible pace.

In the beginning, she was primarily focused on protecting Kara. She didn’t even know when to launch a counterattack.

However, now she was perfectly executing attack-and-defense in harmony. Even though she took a hit from Rod, it couldn’t be helped.

‘How does she change stances in 0.1 seconds?’

Just as Rod was about to stab Kara with his sword, her stance was clearly defensive up until that point.

But as Luna moved, she instantly shifted to a shoulder tackle stance. This wasn’t even a preemption.

“Don’t be overly ambitious. The objective is to work together in coordination.”

“Umm…”

“Sure, there’s still a lot to improve on. But just the fact you can connect rather than hinder each other is already amazing.”

Rod said this while glancing at me. I was still lounging against Eli’s chest like a lazy bum.

He then chuckled and pointed at me with his sword.

“Look at that pig over there. Even I find it hard to coordinate with that pig.”

“Hmph.”

I pouted, feeling a bit miffed. Perhaps that was why Eli poked my cheek and laughed.

The reason Rod said that was, quite literally, coordinating with me is tough.

There’s a stark difference in skill, and I fight like a beast running wild.

If I were to compare it to Avengers, I’d be playing the Hulk. Just brutishly strong, I’d crush most heroes without even trying.

Has anyone ever seen the Hulk coordinate with someone else? At least, I haven’t.

Well, Thor was a partner early on, but after that, he fought alongside Captain America, not Hulk.

‘I still lack in control over my strength.’

One careless move could strike others. That’s why coordinating is thrown out the window—I fight alone.

If anyone were to work with me, it’d be Rize, but hmm… honestly, I’d probably just get in the way. One slip-up and it’d be a disaster.

“That’ll be enough for you kids. Sivar.”

“··· ···”

“Sivar?”

I pretended I didn’t hear. I absolutely wasn’t sulking or anything.

······Honestly, I was a little disappointed, but I just didn’t want to get up.

How could I give up this fluffy cloud-like pillow? I just wanted five more minutes.

“Sivar, the Principal is calling you. Time to get up.”

“······Just a little more.”

“Nope. Our Sivar is a good boy, right? Let’s get up.”

But Eli shoved me away, and my simple goal vanished in an instant.

I felt as though a stack of disappointment was piling up. I grumbled internally as I trudged forward.

My weapons were Ragnarok and the Blood Sword. Rod handled the technical aspects, so he brought all the weapons.

“What I said earlier, just let it slide. There are hardly any people who can match you.”

“I know.”

“I’ll give you some candy later, so put those sulky lips away.”

If that’s the case, I returned my puckering lips back to normal.

I wonder if my straightforward reaction was funny or something. Rod burst out laughing.

After that, the duel began—

“That’s just unfair! Why me?!”

I got absolutely wrecked. I’m not joking; I genuinely got wrecked.

You’d think he’d at least pretend to hold back, but that was not the case.

The moment a weakness presented itself, he would mercilessly beat me down. I was certainly hit with the sword, but my whole body hurt.

“It’s because I want you to get stronger. Besides, you hardly get tired, do you?”

Rod teased me, looking down at my sprawled-out self. At least half of that was probably sincere.

I looked up at Rod, who was smiling, and exhaled a sigh.

I knew he cared for me. We must have developed some kind of fondness.

Until now, he had been taking on the parental role beyond that of a guardian. He was also playing a different kind of restraining role compared to Rize.

‘Maybe my parents felt the same way as Rod does?’

Kids always get into trouble, but it’s hard to hate them. Even if you dislike them, it’s easy to forgive.

I felt like even if my soul hadn’t entered this body, I would’ve grown up just fine.

At least, the love I knew from my parents felt very much the same as what Rod gives me.

Though there may be moral issues due to the era’s limitations, ultimately, the standards differ.

“Grandpa.”

“Huh? Why do you call me?”

I called out to Rod, who was sitting beside me. His unique mustache along with his warm expression caught my eye.

In the original story, Rod would probably be at death’s door by now due to poisoning. Thankfully, he’s doing fine now.

But I couldn’t let my guard down. Regardless of how strong Rod is, he’s just a human with a single life.

In addition, he didn’t possess the transcendent regeneration like me or Rize. It’s critical to keep that in mind.

“Don’t get hurt.”

I’d rather take the damage myself. I could withstand it easily with my regeneration.

Did he sense my concern? Rod’s expression switched to surprise before softening into a gentle smile.

He then reached out and patted my head. His palm felt solid amidst the storms of time.

“Just promise you won’t go get hurt. And don’t cause any more trouble.”

“I’m not causing trouble anymore.”

“Yeah…that’s what you said.”

Rod chuckled with a hint of doubt.

“That’s something we’ll have to wait and see.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Not really.”

“··· ···”

Behind his firm confirmation was Rod’s sharp observation.

“In the Eastern Empire, there’s a saying: It’s like letting a cat guard the fish.”

“Forget it.”

I was just going to sulk now.

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