Chapter 360

If I had to name the most influential family in the Hwan Empire, I could confidently say it’s the Namgung Family.

They hold an honor that many in the Hwan Empire envy, along with secret teachings passed down only to the direct descendants of the family.

These things manifested as a sort of mystique, allowing the Namgung Family to wield immense power for generations.

But where there’s light, there’s also darkness. To maintain their reputation, the Namgung Family raised their children with strict guidelines.

They promoted a blind reverence for power without discrimination between genders. This especially intensified recently.

However, it’s not as if they have no affection for their children. When the winds of war began to swirl, the eldest son, Namgoong Seokdae, was sent off to the Academy.

Namgoong Seokdae was aware that the situation within the Hwan Empire was precarious, so he obediently followed his family’s orders.

But that didn’t mean he was living the life of a carefree vagabond. The Namgung Family’s strict educational philosophy had deeply ingrained itself in his values.

With power, many troubles can be resolved. He’d receive expectations from his family, and of course, gain reliable allies.

“Power must be used correctly.”

Typically, a reverence for power can lead to corruption, but Namgoong Seokdae was different. He understood that power must be wielded correctly.

Nevertheless, this belief also led to other forms of discrimination. He thought that great power didn’t suit those who were unworthy.

He detested those who relished slaughter or found pleasure in harming others.

“But what about that guy?”

With that conviction deep in his heart, he entered the Academy. It was then that he encountered a type of person he had never seen before.

A person, who possessed tremendous power, but whose humanity was highly questionable.

The source of the rumors that reached his ears upon entering the Academy was a guy named Sivar.

He was the center of various incidents, having lived inside the Chaos Forest before enrolling in the Academy.

“Is he really strong?”

Namgoong Seokdae also knew what the Chaos Forest was. If he knew even a little about the Academy’s history, he couldn’t have missed it.

There were rumors that there existed beings comparable to spirits, and it was certainly a realm where humans could not survive.

Surviving in such a place must mean he possessed considerable strength.

“Everything’s fine, but he seems violent.”

Collecting rumors about Sivar, Namgoong Seokdae didn’t view him positively. Most of the rumors were related to violence.

Violence, rather than power, is pure evil. Such behavior was completely contrary to Namgoong Seokdae’s beliefs and values.

This was a result of not delving deeply into the rumors, but rumors are still rumors, which can’t be helped.

Thus, Namgoong Seokdae wanted to distance himself from Sivar as much as possible—unless he provoked his pride first.

“Weaker than a squirrel. All of you.”

“… …”

That was until he heard those words. Sivar openly tarnished the honor of martial artists.

Under normal circumstances, drawing his sword would not have been strange, but Namgoong Seokdae endured. It was because of the strength, no, the durability he had witnessed earlier.

“This guy possesses the Diamond Body.”

The Diamond Body is a physique that can only be acquired through rigorous training. It was his first time seeing it in person.

Even if it was a practice sword infused with magic, his arm didn’t get cut off; it was perfectly fine. His regenerative abilities were exceptional too.

Having grown up in the wilderness might have contributed to such a physique. In a way, it’s possible that Sivar’s claim of being weaker than a squirrel was indeed true.

“He might be the type to fight relying solely on that dull strength. If that’s the case…”

Even the Diamond Body can’t be invulnerable to all weaknesses. Generally, those overconfident in their sturdy bodies are vulnerable at the joints.

Even excellent regeneration is meaningless when pain is applied slowly and methodically. Namgoong Seokdae just needed to wait for that moment.

“I’ll make him regret that statement.”

Unfortunately, opportunities were few and far between. During practice, he had already been eliminated fighting against others from the Eastern Empire.

From Namgoong Seokdae’s perspective, he didn’t even need to fight, but he was merely swept up in it. It felt a little unfair.

But there were still chances left. He just needed to apply for a duel before the first year ended.

With that thought in mind, he was intently listening to class when it happened.

-Boom!

“… …”

“… …”

With a single punch, Sivar broke the neck bone of a bear the size of a house. The bear fell lifeless, its tongue hanging out.

What kind of animal is a bear? Just by weight classification, it’s a creature that’s on par with monsters.

Though there are variances depending on the species, the bear Sivar had just taken down was enormous.

“… …One punch?”

Namgoong Seokdae couldn’t believe it. There are plenty of people who can defeat a bear.

However, very few can take down a bear in a bare-knuckle fight — and with just one punch at that.

Even more so, Sivar tossed it aside nonchalantly despite having his arm bitten by the bear. The size difference was significant.

It wasn’t just that his body was solid; the man himself was genuinely strong. Namgoong Seokdae could somewhat understand why he had belittled him as weaker than a squirrel.

“Even so, a squirrel is…”

That seemed a bit extreme. It’s not just being weak; it’s saying he’s weaker than a squirrel.

A squirrel is among the most fragile creatures in the world, after all. It’s even weaker than a dog.

However, this was merely Namgoong Seokdae’s narrow perspective. In this world, there could certainly be stronger squirrels than humans.

In fact, that squirrel was once one of the rulers in the Inside the Chaos Forest.

-Crack! Crash! Crunch!

“What, what is that?”

“Assistant instructor?!”

Just then, they received a sudden order to return. Sivar burst out from behind the students following the professor.

It wouldn’t be quite accurate to say he burst out; it was more fitting to say he flew. The trees in the direction he came from were all knocked down.

For an ordinary person, it would be normal to be dazed, but Sivar seemed to have only sustained minor damage, letting out just a grunt.

Namgoong Seokdae was flabbergasted. What on earth had happened to him?

Seeing him clutching his solar plexus made it look like he had suffered serious injuries, which added to the confusion.

And the cause didn’t take long to reveal itself.

“YAAAAGH!!”

“A squirrel?”

It was a squirrel, but a squirrel the size of a large dog.

The squirrel swung its massive tail down towards the fallen Sivar.

Sivar quickly rolled away the moment he spotted the tail.

-Bam!

That was definitely a squirrel’s tail… But that tail, which should be frail, had terrifying destructive power.

Not only did it crack the ground, but the surrounding area shook as if an earthquake had struck. He almost lost his balance.

If it could induce an earthquake, it meant the destructive force was immense. If a person were to take that hit, they would surely have turned to mush.

“Is that really a squirrel?”

At that moment, Namgoong Seokdae’s understanding shattered. While this was happening, Sivar retaliated.

He threw an axe at the squirrel that he seemingly had in his hand. The axe flew forward with unthinkable momentum.

He must have put so much strength into it that Namgoong Seokdae couldn’t follow its path with his eyes. Sivar’s throwing ability was that extraordinary.

-Whoosh!

The squirrel, or rather Porori, skillfully dodged as if it had anticipated the attack. Its body was small, making it remarkably agile.

Before long, the two beings—no, the two entities—began to circle around the axe embedded in the ground. A reconnaissance battle had begun.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and come back!”

“Yes, yes!”

While Namgoong Seokdae watched quietly, the shout from Dis prompted him to hastily move.

Even as he moved, he carefully watched the fight between the two entities.

-Crack!

“Blue… lightning? Is that lightning?”

Namgoong Seokdae couldn’t contain his shock seeing the blue lightning crackling around Porori’s body.

What’s lightning? It’s one of the symbols of a god, and it’s an ability only usable by those blessed by the Heavenly God (Gulrak).

It was hard to believe that a mere animal, a squirrel, could wield such an ability. That gave rise to a hypothesis in his mind.

“Could it be a spirit?”

It was indeed a spirit. A being that could exhibit superhuman abilities due to the blessing of a god.

In the East, spirits are revered more than in the West, and opportunities to see them firsthand are almost nonexistent.

What on earth is this place? Not only did someone come from the Chaos Forest, but there’s also a spirit blessed by a god here.

And the two are clashing with each other. Namgoong Seokdae’s understanding of the world shattered, pouring over him like a torrent.

-Crackle! Crackle!

Just as he started to distance himself, red lightning flared from Sivar’s body. It seemed he was about to show off his skills properly.

“Ugh.”

Seeing that, Namgoong Seokdae exhaled in disbelief. He was at a loss for words, utterly astonished.

Is the world insane? Or is it him that’s lost his mind? Whichever it was, one thing became clear.

“He wasn’t lying.”

While he hadn’t seen a proper fight yet, the mere fact that he was a spirit blessed by a god was enough to convince Namgoong Seokdae.

Who is the Heavenly God? In terms of sheer physical strength, he is the strongest among the three gods, isn’t he?

If such a being provided a blessing, then that squirrel must possess astonishing power. Remarkably so.

Just as Namgoong Seokdae and the other students were distancing themselves from the two beings…

“Grrr!”

“YAAAAAH!”

Sivar and Porori, each cloaked in different lightning, charged towards one another.

Sivar summoned Ragnarok, gripping it tightly with both hands, while Porori jumped up, spinning in midair.

-Boom!

The axe and the tail collided, producing a deafening sound. As the students heard that sound, they instinctively covered their ears.

-BOOM!

Blue and red lightning intertwined and rained down upon the two beings.

-Kaboom!

A massive explosion erupted, sweeping away all surrounding terrain.

Fortunately, the area was not too vast. Also, thanks to the fact that Namgoong Seokdae and the others had distanced themselves, the students didn’t sustain significant injuries.

“AAAHH!”

“I’m… flying!”

“Grab onto a tree!”

Instead, they were merely swept away by the tremendous shockwave. Thanks to the rapid response of the professors, no students suffered major injuries.

Additionally, the students with exceptional skills managed to stabilize themselves in their own ways. Namgoong Seokdae was one of them.

He stared towards the spot where the intense lightning had struck. The two beings had already vanished.

-Boom! Crash!

Only sounds from another location, where they presumably continued battling, could be heard. They had begun fighting again after withstanding such an explosion.

Could he survive not just that explosion but continue fighting afterwards? He could hardly say for certain.

“……The world is really vast.”

Namgoong Seokdae felt a mix of awe and relief.

What if he had clashed with Sivar earlier? He would have undoubtedly been reduced to mush.

Sivar hadn’t belittled him. He had simply stated the pure, brutal facts.

Of course, Namgoong Seokdae had his grievances too. Who would ever guess that such a squirrel existed?

However, after witnessing overwhelming strength, none of that mattered. He was just an ant before an elephant.

There’s an old saying:

“I should work on my manners from now on.”

“Respect” often stems from fear.

*****

[Your faith is increasing!]

“Huh?”

What’s with this sudden spike in faith during a fight…?

“YAAAHHH!”

“Oh.”

-Bang!

I hate you, Chaos.

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