Chapter 19
Hwaruk!
The moment flames suddenly surged right before my eyes, a pure white world unfolded like a blank sheet of paper.
As soon as I wished for my destination, the Fire Orb had transferred me to another region.
‘I’ve arrived.’
<Aigon>.
The land of winter where blizzards raged endlessly, making it difficult to even open one’s eyes properly.
And the place I absolutely had to pass through, no matter how harsh the cold, in order to obtain the materials for the strongest weapon.
Crunch.
I walked forward, pushing through the snow that reached up to my ankles.
Strictly speaking, this was not the center of <Aigon>, but its outer region.
The pure white city visible about 1 km ahead was the real <Aigon>.
“Huuu…….”
Seeing my breath continuously flow out like cigarette smoke, I recalled the time I had visited <Aigon> in the game.
No matter how high one’s cold resistance was, this was a region where you would inevitably suffer from the ‘Frostbite’ status ailment, making it a truly infuriating place.
Of course, with my current ‘Authority of Resistance’, that was no longer a concern.
‘In fact, it feels warm.’
Moreover, thanks to the flames burning from <Scorching>, it felt as cozy as sitting in front of a fireplace.
Although the system didn’t explicitly state it, it seemed the armor was also effective at enduring the cold.
Truly an incredible item. I hummed cheerfully to myself as I walked toward <Aigon> as casually as if taking a stroll.
“Selling cheap, high-performance weapons! Come take a look!”
“You need a full stomach to have strength. Let’s go grab a meal.”
“What are you doing eating leisurely? Buy a sandwich and let’s hurry to get in line.”
“It’s freezing to death! Are the people living in a place like this even sane?”
Although <Aigon> maintained extreme cold all year round and seemed unsuitable as a tourist destination, that wasn’t the case.
As you could see, the city was packed with outsiders who had flocked here from all over.
In fact, the number of travelers on the streets even surpassed the locals.
Why?
“That damn ‘Trial’ is the reason so many people are swarming here.”
“They’ll probably leave empty-handed without even getting a challenge ticket.”
“Even if they do get one, one wrong move and they’ll end up crippled.”
That’s right. The Trial.
More precisely, the ‘Trial of Entur’.
I glanced at a notice posted on a village bulletin board as I passed by.
『The Ice Dragon Entur, who once ruled the frozen northern seas, met his end when his heart was pierced in a fierce battle against the Sword King.
However, his soul is immortal and continues to wander forever within his remains, which are now nothing but bones.
Those who overcome the trial presented by Entur’s soul shall obtain great power.』
Well summarized.
It was exactly as written. A trial conducted within the corpse of the Ice Dragon Entur.
The only way to obtain the material I was aiming for was to challenge the ‘Trial of Entur’.
Naturally, I needed to achieve a high score.
‘And it can’t just be any high score.’
I needed the ‘highest possible’ score.
Only by reaching the final stage of the trial would the lingering thoughts of the Ice Dragon grant me ‘that’ as a reward.
Since I had already maxed out every character in 《Soden》 in the past, this wasn’t my first time challenging the trial.
However, the problem was……
‘…The content of the trial changes every single time you enter.’
Because of this, even my veteran knowledge was useless this time.
And that wasn’t the only issue.
In truth, I had never once cleared the ‘Trial of Entur’ all the way to the end while playing 《Soden》.
I always failed right before the final stage.
It was quite an embarrassing admission for someone who called himself a veteran.
‘Although the content differed each time, the core factor that decided whether you cleared it or not was always the same.’
Because of that ‘core factor’, I had always tasted defeat at the final stage.
Even if I challenged it as a Blood Mage, that damn concept at the final stage probably wouldn’t change.
But I had one thing I believed in.
A trump card that could allow me to break through the ‘Trial of Entur’ to the very end.
“Bill, from Granko.”
“Registered. Next.”
“Pister. From Elenor.”
“I’m also from Elenor! Name’s Max! Nickname is Butcher…!”
“We don’t record nicknames. Next.”
In front of the massive white castle that stood like a giant tree in the center of the city.
Countless challengers were declaring their origins and names to the knights at the reception desk.
Those who completed registration and inspection walked confidently through the castle gates into the training ground……
Thud! Thwack!
“Kuuuugh…….”
“Kuh, kuhuk!”
A scream and dull thuds echoed from inside, and soon a man crawled out with both eyes swollen black and blue.
‘Rejected.’
There were countless people who wanted to challenge the Trial to obtain golden rewards and great power.
On the other hand, the maximum number of people allowed to challenge the Trial at once was only five.
Therefore, the Lord of Aigon had decided to filter out the hopeless mediocrities through a ‘skill test’ beforehand.
‘Since the remains of the Ice Dragon are abandoned in Aigon’s territory, it can’t be helped.’
Moreover, the Lord of Aigon was none other than Wolfgang Demiorck, a named NPC in 《Soden》.
The only person who had reached right before the final stage of the ‘Trial of Entur’.
The man who had gained great power through it, become the Lord, and earned the title ‘Tyrant of the North’.
When such a powerhouse was firmly guarding the Ice Dragon’s corpse and setting the rules, what choice was there?
‘Of course, I could sneak into the Ice Dragon’s remains and attempt the Trial if I wanted…’
But if I got caught, I’d become a wanted criminal of an entire city.
Rather than taking such a risk, it was better to just play along with their rules.
Besides, I was confident.
I was about to head to the reception desk when I suddenly paused.
‘They’re asking for origin… What should I say?’
This body that I possessed — the one that nearly died in the temple right after opening its eyes on the first day — obviously didn’t have a clear place of origin.
Well, if I dug deep, it might have one.
But since I wasn’t the original owner of this body, I naturally didn’t know where Ruth was born and raised.
‘…After making the weapon, I’ll have to investigate.’
To settle safely on the continent, I needed to know the background of the ‘original Ruth’.
I made a mental note and approached the reception desk. I’d just improvise an origin.
“Ruth Fried, from <Roadale>.”
“……”
The knight stared at me intently.
For a second I thought he had caught on that I had made up my origin, but…
“Are you here to challenge the ‘Trial of Entur’?”
“Yes.”
“There is a simple skill test before challenging the Trial… Do you know what the test entails?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Registered.”
No, he wasn’t.
This guy was simply looking at me with eyes that said, ‘This kid is challenging the Trial too?’
The unnecessary questions he asked only me — which he hadn’t asked the others — were proof of that.
After dealing with nothing but muscular men, a boy suddenly showing up would naturally elicit such a reaction.
And he wasn’t the only one who thought that.
“Hey, hey. Stop loitering and get out of here. The line is already long.”
“Did the rumors about the Trial spread strangely? Why is even a kid like this hanging around?”
“Kid. You probably don’t know how high a ‘7-star’ realm is…”
Even though I had simply joined the waiting line, people in front and behind were practically dying to kick me out.
Did I care?
I treated it like buzzing flies and ignored them. Right now, I didn’t need to pay attention to these mediocrities……
Thud—!
Because I needed to focus on the sparring happening in that training ground.
Whenever the white-haired knight swung his sword in the training ground, challengers would roll pathetically on the floor, bleeding from their noses.
And with that, the spar was over.
Counting, it didn’t even take 10 seconds.
“Next.”
Even though he had faced over 100 challengers today alone, there wasn’t the slightest trace of fatigue in the knight’s voice.
It wasn’t because of outstanding stamina. It was because to that man, this didn’t even feel like sparring.
Anyone could see the gap in skill between the knight and the challengers was overwhelmingly vast.
‘That’s Walter Brown. He was set as a 7-star knight.’
Walter was also a man who had reached the 7-star realm after achieving high results in the ‘Trial of Entur’.
It was only natural that with such a man as the sparring opponent, the sound of pigs being slaughtered never stopped in the training ground.
“Fuck, I thought lasting five exchanges would be a jackpot…”
“The longest anyone has lasted so far is three exchanges. And that guy was pretty famous in the southern region.”
“No matter how you look at it, five exchanges against a 7-star… that’s not even the name of the neighbor’s dog…”
Even the challengers who had started full of confidence began losing heart and leaving the line one by one.
Thanks to that, the line shortened rapidly, and my turn came quickly.
After taking a breath, I stepped into the training ground. All kinds of noise came from behind me.
“That kid’s bloodlust is way too much. Or does he have no eyes?”
“Hurry up and come down…!”
“Five exchanges my ass. It’d be lucky if he doesn’t die in one.”
The crowd had gone beyond booing and was practically praying for my soul.
***
While everyone was pouring out jeers and sighs, already certain of Ruth’s defeat.
There was one person whose face stiffened, unable to predict the outcome.
That person was none other than Walter Brown, the one in charge of this skill test.
‘……What is this?’
Those who had reached a high realm possessed a sense for reading opponents far beyond that of ordinary people.
The moment he faced the red-haired boy who stepped onto the training ground, Walter’s previously indifferent eyes widened for the first time.
It was only for a split second. Less than a second.
But he felt as if a ‘wall’ had descended onto the training ground.
‘It’s not an illusion. Perhaps…!’
The moment he sharpened his senses further to gauge Ruth’s level,
Veins bulged on Walter’s hands gripping the sword.
Because he finally felt like he had found a real ‘sparring opponent’ after half a day.
‘There isn’t a single gap in his posture. Is he from a prestigious martial school or a direct descendant of a renowned family? No, even if that were the case…’
“Shall we begin?”
Ruth’s single sentence broke Walter’s train of thought.
Snapping back to his senses, Walter quickly composed himself and slowly nodded.
Shing—
Ruth drew a plain, ordinary short sword from the sheath at his waist — the kind even mediocre adventurers wouldn’t use.
He had bought it earlier from a weapon shop before heading to the reception desk.
‘As expected, openly using <Blood Weapon> in a place with so many eyes is too risky.’
He had realized this from his conversation with Glenda’s party inside the labyrinth.
The power of a Blood Mage could easily be mistaken for black magic by suspicious people.
That was why he had prepared this cheap iron sword that cost less than 1 gold.
A weapon utterly inadequate to use against a 7-star knight.
However.
Paang……!!
In a spar that wasn’t a life-or-death battle, what decided victory was skill rather than the weapon.
And skill was the field Ruth was most confident in.
—Shiiiing!
Ruth closed the distance like a gale and thrust his short sword straight forward.
A clean and ferocious strike like a meteor slicing through the night sky.
Kang!!
Walter swung his sword upward from below, deflecting the strike aimed right at his face.
One exchange.
Only after completing the sequence did an indescribable chill run down Walter’s spine.
‘An incredibly fast sword!’
This was the evaluation of a man who had no equal in <Aigon> in terms of sword speed, except for the Lord himself.
What was even more surprising was that Ruth’s hand didn’t let go of the weapon even after blocking with full power.
No.
Whoooong—!!
As if the previous ‘thrust’ had merely been a warm-up.
This time, the second strike came with a whip-like, ever-changing trajectory.
‘Just now… he didn’t endure it with strength. He deflected it.’
In that instant, he had twisted the blade and skillfully deflected Walter’s rising strike diagonally.
By dispersing the force like that, there was naturally no reason to drop the weapon.
He could maintain his center of gravity and swing upward.
‘…I understand it theoretically, but I can’t accept it emotionally.’
Not only did he deflect a strike filled with Walter’s full power, but he even launched a relaxed counterattack.
Just how many people in the castle, even if all the knights were gathered, could display such divine skill?
‘Just where did such a monster come from?’
Kang—!
Walter twisted his lips with cold sweat and felt a surge of curiosity.
Second exchange.
After blocking the whip-like strike, Walter raised a heavy momentum and let out a faint laugh.
While Ruth tilted his head wondering why he was suddenly laughing,
A rather surprising statement came from Walter’s mouth.
“Passed. There’s no need to continue.”
“What…!”
“H-He passed?”
The spectators reacted even more intensely than the person involved.
It was natural — he had suddenly declared a pass before even completing all five exchanges.
However.
‘His skill is monstrous enough that complaining about unfairness would be ridiculous.’
‘That kid pushed Walter one-sidedly during the first two exchanges. He wasn’t just enduring — he was dominating.’
‘Just like that guy said, there was no need to go all five exchanges. The result was obvious.’
Yet no one dared to raise their voice and complain that this was unfair. They couldn’t.
Because even to their ordinary eyes, the swordsmanship Ruth had displayed for that brief moment was enough to make them nod in acknowledgment.
“……”
However, for some reason,
Even after hearing the clear declaration of passing, Ruth did not leave the training ground.
He simply stood there with an expressionless face, neither happy nor dazed, silently staring at Walter.
Walter also didn’t find this strange. In the exchange of gazes, both had already understood each other’s true intentions.
“You said there was no need to see more, yet you want to see even more. You, Sir.”
“Since the test is already over—”
Goooo—!!
The snowflakes swirling from the sky mixed with the flow of aura and soon wrapped around Walter’s sword.
“How about it? Shall we clash with our true intentions this time?”
“There’s no reason not to.”
The moment Ruth agreed, Walter stepped forward and thrust his sword.
Kang—!
Every time their swords clashed, sparks hot enough to melt the snowflakes falling from the sky flew in all directions.
Ruth twisted the corner of his mouth as he gauged the principles contained in Walter’s sword.
‘This is……’
It was the same fast sword as before, but heavier and more ferocious.
Like a frost-covered blade tearing through flesh.
The exquisite harmony of speed and weight in this swordsmanship — Ruth knew its name.
‘<Frost Fang>.’
The secret sword art passed down through the Demiorck family for generations.
The reason Walter, who was not a member of the family, could use <Frost Fang> was likely because the Lord of this land, Wolfgang, had taught it to him.
‘Wolfgang is the kind of man who pours everything into talented people he likes without restraint.’
In any case, the fact that Walter had brought out <Frost Fang> meant he had judged Ruth as a worthy opponent.
In reality, after only two exchanges, Walter no longer considered Ruth to be beneath him.
Meanwhile.
“K-Kuuugh……”
“I-I’m just going to watch this fight and leave.”
The people who had been mocking Ruth earlier before the spar began all blushed and groaned in embarrassment.
They had called a monster who could stand against a 7-star knight a kid and told him to get lost.
Just imagining how insignificant Ruth must have found them made them feel so mortified they could hardly bear it.
It was then.
Kugugugu—!!
[Blood Link Skill, ‘Black Radiance Divine Sword’ has been activated!]
[A great dignity that loses no light even in darkness descends upon your blade!]
[Blood ki is decreasing!]
A dark crimson current fiercely blazed over Ruth’s short sword.
Walter paused mid-strike.
‘An aura of that color… does it even exist in this world?’
Setting aside the shocking reality that a boy who didn’t even seem to have reached adulthood had manifested sword energy,
Walter felt not only surprise but even faint reverence toward this form of power he was witnessing for the first time in his life.
‘It was heavenly luck to be chosen as the representative. To think I would get to cross swords with such a master. Thank you, My Lord!’
He wanted to clash.
Forget about it being a spar.
He wanted to engage in a conversation of swords and blades with this boy with his whole heart!
Kuwaaaa—!!
White snow flowers, beautiful yet carrying thorns, flew toward Ruth.
It was the first form of <Frost Fang>, ‘Dance of Snow Flowers.’
A sword strike filled with the true power of a 7-star knight.
Normally, no matter how much sword talent the Blood Mage possessed, this was an attack he should not have been able to receive.
However, the Ruth standing here was no ordinary Blood Mage.
He possessed a body that had taken a step forward inside the <Lava Pond of Evolution>.
And the <Black Radiance Divine Sword> he manifested was a sword art that grew stronger the higher the wall standing before it.
Slice—!!
The black sword drew a crescent arc and cut through every single snow flower without leaving even one behind.
“Ah……”
Watching the storm of snow flowers he had created being split apart like the Red Sea, Walter let out a sigh.
A despairing yet beautiful sight.
However, Walter did not know.
That it was still too early to be shocked.
‘Though it was faint… I definitely saw it.’
He had broken through a 7-star knight’s strike, yet Ruth’s attention was focused somewhere else.
It was none other than the flash of enlightenment that had struck him the moment he activated <Black Radiance Divine Sword> and his sword talent exploded.
‘That was the essence of <Frost Fang>. Even if I can’t replicate it perfectly, at least an imitation… maybe…’
The ring of swords clashing against his ears, Walter’s breathing when he executed the form, the mindset behind the blade, and the movement of his entire body……
All of these elements were vividly imprinted in Ruth’s mind, granting him enlightenment.
All that remained was to follow the principles flashing in his head and swing his sword.
Shiiiing!!
“……?!”
A sword strike combining ‘speed’ and ‘weight’ with majestic power descended upon Walter.
For a moment, Walter thought he was looking into a mirror.
If it wasn’t an illusion, the boy before him had just……
‘<Frost Fang>?!’
He had recreated it.
The secret sword art of the Demiorck family.
With nothing more than a single glance, he had copied it to nearly 90% perfection, even if not flawlessly.
Clang!
Shock led to an opening.
Walter barely managed to block the <Frost Fang> Ruth had unleashed.
However, his mind was shaken and his posture broken, causing him to drop his sword.
“……”
“……”
Silence fell.
The spectators stood with their mouths wide open, stunned to the point they wouldn’t even notice if a fly flew in.
The passing condition for the test was to endure five exchanges against Walter.
Yet.
The boy standing in the training ground hadn’t simply endured five exchanges.
He had completely overpowered Walter.
“Huuu……”
“Hah.”
Ruth let out a refreshed sigh, while Walter let out a hollow laugh.
Because it still didn’t feel real.
Just what kind of monster had he been fighting?
He looked at Ruth with eyes full of respect and said,
“I have lost.”
***
“Hup……!”
The adjutant watching the spar from the castle tower hurriedly covered his mouth.
The moment the boy not only fought evenly against a 7-star knight but suddenly replicated <Frost Fang>,
He had nearly screamed without realizing the Lord was standing right beside him.
“……”
However, the adjutant’s near-scream did not reach Wolfgang’s ears.
True to his realm as a high-level warrior, he maintained a composed expression on the surface, but……
Inside, a lightning-like shock was raging through him.
Instead of the countless expressions that came to mind, he spoke a single, simple line of high praise.
“That young boy is truly strong.”
“Hah, y-yes. Indeed he is.”
The adjutant answered in a daze, unable to hide his shocked expression.
To think the word ‘truly strong’ would come from the Lord’s mouth!
Wolfgang was extremely strict when it came to evaluating martial prowess. He had never once called even Walter ‘strong’.
“With talent of that caliber, he should be able to achieve remarkable results in the ‘Trial of Entur’ as well.”
“Hmm.”
“While he may not reach Your Lordship’s record, I believe he can at least surpass Sir Walter’s achievements.”
“That’s exactly why it’s such a shame.”
Wolfgang stroked his beard as he gazed at Ruth, who was now receiving cheers from the spectators.
“If only he had a little more skill and experience… he might have been able to reach my record……”