“Today, I plan to give it my all.”
When Ray said he would give it his all, it meant he intended to use every technique except Overdrive and Leaping Sword Energy.
“Let’s go in all at once.”
At the thirteen-year-old’s reckless declaration, Jenkins naturally made a wry face.
However, as twisted as it was, reality was reality.
Jenkins shook his head and drew his sword.
Swoosh!
Didier and Jimy followed suit by drawing their swords.
The fluctuating Sword Aura compressed and slid along the blades like a coating.
Facing three Expert-level warriors, Ray twirled his sword to gauge their intentions.
Didier and Jenkins were seasoned Expert Knights, rock-solid presences that were rarely penetrated.
Jimy, too, had succeeded in refining mana and creating a core after four years of effort, allowing him to manifest a far more stable Sword Aura than before.
All three were skilled enough to earn recognition wherever they went.
BOOM!!
Didier, Jenkins, and Jimy simultaneously pushed off from the ground.
Ray regulated his breathing and muttered to himself.
‘Focus.’
The Harshia Style Spatial Blade was fundamentally a dual-sword technique.
However, until four years ago, Ray had rarely drawn his second sword unless using the Leaping Sword Energy.
Dual-sword techniques required extensive practice. Wielding two swords awkwardly could quickly entangle one’s blade paths, exposing weaknesses.
Ray still lacked finesse when using two swords.
Moreover, dual-sword techniques inevitably demanded immense physical strength.
To deflect or block a two-handed swing with one hand required twice the usual strength.
Ray watched as Didier charged forward.
Didier, who boasted a bear-like build, had several times more muscle mass than Ray.
Attempting to use the unfamiliar dual-sword style against such a physically superior opponent was foolish.
However, Ray didn’t care.
Zwick!
The Sword Aura that had enveloped the entire sword compressed into a thin thread, flowing along the blade edge.
Their sword strikes collided.
KAGHAK!!
“Ugh?!”
Didier’s body swayed violently to the side.
Ray naturally took a step back, dodging Jimmy’s thrust from the left.
Jenkins’ sword descended diagonally toward Ray’s shoulder.
Ray deflected Jenkins’ strike by rotating his right-hand sword clockwise.
PAK!! KUNG!!
Jenkins’ sword struck the ground.
Normally, an expert like Jenkins should have retrieved his sword before it hit the ground.
Jenkins grimaced as he regained his grip on his sword.
‘My pride is crumbling.’
Jenkins was astonished.
Through rigorous training and real combat, Jenkins and Didier had become resilient knights, akin to steel tempered countless times, rarely showing any openings.
Yet, each time their swords clashed with Ray’s, cracks appeared in their unyielding defense.
The nature of Ray’s Sword Aura was problematic.
KAGHAK!!
Didier’s body swayed again.
First, the sheer power of Ray’s Sword Aura outclassed theirs significantly.
Moreover, every time they clashed swords with Ray, the rebound force would veer off in different directions.
For example, when their swords collided head-on, the rebound might sharply curve to the left or right, vibrating through their grips.
This made controlling their swords twice as difficult when facing Ray.
“Huff!”
Didier clenched his core.
In an instant, the power of his Sword Aura amplified.
Didier swung his sword widely, prepared to expose an opening.
Ray raised his left-hand sword.
KAHAK!!
Blocking the attack, Ray’s left-hand sword was pushed to the right.
As Ray momentarily faltered due to tangled sword paths, Jenkins slipped through the gap like a ghost.
CHACK!
A horizontal slash aimed at Ray’s waist.
Ducking deeply while spinning his body, Ray avoided the attack and kicked Jenkins with his leg.
Struck in the thigh, Jenkins rolled across the ground while releasing a Sword Aura toward Ray.
CHACK!!
“…!”
They had agreed not to use Sword Aura releases during sparring.
However, the knights intentionally violated this agreement to throw Ray into difficult situations, aiming to enhance his ability to respond to sudden variables.
Without hesitation, Ray clashed his two swords together.
WOOOOM-!
A distortion spread like ripples from the clash, creating a distortion field centered around the two swords.
Caught in the distortion field, Jenkins’ Sword Aura changed direction, surging toward Didier, who was targeting Ray’s back.
“Damn!”
PAKHAK!!
Didier hastily assumed a defensive stance to block Jenkins’ redirected Sword Aura.
Seizing the opportunity, Ray accelerated toward the lone remaining Jimy.
Jimy did not retreat but swung his sword.
KAGHAK!!
Jimy’s Sword Aura still lacked the refinement of the knights.
Though he hadn’t dropped his sword as he used to, he was still being pushed back.
After blocking about five strikes, Didier and Jenkins rejoined to assist Jimy in a coordinated attack.
After exchanging a few more blows, Ray soon raised both hands and shouted.
“Surrender!”
His core’s mana was depleted.
After the sparring session ended, the four spent some time discussing and reviewing the match.
By recreating the scenarios, they debated better choices and alternated pointing out each other’s issues for about an hour.
“Thank you all for your hard work.”
Ray bowed.
“I’ll go ahead.”
Citing an afternoon class at the orphanage, Ray left first.
Once Ray disappeared, Jenkins tossed his sword aside, brushed his hair back, and grumbled.
“Damn brat monster.”
Even with three of them attacking Ray, they were pushed back.
What’s more, Ray hadn’t even used his full power.
Jenkins knew Ray possessed a technique that could double his body’s speed.
If Ray used his true strength, the three of them wouldn’t last a minute against him.
“Who taught him the dual-sword technique? Was it you, Jimy?”
“I only started learning proper swordsmanship here. I’ve never even seen dual-sword techniques.”
Jimy shook his head.
It was an arrogant attitude, but Jenkins didn’t mind.
During the Locust extermination mission, when their lives were on the line, Jimy and Matthew had fiercely held the front lines.
Jenkins, who had expected them to flee, was greatly impressed by the sight.
Since then, the surprisingly hearty Jenkins often invited Jimy and Matthew for drinks, and since they were of similar age, they had become close friends.
“So, who exactly taught him?”
“Did he learn from another knight?”
“There’s no way. Of course, I can also use dual-sword techniques, but we train to handle various weapons to prepare for diverse situations.”
“But there isn’t a single knight in the Count’s family who specializes in dual-sword techniques. Throughout the Baron’s Territory, that brat monster likely uses the best dual-sword technique.”
“So where did Ray’s dual-sword technique come from?”
“Perhaps.”
Didier groaned as he joined the conversation.
“It seems he created it himself.”
“…Is that plausible?”
“A child who could manifest a Sword Aura at nine years old—why wouldn’t it be possible?”
“That is a valid point…”
Didier looked at his damaged sword, revealing a mix of admiration and frustration.
“Ray is just before surpassing the Expert level. With his mysterious body acceleration technique, he could easily face a Graduated warrior.”
Ray had one problem.
“Why does he refuse to practice mana cultivation? He could easily surpass the Expert level if he had sufficient mana.”
“Ah, that’s the thing.”
Jimy tilted his head and said,
“He says he can’t increase his mana, not that he won’t.”
*
Ray pondered.
Two years ago, he briefly attempted to use a mana cultivation method to increase the mana in his core but nearly met a tragic end.
The slight increase in core mana placed an enormous burden on his heart, forcing him to spend nearly a month bedridden.
‘How can I safely increase the mana in my core? Should I really try studying magic?’
Magic, however, wasn’t something easily learned.
Ray regretted the absence of a mage.
Luna, even after four years, hadn’t properly begun her magical studies.
She needed a mentor.
But after the incidents involving David and the Locusts, Ray’s distrust of mages had reached its peak.
‘And yet, I can’t just let a legendary orphan rot away in some remote corner.’
He had discussed this issue with the Count multiple times.
Not long ago, the Count mentioned a good plan and asked Ray to wait a little longer, giving Ray hope.
‘There are so many regrets either way.’
Shaking his head, Ray changed clothes and headed to the classroom.
Ray was still personally teaching the children various academic subjects, including mathematics.
Ray entered the classroom with a bag of cookies slung over his shoulder.
Although the children weren’t as crazy about cookies as they used to be, they were still following the lessons well.
Ray proceeded with the lesson as usual.
“~So, it ends up like this. Any questions?”
“…”
“Good. That’s all for today.”
“Yay!”
The children cheered and began leaving the classroom one by one.
As Ray was about to leave, Karen suddenly raised her hand and called out.
“Teacher! I have a question! Can I ask?”
“What is it?”
“There’s a math problem I can’t solve. Could you help me solve it?”
“Let’s see.”
Ray sat next to Karen and looked at the problem she’d marked. It required knowledge of quadratic functions.
Just as Ray picked up a writing tool to start explaining, Karen moved closer, claiming the problem was hard to see.
Her budding chest brushed against Ray’s arm.
Without much thought, Ray continued to explain, but a ticklish sensation made him look down.
Karen’s hand was sliding down Ray’s thigh.
Ray thought to himself,
‘Please stop.’
Reaching out, Ray grabbed Karen’s cheek.
“Uh?”
Without hesitation, Ray shook her cheek up and down.
“Karen, Karen, Karen!!”
“Aaahaaah!”
“Do you keep learning strange things? Huh?”
“B-but… Mari told me…”
As Ray tightened his grip, Karen wriggled in place.
“It hurts!”
“Did you go to Sister Lisa again and learn weird stuff? Huh?”
Karen subtly avoided eye contact.
Ray was beside himself with frustration.
‘I specifically warned them not to teach the kids inappropriate things!!’
Ray’s head throbbed.
Recently, a chronic problem at Jimy’s orphanage had resurfaced.
The educational environment was completely ruined.
With a red-light district right next to the orphanage, the phrase “completely ruined” wasn’t a metaphor—it was literal.
It wasn’t uncommon for children, whose curiosity about sexuality was peaking, to sneak off to gawk at the red-light district and get caught by Ray.
Karen, in particular, had been visiting acquaintances in the red-light district for years, learning bizarre knowledge like “how to seduce men” and attempting to apply it to Ray.
‘I’m losing my mind.’
The relatively liberal sexual attitudes compared to South Korea, combined with the得天独厚 educational environment, led to numerous incidents.
Though he tried his best to prevent these things, honestly, it was overwhelming.
“Karen, you should learn these things when you’re older, okay?”
Ray sighed and reprimanded Karen.
Disappointed that her seduction attempt had failed, Karen nodded her head.
Meanwhile, from the back row, Johanna smirked and muttered under her breath.
“Talking about adulthood when you’re shorter than Karen.”
CRUNCH!
The corner of the desk Ray was gripping turned to powder and scattered.
