“Hey, Ivan.”
At Shuren's sudden intervention, Jake and Ivan stopped moving and looked at him.
“I'll accept your duel just this once, right now. Are you going to fight me or not?”
What Shuren meant was that Ivan should stop his duel with Jake.
To anyone else, it might have sounded rude.
But not to Ivan.
“Fine.”
Instead, his face brightened as he forfeited his duel with Jake.
“Shuren, I challenge you to a duel.”
“I accept.”
The surrounding trainees began murmuring at their exchange.
‘Haah. Even after being reborn, I'm still me in the end.’
Shuren sighed inwardly.
Still, he had been planning to fight Ivan sooner or later anyway.
That was why he had trained while adjusting the Calamity Flame.
“But I have one condition.”
“What condition?”
“If you beat me, you're planning to shut down my Mana Circuits, aren't you?”
“Of course. Just looking at the mana of a freak like you makes me sick.”
“Then shouldn't I get something out of it if I win too?”
“Hmm…… you're not wrong.”
Shuren crooked a finger at Ivan, telling him to come closer.
When Ivan leaned his ear in, Shuren spoke quietly enough that only the two of them could hear.
“If I win, hand over your Cyanberry Elixir to me from now on.”
Ivan's eyes widened at Shuren's words.
“Y-you…… How do you know about that?”
His reaction was only natural.
The existence of the Cyanberry Elixir was something known discreetly among the direct line.
Deep within the Pellantz main estate's forest—
There grew a great tree in an area where the mana concentration was especially dense.
Its fruit was called the Cyanberry.
The potion made by filtering that fruit again and again, then concentrating it, was the Cyanberry Elixir.
Not only did the elixir contain highly pure mana, but thanks to the properties of the fruit, it placed little strain on the Mana Circuits.
That made it especially effective for children whose Mana Circuits had not fully developed yet.
The Pellantz main family distributed one Cyanberry Elixir each year exclusively to direct-line trainees at the Knight Training Center.
Naturally, because it was distributed in secret, the other trainees did not even know the elixir existed.
Shuren, who stood at the very bottom even among branch families, was obviously not supposed to know about it.
He had learned about it from Jake.
‘Seriously, this whole family is rotten to the core.’
Members of the Pellantz Family always took pride in claiming that they valued justice and proper order.
Yet even within their own Knight Training Center, fairness had already been thrown to the dogs.
They claimed that only ability mattered regardless of direct line or branch family, yet behind the scenes, they secretly supported the direct line like this.
When Shuren first heard about it, he had been dumbfounded.
‘But if I beat Ivan, that elixir becomes mine.’
So he decided to make use of that corruption instead.
“Looks like our ancestors were right after all. You even know dangerous information that only the direct line is supposed to know. Freaks really should disappear.”
“Say whatever you want.”
“Ha! Fine. It's not like you'll ever get to drink it anyway! I accept your condition.”
Ivan shouted confidently.
He clearly had not considered the possibility of losing at all.
Ivan was at Three-Star.
Shuren, meanwhile, was at Two-Star.
Even based on that difference in mana alone, Ivan believed victory was inevitable.
The gap of a single Star was not something easily overcome.
On top of that, Ivan had been taught the swordsmanship of the main family.
Shuren, on the other hand, had not even learned a proper sword art, let alone the main family's secret swordsmanship.
That was why Ivan considered this duel an easy victory.
“I'll let you experience what it's like to have your Mana Circuits shattered in front of everyone.”
“You just make sure you hand over the elixir on time.”
The two raised their wooden swords and glared at each other.
WHOOSH—!
Ivan made the first move.
With only a few steps, he closed the distance between them in an instant.
Shuren watched his movements.
The moment Ivan rushed in, Shuren lightly swung his wooden sword upward.
CLACK—!
The wooden swords collided with a crisp sound.
‘I can already tell what swordsmanship he's using.’
From Ivan's charging stance and the path of his first strike, Shuren could predict the swordsmanship he was using.
SWISH—!
Ivan's second strike followed.
Shuren swung his wooden sword toward the spot he had already predicted.
CLACK—!
He blocked this attack as well, turning his prediction into certainty.
‘This is the Winston-style Swordsmanship Rak used.’
In his previous life, Shuren had watched Rak use swordsmanship against monsters countless times.
Most of the sword techniques Rak used had been engraved into Shuren's memory.
This style was as fluid as a river while embodying the principles of swift swordsmanship.
‘Considering Ivan's fiery personality, this style doesn't suit him at all.’
Shuren found it unexpected.
Still, Ivan was talented, and compared to Rak's original version, he was imitating it fairly well.
‘But compared to the original, it's terrible.’
CLACK! CLACK! CLACK—!
Shuren easily blocked Ivan's attacks one after another.
‘Th-this bastard!’
Ivan was shocked inwardly.
The fact that Shuren was blocking his attacks was surprising enough.
But more than anything, what Shuren was using right now was nothing more than the basic swordsmanship taught at the training center.
“Fight me seriously! How long are you going to keep testing me with nothing but basic swordsmanship?”
Ivan shouted, his temper already flaring.
“You're looking down on the basics? Fundamentals are important. No matter how advanced a sword technique you know, without a proper foundation, you can't even bring out its full power.”
“Who are you to lecture me?! My master already bored me to death with that useless nonsense.”
“Oh? So at least your master is sane? I thought you'd learned under some lunatic.”
Ivan frowned at Shuren's mockery.
‘His emotions wavered. Now!’
Shuren did not miss the opening and swung his wooden sword.
A basic overhead slash.
Ivan was startled by the sudden attack, but he still took up a defensive posture without difficulty.
‘What?!’
But Ivan's expression changed.
His sword was slowly being pushed back.
‘This bastard's strength is……!’
If he continued losing ground, Ivan would be crushed beneath the strike.
So he instinctively put more weight behind his sword.
That was exactly what Shuren had been aiming for.
Shuren slightly withdrew his sword.
Since Ivan had already committed his weight, his body pitched forward.
Shuren did not miss the opening and thrust his sword in.
‘Damn it!’
Ivan hurriedly changed the path of his sword.
CLACK—!
‘Urgh!’
Ivan swallowed a groan.
He had blocked the attack, but because his stance had been unstable, his wrist tingled painfully.
‘Why the hell does this bastard attack in such an infuriating way?’
Ivan felt as though a fire were bursting inside him.
Shuren was not using some flashy sword technique or one containing profound principles.
He was showing nothing but basic sword forms.
Ivan widened the distance between them and spoke.
“Shuren. I'll admit that your basic swordsmanship is solid.”
“You still have enough room to compliment me?”
“……Let's see how long you can keep acting like that.”
HUMMMMM!
Ivan drew up even more mana.
As someone with three Rings, he wanted to show Shuren, who was only Two-Star, the difference in their strength.
SSSSSS!
Mana carrying the power of water began surging around Ivan.
He concentrated that watery energy into his sword and stepped forward.
SWISH—!
A barrage of swift strikes poured toward Shuren.
CLACK-CLACK-CLACK!
‘So this is a serious attack from someone with the power of Three-Star.’
Shuren blocked Ivan's attacks, but he could not stop his body from swaying under the force.
“See?! In the end, you'll have no choice but to kneel before the overwhelming difference in mana!”
Ivan snickered when he saw Shuren's condition.
Even Shuren acknowledged the difference in mana.
‘Whatever his personality is like, his natural Pellantz talent is real.’
On top of that, Ivan was a child of the direct line.
He must have received an enormous amount of support until now.
Talent combined with support naturally made someone strong.
That was why Shuren had needed more training time if he wanted to defeat Ivan overwhelmingly.
Until yesterday, Shuren had possessed far less absolute mana than Ivan.
‘But today, I win. And I'll do it overwhelmingly.’
With that thought, Shuren drew up even more of his own mana.
FWOOSH!
Fire energy blossomed around his body.
But the trainees watching were disappointed.
Shuren's presence looked noticeably weaker than Ivan's.
“Huh? That's all the mana he can bring out?”
“If that's all he's got…… Ivan's going to win.”
“I knew this would happen. That's why I got on Ivan's side ahead of time.”
The trainees whispered among themselves as they watched the duel.
Believing he had seized the advantage, Ivan spoke with an arrogant expression.
“That's you going all out? You kept talking about how important the fundamentals are, but your mana is pathetic!”
Shuren silently smiled at Ivan's mockery.
“Have you lost your mind? Why are you smiling?”
“I'm smiling because it's funny. Does my mana really look weak to you? If that's what you see, then I guess your talent isn't much different from those kids watching over there.”
“Are you done talking?”
Ivan's face twisted.
‘There's no point listening to this bastard's nonsense any longer!’
His anger finally reaching its limit, he immediately took an attacking stance.
The mana released from Ivan's body gathered along the edge of his wooden sword.
Shuren also concentrated his own mana into his sword.
CLACK-CLACK! CLACK! CLACK-CLACK!
Their wooden swords collided through several exchanges as they began a contest of strength.
CLACK—!
Each time Ivan attacked, Shuren could feel the mana concentrated in his sword growing denser.
‘Looks like he's planning to crush me with the difference in mana.’
At that moment, the path of Ivan's sword changed.
It seemed he was finally beginning his real offensive.
‘That's……!’
Water energy surged across Ivan's sword.
Winston-style Swordsmanship, First Form.
Winding Wave.
The wooden sword came crashing toward Shuren with terrifying force, as though it contained a raging wave.
‘This ends it!’
Ivan was certain this attack would decide the duel.
SWOOOOSH—!
An enormous mass of blue mana swallowed Shuren's entire body.
Every trainee watching sucked in a breath.
They thought the duel was over.
FWOOSH!
Then, at the center of the blue mana that had swallowed Shuren, a tiny flame appeared.
Compared to the violent wave, it was an insignificant little flame.
But the flame began to grow.
Before long, the blue mana was gradually being devoured by the fire.
“……!”
Faced with the impossible sight, Ivan was too stunned to speak properly.
A moment later, Shuren's golden eyes appeared through the flames, glaring directly at Ivan.
Ivan felt fear.
Shuren's burning gaze was like the eyes of a beast preparing to hunt.
“Your swordsmanship is nothing but an inferior version.”
Shuren began to speak.
“You're only imitating the outward appearance of the power of water.”
Inwardly, he thought of one person.
Rak Pellantz.
The traitor he had once believed was his friend.
Compared to the Winston-style Swordsmanship Rak had wielded, Ivan's version was too pathetic to even call an imitation.
‘You're nothing but a brat who can't even put emotion into his sword.’
SWISH—!
Shuren swung his sword and cut through the air.
In that instant, the blue mana that had engulfed him disappeared.
THUD—!
Shuren reversed his grip on the sword and drove it into the ground.
BOOM—!
Flames exploded outward and engulfed the surroundings in an instant.
Every trace of Ivan's blue mana that had filled the training hall vanished.