“You are saying nothing really happened?”
Berton asked, looking at Falcot's group standing before him.
At that, Falcot nodded.
“I'm telling you, it's true. I admit our actions went too far. But we only wanted Theron's help to gather Moltir Flowers…… we truly had no other intention.”
“That's right. If he hadn't provoked us, we would never have come at him like that.”
Another big guy standing beside Falcot said. But just then.
“What fucked-up crap. If you didn't mean to attack, why'd you draw your knife, you bastard?!”
Perka, who was beside them, shouted at them.
Tioren chimed in as well.
“Chief Instructor. They tried to take the flowers we had gathered, and in the process, they threatened us with knives.”
“That's right. And they threatened Theron to make him gather other flowers too.”
At the three's words, the eyes of Falcot and his group glinted menacingly.
Just seeing that painted a clear picture of the situation.
‘However…….’
Conflicts between trainees in the forest were common.
Only…….
“By the way, your name was Falcot?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes! That's right!”
At the Chief Instructor calling his name, Falcot answered loudly with a strange expression, nervous and expectant at once.
Because within the training camp, Berton held truly absolute power.
Catching his eye was, in a sense, quite a good thing.
Berton asked Falcot.
“So after you chased Theron, nothing happened…… and you simply lost him and came back?”
“Yes, that's right. If anything, we're the ones who were tricked. He acted like he was trying to make off with the flowers…….”
“Then did you come back empty-handed?”
Berton said, looking at Perka.
At those words, Falcot smirked.
They had gathered three Moltir Flowers, but in the end, had Theron not taken them and died?
These guys, too, were in a situation where they would inevitably fail the first test.
But just then.
“No. These three were the first to pass the test.”
“……!?”
“What?!”
At Bengle's words, Falcot's group could not hide their bewildered expressions.
At that, Bengle looked at Berton and said.
“All three of them gathered and submitted Moltir Flowers. Their condition was top-grade as well.”
“I see.”
When Berton nodded, Falcot shouted, flustered.
“Th, that can't be! Theron definitely took the Moltir Flowers they gathered!”
“You stupid bastard. Didn't you see Theron hide the pouch behind his back before he ran?”
“So what?”
“He swapped it with me back then. Theron already knew everything, even that you were tailing us.”
Renil vividly recalled Theron's words from that moment, when he had pulled him close and whispered into his ear.
―There are bastards following us. When I give the signal, swap your pouch with mine. After that, I'll draw their attention…….
He had spoken so quickly that there had been no time to answer or prepare.
It had all simply been a plan that came out of Theron's head.
“……Because of Theron, we were able to pass the test, but what's clear is that something happened to Theron because of those bastards.”
“That's right. Saying they lost him could be a lie.”
At Renil's and Perka's words, Falcot shrieked.
“What kind of nonsense……!”
“Enough.”
When it got too noisy, Berton cut it short.
At that one word, everyone shut their mouths tight, like mutes who had eaten honey.
Berton looked at Falcot.
“Falcot.”
“Yes, Chief Instructor.”
“You clearly said you lost Theron while chasing him…….”
STEP.
Berton took a step toward Falcot. And…….
GRAB.
“Ugh!”
Berton firmly grabbed Falcot's left arm with his right hand.
In that moment, red blood seeped out along his arm.
RIIIP!
Berton grabbed Falcot's sleeve and tore it right off.
Underneath, a clear wound was visible.
“Why is there a wound from a blade?”
“Th, this is……!”
Falcot would know well enough that nonsense like having cut it on a branch would not work.
The flustered Falcot tried to say something, but.
“Take this brat away and discipline him. Naturally, he has failed the first test.”
He had to pay the price for lying to him.
“I, Instructor! Instructor!”
“We were wrong! We were wrong!”
“Instructor! Please give us one more chance!”
Falcot and the trainees being dragged away shouted loudly toward Berton.
However, Berton did not even glance at them and looked at Bengle.
Bengle, the instructor in charge of Section 5, said.
“Then…… shall I send a search party to look for Trainee Theron?”
“Why bother with such a nuisance? If he is alive, he will return, and if he is dead…… then his thread of life ran only that far.”
At his chillingly cold words, Perka, Tioren, and Renil, who were there with them, clenched their fists tightly before they knew it.
But Berton, seemingly unconcerned, looked at them and said.
“Congratulations on passing. But if that was not your own skill, you wretches…… I wonder how far you can go.”
As Berton soon turned and walked away, the three could only bite their lips hard.
―If that was not your own skill, you wretches…… I wonder how far you can go.
Because those words pierced coldly into their hearts.
But for now.
‘……Theron.’
‘Where are you, Theron?’
‘Come back quickly…… Theron.’
All they could do was desperately hope for Theron to return.
***
Deep inside the cave.
A red energy was moving strangely, as if it were alive.
The energy, flowing out like heat haze, soon wrapped around the body of a boy seated in the center, heating everything around like a hidden furnace.
DRIP…… DRIP…….
Something inside his body felt ready to burst.
A terrible heat, as if he had swallowed a red-hot lump of iron, was surging up like a soaring dragon within Theron's body.
‘So this is…… the true power of the Blood Jade Fruit.’
The past life.
His memory of first encountering the Blood Jade Fruit and swallowing it was faint.
Because he had swallowed the Blood Jade Fruit on the verge of death from a severe injury and then lost consciousness.
That was why just how great the power of the Blood Jade Fruit was.
He could only now vividly know.
‘……Focus.’
The sweat flowing from his body was pooling on the floor.
The immense power, nearly impossible to bear, was swirling violently as though to tear Theron's body apart.
If he lost the tug-of-war, or clashed with it head-on…….
‘I could…… die here.’
Meaning that, revenge and all that crap aside, he could simply die a dog's death.
Theron gathered all of his concentration and began to control the power of the Blood Jade Fruit.
Blood vessels burst and his skin turned red, and along with the pain of his muscles tearing, his bones felt as if they were twisting.
It was a terrible situation, like being tortured while fully conscious, but.
HUMMMMMMMM!
Theron bit down hard on his lip and endured the pain.
The past life.
Compared to the road Theron had walked.
‘Pain like this…….’
He could endure it with a smile.
Moreover, the more intense the pain became, the more vividly the face of Castillo Valenruk came to mind.
The man they had regarded as their lord, who had thrown them away like worn-out straw shoes after they had served him loyally with their very lives.
And as the faces of his comrades, who had died helplessly along with him, came to mind.
CLENCH.
Theron focused even harder on the mana cultivation method.
SWOOOOOOOSH!
Despite the immense power of the Blood Jade Fruit, the Dark Tempelst Mana Cultivation Method swallowed it all and began cramming it down toward his lower belly.
There were several close calls, but before long, the power of the Blood Jade Fruit was being brought under control bit by bit and absorbed into Theron's body.
CRACK, CRA-CRACK!
As the energy of the Blood Jade Fruit was gradually absorbed into Theron's body, new changes began to occur in it.
FWOOOOOOOSH!
The pure energy of the Blood Jade Fruit restructured the passages of his mana circuits, like iron full of impurities being forged in fire.
The once-narrow mana circuits became much thicker and sturdier than before, and the passages widened, allowing far more mana to move with ease.
And the muscles and ligaments beneath his skin tore and reattached, over and over.
Each and every muscle fiber split apart and tangled together again, rearranging itself to be harder and more flexible.
And at that moment, when the pain grew even stronger and his consciousness seemed about to fade away.
‘Not yet…… Not yet……!’
Blood came from his tightly bitten lip and ran down his chin.
A situation where his consciousness seemed ready to cut out at any moment.
It was just when every sense seemed to shut off and silence seemed to descend.
FLAAAAAAAASH!
A soundless explosion burst out of Theron's body.
At the same time, a complex radiance of overlapping red, gold, and blue light flowed out of his body, swept around the cave walls in an instant, and scattered.
“…….”
The heat that had been terribly searing his entire body vanished, and stillness descended over the whole cave.
Theron slowly opened his eyes.
“Hoo…….”
With a long exhale, the last of the remaining heat dispersed.
His eyes had become clear and deep, and his vision sharper.
The air in his lungs felt different.
Theron slowly rose from his spot.
His eye level was somewhat different from when he had first entered the cave.
And when he lowered his gaze to look at his body, a body clearly different from before was plainly visible.
“Is this…… the true power of the Blood Jade Fruit?”
His muscles had become firmer, and his skin had a sheen to it.
His once-short hair had grown long, and he seemed to have grown about a hand's span taller.
But above all, there was this abundant mana energy he felt within his body.
Moreover, the flow of mana throughout his entire body had become smooth and clean, incomparably so compared to before.
Of course, the unpleasant feeling in his heart had disappeared too.
The Death Sigil was gone.
Theron raised the corners of his mouth before he knew it.
“Done…….”
With this alone, his starting line was already completely different from the past.
‘Now…… I can get stronger.’
The past life.
He had reached the 7th Star, but in the end, he had been left with no choice but to meet a hollow death.
But now…….
‘The 8th Star.’
No, perhaps he could even achieve the realm of the 9th Star, which was called the ultimate.
CLENCH.
Of course, the road would not be easy, but he had no intention of giving up.
Theron organized his thoughts and came out of the cave.
Seeing the sun gradually rising in the distance, Theron's expression hardened.
“I'd better hurry a bit.”
The mana in Theron's body circulated through his entire body in an instant.
BANG!
Theron vanished from the spot in an instant.
His figure was already far off, racing swiftly toward the Shadow Forest.
***
The last day of the first test.
Berton made his way to where the Section 5 trainees were.
Once a test had begun, he usually tended not to go to any particular section, but.
“What became of him?”
“He has not returned yet.”
Bengle, who had been waiting in front of the Shadow Forest, said with his head lowered.
He said the boy had not returned yet, but in truth, he thought he was already dead.
At those words, Berton looked toward the Shadow Forest.
‘……Was I mistaken?’
He had definitely felt that something was different.
Was he a brat who would die so hollowly like this?
As Berton stood with a stiff expression, Bengle cautiously approached and said.
“If he does not come by noon, we will head back.”
“……Do so.”
After that, it would mean he had dropped out.
And the sun, which had been slowly rising, climbed overhead in an instant.
As it neared noon, Perka, who had been waiting for Theron, clenched his fist.
‘Theron…… are you really dead……?’
Tioren and Renil, beside Perka, also looked there with anxious expressions.
And when it finally became noon.
“Instructor.”
“Let us end it.”
At Bengle's words, Berton turned around.
He had held out hope until the end, but.
‘It was a pointless hope.’
That was as far as it went.
It was a pity, but it seemed he would have to let it go.
It was the moment Berton was about to leave like that.
Then…….
“I, Instructor!”
Perka, who had been looking toward the forest, shouted loudly.
Beside him, Tioren's and Renil's expressions brightened.
“It's Theron! It's Theron!”
A figure slowly revealing himself from the darkness and emerging from the forest.
Approaching with a Moltir Flower held out in one hand, Theron said in a low voice.
“Am I late, by any chance?”
A mere five days.
At his appearance, so vastly changed from before he had entered the forest, Berton's eyes were shaking.
Tab 11