Chapter 192

Raon opened his eyes, sunlight shining down on him through a clean window, not a single speck of dust visible.

‘I feel refreshed.’

Probably because of Wrath’s curse, his tiredness was completely gone, and his body was brimming with vitality.

‘He is more suited to be a giving tree rather than a demon king.’

Raon looked at the ice flower bracelet with a snicker, and a message appeared in front of his eyes.

The message was telling him that all his stats increased from a good sleep thanks to Sloth.

“Ah, by the way...”

He remembered Wrath was insulting Sloth as he was closing his eyes. He must’ve been angry because he expected that outcome.

Kuh!

Wrath surged from the bracelet and frowned.

I knew it. What a dirty and disgusting cheat ability!

He bit his lips, reading the message about Raon’s stats increasing.

How does it even make sense to have all of your stats increased just from sleeping? Even the King of Essence doesn’t have that goddamn ability!

‘It only happens sometimes, though.’

What do you mean, sometimes? It might be a small amount, but your stats are increasing every day!

Cold wrath crawled up Wrath’s shoulders.

The King of Essence is never going to forget this. He will make sure that idiot Sloth will be unable to sleep forever!

‘Aren’t you going to get beaten up by Sloth though, since you are losing all your stats to me?’

That sounds like you are losing all your hair! Even if the King of Essence loses some power, there’s no way he would lose to that sleepyhead!

Wrath frowned, scoffing and brushing it off as nonsense. However, his voice was trembling slightly.

I-It’s okay, even if that happens. He will admit defeat as long as I keep bothering his sleep while running away.

He grinned, saying that he could win anyway.

‘Ah...’

Raon’s lips parted. Raon imagined Wrath running away from Sloth after disturbing his slumber because he couldn’t win in a head-on fight, and that just felt so pitiful.

“Do you want some bead ice cream?”

Since he felt slightly sorry for him, he took out the ice cream box from the drawer.

Wh-What are you plotting? What are you trying to do to the King of Essence?

Wrath licked his lips, his hands raised in caution.

The way Wrath wanted to eat the ice cream but was stopping himself because he feared Raon would ask something in return looked even more sad.

‘I’ll eat all those ice creams after the meal.”

I won’t trust you! Reveal your true intentions!

‘There’s no such thing.’

Raon sighed, opening the door. As he was going to the washroom in order to take a shower, he saw Yua.

“Ah, Sir Raon!”

Strangely, Yua was wearing brightly colored outerwear.

“Where are you going?”

“Sir Roenn said he would start teaching me about music and martial arts today.”

Yua’s twin tails fluttered in anticipation.

“In that case, I’ll go with you. Wait a little.”

“What? No, I can go alone. Sir Raon has to rest...”

“It’s okay. I slept well. I’ll get ready quickly.”

Raon waved his hand and quickly entered the washroom.

Huhu, I knew it. There’s no way you would be nice and eat the ice cream.

Wrath sat down on Yua’s head, laughing coldly.

I knew it. Yes, I already knew all that, but why do I feel so bitter...

Sniff.

* * *

The cafeteria for the swordsmen was located near the fifth training ground.

Normally, the trainees were the only ones allowed in there. However, ever since the fifth training ground became the Light Wind squad’s headquarters, the number of visitors had decreased, and the cafeteria opened up for everyone.

However, since the fifth training ground and the Facilities Management Department were nearby, people using the cafeteria were mostly the Light Wind members and technicians.

“What?”

A loud voice could be heard from the serving table of the cafeteria.

“He was struck by lightning?”

Burren frowned as he looked at Dorian.

“That’s what he said. Moreover, he got hit twice in a single day.”

“How does that make any sense?”

“It’s true. That’s why the squad leader has been in the infirmary for two days now.”

“No, but the weather has been clear recently. How did lightning even strike him?”

“Well, I have no idea. You know the saying—‘crude lightning in the dry sky’.”

Dorian shrugged, holding his food tray.

“I figured he must’ve gone to a casino, since I hadn’t seen him after his days off, but lightning? The squad leader seriously has all kinds of problems.”

Burren jeered, pouring the stew into his bowl.

“Why is Raon not coming, then?”

“I heard he’s exhausted.”

“Exhausted? What happened to him?”

“I heard he’d been doing nothing but training for two days straight. Though, I doubt that’s even possible...”

Dorian shook his head, murmuring that he was a tenacious one.

“Two days...”

Burren swallowed nervously.

‘He should be able to do that.’

He would’ve scoffed it off as a lie if it were about anyone else, but Raon... That tenacious bastard was fully capable of doing that.

“The squad leader is hospitalized from getting struck by lightning, and the vice leader is exhausted from training. What a great house we have.”

Burren sneered and turned around.

“But Sir Raon should be back by tomorro...uhh!”

Dorian, who was walking ahead, was unable to keep his balance and fell down. The food in the tray flew away and landed on the uniform of the tall swordsman sitting at the table in front of him.

“Argh! I-I’m sorry! I’ll immediately clean it up...”

“You son of a bitch.”

As Dorian was trying to take out a handkerchief from his belly pocket, the swordsman stood up while grinding his teeth.

“Do you even know what this uniform is?”

The tall swordsman ignored Dorian’s apology, thrusting his tightly clenched fist.

“Kuh!”

Dorian was taken off guard and was hit straight to his chin, spilling over the table on his right.

“What are you doing right now?”

“You must be picking a fight with us, right?”

“Step on him!”

The swordsmen sitting at that table started to punch him and stomp on him as if they had been waiting for it.

“That’s enough.”

Burren placed his food tray on an empty table, then released his pressure. Those that were beating up Dorian looked back at him with a frown.

“What do you think you are doing right now, when you were the ones who tripped him while even using aura to make him unable to regain his balance? I haven’t seen you around here before, so am I safe to assume that you came to pick a fight with the Light Wind?”

“There’s no way we would pick a fight.”

“Gasp!”

Burren hurriedly turned around from hearing a voice around his ears. Although there was no one behind him a moment before, a tall and slender man was smiling at him.

“G-Garon Zieghart.”

Garon Zieghart was the second son of Balder, the master of the True Martial Palace, and he was the leader of the Golden Crest Squad, which was affiliated to the True Martial Palace.

“You should call me the squad leader Garon Zieghart.”

“S-Squad leader Garon Zieghart. Please excuse me.”

“Sure, sure. I shall overlook it with my generosity. However...”

Garon raised his chin with a smile.

“I heard you saying something disturbing.”

“Sorry?”

“You said we picked a fight. Why would my guys even pick a fight with you? Look at that.”

He pointed his finger at the uniforms of the swordsmen who were trampling on Dorian.

“Those uniforms are made with the best fabric and materials. Moreover, they haven’t even used them in a mission yet, so it would be stranger if they did nothing after he spilled dirty food on it. Don’t you agree?”

“That would be the case if Dorian accidentally spilled the food. In this case, however, that guy made him trip and even used his aura to pressure him in order to make him lose his balance.”

Burren pointed his finger at the nasty-looking swordsman that made Dorian trip.

“Do you have proof that our vice leader did that?”

“Sorry?”

“I’m asking whether you have proof that he made him trip and used his aura.”

“It was as clear as day. How unreasonable...”

“You are the one who is being unreasonable. You are the only person who saw it.”

Garon raised his arm to point at the surroundings. The technicians that were eating ran outside with their food trays because they didn’t want to get involved, and the staff—including the chef—were hiding in the kitchen.

Considering the blatant way he was lying about it, Burren became certain that he came to pick a fight.

“The rhythm flows in a similar manner when she changes the song. That’s why it feels slightly awkward sometimes. It really will be perfect if she can fix that.”

“I see.”

“It’s a relief, since there would be nothing I could do for her if she was already perfect.”

He smiled slightly, before going back to Yua.

“Does lady Yua know about rhythm?”

“Erm, not really...”

“Everything in the world has a rhythm. The heartbeat that allows us to live on, the chirping sound of the mountain bird, and even the gardener’s voice when he is trimming the garden has a rhythm.”

Roenn pointed out the examples of the rhythm one after the other.

“Rhythm is one of the most important aspects of music. It can add cheerfulness or sadness to a repeated verse. For example...”

He started singing one of Yua’s songs. He wasn’t exactly better than her at singing, but the lyrics and the melody were perfectly clear, and it was much easier to feel the meaning of the song.

“How was it?”

“I like it!”

Yua raised her hand, jumping on the spot.

“Did you feel comfortable listening to it?”

“I felt comfortable, and it was better at conveying the emotion!”

Yua nodded, since she agreed with him.

“That’s the power of rhythm. If you adjust your rhythm according to the song, you will be better at conveying emotions. Not only is it better as music, but also as an attack.”

Roenn said, telling her a few other things.

“Rhythm...”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he reviewed Yua and Roenn’s songs.

‘Adjusting rhythm...’

Yua certainly didn’t feel like she was careful about the rhythm, and Roenn used the perfect rhythm for the song—like a cogwheel.

Yua was better at singing, but Roenn’s song felt more comfortable to hear, and created a better harmony.

‘I wonder if the same thing applies to footwork.’

That might’ve been the difference between himself and Glenn, the one that he tried to figure out before collapsing.

‘Now that I think about it, his timing on his first and second steps were slightly different...’

There was a difference between Glenn’s first and second steps in terms of the sound it made and the depth of the footprints.

‘Is that also about rhythm?’

Just like adjusting rhythm to the situation, Glenn must’ve used the most appropriate way of breathing while using the Supreme Harmony Steps.

Shring!

Once he realized there was rhythm in footwork, the enlightenment struck his head.

The Supreme Harmony Steps Glenn has demonstrated that night was replayed like flowing water, and he felt like he could grasp every single movement.

Raon unconsciously stood up from his chair. He slightly lowered his posture, then extended his left foot.

Thud!

The majestic flow that seemed to connect to the entire world appeared at the end of his foot and he became one with the land.

* * *

“And now, the aura cultivation technique that I’m going to teach you... Huh?”

Roenn was about to teach Yua an aura cultivation technique, but he suddenly turned his head.

Raon, who was sitting to his right, slowly stood up. He started using footwork with eyes that looked like he was possessed by a ghost.

Thud!

The first step brushing past the grass was Glenn’s Supreme Harmony Steps.

‘Supreme Harmony’s first step?’

However, it was different from Raon’s first step in the past. It peeled off its immature shell, and it was as mysterious and majestic as Glenn’s.

He then advanced with his second step. The step of extreme quickness. He reached the other side in an instant, at a speed worthy of admiration even from Roenn, who had been an assassin his entire life. It was so fast that it could be called magic.

“Rao... Huff.”

Roenn stopped the surprised Yua from calling out to Raon, watching his third step. Raon’s body vibrated like the tip of a sword, multiplying into two before reuniting.

Rumble!

The fourth was slow. The step—as slow as a snail—was both dominating and oppressive. His footsteps crushed the land and the dominating power spread out around his feet to engulf the space.

“Ah...”

Roenn’s jaw dropped. It only took Raon a few days before he started using the Supreme Harmony Steps in its true form.

If he could be called a baby in the past, he now started to walk, and was taking steps forward.

‘That’s crazy.’

He was speechless, surprised by the fact that he managed to learn the peerless footwork in such a short time.

He didn’t take Rimmer seriously when he said Raon had the qualities of the king. He thought there were many things he still needed to confirm, despite being amazing.

However, he realized that what Rimmer said was true, because he managed to get a hint from what he said to reach a higher place in such a short time.

“Haa.”

Roenn turned his head towards the breathing sound. The Heavenly Blade division leader was watching Raon with her arms crossed. And her face was filled with irritation.

“What the hell is that guy?”

“What?”

“He went into another immersion when he only just got out of one.”

The Heavenly Blade division leader tilted her head, her forehead wrinkled.

“He’s entering immersion as if it is his home. What the hell is wrong with that guy?”

“An acquaintance of mine called him thusly.”

Roenn smiled, looking at Raon gently.

“He will become the head of house in the future.”

* * *

Raon realized what he was doing in his trance.

He imbued the heartbeat in the first step while thinking about the world he would advance in the future, the lightning that strikes in an instant in the second step, the refracted sunlight upon passing through the window in the third step, and Glenn Zieghart’s dignity in the fourth step.

The Supreme Harmony Steps was imbued with the breath and rhythm that he directly witnessed and felt, and it turned into a completely different footwork. The steps could become even faster, slower or majestic.

Raon repeated the nine steps of the Supreme Harmony Steps until he grew tired, then finally raised his head.

“Haa...”

The tips of his fingers were trembling in excitement. A thrill ran through his body at the realization that it was the true Supreme Harmony Steps.

He could say for sure that he was on the same path as Glenn’s demonstration, although the proficiency was incomparable yet.

He might be able to catch up to his footwork if he kept working hard, over and over again.

“Haa!”

While his heart was throbbing from the sweetness of learning the footwork, a message appeared in front of his eyes.

The message was telling him that all stats and the rank of Focus had increased, with a title on top because of the achievement of properly learning the Supreme Harmony Steps.

He realized once again that what he did was really great, since even the message was telling him that.

What the hell?!

Wrath’s eyes were trembling as he read the message.

Why would you give him so many rewards for learning some shitty footwork?

He was shouting, but his voice was lacking his usual confidence.

‘But didn’t you also admit that the Supreme Harmony Steps was an amazing footwork?’

Th-The King of Essence has never done that...

‘You said that the learning speed amplifying effect only appears with the best techniques, ones that you might consider learning. You also called the footwork excellent.’

Kuh, damn it!

Wrath ground his teeth, unable to say anything else. He had no choice but to admit it, since he couldn’t lie.

Damn it! It has only been two days since you last took stats, but if you take them again, then what about me?

He seemed to be dying because he took away 5 points after gaining stats recently.

You are just so damn lucky!

‘It’s not luck. It’s thanks to Sir Roenn and you.’

What?

‘You told me that it’s important to find my own path, by nurturing my heart and mind.’

I-I did say that...

Wrath nodded while trembling slightly.

‘I also moved my mind this time while incorporating the footwork with rhythm. I made so much progress from using the experience I had so far. Half of my achievements this time were thanks to you. Thank you.’

Raon grinned. Wrath was really the giving tree, who gave everything away both physically and mentally.

A-Are you making fun of the King of Essence?

‘You finally realized it.’

I’ll kill you! I’m going to keep you and follow you to hell!

‘But you came from hell initially.’

Kuh! Shut up!

Raon snickered. Since Wrath was very helpful this time, he planned to eat all the ice cream, just like he promised that morning.

“Raon!’

“Hmm?”

Burren’s voice could be heard from the garden entrance as he was happily making fun of Wrath.

Raon looked around, Burren was bringing Dorian with him, both his eyes turned black with bruises.

“Dorian?”

It wasn’t just his eyes. His cheek and wrist were also bruised. The wound must’ve been created by a fist, rather than a wooden sword.

Considering the fact that there was no reason for him to be in that state, since the Light Wind was currently in a personal training period after the rest, he must’ve been beaten up by someone.

Raon’s red eyes were filled with irritation.

‘Who touched my pouch?’