Ch.187EP.43 – The Knight Makes a Fresh Start (4)

That was truly an unexpected and bewildering sight…

Just moments ago, we were warmly listening to evacuation procedures and experiencing waves of emotion from meeting Sir Lac, one of the kingdom’s finest knights, when suddenly—

WHAM!!

“!!?”

“What? You’re not blocking?!”

“Is… is that the sound of someone getting punched in the face…?”

The confusion was quickly resolved.

Forcibly so.

Anyone witnessing such a scene would first be startled, then bewildered in a different way, with shock etched across their face.

WHAM!!

Indiscriminate pummeling.

Face strikes with no regard for defense.

One might wonder if they were just hitting lightly, but…

“…That’s definitely not the sound of someone hitting lightly…”

It sounded like a hammer striking armor.

A spine-chilling sound, and with each thunderous impact, my body instinctively flinched.

…I guarantee that if anyone took such punches to the face, their nasal bones would collapse and jaw would shatter.

That’s how intense the barrage was, and the beating that made everyone flinch involuntarily…!

-Ding.

“Five minutes have passed.”

…ended with the ring of a bell.

Lord Roen, who had been there at some point without anyone noticing, rang the bell, and the two knights froze in their positions, ready to strike each other.

Drip.

Spit…

Blood was flowing from their faces.

Blood streamed from their noses and mouths, and their reddened faces looked quite painful.

Yet, despite the fierce exchange, they appeared relatively unharmed, which shocked the cadets.

They had expected at least shattered cheekbones, but it seemed to end with just minor bruising.

However.

“Phew, finally getting my blood flowing.”

“You insolent rogue, don’t hold back!”

“If I hadn’t held back, your head would’ve flown off.”

“You…!”

—What are they saying?

The cadets doubted their ears.

Wondering what they had just heard.

Holding back…?

‘That was holding back?’

…It was a newfound realization, but everyone seriously questioned whether their instructors were actually human.

And if they were human…

‘What are they? That’s terrifying…’

That was frightening in its own way.

* * *

‘This guy’s punches are definitely spicy, wickedly spicy.’

Drip…

It was clear that this fellow had grown considerably since yesterday.

During their first encounter and the exchange of blows.

Even then, Ihan thought he threw fairly sharp punches, and was quite impressive.

But now it was different.

Not just sharp, but also heavy.

Thanks to that…

‘There’s still some impact remaining.’

Despite Ihan’s unique recovery ability quickly healing his bruises, he was amazed that some of the shock remained unresolved.

Of course, there was also the fact that he had “consciously tried” not to use [Adamantine], making it harder to dissipate the impact.

But this was a necessary process for Ihan right now.

And that was,

“Are you mocking me? Not even using that strange technique of yours—!”

“We’re even, aren’t we? You’re also suppressing your killing intent.”

“……”

‘I’m sure it’s the same for him.’

Ihan snorted.

The nerve of him to complain when he was also holding back.

“Just as I’m suppressing my Adamantine and strength, you’re suppressing your aura and techniques, right?”

“…Ahem.”

Ihan knew.

Just how excellent a technician this guy was.

He had at least hundreds of defensive techniques and deflection skills.

And this guy had mastered all those hundreds of techniques to an expert level.

If he wanted to, he could deflect Ihan’s strikes no matter how strong they were.

In martial arts novel terms, a master of “using softness to overcome hardness”?

Despite his seemingly weak constitution, the reason he could get up after taking so many magical hits in the fight with the spellcaster was probably due to such amazing skills.

‘He’s quite talented.’

Additionally, with his innate killing aura, he was undoubtedly exceptional even among those called geniuses.

So Ihan knew this guy had been holding back in round one.

But it wasn’t out of consideration for Ihan or for a fair fight.

This guy, just like himself…

“You can’t control your power either, can you?”

“……”

“I thought so. Somehow I knew you weren’t the type to come when called, yet you did.”

“…This blessing is much more troublesome than I expected.”

Lac reluctantly admitted it.

He wasn’t the type to keep pretending when he’d been found out, and merely clicked his tongue with a slightly grumpy expression.

“What a personality.”

Swish.

With that brief exchange, Ihan and Lac took their stances again.

Conversation was nice, but.

Ding!

A minute had passed, so they had to start again.

The two knights swung their fists once more.

* * *

If he had to describe his current state in words…

‘A train without brakes?’

Yes, that’s exactly how Ihan felt about his condition right now.

‘This isn’t even a runaway train…’

People who first meet Ihan often think he fights mindlessly, but in reality, Ihan was the type who subdued opponents by mixing appropriate techniques with controlled power.

Being stronger than others, he had necessarily learned to control that strength.

The effort he invested in learning this control was enormous.

Since his assassin days, he had worked tirelessly to learn how to control his strength, and even during his mercenary days when he lived somewhat carelessly, power control was his essential task.

…The problem was that all those efforts were in vain now that his brakes were broken.

‘The fairy gave me a troublesome gift.’

He had fully expected his body to change after the metamorphosis, but he never thought it would be to this extent—that was Ihan’s honest feeling.

Whoosh!

‘Damn, my senses are a mess too.’

Power control was certainly an issue, but an even bigger problem was that his senses kept fluctuating.

It was like a once-obedient dog suddenly hitting puberty and baring its teeth.

Literally.

‘…It’s heartbreakingly frustrating.’

Ihan smiled bitterly.

But there was a reason he couldn’t view this entirely negatively.

BANG!

“Did you break through my technique?”

“I didn’t do it. My body figured it out on its own.”

“…What nonsense are you spouting? Have you finally lost your mind?”

“Every time we meet, I think the same thing—you have such a rude mouth.”

“You bastard!”

How could he view it negatively when new [functions] had been installed?

It seemed Lac had intended to use his “softness overcomes hardness” technique this time, but Ihan’s strike precisely cut through the flow of that technique.

This wasn’t something he could normally do.

It was a skill only possible for geniuses.

Yet, Ihan’s physical abilities and senses after metamorphosis demonstrated the skill to break through the opponent’s techniques.

It was as if his body had become so good that he didn’t need to use his head at all.

But Ihan wasn’t at all pleased with this gift.

‘What use is a gun I can’t control?’

It was no different from a malfunctioning gun.

It might be powerful, but you never know when it might cause an accident…

‘It’s literally been reset.’

He might be able to crush those weaker than him, but when facing opponents of similar or greater skill, it would inevitably become a fatal flaw.

With poor control over his physical strength and serious discrepancies in his senses.

It was like someone who knows how to use chopsticks or ride a bicycle having to learn from scratch again.

The positive side was.

‘If I’ve forgotten, I just need to learn again.’

Just like using chopsticks or riding a bicycle—once learned, the body never forgets.

It was essential to adapt to this new body and senses, to make them move according to his will.

He was confident that with a month or two of dedicated effort, he could get a decent grasp of it.

…The problem was that he didn’t have the luxury of two months.

‘Who knows when another fanatic or crazy spellcaster might appear.’

So he needed to adjust his physical abilities and senses in a short time, and Ihan felt the necessity for sparring.

Not just any sparring.

He needed sparring with someone of similar skill who would fight with all their strength.

After all.

WHAM!!

“Your strike has weakened. Don’t you know that controlling your strength so poorly is worse than not trying at all?”

“What about you? Couldn’t deflect even this weak hit and ended up with a nosebleed?”

“…This time I’ll kill you.”

“Try it.”

CRACK!

BOOM!

—The more they engaged in this realistic sparring, the more he felt his body’s condition improving.

Additionally, the fighting spirit of “I don’t want to lose to that guy!” surged, making Ihan forcibly adjust the resistance of his body and senses.

They say one experience is worth more than a hundred pieces of advice?

This fistfight, reminiscent of actual combat, was quickly helping him overcome the gap that would normally take months to bridge.

Swish!

At some point, Ihan and Lac were no longer fighting with just their fists.

They freely used dangerous parts like feet, knees, and elbows, and even joint-locking techniques.

Crack!

Bang!

The tide of battle kept shifting back and forth, and the surroundings turned into a wasteland with each technique they employed.

RUMBLE!

Every time Ihan landed a blow, the ground shook and dust rose thickly.

SLASH!

Whenever Lac struck, sharp wind blades enveloped the surroundings, leaving distinct marks on rocks and trees.

It was a fierce battle where either could die at any moment, and just as they were about to determine the winner…!

Ding!

“…Five minutes have passed.”

“——.”

“Also, it’s been over ten rounds. How long do you intend to continue?”

The bell rang again.

Thud thud thud…

As the thick dust settled, it revealed Ihan in a mount position, and Lac aiming a knife hand at Ihan’s neck.

If Ihan’s hammer-like fist had connected with the face, the brain would have been pulverized, and if Lac’s blade-like hand had reached the neck, the carotid artery would certainly have been severed.

Finally.

“Stop fighting. One of you will die at this rate.”

“We won’t die from just this much.”

“That’s true.”

“Normal people would die…”

“?”

“?”

“…Please don’t go around claiming you’re human.”

The returnee sometimes doubted whether these two were really the same species as himself.