Ch.45Chapter 45: The End of the Exam

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In the moment when my meditation, which I had been continuing for a long time while sitting still and practicing breathing techniques, reached its peak.

The fighting energy gathered in my heart gently heated my body in the form of warmth, and before I knew it, it circulated throughout my entire body through the capillaries.

After completing the grand circulation where the hot energy flowed through my entire body, I slowly opened my eyes and savored the lingering fighting energy that thoroughly filled my entire body.

Although it was fighting energy accumulated through breathing techniques I couldn’t properly learn due to physical handicaps, I felt that my body had become stronger than ever before, as if to show that the time spent training my vessel had not been in vain.

“Haaah…”

I let out a light sigh of satisfaction as I got up and looked around.

The sun was already setting by the window, casting a reddish glow.

“Are you done?”

From across the room came Shizu’s warm voice, waiting for my training to end.

After slowly getting up, I nodded in response to her question.

“Hehe. Then let’s go eat together.”

Shizu instantly closed the distance between us and linked her arm with mine.

This was her repeated behavior over the past few days—she could have finished her training and gone ahead, but she always waited for my training to end and seized this moment when few people were around to cling to me.

If it had been around this time before my regression, I would have kept my distance from her as she approached me with a serious face, but now it’s different.

I simply silently raised my hand and gently stroked Shizu’s head as she pressed close to my side.

Even though my touch was as careful as handling a fragile object, my hands had calluses that made it difficult to provide a pleasant sensation.

“Hehe.”

But she seemed to like my touch, as a bright smile never left her face the entire way to the dining hall.

She didn’t forget to press her face against my arm either.

I’m quite certain that if she had a tail, it would be wagging vigorously like a puppy’s, sweeping the ground in circles.

In the deserted corridor leading to the dining hall, only our footsteps could be heard.

The serene sunset light through the windows quietly illuminated us.

All I could feel looking around was peace.

‘Though it’s a peace that will soon disappear.’

When that time comes, the girl smiling beside me now will put away her smile and rush about trying to save the world without sparing herself.

‘At the very least, I should make sure a smile remains on her face.’

As I continued walking toward the dining hall, my mind was dominated by thoughts of how to ensure she could stay happy without emotional wounds in the coming future.

‘For that, I’ll need to pass tonight’s test.’

What I need to do isn’t much.

I need to resolve the big and small issues that will arise one by one with my own hands—things I didn’t do before because I abandoned what I should have done as a member of Ranos.

That’s how I steeled my resolve.

The red light of the setting sun rested on my hair, conveying a gentle warmth.

#

After having dinner with Shizu and parting ways, I entered my room to take the test I had been taking every day for the past few days.

Click.

I gently turned the doorknob and entered the room.

Woong-!

Though somewhat reduced in intensity, the dragon sword’s voice rang out as if it had been eagerly waiting for my arrival.

“Haaah…”

This time, for certain.

With that determination, I drew the dragon sword hanging on the wall from its scabbard.

As a bright light enveloped my vision, incompatible with the pitch-black blade, my body was transported somewhere.

When I open my eyes, the familiar fog will greet me as always…

“Oh…”

…or so I thought, but the scenery that greeted me this time was different.

The sky, where day and night had been indistinguishable, had transformed into one with gentle starlight and a prominent full moon.

The fog that had always obscured my vision when I entered this place, only disappearing during tests, was now completely gone.

“Quite an impressive space it’s become.”

The fog is gone, and now it’s a cloudless night with a full moon.

It reminded me of my younger, pure days when I wanted to overcome the shackles binding my physical body by transcending walls, swinging my sword with the moonlight as my companion, saving even my sleeping hours.

“Hmm…”

Facing this unexpectedly nostalgic scenery, a smile was about to form on my lips without me realizing it.

“Not impressive at all…”

But the voice of the sword spirit, who had a different impression of this nostalgic scenery than I did, prevented my smile from continuing.

When I thought that for someone with such a clear and pure voice, they seemed to lack sensitivity.

“Pfft.”

A chuckle escaped my lips without me realizing it.

“I shouldn’t have changed it.”

But as if he hadn’t heard my laughter, the sword spirit continued grumbling without looking at me.

It was a good opportunity.

Not a good opportunity to attack him, of course.

It was a chance to properly see his appearance, even if only from behind, which had been obscured by intense battles and fog until now.

I turned my head toward where his voice came from.

At first glance, the red armor with a cold texture that gave an impression of mysteriousness was surrounded by what appeared to be dragon scales at the curious boundary between biological tissue and metal.

As if indirectly revealing what his true identity was.

The sword spirit.

He introduced himself as such, but there’s no way his true identity is merely a spirit dwelling in a sword.

Deciding to turn my thoughts into certainty, I spoke in a clear voice so that he could hear me as he continued his complaints while blankly staring at the sky.

“Fafnir.”

That’s what I believe his true identity to be.

Thud.

He completely stopped his complaints the moment I called his name.

I felt the fiery aura gently enveloping his body gradually intensify, but before I could feel relieved that it didn’t seem particularly ominous.

After completely extinguishing the flames surrounding his body, he turned to face me.

Not only was his body covered in armor of that curious material at the boundary between metal and biological tissue, but his face was also hidden behind a helmet and face guard, so I couldn’t even gauge what state he was in as he faced me.

All I could tell was that from the eye area, the only part where his body’s color was revealed, a golden energy different from when we were taking the test was exploding.

That was all.

The tense moment, not knowing what would happen, had an exquisite pressure like a tightly drawn thread, but fortunately, this pressure didn’t last long.

“Did you call me?”

What eased the tightly drawn thread was his somewhat calm voice.

His reaction was close to a natural response when one’s name is called.

‘So I was right.’

As I had suspected, the identity of the spirit dwelling in the sword that pulled me here and tested me was indeed the legendary evil dragon, Fafnir.

Surprisingly, he didn’t seem to take it too seriously that I had figured out his identity.

Well, even though I confirmed his surprising identity, there was no reason to be intimidated by it now.

“I’ve come to take the test.”

I simply stated my business calmly.

In response, Fafnir extended his right hand forward, opened it, and beckoned me with a flick of his fingers.

“Come.”

As he beckoned, the golden energy in Fafnir’s eyes instantly changed to a blood-red color.

His beckoning gesture did seem somewhat provocative, but at this point, after taking a total of five tests including today and being thoroughly defeated in every one until yesterday, it only felt like the composure of a strong opponent.

In response to his gesture, I also prepared to win the test.

Shing.

As always when I enter this place, I drew the dragon sword attached to my waist and completed the high stance I always take.

“Haaah…”

After quietly breathing and gathering even more fighting energy than I had already accumulated.

Woooong.

I completed my energy sword imbued with a bright radiance.

Perhaps due to the results of my breathing technique training through meditation, the radiance in my energy sword was noticeably clearer than yesterday, which was quite satisfying.

Fafnir didn’t stop his beckoning gesture as he looked at my energy sword, but he prepared to meet my movements by focusing his red-glowing eyes on my energy sword.

“Well then…”

Grip.

I tightened my grip on the sword.

During the tests of the past few days, I had started by using footwork pushed to the extreme to create ultra-fast movements to close the distance with him and try to cut him.

Step, step.

But now I’m not doing that.

I simply moved toward him one step at a time with slow movements.

Although I was moving slowly toward him, the distance between us was still so great that my high stance had little meaning.

Not only me, but Fafnir who was watching this also seemed to find little meaning in my movements.

“Hmm… After getting your solar plexus beaten senseless for days, have you finally lost your mind? Maybe I should have hit your head more?”

His voice carried a slightly mocking tone.

However, he only spoke and didn’t show any particular movement.

He didn’t take the initiative to attack me; he just stopped his provocative beckoning, folded his arms, and carefully observed my movements.

From his demeanor, like someone observing a line of ants carrying food back to their nest, it was easy to see his confidence that he could easily subdue me no matter what I did.

In the past, I might have been displeased, bringing up my petty pride.

‘Yes, keep watching with your arms folded.’

But now, his attitude was rather welcome to me.

If he was going to treat me like he was observing an ant crawling on the ground, then my task was clear.

I slowly lifted my right foot from the back and moved it forward, then positioned my left foot at the back.

The distance between us was still so great that I would need to take at least thirty more steps to reach him.

“Even a worm would move faster than that.”

As if even folding his arms had become boring, Fafnir pulled out only his right index finger from that position and scratched his chin with it, not stopping his mockery.

I showed no reaction to his provocation.

I just stopped briefly in place.

“Haaah!”

I simply completed my routine by exhaling quietly and releasing the heat building up inside me.

The preparations were complete.

I was ready to take the first step needed for the ultra-fast footwork technique that mimicked Shizu’s foot movements, which allowed her to close distances instantly without disrupting my energy sense.

“Hmm…!”

Fafnir, who had been scratching his chin, seemed to detect the fighting energy boiling up in my body and immediately unfolded his arms to take a stance to respond to my movement, but.

Thud thud thud thud.

It was a bit too late for that.

As I stepped forward with my left foot, my body dashed at a speed reminiscent of an arrow just released from a bowstring.

In my vision, which had closed the thirty-step distance to the point where it had no meaning, I could see Fafnir raising his arm to protect his head.

Although I had entered in an instant, perhaps due to my heightened consciousness, everything felt slow.

Having closed the distance, it was now time to attack.

I could deliver a fatal blow, but instead of maintaining the high stance which would require a large cutting motion, I twisted my sword to the side to cut at his waist.

Seeing me suddenly change my stance, Fafnir also hurriedly lowered his arm to block my sword, but.

“Haaah!”

I was faster in swinging my energy sword to cut through the armor covering his body.

Whoosh-!

As the trajectory of my sword, which extended smoothly without any resistance compared to any cutting motion I had performed in the training ground, reached its intended destination.

Clang-!

A clear metallic sound rang out, and the time axis that had felt slow returned to its original acceleration.

‘Tsk.’

Though I felt everything was perfect, it seems my energy sword touched Fafnir’s armor but couldn’t completely cut through it.

Instead of the sensation and sound that would come from cutting through flesh and blood, there was a loud noise like metal meeting metal.

I clicked my tongue involuntarily and tried to take a stance to respond to his next attack, but.

Clap clap clap.

My movement was dumbfoundedly halted by the sound of applause from Fafnir, who had effortlessly received my attack with his armor.

The eyes in his unpleasant face guard, where his expression couldn’t be seen, had returned to their golden color.

“Now that’s an attack I can appreciate.”

His voice, as he continued clapping, finally carried a tone of satisfaction.

“It was impressive enough to briefly remind me of when that woman split my body in two a thousand years ago.”

When his body was split in two?

Is he referring to that scene from the dream or vision I had a few days ago, which was unclear whether it was a dream or an illusion?

Various doubts began to invade my mind, but.

“Take this.”

Now I had to move to catch something that he suddenly stopped clapping and threw toward me.

I hurriedly extended my left hand to catch what he had thrown and checked its contents.

“…A ring?”

It was a plain ring made of gold, without any complex engravings or craftsmanship.

Is this bastard seriously giving me such a simple thing as a gift?

I was about to open my mouth to question him in sudden anger, but.

“Wear it on your right index finger.”

At his solemn voice, I put aside the irritation I had felt at the ring’s simplicity and put it on my right index finger.

“Now channel your fighting energy into the ring.”

Following his instruction, I directed my fighting energy into the ring in a similar way to how I operated my energy sword.

“Wow…”

An impressive sight unfolded, enough to make me involuntarily gasp.

The gold ring on my index finger changed its appearance to the form of a snake biting its own tail, surrounded by flames that looked dizzying just to look at.

I was momentarily startled and tried to protect myself with hardening techniques, but the flames from the ring did not harm my body.

“Its name is the Ring of the Nibelung.”

…A curious name.

Even searching through my memories from before my regression, I’ve never heard of it.

“If there comes a time when you need to protect your body from evil, surround that ring with fighting energy and call my name.”

Fafnir, who had somehow approached me, raised his hand and lightly patted my shoulder.

“I’ll summon you from time to time, so show me results.”

…Delivering what could be interpreted as a terribly frightening statement in such a nonchalant manner.

I was curious why a being known in history as an evil dragon was being so kind(?) to me and was about to open my mouth to ask the reason, but.

“My body feels stiff after stirring about for the first time in a thousand years. I need to rest, so you should go now.”

He dismissed me with a wave of his hand, not giving me time to speak.

Before I could open my mouth to say anything, my consciousness, along with my vision, became blurry.

“…This is disorienting.”

And suddenly I was back in my room.

Only the Ring of the Nibelung, now returned to an ordinary gold ring on my right index finger, told me that everything I had just experienced was not a dream but reality.