Chapter 160: The City Where Monsters Live (3)

Two youths collided in the center of the lot.

Their weapons were swords.

Not exactly masterworks.

Not something you’d find in any marketplace, but not of a quality to catch the eye of someone like Xanthos Bogen.

‘…Then what is it?’

He swallowed hard.

Yet his thirst wasn’t quenched.

His parched mouth betrayed the tension he felt.

Yes.

Xanthos Bogen, Count and the Nadan Kingdom’s second-strongest, who had witnessed hundreds, thousands of battles, was trembling at the fight of youths barely past twenty.

Boom!

Kaboom!

KABOOOOOM-!

The sound was different.

This wasn’t the clash of swords.

It was like mountains colliding, an immense roar echoing everywhere.

Sheer destructive power.

But that wasn’t all.

Precision.

Speed.

Sharpness.

In every aspect, the black-haired and blond youths displayed unimaginable prowess.

Bang-!

In mid-air, they unleashed aura at their feet, moving unpredictably like lightning.

Whooom-!

Thud-thud-thud!

Sometimes like a typhoon, deflecting all attacks.

The blond youth’s swordsmanship, shifting like wood or stone, was a model for knights.

Even Louis Alexandor, the kingdom’s top swordsman, couldn’t wield all seven fundamental attributes.

Three was his limit.

But even more astonishing—

The black-haired youth, fighting this exceptional blond, didn’t yield an inch.

‘No… he’s overpowering him!’

Swiiiiish-

The moment I looked at him, an inexplicable chill ran through me.

It was Harang’s signature “Ghost Play.”

Combining the ice variant of water and darkness attributes, his aura bewildered opponents and restricted onlookers’ movements.

It instilled fear like encountering a ghost in a dark winter mountain, making even Xanthos Bogen’s heart shrink.

“Um…”

“…What? Huh? You talking to me?”

“Yes. I called you.”

“Uh… Did you bring me here?”

“That’s right. I’m Glen. But… are you okay?”

A boy with a worried expression approached him cautiously.

Xanthos Bogen’s expression softened.

After facing monstrous figures for two days, talking to an ordinary boy was a relief.

‘Right, pull yourself together. I can’t look pathetic in front of a kid.’

Glancing at the youths’ battle, he swallowed hard and looked back at the boy.

The situation was still incomprehensible.

The blond youth’s oppressive aura was terrifying, and Harang’s grim aura was frightening, but he couldn’t keep showing weakness.

Forcing a smile, he thought—

‘Like when I act as a good lord before my people, put on a bold, gentle expression.’

Saying he was fine, patting the boy’s head, would make him seem composed even in this baffling situation.

…But then, Xanthos Bogen’s face twisted in shock.

He had no choice.

Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the boy clearly.

Then at the battle, and back at the boy with a puzzled expression.

‘…Why isn’t this kid affected by the aura these two monsters are emitting?’

Yes.

Strangely, this kid watched the battle calmly, as if unaffected by the thrilling or grim aura.

Of course, this was a misunderstanding.

Naturally, Glen had trembled and shivered the first time he saw their fight.

So had adults like Darren and Eddy.

The two monsters’ swordsmanship was like a natural disaster.

But after Gael repeatedly challenged Harang, the Eddy Mercenary Corps had “adapted.”

Like passing the “Trial of Overcoming Death’s Aura” with Harang, it was like “courage training.”

But—

‘What’s this? It’s terrifying!’

Xanthos Bogen didn’t know this.

So the kid seemed like a monster too.

A little monster with immense potential, staying sane among other monsters.

“Uh, uh…”

Unable to say “I’m fine,” Xanthos Bogen trembled.

Confused, Glen called for adults, and the Eddy Mercenary Corps officers approached one by one.

Xanthos Bogen was shocked again.

They too seemed unaffected by the youths’ fight.

‘W-Where am I? Is this a city of monsters?’

He scanned Eddy, Pale, and the others.

He couldn’t understand.

They looked like mere Experts, yet none showed fear of the battle.

That meant their skill was far greater than he perceived.

He began retreating to the opposite side.

Then—

Thud.

He bumped into someone.

Normally, he’d have roared at who dared collide with him, but now he could only turn cautiously, like a frightened herbivore.

And—

“Hey, it’s that guy from yesterday.”

“…!”

Meeting the eyes of the youth who knocked him out yesterday, he screamed silently and fled the Eddy Mercenary Corps’ hideout at full speed.

“What’s with that guy?”

“No idea. Why’s he acting like that?”

“Hagio, you know him? He seemed to react to you…”

“…We had a run-in yesterday. No lingering grudges, though.”

“Oh, I see. Getting beaten by you would scare anyone off.”

“Fair enough.”

“Bad luck running into Hagio.”

He didn’t hear.

Didn’t want to know.

The people left in the lot seemed to be talking about him, but Xanthos Bogen wasn’t curious.

He didn’t want to care.

He had to escape!

Shouting inwardly, he hurriedly returned to his inner district lodging, packed, and fled Marzen.

Crash!

“S-Sorry!”

He collided hard with someone, falling on his rear, but didn’t dare get angry and quickly rode back to the capital.

“But… thinking about it, that’s strange too. I bumped into a young woman, but I fell? Not her?”

Shudder!

Goosebumps ran through him.

He had no choice.

Everyone he met was stronger than him.

Every single one was monstrously strong.

The man, the kid, even the red-haired woman he bumped into had a stronger physique.

Marzen was a city of monsters, no exaggeration.

‘I’ll never, ever come back here.’

Vowing this, Xanthos Bogen spurred his horse faster.

And—

“…”

The red-haired woman, Maya, silently watching him, slipped quietly into Marzen’s night streets.

So subtly and cautiously that even my sharp senses couldn’t detect her.

***

Months passed.

Two full years since I came to the outside world.

My progress was ambiguous.

I’d found a clue to move forward but couldn’t fully integrate it into my swordsmanship.

‘Infusing emotions into swordsmanship… It’s not easy.’

People dominated by emotions sometimes displayed immense power.

A man gripped by rage showing incredible strength to kill his enemy.

Or performing impossible miracles to protect a loved one.

Philip Portville’s swordsmanship was similar.

Fueled by inferiority toward capital swordsmen and a desire to elevate his family’s honor, his sword unleashed tremendous power, defeating Ransel Grantz, who was a step above.

The key was that he didn’t let emotions dominate him—he dominated them.

‘Of course. Elements I can’t control are double-edged swords that harm me as well.’

Wooooooong-!

I manifested my Aura Sword.

It seemed simple, but it was the result of six fundamental aura techniques: Accumulation, Enhancement, Hardening, Sensory Awakening, Concentration, and Manifestation.

If any one failed, the aura would run wild, harming me instead of my opponent.

Emotions were the same.

They shouldn’t explode or flow uncontrolled but move as I directed.

Only then could I say I’d infused emotions, or will, into my swordsmanship.

The problem was…

‘…I don’t have deep, intense, vivid emotions to infuse.’

That was the issue.

Theoretically, I understood Philip Portville’s swordsmanship.

Honestly, mimicking it wouldn’t be hard.

With the answer nearly given, my talent wasn’t so poor as to fumble.

But without intense emotions to infuse, I was helpless.

It was like asking a body without aura to manifest an Aura Sword—nonsense.

‘I thought hatred for the village might work… but it’s not enough.’

Perhaps something like Zeb’s, Rank 4’s, rage toward the Red Magician?

That thought crossed my mind.

Of course, these could be excuses.

Despite my earlier words, even with limited aura, exceptional aura control could squeeze out an Aura Sword.

I had done so before mastering aura cultivation, producing more powerful Aura Swords than those with more aura.

‘That means even with limited emotions, I could advance my swordsmanship if I do it well… but it’s still hard.’

Phew, I sighed.

I knew it wasn’t easy.

But the lack of a proper environment for practice was stressful.

Unlike others, my aura corroded metal, so even slight attempts to infuse will melted my sword.

‘I can’t just use aura briefly in critical moments like during spars.’

A truly hopeless situation.

I missed Collector Neumann from Kalbaron.

What if I’d chosen a different sword then?

Though choosing the cursed sword gave me aura cultivation, making it more valuable, I couldn’t help regretting what I’d missed.

As I grappled with my slow progress—

“How’ve you been, Harang?”

The Mercenary King Austin visited Marzen.

With news I desperately wanted.

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