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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 6
“Wait a moment.”
Vice Commander Melin intervened with a troubled expression.
“Rather than that, wouldn’t it be better to find a more suitable opponent? You do realize that Teren is at the 2-Star level, don’t you?”
2-Star.
It was a shocking revelation.
After all, Teren was only thirteen years old.
Typically, even those who trained in swordsmanship or magic from childhood would not reach the 2-Star level until their twenties.
Many lacked the talent to ever reach that threshold at all.
“There are plenty of squires in this order. They should be more appropriate to spar with you, Young Master.”
Melin thought to herself that even a squire would be more than enough to give Chris a thorough beating.
“No, if I’m going to prove my qualifications, I should do it properly. I want to fight Teren.”
“!!”
“Well, Teren, what do you think? I have a feeling you’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this.”
Chris spoke lazily.
“Unless… don’t tell me you’re afraid of your older brother?”
Teren ground his teeth.
In his mind, he could hear the last thread of his patience snapping.
“…I accept the duel.”
Vice Commander Melin let out a sigh.
But deep down, she thought this was for the best.
‘If it’s Young Master Teren, then whatever happens, it won’t be my responsibility.’
If a knight of the Black Swamp Order seriously injured that wastrel in a duel, it would put her in a difficult position.
But since Teren was his brother, this was simply a family dispute.
No matter what happened, her burden would be lighter.
‘He already despises his wastrel brother, so he won’t go easy on him. Ideally, he should cripple a leg or two… though Young Master Teren might be too softhearted to go that far.’
Like any true demon, she held nothing but contempt for the weak.
And wastrels like Chris were the absolute worst.
‘A worm like him dares to step into the domain of the Black Swamp Order?’
The other knights shared her sentiment.
“Young Master Teren, crush that bastard!”
“If he can still walk after this, we’re doing special training today!”
Amid the fervent cheers, the two stepped into the training ground for their duel.
As Chris had requested, it would be a barehanded fight with no magic.
“How dare you….”
Teren gritted his teeth, his aura seething with hostility.
Chris turned to Vice Commander Melin.
“What are the rules? Until one of us surrenders?”
“No.”
Melin shook her head.
She knew that worthless wastrel might just surrender the moment he got hit.
“That would be too boring. The fight ends only when one of you is completely incapacitated.”
It was a rule clearly designed to put Chris at a disadvantage.
The demons whistled in delight. The atmosphere was practically festive.
Everyone eagerly awaited the moment Chris would be beaten to a pulp.
“You heard the rules, right? What are you going to do now?”
Chris shrugged.
“They’re saying you’re in for a serious beating.”
“!!”
Teren’s face flushed red again.
Just as his anger boiled over and he was about to speak—
Something unbelievable happened.
Smack!
Chris’s fist slammed into Teren’s face.
Blood splattered, and Chris smirked.
“What are you standing around for? The fight’s already started.”
* * *
To be honest, this was practically cheating.
A duel with no magic, fought with bare hands?
‘Under these conditions, I doubt there’s a single demon knight in the entire Black Swamp Order who could be my match.’
As a demon, he hadn’t even reached the 1-Star level.
But if measured by the standards of the Light faction—what they called the Stellar Radiance rank—he was already a 3-Star knight.
Meanwhile, Teren had just barely reached 2-Star.
Chris had been far superior from the very start.
And before his regression, he hadn’t just been at 3-Star—he had reached 4-Star.
‘At 4-Star, you could aim for a vice commander or top executive position in a mid-tier knight order.’
That wasn’t all.
He had also undergone a complete rebirth.
He might still look scrawny due to his lack of muscle, but inside, he was tougher than anyone.
And no matter how much of a prodigy Teren was, he was still just a thirteen-year-old kid. Could he really stand against Chris?
‘Not a chance. He should go back to drinking his mother’s milk—ah, wait, we have the same mother.’
Chris quickly abandoned that train of thought and swung his fist again.
Smack!
Teren’s head snapped backward.
Without giving him a chance to recover, Chris closed the distance.
His knee slammed into Teren’s abdomen.
As Teren instinctively doubled over from the pain, Chris swung his fist upward.
Smack!
With a crisp sound, Teren collapsed onto the ground.
“…….”
“…….”
The training ground fell into silence.
Everyone stared at Chris with wide eyes.
It was as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing—unable to process reality.
“What… just happened?”
“Did Young Master Teren let his guard down?”
“So that must be it, right? Otherwise, it wouldn’t make any sense.”
Teren seemed to think the same.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself back to his feet.
But he was already in bad shape.
His face was covered in blood, his head was ringing, and his legs were trembling slightly.
“W-What kind of trickery is this?”
“Trickery?”
“Otherwise, there’s no way I could lose to you, Brother!”
Teren shouted furiously.
Chris scoffed.
“You think this is trickery? Then—”
Smack!
Another punch landed.
“—you’ll need more of it.”
Smack!
Blood trickled down from Teren’s nose.
‘Hmm, maybe that was a bit much.’
There was a reason Chris had deliberately picked Teren.
‘He needed a proper beating.’
If left alone, he would just keep yapping endlessly, becoming an annoyance. Chris had taken this opportunity to shut him up.
Well, sometimes a good fight could strengthen the bond between brothers, couldn’t it?
Of course, in this case, Chris was the only one throwing punches.
‘And there’s another important reason.’
Chris deliberately provoked Teren for that purpose.
“You’re bleeding a lot from your nose. Hey, you’re not crying, are you? Oh, my bad… Want me to blow on it for you?”
“Graaah!!!”
Teren let out a scream—whether it was rage or a wail, it was hard to tell.
Finally, he did exactly what Chris had intended.
Flash!
Dark energy engulfed Teren’s fist.
He had unleashed his demonic energy.
“Graaaaah!!”
Losing all reason, Teren threw a punch at Chris, his fist coated in black aura.
The demons of the Black Swamp Order belatedly realized what was happening and panicked. Even Vice Commander Melin flinched.
‘If that punch lands, he’ll die!’
No matter what, Chris dying here would put her in an extremely difficult position.
But it was too late to interfere.
Melin’s face went pale.
However, at that moment, Chris flashed a subtle grin, unnoticed by anyone else.
‘Bingo. He reacted just as I wanted. I was wondering what I’d do if he kept holding it in like some noble fool.’
Everything had gone exactly as planned.
Chris glanced at Vice Commander Melin.
‘Now, watch closely. See how I handle this.’
Through this duel, he intended to catch Vice Commander Melin’s eye.
Melin was a demon from the main house of the Dark Demonic House.
Moreover, in the Age of Ruins, he would become a figure who would reach the realm of a 6-star Master.
The method was simple.
All he had to do was display something utterly shocking.
‘For someone weaker to face someone stronger, the method is simple. Just let the power flow past you.’
The problem was that this only worked if there was a certain level of balance in strength.
If he touched demonic energy with his bare hands, he would suffer a fatal wound before he could even redirect it.
So, Chris used a different approach.
He glanced at Teren’s eyes.
Teren, having lost his reason, looked startled by the fact that he had launched such a lethal attack.
Was it because of that hesitation?
The flow of his demonic energy was unstable.
This time, Chris focused his gaze directly on the demonic energy.
The incoming energy flickered like flames.
Within that erratic dance of power, a momentary weak point was exposed.
Chris did not miss that instant.
With his palm, he struck that weak point.
The impact shattered the demonic energy surrounding Teren’s fist.
“…Huh?”
Teren’s eyes widened in shock.
And that was the end.
Smack!
A punch landed.
The direct hit sent Teren flying backward, collapsing onto the ground.
He had lost consciousness.
“……”
The hall fell silent.
The demons of the order couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
“What just happened? Why did the demonic energy…?”
“Did Lord Teren withdraw his energy out of concern that brat might get hurt?”
That was the only explanation they could come up with.
Because striking the weak point of an oncoming demonic energy attack and dismantling it—
That was something completely beyond their understanding.
However, there was one person whose reaction was different.
The strongest presence in the room—Vice Commander Melin.
Her expression had hardened.
Her eyes, filled with shock and disbelief.
‘It worked.’
Seeing Melin’s reaction, Chris smirked inwardly.
“Would this be enough to qualify?”
“…Yes.”
Melin slowly spoke.
She was trying her best to conceal her surprise, but Chris could clearly see what was running through her mind.
Chris flashed a bright smile.
“Then, I’ll be in your care from now on.”
It was time to start draining the Black Swamp Order dry.
* * *
From that day on, Chris trained alongside the Black Swamp Order in the training grounds.
However, he wasn’t undergoing the same training.
They were in the same space, yet completely separate.
While the members of the Black Swamp Order followed their regimented knightly drills, Chris trained alone, focusing on basic physical conditioning.
Though he didn’t cause trouble as the demons had feared, his presence was still an annoyance, and they scowled at him.
“It’s like a pesky fly buzzing around.”
“He’s quieter than I expected, though.”
“Even a brat like him knows his place. He wouldn’t dare make a scene in the Black Swamp Order.”
“Let’s see how long this act of diligence lasts. Two days?”
“I say one.”
“Half a day.”
Even after defeating Teren, the demons’ assessment of Chris remained harsh.
They believed he had won through trickery.
Even the moment when he neutralized Teren’s demonic energy was misunderstood as Teren holding back.
“If only I had stepped in instead of Young Master Teren. I would’ve put that brat in his place.”
As the demons grumbled amongst themselves—
A cold voice cut through their chatter.
“Standing around gossiping? Seems you all have time to waste.”
“Vice Commander?”
“If you have time for idle talk, put it into swinging your swords instead!”
At Vice Commander Melin’s sharp reprimand, the demons tilted their heads but quickly refocused on their training.
She was sharper than usual.
‘What’s gotten into her?’
‘Is she irritated because of that brat?’
They were half right.
Melin’s expression hardened.
‘That duel… What the hell was that?’
From the very beginning, she had been deeply shaken.
Because of Chris.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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