Chapter 195: The Village’s Purpose (1)

Several months had passed since Harang reached the Sword Master realm. During that time, he trained so tirelessly that 24 hours a day felt insufficient, and his swordsmanship skills grew by the day.

Harang had always grown at a tremendous pace, thanks to talent surpassing most geniuses.

But recently, his progress was so remarkable it could hardly be considered human. Beyond adapting to the red Aura, he could now wield it freely with great skill.

‘Incredible. I felt a huge difference when I went from Expert to Graduate, but this is far beyond that.’

Ordinary swordsmen didn’t fully grasp the difference between an Aura Sword and a Color Sword. Not only was it rare to see a Master wield a sword, but a mere change in the Aura’s color didn’t intuitively convey what had changed.

What changes occurred when advancing from Expert to Graduate?

The incomplete Aura Sword, flickering like a mirage, became solid and sharp like well-forged metal. Even someone unfamiliar with swords could feel the clear evolution in power.

In contrast, the Aura’s color changing from grayish-white to red, blue, or yellow… didn’t feel as impactful compared to the former.

But now, months after reaching the Sword Master realm, Harang keenly felt that the utility of a Color Sword was far greater than he’d thought.

Boom!

Boom—!

Bang, boom!

First, destructive power.

Unlike the Head of the Seton Swordsmanship Hall’s Blue Sword, sharp and precise like ice crystals, Harang’s Red Sword caused fiery explosions with each clash.

This power, far surpassing merely enhancing Aura with fire attributes, was at least twice as strong as before breaking the wall, and with focused emotions, it could reach three to four times the strength.

But that wasn’t all.

Stopping his rapid sword swings, Harang focused on the energy within his body.

The red Aura, coursing through him like molten lava, wasn’t explosive like when fueled by rage but was far more stable, warmly embracing him.

It wasn’t just a psychological effect.

Like a bonfire warming a traveler freezing in winter winds, Harang’s bonfire-like energy protected him from external threats.

‘Before, I couldn’t fully wield my skills in front of Heitz or the Head of the Seton Swordsmanship Hall.’

Though he hadn’t fought them directly, having experienced their cold rage, he knew. Blue Sword wielders could freeze opponents just by manifesting their Presence.

Harang, having overcome countless crises since the village, could quickly muster his energy to resist, but it inevitably drained significant mental and physical strength.

But now, that was no longer necessary.

Like a high blessing from a Holy Kingdom priest, the ceaselessly surging bonfire power wasn’t Harang’s alone. It was borrowed from the bonds he loved in Marzen.

‘As long as I don’t betray my feelings for them, they won’t sever their feelings for me.’

With a smile blooming, Harang was about to swing his sword again when—

Swish.

“Is your training going well?”

“……It’s going alright. But there’s still a long way to go.”

The Beggar Old Man, no, the Sword Demon, appeared at the training ground and made a dumbfounded expression at Harang’s words.

He said:

“That’s absurd. Even I, who defeated all competitors to become the last Godok 40 years ago, only reached the Master realm in my mid-30s, yet you, who’s already surpassed the entry to Master, say such things?”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? The Village’s General Manager, not to mention the village’s master behind him… and Red Magician. There are too many mountains to climb.”

Harang replied with a serious expression.

It was true. He felt less pressured than before, but he still couldn’t afford to relax.

Even the Sword Demon before him, with his tremendous skills, had lived in hiding for years out of fear of the village, hadn’t he?

‘I’m still far behind Elder Sword Demon. I need to train even harder than before.’

Resolving himself again, Harang was about to continue training but changed his mind, looking at the Sword Demon and saying:

“Shall we have a spar? It’s been a while.”

“Hm, shall we?”

Crackle, crackle—!

As soon as he spoke, yellow sparks enveloped the Sword Demon’s body.

It wasn’t just for show. Enhancing his senses with the power of Thunder, he boasted superhuman reflexes and speed. It might be due to the difference in realms, but Harang personally found the Yellow Sword harder to face than the Blue Sword.

But the Sword Demon didn’t agree with his thoughts.

“If you meet the Village’s General Manager again, that thought will vanish completely.”

“……Is he that strong?”

Harang asked with a grave expression.

Of course, he’d known the General Manager was incredibly strong.

But he had no way of knowing how strong. Back then, Harang’s skills were too meager to gauge him.

‘But surely Elder Sword Demon could handle him?’

No.

The Sword Demon’s bitter voice turned Harang’s thoughts 180 degrees.

“He’s far stronger than me. Even from what I saw before escaping the village, and imagining how much stronger he’s become now is terrifying.”

“Is that so?”

“If we assume he hasn’t shown his full strength, he’s likely even stronger than I expect.”

“……Then I have no choice but to keep striving.”

Harang nodded calmly.

He wasn’t going to despair just because a hill had become a mountain. If he were that easily scared, he wouldn’t have started. The moment he escaped the village, he would’ve disfigured his face and fled to an unreachable wilderness to live in hiding.

Of course, the same applied to the Sword Demon.

In the past, fear of the village had paralyzed him, but not anymore.

Seeing Harang, Hagio, and Gael—youngsters who hadn’t lived half his years—bravely forging their own paths without hiding… it taught him a lot.

Crackle, crackle!

“Alright, shall we start?”

“Let’s do it.”

Pop!

Pop—!

Boom!

As soon as the words ended, the two swordsmen charged at each other, swinging their swords with tremendous force. The shockwaves spread in a circle, savagely damaging the surroundings.

Bang—!

Boom!

Crash!

A scene so terrifying it could be called a mythical battle!

Ordinary people watching would lose their lives. Even seasoned Experts wouldn’t have the capacity to withstand the domain of these two monsters.

But not for Gael, the former third-ranked Godok.

“…….”

Gael, who had been watching the Masters’ fight for a long time,

turned away before it ended. He felt there was no point in watching further. At first, he’d observed Harang’s training all day to fuel his jealousy, envy, rage, and inferiority, seeking stimulation…

‘For some reason, I’m not in the mood for that.’

Why?

Why was he so calm despite seeing Harang, whom he so desperately wanted to surpass, reach the Master realm?

At first, he didn’t know.

But after continuously examining his inner self, he began to understand.

The Sword Demon was right.

His drive to defeat Harang,

his relentless sword training with a do-or-die mindset, was a goal handed to him by the village, not himself.

‘But the orphanage children are different.’

Yes.

Though influenced by many things and swept up in countless moments, they chose their dreams by their own will.

Some wanted to become knights.

Some wanted to become magicians.

Some wished to become ordinary orphanage teachers, and others just wanted to laze around. Of course, they now knew nothing came without effort, so they worked hard, but regardless, none of the orphanage children entrusted their decisions to others.

That was a shock.

Though it might seem obvious to some, for Gael, who had spent over half his life in the village, it was like the laws of the world collapsing, giving him a profound realization and prompting him to ponder his true goals and path.

‘The orphanage kids helped me a lot.’

Just as children are influenced by adults,

Gael learned much from the children. Perhaps they were more experienced in life than him. At over 20 years old, he was only now taking charge of his own life.

Anyway,

in his view, the orphanage children’s dreams shared one thing in common:

None of them wanted a life of destruction or harming others.

This is where Gael’s pondering began.

To him, killing was as natural as eating three meals a day, but he belatedly realized that deep down, it felt uneasy.

Though raised as a Godok, he lacked the aptitude for it.

That was what he learned while helping at Hagio’s orphanage over the past few months.

“…….”

At this moment,

Gael resolved to end his long deliberations and share critical secrets about the village with Harang and the other village escapees.

“What’s that?”

“What’s going on?”

“…….”

Thus, Harang, Hagio, and the Sword Demon, who had recently revealed his identity, gathered.

Gael, scanning them with a stern expression, slowly spoke.

“From now on… I’ll tell you everything about the village that you don’t know.”

“Information about the village? All of a sudden?”

“What? If you had that, why didn’t you say so until now?”

Harang and Hagio asked in disbelief, and the Sword Demon, observing quietly, added a question.

“Beyond whether it’s late or not, I’m curious how you know information about the village. More than what I told you? How is that possible?”

“…….”

Gael remained silent for a while.

But after firming his resolve, he revealed the secret he’d hidden for so long.

“I… am a spy for the village.”

“……!”

“Hm!”

“Ugh…”

Everyone wore shocked expressions.

But what followed was even more astonishing.

“To be precise… the current village’s master is my father.”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.