Chapter 66
On a certain afternoon, in an open area.
A woman was swinging her sword.
She was characterized by her short hair, a mix of black and golden hues.
With each swing of her sword, a sharp sound cut through the air.
Then suddenly, a voice echoed between the clashes of steel.
“Wow, you’re really working hard every day, aren’t you? Is this how you got into the Master level?”
At the same time, a rotund man with a somewhat greedy laugh appeared.
Yet, despite his arrival, the woman continued to swing her sword in silence.
The rotund man paid her no mind and plopped down onto a nearby chair in the training area.
“Or did you challenge Nakcheon and get wrecked, so you’re just here swinging your sword to forget about it?”
At that moment, the woman’s sword came to an abrupt stop.
Lakradiyon, known as the Light of the Demonic Bastion.
She was the only one in the Demonic Bastion to have reached the entry-level Master.
As droplets of sweat poured down her face like rain, her gaze slowly turned toward the rotund man.
Though her eyes conveyed discontent, the rotund man merely chuckled in response.
“Hey, don’t give me those beautiful eyes like that. It’s making me flutter.”
“Derrick, are you here to start a fight? I bet the place you got whacked last time still hasn’t healed.”
“No, I came to hear some news that’s likely to set Lakradiyon buzzing. Or maybe you’ve already heard.”
The man named Derrick let out a hearty laugh while rummaging through his pockets.
Then he pulled out a paper airplane and whoosh, sent it flying toward Lakradiyon.
When she caught the paper airplane, Lakradiyon unfolded it.
And soon realized it was an announcement.
“Can you believe it? The direct line of Balheim is challenging Nakcheon. They’re looking for people to join them for the fight.”
“…And what does that have to do with me?”
“Lak, you might miss your chance to challenge him again if this goes south.”
Lakradiyon’s eyebrows twitched.
She then tore the paper in a frustrated rip and tossed it to the ground.
“That’s none of my business.”
Derrick, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, sighed.
“Ah, Lak, I get it. I understand how you felt the day Nakcheon wrecked you. That guy is a disaster—a monster. And I know that all your training with the sword is just to overcome that monster.”
Derrick spoke earnestly, rising from his seat.
“But how long do you plan on being shackled by Nakcheon? That stubbornness is just pride. You could move on to a bigger world, you know.”
Once, he had been a comrade to her.
He felt pity that she had to live under the shadow of Nakcheon, the disaster.
“Think about it this time. Seeing Nakcheon fall could change your perspective a bit.”
With those words, Derrick left.
As Lakradiyon stared blankly after him, her gaze shifted to the torn announcement on the floor.
Nakcheon would be beaten, huh.
Lakradiyon swallowed a wry chuckle.
Sadly, Derrick’s words would likely never come to pass.
Because he was simply beyond skill—he was truly a ghost.
No matter how much she trained with her sword, she knew they would meet the same end as Balheim’s challenge.
‘…I just interrupted my training for nothing.’
Feeling a little miffed, she resumed her practice.
Time passed, and before long, night fell.
After swinging her sword until evening, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Grrr-
Feeling hungry, she thought it might be time for a snack.
Thus, she headed back to her usual room, freshened up a bit, and set out for a restaurant she often visited.
“Ha ha, that little brat just sitting there with his butler was the funniest thing!”
“Defeating Nakcheon isn’t some random person; it’s our Pendal Road, you know. Balheim is just taking a swing. Right, Boss?”
“Of course, don’t say something so obvious.”
Suddenly, hearing the raucous voices from deeper inside the restaurant, Lakradiyon raised an eyebrow.
‘Looks like I stumbled into some guests while trying to grab a late dinner.’
Well, this restaurant was known for having the best food in the Demonic Bastion.
It wasn’t weird that others were around.
But the fact that they were part of a crew known for their poor relations with her was troubling.
The crew, Pendal Road, gathered around the top-tier expert Pendal.
Just from naming the team after himself, it was clear how high his self-esteem was.
And rightfully so.
Within the Demonic Bastion, he truly reigned like a king.
“Hmm?”
As Lakradiyon entered, Pendal’s eyes landed on her.
With his grayish hair and wolf tattoo peeking through his shirt, he looked as though he had drunk quite a bit.
Upon seeing Lakradiyon, Pendal grinned widely.
“Wow, isn’t that Lakradiyon? Are you on your way back from training again today?”
Lakradiyon ignored him and continued walking inside.
Once she reached her usual seat, Pendal rose from the spot with a rather sly expression.
“Don’t be so prickly; let’s chat a bit. We used to be comrades, after all.”
With a bottle of alcohol in hand, Pendal approached her side, undeterred by her disregard.
“Did you hear? The direct line of Balheim is challenging Nakcheon—none other than the one whom even the Light of the Demonic Bastion hasn’t faced yet.”
“…”
“And rumor has it he’s still not even an adult. He’s been acting all high and mighty without even knowing who rules the Demonic Bastion.”
Seeing this, the Pendal Road crew quickly took action.
They warned the surrounding areas not to include the Balheim direct line in their recruitment notice.
Though their minions acted independently, Pendal made no effort to stop it out of his displeasure at Balheim marching around the Demonic Bastion.
“…The ruler of the Demonic Bastion?”
Finally, at that moment, Lakradiyon spoke up.
With cold eyes, she slowly turned to face Pendal, who babbled on indiscriminately.
The intensity within her gaze was so fierce that even Pendal momentarily stiffened.
“Where is the actual ruler? Pendal, you were with me the day we faced Nakcheon. Do you really think it’s impressive to have merely gone to the eighth floor of the Demonic Bastion?”
Lakradiyon had just reached entry-level Master.
And here she was, already over thirty.
In a world where countless people are training until death, becoming a Master is a challenge exceeded by only a handful.
And most of them struggle just to step out of the entry-level.
The transition from top-tier expert to Master is steep.
But even steeper is the transition from entry-level to intermediate.
Let alone that Pendal was still a top-tier expert.
Though he had some unique chances to compete with Lakradiyon, he struggled to even enter the Master level.
Yet here he was, putting on airs as if he were the ruler of the Demonic Bastion.
“Right? So what’s changed between you and me since that day?”
When Pendal asked, Lakradiyon’s lips sealed.
Pendal had given up on any further training and spent five years building Pendal Road, pretending to be the ruler of the Demonic Bastion.
In contrast, Lakradiyon still clung to her sword, past the age for marriage, continuously training.
Despite practicing every day since that fateful day, Lakradiyon remained at the entry-level Master.
And Pendal, who had concentrated on building his crew, was still just a top-tier expert.
Their levels hadn’t changed since then.
“Isn’t this the miserable reality? No matter what you do, you end up the same.”
Lakradiyon turned her gaze downward.
Even though it was a realm everyone admired—the realm of Masters.
Those who have actually reached it understand.
Ascending beyond is where true geniuses are separated from the rest.
Lakradiyon was stuck in front of that wall.
“Lak, wake up! Whether you or I exhaust ourselves, we’re ultimately trapped in this Demonic Bastion. Forever stuck here, unable to escape.”
Pendal said this, lifting the bottle of alcohol from the table once more.
“…But.”
At that moment, Lakradiyon spoke again.
“I will continue swinging my sword.”
Pendal, witnessing this, donned a deflated expression and shrugged.
“Ah, sure.”
Thinking it a wasteful expenditure of effort, Pendal turned back to his table, ready to resume drinking with his crew.
As he returned, he noticed an unusual silence among his crew.
A moment of confusion led his gaze to a person seated in the very spot he had just vacated.
“Looks like our chat is over, huh?”
“You…”
The moment Pendal recognized the person, he began to see through their identity.
With dark hair and blue eyes.
It was unmistakably Kraush Balheim.
The very direct line of Balheim that had come to the Demonic Bastion.
Pendal’s brows knitted together.
Kraush’s calm demeanor and the way he looked at him indicated he knew everything.
‘This brat knows I just disrupted his plans.’
With a pretentious swagger, Pendal approached Kraush, using his height advantage to project intimidation.
“What business does the direct line of Balheim have here?”
Upon hearing the name Balheim, Lakradiyon finally turned to look as well.
Regardless, Kraush casually stood from his chair.
“I’m quite a fair person.”
An oddly unprompted declaration came forth.
“But I have no mercy for those who interrupt me.”
“Haha, so are you proposing a duel?”
Pendal’s face was split by a smirk.
In Pendal’s eyes, Kraush was merely a newcomer at the entry-level to top-tier expert.
Given his age, he certainly had talent.
Of course he did.
He was a direct line of Balheim, after all.
But that also meant, on the contrary, that he was subordinate to Pendal now.
Even among top-tier experts, the difference between a beginner and an experienced one was significant.
Despite being blocked from reaching the Master level, Pendal stood at the very front of that wall.
It was evident that there was a difference in level between them.
“Top-tier experts are rare, aren’t they? You’d be quite the asset in the Balheim Order.”
At that moment, despite the threat from Pendal, Kraush’s calm words continued.
Seeing how Pendal understood his intention, Kraush smiled.
“So Pendal, I’d like to hire you into the Balheim Order.”
Pendal was momentarily taken aback.
The Balheim Order.
Being a king in the Demonic Bastion doesn’t even compare to being part of Balheim; that’s a completely different story.
Within the Demonic Bastion, Pendal has indeed faced knights beneath him treating him like a commoner, over and over again.
Yet he couldn’t act against them, caught in real trouble because of their family’s prestige.
But if he enters Balheim?
Every single knight who looked down on him would start to look up!
For a moment, greed flickered in Pendal’s eyes.
He had acquired enough might and wealth in the Demonic Bastion.
Now, it was only honor and prestige he sought.
“…Is that for real?”
“Absolutely. You can take all these guys with you.”
Pendal gulped hard at the prospect of joining the Balheim Order, including the whole Pendal Road crew.
Kraush slowly smiled as greed glimmered in Pendal’s eyes.
“I think a name like ‘Dog Squad’ would suit the Order perfectly. After all, barking loud is what fits you best.”
Yet, as soon as Pendal heard that, his eyes went stony.
A wave of wrath began to surface on his face.
“…Are you mocking me?”
Kraush turned to him with a completely serious expression.
When boasting he ruled the Demonic Bastion, he didn’t expect to be reminded of his double standards when faced with the proposal from Balheim.
Thus, he decided to make it clear.
“Yeah, I’m mocking you. Dumbass.”
Because he was skilled at provocation.
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