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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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Chapter 210: The Young Genius (1)
***
Damien was slightly impressed.
While he hadn’t exactly been hiding his strength, he hadn’t expected Rachel to recognize him as a Master Class at a glance.
Indeed, her senses were as sharp as befitting the future Sword Empress.
“Ah, you… are you really Sir Damien?”
“I didn’t think there was another person in the world who looked like this.”
Damien said, mixing a bit of a joke into his words. At this, Rachel’s eyes widened.
“This arrogant tone… you must be Sir Damien!”
“Who’s being arrogant to whom here?”
“How long has it been since we met up and you became a Master Class… this is ridiculous! I worked my ass off to become a High-Class!”
Rachel exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief.
In truth, for her age, becoming a High Class was already an incredible feat of growth.
The problem was that she was comparing herself to Damien.
“I thought I could finally avenge my last defeat this time! But you have grown even further in the meantime! Does heaven really have no eyes?”
Rachel showed no signs of calming down easily. Damien decided to leave her alone for a while.
“Throughout history, the youngest Master ever was the Sword Saint, who became Master before the age of 18, and the Imperial Supreme Sword, who became Master at the age of 20…”
Youngest Master Class.
Damien had also coveted that title, but it was already too late.
After all, he had already been over 20 when he regressed.
“There are only a handful of people who have become Masters in their early twenties… and you…”
Before she knew it, Rachel was lost in her own world. It seemed that the shock was great.
“…It’s fantastic.”
Rachel suddenly looked up at Damien. Her eyes were gleaming ominously.
“It’s really the best that I can challenge a genius like you to a duel.”
Rachel gripped the hilt of her sword. In that instant, a fierce aura emanated from her.
It was similar to killing intent, but different. It was similar to hostility but distinctly different.
This was fighting spirit.
The emotion Rachel harbored was fighting spirit. In short, she was itching to fight Damien.
“You’ve seen what I’m capable of, and you still want to fight me?”
“Just fighting a strong person like you will broaden my horizons. I can’t miss this opportunity.”
Only now did Damien get a sense of what kind of person the Sword Empress was.
Despite her appearance as a typical noble lady, she was a ferocious battle maniac.
“…Brother, who is that woman?”
Just then, Michael asked from the side. Michael had a very tense expression on his face.
Even though they were both High Class, Michael was overwhelmed by the fighting spirit that Rachel exuded.
It was understandable that Michael was so overwhelmed.
‘In terms of talent, she’s more outstanding.’
In his previous life, Michael was also very talented in swordsmanship that he lost his motivation for life and lived a dissolute life.
After being defeated miserably by Rachel, he began to train again.
However, even after reaching Master Class, Michael had never won against the Sword Empress.
The Sword Empress was that much of a genius. She was so great that she would even compete for the title of Imperial Supreme Sword and Strongest Human in the distant future.
“You’re the successor of Duke Lichteawer.”
“Are you saying that that crazy… no, that dangerous-looking woman is the successor of Duke Lichteawer?”
It was no wonder that Michael was shocked.
The fighting spirit that the Sword Empress possessed had many strange aspects, even to Damien’s eyes.
‘Well, it’s only natural for a genius to be that way.’
Of the geniuses Damien had seen, none were normal humans. Except for Damien, that is.
“Damien, why are you standing still? Are you saying I’m not worthy of your time?”
Rachel said with an impatient face. It seemed that she was that much looking forward to a duel with Damien.
As it happened, Damien was also a little curious about how much stronger the Sword Empress had become.
Just as Damien was about to step forward to accept the duel,
“Lady Rachel yahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Someone burst out from behind with a thunderous roar.
He was a man of immense size with a thick beard on his face.
He was dressed in luxurious clothes, but they didn’t seem to suit him at all. It was like a bandit trying to imitate a nobleman.
“Sir Bradley? Why did you come out of the reception room instead of waiting…”
“Ah, how can you deceive me!”
“Huh?”
Rachel made a bewildered expression.
“You said you weren’t seeing any men! Then who is that guy!”
He pointed at Damien and shouted. Rachel and Damien both made dumbfounded expressions.
“N-no, what kind of misunderstanding is this… I’m not like that with that man!”
“You were looking at that man with a burning gaze just a moment ago, and you expect me to believe that?”
Tears fell from the man’s face.
“The reason you haven’t responded to my heart until now is all because of that man!”
“Absolutely not. So please don’t misunderstand…”
The man wiped the corners of his eyes with his thick forearms. Then, he strode towards Damien.
“My name is Bradley Heath! I would like to hear your name!”
“…My name is Damien Haksen.”
For a moment, Damien’s eyes widened. He remembered where he had heard the name Bradley Heath.
‘That’s the Fist King?’
During the War of Destruction, there were Master Classes in the empire who were called the New Generation and feared by the dark mages.
While relatively young compared to the other Master Classes, the new generation was already far more knowledgeable than their seniors.
This was because they were far more talented and skilled than the other Master Classes.
Among this new generation, one particularly powerful figure was Fist King Bradley Heath.
Having ascended to the realm of Masterclass as a swordsman, he was a man whose entire body was a weapon. Once he stepped onto the battlefield, no one could stop him.
At the same time, he was known to the world as a paragon of purity. This was because he had courted the Sword Empress for his entire life.
He had even gone so far as to change his title for her sake.
Originally called the ‘Indomitable Punching Bear’ he suddenly one day called himself the ‘Fist King’.
– Wouldn’t a man worthy of the Sword Empress be called the Fist King?
However, not everyone was pleased with this.
First of all, Fist King was not skilled enough to be the Sword Empress’s match.
While he had risen to prominence, he could not be compared to the Sword Empress, who was considered a candidate for the strongest human.
Most importantly, he was too old.
The age difference between the two was over 12 years. With the Sword Empress now an adult, Bradley was already in his 30s.
Other than that, Damien had no information about Fist King.
This was because Fist King had been killed by Pandemonium before he met Damien.
“Damien Haksen? I’ve heard of you. I’ve heard that you are a representative High-Class of the Apple Kingdom….”
Bradley Heath stared at Damien intently.
“Master Class? Surely you’ve been hiding your true strength?”
“That’s not it. On my way to the Empire….”
“No, that’s not important. I have a favor to ask of you.”
At that moment, Damien felt a foreboding sense that he was about to be embroiled in something troublesome.
“I would like you to duel me here.”
“…Why me?”
Damien looked at Bradley with a dumbfounded expression.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? To impress Lady Rachel, of course!”
“Impress?”
“Yes!”
Bradley pounded his chest as he spoke.
“Women are attracted to strong men, you know!”
Damien glanced at Rachel. He asked her with his eyes if she agreed with this statement.
Of course, Rachel shook her head from side to side.
Now he understood why the Sword Empress had avoided the Fist King in his previous life.
The man was ridiculous, but on the other hand, Damien was also curious.
He wondered just how strong the man who had called himself the Fist King in his previous life really was.
“Fine.”
“Really?”
“They say that even dead people grant requests, so how can you refuse a request from a living person?”
Damien took a step.
Just then, the air around them grew heavy. It pressed down on the Fist King like a lump of coal.
“…!”
The Fist King’s eyes widened. But that was only for a moment.
“…Hoo!”
The Fist King took a deep breath and gathered his strength.
The auras of Damien and the Fist King clashed in the air. The air was pushed away, creating a wind.
“Impressive. There aren’t many Master Classes who can match this body of mine.”
“The world is a big place, after all. So, where do you plan to do it?”
“Follow me. There’s a training ground prepared outside.”
That’s when Bradley said,
“Kreeeaaaah…”
The man who had been carried on the soldier’s back groaned strangely and stretched.
“Ugh, ugh… My stomach is churning… I think I’m going to puke…”
The man got off the soldier’s back and fell to the ground. He fell to the ground and dry heaved.
“Ugh… Where am I now?”
The man looked around. Then he spotted Damien and Bradley Heath.
“Oh ho?”
Suddenly, the man approached the two. He examined their bodies and exclaimed repeatedly.
“Oh ho, oh ho, oh hoho.”
“Who are you… Hey, Don’t touch me!”
The strange man began to run his hands up and down Bradley’s body. Bradley freaked out and shook the man off.
But the man dodged Bradley’s gestures and touched all parts of his body.
“Excellent. You’re thoroughly trained. I can see how much excruciating effort you’ve put in.”
“It’s hard to find an opponent based on physical ability alone! It’s the most ideal fighter’s body!”
“It seems like it’s been a while since you reached Master Class. You’ve grown so much in that time. I have high hopes for the future.”
The man nodded and exclaimed.
Only then did Bradley realize that the man was no ordinary person.
“…Who are you, sir?”
“Me? I gave up my name in the old days. But everyone seems to understand when I say this.”
The man replied to Bradley’s question, pushing back his bangs that covered his face.
“They call me the Sword Saint.”
***
The surroundings fell silent at the man’s introduction.
“That sounds like a lie.”
“I think, he is lying.”
“It’s a lie.”
No one believed the man’s words. The man was shocked by the reactions around him.
“Ah, no, I’m serious. I’m the Sword Saint…”
“I’ve seen Sword Saint from afar once.”
Bradley said, glaring at the man with a fierce look.
“Even at the age of over 80, he looked as young as a young man. But you look like you’re in your middle age.”
“Ah… so that’s why you didn’t recognize me.”
The man chuckled bitterly.
“Just wait a moment.”
Suddenly, the man gathered his mana. In an instant, a huge wave of energy erupted.
Even though it was just a wave, people felt as if their whole bodies were shaking. They could see frightened birds flying out of the windows.
Steam rose from the man’s body. At the same time, his face changed.
Wrinkles disappeared and his skin tone brightened. His cloudy eyes became clear.
In the blink of an eye, the middle-aged man had transformed into a young man.
“Uh…?”
“Oh…?”
Everyone’s faces were filled with astonishment.
Except for Damien, who was the only one.
‘He’s an amazing man, as expected.’
The Sword Saint.
The only transcended who symbolized the empire along with the Imperial Supreme Sword.
His realm was so high that he could even control the age of his physical body at will.
Damien had realized that the man was the Sword Saint early on.
That’s why he deliberately gave him water and brought him here. There weren’t many opportunities to do a favor to a great man like the Sword Saint.
The reason the Sword Saint was wandering the streets was none other than this.
The Sword Saint had long since surpassed the level of training where he wielded a sword.
What the Sword Saint needed to reach the next level was to refine his mental state.
For that, the Sword Saint was wandering the streets and living like a beggar.
“It seems you finally believe me.”
The Sword Saint said with a grin. Everyone’s heads nodded slowly.
“Well, I haven’t examined your body yet.”
The Sword Saint turned to Damien.
Since he was not a man who could be stopped anyway, Damien obediently spread his arms wide.
“Do as you please.”
“You’re a quick learner.”
The Sword Saint immediately attached himself to Damien and began to examine his body.
“Oh ho? Oh hoho?”
He exclaimed in admiration repeatedly. But that didn’t last long either.
All of a sudden, the Sword Saint’s expression hardened. Then he said with a dumbfounded look on his face.
“What the hell, is this guy crazy?”
***
The Sword Saint continued speaking with an incredulous expression.
“Judging by your unstable mana, it seems you haven’t been a Master Class for long. How did you manage to train your body to this level?”
“The Master Class’s bodies are strong, but… this guy is beyond the limit. I almost mistook him for a humanoid monster.”
“This isn’t just about having superior physical abilities. All of his bodily functions are optimized for combat. It’s like looking at a razor-sharp sword that’s been honed to perfection.”
“I feel sorry for anyone who has to face this guy as an enemy. It’s really chilling.”
After a long rant, the Sword Saint turned to Bradley and asked.
“Are you planning to fight this guy?”
“Yes, I am!”
“Give it up.”
The Sword Saint said bluntly.
“You can’t beat him.”
***
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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