Chapter 12

Mad Swordsman of the Shadow World (12)

The armory inside the training camp.

It was a place where rare spiritual medicines found on Hell Island and items with rather special abilities were stored.

It was not a place kept completely secret, but it was a hidden location unknown to the trainees.

And yet, for that armory to be mentioned by Theron, a trainee.

Bengle looked at Theron with an expression that was both flustered and extremely serious.

“How do you know about that?”

Depending on his answer, this could become a very serious problem.

If the boy had left the designated area and gone down into the basement of the training camp.

‘It wouldn't end with an ordinary punishment.’

Bengle narrowed his eyes as he looked at Theron.

But at Bengle's words, Theron.

“I happened to overhear the instructors talking about it by accident.”

“The instructors talked about the armory?”

“They weren't speaking to me. I remember them simply having a conversation while passing in front of our room late at night.”

“Who was it?”

“...I'm sorry. I heard it while half asleep, so I don't know which instructor said it.”

Neither good nor bad.

But it was a plausible enough excuse.

It was common for instructors to chat with one another during night duty.

At Theron's answer, Bengle glared toward where the instructors were gathered.

Eight junior instructors were assigned to each section, and he had no way of knowing which one of them it had been.

“I'll speak with the instructors separately in my office later.”

“I-Instructor in charge. It wasn't me.”

“It wasn't me either, Instructor.”

“We'll talk separately.”

Bengle looked back at Theron.

“If you take first place, you want an item from the armory?”

“Yes.”

“Do you even know what kind of place that is? It stores things that trash like you couldn't obtain even if you offered up your lives.”

Bengle spoke to Theron with his usual sinister gaze.

“That isn't a fair trade even for both of your arms.”

“Then...”

“No, forget it. I don't believe for a moment that you bastards can take first place anyway.”

Bengle turned his gaze away from Theron and looked at the trainees.

Under his terrifying gaze, most of the trainees hurriedly avoided his eyes.

At the sight, Bengle curled his lips mockingly and spoke to Theron.

“Fine. If you take first place, I'll personally submit a request to Chief Instructor Berton. Even if that doesn't work, I'll pay you compensation within the limits of my authority.”

Bengle continued.

“But forget first place. If you fail to take third, then I'll definitely cut off your arms and make an example of you. This place has no need for someone who doesn't know his place.”

“...Understood.”

He seemed to desire a high ranking even more than Theron had expected.

‘Because among the instructors, that's power.’

Was this his way of venting after being looked down on as incompetent by the other instructors for so long?

The deal had worked out better than expected.

At Theron's answer, Bengle shot him a vicious glare before turning away.

And once all the instructors left with him.

“Y-You, you... crazy bastard!”

Renil shouted loudly at Theron.

Just how did he intend to deal with the aftermath after doing something so ridiculous?

But Theron pretended to cover his ears and turned his head.

Perka asked with a serious expression.

“What exactly are you thinking, Theron? Do you have some kind of plan?”

“...Of course.”

“What plan? What kind of plan is it?”

At Theron's words, Renil moved closer.

Perka and Tioren also looked at Theron curiously.

But...

“Before that, there's something we need to do first.”

“...?”

“Something to do?”

Perka tilted his head, and Theron walked toward where the trainees were gathered.

And at the center.

“From this moment on, anyone who won't follow my orders, come at me now. I'll take all of you on.”

He spoke while pointing at Palcote and the others who had attacked him in the Shadow Forest.

At those words, Palcote and his group looked utterly dumbfounded.

“You crazy bastard... if you managed to come back alive, you should be keeping your head down and crawling...!”

Palcote, whose arm had been wounded by Theron, glared fiercely and shouted.

But at that moment.

Thwack!

With a dull sound, Palcote's body flew into the air.

Yellow teeth scattered through the air and fell to the ground like kernels of corn.

Thud!

After Palcote crashed to the ground, he completely lost consciousness.

Then Theron looked at the remaining ones and spoke.

“Next.”

“Crazy bastard...!”

“We'll kill that bastard here today!”

Those who held grudges against Theron charged at him together.

There were as many as eleven of them.

But Theron slowly drew up his mana while watching the group charging toward him.

At this moment, he needed to imprint one thing firmly into the minds of the others.

‘Who...’

The leader of this place was.

Unfortunately, for now, it seemed he had no choice but to do this.

Eight out of fifty had died.

The other sections were probably in similar situations, but taking the underachievers of Section 5 and placing first in the next exam would not be easy.

Moreover...

‘Considering the nature of the exam... no matter what, every single person is valuable.’

First, it was important to crush them and establish the hierarchy clearly.

To do that, he could never afford to show weakness.

Theron recalled the experience he had gained in his previous life and looked at the one charging toward him.

Compared to Theron's smaller physique before, there would have been a considerable difference in weight class.

‘Now we're about the same.’

Well, even if they weren't, it wouldn't matter.

“You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!”

He was one of those who had aggressively attacked Theron in the Shadow Forest as well.

Was his name Balk?

Among the trainees here, his body was developed enough to rank near the very top.

Of course, judging by the fact that Theron did not remember him, he was probably one of the trainees who disappeared midway through training.

Theron looked at Balk at the front, as well as the others on either side of him.

Their expressions.

Their vicious eyes.

And where and how they intended to attack him appeared clearly, as though everything were moving in slow motion.

It was thanks to all of his senses having been explosively amplified when he absorbed the Blood Jade Fruit.

“Die!”

Swoosh!

Balk's fist shot toward Theron's face.

Balk had a fairly well-balanced muscular body, and his punch was both fast and powerful.

But just as Balk's fist extended fully.

“...!”

Theron took one step backward, and the boy's fist stopped exactly in front of Theron's nose.

He gritted his teeth and tried to reach farther, but.

Thwack!

“Guegh!”

Theron's fist swung upward from below and smashed into his chin.

Balk bit his tongue and flew backward with a bizarre scream, causing the boys on either side of him to flinch.

Balk went down that easily...?

But the moment they looked at Theron again, stars flashed before their eyes.

Smack! Thud!

Theron's fist and elbow struck their faces precisely.

The two collapsed to the floor without managing to do anything.

“...”

“...What the hell is happening right now?”

The other trainees watching could not hide their dumbfounded expressions.

Perka, Renil, and Tioren in particular unconsciously opened their mouths.

“A-Amazing...”

Renil swallowed the drool in his mouth and spoke.

Was this what people meant by movement that flowed like water?

Watching Theron move right now, it was almost as though...

“It's like he already knows... where they're going to attack?”

“I was thinking the same thing. Otherwise, is it even possible to move... like that?”

His movements looked choreographed, as though everything had been arranged in advance.

In an instant, four people, including Palcote and Balk, had been knocked unconscious. As the others flinched and began watching one another.

“Are you all useless idiots who can't do anything even when I give you the perfect chance? And after this, you're planning to scheme behind my back again?”

Theron looked around at the trainees as though they were pathetic and spoke.

Seeing him act as though he were turning everyone into his enemy made Perka, Renil, and Tioren's hearts pound.

Just how was he planning to deal with the aftermath...

But Theron looked at each trainee one by one.

“As you all saw, I made a bet with the instructor. I said we'd definitely place within the top three in the next exam.”

He was completely different from the Theron of before.

His atmosphere, his physique, and... the presence that overwhelmed the entire training ground.

Then, as though putting a final period on it, Theron spoke.

“If we fail to place in the top three and my arms get cut off, I swear on everything I have that I'll kill all of you. So before that happens, either kill me here... or follow me.”

The atmosphere turned cold.

It felt like a situation where even breathing loudly required caution.

But then.

“My name is Harganto. If we follow you, does that mean we'll be able to get a good result in the next exam?”

The boy stepped forward and asked.

Theron nodded.

“Yes. Of course, I'm aiming for first place, not third. And to achieve that, we'll have to push ourselves even harder in training from now on.”

“...Fine. I'll follow you.”

With those words, Harganto looked at the surrounding trainees and spoke.

“I, Harganto, will follow Theron. Of course, I still have doubts. But thanks to this bastard, one thing has become certain.”

The instructors' absurd beatings had disappeared.

“That alone makes me think he's done something for us. Is there anyone among us who could make such a reckless challenge with their arms on the line?”

At Harganto's words, the other trainees fell silent.

Because not a single thing he had said was wrong.

And then.

“I'll follow Theron too.”

“Me too.”

“Same here.”

Perka, Renil, and Tioren came closer to Theron as they spoke.

Then the heavy, cold atmosphere began to change strangely.

“...Then I guess I'll take the chance and trust him...”

“Honestly, just not getting beaten for ridiculous reasons anymore... would be nice.”

“I agree with that.”

“I'll follow him too.”

Then, one or two at a time.

As the other trainees stepped forward and spoke, before long, many people had gathered around Theron.

And finally, there were those standing far away, watching nervously.

“...Fuck, what do we do?”

“Ah... this is driving me crazy.”

They were the ones who had sided with Palcote and Balk and attacked Theron.

But Theron looked at them.

“I'll forget what happened in the past. But if anything unpleasant happens from now on, I will never overlook it.”

“...Are you serious?”

“You're just going to let it go? We tried to kill you.”

“Yes. I swear it in front of the other... comrades here.”

For a moment, the trainees' eyes trembled.

Because the word ‘comrades’ that came from Theron's mouth shook their hearts.

The hellish training and beatings they endured every day.

And in a situation where they were forced to keep each other in check and compete, they had never once thought that way.

And yet...

“...Comrades, huh.”

“Doesn't sound bad.”

“Yeah, come to think of it, fuck... they tell us to compete every day, but there's no reason for us to fight each other.”

In an instant, those who had been at each other's throats began coming together as one.

And at the center of it all.

‘...It's changing.’

‘Theron... is changing this place.’

Was Theron, completely different from before.