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The Black Sword Soldier who faced Yuri in the trial.
The way he looked at Yuri wasn’t much different from anyone else’s.
“Why on earth did Buljeol recommend a guy like this?”
Until now, all the candidates he had faced were called geniuses or prodigies.
But look at the guy in front of him.
“Has he even ever held a sword?”
A complete novice who didn’t even have the basics down.
That was the judgment the Black Sword Soldier made about Yuri.
But all those thoughts vanished the moment he faced the suddenly rising black form of a sword.
No, more accurately, he couldn’t think at all.
“What… is that?”
A black form of a sword flaring like smoke or flames.
Black eye sockets curved like a crescent moon and a large, wickedly torn mouth.
Encountering the sublime realm called “Avatar” for the first time, the Black Sword Soldier couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing.
“M-monster…?”
All he could do was call it a “monster.”
And when he stared into the sunken eye sockets of the monster, a terrible murderous intent washed over him.
—Die! Die! Die…!
The monster’s murderous intent became words, directly piercing the soldier’s mind.
It caused excruciating pain.
But the real ordeal was just beginning.
The intensity of the murderous intent grew stronger.
—Die! Die! Die! Die!
“……?!”
Even as a low-ranking member of the Black Sword Corps, he had undergone hellish training.
He had crossed the threshold of death countless times, and he believed he had the mental strength to overcome mere survival instincts.
But this intent was different.
It wasn’t something he could simply endure or resist.
—Die! Diiiiie!
The repeated intent struck his soul.
His body trembled uncontrollably, ignoring his will.
Clattering—his teeth chattering rapidly.
Paralyzed in the face of unstoppable fear, his thoughts went blank.
Only one thought filled his mind.
“I’m dying… I’m going to die… I’m diiiiieeeing!”
Clatter—
The sword slipped from the soldier’s lifeless hands, tumbling to the floor.
And the black monster…
Its torn mouth opened wide.
Kukyakya—!
The monster seemed to roar with laughter, swelling as it charged the soldier.
“W-what?!”
“Kyahaa!”
The black monster loomed fiercely in the sky, and the hapless soldier seemed completely helpless.
People expected the monster to devour him alive.
But at that moment.
Swoosh—
A gentle breeze blew from somewhere.
And then came a powerful gust.
Fwaaah—
“Ugh?!”
“W-what is this?!”
The strong wind whipped people’s hair, forcing some to turn their heads.
Those who didn’t look away witnessed a rare sight.
The pure white wind swirled around the black monster.
Swoosh—
—Krrrle!
The black monster struggled, trapped in the white wind.
The white wind constricted, and the black monster fought to break free.
It was as if a white dragon was trying to devour a black beast.
The fierce battle of black and white ended suddenly.
Bang—
The black monster couldn’t withstand the pressure and burst.
It disintegrated into a plume of smoke, dispersing into the air.
In the blink of an eye, everyone froze, unable to react.
Thud—
The Black Sword Soldier, saved from the brink of death, collapsed, eyes closed.
And there, standing in front of him, was Johan.
No one knew when or how he had appeared there.
Johan appeared as if by magic.
People instinctively realized one thing.
It was Johan Redner who had raised the white wind to save the soldier from being devoured.
“The master drove the monster away!”
“He saved the Black Sword Soldier!”
From the moment Yuri took the trial until the soldier fell, the sequence hadn’t been long, but the shocking events left the onlookers speechless.
Amid the suffocating silence, Yuri’s knees buckled.
As the boy’s body began to collapse.
Thud—
Yuri braced himself by planting his sword into the ground.
He gave Johan a small, amused smile.
“Interfering… isn’t that cheating?”
His strained voice was quiet, but everyone heard it.
Johan chuckled in reply.
“Can’t leave an innocent corpse lying around, can we? It’s my responsibility, right?”
“Well, fine… so… what’s the result?”
Johan gestured to the fallen Black Sword Soldier.
The spectators’ attention naturally shifted to the soldier, curious about his judgment.
In the midst of hundreds of gazes, the captain of the 8th Black Sword Unit finally spoke.
“Standard… judgment impossible.”
Impossible to judge.
It sounded irresponsible for a trial examiner, but after seeing that, no one could argue with the captain’s decision.
The 8th captain announced his evaluation after a moment’s glance at Yuri.
“Exceptional beyond rank.”
Following the captain, the other Black Sword soldiers gave their assessments.
“Standard judgment impossible, exceptional beyond rank.”
“Standard judgment impossible, exceptional beyond rank.”
Everyone, except the fainted soldier, agreed.
Even if the fainted soldier had been awake, he would likely have given the same evaluation.
After combining opinions, the 8th captain delivered the final verdict.
“Overall standard… pass.”
The captain produced a dragon emblem from his robe.
A black dragon emblem, identical to the one Johan had thrown earlier.
The captain felt nostalgic as he held it.
“I never thought the day would come that I’d personally hand this over.”
As examiners, the Black Sword Captains have various emblems to distribute.
Although countless candidates had received emblems, this was the first time the 8th captain issued a Black Dragon Emblem.
“The last Black Dragon Emblem… two years ago.”
Only nine people had ever held a Black Dragon Emblem.
Now, a new bearer had emerged in just two years.
“The tenth Black Dragon Emblem bearer.”
Not every master receives one, but the emblem guarantees a future master.
The 8th captain handed the emblem to Yuri.
“Congratulations on becoming the Black Dragon Emblem bearer.”
Yuri accepted it calmly and tossed it toward Johan.
Clack—
It landed near Johan’s prosthetic leg.
Everyone watching widened their eyes.
Yuri, unbothered, asked.
“…Old man, I passed?”
“I heard.”
“So, I passed by your standards too?”
“Seems that way.”
“Then it’s your turn to keep your promise. If everything you said to me was a lie…”
Cough—
Blood spurted from Yuri’s mouth.
Wiping his lips, he glared sharply at Johan.
“You better be prepared.”
A direct threat to a master.
Then Yuri’s vision went black, and his body collapsed like a wet doll.
Thud—
The crowd remained in stunned silence.
Only Johan smiled, speaking.
“Cheeky little thing, full of spirit.”
“Hmm…”
Yuri slowly regained consciousness.
The first sense to return was hearing.
Crackle—crackle—
The sound of burning firewood.
Then the smell of roasting meat reached his nose.
He opened his eyes in surprise.
“…Where am I?”
Blinking repeatedly, he cleared his blurry vision.
The familiar ceiling came into view, illuminated by a crimson fire.
And he realized where he was lying.
“…My… cave?”
It was the hideout he had used for the past six months.
A cave on the cliff outskirts of the Irons estate, hard to find and even harder to enter.
The problem: no one knew about this hideout.
“How did I… get here?”
He had no memory of walking there himself.
As he stared blankly at the ceiling, memories of the trial flashed through his mind—
The Black Sword Soldier, the dragon trial, and the deal with Johan Redner.
Yuri sprang upright.
Cough!
Coughing from the sudden movement, he clutched his chest.
Then a familiar voice reached his ears.
“You’re lively for a kid. If it were me, I’d have been bedridden for days.”
Cough!
After checking his condition, he realized he was unusually healthy.
Turning his gaze, he saw the fire and the guest nearby.
“Old man… how did you know?”
“How could I not, I followed you.”
“Since when?”
“Since you were chasing random kids down the alley?”
Meaning Johan had been tailing him since yesterday’s scuffle with Durtz.
Yuri looked at him, dumbfounded, but Johan remained unfazed.
“What were you thinking, making your home in such a dangerous place?”
“I didn’t want someone strict like you involved,” Yuri replied.
“Quit whining. Carrying you here while you were out cold is my duty.”
Yuri went silent, and Johan gestured.
“Now that you’re awake, eat this.”
Johan handed Yuri roasted meat.
Starving, Yuri quickly sat up, grabbed the meat, and devoured it.
Johan began eating his share.
Crackle—crackle—
Soon, only the sounds of fire and two people eating filled the cave.
After finishing, Yuri wiped his greasy lips and asked.
“Old man, don’t we have some business to settle?”
His eyes glinted sharply.
