ILDBL 9

Chapter: 9

At Adolf’s question, Karina replied with an indifferent expression.

“It’s nothing special.”

“Still, we should know each other’s strengths if we’re going to help one another. Right? What is it?”

Spilling your abilities with your own mouth—how stupid.

Well, maybe she was just throwing out a smokescreen with a fake ability. You’d find out if you watched long enough.

Revealing your abilities to someone who could become an enemy was the same as laying your cards on the table.

Karina smiled faintly and said,

“Like Denian, I can enhance my physical body.”

Well, strengthening the body with inner energy wasn’t exactly a lie.

Denian stared up at Karina again.

What now—why are you looking at me like that?

Of everyone here, that brat might actually be the one she needed to be most wary of…

Beside Denian, Ariel clapped her hands together with an innocent expression.

“Ah, I knew it was physical enhancement. I thought your stamina and reflexes seemed better than before.”

Adolf laughed heartily and chimed in.

“Nice. Two people with physical enhancement abilities. Honestly, even if that kid had it, I didn’t think he’d be much help.”

That was a pretty blatant dismissal.

Karina glanced sideways. Denian was just standing there blankly, his expression unreadable.

This kid really never talks—impossible to tell what he’s thinking.

Just then, Ariel clapped her hands again and spoke brightly.

“Since it’s come to this, why don’t we suggest cooperation to Isaac and the others too?”

Adolf scratched his head with an awkward look.

“Ah… actually, I already asked Isaac and the others first. They said they’re more comfortable working alone.”

So that’s why he came over here—after getting rejected.

“I see. That’s too bad. If we worked together, we could pass the test much more easily.”

“Yeah, exactly. Haha.”

Watching Adolf laugh boisterously, Karina scoffed inwardly.

I wonder how long this relationship will last.

“Since Eric is busy today, I’ll be in charge of training.”

Karina clicked her tongue internally as she looked at the man standing proudly with his chest puffed out—the Iron-Blooded Demon Emperor, no, Largo.

It was obvious at a glance that this Eric fellow had dumped the job on him because he couldn’t be bothered.

“Today, you’ll spar in pairs.”

Sparring.

One of the countless drills she’d done back at the Black Blade Hall of the Demonic Cult.

It felt strangely nostalgic.

Karina’s opponent was a boy named Gerrard.

One of those kids with no standout abilities, so forgettable he barely registered.

Gerrard seemed to be thinking the same thing as he looked at Karina and sneered confidently.

“I hear you teamed up with Adolf?”

His tone was clearly picking a fight. Karina replied flatly.

“For now, yeah.”

“Weaklings sticking together doesn’t change much, but good luck anyway.”

Looks like he thinks he’s pretty strong.

Karina tilted her head, her expression unchanged.

“Are we sparring with words?”

Gerrard’s eyes flashed as his temper flared.

“How arrogant!”

As Gerrard charged in, Karina lightly deflected his wooden sword to the side and twisted her body. Having lost his target, Gerrard stumbled forward and fell flat on his face.

Karina walked up behind him and, before he could even push himself up, pressed the tip of her wooden sword firmly into his shoulder.

“You just got your back stabbed by a weakling.”

“Gah!”

Furious, Gerrard grabbed a stone from the ground and hurled it at her without even getting up.

Seeing the move clearly, Karina tilted her head and easily dodged the stone.

But the rock that flew past her shoulder suddenly changed direction and shot back at her at an even faster speed.

Ah—so he uses wind.

She dodged in a hurry, but the stone, propelled by wind, grazed her cheek.

Blood trickled down her face.

[Leader!]

At that moment, an overwhelming killing intent erupted.

Not from her—but from the Iron-Blooded Demon Emperor, Largo.

The ferocity of it was so intense it felt like he might snap Gerrard’s neck on the spot. Karina let out a sigh.

What’s with the overreaction?

[Don’t interfere.]

[How dare that piece of trash lay a hand on the Leader—!]

So it’s fine if you hit me, but not if someone else does?

What, am I your personal punching bag?

[I said don’t interfere.]

Only then did Largo withdraw his aura.

Karina wiped the blood from her cheek and smiled gently at Gerrard.

“Shall we continue the spar?”

A short while later, Gerrard lay sprawled on the ground, completely wrecked.

“So Karina really does have a physical enhancement ability! She’s insanely strong!”

Ariel exclaimed dramatically, eyes wide in shock.

Denian stared at Karina silently from the side.

Did he realize it wasn’t just simple physical enhancement?

No way. A kid who doesn’t even know about inner energy couldn’t possibly tell.

Just then, Ariel tilted her head and muttered,

“But isn’t the instructor kind of strange?”

“What do you mean?”

“He suddenly said he’d train only Gerrard separately and made him stay behind.”

Karina pressed her fingers to her forehead and sighed.

“And he made him run a hundred laps around the clearing.”

“Aaah…”

Two-pyeong.

You idiot, Two-pyeong.

I told you not to make it obvious…

The fourth test day arrived before they knew it.

“Cadets, this test is very simple.”

Standing behind Eric, Largo winked at Karina.

I told you not to do that crap.

Eric turned his head toward Largo.

“Junior.”

“Yes—yes, sir!”

Largo hurriedly handed over the paper he was holding.

When Eric unfolded it, an unfamiliar drawing appeared.

On closer inspection, it was something close to a map.

A massive black mountain range stood out prominently over the territory of Duke Batius.

“The mountain range you see here is the Darkdain Mountains, known as the Wall of the North.”

The children began to murmur.

“The Darkdain Mountains? Isn’t that where monsters swarm?”

Karina remembered hearing about it briefly from Ariel.

A place the Batius ducal family had guarded for generations to prevent monsters from descending south.

If House Batius weakened, they would no longer be able to stop the monsters of Darkdain.

That was precisely why the imperial family and other ducal houses couldn’t attack Batius recklessly.

Strictly speaking, they needed Batius as a shield to control the monsters.

“Your test is to reach the summit of the Darkdain Mountains within three days.”

At Eric’s words, the children erupted again.

“That’s impossible…”

“This is supposed to be a simple test?”

Isabella, who had just come out of two weeks of solitary confinement, screamed at the top of her lungs.

“This is insane!”

Her face had grown noticeably gaunt.

Eric calmly folded the map, smiling faintly at the panicking children.

“At the summit, Largo and I will be waiting. Good luck.”

With that, Eric and Largo left the room, plunging the children into chaos.

Then Isaac casually turned around, his hands clasped behind his head.

Everyone’s gaze followed him.

Isaac spoke with an exasperated look.

“Instead of whining, start moving.”

Cursing under his breath, Gerrard followed after Isaac.

Isabella also left the room, her expression burning with determination.

As the others departed one by one, only Karina, Ariel, Denian, and Adolf remained.

In the awkward silence, Adolf stepped forward as if trying to act like a leader.

“If we push too hard from the start, it’ll get rough later. Ariel’s physical ability isn’t great either.”

Climbing the Darkdain Mountains required stamina, but more importantly, they had to be prepared to fight monsters.

Among them, Ariel had the weakest combat ability.

“Let’s go slowly at first and get used to each other’s abilities.”

Seeing Adolf sigh, Ariel lowered her head apologetically.

“S-sorry…”

Karina scoffed inwardly at Adolf.

This guy really has no idea.

The core of this test is Ariel.

And exactly half a day later, the situation reversed—just as Karina had predicted.

“Ariel, over here! Me first, please!”

“Just a moment! Let me recover Denian first!”

Fast but with pitiful stamina, Adolf was practically clinging to Ariel.

Karina clicked her tongue, as if she’d known all along.

In this test, the most outstanding ability by far was Ariel’s.

Continuous recovery of stamina and mental strength was practically broken in a trial like this.

Even so, Ariel had her limits.

After restoring the whining Adolf, Ariel wiped her cold sweat and approached Karina.

“Karina, you should recover too—”

“I’m fine.”

Thanks to her use of inner energy, she wasn’t tired at all.

Besides, it wasn’t like she was using lightness skills or footwork—just climbing at an ordinary human pace.

As Karina checked the inner energy in her dantian, she felt a strange presence.

What is this alien, unfamiliar aura?

Before long, she realized its source.

“Kiiiiiiek—!”

What the hell?

 What’s with that monkey that looks like it overdosed on some elixir