"Who are you?"
"What?"
This guy…
I came to the Marquis's study at his summons, and this is how he greets me?
"Is that really you, Yuren? To change so much in such a short time…"
The Marquis examined me from head to toe, letting out repeated gasps of amazement.
"You're definitely my son. You're the spitting image of me in my youth."
"Your youth, sir?"
"When we're alone, you can call me Father."
"Alright…"
The Marquis, in high spirits, acted overly familiar, which caught me off guard.
"You've changed a lot. It must've been tough, but you've endured well."
"Thanks to your concern, Marquis."
I tossed out a polite, mood-lifting line, like a seasoned socialite.
"Come on, when I say call me Marquis, you call me Father, and when I say Father, you call me Marquis. You're a real contrarian, aren't you?"
"Haha."
I gave an awkward laugh. Honestly, "Father" didn't come naturally. Marquis was the best I could manage.
"Did Ilia leave?"
"Yes."
"That girl hasn't changed a bit. Still the same."
"Is that so?"
Not knowing Ilia's childhood, I just nodded.
"She said she won't break the engagement."
Her resolute eyes after my vow made that no surprise.
"I thought she'd come to end it, and I was ready to accept that. Quite unexpected."
Despite his calm tone and expression, the Marquis looked proud.
"You've always been full of surprises, usually the bad kind. But for the first time, it's a good one."
He gave me a warm smile.
"Do you know why I called you?"
"To train me as a knight?"
There was only one reason he'd summon me: to learn the sword.
"Haha, exactly. You're sharp now, too."
His face, still beaming, showed no sign of dimming.
"It's time you learned the Rox family's swordsmanship."
The Marquis's cheerful demeanor turned serious in an instant.
"Marquis, I have something to say."
"What, you've got other ideas?"
He already knows?
"You want to learn throwing techniques?"
"You knew?"
Did Arin tell him?
"I saw you throwing daggers at the training ground."
Not Arin—he'd been watching me secretly.
If he was sneaking around, no wonder I didn't notice.
"I don't know where you learned to mimic those throwing skills, but that's just a parlor trick."
"Parlor trick?"
"Yes. Throwing techniques are for petty thieves. Those daggers can't pierce knights' armor or monsters' hides and scales."
Was he watching me before I unlocked the Sichuan Tang Clan skills? Time to test the waters.
"If I practice diligently, I could get good results—"
"You can't even throw accurately."
He definitely saw me before the Sichuan Tang Clan unlocked. This makes things easier.
"You're a son of Willington Rox. You must have a talent for the sword."
No, I don't. Why does everyone around me have such high expectations?
"You call it a parlor trick, but with training, it can become a great skill."
"Hmph, stubborn as ever. A martial artist without aura is like a dull blade. Train your throwing for a hundred years, and you still won't pierce a Bolak's scales."
As expected from the South—Bolak comes up.
"How about this?"
"What?"
"If I subdue a Bolak with my throwing, I train my way. If I lose, I'll follow your orders."
"You want to make a pointless bet? You can't even hit a target."
"Then you're guaranteed to win, so take the bet."
The Marquis stared at me, trying to read my intentions.
"Fine. When?"
He nodded, decision made.
Perfect. It's going exactly as planned.
"I'm ready now."
"I'm not. We need a summoning mage and a training ground. How about tomorrow?"
"Agreed."
I suppressed a grin, keeping a serious face.
"Get ready for hellish training right after the bet."
"I'll be sleeping in after I win."
"Crhahaha! I'll let you know the time and place. Go."
"Understood."
As I bowed, the Marquis added casually, "Oh, and your probation's lifted as of today."
Right, I forgot about that.
"You were so focused on training, you didn't even care about the probation?"
"Exactly."
"Good attitude. But if you revert to your wastrel ways now that it's lifted, you're done for."
"I know. I won't disappoint you."
"Good. Off you go."
I bowed again and stepped out, unable to hold back a laugh once outside.
"Tomorrow's gonna be fun."
It was too late to hit the training ground, so I practiced Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit in my room. While circulating my inner energy, I sensed Arin approaching.
Since reaching the 3rd Star, I can feel external presences even while using the technique. It's getting downright overpowered.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
I returned my energy to my dantian and called to Arin.
"I brought dinner."
"Thanks."
It was already dinnertime, with the sunset casting shadows through the window.
"And…"
"Yeah?"
"Tomorrow's at noon, second training ground."
"The Marquis told you to tell me?"
Arin relayed the bet's time and place.
"Yes."
"Do you know what the bet's about?"
"Yes. Not just me—the whole marquisate knows."
"Huh?"
How do they know?
"Thanks to that, the mansion's buzzing with talk about you."
"Buzzing?"
"They're betting on whether you'll wet yourself or cry when you see the Bolak. You're still public enemy number one."
Those jerks…
"So they're coming to watch?"
"The Marquis didn't stop it, so the training ground will be packed."
"Wow, I'm popular."
"Yeah, all there to see you get wrecked by a Bolak."
I was curious about Arin's take.
"What do you think?"
She didn't answer, but I caught a faint twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"Young master, it's time."
"Got it."
"Ready?"
"Yep."
I tossed a dagger up and caught it playfully as I answered Arin.
"Special dagger?"
"Nah, just ones from the training ground."
"I see."
Arin didn't seem worried. She's probably the only one in the marquisate betting on my win.
If she gambled on me, she'd clean up. Should I tell her to bet?
I considered it but held back, not wanting to risk lowering her affection.
"As expected, huge crowd."
As we neared the second training ground, voices already filled the air.
"That's a lot."
"Insane numbers. Not even Rox tactical drills draw this many…"
The training ground was packed with hundreds—knights, their squires, and servants.
This many people don't gather unless someone called them…
"You're here."
"Yes."
As I reached the center, the Marquis greeted me like he'd been waiting.
"Ready?"
"Of course. But…"
"Quite a crowd, huh?"
"Why's it like this?"
"I mentioned it to the mage, and word spread. Haha."
He's playing it off as an accident, but I'm sure he spread the rumor on purpose.
"Don't embarrass yourself."
"No worries."
"Summon it."
The Marquis's cold response prompted the mage beside him to act.
"Ullarod…"
The mage raised his staff, chanting an incomprehensible spell. As he did, the magic circle in the center grew clearer.
"Summon."
Boom!
As the chant ended, something appeared in the circle.
Seeing it in person…
[Creator's Eye activated.]
[Bolak]
A 150cm marine monster with the face of a fish, human arms, and legs. Wields a rusty sword in its right hand and a large clamshell shield in its left. Covered in tough scales and capable of an intimidating roar. All abilities are 1.5x stronger in water.
Skills: Charge (Physical), Roar (Confusion)
I created the Bolak on a whim while eating sashimi at a restaurant. Think of it as a humanoid fish.
Bound by the summoning mage's commands, the Bolak stared blankly into space with empty eyes.
"Crhahaha!"
"Wow!"
"That's a Bolak!"
"Gross!"
The crowd's reactions varied. Knights laughed excitedly, while servants, seeing a Bolak for the first time, covered their mouths in disgust.
Their responses differed, but one thing was the same: they all wanted to see me humiliated.
Sorry, but you'll never see that.
"Let's begin."
The Marquis glanced at the mage, who began chanting again.
"Krrk."
Light flickered in the Bolak's fishy eyes.
"Krarrak!"
The mage pointed his staff at me, and the Bolak, recognizing me as an enemy, approached.
"Hm?"
As I prepared to throw a dagger, three targets appeared on the Bolak's body: one on its forehead, one on its lips, and one on its right side where scales were missing.
Are these… weak points?
The targets blatantly marked the Bolak's vulnerabilities, screaming to aim there.
This ability is practically a cheat code.
"Kaaaak!"
The Bolak let out a terrifying roar as it approached.
The crowd, expecting my humiliation, focused on me with eager eyes.
"Kiik!"
Thinking I was paralyzed with fear, the Bolak charged straight at me.
Step.
With a single step, I mocked the Bolak and the crowd.
Little Dragon Steps—one step rendered the Bolak's charge useless, placing me on its opposite side.
"What!"
"He took the roar head-on!"
"Not even a knight—how'd he withstand it?"
"What was that step?"
"He moved in an instant!"
The crowd, ready to laugh at my downfall, gasped and leapt to their feet, their eyes trembling as if witnessing the impossible.
"Kieek!"
Spotting me behind it, the Bolak swung its sword downward.
Step.
Another step dodged the blade, moving me to its right. I gripped my dagger.
"You've had your turn. Now it's mine."