In the training ground.
"Hey Marco, don't kill the young master," his fellow knights jokingly said.
"Why did the captain arrange me for a duel with that weakling?" Marco said with irritation.
"He's already trash for the family name, and the captain arranged me to fight him. A mere soldier is enough for him. I can't guarantee in the duel if he accidentally dies," Marco said with a laugh.
Then the knight captain, Darius, arrived.
"Marco."
"Yes, captain," Marco said.
"You should control your power in the duel. Just defeat him, don't harm the young master. The Duke will be watching the duel," the captain said.
"Why should I control my power? Even if I accidentally kill that weakling, the Duke will say nothing.
Nobody wants a weakling like him in the family. The only thing he has is that he was born to the Rosard family.
If we got a chance like him, we would already have become heirs to the Duke position," Marco said, hatred burning in his eyes.
"Watch your words, Marco. After all, he is the son of Duke Drake and the young master of the family," the captain said in a threatening voice.
"Okay, I will remember," Marco said with a grin.
Then Leo entered the training hall with David.
He was wearing a dark brown long coat.
"Did he come here for a party?" the knights whispered jokingly.
Leo heard them and smiled, speaking in a low voice no one else could hear.
"The dogs who serve the master trying to bark at their master... they need to be reminded who is the master and who is the dog."
Captain Darius came forward and greeted, "Leo.
Leo bowed slightly and replied, "Captain Darius,
As he did, a system interface appeared before his eyes.
Name: Darius
Age: 40
Path : Swordsman
Rank: Knight
Threat Level: S+
"Captain, who is the knight I am duelling with?" Leo asked.
Marco stepped forward. "I will be your opponent."
Leo's gaze shifted to Marco, the challenge clear in his eyes
The captain glared. "Marco, didn't I tell you earlier?"
"Ah, whatever," Marco said boredly.
Leo looked at Marco and said to the captain, "Don't worry. After the duel, he will learn how to respect."
The system flickered before his eyes:
Name: Marco
Age: 23
Path: Swordsman
Rank: Knight
Threat Level: A Rank
Leo's lips curled into a faint smile. "Respect… comes with understanding the consequences."
He turned back to Marco, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
Marco looked at Leo as if trash was speaking to him. Then a knight announced, "The Duke is coming!"
The Duke entered with an aura that surpassed everyone in the training ground.
The captain and all the knights bowed and greeted him.
He just nodded.
"What? Are you scared now?" he asked Leo with a mocking smile.
"Why should I be scared of these weaklings? Didn't I ask you to give me the best knight? You should arrange a duel for me with the captain," Leo said confidently.
Marco's eyes turned blood-red with hatred.
Who the hell is this trash calling weakling? Today I will teach him the difference between strength and wealth, he thought.
"We will see," the Duke said, then walked to his seat.
Behind him, Eiden entered the training ground.
"Hey trash, don't die in this duel," Eiden said with a mocking smile.
Leo just glanced at Eiden and ignored him.
Eiden felt embarrassed that Leo ignored him and went to his seat.
The captain called both of them to the match ground.
Leo turned and asked a knight to give him a sword.
"What? He didn't bring a weapon for the duel?" murmurs spread through the training ground.
Leo ignored them, took the sword, and walked to the ground.
The two stood face to face.
"Young master, I heard your fiancée dumped you and went with another guy. So sad," Marco said loudly.
Then he whispered, only loud enough for Leo to hear, "She dumped you because she needs a strong man in her bed, not a weakling like you."
Leo stared at him silently.
System Leo called.
"Show me his status."
[System]
Name: Marco
Age: 29
Strength: 90/100
Mana: 90/100
Leo looked at him coldly.
"Let's start the duel!" the captain announced.
Marco released a powerful slash toward Leo.
That bastard! I told him to control his power, but he's using full strength from the beginning, the captain thought in tension.
You trash call me weakling? This is the punishment for looking down on me, Marco thought.
Smoke exploded where Leo was standing.
The Duke stared at the cloud.
Eiden smirked. "He's done for sure now."
Then a cold voice came from within the smoke.
"Is this all you got? A best knight from the Rosard army?"
Leo walked out of the smoke, completely unharmed.
Everyone was shocked.
"What? The trash young master survived Marco's slash — and even unharmed?!"
Even the captain was stunned.
That slash could kill a normal knight.
The Duke's lips curled into a subtle smile, clearly satisfied with the outcome.
He survived... and uninjured? Marco thought in disbelief.
"Hey, you weakling. Is this all you got?" Leo called out.
Marco's eyes turned blood-cold. He released a powerful aura and charged.
Leo simply walked toward him.
Marco screamed and slashed with full power, but Leo blocked it easily.
"He blocked Marco's strike with just one hand!"
The entire training hall went silent in shock.
The captain's mouth fell open.
Marco was one of the best knights under him — yet the young master, called trash by the entire nation and who had never stepped into the training hall, stopped his strike.
Eiden was shocked as well.
Even David was speechless.
"How did you block this?" Marco shouted.
"How? Because your strike was weak," Leo said.
Marco screamed and swung again, but Leo stopped that slash and avoided the others as if they were nothing.
"I will kill you!" Marco roared, releasing murderous aura and charging again.
The captain sensed it and prepared to stop the fight — but the Duke's voice echoed in his head like a mental transmission.
"Don't interfere."
David received the same order.
Suddenly, Leo released a massive aura.
The floor shook as Marco's aura was swallowed completely.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Young master Leo was this powerful this entire time?
Eiden looked suddenly interested.
The captain was stunned.
"No... you were hiding your power!" Marco shouted in disbelief.
Suddenly, Leo flashed in front of him and slashed — without giving Marco any time to react.
"Aaaaaah! My legs! My legs!"
A piercing scream echoed through the entire hall as Marco's two legs were cut apart.
He screamed in terror.
"Stop! Stop the duel! I admit defeat!" Marco cried.
Leo just stood there.
[System]
Congratulations, you completed the task.
He just looked at the system and smiled, then started walking toward Marco.
The Duke told the captain, "You can go."
The captain ran to the ground and ended the duel.
"Young master, you win! Please, spare him—"
But Leo moved before the captain could even take a step, instantly appearing in front of Marco.
"Hey... do you really think I'm going to stop just because the duel is over?" Leo said with a creepy smile.
Panic spread across Marco's features.
His expression crumpled in terror.
He shrieked, voice breaking as desperation overtook him.
"Y-young master, please… spare me!"
Leo crouched slightly, his bloody smile widening.
"If a dog starts barking at its owner…
we kill the barking dog in front of the other dogs.
So the rest learn their place."
Marco trembled violently, his breath shaking.
In the next instant, Leo drove the sword into Marco's mouth and carved downward, shredding flesh and bone as he dragged the blade through his chest until it burst out through his heart.
Blood spilled across the ground.
Everyone watched in horror. Leo's clothes and face were covered in blood.
The captain's mouth hung open, his eyes wide with disbelief, unable to process what he had just witnessed.
Eiden's usual smirk had vanished, replaced by a look of pure shock.
David's jaw dropped slightly, his expression frozen in stunned amazement.
Leo turned around and asked the Duke, "So, father... didn't I say I would win?"
He spoke with a devilish smile.
The entire training ground turned silent in terror as Leo smiled at the Duke.