I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple Episode 73

Episode 73

My routine at the training camp began earlier than that of the other hero disciples. At four in the morning, I sat down without bothering to make my bed and focused my consciousness on the Spirit Jade.

A now-familiar warmth seeped into . It had just the right temperature to make drowsy, yet the energy it contained was imnse. rely absorbing the faint warmth that leaked from it was an achievent in itself, but it wasn't enough for , and certainly not for the Iron-Blooded Lord who had entrusted with this elixir.

I clenched the Spirit Jade so tightly that its edges dug into my palms. At the sa ti, I stirred the Fire Qi accumulated within my body and directed it head-on into the Spirit Jade.

A sizzling sound followed.

How should I describe this process? It was akin to trying to lt fire with fire. While such a phenonon was impossible in reality, manipulating internal energy and any type of Qi had always been abstract. Even when facing the sa energy, each person's perception could vary widely.

The Spirit Jade's warmth transford into a scorching heat. At this point, it felt more like a burning sensation than re warmth.

This is it, I thought.

My Fire Qi intertwined with the Spirit Jade's Yang Qi, circulating through my bloodstream.

This flow resembled the most basic form of internal energy cultivation, but its efficiency was far greater. Not only did it enhance my internal energy, but it also amplified the effects of the First Fire Technique, boosting both my recovery and tempering. This was why I could function perfectly well on just two or three hours of sleep at the training camp.

As the faint light of dawn seeped through the window, I concluded my energy circulation. Today's session had been deeply satisfying, though the Spirit Jade in my hand remained largely unchanged in size.

There was no need to rush, though. I had always approached this task with a long-term perspective. Fully refining the Spirit Jade would likely take at least half a year.

"Hmm..." I rubbed my stiff neck joints, pondering, Should I go to the clearing and warm up? Or should I get so more sleep?

Normally, I would choose the forr, but today was different.

The special trial lood ahead, and we were even excused from the early morning run, a routine we had never missed before. It was evident that the instructors wanted us to take the trial in peak condition.

Let's just sleep, I decided.

The mont I lay down on the narrow bed again, I felt a vibration. It wasn't the Spirit Jade. The Seven Sins Sword beside was trembling faintly.

—Martial God?

There was no response.

The sword's reaction didn't seem to indicate his awakening. Instead, it appeared to be inching toward a specific direction—the clearing.

What's out there, I wondered.

I hesitated briefly, then stood with the sword and quietly headed downstairs. I carefully walked down the creaky stairs, passed through the lounge, and left the building.

A chilly wind swept across the dim clearing. It was usually deserted at this hour. I had never encountered anyone during my warm-ups here. But today, there was a visitor.

Under the fading moonlight, a small figure swung a sledgehamr.

I finally understood why the Seven Sins Sword had vibrated.

"What are you doing there?" I asked.

Mir looked up, startled. "Blond Badniker?"

I stared at her silently.

She averted her gaze and mumbled, "I was just warming up."

Her lie was as transparent as her expression.

"I see."

Sothing seed off, but prying wasn't my style. I ignored Mir and decided to continue my warm-up. I slowly loosened my aching joints and started so stretches, but soon, I felt her gaze on .

"So, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Also warming up," I replied.

"I-I see."

Silence fell again. Then, for so reason, Mir hesitantly inched closer.

This is going to be annoying, I thought.

Just as I was about to stop my stretches and head back inside, Mir spoke up. "Aren't you nervous?"

As expected, Mir stopped .

I turned to her, slightly off-balance. "Nervous about what?"

"The special trial today. What if you don't perform well?" She hesitated, then added, "Blond Badniker, you're treated as an outcast in your family, aren't you?"

She knew about . Her tone suggested a vague kinship with .

"I'm similar to you," she continued. "I'm a giant, but I'm so small. Everyone makes fun of —my siblings, my people. They call 'tiny' or 'pea-sized.' Even my parents see as a disgrace..."

Her voice wavered. "Then, at so point, whenever I faced soone bigger than , I couldn't move. My body just froze."

"What do you an?"

"It's literal. The bigger the opponent compared to , the more my mind and body lock up. I feel like I'm not even myself anymore."

Tears dripped from her chin. "That whirlwind woman was right. I'll just be a burden in this trial. If it cos to it, abandon ."

Now I understood. This was why Mir had such poor results despite her imnse strength and why she had faltered against the giant centipede.

The winter dawn wind blew again, cold and biting. Mir, standing dazed, shuddered and hastily wiped her face.

"P-pretend you didn't hear that!" she said, her voice cracking.

"What?" I asked.

"I, a proud giant and Ymir's descendant, have shown such weak—"

"Hey," I interrupted, recalling a story buried deep in my mory. "Do you know the tale of Ymir, the Frost Giant who was cursed and shrunk?"

Mir rubbed her eyes and looked at , puzzled.

"I read a lot of mythology and hero books when I was young," I explained. "One of the stories I ca across was about Ymir, the Frost Giant. There was a tale about how he beca smaller because of a mischievous god."

"As small as ?" she asked.

I replied with a smile, "About your size."

"Ohh."

Ymir lay heartbroken in a field when an ant approached him. "Great Frost Giant,a typhoon is coming, and this field will be swept away.Can you please block it?"

Ymir shook his head. "Your plight moves , but I've grown much smaller.I don't have the confidence to stop a huge typhoon."

The ant replied, "To , you are still enormous."

Mir tilted her head. "What does that an?"

"From an ant's perspective, whether it's a human or a giant, both appear equally large," I explained. "What's the point of knowing which mountain beyond the clouds is the tallest? Just know it's high."

"I see."

Though unrelated, Ymir suddenly realized sothing after hearing the ant's words. "I may be smaller now, but so what? To an ant, I'm still enormous. Size is relative. What matters is how I see myself. My body has shrunk, but my spirit hasn't."

Mir repeated my words softly, "It isn't that my spirit has shrunk."

"And with that, he charged forward and tore the storm apart with his bare hands. The mischievous god had made him smaller, but his strength remained the sa," I said.

Mir's eyes glistened.

"You withstood the giant centipede's tail strike with just your body—no mana, no blessings. No one else in this training camp could have done that."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes. Well, unless you count the instructors," I said with a smile. "At this special trial, let's show them what we're made of. You and I—the outcasts of our families—will stage a delightful rebellion."

"A delightful rebellion!" Mir exclaid, waving her arms like a kid who couldn't hide her excitent.

"Thank you! Blond Badniker!"

"My na is Luan," I corrected her.

"Ah, I am Mir Giant!" she said, beaming.

"I know. Anyway, go to your room and get so sleep. You haven't slept at all, have you?"

"How did you know?"

"Your dark circles reach all the way to your chin."

"U-Umm...! You're right! I'll sleep and wake up full of strength! Thank you, Blond— No, Luan!"

"Don't sleep too hard. Just shut your eyes," I began, but she was already gone.

I watched the trail of dust she left behind and muttered, "She's simple."

Mir Giant was indeed a simple person. The advantage of simplicity was how quickly she regained her energy with just a little comfort.

Even my half-baked encouragent had worked. Yet, she had been dejected all the way to the training camp, which ant no one around her had offered her such encouragent.

Perhaps it wasn't just here—maybe her entire life had been like this. If so, was the confidence she sotis displayed just an act? The less she had, the louder she beca.

I glanced at the spot where Mir had stood. As a descendant of Ymir, she was a bigwig among bigwigs. If she had beco a hero in my previous life, I would have heard of her alongside the other legends. However, I had never encountered the na Mir Giant in any tales.

Did Mir Giant of the past die at this training camp? I wondered.

***

Morning arrived at last.

For the first ti, we skipped our usual dawn run, and the hero disciples hurriedly gathered in the clearing. The atmosphere remained tense. Ordinarily, the disciples would have chatted casually while waiting for the instructors, but the recent formation of groups had left us wary, each keeping the others in check.

Soon, an instructor appeared. It was Juan, the martial arts instructor, once again.

"Hero disciples, did you sleep well?" he asked with a smile, glancing at the silent group. "Haha. It's no surprise you had a sleepless night. Let's get straight to the point, then."

Then, Juan started to explain the trial. "First, there is no specific scope for this special trial. You are free to go anywhere in the forest. However, no instructors will be deployed this ti. Do you understand what that ans?"

He paused, his characteristic smile lingering. "It ans don't expect any help. Keep that in mind. The Badnikers' training camp is about to beco very real."

Silence fell over the group.

"The trial period is three days, or seventy-two hours, in total. In addition, attacking each other is against the rules. If caught, you will be imdiately eliminated from the trial and have points deducted. Now, each leader should submit the list of purchases to and receive the goods."

The leaders of each group stepped forward. Most of the standout disciples, like Charon and Hector, seed to be leading their respective groups.

At that mont, soone called, "Luan."

I turned around and saw Seren. I hadn't expected it to be her. Her voice was much quieter than usual, and it felt strange hearing her call by na when she typically just said "hey" or "you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"This is where it gets real," she said.

"What do you an?"

Her words echoed Juan's, but her tone was strange. Though she said the sa thing, it felt like she ant sothing entirely different.

"Be careful. Don't let down your guard."

"Of course," I replied. "But you seem pretty relaxed, worrying about others."

Seren didn't respond to my joke as she usually would. Instead, she looked at with glass-like eyes. "Don't die."

I blinked.

Was this just concern? Was this special trial dangerous enough to kill ?

Sothing felt off. At that mont, my master's words resurfaced in my mind.

There was no ti to ask Seren questions. Soon, it was my turn. I submitted the list to Juan and received the items.

When I looked back, Seren was already gone.

I took a mont to reflect. Over the past week, I had grown closer to Evan and the others, and my tension had eased. Most of us had.

In other words, at so point, we had forgotten Tanko's warning. "20%. Out of all of you here right now, at least six to seven won't make it out alive."

Seren was perhaps the only exception.

Looking back, her expression throughout this training camp had always been serious. What does she know?

I didn't have the answer. I had a hunch that no matter what I asked her now, she wouldn't respond. I would have to face this directly.

Juan smiled. "Then we will begin the second special trial."

And so, a special trial that I would never forget started.