The sun began to set on the horizon, casting an orange glow over the massive wall rising around the Iron Legion's main base. Rygar, with Tsukikage in his hand and magic pulsating through the blade, contemplated his work. The project, designed by the dwarves and perfected by him, was inspired by Saint-level magic, Colossal Fortress, and was taking shape with each careful manipulation of earth magic. The design was both functional and imposing, built to withstand direct assaults as well as prolonged sieges. After analyzing the final details, he decided he had done enough for today.
Taking a deep breath, he activated Flash Step. His body vanished in a blur, and within monts, he was already inside one of the fortress's study rooms.
Upon arrival, he saw Ghislaine sitting at a table, a quill in hand, her expression serious and focused as she practiced her handwriting. Her eyes scanned the lines she had written with visible effort, her hand moving with slow, calculated precision. anwhile, Eris, sitting beside her, displayed a frustrated expression, her quill trembling with anger in her grip.
Rygar smiled at the sight of them but quickly regained his seriousness.
"Ghislaine, Eris," he called, drawing their attention. "After getting a more precise estimate, they should be able to conduct a preliminary sweep of the continent in approximately six months."
Ghislaine t his gaze and gave a small nod. "I appreciate your help, Rygar."
She had taken an interest when she learned that Rygar had ford a search group to locate survivors of the Fitoa Incident. Noticing one of the forr maids of the Boreas family among the new mbers of the Iron Legion, she began to suspect that Sauros and Philip Boreas Greyrat might be in Milis.
It would be strange if she returned to Fitoa only to later find out that they had died in Milis. So, she asked Rygar to help her search for them there. This way, she would at least know if they were in Milis. There was still the possibility that they were alive sowhere else in the world, but in that case, she would have to trust that they would try to return to Fitoa.
Eris mumbled sothing inaudible, tossing her quill onto the table and crossing her arms. "This is useless!" she exclaid, glaring at the ssy writing on her paper.
Rygar raised an eyebrow. "After hearing so many of Ghislaine's stories, you still think it's useless?"
Eris didn't speak the Beast God's language, so in addition to learning the writing and reading of the human language, she also had to practice speaking the Beast God's tongue. Fortunately, she was forced to practice daily if she wanted to train, since, while many in the Iron Legion spoke the human language, many others spoke only the Beast God's language.
She turned her face away, sulking, while Ghislaine remained expressionless.
Changing the subject, Ghislaine looked at Rygar and said, "I've noticed sothing strange in your training. You've been practicing your swordsmanship, but your technique seems worse than it was before."
Rygar frowned, genuinely confused. "Worse? That doesn't make sense. I've been training constantly. I should be improving, even if just a little."
Ghislaine crossed her arms, analyzing him. "Physically, yes, you've gotten a little stronger, but your technique has regressed. You don't control your Touki like you used to. I've never seen this happen before, not even in the Sword Sanctuary. It's a unique case."
Rygar felt uneasy at this observation. He had worked so hard, yet it seed he was straying from the right path. This made him realize that sothing was wrong with him. Had he focused too much on improving his speed and magic and neglected his fundantal technique?
Beyond his concerns about swordsmanship, he was also working on a new variation of Flash Step. He had already developed Burst Step, but now he wanted to incorporate lightning magic into the technique. His theoretical calculations suggested that this could potentially make him the fastest in the world. However, there was a significant problem: his reaction speed. Even if he managed to move at extre velocities, his perception and reflexes would need to keep up, and at the mont, he simply wasn't capable of reacting at such speeds.
"I'll train my swordsmanship more... maybe I've neglected it too much..." Even as he said it, he didn't quite believe it was the case. He had been training the sa way he always had. The problem must have been elsewhere.
As he pondered this, a guard knocked on the door. "Boss, letters from the Great Forest have arrived!"
He replied, "Thank you," and quickly checked the senders: his master, his mother, and Kilian.
Verdia's letter was brief, informing him about the mbers of the Legion who had sought her guidance in magic. She ntioned that she had taught Kilian the Saint-level Tornado spell and noted that his mana reserves were exceptionally large. She also inquired about Rygar's progress, hoping that he had continued training his magic.
Rygar soon bid farewell to Eris, who seed furious, and Ghislaine before grabbing paper and a quill to write his responses. He inford Verdia that he had beco a Saint in Healing Magic and would soon reach the sa level in Detoxification Magic. He also ntioned that he had successfully developed Lightning Magic and was eager to teach it. Lastly, he wrote that he would soon travel to the Sword Sanctuary.
His mother's letter, on the other hand, was filled with affection and concern. She asked how he was, expressed how much she missed him, and wished him luck. Rygar felt warmth in his chest and responded lovingly, assuring her that he was well and that he would return to see her as soon as he could.
Finally, there was Kilian's letter. He detailed several issues faced by the leaders of the major groups in the Great Forest, including difficulties in implenting the performance system and resistance from so tribes unwilling to embrace change. Patiently, Rygar addressed Kilian's concerns one by one, offering well-founded suggestions based on his own experiences and reinforcing that he trusted his friend's abilities.
After finishing his responses, Rygar leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. There was much to do. But for now, he allowed himself a brief mont of tranquility before the next challenges arrived.
After sealing the letters, Rygar took a deep breath, relaxing his muscles, and turned his attention to sothing of great importance: Saint-level Detoxification spells. These spells had been discovered by the Joylore family and were rare, valuable knowledge.
He skimd through old notes, carefully analyzing the magical structure behind the enchantnts. The complexity was evident, and each spell seed tailored for highly specific situations. Despite already reaching the Saint level in Healing Magic, Rygar knew he couldn't afford to be complacent. Every new spell he learned was another tool for survival and strengthening—not just for himself but for the entire Iron Legion.
As he examined the spell diagrams, his gaze shifted to another set of notes: advanced barriers. These techniques surpassed even what his master, Verdia, knew, which only fueled his curiosity further. Among the various possible applications, one type of barrier caught his attention—ntal barriers.
This was because of a single na: Hitogami.
The na echoed in his mind like a distant, ominous whisper. He hadn't forgotten about the self-proclaid Human God or the possibility that he had been interfering in everything that had gone wrong so far. If Hitogami was truly moving the pieces behind the scenes, Rygar needed to be prepared. However, no matter how much he studied, he made little progress in developing strategic ntal barriers. The texts he found were fragnted, incomplete.
"Maybe this kind of magic is at an even higher level, probably Saint or King-level..." he thought, clenching his fists in frustration.
His thoughts were interrupted when a guard entered the room and announced, "Leader, the first caravan of dwarves joining the Legion has just arrived."
Rygar stood up and decided to personally welco them. As he stepped out of the main building, he saw a sturdy group of dwarves dressed in heavy attire and carrying work equipnt. Several wagons followed behind them, and mbers of the Legion were already assisting in unloading their belongings.
Rygar approached the caravan leader with a smile. "Fortwind, who would've thought you'd choose to join us?"
The dwarf, forrly a personal guard of the Ore God, responded with enthusiasm. "No other dwarf has spent as much ti with you. I have faith that you'll achieve great things in this life."
"Where's Brightstone?"
Fortwind replied, "He should arrive with the next caravan."
Rygar then ordered that they be shown to their new accommodations.
Most of them were quickly assigned to the Logistics and Support divisions, as well as Research and Developnt, while a few joined combat divisions.
Their arrival marked a significant advancent for the Legion, especially regarding infrastructure and the production of high-quality weaponry.
After welcoming the dwarves and ensuring they were settled in, Rygar turned his attention to training the two monster-hunting groups designated for Rank S targets.
He had personally selected the mbers, choosing those who demonstrated the greatest potential and dedication. If Brightstone was truly coming in the next wave, Rygar wanted to ensure they had warriors prepared to handle any situation.
Moreover, before Brightstone arrived, he planned to hunt a few Rank S monsters to obtain high-quality magic stones. However, his primary concern was ensuring that Brightstone wouldn't abandon the Iron Legion after taking advantage of their resources. To prevent this, he needed to establish a bond of loyalty and shared interests.
----
The sharp whistle of a blade cut through the air. Rygar barely dodged in ti, tilting his body backward as a swordsman charged with a downward slash. Before the sword could hit the ground, an archer had already loosed a precise arrow.
Rygar spun on his axis, the arrow barely grazing his shoulder. "Good coordination."
A mage chanted a spell, launching a massive Fireball toward him. Rygar stomped the ground, causing a spike of earth to rise and disperse part of the flas, just as a warrior wielding an axe attempted to strike him in the opening.
Rygar blocked with his forearm, reinforced by Touki, creating a small shockwave before countering with a kick to the warrior's stomach, sending him flying. "Too slow."
The healer raised her staff, casting a recovery spell, while another swordsman slid in from the flank, thrusting his blade.
In an instant, Rygar vanished with a 'Flash Step,' reappearing behind the swordsman with his blade pressed lightly against his neck.
Silence.
"You're improving," he said, stepping back. "But you can push yourselves further. This still isn't enough to consistently hunt Rank S monsters. That's enough for today—keep training."
As they caught their breath from the beating, they responded in unison, "Yes, boss!"
---
Later that sa day, the dwarves finally delivered the long-promised blue dragon scales. With this, Rygar was officially recognized as an S-rank adventurer.
Now that he held the title of Rank S adventurer, the Iron Legion mbers who were also registered as adventurers in his 'clan' had more freedom to accept high-paying and dangerous missions. He knew that, in ti, so of them would reach Rank S through their own rit, further solidifying the Legion's influence.
As he walked around the training field, Rygar pondered about his next big journey. He already had a rough idea of who would accompany him to the Sword Sanctuary. First, of course, were Ghislaine and Eris, but both had a different destination: they were heading to Fittoa, searching for information about the whereabouts of Sauros, Hilda and Philip Boreas. He had no intention of stopping them since he knew how important this was to them.
Additionally, Eidar would be heading to the Water God Style dojo, a decision Rygar respected. It was an essential step in Eidar's growth as a warrior.
However, his biggest problem at the mont was sothing else: his instincts. Ghislaine had noticed sothing strange in his swordsmanship. Despite growing physically stronger, his technique seed to have regressed. That worried him. He had always sought improvent, so how could he be getting worse instead of better? Sothing was wrong, and he needed to find the root of this problem as soon as possible.
As these thoughts consud him, he crossed his arms and sighed. His gaze returned to Rufus and the wolves, who were now engaged in combat training—Rufus and Geri versus Skoll and Freki. He narrowed his eyes. Maybe there was a clue to his own situation there.
"Their instincts are sharp... natural... What if... I'm forcing myself down a path that doesn't fit my body?"
That thought sent a chill down his spine. Would he never be able to escape this? Was he inherently a beast? But one thing was certain—he couldn't leave this problem unresolved. After all, if he truly wanted to reach great strength, he needed to keep moving forward. His current power was nowhere near enough.
He walked past the training field and continued on his way.
As he headed toward the eting room, his mind buzzed with concerns.
He then decided to talk to Ghislaine about Sauros, Hilda, and Philip. Peikak had told him to search for them, but if they had ended up in a dangerous place, their lack of combat strength made their survival highly unlikely.
When he found her, she was reading a book in silence, but she lifted her eyes as she sensed his approach.
"Hey, practicing your reading?"
Ghislaine nodded.
"Ghislaine... about Sauros, Hilda, and Philip... You know that if they were teleported to a dangerous place, the chances of them being alive are very low, right?"
Ghislaine stared at him for a mont. "I know. I've already prepared myself for that possibility."
"But even if they ended up sowhere near Fittoa, what are the chances they're still alive?" Rygar asked seriously.
Ghislaine fell silent for a mont, thoughtful, but before she could respond, Rygar continued.
"Peikak told that if they were sent to a territory near Fittoa and survived the teleportation, Asura's political situation doesn't favor them at all. They were likely blad for the incident, and depending on who found them first, they might have even lost their lives due to political enemies."
Ghislaine's expression darkened upon hearing this. Her fists clenched slightly.
Rygar watched her and asked, "What would you do then?"
Ghislaine t Rygar's gaze with firm eyes and thought for a mont. "I would protect Eris until she grew up. Then, I would seek revenge against whoever was responsible for their deaths."
Rygar nodded slightly but kept his eyes on her. "And after that?"
For a mont, Ghislaine remained silent, as if reflecting on the question. Then she answered, "I would repay my debt to you by joining the Iron Legion."
Rygar raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Huh, cold... Calling it a debt, huh?"
Ghislaine also showed a slight smile, sothing rare on her usually serious face.
With that, the tension in the air eased slightly, but Rygar knew that this was a concern that would need to be addressed soon.
---
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