Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 25: Battle for Ranking (3)

There weren’t many words to describe the current situation.

Silence, stillness.

As if time had stopped, no one opened their mouths, and no one moved.

No one commented on the scene unfolding before their eyes.

A three-star swordsman had been defeated by a two-star swordsman.

That simple yet unbelievable result had shocked everyone.

It wasn’t unheard of for a lower-ranked swordsman to defeat a higher-ranked one on an actual battlefield.

However, this often involved factors like injuries, the need to protect someone, or being outnumbered.

But what about a duel?

A duel was a fight to confirm each other’s skills, eliminating almost all variables.

The expected result should be determined by skill against skill.

In that sense, the difference between a two-star and a three-star was enormous.

There was already a significant gap in the basic amount of magic power they could wield, with the three-star having much superior physical abilities and almost always being able to use sword energy, unlike the two-star who could rarely use it.

Moreover, the age difference between the two was not something to be ignored.

Harang had only been learning swordsmanship for three years and was just ten years old, while Kyle was fifteen with eight years of experience.

The difference in their physiques was evident, with nearly a 30 cm height gap, and their experience levels were almost three times apart.

‘If he lasts five exchanges, he’d have done well.’

That’s what everyone thought about Harang.

“He won in just five exchanges….”

“He didn’t even use sword energy against someone of a higher rank.”

“How did this happen?”

When a lower-ranked swordsman clashed swords with a higher-ranked one, there were only two possible outcomes.

The sword would break, or the wrist would break. But Harang’s sword didn’t break, nor did his wrist.

As the purebloods pondered the reason, a chilling thought suddenly struck them.

“Come to think of it… how many times did that adopted child actually receive Kyle’s attacks head-on?”

Arihil, who had been quietly watching, had the same thought. She swallowed hard with a trembling throat.

‘He received Kyle’s attacks properly only once? No, even that wasn’t fully received.’

Harang had deliberately pretended to take Kyle’s attacks head-on while subtly redirecting the force. Naturally, Kyle’s stance, expecting resistance, would falter.

By subtly spinning his sword, Harang deflected Kyle’s attacks and used that to counterattack.

That was the core strategy of Harang’s swordsmanship.

Easy to say, but would it work in practice? Deflecting an opponent’s sword meant dodging their attacks.

To dodge the swordsmanship of someone faster and with longer reach…

He would need either foresight to predict every situation or reflexes faster than light.

‘This isn’t something that can be described as just amazing…’

Who would think of momentarily letting go of their sword or throwing it into the air during a fight?

The basic principle of swordsmanship was ‘never letting go of the sword.’

At only ten years old, Harang had already shattered this basic framework.

Arihil found it hard to calm her pounding heart. Had she ever thought sword training was enjoyable?

No, never!

She wielded the sword to survive. To survive in Kaladan, she had no choice but to become stronger through relentless training!

But for the first time in her life…

The urge to wield a sword dominated her thoughts.

Harang’s swordsmanship could be described in one word: freedom.

Unconstrained by set forms, it flowed freely… as if it could soar high into the sky at any moment.

‘How was my swordsmanship?’

She followed instructions.

Followed the set path.

Mimicked the sword paths inscribed by her ancestors without any deviation. She simply walked the given path, arriving at her current position without progress or regression.

‘I want to, I want to be like that…’

While Arihil caressed her trembling sword with excitement, someone else harbored entirely different thoughts.

Naridel Paul Kaladan, Kyle’s elder sister, frowned deeply and clicked her tongue.

“What a foolish brat.”

A three-star lost to a mere two-star? She didn’t see Harang’s skills or swordsmanship.

To her, Kyle was simply stupid and weak.

He lost because he let his guard down against a lower-ranked opponent.

She couldn’t acknowledge Harang’s swordsmanship as exceptional.

…However, watching the subsequent duels made it impossible to maintain that thought.

Among the 95th batch, there were several older three-star swordsmen, and Harang defeated them all.

Seeing Kyle’s defeat, the seniors didn’t underestimate Harang, but they couldn’t overcome him, who had grown stronger through his duel with Kyle.

One by one.

The three-star swordsmen fell.

Watching this, Naridel shivered. She couldn’t believe Harang facing Kyle and Harang facing the others were the same person.

‘Could he be growing stronger in real-time, receiving feedback during fights?’

No matter how talented a boy might be, he couldn’t be perfect from the start. Harang still had many flaws, but he corrected them and refined his sword with each duel.

Finally, when he defeated the last three-star trainee.

There was no one left in the training camp who could match him.

Naridel gnawed her nails as she watched Harang proudly take the top rank.

She realized that his talent was beyond extraordinary.

However, it was strictly forbidden to challenge or harm a too-young Kaladan bloodline member by regulation.

‘Damn, if Kyle had been just a bit stronger, we could have nipped this in the bud!’

She thought about ten years from now.

If Harang, with his dazzling talent, grew and pointed his sword at her, what would happen?

Would the head of the house still turn a blind eye to them while watching Harang’s brilliant swordsmanship?

‘No way…’

With such a brightly shining sun, the stars orbiting around it wouldn’t be noticeable.

‘…No need to rush.’

If she rashly provoked Harang, Kalel might cut off her head. So, she needed a more legitimate and reasonable way to crush him.

‘He’s only ten. There’s plenty of time.’

Naridel’s eyes gleamed wickedly.

* * *

White Night Castle, Sword King’s Throne.

Sitting on the throne that only the head of Kaladan could use, Kalel Paul Kaladan looked at Lauren, who bowed respectfully.

Even Lauren Chaygan, usually frivolous and whimsical, couldn’t behave carelessly in front of Kalel.

“The 97th batch has been here for three years, and everyone is still here. Have they gone soft?”

“No way. You’ve seen their skills yourself, Your Highness.”

“….”

Indeed, the 97th batch was peculiar. Compared to the ordinary trainees he had seen so far, their growth rate was exceptionally high.

Even with talented trainees like Charen and Theon mixed in, it was unusual for all trainees to survive without any dropouts and display abilities beyond their talents.

“What kind of training have they undergone?”

“I haven’t done anything special. The only difference is the presence of the youngest master.”

“…The youngest grandson?”

Gesturing for him to continue, Kalel prompted Lauren, who spoke excitedly.

“It may be presumptuous of me to judge… but the youngest master seems to possess the qualities of a ‘general’ and a ‘king’ who can lead people forward.”

“What makes you think so?”

“He never showcased a brilliant oration, nor did he shout orders to lead the trainees. Just by holding a single sword and advancing, everyone naturally looked at his back and followed.”

It was not Lauren’s imagination that Kalel’s lips slightly twitched.

At this moment, Duke Kalel was exceedingly satisfied.

What was the current state of Kaladan?

Rather than pointing swords at each other amidst all the politics and scheming, they aimed pens to kill each other.

They would ramble on to tarnish the other’s honor and dignity, and entice subordinates with sweet words and wealth to expand their power.

Could such a thing truly be called a ‘knightly family’?

It should rather be called a political family!

In such a situation, the fact that his youngest grandson could lead people without saying a word… made Duke Kalel far happier than realizing his grandson had a natural talent for swordsmanship.

Thinking of his youngest grandson, Kalel remained silent for a moment before asking a serious question.

“I heard the news. Did the youngest grandson defeat Rampage?”

“Yes. It was the beloved pet of the head of the household. I never imagined the trainees would hunt it.”

Indeed, it was a cherished pet.

The difference was that it was not cherished for its cuteness, but for training the blood relatives.

The blood relatives were bound to face Rampage on a deserted island at least once and hit a wall. Confronted by its swift claws without any specific patterns, they realized how useless their refined swordsmanship was.

Rampage had faithfully performed this role until now.

After decades, it finally lost its life to a blood relative trainee.

Therefore, there was no regret.

Another of a similar kind could simply be captured and placed there.

‘He likely thought that someone from Kaladan would catch it… but he seems quite pleased that Young Master Harang did.’

Just as Lauren thought, Kalel had a very satisfied expression.

After a moment of contemplation, Kalel asked a second question.

“The unique swordsmanship displayed earlier. Was it something you taught the youngest grandson?”

Could Harang’s swordsmanship be called ‘swordsmanship’?

He fought by throwing swords around and spinning them like a windmill.

It seemed a disgraceful swordsmanship to be criticized as unworthy of a knight, but since the mighty Duke Kalel Paul Kaladan recognized it as ‘swordsmanship,’ it surely was.

“No. Young Master Harang mastered it himself.”

“I see… that must be the case. If you had taught him, other trainees would have used similar swordsmanship.”

Satisfied with the answer, Duke Kalel stroked his beard with a subtle smile. Lauren Chaygan found this scene fascinating, as it was something he had never seen before.

Lauren Chaygan, once known as the Grim Reaper of knights on the battlefield, had faced a great wall too.

Meeting Kalel, who stood at the pinnacle of all swordsmen, on the battlefield.

Magic? Strategy? Tricks? Techniques?

None of it mattered. All the knowledge, intellect, and magic he had believed in crumbled before a single sword.

The image of Duke Kalel, holding his sword loftily while looking at the fallen army, still lingered in his mind.

‘To think Duke Kalel, who I thought was the incarnation of the Hell King, could show such a side.’

Stroking his beard, Kalel asked Lauren, who was lost in thought.

“What do you think the reason is?”

“…Are you asking for the reason for victory?”

“No matter how talented one is, it’s impossible to defeat a swordsman of a higher level. So why was it possible for my youngest grandson?”

Lauren pondered deeply. After a minute, five minutes, Kalel waited patiently.

Lauren Chaygan was the only one who had closely observed Harang the most, teaching the children at the training camp.

Finally, coming up with an answer, Lauren looked up at Kalel.

“The answer is… ‘experience.'”

“Experience, you say. But wouldn’t the other trainees have more experience?”

“No, not that kind of experience. Young Master Harang completely accepts and understands the experiences he undergoes.”

In truth, no matter how exceptionally talented Harang was, it would not be easy for him to defeat a 3-star swordsman he met outside so effortlessly.

So why did such a result occur in the training camp?

It was because, for the past three years, Harang had continually challenged senior trainees to duels.

He challenged and lost, challenged again, and lost again.

Whenever he barely managed to win against someone, he didn’t revel in the victory but sought another stronger opponent and lost again.

Summing up Harang at the training camp in one word, it would be ‘defeat,’ as he was thoroughly broken down.

If it were any other ordinary child, they would learn nothing from such overwhelming defeats due to the sheer difference in power.

But Harang gradually grew through these powerless defeats.

He learned and adapted through experience to handle sword techniques swung so quickly that his young body couldn’t react, predicting and deflecting them.

Through experience, he learned, adapted, predicted, and preemptively struck where the senior trainee would move.

Such was Harang’s swordsmanship.

His reaction speed was incredibly fast, but his judgment was even faster.

Before he could react, before his opponent could move, the trajectory of his sword had already arrived.

“In short, Young Master Harang has analyzed and memorized the patterns and swordsmanship of all the trainees over the past three years. To win against anyone.”

Growing through bitter defeats was a fundamental quality for becoming an excellent swordsman.

Harang had far surpassed that level.

Instead of focusing solely on the immediate reality like other children, he looked towards the distant future.

“Hmm.”

Although Kalel liked Lauren’s answer, it seemed it wasn’t the complete answer, as he shook his head.

“Experience. Half is right, but half is wrong.”

“…Is that so?”

Experience had indeed helped his youngest grandson achieve an overwhelming victory, but even without it, his youngest grandson would have ultimately won.

For he possessed far superior strength and skills compared to an average 2-star swordsman.

“I will be going.”

Having heard enough, Kalel rose from his throne and turned to leave. He paused momentarily and asked Lauren.

“By any chance, have you taught my youngest grandson magic?”

“No. If I had, you would have beheaded me, Your Grace.”

Lauren spoke, knowing that the Kaladan family, like most knight families, loathed magic.

“We shall see. Magic is also a form of ‘power.’ I realized this enough when I met you. Learning magic means becoming stronger. Why would I have a reason to behead you?”

“…!!”

At those words.

Lauren Chaygan felt his heart race for the first time in a long while.

To have magic acknowledged as ‘power’ by the pinnacle of a knight family that abhorred magic was akin to having his entire life as a sorcerer validated.

“Th-Thank you.”

When Lauren bowed his head, his voice trembling, Kalel clicked his tongue.

“Would I place an idiot in a crucial position teaching raw recruits? Continue as you have.”

Duke Kalel left the room, but Lauren Chaygan couldn’t move for a while, busy calming his trembling body.

“The path I walked… was never wrong.”

When he had been defeated by Kalel and brought to White Night Castle to serve as an instructor, it had seemed like a horrible punishment.

But for the first time today, he felt truly glad to have come to White Night Castle.