I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 2 Molting (2)

The Crotan Peninsula, known for its resemblance to a dragon’s head.

In that region, the Iron’s territory, situated at the dragon’s mouth, was buzzing with festive excitement.

The cause of the commotion in this remote territory was none other than a single piece of news.

[Young Lord Gunther will be taking the Cradle’s test, and it will be open for all to see!]

A few days ago, this official announcement was made from the lord’s castle.

It spread rapidly throughout the territory, and people gathered in groups, chattering about it.

“If it’s the Cradle’s test… the Black Sword Soldiers will come, right? I never thought I’d live to see the Black Sword Soldiers.”

“Who would have thought. It’s all thanks to the young lord!”

“That’s true, but… can the young lord enter the Cradle? They say even renowned geniuses fail the certification test. What if our young lord too…”

“Hey, don’t jinx it! Our young lord will pass for sure!”

Fifteen years ago, a boy was born into the Irons family.

The heir to the territory, named Gunther, exhibited exceptional talent from a young age and was hailed as a genius.

Time passed…

When Gunther, the pride of the territory, declared that he would enter the ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ established by the Sword Master for the world’s geniuses, the residents and retainers of the territory were elated.

“Surely, the gods are watching over our territory!”

“If the young master follows the head of the family and returns from the Cradle… the glory of Irons will shine even brighter!”

The current head of the family had also visited the Dragon’s Cradle twenty years ago.

Because of this, the Irons family, which had been a small, remote territory, became a prominent family in the Crotan administrative district within just one generation.

All due to the presence of one genius from the Cradle.

Moreover, the current head of the family often spoke of his son with high regard.

[Gunther’s talent surpasses mine.]

A genius acknowledged by another genius.

The current head of the family had no doubt that his son would pass the Cradle’s test, so he declared that the test would be made public.

This was to show the residents that the current glory of Irons would continue into future generations.

This move by the head of the family was successful, and the entire territory was filled with hope and excitement.

Furthermore, rumors from the lord’s castle were heating up the atmosphere even more.

[A Master is staying as the lord’s guest!]

Master.

The impact of this word was incomparable to that of the Cradle’s test.

The system of martial arts established after Sword Master Luke Ryder.

Starting from unofficial level 5 to unofficial level 1.

Then, beyond these levels, starting from official level 1, one would gradually advance.

After long training, only a few geniuses reach the state of official level 9.

And the honored title given to those who break through and go beyond level 9 is Master.

The officially recorded number of Masters in the world is only 22.

Excluding the Sword Master, who is called a superhuman, they are virtually the strongest humans.

Such a person in this remote land!

And precisely during Young Lord Gunther’s Cradle test!

What could be the reason for staying as the lord’s guest?

“Surely they’re here to see the young lord?”

“Maybe they’re here to take the young lord as a disciple!”

“Hah, our young lord becoming a Master’s disciple…”

If that really happened, it would mean having a Master, considered a strategic weapon, as a backer.

“I heard… somewhere, what’s it called, a small territory’s little lady became a Master’s disciple and revived a failing family? They totally hit the jackpot!”

“If our young lord becomes a Master’s disciple… our territory will dominate Crotan!”

The territory was buzzing with growing hope and excitement.

However, contrary to the bustling territory, the atmosphere in the lord’s castle was exceptionally chilly.

“Has he left?”

A low voice filled with tension broke the silence.

Its owner was none other than the lord of the territory.

Ashiraf Irons.

The lord of Irons, also known as the Blue Wolf.

At the lord’s stern voice, the chief servant bowed deeply.

“As far as confirmed, yes. The room he was given has been empty since two days ago. We waited, but he hasn’t returned.”

At the report that the Master seemed to have left, Ashiraf’s face grew even sterner.

Sensing the tension, the chief servant cautiously spoke up.

“Should we send people to find out where he has gone?”

“No need.”

Ashiraf shook his head slightly.

“If he decided to leave, we cannot chase him.”

Ashiraf’s face was filled with regret as he spoke.

‘He has left…’

Having heard that ‘he’ was looking for a disciple, Ashiraf had managed to arrange a meeting, leveraging an old connection.

And he believed that Gunther’s talent would surely catch the Master’s eye and make him his disciple. However, the Master’s evaluation after seeing Gunther was simple.

[The son is indeed better than the father.]

That was all he said.

After that, the Master left as quietly as he came.

‘Even Gunther’s talent… didn’t meet his standards.’

Unable to ease his stern expression, Ashiraf turned his gaze and spoke.

“How are the preparations for the test?”

“Everything is going smoothly.”

“Ensure everything is perfect till the end.”

“Understood. I’ll go finalize the preparations.”

The chief servant bowed deeply to his master before leaving the office.

“Hmmm…”

A low groan escaped Ashiraf, filled with regret and discomfort.

At that moment, he had no idea.

That the ‘person’ he thought had left was still within his territory.

And as if destined, had encountered a new connection.

* * *

Early evening in the Irons territory, with a thick sunset hue spreading.

Jingle-.

“Yuri, come back if you get good stuff again!”

“We’ll see.”

A boy with black hair and golden eyes stepped out of a herb shop, clutching a money pouch.

Despite his shabby clothes, his fair skin and distinct features stood out.

And the small tear mark under his left eye gave him a unique charm.

Fifteen-year-old Yuri tucked the money pouch into his coat and walked into an alley of the shopping district.

It was at that moment.

“Hey!”

A familiar voice from behind made Yuri stop in his tracks.

“Sigh.”

He sighed and turned around.

Where Yuri’s gaze landed, stood a large boy with messy hair.

Yuri’s face scrunched up at the sight.

“You again?”

The boy’s name was Dutch.

He had drifted into the Irons territory as an orphan before Yuri.

While Yuri moved alone without forming a group, Dutch gathered other orphans and acted as their leader.

Additionally, there was an odd character who constantly picked fights with Yuri.

You could call them archenemies, though it was more one-sided, with Dutch being the one who hated Yuri.

‘He’s back at it again after being out of sight for a while.’

As if to prove Yuri’s expectations, Dutch grinned, showing his broken front tooth.

“You little… got you now.”

The boy’s low voice was quite threatening.

However, Yuri just sighed.

“Ugh… what is it this time?”

“This time? THIS TIME?! You have the nerve to say that after what you did to my tooth?!”

“Well, who told you to pick a fight?”

“Shut up! Today, I’ll knock all your teeth out! You’ll be drinking soup for the rest of your life!”

No sooner had Dutch finished speaking than ten kids appeared behind him.

And that wasn’t all.

Thud-.

A few boys holding clubs emerged from the opposite alley as well.

Yuri was completely surrounded.

Dutch’s grin widened, clearly pleased with the situation.

“We knew you’d be here selling herbs today, so we’ve been waiting since morning!”

“Oh? You actually used your head for once? So, your brain isn’t just for balancing on your shoulders?”

“Let’s see if you can still talk like that in a bit.”

At Dutch’s nod, the boys began closing in on Yuri.

The average age of the group was 17.

Armed with clubs, the 20 boys were a formidable and violent group that could easily overpower several adults.

It seemed impossible for the small-framed Yuri to stand against them.

Yet, despite the dangerous situation, Yuri’s face showed irritation rather than fear.

“Did you guys leave your learning abilities in your mother’s womb?”

If they had any learning ability, they wouldn’t keep coming back after getting beaten every time.

Muttering to himself, Yuri quickly scanned his surroundings.

A low click of the tongue escaped his lips.

“Tch.”

Their preparation was thorough.

‘No escape routes, huh.’

Usually, he would use hit-and-run tactics in a guerrilla style, but the narrow alley made that impossible.

‘That pig’s actually using his brain for once.’

Getting beaten with clubs here would be a disaster.

His body was his only asset.

If he got bedridden, there would be no one to take responsibility or care for him.

He’d simply starve to death.

‘No choice but to… dip a toe in it.’

Though he didn’t like it, there was only one way.

“Phew…”

Having made up his mind, Yuri closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, his shadow flickered strangely.

However, it was a brief moment.

None of those surrounding Yuri noticed the change.

And then.

Flash-.

Yuri’s golden eyes gleamed as he opened them.

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

Otherwise, the ‘curse’ would deepen, and he didn’t know when ‘it’ would appear.

Having decided swiftly, Yuri sprang into action.

The boys, seeing this, also started moving in earnest.

“Get him!”

“Kill him!”

“Ahhh!”

The boys swung their clubs like swords.

Whoosh- whoosh-.

In the narrow alley, it was difficult to dodge the powerful swings.

But Yuri was different now.

Whoosh-.

He twisted his body to easily dodge a club swinging down from the front.

Crack-.

He punched the jaw of the boy in front of him.

Whoosh-.

He dodged another attack coming from behind by lowering his upper body.

Thud-.

“Ugh?!”

Yuri kicked the attacking boy in the abdomen.

Whoosh- whoosh-.

“Ahhh!”

Thud- thud-.

“Ugh!”

He easily dodged the wild attacks and countered with punches and kicks.

Each time, a member of Dutch’s gang fell to the ground.

From a distance, Dutch’s pupils trembled as he watched.

‘That monster!’

They had tracked Yuri’s routes for days and even armed themselves, unlike before.

This should have been enough to teach him a lesson.

‘What is that…?!’

To Dutch, Yuri’s movements seemed abnormal and alien.

It was also vastly different from what he knew of Yuri’s abilities.

‘Does he have eyes in the back of his head?!’

Otherwise, how could he move like that?

Is he really just a fifteen-year-old street urchin?

While Dutch was internally screaming, twenty boys were already groaning on the ground.

“Ow.”

“Ugh…”

Amidst the fallen boys, Yuri stared coldly at Dutch.

Dutch flinched at Yuri’s gaze and trembled.

He bit his lip hard.

“Dieeee!”

Dutch screamed, swinging his club wildly as he charged.

Whoosh-.

Unlike the boys who fell before him, Dutch’s swing was more powerful, sending a shockwave through the air.

But Yuri easily dodged it and landed a punch on Dutch’s solar plexus.

“Gah?!”

The pain starting from his solar plexus left Dutch gasping for air as he collapsed to the ground.

“…?!”

Dutch, his face pale, gasped like a fish out of water.

Yuri crouched down in front of him and lightly slapped his cheeks.

“Hey, hey! Breathe, breathe!”

“P-phew!”

After being slapped a dozen times, Dutch finally managed to take in some air, gulping it down desperately.

“Huff, huff.”

Yuri looked at the drooling Dutch with disdain and spoke.

“Hey, I have a question for you.”

“……”

“Why do you hate me so much?”

It was a question Yuri had pondered for a long time.

He had never done anything to harm Dutch or his gang.

Yet, Dutch constantly picked fights with him.

Each time, Yuri would beat him up like today, but still, Dutch never gave up.

Yuri couldn’t fathom why Dutch acted this way.

“Ugh…”

Dutch, curled up in pain from the blow to his abdomen, glared at Yuri with a twisted expression.

Grit-.

A low growl escaped through his clenched teeth.

“Just…”

“Just?”

“Just, I hate you! You’re an orphan just like us… no different from us! But you act all high and mighty, like you’re better than us!”

Dutch first saw Yuri about half a year ago.

At that time, he was gathering kids in similar situations to his own to build a following.

Dutch had invited Yuri, who had just drifted into the territory, to join him.

But Yuri’s response was simple.

[Get lost.]

A short but clear refusal.

Since then, Yuri lived alone, mingling with no group, acting as if he was above them.

‘It started then!’

If anyone asked Dutch when he started hating Yuri, he would answer without hesitation.

From the moment he met Yuri’s indifferent gaze as he told him to get lost.

“Your eyes…”

“What about my eyes?”

“Those eyes that look down on us! What makes you so high and mighty? What makes you so different?”

As Dutch shouted in frustration, the light faded from Yuri’s golden eyes.

They no longer looked like they belonged to a fifteen-year-old boy.

Like that day, but even deeper, those indifferent eyes made Dutch’s spine chill.

It felt like Yuri was about to do something, so Dutch closed his eyes tightly.

But.

“Is that so?”

Yuri did nothing but stand up.

He looked down at Dutch and spoke.

“It seems you misunderstood. I’ve never acted high and mighty.”

Yuri’s golden eyes, sweeping over Dutch and the fallen boys, turned dull.

“I just…”

He muttered quietly.

“…found you all insignificant.”

With that, Yuri shoved his hands into his pockets and walked out of the alley.

Dutch could only watch Yuri’s retreating figure in silence.

Soon, Dutch’s gang, groaning in pain, started to get up.

“Ugh, boss… let’s stop messing with Yuri.”

“Shut up! How long are you going to lie there? Get up!”

“Ow!”

Dutch and his followers, looking like defeated soldiers, supported each other as they left the alley.

Once they were gone, the alley fell into a deep silence.

From a corner, where no one expected anyone, a small shadow emerged, stumbling out.

The shadow, staring in the direction Yuri had gone, muttered.

“In the dragon’s mouth… there lived a monster in human skin. Heh heh.”

The low, raspy voice was filled with excitement and glee.