Raising the Elf’s Genius Slayer

---

Chapter

A space where one can’t die, with an opponent who elevates the challenge right before my eyes. The Ki Eye nestled in my left eye. And even a guardian to deal with unforeseen events.

Isn’t this just a perfect setup for training?

Even if the pain feels real and I could genuinely die if I make a mistake, that’s a trivial concern. Worrying about such minor details and missing out on this opportunity would be foolish.

I already know that steep growth can be achieved in actual combat. But could I really survive fighting the Grandmaster, who’s hell-bent on killing Enok himself? This is an opportunity that’s incomparable to any high-grade elixir. Missing it would simply make me an idiot.

However, the final hurdle was proving to be a bit tricky.

“No! It’s too dangerous!”

“Rionne, this might actually be the safest opportunity!”

“You shouldn’t underestimate illusions, Enok. Even if they have no substance, thinking ‘what if?’ can easily turn an illusion into reality.”

“Still, it’s safer than actual combat, right?”

As I stared at Rionne sulking, she pressed her forehead.

“…You shouldn’t encounter a Grandmaster in actual combat.”

“But I have. I just did, right?”

“…That’s true, but…”

Gap in conversation. Taking advantage while Rionne hesitated, Enok jumped in.

“Rionne, the last moment could be any time.”

“……”

“Well… maybe a god would know, but at the very least, we don’t.”

Rionne firmly kept her mouth shut in silence. There’s no need to persuade her in the first place. She’s just worried that something might happen to Enok. Rionne probably does understand that this is an extraordinary opportunity.

So what should I do? The answer is simple. Instead of trying to persuade her, I just need to speak sincerely. If it’s Rionne, she’ll trust me.

“So….”

“B-but no! You still have plenty of time, Enok! Even if you might not feel it yet, you have over a thousand years left! There’s no need to risk yourself like this!”

…Or not? I might have underestimated Rionne’s concern for herself.

“I don’t think so.”

“Hmm…?”

“I don’t think I have a full thousand years left.”

Setting everything else aside, if I dawdled for a thousand years, Heavenly Death would go crazy. The thousand years is just an assumption based on the possibility of reaching Grandmaster.

“…But still.”

“I’m confident. Unless death is assured, I won’t die.”

As long as there’s not a scenario where I must fight a thousand times and die each time, I’m sure I’ll survive.

“So right now is important. When the time for assured death comes, I need to use this moment as a stepping stone to make it so that it’s no longer assured death.”

To overcome that assured death, I could endure a few minor crises, right?

“So please, Rionne. Trust me.”

If that means I can spend a little more time with Rionne, there wouldn’t be a happier outcome.

*

“Hey! When will you two finish that? Is it fun leaving everything to me!?”

Undine was just flabbergasted. Out of nowhere, they threw everything on me and were having fun with it? I almost crushed the demon in front of me out of impulse.

“D-don’t block my path, you filthy elf’s lackey…!”

“Ugh, seriously! You’re just an amateur with a big mouth!”

Undine casually swatted the attacking demon away and spat. The spit of a top-tier water spirit! You’d be hard-pressed to find such pure water in the entire world.

The demon, splashed with spit, went wild with anger, absolutely losing it.

“I will kill you…!”

‘Doesn’t seem like it’s in their right mind.’

They didn’t seem to be in a sound state. I don’t know why, but something was off.

Is this a level of challenge suitable for Enok? The calculations came quickly.

‘No way.’

Is there a reason the Grandmaster earns such a title? There’s something distinctly different that separates them from a Master; that’s why they have a separate name.

Otherwise, they’d just lump everything together as Master Intermediate or Advanced and be done with it.

Besides, considering only the level, Enok hadn’t even reached Master Intermediate yet. Ordinarily, this would be a suicidal move….

“I have permission.”

Seeing Enok walk forward confidently, Undine could only watch him quietly.

“Do well, alright? Don’t make Rionne cry.”

“Um…”

When I sneaked a glance at Enok’s reaction, Rionne already had tears welling in her eyes. Her cheeks even looked slightly puffed up from the wind. Doesn’t she think about her age?

Feeling a surrogate shame for her, Undine squeezed her eyes shut and waved her hand.

“…Just don’t let her cry more.”

“Yeah.”

*

Enok stood before the demon. The Thunder God’s Technique was already spread out at its maximum without straining. As he took in Enok, the demon’s mana surged violently around him.

“You lowly human…! How dare you stand in the way of a great demon!”

What’s the difference between a Master and a Grandmaster? The fundamental difference can be defined as the interference with external mana.

“Die!”

The demon’s sword swung toward him. Enok narrowed his left eye and observed everything.

A clear trajectory of the sword; mana erupted along with it.

As soon as he calculated, Enok extended his hand. He accurately struck the side of the descending sword.

Thud-!

The sword’s path was deflected. But it was Enok who grimaced as a result. Although he severed what was visible with the Ki Eye, the sword’s path continued to his arm.

“Gah!”

I barely twisted away, narrowly saving my life, but honestly, it felt no different than being dead.

“Ugh…!”

But this was an illusion. I won’t die. Repeating it like a mantra, I pulled my body back.

In that brief moment, the sword had pierced through my neck, heart, and lower dantian, but aside from the fiery pain and fading consciousness, nothing else was wrong.

“Haah….”

I took a deep breath while thinking it over. What was the reason for just now? How should I have responded?

Let’s try clashing once more. To react faster this time, I focused a bit more on my instincts.

Bam-!

The tips of my fingers collided with the sword. With a stinging pain, one arm was pushed back. Still, isn’t this good? The difference in power wasn’t too severe, preventing my arm from shattering.

How will you come at me this time? My left eye widened to frame the demon’s form.

Whoosh-!

In this stretched-out moment, I read the trajectory of the sword. The shoulder and leg. Instantly, I responded and twisted my body in mid-air.

Swish-!

The sword cut through the air. Meanwhile, Enok kicked out…

Bam-! The bent sword pierced through the head.

Consciousness flickered. For a moment, my vision turned dark. When I regained my senses, it felt like I had been cut several more times, and a surge of pain exploded throughout my entire body.

Huff- huff-

I caught my breath and pondered. What was the problem? The speed difference wasn’t significant. Although the Grandmaster could handle external mana, I also held Patos, so the mana amount didn’t matter.

So why couldn’t I respond properly?

Before I could answer my questions, the sword came flying at me faster. Enok decided to lend his life for this one moment and focused everything into his left eye.

Whoosh-!

The ring in my left eye spun wildly. Ki Eye. I wanted to take in a little more based on what I saw.

“Whoooooaa…!”

The demon inhaled sharply. Simultaneously, its muscles twitched, and the surrounding mana fluctuated.

Lines extending from the sword tip connected to various parts of Enok’s body. This was the Ki Eye reading the demon’s thoughts. Or maybe the sword’s intention.

I responded as before. I slipped my hand in against the extending sword trajectory. Clang-! The sword ricocheted off and returned to me in an odd line.

This much was expected. Now, without responding at all, I simply stared at the sword.

Swish-!

The sword flew towards my forehead. The line I saw with the Ki Eye also connected to my forehead. Is this it? Then why couldn’t I dodge?

In the final moment, I hurriedly turned my head away. Just as expected, the trajectory shifted.

Strange. The line my Ki Eye showed still leads to my forehead. Yet, no matter how I looked at it, I’d be pierced through the heart.

I hastily covered my chest with my hand. Bam-! And then my neck was slashed, launching my head upwards…

“Haah…!”

Taking a deep breath, I regained my senses. This is just an illusion. My head isn’t going to fall off.

Drip-, for some reason, blood flowed from the thin wound on my neck, but it’s fine. I won’t die.

More than that…,

“I understand now.”

The corners of my mouth split into a grin. Thump! Thump! My heart raced like it was about to explode. Even though it was just a playful illusion, the thrill of combat sent warmth coursing through me.

“What is this regeneration! What kind of creature is this?!”

The demon thrust its sword again. This time, it swung upward from the lower left to the upper right in a sweeping motion. Enok took a small breath.

“Whoosh!”

Light bloomed from his left eye. Just like before, he swatted the side of the sword with his hand. As a result, the sword curved in a strange trajectory. The line drawn by the Ki Eye pointed to my chest.

But Enok stepped back and lifted his leg.

Bam-!

The sword that aimed for his shin came to a stop at his toes. Shaking off his trembling leg, Enok smirked.

“Just one step.”

How many more steps were left to surpass this creature? I wasn’t particularly curious.