Feel free to leave a comment letting me know your thoughts on my work and whether it deserves some improvements.
I’m Here to End This Fight - Novel Updates
[ If you liked the chapter and want to read more, feel free to join my PATREON page and find more chapters]
READ MORE CHAPTERS ON MY PATREON:
I'm Here to End This Fight
Chapter 7: Thirst (Part 2)
Yuri, cutting straight to the point, drew Johan's attention.
"Tsk, you brat. If you've gained something, the least you can do is say you enjoyed the meal, right?"
"Let's just consider that as my rent for using my place."
"Am I not even getting paid for bringing you here?"
"Who caused me to pass out?"
Observing Yuri's silent defiance, Johan let out a faint internal laugh.
"He's certainly not an easy one."
Despite the status of a prodigy and a sword master, Yuri showed no signs of difficulty. If anything, he became more vigilant.
Observing Yuri's stance, Johan speculated roughly about the storms the young Yuri had weathered in his life.
"A guy like him tends to resist more when provoked."
For someone like Yuri, it required a process of building trust by providing what he desired rather than continually provoking him. Currently, what the kid wanted was likely the reward for their previous deal.
Johan wiped his greasy hands on his pants and casually opened his mouth.
"What you call a curse here... is referred to as a divine messenger."
Yuri's eyes flickered at Johan's words.
"Divine messenger?"
"Divine messenger, or the embodiment of symbols, also called avatars. It's a term for the sophisticated spiritual feats demonstrated by those who have reached the realm of masters."
"...."
"Originally, the human body can enhance physical strength or manifest abilities beyond limits using mana. However, it's not easy to reach the spiritual realm, even for a genius."
Yuri's nonchalant attitude prompted Johan to suppress a wry smile internally.
"Indeed, difficult for a brat like him."
Johan's explanation revealed that Yuri needed a process of building trust rather than constant provocation. Currently, what the kid likely wanted was the reward for their previous deal.
Wiping his hands smeared with meat oil on his pants, Johan opened his mouth in a subdued tone.
"You, here, that curse... It's called a divine messenger."
Yuri's eyes betrayed a hint of curiosity at Johan's words.
"Divine messenger?"
"Divine messenger, or the embodiment of symbols, also known as avatars. It's a term for the advanced spiritual feats displayed by those who have reached the realm of masters."
"...."
"Originally, the human body can enhance physical strength or manifest abilities beyond limits using mana. However, it's not easy to reach the spiritual realm, even for a genius."
Yuri's question prompted Johan to tap his own head with his finger.
"This, this is it."
"The head?"
"More precisely, the brain inside this head."
"Why?"
"Inside the human brain lies the entrance to the spiritual realm. The so-called special catalyst refers to unlocking that entrance."
"...."
"Those who unfold the divine messenger can open the spiritual entrance in the brain, commonly referred to as the spirit orifice. Usually, it's said to be opened and closed, but..."
"But what?"
"Is that lid continuously open for you?"
Yuri's face became blank as he listened to Johan's explanation.
"So... this isn't like a disease or curse?"
A sense of disappointment crept onto Yuri's face.
"That's why... That's why I couldn't find it!"
The reason he hadn't found the solution despite years of inquiries into removing his curse was that his approach had been wrong from the start.
Instead of looking for it among curses and diseases, he should have considered it differently.
Moreover, the techniques only those who had reached the realm of masters could wield. How could ordinary people know about that?
While Yuri was lost in disappointment, Johan's voice resumed.
"Of course, it's not like a curse. It's something countless people spend their entire lives searching for—the ultimate treasure. But looking at it another way, what you have is practically a curse."
"...?"
"Originally, reaching the spiritual realm required harmony between the soul, energy, and body. However, your condition is abnormal, with only the soul excessively dominant. Therefore..."
"Because of the broken balance, is my body collapsing?"
Yuri hit the nail on the head with his precise words, and Johan's eyes focused on him.
"Exactly."
Spitting blood, passing out—what Yuri had experienced so far were signs of his body deteriorating.
Yuri, now facing the truth of the mystery he had harbored for several years, looked at Johan with trembling eyes and asked, "So, how can I survive?"
"You need to balance the soul, energy, and body, and then learn how to open and close the lid of your mind."
"By making a deal with you... I can learn those things?"
"Of course. Hehe."
Yuri's slightly narrowed eyes observed Johan, who was laughing with delight.
"So, what I get from the deal is...?"
"Nothing much. You just need to sincerely learn what I teach you. That's what I desire."
A question mark appeared above Yuri's head for a moment.
"Isn't something strange about this? I mean, what I gain from the deal and what you want seem the same, right?"
Looking at Yuri's question, Johan chuckled.
"What you'll learn from me isn't the martial arts I've learned but a newly synthesized martial art based on recent developments."
"Is that a good thing?"
"Of course! Do you think anything made by me would be some shoddy imitation? However..."
"However?"
"There's a tiny issue that hasn't been verified for safety yet... But you don't need to worry about it."
"... ."
Yuri's gaze towards Johan turned glaringly cold.
He questioned with disbelief, "So, are you telling me to become an experiment subject?"
"Well, if you want to be precise, it's something like that."
"By learning this, could I... die?"
"It's a possibility."
"Can't you teach me something else?"
"Would that work for you?"
Yuri's gaze grew colder and colder.
Whether or not Johan answered, he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Whether you die like this or like that, if you're going to die, you might as well try something and die."
"Earlier, you acted like I needed to prove myself by showing that I could survive, but now, whatever I do seems to end up in death!"
"When did I lie? It's about learning, and if nothing bad happens, you live."
"And if something bad happens?"
"Then you die."
"This fraudster!"
Johan smirked, looking at the furious Yuri.
"So, you don't like it? You won't do it?"
Faced with Johan's mocking crescent-shaped eyes, Yuri's temples pulsed.
However, he couldn't bring himself to say that he didn't like it or that he wouldn't do it.
Yuri was aware of why.
Perhaps, this was his first and last chance to uncover the depths of his heart.
"If you miss this opportunity... Will my body endure until the next one comes?"
Even if he mastered the manipulation of mana and the body, the existence of a divine messenger was said to be the privilege of masters. When would he meet such rare beings again?
Even if he did, would they be willing to teach him the ways of the divine messenger?
No matter how much he thought about it, the concept of the 'next opportunity' didn't easily form in his mind.
"Damn it...."
He sighed deeply inwardly. This was an unfavorable situation for him.
It was a condition he had to accept in any way possible.
Yuri cursed the old man, Johan, inwardly.
"Hate it, don't you? Not going to do it?"
Yuri, lowering his gaze, asked, "What's the chance of survival?"
"It depends on you."
"Damn it...."
An irritating curse.
Yet, Johan chuckled in response.
"So, do you hate it? Won't you do it?"
***
In a spacious interior, next to a crackling fireplace, Ashraf and Gunter faced each other.
Amidst the palpable silence, Gunter recalled the events of the day.
'What on earth... was that?'
The boy named Yuri and the mysterious figure with a blazing sword, who appeared after his exam. Everything that unfolded left Gunter in a state of shock.
And sensing his son's inner turmoil, Ashraf spoke with a measured tone, "What you witnessed from that boy Yuri today is a state known as a divine messenger."
"...A divine messenger? What is that?"
In response to Gunter's low inquiry, Ashraf proceeded to share what he knew about divine messengers.
However, it was merely information about something utilized by masters who reached the level of renowned experts.
Even so, the revelation was enough to engulf Gunter in shock. With a hardened expression, he muttered, "I have to compete with someone like that from the cradle."
Yuri, the boy in question, had also passed the Yoram's test. They would likely enter the same cohort. Responding to his son's murmurings, Ashraf asked, "Are you worried?"
"More than worried, it feels burdensome."
The straightforward response from his son carried a warmth in Ashraf's eyes. He knew Gunter well.
Worry and burden, though similar in the negative sense, meant quite different things when expressed by Gunter.
If it were his biological son, he might have said he was worried when faced with an unsolvable problem.
'However, if it's a challenge I consider manageable, I'd call it a burden.'
Burden meant feeling it but being willing to try. That was the essence of what Gunter meant by 'burden.'
Smiling with satisfaction, Ashraf, aware of his son's thoughts, said, "You don't need to worry too much about that boy. Johan and Yuri won't head to Yoram."
Gunter's head tilted slightly at Ashraf's confident statement. "Why is that?"
"Do you know how Yoram came into existence?"
To his father's question, Gunter nodded. "Yes, I have a rough idea."
The continent of Laiment, said to resemble an upside-down dragon when viewed from afar, housed a gigantic lake at its southern end.
The vast lake, so massive that it could be mistaken for a sea from a distance, took the shape of an upside-down dragon cradling an egg.
This lake, known as the Montparnche Lake, was created by the gods and became the beginning of Yoram, all thanks to the intervention of the Guardians.
In the ancient language, it was called the Dragon's Egg, but due to the Guardians' interference, it was later reversed.
"Guardians, they created an island in Montparnche Lake, marking the origin of Yoram."
"That's right."
The Guardian gathered numerous human and material resources and began creating an artificial island in the Montparnche Lake.
This incredible event, deemed mad and impossible by the world, unfolded into reality.
Contrary to widespread skepticism, the artificial island in Montparnche Lake became a reality in merely half a year.
During that period, there were even jests suggesting that if the gold used to create the island were stacked, it could reach the clouds.
The artificial island, constructed by generously sprinkling gold, continued to expand with ongoing investments of various resources.
Now, several decades later, a massive island, several times the size of a typical territory, had established itself in Montparnche Lake.
The lake, once resembling a dragon's egg, had transformed into what now looked like a cradle encircling the egg.
Guardian officially named it the "Dragon's Cradle," combining Montparnche Lake and the artificial island, proclaiming it as his domain.
"Does the Dragon's Cradle receive the same recognition as an academy these days?"
Decades after the inception of the Dragon's Cradle, the perception shifted. Individuals nurtured by the Guardian were referred to as 'dragonlings' and seen as offspring dragons raised by the Guardian.
As these dragonlings gained fame, public perception changed, regarding the Dragon's Cradle not as a place of origin but rather as an 'educational institution.'
Ashraf scoffed at the world's perception, saying, "Academy? The Dragon's Cradle is not some trivial place. It's more akin to a domain close to the military."
His choice of words leaned more toward a lawless territory governed by the absolute proposition of the 'strong ruling,' rather than the term 'military.'
"If you compare, it's closer to a military zone, where at least there's some discipline."
"Originally, the term 'Dragon's Cradle' referred to the Guardian's domain, and it remains the same today. Even someone like Johan Redner cannot enter the Cradle without permission."
"Ah!"
"If you enter, you won't be able to meet anyone for a minimum of five years. I won't send away a disciple I've worked so hard to find immediately."
Especially not that 'somewhat odd fellow'; he should not be sent to the Cradle, considering the suspicions that even the Guardian might have noticed.
For this reason, Ashraf was convinced of his decision. In a few years, Yuri, that boy, would not enter the Cradle with this cohort.
'There are about 11 months left until this cohort enters. If I can correct Yuri's deviation within that time... but that might not be possible.'
Ashraf smiled slightly at his thoughts.
Such a thing was impossible.
***
After the mysterious agreement between Yuri and Johan, Yuri, who was about to lie down again, suddenly sat up at Johan's unexpected words.
"Leaving? Where to?"
In response to Yuri's question, Johan, with a puzzled expression as if saying, 'What's with this kid interrupting my sleep?' retorted, "Where else? Obviously, the Cradle."
Fantasy,
.png)
