A compelling desire to become stronger.
For the first time in her life, the longing took root in Yuri's mind, and Johann noticed this change.
"Oh well, it seems you're not just trying to break my pride... but also fanning the flames."
Ordinary people would usually become disheartened or give up in the face of overwhelming power.
However, Yuri found purpose and motivation in the strength Johann displayed.
And such a situation was very welcome for Johann.
Humans with motivation and purpose grow rapidly.
'Where... should I add a few more logs to keep that flame from going out?'
Turning his body, Johann looked at Yuri and opened his mouth.
"What I want to confirm through you is the effectiveness of the newly created magic technique. I'll tell you in advance, it's an incomplete magic technique."
"..."
"Until now, based on my experience and knowledge, I've laid the foundation for a new magic technique... From now on, we will work together to add muscles and flesh to that foundation."
"..."
"It's likely to be a laborious process that will take quite a long time. You might find it so painful that you want to give up every day. If... you want to give up, you can run away at any time. I won't hold you back. However..."
Johann paused for a moment, and his eyes flashed.
His voice gained strength.
"If you endure through everything without running away... and as a result, my formulated principle becomes complete!"
Swish— Thud!
The sword was sucked into its sheath, and Johann, with a sly smile, pointed at Yuri with his index finger.
"If you master it, you'll not only be able to face me but also deliver a proper blow to a Swordmaster's face. After all... that's why I created this magic technique."
"..."
"How about it? Can you handle it?"
In response to Johann's provocative question, Yuri tilted her head.
'Is he seriously asking if I'd run away?'
Run away?
Can I handle it?
The one who challenged the Swordmaster twice and survived, the Unyielding Sword.
A new magic technique created by Johann based on his experiences.
Would she run away now when the opportunity to attain true strength is right in front of her?
It was an absurd proposition.
Shrrrr—
Heat surged in Yuri's eyes, and the corners of her mouth gently lifted.
"Can I handle it? You're asking if an inspiration like me can handle it? I never half-heartedly fill in for anything. Don't come crying later, saying you're tired and can't do it. If... you even think about giving up, don't run away."
"Hehe, you, little one, all talk. Fine, let's see who runs away first."
A boy and an old man.
Golden and gray eyes, strangely similar yet different, collided in the air, sparking flames.
Thus, the self-esteem battle raged on for a long time.
Meanwhile...
"Inspiration..."
Yuri's slightly chubby voice echoed.
"Do you know?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Weren't you planning to leave anyway? So, I've prepared quite a lot of money, items, and food... Well, everything."
"Oh? That's convenient. Just take those and leave now."
"Yeah, but... now it's all gone."
"Huh?"
"Now it's gone. Blown away by the inspiration. Along with that."
Yuri pointed with her finger to the place where the cliff and her hiding spot were.
"..."
"..."
No words were exchanged between the two.
Whiiiiing—
Where there used to be a cliff, a mountain, and Yuri's hiding place, now there was only an empty space where the chilly wind danced between Yuri and Johann.
Feeling the wind, Yuri widened her eyes.
"Inspiration."
"..."
"All your bragging is fine... I like it! But!"
"..."
"My clothes? My food? Above all, 8 years of hard-earned money that I saved up so persistently..."
When Yuri's voice thundered, Johann's gaze gradually dropped to the ground.
"That... it's too, to fuss over such trivial things..."
Johann tried to offer a feeble defense.
"Trivial? Trivial? You're calling the 8 years of my blood, sweat, and tears trivial!"
Haaaak!
Seeing a juvenile cat vomiting nearby, Johann completely lowered his gaze.
Thus, the first-round eye fight, which staked their self-esteem, ended.
Haaaak—!
Along with the continuous vomiting, Yuri emerged victorious.
****
The vanished mountain and cliff.
In their place, an empty space appeared.
Upon seeing this, Gunter's lips slightly parted.
"Oh my goodness?!"
The sudden disappearance of the cliff and mountain was reported early in the morning.
At first, it seemed like someone's prank, but it was no joke.
Indeed, one mountain had vanished overnight.
Seeing this, Ashraf was convinced that it was the work of Johann Redner.
He asserted that there was no other presence around capable of causing such an event but Johann.
His certainty further astonished Gunter.
"Is this finally... what a single human can accomplish?!"
He had heard of the fame of martial artists, but honestly, he never expected something of this magnitude.
"How powerful can the strength of a martial artist, known as a transcendent Swordmaster, truly be?"
The power of the Swordmaster, who created such absurd phenomena, defeating Johann Redner twice.
It was beyond imagination.
Gunter, who stood still for a while, clenched his fist tightly.
Thunk—.
"Unyielding Sword Johann Redner, and the one he chose, Yuri Holland."
They received word that they had left Irons.
During the time he was in seclusion, Yuri would grow under the guidance of Johann Redner.
And someday... Gunter felt a strong premonition that he would meet Yuri Holland again.
"At that time... I don't want to lose."
Although Yuri had been chosen in his place by Johann, it wasn't because he was lacking, but he wanted to prove that.
He wanted to show Yuri Holland, who would meet him in the future, that he had chosen the right path.
"I have to push myself even harder."
Under Johann's systematic and excellent training, Yuri would grow rapidly.
To compete with Yuri, he had to put in even more effort and dedication.
Having made up his mind, there was still a slightly envious feeling, but he couldn't help it.
"How amazing must be the training methods received from a martial artist?"
Gunter, with a smile tinged with envy and solitude, soon erased that smile and returned to his territory.
For the training of the day.
Anticipating the day he would see Yuri again.
****
The moment when the sun reached its zenith.
Yuri and Johann, who had left Irons, were preparing lunch in a forest.
"Hehehe, hahaha."
Yuri hummed a tune, and Johann frowned in silence.
Unable to bear Yuri's continued humming, Johann expressed his dissatisfaction.
"Is treating me to rabbit stew the best you can do after robbing my wallet?"
"Hehe, 'just' you say! Just wait a bit. I'll treat you to Yuri Holland's special rabbit stew."
"Even if you sprinkle gold dust on a rabbit, it's still a golden rabbit stew. What's so special about it?"
"Stop grumbling. If you want to taste this, at least?"
"Fine."
Johann grumbled, closed his mouth, and muttered inwardly while making an unhappy face.
"That cunning fellow!"
Inadvertently, Johann had carelessly lost all of Yuri's possessions.
When Yuri continued to grumble, Johann retorted, shouting, "If you say that, I just need to compensate you!" and blurted out that it was the second mistake.
As if waiting for those words, Yuri swiftly emptied Johann's wallet.
"Even if you say it's my entire life savings, it's definitely less than half of the money I took from you...!"
However, Yuri, the victim, felt that this was not enough and, with teary eyes, handed over the entire wallet, making an offer to compensate the damage.
Johann grinded his wallet, which had become thin.
"I can withdraw travel expenses from the bank later, but...!"
Besides that, being tricked by a fifteen-year-old kid only added to the frustration.
"The mighty Johann Redner being scammed by a kid who just turned fifteen!"
At least it was certain that even from the cradle, he wouldn't starve if it was Yuri.
Johann looked at Yuri, who was happily grilling the rabbit, with a contented face.
He observed Yuri meticulously applying various herb powders mixed with dried angola roots to the rabbit.
Explaining while working on it, Yuri demonstrated incredible efficiency, swiftly handling the prey and processing it.
His skills were adept, efficient, and beyond what was expected of someone his age.
Johann's eyes briefly flickered with admiration.
"Where did you learn that?"
"I didn't 'learn' anything. I've been rolling around trying not to starve for about eight years, so I naturally picked up skills."
"Eight years? Didn't you say you just turned fifteen this year?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Huh... you've been wandering alone since you were seven? What about your hometown?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know your hometown?"
"I left the town where I used to live and wandered aimlessly. After that, I ended up in Irons, trying to survive by any means necessary."
"Huh..."
Johann's face was filled with amazement.
While the continent was said to be pacified by the Swordmasters, there was still no guarantee of an easy life for a seven-year-old alone in the world.
Even with the transcendental power of a Swordmaster, surviving on your own was a different matter.
It didn't provide food or money.
'Why did this Johann Redner become such a worldly old man? Oh, it's because he learned about the world at such a young age.'
A child who learned the dirtiness of the world early on and lost his innocence.
That was Yuri now.
Observing Yuri for a moment, Johann asked, "Do you have parents?"
"What difference would it make if I did?"
"Were they deceased?"
"I don't know."
"Do you... not know anything?"
"How would I know if my parents, whom I abandoned, are alive or dead?"
".…."
"Still, I did have the old lady who picked me up and raised me... but she passed away, eight years ago. Well, we didn't have the best relationship, so don't look at it with sympathy."
Yuri's indifferent voice left Johann momentarily speechless, almost making him lose his words.
'I expected this from the first signs of his guarded nature and personality, but...'
It seemed that Yuri had faced the world even more arduously than Johann had initially thought.
With that thought in mind, as Johann remained silent, Yuri shot him a challenging look.
"Why suddenly curious about my background?"
Johann, with a sharp response, loosened his rigid expression and teasingly replied, "Shouldn't I send you back to your family's embrace when you kick the bucket?"
"Ah, don't tempt fate! Spit it out quickly! Three times!"
"Pfft."
"Enough with the nonsense! Just spit it out before I die! Spit three times!"
The ongoing banter continued until it was evident that the meat was ready to be devoured.
With both cheeks filled with meat, Yuri asked, "So, when do we start this experiment or training... whatever it is?"
He threw the question with a sparkle in his eyes.
As Johann, the old man who was somewhat like a hermit, had the power and reputation of a master, what would be the first thing he'd teach Yuri?
What kind of training methods befitting a master?
Yuri's heart pounded with anticipation, filled with these consecutive expectations.
In response to this excitement, Johann chuckled and replied with a mischievous smile, "I wasn't going to rush, but I planned to start today. Eat plenty and rest well. It's going to be your last feast for a while."
"That sounds promising."
"Don't whine later, saying you can't do it."
"I won't."
Yuri replied with determination and confidence, a face filled with self-assuredness.
However, Yuri's confident expression didn't last long.
After a while.
Yuri alternately stared at Johann and the items laid behind him.
"Inspiration? What's that?"
"What do you think, the first time you've seen a cart?"
With a casual reply, Johann tapped the old, worn-out cart.
After mentioning he had been somewhere and brought a creaky, worn-out cart with him, Johann, with a triumphant expression, continued to playfully say,
"Now, pull it!"
Upon this confident proclamation, Yuri was momentarily dumbfounded.
It was only natural to question if he heard correctly.
"...This? Pull it? Me?"
"Then who else, you idiot? Will I do it?"
"Why should I pull this?"
To this fundamental question, Johann, with a fist raised, replied, "Tsk tsk, you foolish kid. Do you know what you lack the most right now?"
After pondering for a moment, Yuri found the answer.
"Probably stamina?"
However, the response he received was a sneering chuckle full of disdain.
"Pfft, stamina? Are you spouting such ridiculous nonsense with a creative touch? Right now, what you lack the most is physical strength, stamina!"
"What are you talking about! How good is my stamina?"
"That's better than the average person. Compared to those who can carry twenty kilograms of stones for three days without a single drop of sweat, those are the kinds you'll compete with. Compared to them, your stamina is nothing short of poor!"
"W-What? Poor stamina?"
“If you want to survive, from now on, you need to consistently focus on building your body and energy! That way, you can harmonize with your soul. So, stop the nonsense and start pulling!”
"I didn't say anything like that."
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you run better than your mouth when it comes to training. Hehehe. So, move quickly. Are you going to let me down here?"
Thud-thud!
Johann's prosthetic slammed the cart repeatedly, and his determination not to get off the cart was evident.
Yuri narrowed his eyes at this display.
"...Inspiration, I just want to confirm something."
"What?"
"Is it possible that you're using training as an excuse because you simply don't like to walk?"
"...."
"Is that it?"
Despite Yuri's repeated questions, Johann remained silent.
Instead, he deliberately avoided eye contact and struck the cart with his prosthetic again, making a loud noise.
"Oh dear! What do you know about my situation! In my time, even if the teaching from a master was to eat shit, I'd eat it without complaint. This is nothing!"
"Disgusting."
"This punk dares to comment! If I tell you to bite, you should ask how hard!"
Look at this, just look.
With a forced and old-fashioned atmosphere, Johann's proclamation left Yuri speechless.
'What? A masterful training method? A meaningful start?'
None of that existed.
No, it was right not to expect anything from the beginning.
"Hey, why aren't you pulling it quickly? What's this? Can't do it? Looks like it's too much for you? Giving up already? Just for something like this? Tsk tsk, I really misjudged my person!"
With a gentle push and a loud shout, Johann was yelling while Yuri was left without words.
'This old man... is truly a fraud.'
The master freezes.
Fantasy.
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