Chapter 18
There’s an old saying in the Empire: A smart person handles tasks with ease, but a wise person finds a smart person to handle the tasks for them.
In that sense, I am a wise person.
“I’m giving you full control, Merhem. Decorate the clubroom however you see fit.”
Of course, my words were more aimed at the butler behind Merhem, but she was far more enthusiastic than I had anticipated.
“Heh, Gi-hyuk, so you finally recognize my abilities.”
Sometimes we forget that the girl in front of us is a princess.
She often whines about not wanting to train, and she’s unusually fond of chicken. But the truth is, this young lady is the youngest scion of a Middle Eastern royal family with wealth as boundless as a bottomless well.
“Let me show you what true wealth is.”
And so began the extravagant splurge.
I thought she’d just do a quick wallpaper job, but she had a very different idea. Without hesitation, she tore down the walls.
It was pure chaos. I started to worry that the building might collapse at this rate. But once again, Merhem surpassed my imagination with her next move.
She summoned a group of wizards.
“Heh. You just have to offer them enough money to make refusal impossible.”
“…The pride of wizards has truly hit rock bottom.”
These wizards were offered such an enormous sum that they abandoned their gate raids to come and work on our clubroom.
While they used magic to reinforce the foundation, dozens of laborers quickly remodeled the interior.
Wait, did I hear that right? Dozens of laborers, not just a dozen. The difference is significant.
With this many people, they worked in three shifts, 24 hours a day.
And noise? The wizards weren’t just sitting idle—they’d drawn soundproofing magic circles as well.
For a more comfortable working environment, the meals were top-tier, the wages were double, and there was a sky-high bonus for meeting the tight deadline.
They say money can make even demons work, and honestly, their enthusiasm was spine-chilling.
Five days after construction began, we were finally standing in our newly renovated clubroom.
I quickly exchanged glances.
On my right was Han Jun-woo with his sword, and on my left, Merhem was targeting my lower body.
And behind me? The reinforced glass wall of the sparring court blocked any escape.
No room to dodge.
The moment my mind processed this, my body reacted with the best move I could muster.
Smack!
I crossed my arms to block Jun-woo’s sword.
Swoosh!
Using Merhem’s axe as a stepping stone, I leaped backward.
I immediately changed direction, kicking off the reinforced glass wall, soaring like a dolphin leaping out of water.
In an instant, I was behind both of them.
“…!!”
“Damn it!”
They hastily tried to counterattack, but it was too late, you fools.
I struck the flat of Jun-woo’s blade, throwing off his attack. I ignored Merhem’s forming spell.
My foot was faster than any spell.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Merhem flew back, crashing into the wall, and her spell shattered the moment she hit.
“I told you to stay focused!!”
Since her magic isn’t incantation-based but rather invoked through spoken spells, breaking her concentration disrupts the spell.
“Do you think that’s easy… ugh!”
She growled but quickly raised her shield as another weapon flew toward her.
And there was Jun-woo, who looked ready to kill me for disarming him.
“A swordsman shouldn’t lose his sword. As I’ve told you many times, you need to work on your strength.”
“I’m taking this seriously.”
“When have I not? Bring it on.”
“Don’t interfere, Merhem.”
Jun-woo was pissed. His eyes shifted, and then I felt it—a slight distortion in the air. The Bloodline Inheritance, Dancer, had activated. Now he was in serious mode.
His twisted senses crept into my perception as Jun-woo’s sword closed in on me.
I backpedaled, barely managing to parry.
I feel this every time we spar, but that ability of his is truly a cheat. To think he can manipulate another person’s senses like putty in his hands. And that’s not all—if this were a magical spell, it’d be a high-level one, but he uses it without expending even a drop of mana.
How unfair is that?
Still, I’m grateful in some ways. Sparring with him has helped me align the scattered senses of this giant’s body remarkably well.
Clang, clang!
The sound of our blades clashing became sharper.
My hands began to follow the flurry of his sword strikes. The battle had noticeably changed from the one-sided fight at the beginning.
But this guy in front of me is the embodiment of competitive spirit. Han Jun-woo wasn’t about to let things end like this.
He started to dance in earnest.
First came the daggers. In the brief opening as he retracted his longsword, the daggers flew.
They zeroed in on my arm. Of course, I tried to swat them away, but…
They scattered?
“Damn it!”
Ghost Throwing Knives.
It’s a knife technique that hides the blades in shadows, a specialty of the Imperial Special Forces.
It’s a technique I taught him, and now it was coming for me.
I twisted my body to focus on my back.
Clang! Clang!
Heavy attacks came from behind me. These strikes would have hit any other opponent.
His precision was impeccable.
Especially the way he combined the Ghost Throwing Knives with his ability to twist senses, completely erasing his presence. It was masterful.
When did he train this much? I was even impressed.
“Your proficiency is no joke… whoa!”
The next attack was a whip. That slippery weapon, slithering through his sword strikes like a snake, was also something I taught him.
It’s called Coiled Viper.
A weapon technique used by barbarians, perfect for ambushes.
And then came the rapier, chain sickle, and twin swords. A myriad of weapons sprang from Han Jun-woo’s hands.
Quickly and gracefully, Jun-woo danced a dazzling battle, true to his bloodline name, Dancer.
But still…
I’ve read countless books and survived through countless battlefields. Do you think I’d lose to you?
How embarrassing that would be.
Clang!
“…!!”
“Caught you!”
The flashy swordplay finally came to a halt. To be precise, it was stopped by my hand.
It’s over. Today, victory is mine again!
I grinned, tightening my grip on his sword.
But then…
“Heh, heh.”
He’s… laughing? The one who should be flustered?
And then I realized why he was smiling.
“Die!”
The moment Merhem’s mace struck the back of my head—
Beep!
Everything went black.
I touched the swollen lump on the back of my head. It was huge. Incredibly huge.
“Ugh, my head… Ambushing me like that is just…”
“Hmph, history is written by the victors. Don’t hold back when aiming for victory. I learned that from you, Gi-hyuk.”
“Use every available resource. The true teaching of a master.”
“And that’s why you whacked your master on the head? I’m so moved I could shed a tear.”
“Thank you for the excessive praise.”
“I’ll strive to do even better.”
Merhem shrugged her shoulders, and Jun-woo gave a thumbs-up.
Ah, where have the innocent pair from our first meeting gone? The Merhem who was startled at the idea of learning sorcery, the Jun-woo who pouted because he wanted to spar with me—where did they disappear to?
Now, only ruthless warriors who would swing a club with full force at their master’s head remained.
It’s all my fault. I’m the one who corrupted these innocent kids, so who am I to complain?
“Still, how did you manage to erase your presence? It was really convincing.”
“I did what you suggested last time.”
“Oh, you mean…”
I remembered now. I’d mentioned it a few days ago.
Han Jun-woo, who always focused all his energy on the opponent in front of him. Thanks to that, his combat ability in one-on-one duels was impressive enough to keep me on my toes, but his field of view was narrow.
Which, in a way, was expected. As a warrior or assassin, focusing on eliminating the target is normal.
But from my perspective, it felt like a waste.
With that incredible strength, the ability to manipulate not just his senses but those of others as well, it was a waste for him to limit himself to such one-dimensional roles.
It was like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.
“I suggested using your sensory manipulation in a different way, so I tried applying it.”
“Ah, I see now. You twisted the entire ‘domain,’ didn’t you?”
Han Jun-woo had twisted not just the opponent’s senses, but the entire sensory domain around him.
“I added a concealment spell on top of that. I also layered in some mental magic.”
“Mental magic in the form of ‘excitement,’ I assume?”
“Exactly. It doesn’t show outwardly. Anything else, and you’d catch it right away.”
“That’s true. If it had been a half-baked illusion or confusion spell, I would’ve noticed.”
“And one more thing—you have a strange dullness in your senses. I targeted that.”
I nodded in agreement.
It was an astute observation. I still couldn’t fully control the giant’s body.
To be precise, my balance was completely off.
But that’s only natural. The giants, along with the dragons, were the world’s absolute rulers for a reason.
Their potential is in a different league. The vessel itself is unparalleled. If I’m not careful, I might be swept away by this violent power and lose myself.
On a side note, the original owner of this body likely went mad, overwhelmed by this power. If even I, a former Demon King, struggle with it, how could an ordinary human possibly endure it?
It’s impossible.
In any case, could a few months of training really restore my senses in such a chaotic situation?
Sure, in a kill-or-be-killed battlefield, it would be fine. I could just unleash all my power and swing wildly.
But this is sparring. No one’s supposed to get hurt. It’s tough enough to control my own body, but I also have to be careful not to injure the others, making it even more challenging.
Still, credit where it’s due.
“You guys… You found my weak spot and exploited it perfectly. Were you really that eager to whack me on the head?”
“Hmph, I was holding back. If I’d hit you with full force, you’d be in the hospital right now.”
“Heh, do you think I’m a fool? If you’d used your full power, the mana disturbance would’ve tipped me off before you even attacked. You knew that too, which is why you kept it subtle.”
“…Tch, this is why I don’t like perceptive men.”
“Jun-woo, I didn’t expect you to be able to twist the domain. When did you start doing that?”
“Not long ago. I succeeded two days ago.”
“Wow, so today was the first time you used it in actual combat?”
“Yes.”
“Damn… You both have grown so much. Just the fact that you pulled this off shows how much you’ve improved. I was genuinely fooled.”
“I figured we needed to go this far to catch you.”
“Yeah, because you’re a monster, Gi-hyuk.”
Clap, clap. I couldn’t help but applaud.
They know exactly where they stand and accurately assess their opponent.
They have the courage not to be daunted by the gap in strength, the diligence to find a weakness, and the will to seize victory.
Their growth is truly remarkable.
They say kids their age grow day by day, and that’s certainly true for these two.
I’m proud. I really am.
So this is why teachers enjoy mentoring students. I finally understand how my mentor must have felt.
I looked at them warmly.
“But there’s something I’m curious about, Gi-hyuk.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
Merhem paused for a moment.
She seemed to be organizing her thoughts before she finally spoke.
“I understand why you don’t use magic. Your magic is something neither I nor Jun-woo could handle. I also understand that sparring wouldn’t make sense if you summoned those mysterious skeletons of yours.”
“And you’re probably using this as an opportunity to train your weak sense of balance.”
“Both are correct. So what’s your point, Merhem?”
Merhem and Jun-woo exchanged glances.
“Why don’t you use a sword?”
“You’re a swordsman, aren’t you? From a family of Swordmasters, no less. So why don’t you use a sword during our sparring?”
I chuckled at their question.
“I’ve told you before, it’s too difficult to control.”
The moment the word control left my mouth, they both asked me seriously, as if they had been waiting for this exact answer.
“What exactly is difficult to control?”
“Are you afraid you’ll hurt us? If that’s the case, don’t worry.”
“Wait, wait. Hold on, guys. I’m not sure I understand. Why are you suddenly asking this?”
“A one-sided relationship isn’t healthy.”
“That’s right. We know you’ve been holding back for our sake, Gi-hyuk. We appreciate your help. But we want to help you too. We don’t want to just receive your help. We can help you as well.”
“So, why do you want to help me?”
They both looked at me as if I were asking something obvious, almost taken aback by my question.
“Because we’re friends.”
“Because we’re friends.”
“…!”
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
Friends… It’s such an unfamiliar word to me, and it was spinning my mind in circles.
“Why are you surprised? Didn’t you help us because we’re friends? I trusted you because I considered you a friend. That’s why I agreed to learn sorcery. Was I mistaken?”
“We spend more than half of each day together, so of course, we’re friends.”
“Ah…”
Now I understand. I’ve been treating them as disciples, but they’ve been seeing me as a friend.
And one more thing—throughout both my past and present lives, I’ve never had friends.
“Don’t forget, Gi-hyuk. Friends… friends are people who are together.”
Friends… Friends, huh…
It was a surprisingly refreshing shock.
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