Chapter 181
I exited through the rear gate of the stronghold.
Only Johnny followed me.
"The things I asked you to do, just take care of them. Unless it's really important and urgent, don't even contact me. Don't tell anyone where I am, either."
"Not even the head of the family?"
"Right. Only Donnie and you know. The members will train somewhere in the mountains. You'll need to deliver food and supplies to them too."
"Understood."
I had already said farewell to my family. Allen and the Tuji brothers also decided to train, and Yuri would be cared for by Mr. Raban's family and Johnny.
"Now, go back in."
"Are you really going to walk?"
"Yeah."
"Then, travel safely."
I nodded and started walking.
Everything I had was in my huge backpack. Though, realistically, I had everything in my magic bag.
There was a lot I had to achieve in this training.
I planned to invent about three berserker sword techniques with the ice attribute, and also create at least three with the lightning attribute.
I intended to finish our family's sword technique, [Sword of the Star]. I would create the ultimate ability of the berserker, and go beyond, by developing an annihilation technique that surpassed even that.
I had already constructed a theory of magic power control for all these things. I intended to refine it through trial and error. The swordsmanship theories that the five officers had written down were a great help.
It was the beginning of winter.
I wondered how long it would take.
/ / /
Upon arriving at my training grounds, I set up camp.
After resting for a day, I dove right into training.
Time began to pass.
Several months went by, and the seasons changed. I sprinted every day, and my magic power was depleted dozens of times. There were even weeks when I was absorbed in nothing but meditation.
During that time, my body changed.
I accomplished everything I set out to do.
Around the time the third winter arrived.
* * *
A sled pulled by dogs raced vigorously.
On the sled were Johnny, a member of the Hader family and secretary to Roger Hader, and Yuri.
"Yuri, aren't you cold?"
"I'm not cold. But how much farther do we have to go?"
"Young master is at the northernmost end. I've never been here before, so I don't know exactly where he is."
Johnny had now become an indispensable part of the eastern merchant guild. Three days ago, he'd been contacted by Roger for the first time in two years.
Roger Hader had left for northern training and hadn't returned in two years. There had been numerous changes in the family and merchant guild during that time, but Johnny had never contacted him.
Then, for the first time, Roger had reached out.
His training, which lasted for over two years, had just come to an end, so he asked for a sled to be sent.
Coincidentally, Johnny was on New Year's vacation, so he decided to go north himself with Yuri, who wanted to see Roger. Unfortunately, this was right after several days of heavy snowfall.
As they traveled for a while, Johnny noticed a strange area. Everywhere else was covered in snow, but on the left, there was a circle where no snow had fallen. And the circle was perfect.
"Stop for a moment, please!"
The sled stopped immediately.
Johnny got off the sled and stepped into the circular area. Looking down, he saw the rock below was deeply cracked.
A faint electric current was rising from the ground. It looked as if a lightning bolt had crashed down and etched an enormous pattern on the land.
It looked like a gigantic seal had fallen from the sky, or perhaps as if it was struck by lightning—but it was definitely not a natural phenomenon. The diameter was over 100 strides across.
"What do you think this is?"
"I have no idea, sir. I've never seen anything like this."
"Let's keep going."
The sled continued over some hills and raced straight into the forest. After a while, the sled suddenly jolted. The dogs pulling the sled had been startled by something.
"Why are these dogs acting up?"
"What's happening?"
"There must be something in the forest!"
Frightened, the dogs suddenly scattered in all directions. The sled tipped over because of it, and Johnny and Yuri tumbled into the snow. The dogs ran off, dragging the sled with them.
As Johnny and Yuri struggled to get up—
Something jet-black appeared from the forest.
Johnny was terrified, and Yuri jumped to her feet.
"Wow! That's a huge wolf!"
It was a giant wolf beast.
All eleven of them were here.
Behind the wolves, a person was coming, bearing something black and heavy on his back. He looked like a strange one.
"Roger oppa!"
"Is that the young master?"
A man with a massive wild boar slung across his back.
He wore crudely stitched leather pants and draped the pelt of a monster over his shoulders. His face was thick with a beard, and icicles dangled from it.
Thud—
The strange one dropped the huge wild boar.
Then, he approached the two.
"Have you been well?"
"Yes! Roger oppa."
"Are you alright, young master?"
"Of course I am. What about the sled?"
"I'll go find it."
The sled driver hurriedly ran off.
Roger shook the frost from his beard.
"Why did you come all the way here yourself? Weren't you busy?"
"I'm on vacation. But were you running low on food? If you'd let us know, we could have sent plenty more."
"Oh, this boar? It's not for me—it's for the wolves. They like roasted meat, too."
Roger hoisted the boar back onto his shoulder.
He lifted that massive thing in a single motion and slung it over his shoulder with a thud! The wolves immediately moved out.
"Let's go, too."
"Have you been staying close by?"
"Yeah."
Johnny followed Roger with a puzzled expression. He couldn't sense any of the strength from before—as if Roger had become an ordinary person.
Roger stopped before a cave.
There was a cave entrance above, and, to Johnny's surprise, the wolves leapt up and entered the cave.
"Yuri, you go first."
"Okay!"
Yuri jumped up and entered the cave.
Watching that, Johnny nearly flopped over backward.
"Yu-Yuri, what happened to her?"
"You didn't know?"
"Know what?"
Roger just smiled.
"Yuri, lower the rope ladder for us."
"Okay!"
Soon, a rope ladder dropped down from inside the cave. Johnny climbed up the ladder. Then, along with the wolves, they moved deeper inside.
At last, Roger's training site was revealed.
A vast circular space. The ground was covered in straw, and faint lightning emanated from the walls.
"Don't touch the walls. You'll get shocked."
"Ah, understood."
There was a huge brazier in the corner, and a resting place for the wolves. The wolves went straight over, lay down, and rested their chins on the ground.
"Did you train here?"
"Only in the beginning. Later, I trained outside."
"Did you accomplish what you set out to do?"
Roger just smiled brightly.
Seeing Johnny get emotional, he smiled as well.
* * *
I lit a fire in the brazier.
Then I slit open the belly of the boar I'd caught, removed its innards, and skinned it.
"Everything alright with the family?"
"There's something special."
"What is it?"
"We got an invitation from the imperial family. They're going to formally appoint our knight order as an official order. Commander Russell will be individually appointed as well."
"That's great. When do they want you to come?"
"This March. They said only the head of the family needs to go. Last autumn, a royal came by to assess the knight order's skills and then left."
Once we become an official knight order, we can be assigned to the army in times of emergency. It looks like signs of tension are starting. The imperial family officially granting knighthood to our order means they're preparing for that.
"Are the nephews doing well?"
"Of course. They're talking already."
I saw Yuri, too.
She was sitting in front of the wolves.
She must find those big creatures cute.
"Yuri, haven't you been bored?"
"I spent time with Lana unni. I studied and read books like her."
"Good job. What about the members?"
"Captain Donnie and the others were in the mountains for about eight months, then returned."
"So, it took them a while, too."
I stuck the boar on a thick iron rod, rested it over the brazier, and roasted it slowly. For the past two years, roasting meat like this had been my only relaxation.
I pushed my body to its limits.
I ran over six hours every day with the wolves, and some days, I ran for three days straight without rest.
On other days, I deliberately entered goblin territory and battled them. I fought them using only basic swordsmanship, with minimum magic power.
Because of that, the goblins kept coming, trying to get revenge, leaving me no time to slack off. After fighting them for a full year, they stopped coming.
So, I trained and trained, fought and fought, and depleted my magic power dozens of times. Then, changes in my body began to appear.
Even so, without taking the devil's essence, I kept going. I repeated the new sword techniques I created thousands—no, tens of thousands—of times, refining them into better forms.
Thus, I completed the berserker's ultimate technique in a year, and, through overwhelming repetition, I finished the annihilation technique at the end of last year.
The other sword techniques were all completed in less than five months. I not only mastered the Sword of the Star ahead of schedule, but also created four more sword arts for the family.
Sometimes, I only meditated, trying to fathom the profound depths of swordsmanship. Strangely, that meditation was extremely effective.
I came to know what unity with the universe means.
I didn't reach any great enlightenment, but it became vividly clear that physical training isn't everything.
So, I practiced both swordsmanship and mental training. Thanks to that, my spiritual level rose considerably—I could even see the flow of magic power.
Then one day, in deep meditation. I saw an image of light like myself within the universe. There was a moment when I united with that light.
It felt as if I became one with the cosmos. As if the dimension of matter and the dimension of spirit became one.
Precisely at that instant, my body changed.
"You can eat now."
I cut off the roasted outer meat and put it on plates. Only we ate this; the rest was for the wolves, who didn't like the overcooked meat.
We ate the grilled meat together. I was used to it, but Johnny probably found the gamey smell a bit much, though he kept his expression neutral.
"You're returning now, right?"
"I'm going. My training ended at the end of last year, but I stayed a few more months because I enjoyed living like this."
"Are you satisfied with your training?"
"More or less."
If my soul could unite completely, not just temporarily like now—it would spark another transformation.
That first union—
I consumed the devil's essence.
In a cave with devil bones imbued with divinity.
When I awoke, my body had changed. All the paths of magic power had opened, and finally, the path from my crown opened completely too, with a sensation like exploding.
Right after that, I completed the annihilation technique and advanced one, maybe two more steps. Now, it's not the Sword of Light anymore. It's a formless sword. There's no need for a blade.
I can't even tell what level I'm at.
The devil's essence I consumed was the Demon King's power, and it became entirely my own.
I've seen even higher places.
I can perceive them, but they're dizzyingly high.
I suppose that's the level of the gods.
Having transformed my body, it might actually be easier to reach that level than what I've already accomplished. That path is of spirit, not body—a step of spiritual evolution.
It's an impossibly high place now.
But someday, I will reach it.
I am already a superhuman.
/ / /
"Thank you for your hard work, young master."
The members were lined up in front of my mansion. Every one of them possessed tremendous magic power, including the Tuji brothers.
"When did the primordial divinity become magic power?"
"It took six months."
"And Tuji?"
"It took us a bit longer."
Everyone was at the level of the Sword of Light.
Donnie even above that.
"You're going south?"
"Yes. I have to go to the capital in early March, so I want to go look for the stone of the gods first. If I ride Asgard's bones and fly over the mountains, I should be there in a week."
"Then we'll return within a week, too."
"That's right."
I looked over the members again.
"You all did it?"
They all smiled and nodded.
No need to watch here any longer. When I go south, the Tak tribe, who view us with hostility, will be plentiful.
"What about Allen?"
"He went on a pilgrimage with the woman who worked at the exchange. He said he'll just greet us and return later."
"We'll leave tomorrow, so be ready."
"Will Miss Eilin not go?"
"If there's any darkness needing purification in the south, I'll call for her then. Any corrupted ones there will submit to us anyway, so it won't be a problem."
"Understood."
I'm not going to Yan this time.
If 'Rod' remembers me—he might have hidden the devil's essence for me alone. I can retrieve it later.
"Did you check the armor?"
"Is it at home?"
"Yes. We went ahead to the new territory, confirmed it, and moved everything here. The left glove of the armor also acts as the activation device."
"Okay, let's see it."
I entered my home.
The armor was in my room.
I couldn't help but be amazed the moment I saw it.
Armor made from Asgard's bones.
A matte, jet-black form. The scales were sharp, resembling the hide of a fierce dragon. And that form...
"Mr. Urald said this: from now on, we should call our berserkers the Black Wolves."
"Yes. It suits us."
We're wolves now.
In skill, in looks, undisputed.
The wolves of the Hader family.