Chapter 224

As soon as they returned to their quarters, Jaxon produced an ointment.

Finn applied the ointment all over Encrid’s body, and Krais wrapped the bandages.

“I thought you were a goner.”

Krais said, wrapping the bandages with practiced ease.

“I was holding back a bit.”

Krais chuckled in disbelief at Encrid’s words.

“Didn’t you see that woman’s forearms? They were thicker than our brother’s.”

He glanced at Audin as he spoke.

He meant, how could he say he was holding back after seeing those forearms?

“Forearm thickness doesn’t prove skill.”

Encrid said, without a change in expression. He didn’t seem to feel the pain from his wounds.

Krais signaled with his eyes to stop talking and took his hands off. The dangerous wounds had been roughly taken care of.

“Uh, well. Don’t be disheartened even if the results aren’t good.”

Finn chimed in from the side. She didn’t know Encrid yet.

Anyone with ambition also has a fierce desire to win. Yes, normally that would be the case.

Encrid wasn’t devoid of a desire to win either. The Platoon leader Finn had seen didn’t particularly enjoy losing. So, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

However, the situation was a bit different now.

Losing wasn’t the problem.

Encrid had learned a lot from facing the half-Giant female warrior.

Something more important than losing.

Something more important than dying.

It was the satisfaction of fulfilling a burning desire.

It was the contentment of walking towards tomorrow.

‘Tomorrow again.’

Moreover, it wasn’t over. He wasn’t dead either.

They had just parted, promising to meet again tomorrow. At this moment, Encrid felt exhilaration not because he had lost, but because he reflected on the path he had walked and looked forward to the path ahead.

In short, he was extremely happy that he could fight again tomorrow. It showed on his face.

A smile, a grin appeared, and Finn, seeing this, carefully stood up from her crouched position and turned around, mouthing the words.

‘Did you hit your head?’

There was no answer.

Audin, who had been silently observing, stepped forward.

He approached Encrid. This bear-like beast knelt on one knee and met his gaze.

Was he trying to perform some kind of holy act? Encrid, with one eye bandaged, looked at him.

“Do you have a hobby of getting hit, brother?”

Audin asked.

Of course, he didn’t. It was a question with an obvious answer.

Thus, the real question came next. This was Audin’s way of rebuking, or so it seemed. That’s how it felt.

“No one can avoid every attack. So, what should you do?”

Without waiting for an answer, Audin continued.

“If you get drunk on the thrill of your body moving as you wish and stop here, it will be hard to move forward. Brother.”

He tapped his temple with his finger as he spoke.

Encrid didn’t immediately grasp the meaning of Audin’s words.

But he had a feeling there was something to be gained from them. So he stayed silent and pondered Audin’s words.

When the religious beast stepped back, the axe-wielding beast stepped forward and said.

“Hey, you don’t need to just endure with strength. Try to unleash it.”

Encrid didn’t immediately grasp this either. He just kept pondering.

Later.

“If you know you’re going to get hit, it hurts less.”

Jaxon said.

“Is it fun?”

Ragna asked.

The last question was one he could answer.

“Very much so.”

When Encrid expressed his true feelings sincerely, Ragna smirked.

Encrid, with a bandage covering one eye and his cheek, smiled too.

Ragna felt that this smile alone could stir one’s heart.

Why wouldn’t it?

Watching Encrid fight had reignited his own motivation.

It had been a long time since he felt this way.

He wanted to wield his sword.

Whether he had an opponent or not, he just wanted to enjoy it. The sword, the present, any moment.

And so, he wanted to convey the same message to his Commander.

To enjoy it.

Encrid replied that he was already doing so.

Ragna then left the quarters and stood in the private training grounds.

As he swung his sword, a few nearby soldiers did the same.

Some of them even approached Ragna directly, requesting a sparring match.

“I’d like to have a match, if you don’t mind?”

There are those who don’t give up, no matter how much they get beaten during training.

They weren’t visible before, but now Ragna could see them too.

Such individuals grow. They move forward. They will learn more.

“Sure.”

He didn’t refuse. He genuinely beat them up.

Ragna enjoyed today. He was extremely happy about it. It was a rare moment. He felt fulfilled and proud, and Ragna was satisfied with how the day turned out.

Encrid lay down, just breathing.

With his regenerative body, even severe wounds would heal quickly.

What is needed to enhance the body’s regenerative power?

First, a well-trained body.

Even without movement, an activated body circulates blood quickly throughout. Blood circulation has the effect of healing wounds.

The reason why muscle and strength development enhances recovery.

As muscles develop, the heart also becomes stronger.

He realized this through training and mastering The Isolation Technique.

Next, proper nutrition is necessary.

The energy needed by the body is obtained through eating.

Hadn’t Audin repeatedly said so?

You need to eat well to build muscle.

You need to eat well for rest to be meaningful.

Encrid did just that. After returning to the quarters, he ate well.

He had a meal of finely ground meat patties stir-fried with vegetables.

It was a hearty meat dish mixed with potatoes and firm root vegetables.

Fulfilling and plentiful, it wasn’t too much anymore.

“Order and eat whatever you want, and take whatever you need.”

This was what Marcus had said after the battle. He had said it more eloquently, but the meaning was the same.

So, he ate well and rested well. There was no pressure.

And then there was Esther.

The Lake Panther, who called him a fool with her eyes, entered Encrid’s embrace.

“Long time no see?”

Encrid scratched Esther’s head with his fingers as she nestled in his arms.

Esther didn’t refuse it.

They were more like friends or comrades than a man and a woman. Encrid treated her that way, and Esther, without expressing much, released her magic.

Though not a healing spell, the stimulation from mana naturally affected the body.

She did what she could.

Because of this, it was only natural that his body healed quickly.

But Dunbachel, who didn’t know any of this, widened her eyes at Encrid’s recovery speed.

“You’re already up?”

Raising that body up in just one day?

It was naturally surprising.

Even she knew how it felt to get beaten by Rem. It was as if she would be crippled for life.

Not that she thought about running away, but the pain and suffering were unavoidable.

Just because she was a beastwomen didn’t mean she was accustomed to pain, nor did she easily endure it.

They were a race that fought based on innate athletic ability and reflexes.

They couldn’t be as sluggish as Giants.

Dunbachel had said this many times, but of course, Rem never paid any heed.

“Alright, let’s take double the hits today.”

That’s all he would say.

“Isn’t this supposed to be training? Not violence?”

Hadn’t Rem himself always said that it wasn’t because he wanted to hit people, but because it was necessary for training?

Yet sometimes it seemed like he forgot that and just showed his true intentions.

“Oh, right. Training. Double the training.”

Then he would shamelessly evade. Of course, Dunbachel couldn’t really complain about it.

Encrid twisted his body from side to side, using his waist as a pivot, and replied.

“My ribs are still a bit uncomfortable. Have your skills improved? Former thief.”

Dunbachel was annoyed by the term ‘former thief’, but she was in no position to argue.

“A little.”

“That must be exciting.”

What was he talking about? What was exciting? Struggling to survive?

It was incomprehensible.

Encrid got up in just one day.

‘My ribs have mostly healed.’

Not perfect, but lying down any longer made him restless.

The female warrior could come back anytime.

By now, Encrid didn’t care where she came from.

He just wanted to fight her again while she was still around, filled with a burning desire to face her once more.

It was no wonder he was called a madman, but Encrid didn’t mind.

No, it was more accurate to say he didn’t have time to think about it.

There are those considered geniuses.

Prodigies and gifted individuals.

People born with talent.

To reach a place even these geniuses struggled to touch, to want to climb there, ordinary effort wasn’t enough.

One had to be insane.

Fortunately, Encrid achieved all this without being aware of it.

If someone who knew his inner self and situation saw him, they would be astonished.

But no one could read Encrid’s thoughts right now.

They could guess, but they couldn’t know everything.

Encrid, waking up refreshed, cleared his head by walking. More precisely, he thought while walking.

When his thoughts got blocked, he had a habit of taking a walk to clear them, ever since he was young.

So, as he walked slowly to the market, the answer to his lingering question became clear, tickling one side of his head.

It wasn’t a flash of enlightenment.

It was more like a subtle realization, like a rising tide.

A tide that gradually wet his ankles with its incoming waters.

‘Was I arrogant?’

What he learned from his platoon members awakened his body. He felt as if he had gained a talent he didn’t have before.

Could that have been a poison to him?

Did he think he didn’t need to think as hard as before?

What Audin had mentioned was a beginner’s mindset. Think and think again.

Encrid pondered as he walked.

The female warrior’s attacks were fast, fierce, and accurate. Not easy to avoid.

“If you know you’re going to get hit, it hurts less.”

Jaxon had said. Know you’re going to get hit.

‘Understand it with your senses.’

Trying to track everything with his eyes was too slow. Had he grown overconfident in his dynamic vision because of his body’s changes? Despite still being insufficient? If he stopped here, the dream of becoming a Knight would dissipate like a mirage?

It wasn’t a storm or a tidal wave inside him.

He just didn’t stop pondering.

‘Open all your senses and the Gate of Sixth Sense wide.’

If he had done that, he would have anticipated the first shield push.

Because he had faced so many weaklings before, he had trapped himself in the well of experience.

He broke that. For an ordinary person, it would be extremely difficult, but Encrid was used to breaking and surpassing his limits.

Wasn’t he the one most accustomed to breaking his limits?

‘Unleash it.’

The Heart of the Beast is for boldness.

The Heart of Great Strength is for increasing power.

Is it right to use the heart to maintain boldness?

No.

Hadn’t he already half-realized it?

‘In every moment.’

A sudden burst of power, like a sharp cut. That was the idea: to release the Heart of Great Strength in bursts.

For now, since he couldn’t maintain the Heart of Great Strength throughout the fight, this was the way to go. Break it down into smaller pieces. He didn’t think it was impossible. Whether it worked or not, he would try. This was all part of a natural thought process.

‘Capture it with the sixth sense.’

Explode the heart in the moment.

Reflecting and simultaneously finding his way to fight, he reached the market.

“The atmosphere is strangely tense.”

“They all look tough.”

“I heard Bell nearly broke his leg?”

Overhearing the murmurs, it seemed something had happened.

Only then did Encrid realize that Rem and the others were nowhere to be seen today. They were all here, gathered in this place.

“So this is where everyone went.”

As he muttered to himself and walked, those around him who recognized Encrid made way for him.

“You’re here?”

Starting with the soldiers.

“So soon? Is your body alright?”

And the cobbler.

“Have some jerky.”

Even the woman running a small shop.

He passed through them, reaching the central crossroads of the four inns symbolizing the Border Guard.

The road was blocked. He saw several halted carriages.

Merchants used this road. Blocking it like this was unacceptable.

He looked ahead to see why it was blocked.

The woman from yesterday was there. Thanks to the Giant’s natural resilience, the minor wounds were no longer visible.

Standing with her sword vertically planted in the ground and her shield beside her, she looked like a statue.

Around her were several other faces.

“Uh, I’m someone called Swift Blade. Does anyone know my nickname? I came here wanting to fight that former soldier.”

With thin eyebrows and a sneering smile, his face was oddly unsettling. The smile didn’t seem genuine.

He wore a sword at his waist, which looked like an arming sword of moderate length.

The thick belt stood out, and at a glance, it was clear he wasn’t an ordinary person.

From the well-developed forearms, it was evident he had a well-trained body.

Moreover, Swift Blade wasn’t alone.

“Such worthless people. I am Edin Molsen, son of Count Molsen! I’ve come to test my skills against Encrid, the Commander of the Independent Company!”

The blonde man who stepped forward was familiar. He was the coachman from before. More precisely, the son of Count Molsen.

Beside him was a younger friend with a similar appearance.

Behind them was a man with a long face.

‘Not bad.’

The man who seemed to be their guard looked quite skilled.

Even Edin Molsen appeared better than when he stood by the Count.

That was Encrid’s assessment.

Lastly,

“So, is that guy too injured to come out?”

The man without a mustache, who Encrid didn’t recognize at first, but then realized, a name that comes to mind is Leona Rockfreed.

‘That swordsman from before?’

The one who had appeared to be a master of swift swordsmanship, who had told him to give up on the sword.

He was the guard of the Rockfreed trading group standing opposite Leona.

“Everyone, just wait a bit. If you’re impatient, why not play with my axe? We had a bout yesterday, but our Commander will be out again today. He’s a bit broken up here.”

From the center, Rem was saying this, pointing to his head and twirling his finger around his ear.

‘That bastard.’

Encrid had no reason to hide. Those around him recognized him and made way for Encrid.

“All here to see me?”

Hmm. How to describe this.

The moment all eyes focused on him, Encrid understood the heart of a farmer.

It was a bountiful harvest.

Each of them seemed as formidable as the half-Giant woman.

And each of them had come to see him.

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