The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military

While everyone was staring slack jawed at Iron’s aura blade, the masters were objectively analyzing Iron’s current state.

“It’s not perfect yet.”

“That’s right. But… He has already gone over the wall.”

The two Family Heads nodded as they continued to analyze Iron’s level.

Just like they said, Iron had already crossed over the wall that separated the masters from the rest of the people. It was proven by the significant difference in the pressure and momentum that was flowing from the huge sword created from his mana sword. They could also feel the dominating mana and momentum that was characteristic of a master.

Even the Southern and Eastern Commanders could feel it clearly.

There were still some parts where he was still lacking and a bit immature in handling but it was something that would be solved over time.

Those lacking parts did not matter in the fight at all. After all, anyone who crossed that wall would already have a power that was far beyond those below them.

“Hoo… That’s quite refreshing.”

Iron looked refreshed and comfortable as he cracked his neck.

Since he intentionally hid his power, he felt like something was blocking his throat.

He wanted to show them his strength properly under the pretext of warming up but his punks, the divine beasts, did not give him the chance to do so. And with his subordinates growing rapidly, he failed to warm up properly. Baepsae also did not allow him to move until the internal injuries that he had received from his daily fight with the giant armored worm had healed.

“Is that it? Then, the last one is…”

Iron swung his sword swiftly all the while speaking calmly.

Then, a boom resounded as something got deflected from his swing.

“I didn’t feel his presence, though?”

He had noticed a bit earlier that something was trying to attack him.

I only felt it at this moment even after being a master?

His opponent was only in the 6th Stage but his attack was extremely covert that Iron only felt the attack right before it touched his skin. No matter how lax his attention was, his skill must have been at a great level for him to be able to deceive a master’s senses. And that wasn’t even the end of his opponent’s attacks. A dark pit suddenly appeared below Iron as thousands of black hands reached out to pull Iron down.

But something at this level couldn’t make him, a person who had become a master, be flustered. Iron only released several sword attacks to cut the hands off and release himself from the pit.

“Quite persistent.”

Dark pits and black holes appeared in the ground and in the air as black hands reached out for Iron. It was as if that one single pit was just a prelude to this madness. And in such a chaotic situation, a covert and hidden attack suddenly flew in. It was a sword attack that hid in the shadows as it flew at a break-neck speed.

If he was a knight without that much combat experience, then he would have died from the fierce attacks from all sides. Even if the person here was a 6th Stage warrior, they would most likely perish under the onslaught of attacks. After all, they wouldn’t be able to do anything but just defend.

However, a master was on an entirely different level.

Iron was still at ease despite defending against the countless black hands and the secret sword attack. He was even able to lightly kick Al-Assad and blow him away.

Then, as if he would not stop until he killed Iron, Al-Assad grabbed the shadow weapons from the black holes and attacked Iron. But the difference in their skills was overwhelming and Al-Assad could only be pushed back once again.

“I believe this proves the difference in skills…”

Iron swung his sword as he said so.

Kim Jungtae and the two other-worlders’ expressions hardened.

Their debuff had already ended during the challenge which proved Iron’s words to be correct. However, their pride did not allow them to end things like this.

At that moment, a quest suddenly appeared in front of them.

[ Sub Quest – Receive Recognition from Heildelberg’s Hero. ]

― Rewards : Obtain the Title ‘Recognized by a Hero’.

Kim Jungtae looked at Al-Assad and Rovanov after checking the quest window. He could see that the two of them had also checked the quest because of the burning gaze that they had used to look at Iron. The will to be recognized by the arrogant being towering over them had made their eyes blaze.

While they looked at him intently, a quest also appeared in front of Iron.

[ Sub Quest : Show the Arrogant Southerners what Power the Empire Has. ]

― You will not receive any title or achievements as a reward. However, the morale of the Imperial Armies and the people of the Empire will significantly increase. In addition, the increase in morale will increase the probability of the talents in the Empire running and chasing after you to the Southeast.

There was no individual reward given since he was already the Hero of the Empire.

It did not matter what kind of role he played, everything would still be fair and reasonable. So, there was no chance that a title or an achievement would appear. For something like that to appear, he had to do something that was equivalent to saving the Empire’s capital.

So, what if it wasn’t a title?

Even if it was just a small effect, like increasing the army’s morale, it would spread in the entire Empire since he was a Hero.

“What are you doing? If you’re going to fight, then come.”

When Iron raised his finger in a come hither motion, Rovanov furiously rushed in with her fist.

Along with Rovanov’s giant that moved like it was with one body with her, a water storm appeared and created a water dragon once again.

Hundreds of water spears together with thousands of hidden weapons made of shadows flew in towards Iron.

“That’s… going to be hard.”

“For sure.”

The giant water dragon opened its maws to devour Iron while the giant moved in and attacked him mercilessly.

Al-Assad also tried to aim for his gaps as he attacked with his sword. However, instead of using the thousands of shadow weapons from before, he compressed the dark energy from the thousands of attacks into a single sword that coldly aimed for Iron’s neck.

His steel-like momentum seemed to be gradually decreasing from the attacks of the three strongest other-worlders to the point that he looked like he was in a crisis.

Then, a powerful shield of light bloomed around Iron.

Scratch! Scratch!

The screeching sound of the dark energy scratching the shield of light rang loudly but it was not able to pierce through it at all.

Rovanov’s giant clasped its hands together as it struck the sword that was trying to pierce through the shield of light.

Thud!

The black sword finally pierced through the shield of light thanks to the giant’s full-fledged attack, effectively opening the shield of light.

Iron’s huge aura sword, which was as sturdy and hard as steel, cut off the giant’s hands. Even the falling water dragon failed to withstand the blow of Iron’s huge sword.

The one who was able to endure until the end was Al-Assad. He was able to avoid Iron’s sword thanks to his fast movement ability and special hiding ability.

However, a master’s body far exceeded the limits of a human’s body. In addition, Iron was a monster that was groomed by the Hero title effects so he was able to catch up quickly with Al-Assad and his movement techniques with his pure agility alone.

The power of darkness, which had enormous power and countless uses, was also destroyed by Iron’s overwhelming holy power.

“Ah…”

All Al-Assad could do was stare blankly at Iron’s overwhelming power. He thought that he was already close to the master-rank after gaining the power of darkness. The power of darkness gave him the ability to control shadows and hide his movements and weapons. This power had allowed him to rise above the six strongest other-worlders. There was no doubt that this power had made him become the first among all the other-worlders. He even had the hope of defeating a master.

However, his opponent, Iron, had shattered that hope. The difference in their skills was overwhelming enough that he could step on all three of them without using his divine beasts.

“Hoo… I was quite surprised. I didn’t mean to use my holy power…”

Iron spoke as he looked at his holy power that was spread out in the area.

He thought that his sword was enough. However, it seemed like it would be difficult to stop all three of them with just his sword skills since he just entered the realms of the masters.

“They’re definitely not at the master-rank yet but… I can’t one shot them for sure.”

Their basic level was only at the 6th Stage but their skills were a bit too ambiguous. However, if a master couldn’t one shot kill them, then they had enough power to become a huge burden to the master. A master could be seriously injured if two or three of them tag-teamed and caught the master off-guard. And they were still young. They still had a lot of time and this was only right after they received their new abilities.

‘Hoo… I don’t want to admit it but…’

Iron clicked his tongue as he looked at Kim Jungtae, who was lying flat out on the ground. However, he needed to admit things that he had to admit.

‘They may not be good enough right now but they might be able to deal with a master sooner or later.’

In terms of the potential for growth, it seemed like the other-worlders had a scarier advantage than the masters.

The masters sitting on the wall also hardened their expressions. It seemed like they also admitted this fact.

The last shot that hit Iron alone was more than enough to prove their worth. This was because a war was not like a duel. Just having that room to breathe was more than enough to deal with somebody else in the battlefield.

In other words! It was enough to recognize them as masters but it was only because of their growth potential.

Iron turned to look at the masters to ask if they would recognize them. The masters all nodded their heads heavily.

“Considering your monstrous growth… we believe that you are close to the master-rank. However, there’s still a lot left to be desired… Once you reach a level where you are fully skilled then… Only then will we recognize you.”

It was a conditional recognition. However, that was more than enough.

The people of the Empire were happy to see Iron’s overwhelming strength and the Southerners were happy that they had proven that their strength was not false. Although they would only be recognized once they fulfilled the condition, the Southerners and other-worlders were more than happy. After all, this meant that their future was boundless.

Kim Jungtae, Rovanov and Al-Assad’s expressions contorted in a grimace. However, it wasn’t as if they did not gain anything. The effects were halved because they would only be recognized once they fulfilled the condition but what was important was that they had obtained the title and its effects.

“We will challenge you again next time.”

“I’m busy. Go and make a reservation.”

Iron just waved his hand in goodbye as if he couldn’t be bothered with Kim Jungtae and his words.

Kim Jungtae could only bite his lips at his attitude. He had to step down.

‘The path is long.’

This thought flashed in Kim Jungtae’s head as he walked calmly towards the gate.

On the other side, Iron stood in front of the other masters before staring at the Lion Family Head.

At first, the people present were wondering why Iron was looking at the Lion Family Head like that but they realized that the two were facing off against each other. So, they shut their mouths and held their breaths. The same was true for the masters right next to the two of them.

This was the Lion Family’s Family Head and eldest son.

The Lion Family Head was hailed as one of the strongest swords in the continent while the eldest son was known as the best Hero who protected the Empire and the Commander of the Mobile Field Army.

And these two people were having a stare-down.

It seemed like Iron was asking him if it was alright to challenge him. Seeing the clear question in his gaze, Lioner opened his mouth to speak.

“If you want to challenge me then come to the family.”

All of the people present had their eyes wide open when they heard Lioner’s words.

The other-worlders’ asking to prove that they were masters was surprising but this was more shell-shocking. Iron had challenged Lioner, a person vying for the title of strongest in the continent.

“I’ll come and find you after I finish cleaning the Southeast.”

Iron’s voice was not loud but everyone heard his words loud and clear.

All of them looked forward to that battle. They hoped that the day that it would happen would come as soon as possible. Their blood was already boiling in excitement just at the thought of the battle that would unfold on that day.

“Oh man. I’m so jealous. I can’t believe you’re going to challenge the family head at that age.”

The Godly Sword Family Head looked at Lioner enviously.

Then, Iron turned to look at Terrion as he said…

“You’ll be next.”

The eyes of everyone present turned to Terrion after hearing another shocking remark from Iron. But Terrion just replied with a smile on his face.

“…I’m looking forward to that day.”