༺ The Grandmaster ༻
Typically, the body strengthening technique is considered limited to the talented, and the master class is said to be limited only to those chosen by the gods.
Then, what about those who transcend those chosen ones and walk a unique path that no one has ever ventured?
People call them the Grandmasters.
If a body strengthening practitioner simply uses mana, and the master class can shape mana sharply through will.A Grandmaster can implement their mental image into reality using mana. Such mental images warp this reality according to the user’s will.
For instance, I have seen the Sword Saint cutting a mountain with a single sword.
It was not because the sword carried a force strong enough to cut a mountain.
It was because the sword was ‘a sword that cuts a mountain’, and consequently, the mountain was cut.
It might sound absurd, but the state that makes such impossible-looking things possible was precisely the Grandmaster.
A single mental image that talented people reach after tirelessly working and agonizing in their field for decades. The power of intention to unfold it into reality.
The technique only possible by a Grandmaster is mostly referred to with these words.“The Martial Extreme…!”
Unable to hide her astonished expression, Sylvia, who had been watching the match, spoke. As she had known me for a long time and had been observing me, she recognized instantly what I had just done.
A sword that can cut anything. A flame that can burn anything. Such combinations of words might sound like a child’s play, but in the hands of a Grandmaster, they become reality.
The mental image of my Martial Extreme was Clear Mirror, Still Water1明鏡止水- is a Chinese idiom. The idiom metaphorically suggests that just like a clear mirror can reflect things without being affected by them, a person should possess a calm and undisturbed mind, unaffected by external influences or emotions. The “water” in this idiom represents the chaotic or turbulent external world, while the “clear mirror” represents an individual’s calm and focused mind.
The idiom can be applied to personal relationships, decision-making, or any situation where it is necessary to remain calm, objective, and unaffected by external pressures. It serves as a reminder to maintain composure, clarity, and a tranquil state of mind in order to navigate through life’s challenges effectively. .
Just as a lake quickly becomes calm again even when a stone falls on the serene surface causing ripples, it’s the mental image of an absolute defense that nullifies all attacks.
Although I had become a shell that couldn’t use mana due to circumstances, it did not mean that the mental image within me had disappeared.
Hence, the Martial Extreme could be used barehanded, even if the effect was diminished.
“Cough, k-heuk…!”
Frida clutched her broken nose with her hand, letting drops of blood fall onto the dirt floor as she writhed in pain.
Her face, which would have been beautiful, was now hard to recognize due to blood and wounds.
However, it was not to the extent that people couldn’t recognize that she was Frida von Sternlicht, the Iron-Blooded Knight. A few spectators, who had seen her face at least once from afar, gasped in shock.
“It really is the Iron-Blooded Knight…”
“The identity of the Bloody Rose, Frey, was the Deputy Commander of the Royal Guards?”
At the murmuring of the spectators, Frida clenched her broken nose to stem the blood and opened her mouth. Judging by the deflated sound of her mangled pronunciation, it seemed like a few of her teeth had also been broken.
“K-heuk…! Could it be… the Martial Extreme?”
Being a master class, it seemed she had the insight to recognize what her technique had been defeated by.
Frida started to babble, looking at me with a disbelieving expression, even after speaking herself.
“No way… a Grandmaster…!? The Sword Saint and the Champion never leave the sacred place and the country of laws, and the other Grandmasters aren’t as young as… huh!”
Frida’s eyes widened in shock.
“Don’t tell me, you, you are… you’re a mons-“
I kicked her hard in the abdomen. This time too, Frida rolled miserably on the floor without even screaming.
Frida, who was already almost collapsed, rolled more like trash due to the impact on her abdomen, throwing up all the contents of her stomach.
“Uweeek!”
As one of the Hero Party and the Deputy Commander of the Royal Guards was being unilaterally assaulted like this, the silence of the spectators deepened even more. It was as if they were afraid of witnessing a scene they shouldn’t be seeing.
I didn’t like this silence. So I raised my right hand high towards the audience.
As if boasting of my victory, the eyes of the audience were focused on me. Then, the heat rose again in the eyes of the audience, filled with confusion and shock.
All the trivial things were forgotten, and only the victor and the loser of the arena were in their sight. It seemed as if the fact that a member of the Hero Party had been defeated had already disappeared from their memory.
No, that fact might have excited the audience even more. People often feel a thrill when they see someone in a high position being dragged down.
“Oh, Ooooooh!!!”
“Iron Fist! Iron Fist! Iron Fist!!”
“That bitch! I never liked her from the start! Kill her, Iron Fist!!”
I brought back the excitement of the arena that Frida wanted, but she didn’t seem to enjoy it at all.
She continued to gag even after emptying the contents of her stomach, and with an expression filled with pain and humiliation, she stumbled and began to speak.
“Why, why now… why at all? After being silent for the past five years… living as if you were dead! Are you saying now you have become resentful of me, of us?”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
“Wha, what…?”
“The reason why I left you alone is not because I forgave you. It’s because I made a promise.”
“A promise…?”
Instead of continuing the conversation with her, I landed a punch on her face.
Her broken teeth, soaked in blood, rolled on the floor of the arena.
“Guh-heuk…!! Tha, that per-“
I mercilessly swung my fist at her, preventing her from uttering any word. It was far from enough to end it with surrender.
I thought I had left everything behind.
Anger, hatred, sadness, regret.
I thought I had left all the emotions that set my heart on fire on that hellish battlefield.
That wasn’t the case. It was just a delusion.
In the end, looking at my current state, searching for Ella, I could clearly see.
I should have made this woman like this a long time ago.
The anger inside me was still so immense.
“Kheuk…”
Frida’s face was now so broken that it was unrecognizable. The way she was struggling to breathe made it seem like she was about to stop breathing at any moment.
I firmly raised my right hand.
The red blood flowing from my fist streamed down my arm vividly.
The audience was cheering like mad.
***
After the confrontation with Frida, only Sylvia and I were left.
Sylvia, disguised as a freckled girl, sent me a worried glance.
“Will you be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on! You pretending not to know! Of course, I’m talking about that bitch… ahem, Frida.”
Sylvia was once a member of the Hero Party. Our first encounter was also due to that relationship, and the relationship from that time has been continuing somewhat tiresomely until now.
Sylvia’s personality didn’t match Frida’s high-pressure personality even in her Hero Party days. Even pretending otherwise, it was clear that Frida despised and belittled her for being from the underworld.
Her slightly aggressive expression towards Frida showed that the negative feelings from that time were still present within her.
I nodded my head calmly.
“It’ll be fine. That woman with her pride, won’t openly talk about it.”
That’s why I deliberately spared Frida’s life.
If I had killed her here, the Royal Family and the Royal Guard would have made a mess of the underworld for the investigation.
But if Frida survived, for the sake of her own dignity, she wouldn’t be able to make this incident public.
If the Deputy Commander of the Royal Guards had been killed in the arena, it would damage the authority of the royal family, but if she had participated in the illegal arena without permission, and returned humiliatingly defeated, she would only become a subject of ridicule in social circles.
Of course, she might take some secret actions behind the scenes, but it would be impossible to mobilize a large force. And in such a situation, Sylvia’s abilities and tricks would be enough to handle it.
Sylvia nodded as if understanding my words.
“Well, that’s true… With her personality, she would be too embarrassed to say anything. The Deputy Commander of the Royal Guards entered through connections, not skill. If rumors spread among her subordinates that she was defeated… Ugh! I wouldn’t be able to show my face outside if it were me.”
“Never.”
It wasn’t funny that this woman, who prided herself on her thick face, said such a thing. The woman who had tried to kill me at our first meeting was now speaking so casually to me.
Of course, there was a deeper reason for her change of heart.
Sylvia smirked subtly, crossed her legs, and spoke leisurely.
“Thanks, dear. To be honest, I couldn’t touch her because I couldn’t handle the aftermath. Now that she’s been brutally defeated in the arena in front of so many people, she’ll never dare to show up here again. I personally feel relieved, too.”
“Prepare the information properly.”
“Of course, I have to. By the way, you really worked hard today. As a reward for exceeding my expectations… How about it? I can give you the VIP room of the arena for the whole night.”
Sylvia licked her lower lip with her tongue and smiled seductively.
But trying to make a provocative expression with that rustic girl’s face only made the contradiction feel more intense.
At my disgusted expression, Sylvia chuckled playfully.
“Just kidding. You haven’t changed. Anyway! Thanks to you, I don’t think I’ll need to go to the arena anymore. You’ve already done enough.”
“I see.”
“Of course, you’re always welcome if you want to make money?”
Instead of answering, I shrugged my shoulders and left the room. Sylvia didn’t seem genuinely making the offer either, and she kindly waved me off.
Walking towards the exit of the underworld, deeply covered in darkness, I paused in thought.
“……”
Would this be enough to satisfy those guys a bit?
As the remaining captain of the special unit, I buried the faces of my comrades, who were now gone, in my heart once again.
Footnotes:
- 1明鏡止水- is a Chinese idiom. The idiom metaphorically suggests that just like a clear mirror can reflect things without being affected by them, a person should possess a calm and undisturbed mind, unaffected by external influences or emotions. The “water” in this idiom represents the chaotic or turbulent external world, while the “clear mirror” represents an individual’s calm and focused mind.
The idiom can be applied to personal relationships, decision-making, or any situation where it is necessary to remain calm, objective, and unaffected by external pressures. It serves as a reminder to maintain composure, clarity, and a tranquil state of mind in order to navigate through life’s challenges effectively.
