Chapter 26
Top floor of the main building.
Head Instructor's office.
Berton stood beside the window, looking down toward the training grounds.
He could not forget what he had seen earlier.
Isaac from Section Three.
Theron from Section Five.
The two strongest trainees from sections that should have been trying to tear each other's throats out...
Sitting together, laughing.
And around them...
Section Five trainees correcting each other's stances.
"..."
Something about the scene continued bothering him.
Had anything like this ever happened before?
Berton thought silently for a while.
Then he snapped his fingers.
"Executioner."
"Yes."
An Executioner standing in the shadows stepped forward.
Berton spoke.
"Do you know why this island was designed this way?"
"...To force trainees to compete and filter out only the strongest few."
"Half correct."
Berton kept looking outside.
"But..."
He continued calmly.
"The other half is to cut away affection."
The Executioner remained silent.
"Trainees who won't blink when someone beside them dies."
"Those who will cut down yesterday's comrade if ordered."
Berton's voice remained cold.
"Only people like that deserve to become Shadows."
"..."
"But Section Five..."
Berton finally turned from the window.
"Is going in the opposite direction."
The Executioner understood.
"Will you interfere?"
"Interfere..."
A faint smile appeared on Berton's lips.
"If we're only looking at results, this may be the best group we've ever trained."
"Training speed."
"Training density."
"Everything."
He chuckled.
"It would be wasteful to crush the result just because I dislike the process."
"Then..."
"We'll test it."
Berton's eyes became cold.
"Whether this bond is real."
"Or whether it's only a shell that looks pretty because their bellies are full."
He smiled.
"If we place it on the test table, we'll find out."
"...The third test?"
"Prepare it."
Berton spoke.
"I'll design the rules myself."
The Executioner's eyebrow twitched.
Not one of the traditional tests?
Berton intended to personally change a process that had continued for decades because of what was happening right now.
"...Understood."
The Executioner bowed and withdrew.
Berton returned his gaze to the distant Section Five training ground.
Theron.
A boy talented enough to become a Special Trainee.
But...
That warmth you created...
Let's see whether it can survive Hell Island's winter.
Several days passed.
Theron's schedule appeared unchanged from the outside.
Morning...
Section Five.
Afternoon...
Training under Berton in the main building.
After the evening bell...
Library and cultivation room.
But within that same schedule...
Everything inside Theron was changing every day.
Shhhh.
Early morning.
An empty training ground.
Theron's body silently slid over the earth.
At first...
Two steps had been his limit.
After three days...
Three.
Now...
Five silent steps on a single breath.
His body rode his breathing.
At the end of that flow...
His sword extended.
So this is what it means for footwork to carry the sword.
His feet moved his body into the best possible position for the next attack.
Distances that had once been unreachable...
Now became reachable.
Angles that had not existed...
Opened themselves.
The fusion of Wandering Wind and Theron's sword.
Something he had never attempted even in his previous life was slowly taking shape.
And his cultivation growth was even greater.
Thanks to the fivefold efficiency of the Advanced Cultivation Room and bracelet...
Mana accumulated steadily inside his mana hall every night.
Three-Star... fully stabilized.
The realm he had forcefully reached using the Blood Jade Fruit had now completely become his own.
At this speed...
He would encounter the Four-Star wall sooner than expected.
Aura manifestation.
A realm trainees should never be able to reach.
Theron did not care.
I only need to hide it.
Hiding things was something he had become far too good at.
That afternoon.
Underground training hall.
CLANG!
Their swords collided heavily.
Berton narrowed his eyes.
"Stop."
At that short command...
Theron immediately withdrew his sword and straightened.
Berton spoke.
"No matter how quickly someone learns..."
"This is absurd."
He had exchanged more than thirty blows with Theron.
Everything Berton corrected...
Theron absorbed by the next day.
By the day after that...
He had completely made it his own.
Berton had never taught anyone with this kind of talent.
"Impressive."
His expression carried genuine interest.
"Your learning speed is extraordinary."
"...I suppose I was lucky to find a good teacher."
"Flattery."
Berton scoffed.
Still...
Satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"That's enough for today."
"Yes."
Theron began putting away his sword.
Then...
"Theron."
"...Yes."
"Section Five has been interesting lately."
Theron's feet stopped.
Berton continued.
"Palcoat, wasn't it?"
"The one who comes to get beaten by you every day."
"...He's simply a fellow trainee working hard."
"Fellow trainee."
Berton slowly repeated the words.
"That is a very..."
He smiled faintly.
"Unfamiliar phrase on this island."
Then he waved.
"Go."
