Chapter 75
“Mmm. Delicious.”
I carved a thick slice from the perfectly browned steak—its color like toasted rice crust—and chewed heartily.
With a sip of the sweet fruit juice beside it, warmth returned to my body, spreading like life itself.
“…I’m glad it suits your taste.”
Her eyes said, “After all that chaos, how can you just sit there eating like nothing happened?”
But I didn’t care. Because now—I had a dantian.
“Hehe.”
Even if I tried, I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from curling up.
I was eating alone, quietly grinning to myself, when hurried footsteps echoed from outside. More than one person.
They’re here.
“Count!”
“My lord!”
“Hey!”
The retainers of the Impéra household burst in all at once, faces flushed. Clearly, they’d been worried sick.
“My son!”
“Father?”
Among them was Count Aemon himself.
He must have sprinted all the way from the Kranig Mountains when he heard his son had collapsed.
And who could blame him? Ian wasn’t just his heir—he was his only family.
Even when his son acted like a reckless fool, Aemon endured it all. To hear that he’d been unconscious for five whole days must have been terrifying.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was!”
“Haha, I’m fine now.”
“…Good heavens! You just woke from your sickbed and you’re eating meat? Have you lost your mind?”
Aemon turned to scold Islin, who’d brought me the food. Poor Islin looked frustrated—caught in the crossfire for just following orders.
“It’s fine, Father. I asked for it.”
“What? Still…!”
“Here, look at this.”
Rather than explain, I opened my left palm. A faint, silvery light flickered above it—forming a string of numbers.
[Name: Ian Impéra]
Rank: 5 (Swordsmanship), 5 (Magic)
“Wh—what?!”
“Gasp!”
Everyone froze, eyes wide. Even Islin, who’d been sulking a moment ago, stood slack-jawed.
“Rank 5?!”
“You—you broke through the second wall?!”
“That’s right. I already told you earlier, didn’t I? And remember what I said last time? Medicine is only as good as how you use it.”
“Ah… so that’s why you were unconscious for five days…”
Priana finally nodded, understanding dawning on her face. Aemon, however, still looked completely lost.
“What are you talking about? What medicine? And more importantly—how in the world did you reach Rank 5?!”
“Let’s talk while we eat. Have you all eaten yet?”
“Not yet, my lord…”
“Then sit down. Islin, you too—it’s been a while since we’ve all eaten together.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The kitchen staff took over the cooking, and soon we were all seated.
Then, from beginning to end, I told them everything—how I’d stopped the Golden Bank robbery, how I’d been granted the title of Count, and even about the ancient ruin where I’d gained my fortune.
Piece by piece, I laid out the scattered truths, and before long, they were listening like children to an old legend—wide-eyed, enraptured.
“…And that’s how it all happened.”
“Hah…”
The most shocked of all was Aemon. His face was the picture of disbelief—his once-aimless son had somehow pulled off all this?
“Where in the world did you learn all that?”
“Oh, nothing special. Just a few things I picked up from drunken talk or some random books I happened to read. I just… got lucky.”
“Hmph… that’s the only explanation that makes sense, I suppose.”
“Hehe.”
Thankfully, no one doubted me further.
It certainly sounded more believable than saying that a soul from a ruined world had possessed this body.
That part, I can’t exactly tell them.
“Well, what matters is the result. This is good news, isn’t it? I’ve achieved Rank 5 in both swordsmanship and magic.”
“Haha! Indeed it is!”
Aemon’s face lit up.
Thanks to his once-hopeless son, their crumbling family had finally revived.
Sure, technically, it was because of that same son that they’d nearly fallen in the first place—but no need to dwell on that.
“Still, my lord,” Priana asked sharply, “what do you plan to do next?”
Reaching Rank 5 wasn’t the end goal. What I needed was power—real power. The kind that others couldn’t even dream of challenging.
And power like that couldn’t be hidden away.
“I already have my next step planned.”
“What is it, son?”
“I’ll be entering the Grand Tournament.”
The moment I said it, silence fell over the table.
“T—the Grand Tournament?”
“My lord, that’s far too dangerous!”
“Exactly why it’s worth doing.”
The Grand Tournament.
An annual event held each spring under the warm sun—a festival, at least in name, where knights crossed blades in friendly competition.
In truth, it was far from “friendly.” Each year, a different kingdom hosted it, and nobles from across the continent sent their best knights to fight in a tournament-style battle.
It was less a celebration and more a grand display of power—a stage for noble houses to flaunt their military might.
Even unaffiliated knights could participate. As long as you could wield a sword, you were welcome.
Of course, no common farmer or woodcutter could hope to qualify.
Those without noble ties were almost always graduates of the Zenith Knight Academy.
Thus, the Grand Tournament became both a battleground for prestige and a recruitment market for ambitious houses seeking fresh talent.
“You’ve participated before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but…”
Priana nodded. She had entered several times herself—and once, by sheer luck, had even won. That victory had caught the eye of King Erengold II and earned her a position among the royal knights.
“I only won because no one had yet broken the third wall back then.”
The third wall—Rank 6.
Anyone who reached that level didn’t need tournaments. They were recruited instantly.
Rank 6 meant near-knight-captain strength—a single Rank 6 could destroy an entire domain alone.
Like Kroad.
Priana’s victory had made her the strongest among Rank 5s.
“Well then, perfect. Maybe I’ll get lucky too, just like you.”
“Hmm…”
“Do you really need to take such risks? You’ve reached Rank 5. You could live peacefully now.”
Aemon’s tone was heavy with concern.
The Grand Tournament wasn’t fought with wooden training swords. They used real blades—and magic blades if they wished.
Many had died in that arena, or worse, been left crippled for life.
“No, Father. Precisely because I’ve reached Rank 5, it’s time to show them. To show all those who’ve looked down on us—that House Impéra is no longer some ragged, second-rate family.”
“Hm… if you’re that determined, I won’t stop you. You wouldn’t listen anyway, would you?”
“And one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“After the tournament, I’d like you to move into our new estate, Father.”
Aemon still lived in the old Impéra lands.
That didn’t sit well with me. He hadn’t even been invited to my investiture ceremony. I couldn’t let him keep being treated as an afterthought.
He’s a good man, after all.
He’d even been willing to risk becoming a Blank—losing his very mind—to fight a duel in his son’s place.
“…Very well. I suppose it’s time. I’ve been lonely lately anyway. Ilene’s been wanting to see you too.”
“I see.”
Come to think of it, it’s been almost a year since I last saw Ilene. At her age, she’s probably grown a lot since then.
“Then it’s settled.”
I cleared my plate and rose from the table.
“Already done eating? Where are you off to?”
“Where else? I need to prepare for the tournament.”
“I’ll go too!”
Priana started to rise, mid-bite, but I pressed her back into her seat.
“Finish your food first. I need to stretch my body after lying around for so long.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll join you once I’m done!”
Leaving Priana happily devouring her steak, I headed for the training grounds.
“Phew…”
As soon as I arrived, I straightened my posture and focused on my breathing.
With every inhale and exhale, I could feel the dantian pulsing deep within my abdomen—alive and vibrant.
It was still tiny, like a bean, but that meant it would grow fast.
Rumble…!
Mana began to swirl within, grinding against the inner wall of the core.
Each expansion brought a sting of pain—but a satisfying one.
“Huup.”
Breathe in, breathe out.
Even a simple breath now made mana surge vividly through my body.
Thanks to the Rank System, controlling it had become second nature.
Mana coursed through my veins, then spiraled back into my dantian.
Physically, I felt as strong as ever—if not stronger. To test my body, I stamped lightly on the ground.
Thunk. Thunk.
It was as if my feet had grown wings—my body leapt effortlessly into the air. I threw a punch into the void.
Whoosh!
Even a light strike tore the air with a satisfying sonic crack.
“…Good.”
This time, I drew a sword.
Not to fight, but to test my aura—so I left the Dragonscale Sword sheathed and picked up a training blade from the rack.
It wasn’t sharp, but perfect for channeling aura.
Vrrrrm…!
No more forcing it like before. The aura now formed cleanly, brilliantly, wrapping the sword in light.
A flawless Aura Sword.
“This is how it should be.”
That was what Rank 5 swordsmanship meant—not a fake aura forced out by a magic blade, but a true aura born of mastery.
The hum of energy made me smile.
I steadied my stance, gripping the blue-glowing sword, and swung through the air. Each stroke carved a shimmering trail of light.
Time to test it.
Before me stood a training dummy—one Harun had personally crafted using a hardened mana core.
“Haap!”
My blade sliced cleanly from left to right.
Before, even the Dragonscale Sword could barely scratch it.
Slice!
This time, the training dummy’s chest split open in a deep gash.
Crackle…!
The wound began to regenerate, absorbing surrounding mana—but the core embedded in its head quickly dimmed from the damage.
“Hm… at this rate, I’ll run out of mana cores.”
Breaking a core with every swing wasn’t ideal. I’d go broke at this pace.
“Are you warmed up, my lord?”
“Yes.”
Luckily, someone had arrived to spare the poor dummy.
A fellow Rank 5 swordsman—future captain of the Aisother Knights.
When I first came to this world, he’d seemed like an unreachable wall.
Not anymore. Now, I could face him head-on, no magic swords, no tricks.
“Shall we digest our meal a bit?”
“Haha! I was hoping you’d say that!”
I tossed Priana a matching training sword. She caught it, and her blade immediately flared with blue aura.
“So, no more holding back?”
“Gladly!”
No more words were needed.
Two azure blades clashed with a brilliant flash.
Clang!
Sparks flew as our auras collided—but I stood firm. Priana arched a brow.
“Incredible! To reach Rank 5 in such a short time…”
“You came here just to flatter me?”
Claaang!
I pressed forward with both hands, forcing her back as sparks rained between us.
When we finally broke apart, she reset her stance.
“Then… I’ll stop holding back too!”
“Good!”
Priana—the Swift Blade Knight.
Her posture shifted—like a hawk folding its wings before a strike.
Whoosh!
In an instant, she vanished, thrusting forward with blinding speed.
Before, I could barely follow her movements.
Now, I could respond.
Crash!
Our swords met again, a thunderous clash shaking the arena.
When the dust settled, only one figure was left standing.
Of course—the one flat on his back was me.
