TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 102
Kraush stood frozen in place.
A figure appeared, walking steadily toward him.
Despite the lingering late summer, the man was impeccably dressed in a suit with neatly combed-back hair.
He even adjusted his glasses as he tightened his tie.
“Training under the Heavenly Slaughter Star? You really do try all sorts of things.”
[Do it to the utmost extent possible.]
“This has already far surpassed the endurance level of a 14-year-old.”
[No, he must endure even more.]
“What?”
He questioned Crimson Garden’s words.
What Kraush was under right now was a curse-based illusion.
That meant he was likely struggling desperately within that illusion.
The black flame erupting from his body repeatedly was proof of that.
“This is quite a powerful illusion-based curse, though.”
He shook an empty bottle in his hand as he spoke.
But Crimson Garden clicked her tongue.
[See, it’s already breaking, isn’t it?]
The moment Crimson Garden’s words continued—
Crack!
Along with the sound of something shattering, Kraush’s black flame flared up fiercely in an instant.
His eyes, reddened from the Annihilation Erosion, gleamed vividly.
The man’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.
“…How? It’s the Dark Veil of Night, a Level 6 curse.”
As he stammered in disbelief, Kraush took a deep breath and brushed his hair back.
It reminded him of someone.
‘So that old man’s disciple was Crimson Garden’s servant?’
The most renowned figure in the world for curse-related studies, who had become so obsessed with curses that he neglected his own affairs, wandering aimlessly and contributing to World Erosion.
Veltoa Lacroix, the world’s greatest Curse Master.
He was the person Kraush had sought advice from on curses more than anyone else.
He was also, in Kraush’s opinion, the most eccentric person he knew.
And the man before him was one of Veltoa’s twelve disciples.
The Curse Master, Osper.
‘Wow, they’ve really brought together all kinds of characters.’
To Kraush, Curse Masters were all abnormal in some way.
This was because the ability to undo curses was merely a byproduct of their true work.
The reason they could undo curses was that they specialized in handling them.
In other words, the premise that they became Curse Masters to lift curses was flawed from the start.
These people had simply found curses fascinating and, through their research, stumbled upon ways to lift them.
‘These aren’t Curse Masters; they’re Curse Fanatics.’
As evidence, Osper’s eyes now gleamed with curiosity.
This was because Kraush had dispelled the mid-level curse, Dark Veil of Night, in an instant.
‘Well, I’ve been through it before.’
Sorry, but when it came to curses, Kraush had more firsthand experience than even Veltoa, the master he had once served.
Having endured all manner of top-tier curses in the Forbidden Zone, a Level 6 curse was something he could break free of with ease.
Still, Kraush had caught on to Crimson Garden’s intentions.
The Heavenly Slaughter Star amplifies the power of curses.
Thus, even a mid-level curse on Kraush’s body would manifest with the potency of a high-level curse.
Crimson Garden had devised a curse training method with this in mind.
[Osper, from now on, cast the curses I name onto him.]
Crimson Garden began listing off the names of curses.
The Yin-Yang of the Heavenly Jade Star, the Killing Intent of the Heavenly Authority Star, and the Power of the Shaking Light Star.
Her plan was to awaken these three forces more intensely through curses.
“Crimson Garden, if I cast all of those, he won’t survive.”
And all the hardships and trials in the process would fall solely on Kraush.
If such curses were stacked on an ordinary person, as Osper pointed out, they would inevitably go mad.
This time, Kraush also had to endure those curses in full, with no mitigation.
And that included the amplified effects of the curses due to the Heavenly Slaughter Star.
Crimson Garden turned her gaze to Kraush.
Her eyes seemed to convey just how grueling the path to the fastest route could be.
“I told you.”
Kraush exhaled as if responding to those eyes.
“That’s what I’m best at.”
The mental fortitude that had carried him through to the brink of destruction wasn’t for nothing.
“Hm, are we really doing this?”
Osper’s previously stoic face curved into a crescent-shaped smile.
For a Curse Master, the opportunity to unleash his curses freely was exceedingly rare.
With both Kraush’s and Crimson Garden’s approval secured—
He immediately reached for the long bottles strapped to his waist and pulled them out.
“I wonder how far Balheim’s body and mind can endure.”
Osper let out a deranged chuckle, as if thrilled by the experiment.
Pop!
At last, the corks popped off, releasing the curses immediately.
Kraush, seeing the curses rushing toward him, let out a brief, bitter laugh.
Cold Blood Rampage, which drove the energy of yin to such extremes that failure to endure would freeze one’s internal organs to death.
Killing Intent Overload, which overwhelmed one with such bloodlust that they ended up despising all living things, ultimately rejecting their own existence.
Petrification of the Living, which caused one’s body to gradually increase in weight until they could no longer bear it and turned to stone, dying in the process.
All of them were high-level curses that led to death if the conditions weren’t met.
The curses he had once been desperate to dispel were now ones he willingly brought upon himself.
Kraush thought to himself how twisted his life had become.
* * *
After repeated training and the passage of a considerable amount of time—
Late at night.
Kraush slept as if nearly dead.
Recently, Kraush had been training almost nonstop every day.
The Heavenly Slaughter Star enhanced the power of curses.
As a result, the curses inflicted on him by Curse Master Osper, combined with the Heavenly Slaughter Star, gnawed at Kraush as if to kill him.
Yet Kraush couldn’t use his knowledge and skills to suppress the curses.
This was because he had to fully endure the curses to draw out the constellations of the Heavenly Slaughter Star.
As he slept soundlessly from exhaustion, Kraush suddenly felt a peculiar warmth in his arms.
By now, summer had ended, and autumn had arrived.
The green foliage had given way to vivid autumn leaves, and the season of bountiful harvest was here.
The slightly chilly weather made the warmth rather pleasant.
Perhaps due to his Lunar Body constitution, Kraush’s body temperature tended to be on the cooler side, making the gentle warmth even more comforting.
Kraush slowly opened his eyes.
Judging by the faint bluish hue around him, it seemed to be dawn.
He tilted his head down toward the inside of the blanket.
There, he saw something wriggling beneath the covers.
He carefully lifted the blanket with his hand.
And there it was, as expected—a head of white hair.
As the blanket shifted and a bit of warmth escaped, its owner burrowed even deeper into his embrace.
The owner of that hair was, of course, Bianca.
Seeing her eyes closed, it seemed she had gone to the bathroom in her sleep and ended up here.
Perhaps because they had once shared the same room for a time, Bianca sometimes wandered in like this, even if she had her own room.
‘Does she crave the warmth of another person?’
Or was it something she only did with him?
Kraush wasn’t sure, but he pulled the blanket over Bianca to ensure she wouldn’t get cold.
Recently, it wasn’t just Kraush who had begun training.
Bianca, too, had started earnest training under Jena’s guidance.
Kraush lifted his hand and examined Bianca’s small hand.
As he fiddled with her hand, he noticed scars scattered here and there.
They were proof that her training wasn’t easy.
It seemed the training was tough for Bianca as well, given how deeply she was asleep.
At that moment, Bianca’s hand reflexively grasped Kraush’s.
“Mr. Kraush…”
A voice calling his name reached him, as if she had been awakened.
“Why are you in my room?”
You’re the one who came in.
Feeling exasperated, Kraush slowly stroked Bianca’s head.
It was because her eyes were still heavy with sleep.
“They say people sleep better when they’re warm.”
“You’d feel cold if you’re with me.”
That was only natural, given that his Lunar Body inherently made his temperature lower.
“It’s fine, because Mr. Kraush has a warm heart.”
Despite this, Bianca didn’t seem to mind, simply burying her face deeper into his embrace.
“I can warm up everything else for you.”
Was she offering to be a furnace for him?
But truthfully, it did feel warm in more ways than one.
“Isn’t the training hard?”
“It is. Even my mentor becomes strict whenever we train.”
“If it’s tough, you don’t have to do it.”
“I don’t want to quit.”
In matters like these, she was surprisingly stubborn.
“I’ll stay with you, Mr. Kraush, no matter what.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Even if you do, it’s fine. I’ll follow you.”
“Then I’ll have to walk slowly so you can keep up.”
“Hold my hand too.”
“I’m already holding it.”
“Good.”
Perhaps because she was still groggy, her words were nonsensical.
Finding it amusing, Kraush chuckled softly as Bianca’s forehead pressed against his chest.
“Even when you’re at the Academy, don’t forget me.”
“I have a good memory. I’m the type who can’t forget even if I want to.”
“Then only remember me.”
“It’s not something I can control.”
Bianca, who rarely spoke her mind, seemed to grow more candid when half-asleep.
She must have been suppressing her deeper desires, only to let them slip out in this drowsy state.
“Mr. Kraush, I’m sleepy.”
“There’s still plenty of time until morning. Sleep some more.”
“Mmm, okay.”
Watching Bianca, who was now softly snoring, Kraush soon closed his own eyes as well.
He thought to himself that he must prevent the world’s destruction, if only to protect this small being nestled in his arms.
For some reason, he felt he could train even harder tomorrow.
[＊ ＊ ＊]
Time flies like an arrow.
No matter how hard one tries to catch it, it relentlessly races toward its target.
Though when it will hit that target remains a mystery.
Before anyone knew it, the passing time had carried them from autumn into winter.
Fluffy white snowflakes drifted down from the sky.
Kraush felt the chill of a snowflake landing on his nose as he exhaled a frosty breath.
The depths of midwinter, marked by the snowfall, wouldn’t last much longer.
Soon enough, green sprouts would push through, and the scent of flowers would fill the air.
When pink cherry blossoms bloom, it will truly be spring.
[How does it feel?]
The question came from Crimson Garden, perched on Osper’s shoulder.
Hearing it, Kraush suppressed a faint smile and gripped the Rain Thunder Prime.
With a thunderous roar, golden light surged from the blade, and a vivid blue aura materialized in the form of a blade.
“It’s the best.”
The threshold of Mastery.
This was the moment Kraush finally broke past the barrier to become a Master.
It was the goal he had desperately strived to reach before entering Rahelrn Academy.
Thankfully, he achieved it just in time.
‘This should meet the minimum standard.’
The realm of Mastery was considered the baseline for geniuses.
Of course, surpassing the threshold was another matter entirely.
To have reached the threshold of Mastery at the age of fourteen was a feat worthy of being called a genius by anyone.
Even Charlotte had only reached the threshold at fifteen.
‘But I’m sure there are quite a few at Rahelrn Academy who are at the Master level.’
It had already been a year since Rahelrn Academy opened its doors.
Among those aged fifteen, aside from Charlotte, there were virtually none who could reach the threshold of Mastery.
However, the Academy accepted students between the ages of fifteen and twenty.
Considering those eighteen and older, there were bound to be some at the Master level.
And those individuals would certainly be Kraush’s rivals.
Kraush’s ambitions extended far beyond his peers; he aimed to surpass the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens and even the Celestial Four Strongest.
Thus, he had no intention of settling for the threshold of Mastery.
The road to greater strength still stretched far ahead.
‘This is essentially just the starting point.’
It was now time to compete against the true prodigies.
“I suppose my curse is irrelevant now.”
Osper clicked his tongue in disappointment.
For him, it had been quite enjoyable to test all kinds of curses on the Balheim Direct Line.
But that was now effectively over.
Kraush had successfully anchored three of the Heavenly Slaughter Stars within himself.
[The preparations are more or less complete.]
Crimson Garden remarked that this was a level she could accept.
As she said, the preparations were done.
Now, only the Academy awaited.
‘It’s time to weed out the rotten ones from the sprouts.’
Off to the Academy to snatch some skills.