A Knight Who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 425



Only Noblemtl

425. Where am I now?

Encred felt his hair stand on end.

It felt like my opponent’s sword would strike my neck at any moment.

Can you stop it?

My hands and feet moved before any questions arose.

He changed the angle of his feet and placed his hands on his sword belt. It was the most comfortable position for him to draw his sword at any time.

Dozens of attack methods flashed through Encred’s mind as he changed his stance, then disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

‘What if I throw a whistle dagger to steal their attention?’

Or how about a sword that rushes in and crushes you in one breath?

How about trying a giant strike?

A single point of concentration was activated automatically, and I was not even allowed to blink.

I saw the other person’s eyes.

There was a playfulness in those yellow eyes. That playfulness alone was enough to kill me.

Yeah, that could be it.

Does that change anything?

My concentration burned and my eyes began to see an inch ahead of me.

All means of attack will be blocked. That’s what will happen.

So what does that have to do with anything?

A head full of fluff, a racing heart, flowing sweat, and a chill that doesn’t match the weather.

Encrid decided to forget everything.

The tactic I used to endure against the knights I had previously encountered was to advance first and strike.

Because otherwise, I wouldn’t have the confidence to block even a single attack.

That was the best it could be at the time.

‘Then what about now?’

Encred walked and walked in pursuit of his faded dream, even though he was hit and broken countless times.

He would swing his sword nonstop all day long, and his wrists would burst.

There wasn’t a day that wasn’t spent like that.

The sun rises anew every day, but Encrid never wastes a day.

‘Will it work?’

A sudden desire to do anything surged up.

Wouldn’t it be okay to do that now?

I wanted to do that. My enthusiasm boiled over and everything around me disappeared, leaving only the other person visible.

‘Is this arrogance or pride?’

It feels like a very long time ago now, thanks to today’s repetition, even before I became the leader of the troublemaking squad.

At that time, Encred also had something similar to confidence.

How could it not be so?

Because I swung my sword like a madman, over and over again.

I didn’t know that the rewards for hard work aren’t given equally to everyone.

No, I knew but I ignored it.

The confidence that arose among the crowd brought about a spirit of challenge.

‘How am I doing now?’

With that in mind, I set out to find someone to fight with.

It was a step taken based on the unfounded belief that things would be different than before.

What was the result?

Spring of twenty-seven.

Encred realized that his talents were insignificant.

The result of the passing dispute was that it turned out like this.

After five strikes, the sword in his hand flew away and a hole appeared in his stomach. Encred covered the hole in his stomach with his palm and asked.

“How old are you?”

“Twelve.”

It’s twelve. The prayers are not enough.

This was true genius.

“Sorry, this was my first real-life experience.”

The little boy said.

The memory of that time was still vivid. I couldn’t forget the face of the genius kid I saw then.

‘nevertheless.’

You can cut an opponent with a sword that has forgotten its confidence, but you cannot defeat that opponent.

“When you’re not thinking about whether to strike or not, just swing it.”

Rem said.

“Just keep cutting until it works.”

Such was Ragnar’s advice on how to cut an uncut rock.

“If your mind is lacking, train your body. If your body is lacking, train your mind. Brother.”

Audin said that the answer is training without time to think.

“You can just stab me secretly.”

This is Saxon’s answer to the question of what to do when meeting a strong enemy.

Maybe you still want to test your skills with baseless confidence.

‘Then it won’t work?’

Even after building a tower of effort, it wasn’t enough, so I struggled and climbed up the wall to get to where I am now.

Encred wanted to test himself. He wanted to quench his thirst. He wanted to point his sword at his opponent.

‘How far have I come now?’

How does it compare to when you met the Azpen Knight?

What about when you got a hole in your stomach from the sword of a young genius?

It was stubbornness and force, arrogance and obsession.

The other person knew it too.

I released my strength, but he’s trying to attack me in return.

The man in the vest looked straight at Encred and smiled.

There were a lot of funny things.

It was interesting not only to see that guy’s stubbornness but also to see the guys around him naturally follow suit.

“I don’t know. Me too.”

The man moved. His body stretched forward with a “thud” sound as if he was kicking the ground.

It was an acceleration that exceeded human limits.

The moment he realized that, Encred’s sword also moved.

It was neither a giant’s blow nor a crushing sword.

My body reacted before I could even think about it.

Bam!

Encred felt his body being pushed backwards as a loud noise rang out, but he held on by bending his knees and lowering his center of gravity.

Ddddd.

The dirt floor was pushed by his feet. Encred, in that state, pulled back the sword and stabbed. It was natural to take advantage of the opponent’s gap by minimizing the path of all movements.

It was a response that burst out from the realm of instinct that had become ingrained in me through countless sparring matches with Rem.

“Hiya!”

The man struck it again with a roar. His weapon was a dagger with a thick, curved blade a span long, called a Zambia.

It didn’t break or shatter even after colliding with Aker. It was clear that it was a weapon belonging to the famous sword axis.

Rem, Ragnar, and Audin could have intervened, but no one stepped forward.

Land! Tata dada tta!

Their weapons clashed several times.

Instead of stepping back, Encred followed the dagger’s trajectory with his eyes.

Surprisingly, the dagger seemed to disappear for a moment, but each time, I predicted it with my eyes that could see an inch ahead, activated by Will.

It was like predicting the destination by looking at the starting point, but to some extent, it was done by looking at the trajectory of the sword, and it was possible because the eyes that could see an inch ahead helped.

So, I couldn’t attack with great skill, but I could barely endure it by watching.

After repeating the process of dodging and striking twelve times, Encred quickly lowered his left hand to his waist and then extended it forward. He was holding a spark and stabbing it.

It stretched out like a single black dot, faster than ever before, the word swift being a perfect fit.

And the blade of the spark was caught in the man’s hand.

The blade, caught in a sharp grip, did not move at all as if it were stuck between rocks.

The Jambiya in the man’s hand soon reached Encred’s neck.

He held the spark blade in one hand, avoided the hand holding the Aker, and cleverly slipped into the other’s arms, then extended the dagger and placed it against his neck.

“That’s it, you funny little kid.”

The man said.

Only then did Encred’s vision open. All along, he had only been able to see the man in front of him, but now it was no longer the case.

The surrounding scenery came into view. The familiar smoke field, three trees, and so on.

At the same time, my whole body’s muscles were secretly sore. My body felt like it was under stress as if I had been training for days, squeezing myself to the limit.

“Where is the article from?”

Encred asked.

“A knight? That’s not it.”

The man shrugged his shoulders in response. His attitude seemed innocent. It was a gesture that didn’t suit his scarred body and his short, rough beard.

“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”

A brown-skinned man wearing a wide cloth hat and turban approached late and looked around at everyone as he spoke.

His tone of voice was so calm, as if the commotion from earlier was nothing.

“Let me introduce myself. This is Anu, commonly known as the King of the East.”

Even Encred froze for a moment at the sudden introduction.

“Surprised?”

The king opened his mouth with a hearty laugh.

The mercenary king of the East, the greatest explorer on the continent, the master of the griffon, the man who killed a lion with a single sword at the age of eighteen.

“Now, let’s see. You enjoy fighting, don’t you? You even said you’ve devoted your life to killing demons? Come under me, and I’ll give you knight-level powers to kill demons.”

These were the words of a man who had already proven himself and was the owner of various aliases.

It was clear why Rem and everyone else didn’t rush in.

Because the author, who was called the King of the East, showed no signs of wanting to live.

He accepted Encred’s stubbornness. It was a fight that was difficult to get involved in because it was a kind of teaching.

But the weight of the words he spoke just now was different.

Even Ragnar’s gaze, which had been blank and lost in thought, suddenly changed.

“You are so confident.”

Rem, who couldn’t just sit still and watch, spoke, and Audin also let out a laugh.

Although he did not say he was a knight with his own mouth, the force he displayed was enough to make anyone call him a knight.

He stands there with his back straight and speaks confidently. An atmosphere similar to Krang’s was naturally revealed.

Luagarne looked closely at the man who dared to explore the unknown and do what even the Proks could not.

I couldn’t figure out how he was going to do that without hearing it for myself.

The hot sun, the corner of the smokehouse without a single shade, the dust on the blue stone scattered with the movement and then settled again.

The sunlight, radiating heat beyond warmth, was sweeping over the dust and the people gathered among it.

There was a brief silence before Encred could say anything.

“My lord, I will not say anything I cannot keep.”

The man in the turban who followed eventually spoke again.

‘hmm?’

At those words, Encred’s eyebrows wavered slightly.

“Do you think I can’t do it?”

The king said sternly.

“What are you going to do about it?”

The turbaned man asked back.

“well.”

“Just because you’re good doesn’t mean everything will work out.”

“try hard?”

“That still won’t work.”

“If you try, it might work out.”

The king’s eyes burned with passion as he spoke his last words. It seemed that anyone should listen to those words. However, the adjutant was not easy.

“What can’t be done can’t be done.”

“It’s too early to give up!”

“It’s not about giving up, it’s about not making promises you can’t keep.”

The king snorted with excitement.

Encred looked at it and smelled Rem’s scent.

Although it was a different type, it was definitely a crazy kid.

“I requested a visit because the rumors were so widespread, but you barged in here all of a sudden. I sincerely apologize for this. But I meant no harm.”

The adjutant spoke in a thick eastern accent.

Everyone could understand what he said. He meant no harm.

Even Encred knew right away that his opponent had accepted his stubbornness.

“welcome.”

So I greeted him plainly.

“Can I stay a few more days?”

The king of the east asked.

“You look like you’ll do whatever you want no matter what I tell you to do.”

Rem intervened.

The king laughed heartily.

“That guy really has good instincts!”

He wasn’t a great man who would listen even if told to stop. Encrid didn’t particularly feel any aversion to him.

He must be very sociable, because he’s already talking to Rem, Ragna, and Audin.

However, that doesn’t mean I’m the type of person who would let others by my side without any problems.

“Look at your size. You must be strong.”

“It’s a simple level, Brother of the East.”

“Among my brothers, there’s a guy named Gestarian who’s quite powerful, but I think it would be nice to hang out with him. They’re all doing something. Why are they all gathered here?”

The way he spoke was strange. He spoke lightly and treated everyone like they were children.

“This is really causing trouble.”

The man who appeared to be an adjutant spoke with a troubled expression. Encred thought for a moment.

There were things that the conversation from a little while ago left behind for him.

I wasn’t talking about the burden on the body.

Techniques that are thrown out of the realm of instinct that Rem has tried to teach countless times.

No matter how much you hone your skills, if you don’t use them in real life, they won’t be considered proper skills.

Could you try using that against that person?

From the way you speak, it seems like you would accept any request for a duel.

Above all, unlike Rem, Ragna, and Audin, I was able to utilize all of my skills and they were accepted without any problems.

It literally means that you get a chance to fight with all your might, ready to kill.

Encred had already thought this far before he uttered the five words, ‘Welcome.’

“About five sparring sessions a day.”

As Encred muttered, the adjutant blinked and asked.

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“Will it be ten times?”

Encrid looked at his adjutant, thinking that if his body could endure it, it wouldn’t be so bad.

“I think you heard everything.”

“I heard about it.”

The adjutant thought to himself, “I’ve always thought that the king I serve is the maddest man, and here is someone just like him.”

With this, it was decided that the King of the East would stay there.

“Please take good care of me, kids.”

The king spoke.

“How old are you?”

Rem asked after seeing that.

“I’m over a hundred.”

Everyone was amazed at how much older he was than he looked. It wasn’t a lie.

A man who led mercenaries and various talented people who followed him and founded a kingdom in the East.

It has already been 50 years since the story of the founding of the nation came out.

From that time until now, a monster that is still alive and hot-blooded, that is Anu, the mercenary king of the East.