Chapter 964
“Urgh!”
Burren gasped for breath as he climbed up the sand dune flowing down from the foot of Northgaze Mountain.
“What the hell did he do to make the sand this hot?”
Raon had ordered them to climb this dune as their first training. It sounded so simple that they thought it was just a warm-up—but the sand was so scorching that it felt like a mountain-sized hell.
“The heat isn’t even the worst part!”
Martha gritted her teeth, hopping from one foot to the other like a desert lizard.
“That bastard suppressed our muscles and blocked our aura! We can’t even run properly!”
Raon had somehow learned how to control their muscles and aura, forcing them into the state of ordinary people.
Because of that, they had no choice but to trudge upward through the deep, burning sand.
“I… I can’t go anymore….”
Runaan was panting like an exhausted puppy, her tongue lolling out.
“I’ll just sleep here….”
She knelt down and bowed her head, saying to bury her there.
“If you sleep here, you’ll die!”
Martha yelled and grabbed Runaan by the collar, shaking her awake.
“I didn’t think Zieghart had a place this hot.”
Trevin shook his head, saying not even the southern region had anything like this.
“It’s like climbing a volcano… no, worse than that….”
He bit his lip, saying this was even hotter and harder than the volcanic terrain he’d once crossed during a mission.
“Now that you mention it, was there even a sand dune like this on Northgaze Mountain? This sand looks more like something from the beach.”
Burren frowned, staring at the golden sand shimmering with rising heat.
“This sand…”
Mark Gorton trembled as his leg sank into it and pointed toward Dorian.
“It came from our quartermaster’s storage pouch.”
He swallowed hard, saying Dorian must’ve brought it here together with Raon.
“Ugh…”
Dorian flinched the moment his name was mentioned.
“Dorian….”
“You again?”
“Useless as ever….”
“So all that meticulous supply prep was to torture us, huh?”
“A spy from the Palace Lord himself!”
The Light Wind swordsmen ground their teeth, glaring at Dorian.
“I only handed over the sand because he asked for it! I didn’t know he’d heat it up like this!”
Dorian shook his head violently, insisting he never imagined this would happen.
“And I’m a victim too! I’m climbing this thing right along with you!”
He exhaled a hot breath, looking more wronged than anyone.
“Damn it….”
Martha scowled at Raon standing atop the dune.
“Where the hell does he even come up with this kind of training?!”
She stomped in frustration—but because it was sand, her feet only sank deeper.
“It’s probably the [Chamber of Self].”
Burren clenched his heat-reddened arm and bit his lip.
“It’s just like the test he went through in the Chamber of Self….”
Raon had recreated the sand mountain he’d experienced there. The fact that he had the power and control to build this enormous dune and heat it up was astonishing.
“Hehehe….”
Runaan’s eyes rolled as if she’d finally lost what little sanity she had left.
“Why don’t we all just stop and take a break?”
Krein whispered weakly, suggesting a strike.
“A strike?”
“Yes! I mean, how are we supposed to do this without aura or muscle strength? Let’s tell him we’ll do it tomorrow and—”
“Shut up and climb.”
A chilling voice like metal scraping cut through his words from behind.
“You think telling him that will work?”
The sharp voice belonged to Doagen—the Gambling Monster. He furrowed his brow, clearly saying “absolutely not.”
“D-Doagen, sir….”
Burren swallowed as he saw Doagen push Krein aside with his rough hand.
“Are you all right?”
Doagen was sweating more than anyone else, likely from all the liquor he’d consumed. His black robe clung to his skin, making him look even more miserable.
“But why are you here, sir?”
Martha blinked, not understanding why he was even there.
“Why else? That damn brat said I should join training too. Said I’m too weak….”
Doagen clenched his fist so tight it bled, glaring up at Raon standing at the top.
“And you agreed to that?”
Mark Gorton exhaled in disbelief. He couldn’t imagine Doagen of all people agreeing to something like this.
“One strike.”
Doagen sighed and shook his head.
“We made a bet. I couldn’t block even a single strike from him when he wasn’t using aura. The kid’s become a monster.”
He bit his lip, saying even Raon’s aura-less sword was too much for him to withstand.
“As a martial artist, I had to accept it. Though I didn’t know the training would be this damned insane….”
Doagen trudged forward with a heavy step, saying he might as well have died under Raon’s blade instead.
“With just one strike? Without aura?”
“He’s gone completely off the deep end.”
“H-Handsomeness aside, Raon’s terrifying….”
Burren, Martha, and Runaan swallowed as they watched Doagen—his robe soaked in sweat—climbing the dune.
“If even Doagen’s being worked to death, there’s no way he’ll let us off easy.”
“Let’s go. No choice.”
“Yeah. If we stop now, he’ll make it worse later….”
The Light Wind swordsmen squeezed their eyes shut and climbed the dune glowing with red haze.
At the same time, they all shared the same thought.
‘Why did he come out of the Chamber of Self so soon?!’
He should’ve stayed there another month!
—
Sssssss.
Raon pulled his hand from the sand, smiling with satisfaction.
‘It’s working even better than I thought.’
He’d used [Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation] to heat the sand, recreating what he’d experienced in the Chamber of Self—and now that he’d reached the tenth star, adjusting the temperature was easy.
‘Their faces say it all.’
He chuckled faintly at the sight of the exhausted swordsmen who looked years older already.
‘Training only works when it hurts.’
Truthfully, no matter how hot the sand was, the Light Wind swordsmen could have easily endured or dodged using aura or their footwork.
But that wouldn’t train them. So he personally sealed their aura and suppressed their bodies, putting them through the exact same conditions he’d faced inside the Chamber of Self.
‘No wonder they all look like they want to die.’
– Are you sure you’re not an angel of death?
Wrath snorted in disbelief.
– To think you’d make your subordinates suffer the same hell you did! You’re insane, you know that?!
‘This isn’t for me.’
Raon shook his head calmly.
‘I’m doing this because I want them to grow like I did.’
– Liar! If you’re going to lie, at least stop smiling like that!
Wrath grumbled, saying he wanted to show Raon a mirror.
‘Ah, really?’
Raon pulled down the corners of his mouth with his fingers.
‘Okay fine, I admit it. Watching them struggle a little feels good. They’ve been breezing through every training lately.’
Ever since the Light Wind Palace swordsmen reached the Master level, most training no longer challenged them. They’d even started looking relaxed during sessions.
He’d been wondering how to break that arrogance—until the Chamber of Self gave him the perfect idea.
‘I just didn’t expect the heat to hit them this hard.’
The Zieghart swordsmen, born and raised in cold regions, were clearly more vulnerable to heat. Even Doagen and Sia looked ready to collapse.
‘Once they adapt to the heat, maybe I’ll throw them into a glacier-cold sea next.’
He imagined plunging them into freezing water once they’d built resistance to heat.
‘They might even develop both fire and ice resistance like me.’
– You were definitely born in the wrong realm….
Wrath frowned.
‘Thanks for the compliment.’
Raon smiled and waved his hand—when he sensed someone coming down from the top of Northgaze Mountain.
It was Aris, running down the rocky slope drenched in sweat.
“So it ‘was’ you making all that noise.”
She chuckled, saying she could hear their screams even from the summit.
“The summit? You went all the way up there?”
Raon blinked in surprise. He knew Aris had been training her body recently, but not to that extent.
“That’s dangerous.”
The peak of Northgaze Mountain was a frozen land of perpetual snow—impossible to climb with mere legs and no aura. The fact that she’d reached it was shocking.
“You underestimate your aunt too much. As the Sword Emperor’s aunt, this much is nothing!”
Aris shook her head proudly, saying her daily climbs had strengthened her body.
“Indeed….”
Raon examined her physique and nodded.
“You’ve changed a lot. It’s impressive.”
When he’d first brought her to Zieghart after she was wounded, she’d looked frail and broken. Now, with structured training and nutrition, she’d clearly rebuilt herself.
“It’s thanks to the [Dragon Heart] you gave me.”
She pressed a hand over her chest.
“I didn’t want to waste even a single drop of mana from it.”
She smiled brightly, saying she didn’t want to show him a pathetic side of herself.
“But you’re the one surprising me more.”
Her lips curved into a knowing smile.
“Everyone said you wouldn’t gain much from the Chamber of Self, but looking at you now—you’ve clearly changed a lot.”
Even without hearing any reports, she could tell Raon had achieved tremendous growth.
“Did you regain your aura?”
“No. I can just ‘feel’ it.”
Aris shook her head gently.
“I’m not at your level, but I’ll get there soon enough.”
She licked her lips, saying she would devour every drop of mana in the Dragon Heart.
“Your body seems ready. Planning to begin cultivation soon?”
Raon narrowed his eyes, glancing at her toned arms.
“Yes. This weekend.”
She nodded—already having her plan laid out.
“Who’s standing guard?”
“The Saint. I didn’t ask him yet, though.”
Apparently, she’d already decided on Federick as her guardian without consulting him.
“That guardian….”
Raon tilted his head.
“I’ll do it.”
“You?”
Aris widened her eyes in surprise.
“Yes. You have no aura right now. If the mana from the Dragon Heart surges or runs wild, it could harm you. It’s safer if I’m there.”
She’d grown impatient, wanting to restore her strength in one go—but Raon thought it would be best if he personally supported her.
“No, I’d feel bad. You’ve already helped me so much.”
She shook her head, guilt flashing in her eyes.
“Especially about ‘that matter’. I should’ve been the one to end it, not you. I’m sorry.”
Her voice trembled. She was talking about killing Shiph—her son.
“Aunt….”
Raon couldn’t even imagine how it must feel for a mother to have to kill her own child.
“Please don’t say that. You’ve done far more for me than I’ve ever done for you.”
He smiled sincerely. It was true—he owed her his life.
“No, I—”
“I’ll come by this weekend.”
Raon bowed his head and turned away.
“Sigh… fine.”
Aris nodded heavily, knowing she couldn’t change his mind.
“Huff.”
“It’s… over….”
“I thought I was gonna die.”
“We did it! We survived hell!”
While Raon spoke with Aris, the Light Wind swordsmen had finally reached the top, pushing through the burning agony.
“See that?! We conquered your hellish trial!”
Martha bared her teeth in a grin.
“Yeah. Nothing special—just another day’s work.”
Burren brushed the sand from his clothes with false pride.
“Piece of cake!”
“This heat’s nothing but a sauna!”
“Got anything harder?!”
“You think this scares us after the Chamber of Self?!”
They shouted triumphantly toward the sky.
But not everyone shared the energy.
“Uuugh….”
“D-Drink… give me drink….”
Runaan lay limp like a puddle of slime, while Doagen clawed at the ground, searching for alcohol.
“You made it up thirty minutes earlier than I expected.”
Raon clicked his tongue, glancing at the sky.
“Well done, everyone.”
He had thought they’d take longer, but their sheer stubbornness pushed them through.
“Hmph!”
“You underestimated us!”
“Yeah, easy work!”
“Light Wind Palace even beat the Black Tower, remember?”
Their confidence began to overflow again.
“Good. Then you can keep going.”
Raon smirked and pointed down the slope.
“…Huh?”
“…Wait.”
“…No way.”
“What are you waiting for? If you came up, you have to go down.”
He smiled at their frozen faces.
“R-right now?”
“Down ‘there’ again?”
“Through this burning pit of death?!”
They trembled, hoping they’d misheard.
“Should I roll you down instead?”
Raon’s aura flared ominously.
“Ugh!”
“He’s lost it….”
“I wanna die….”
“The idiots who said it was easy and wanted more—when we’re down there, you’re both dead!”
Grumbling and cursing, the swordsmen slowly turned toward the scorching dune once more.
“Damn you, Raon Zieghart!”
“Mom! I think I chose the wrong job!”
They screamed as they hurled themselves back into the blazing sands.
“…Can I join too?”
Unlike the others, Aris looked eager.
“Of course.”
Raon nodded with a grin.
“Thanks.”
She followed the Light Wind swordsmen down the dune. She had no aura, her body still weak—but her willpower carried her faster than most.
“…Looks like it’s time.”
Raon smiled faintly as he watched her steady back.
“It’s time to release Zieghart’s Red Shark back into the sea.”
—
The morning of their promise arrived. Raon left the annex and walked toward the Head of House’s training hall.
“You’re here.”
Federick greeted him warmly, patting his shoulder.
“I was worried about handling this alone, but with you here, I feel reassured.”
He thanked Raon for making the time.
“I should be the one thanking you.”
Raon bowed, expressing gratitude for always looking after his aunt.
“Go on, then.”
Federick patted his head proudly and pointed toward the inner cultivation chamber.
“Yes, sir.”
Raon bowed once more and entered the chamber where Aris waited.
As expected from the Head of House’s hall, it was huge—twice the usual size, capable of hosting several cultivators at once.
“You’re here?”
Aris raised her hand from where she leaned against the wall. Her face was pale—she was nervous.
“How’s your condition?”
“Perfect. I’ve been pacing myself just for today.”
She nodded firmly.
“And your mind?”
“That’s… less certain.”
She bit her lip.
“I’m worried. If I fail, it’s all over.”
“You don’t need to worry about failure. And even if you fail, it’s fine—we can always get another Dragon Heart.”
“You joke too easily.”
“I’m not joking. Even if you fail ten times, it’s okay.”
He meant it. The war with the Black Tower had shown there were no more bridges left with the dragons. If they ever appeared again, he’d simply kill them all and take new hearts.
– You’re going to exterminate dragons now?
Wrath let out a hollow laugh.
– Truly insane…. Even Demon Kings wouldn’t think of such a thing!
“Ahaha!”
Aris laughed too, speechless.
“After hearing that, I’m more determined not to fail. I’ll succeed.”
She smiled, her shoulders lighter, and sat cross-legged at the center of the chamber.
“Phew.”
After taking a deep breath, she drew out the Dragon Heart—a shimmering orb of rainbow light—and placed it on her lap. It was the very one Raon had given her.
“Then I’ll begin.”
She looked at him briefly and nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“I never thought you’d become someone I could depend on like this.”
She smiled proudly, then closed her eyes and began channeling her cultivation method.
Wooooom—
The light within the Dragon Heart began swirling, slowly drawing toward her fingertips.
Her determination was solid—she wouldn’t open her eyes until she absorbed it all.
‘This will take a while.’
Raon could feel the firm resolve in her aura and nodded calmly.
‘Nothing will happen for a while. Maybe I should check something I forgot.’
– Idiot! What did you forget ‘this’ time?!
Wrath shook his head.
‘Well, I didn’t check because you wouldn’t shut up.’
– Because of me? I never—
‘Then I guess it’s fine if I look now.’
Raon smirked and called up the message he hadn’t reviewed earlier.
[You have achieved deep growth in the Chamber of Self.]
[You have experienced 101 deaths.]
[All stats have…]
[A new Trait…]
– Wait… this was it?!
Wrath’s eyes widened.
– Damn it! Why did you have to bring that up now!
He smacked his lips, clearly regretting opening his mouth.
‘I didn’t check it before, remember?’
Raon smiled and continued reading—then narrowed his eyes.
‘Hmm… that’s….’
Behind the message, he could see mana leaking from Aris’s shoulders—the Dragon Heart’s power escaping her body.
‘As expected, she can’t absorb it all.’
Her body wasn’t fully restored, her spirit still scarred, her aura gone. It was natural she couldn’t handle the full influx of mana.
‘That can’t be helped… wait.’
He paused, lowering the message window.
‘What if I help her—not just guard her?’
It was risky. Helping someone else’s cultivation—especially one without aura—could harm him too.
But with the strength he’d gained in the Chamber of Self, he felt he could channel and stabilize the overflowing mana.
‘Aunt….’
As he watched her struggling, memories surged back—meeting her aboard the pirate ship, fighting the Light Dragon together, the time she saved his life, and the moment she screamed in grief when her own son betrayed her.
He thought of all those moments filled with laughter, anger, and sorrow.
‘Let this be my gift to the aunt who’s suffered enough.’
Raon placed his hand on her back and activated the [Ring of Fire].
He purified the leaking mana from the Dragon Heart through the flames, then redirected it back into her mana circuit.
Fwoooosh—!
A light warmer than the sun itself flared around him as Raon’s power enveloped Aris’s back.