Teron was sent sliding backward after taking the kick head-on.
Despite the sudden attack, he had managed to raise his arm in time and defend himself.
However.
“Ghh…!”
That didn’t mean he came out unscathed.
I had equipped [Infinite Flame], the item I obtained in Trash Village, after transforming it into military boots, giving me bonus attack power proportional to my current level and stats.
On top of that, I had used the fourth secret technique of the Vyuern Family, [Meteor Kick].
“You dare imitate my family’s technique?! Are you still fooling around, even in this situation?!”
“Keke, I’m giving this my all. You know it yourself, don’t you? The power hidden in the Vyuern Family’s secret techniques.”
“…!”
Teron’s eyes widened. He must have realized that his left arm was no longer moving.
“…I see. So it isn’t mere imitation. No, at this level, it’s fair to call it complete mastery.”
“Keke, I’ll admit it was a little difficult. But it wasn’t impossible.”
“When you fought my father… was it the same then?”
“Yes. Though Duke Zeppelin’s technique was far superior, so I couldn’t actually land a proper blow.”
Thanks to the power of [Divine Imitation], I had received an A-rank evaluation, but Duke Zeppelin was an 8-star knight.
That was a gap that couldn’t be overcome with just one high-ranking skill.
Of course, this time.
“To think your technique surpasses mine, even after I trained for over a decade… No wonder Father had his eye on you.”
It was the opposite.
Teron ignored his limp arm and took his stance again.
His posture was slightly different from before. Yet it didn’t look awkward at all.
‘That just proves he’s been through this kind of thing many times.’
Even with one of his limbs paralyzed, he acted like he was used to it.
As expected, Teron was a strong kid. His body, his mind, and even.
His heart.
“This time, I’ll be the one coming at you.”
I raised my guard while maintaining my stance.
I had succeeded in sealing his left arm. However.
‘I can’t get careless.’
What made the Vyuern Family’s attacks so troublesome was that even blocking them could inflict status abnormalities.
And that applied to me as well.
‘I absolutely can’t let him hit me.’
Paralysis alone would be bad enough, but if I got unlucky and ended up stunned for even a moment, or had my skills sealed, it would be over.
Thwack! Thwack, thwack!
Our hands and feet tangled violently together.
It was a deadly clash between martial artists, the kind you’d only see in movies.
I wasn’t used to fighting like this, but with the help of my stats and A-rank [Dynamic Vision], I was at least able to react.
Teron’s one arm was temporarily paralyzed too.
‘In the first place, this is just buildup so he can land one decisive blow.’
That’s right. The thing I had to be most wary of was the “secret technique of the Vyuern Family” that damaged you even if you blocked it.
And what would happen if he slipped that technique in at a timing where I couldn’t dodge?
I’d have no choice but to take it.
“…”
Tap!
Teron suddenly lowered his waist and swept his hand behind my knee.
My balance collapsed in an instant.
I threw a punch and forced Teron to back away, then struggled to regain my footing.
“Kh!”
The moment I barely managed to avoid falling and planted both feet back on the ground.
Vyuern Family Style First Secret Technique.
Energy Strike.
Teron’s fist came flying in.
A secret technique aimed perfectly at my opening.
I couldn’t dodge it, and blocking it would still cause problems.
But there was nothing to worry about. Because this was.
A “tutorial.”
Tuuung!!
“…!”
Teron’s eyes widened. His fist, which had been aimed at my stomach, had missed by a wide margin.
At the same time, a system window blocked my vision.
[New Content: “Parrying” has been unlocked.]
[By inputting the key at the appropriate timing, you can deflect an enemy’s attack.]
[When parrying succeeds, the enemy will temporarily expose a weakness.]
[This is reality, not a game. An appropriate patch will be applied.]
[…Patching.]
[Key inputs are invalid. You must observe, react, and act directly.]
The Vyuern Family’s secret techniques dealt damage even when blocked.
Maybe the creator had realized they were too broken, because they had devised a new method of defense.
And that was none other than the parry being shown off right now.
A movement used in martial arts or sword fighting to knock an opponent’s attack aside with your body, weapon, or something similar.
Because it disrupted the opponent’s flow and exposed their weakness, it was clearly a different system from simple defense.
“You’re using another bizarre technique!”
“Bizarre? Do you have any idea how hard this technique is?”
“Shut up!”
Teron’s fist came flying at me again.
The parry I had just shown wasn’t something I had done myself. It was a service parry performed by the system as part of the tutorial.
From this point on, I had to parry on my own.
The problem was that this was reality, so the method was different from a game.
‘There’s a world of difference between twitching one finger and moving your entire body.’
Wouldn’t that make it at least ten thousand times harder?
Fortunately, I had prepared skills in advance to assist my parrying.
[Dynamic Vision] and [Reflexes].
Currently, those two skills were receiving an A-rank evaluation thanks to [Divine Imitation].
Maybe that was why Teron’s fist was clearly visible to me.
It wasn’t slow motion, but I could tell exactly where his punch was headed.
Whoosh—!
What I needed right now wasn’t overwhelming strength or some useful skill.
The most important thing in parrying was.
Perfect “timing.”
Tudung!
Teron’s entire right arm shot upward. All I had done was lightly place my left arm against it.
“!?”
Teron’s eyes widened, and at the same time.
[Parry successful.]
[The opponent’s weakness has been temporarily exposed.]
I saw his body open wide.
Because his left arm was paralyzed, his stomach was completely exposed.
Using my left foot as a pivot, I drove my right hand forward.
Vyuern Family Style First Secret Technique.
Energy Strike.
Craaaack!!
Crash!!
Teron’s body lifted into the air and went flying far away.
Even as he staggered from the impact, Teron forced himself back up and tried to regain his stance.
“Kuagh! Bleeergh!”
But he couldn’t hide the damage. He braced one hand against a tree and vomited up the contents of his stomach.
Several times, at that.
‘Looks like he got hit with a disease-type status abnormality.’
A pain that could make even Teron, who valued dignity so much, vomit.
As expected, the Vyuern Family’s secret techniques were terrifying.
“Haaah… Haaah…”
“Keke, are you alright? Why don’t you just give me the information?”
“Don’t… talk crap. Do you really think this is enough to break me? Urp!”
Even though he was suffering through the pain of vomiting once every minute, he didn’t seem willing to give up any information.
As expected of Teron. However, there was one thing he had overlooked.
“Hmm… I suppose there’s no helping it. Three… no, would five status abnormalities be enough? Wait, no. Death is triggered when ten overlap, so… maybe up to nine should be fine?”
This was only the beginning.
“…? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Ah, my apologies. I ended up muttering to myself without realizing it. Well, it’s nothing you need to know.”
Because you’re only a clone.
“There’s no reason for me to hold back at all.”
“…?”
Craack!
“Keheuk!”
Teron’s waist bent like the letter L.
Judging by how pale his face had gone, his ribs had probably fractured.
Fracture, a status abnormality where you lost blood just from breathing.
Since this was reality, the pain looked like it was no joke.
“Do you still refuse to speak?”
“I-I won’t tell you, even if it kills me…!”
Craack!
“P-Perhaps a brief conversation wouldn’t be so bad.”
Craack!
“Guuuugh…”
When seven status abnormalities had stacked up, Teron began to show a strange reaction.
“No… I have to protect it… Even if it costs me my life…”
I quickly leapt backward and created some distance.
Because that was Teron’s phase two opening line.
‘Come to think of it, I forgot to account for his HP.’
I had gotten so fixated on the idea that “as long as the status abnormalities don’t stack past nine, he won’t die” that I had forgotten about the truly important thing: his health.
Phase two. A gimmick that was absolutely impossible to clear alone.
Should I go outside and drag the rabbit in by the leash? No, before that, could I even leave and come back in?
As I kept my distance and stayed on guard, Teron lowered his head.
Drip— Drip, drip.
A few drops of water fell to the ground.
I could feel it instinctively. This was.
A “story” scene.
“Have you come back to your senses?”
“…Sorry. It seems the demonic energy swallowed me for a moment.”
A sharp pang went through one corner of my chest.
Because I remembered how, every time Teron had tried to say something, I had just kept beating him up.
“Ahem, I had no choice either. You were being quite stubborn, Teron.”
“Was I? I must have been so consumed by demonic energy that I lost my memory. No wonder it felt strange. The you I know isn’t this wicked and brutal.”
“A-Ahem! S-Since things have turned out this way, why don’t you tell me the story quickly? It would be bad if the demonic energy consumed you again.”
“You’re right. Very well. I’ll tell you everything.”
The story of Duke Zeppelin and his brother who had become a vegetable, the tradition passed down for hundreds of years, and.
The story of Daike the hunting dog.
Teron was happy.
“Haaah… Why is this mansion so damn big? It takes ages just to get out to the yard. Even running, it takes twenty minutes… I need to grow taller already.”
An elegant, enormous castle so vast that a week of exploring wouldn’t be enough.
“A new toy came out?”
“Yes. The catalog is right here…”
“What’s with you? You’re acting like an amateur. Bring me all of them.”
“T-Thank you!”
A massive allowance that let him obtain anything he wanted.
“Lord Teron, you look splendid again today.”
“Well, that’s just how I always am.”
“And a morning is even better with hot chocolate.”
“You get it.”
Kind servants.
“…Carrots, a specialty product from the south, arrived as a gift. Plant them, eat them, give them away. Do as you like.”
A stern, yet admirable father.
“Brother!”
“Oh, my little brother is awake? What’s this? You got up early today?”
“I’m bored! Play with me!”
“Hmph~ Then shall we play a game of chess?”
“Not something that uses my head! You always win at that!”
“Then shall we go sightseeing? Yuter, prepare the carriage.”
Even an older brother praised as one of the greatest geniuses in history.
His mother had died giving birth to him, so he had never experienced a mother’s love. Even so, Teron was fine.
Everyone around him looked after him.
Everyone called Teron a happy child, a star loved by the whole world.
The prestigious Vyuern Family, Duke Zeppelin, and even the eldest son, Ileon, who was evaluated as an unparalleled genius.
Teron’s future held no worries.
That was why Teron was bored, and he was always looking for something to do.
“Ahh, why is life so boring?”
His fifth birthday was no different.
He would eat with his father, hold a party, receive gifts, accept greetings, run around, then fall asleep. It was obvious that was how the day would end.
Aside from the bitter smile on the face of Teron’s older brother, Ileon, there was nothing particularly special about it.
“How dull.”
That was what he had thought.
Until his father gave him his birthday present.
“Greet him. He is your hunting dog.”
“Hunting dog…?”
Behind the mountain of gifts, a young boy revealed himself.
He was neatly dressed, but traces of poverty weren’t something that could be hidden with clothes.
More than anything, his body was far too small.
No.
‘It’s almost embarrassing to even call him a person.’
That was how painfully thin Daike was.
Daike also looked at Teron.
At the boy looking down at him from a high platform, seated on a large, plush red chair.
At Teron, who existed in a world where every place his feet touched was paradise.
Teron and Daike.
It was the day the two boys first met.
–TL Notes–
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So Teron big bro have mind comparable to Lucas or skills comparable to Lucia? I wonder which is it? Or maybe both
Still didn’t expect Teron to be treated kindly before! I thought he would have Barrack life from the get go