The Terminally Ill Young Master is the Mad Dog of the Underworld - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: People Had Told Me That From Time To Time

After having had a hearty breakfast, I rubbed my full belly and headed towards the Special Operations Division training ground.

“How big is this estate? Every unit has its own training ground and barracks, and there are so many annexes.”

“In terms of scale, it’s second only to the Ritvalroer Royal Palace.”

Olivier replied. He was already dressed in a pristine outfit and was adjusting his collar.

“Magnificent, truly magnificent.”

No wonder my older brothers were so desperate to become the Clan head. I’d be fired up too.

Of course, it’s all a futile dream. This estate will eventually be mine.

“Oh.”

When I arrived, the members of the 2nd Battalion were already waiting for me, reeking of sweat.

“What’s this?” I asked, noticing their intense aura. “It’s like I’m a VIP or something. Welcome.”

“Welcome, Young Master. I am Harold, the deputy commander of 2nd battalion.”

“So it’s Harold.” I checked his aura. This is surprising. I felt an even stronger presence than Olivier’s. So, what tier this guy reached?

What was more impressive was how perfectly he had concealed his aura.

“You’re incredibly strong.” Harold asked in surprise.

“Ah, you can tell?”

“It’s obvious.”

I grinned, looking around at the soldiers. “Relax, everyone. I was starting to think you were going to burn a hole in the back of my head.”

Harold responded in a polite yet firm tone. “We were doing some morning training and may still be a bit tense. We hope you’ll understand.”

His words were courteous but carried a subtle warning.

“Is this your way of saying ‘Watch yourself, or your head might get smashed in’?”

Harold replied calmly to my blunt words “How could that be?”

“I see. So, it couldn’t be.”

“…”

“So, where is my sister?”

“The young lady is in an urgent meeting, so she will be away for a while.”

“I see, she’s very busy.” I clapped my hands.

“So, until my sister returns, shall we settle some things between ourselves and give each other a little shoulder massage? A clever plan, indeed. A strategy worthy of the Special Operations Division.”

Harold seemed to be getting annoyed by my blatant revelation.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding. But if you’re uncomfortable, you can go back and rest. I’ll send someone to escort you.”

I pointed at Harold. “That was good. With that one statement, you blocked my retreat and tried to cover this all up as my overreaction. Yet, if I were to back down now, would I be a coward? Your strategy isn’t shallow. You must be the strategist who advises my sister.”

“…”

The atmosphere was getting tense. The Special Operations Division members were watching us without saying a word.

“Come to think of it.” I extended my hand to Harold, who seemed flustered by having his intentions exposed. “We should properly introduce ourselves. It’s nice to meet you, Harold.”

“…” Harold shook my hand. His grip was quite strong.

‘I knew it.’ When men shake hands, it often means I’m going to use my strength to make you see the error of your ways.

But my body had already been modified when I started practicing the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique. I’ve been training consistently, and I was born with pretty decent physical abilities to begin with.

‘Meaning, no one can easily overpower me with a mana-less handshake.’

“Huh.”

Harold was impressed. Of course, this guy hadn’t used much force either.

“Is your strength innate?”

“I don’t know.”

I looked back at the Special Operations Division members who weren’t hiding their intent to probe, challenge, and gauge my abilities. Their outfits were casual, and their weapons varied. Two short swords, a standard long sword, an axe, a spear, a mace.

I pointed to one man whose eyes were the most unfocused. “Your eyes are quite challenging. What’s your name?”

He smirked and replied. “Chase, Young Master.”

“Still running high from this morning’s training session, are you?”

“Well, if you see it that way, I appreciate it.”

Seeing that no one was stopping him, I figured this guy was probably assigned to provoke me.

From his face, expression, body language, and posture, it was clear he wasn’t someone who had quietly gone through an elite training program.

“Now I understand.” I rubbed my neck and laughed, looking at Harold and Chase in turn. “So, it seems you guys were the ones who woke me up. I was wondering who was making so much noise early in the morning.”

“Were you sleeping until then? For us, training time is more precious than morning sleep.”

It was as if he was saying ‘While we’re working hard, who are you to be lazing around?’ I casually dismissed it.

“Your sarcasm is a bit lacking. It seems you’ve only been diligently practicing martial arts.”

“!”

“Anyway, compared to the Royal Guards, you guys are free-spirited and don’t hide your hostility, which is more comfortable.”

If the other person is casual from the start, I just treat them the same way. In a way, it reminded me of my past life and was kind of nostalgic.

“However, it’s a bit disappointing. I don’t think I’ve made any enemies, so I’m surprised that strangers would look at me so unkindly.”

“…….”

They didn’t answer.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”

“It’s not that, but…” Chase replied, slightly embarrassed.

“Good. As men, we should settle grudges with action, not words. So, who’s going to give me a lesson?”

Chase answered immediately. “I will.”

“Alright, we need to establish some rules.”

“Rules? Are you scared?”

I lowered my voice at his words. “Be mindful of your actions, Chase.”

“!”

“If you’re dining on the Grunewald’s bread, the least you can do is show some respect to its young master. I’ve been lenient, letting minor slights slide, but don’t mistake that for weakness. Overstep your bounds, and you’ll regret it.”

“…….”

Chase was speechless, and Harold spoke up instead.

“I apologize for that. I will sternly warn Chase about his behavior.

“Alright, you’re a good talker.” I said, acting like I didn’t hold a grudge.

“And thank you for being so tolerant of our mischief.”

“You seem to understand the situation pretty well. Now, back to the main point. I don’t think, as members of the Special Operations Division, you’re seriously going to take on this newbie.”

I grinned at Chase. “That’s something back-alley thugs do, isn’t it?”

“…”

Harold requested. “May I have a moment to discuss this?”

I raised my hand in response. “Sure. More than that, someone get me some water.”

“Yes.”

As I drank the cold water, I looked at Peter and Olivier. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing.”

“Young Master… you really can’t be beaten in a verbal battle.”

“It’s not that big a deal.”

Anyone who’s spent a few decades in the underworld could become like me. I wished I could tell them the secret.

***

The Special Operations Division members began an urgent discussion.

“Wow, that was quite a battle of wills!”

“Now I see why the Young Lady praises him.”

“It’s rare to see Sir Harold lose in a verbal battle.”

Chase scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Hey, does this mean I have to fight him with a wooden sword?”

“What’s the matter? Are you scared?”

“You all saw what he did with that wooden sword yesterday.”

“You’re not confident?”

“Look, we’ve all honed our unique martial arts styles, haven’t we? It just feels like putting on a show for him to steal all our trade secrets.”

“You idiot. Then get out of here, I’ll do it.”

“Why are you swearing?”

Seeing the members bickering, Harold cleared his throat. “Ahem. In that case, I guess I’ll have to do it myself.”

“Really?”

“Are you serious?”

“If we do this half-heartedly, we won’t achieve anything. I might as well just start with a surprise attack…”

It was a surprisingly similar thought process to Jeffrey’s.

“Wow, that’s petty. Do you really have to go that far?”

“Then you do it. If you want to be the Keseg of the Special Operations Division, I won’t stop you.”

Just as they were passing the buck, Ulbhild walked up from a distance.

“What are you all doing?”

“Commander!”

“You’re here!”

“I’m sorry for being late.”

“No, it’s our fault for being out here first!”

Allenvert noticed the sudden change in the Special Operations Division members’ eyes and realized the atmosphere had shifted.

“Wow, these guys.”

Could it be that these grown adults were feeling jealous?

“What a bunch of brats.”

Allenvert bowed to Ulbhild. “Sister, you’ve arrived.”

“I’m sorry I’m late. Did you wait long?”

“I slept in and took my time. They seem to have been busy since morning.”

“I guess they’re all excited that you’re here. Be tolerant of them.”

“Of course.”

The Special Operations Division members, seeing Allen’s polite demeanor, thought the same thing.

“Wow, look at him talk.”

“His eyes look so gentle.”

“This is infuriating.”

The envious group glared at each other.

***

“Alright, then.”

The long-awaited time for martial arts training had arrived.

Ulbhild, changed into training clothes and with her hair tied back, spoke to me. “First, I’ll teach you the basics.”

“Yes.”

“What we commonly call martial arts is actually divided into several categories. First, there’s the heart, the foundation of everything.”

Ulbhild wrapped a blue aura around her fingertips. “This is the aura manifested using the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique that you’ve also learned.”

The color and solidity of the aura were truly extraordinary.

“Aura inevitably carries traces of its user. Even if you learn the same technique, the color and shape will be different for each person.”

Ulbhild manipulated the blue aura to create a sphere. The sphere floated into the air, then transformed into the flapping wings of a giant bird—

“Wow.”

It shattered into pieces like a glass crystal, a silent explosion of light.

I was amazed by the beautiful pieces of aura shining in the sunlight. “That’s amazing.”

It was a level of mana control rarely seen. Just by looking at this, I could tell how high Ulbhild Grunewald ranked as a martial artist.

“Mana cultivation technique can be adapted in endless ways depending on how deeply you practice and refine it..”

“I’m in awe.”

This level of mana control is not something anyone can just have. Ulbhild might be even more skilled than I expected.

“Actually, I should be the one saying that. There’s no precedent for someone learning the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique as quickly as you.”

“Really?”

“The essence of the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique lies in storing mana in five different organs. Unlike most other techniques that accumulate mana only in the heart or dantian, it’s different in that regard, making it more difficult to learn on your own.”

Ulbhild asked, “I’m curious. What do you think are the advantages of the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique?”

“If I may compare it to something, it’s like having five dams. Compared to other techniques of the same level, it takes longer to fill those dams, but the sustainability and stability are unmatched.”

I continued. And for someone from the Grunewald Clan, with access to abundant spirit medicines, the ‘time-consuming’ drawback essentially disappears. It’s a perfect foundational mana cultivation technique for our lineage.”

“That’s right.”

“And that’s not all. Since the essence of Eternal Ocean Chain Technique is amplification, you can achieve much greater explosive power even at the same level, right?”

“That’s correct.”

From her expression, it seemed like I had said what Ulbhild was going to say.

“Actually, I’ve been increasing the power of my attacks using a similar principle.”

A different colored aura rippled from Ulbhild’s fingertips.

“I’ll tell you about the stages you’ll go through from here. Once you’ve mastered all the basic introductory martial arts and reached the 5th-tier, you’ll be qualified to learn the Clan’s advanced techniques. At that time, you’ll have to go through a rigorous review by the council of elders and receive the Clan head’s approval.”

Unlike the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique’s aura that resembled the sea, a white aura like fresh snow froze the air. A chill swept over me as if snowflakes were blooming.

‘Ice technique?’

This was amazing. It was a rare martial art that I had hardly ever encountered in my past life.

“When you reach the 3rd-tier, you can learn martial arts that suit your individual aptitude.”

“What is the name of this martial art?”

“It’s called Snowflake Mirage Sword Art.”

“It’s a very elegant name.”

This Clan really has a knack for naming their martial arts.

“This martial art is actually a combination of Eternal Ocean Chain Technique and swordsmanship. It can be called both ice and sword technique.”

“Ah, I see. Then…”

I rubbed my chin, organizing my thoughts before speaking.

“Ice techniques are typically powerful on their own, focusing on overwhelming opponents with sheer cold. However, when paired with a refined sword art, their destructive potential on the battlefield would increase exponentially.”

“Did you come up with that after listening to my explanation?”

Ulbhild looked surprised, almost taken aback and said.

“Eternal Ocean Chain Technique isn’t easily mastered by sheer talent alone. It require substantial resources, and since it’s intangible by nature, it’s also hard to grasp.”

“Yes.”

“But don’t rush. Taking too many spirit medicines or potions without a proper understanding won’t do you much good.”

“Of course. That said, I did manage to secure one recently.”

“?”

Ulbhild tilted her head.

“Where did you get it? You didn’t buy it from a smuggler when you went out, did you?”

“Of course not. I got it from Elder brother Somerset.”

“Got it? What do you mean?”

Ulbhild cocked her head.

“Were you two that close?”

“Simply put, I extorted it from him. I happened to have some leverage over him.”

“Huh? Hahahaha!”

Ulbhild laughed when she realized what had happened.

“You’re quite interesting one, Allen.”

People had told me that from time to time.

———-