Chapter 45: Black Dragon, Rhuin
Joining the Black Dragon.
Rhuin’s eyes widened.
It was a natural reaction.
After all, he had once been a mber of Flower. Not only that—he had even pointed a sword at Leon in the past. There was no way he wouldn’t be shocked.
Rahan was the sa.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Rahan asked, his expression one of disbelief. It was understandable—Leon himself thought what he was doing was irrational.
However, it wasn’t a thoughtless decision.
“The Black Dragon is currently suffering from a manpower shortage. Every pair of hands is precious. And soone of Rhuin’s caliber could beco an invaluable asset.”
After the Black Dragon’s numbers had dwindled,
Garan had left Leon with a single request—
If there was anyone whose skill and character could be trusted, bring them into the Black Dragon.
That was how desperate the shortage of talent had beco.
‘In that sense, Rhuin is worth recruiting.’
Rhuin had lost the ability to think normally due to brainwashing. Even now, he must be struggling to adapt to society.
That ant that—if handled properly—he could beco soone who would swear loyalty to the Black Dragon.
‘It’s the kind of thod that assassins from the Silent Pavilion might use, but the Black Dragon is not a group of assassins.’
Rather, they could beco the signpost to guide Rhuin in the right direction.
Leon was certain—it wasn’t a bad proposal for either side.
Rhuin stared blankly at Leon. His face showed no trace of thought, like soone who’d just been struck in the head with a hamr.
“You look stupid…”
Lenel said softly, her voice filled with pity.
At her words, Rhuin ca back to his senses.
“Are you serious?”
Leon nodded.
Rhuin’s face went blank again. It was understandable—Leon himself wasn’t completely sure of his own words. He could hardly imagine how it must have sounded to soone else.
“For now, I’ll take you to our captain. To join the Black Dragon, you’ll need his approval. It’s not sothing I can decide on my own. Follow .”
Rhuin nodded, his expression dazed, as if bewitched by sothing.
And so, Leon returned to the tavern once more.
As soon as they arrived, Leon introduced Rhuin. Everyone already knew who he was. No long explanation was needed.
“I’m in favor,” Retina said.
“If he can think rationally, Rhuin’s top-tier talent. I’ve seen his combat skills myself. As for camaraderie—we can build that up together.”
Retina shared Leon’s view. As expected of a mage, she tended to value efficiency above all.
“Besides, Leon’s the one who brought him here. He must have his reasons.”
She looked at Leon, eyes filled with trust. Since the day Garan’s internal injuries had been healed, the mbers of the Black Dragon had shown Leon absolute faith.
He had saved soone who was like family. That kind of trust couldn’t help but grow.
“But that doesn’t an there are no conditions,” Garan said then, his voice lower than usual.
“Rhuin, was it? You’ve once been an enemy of the Black Dragon. Do you admit that?”
“…I do.”
Rhuin answered, his tone tense. Understandably so.
Flower was considered a public enemy of the world. Even if he had been brainwashed, Rhuin had spent his entire life as one of them.
The number of lives he had taken would be beyond count.
“Rhuin, even if it wasn’t by your will, you are still a criminal. The only reason you were cleared of charges is because you were deed a victim of brainwashing. Therefore, I’ll ask you this.”
At that mont, Garan’s eyes glead sharply.
“Do you truly wish to join the Black Dragon?”
It was sothing Leon was curious about as well.
In truth, joining the Black Dragon wasn’t Rhuin’s only path forward. But from his past life’s experience, Leon already knew—
Rhuin had nothing left.
He had once t a master who had lost his family. The man’s eyes, having lost the drive to live, were utterly lifeless. Rhuin looked the sa now.
‘He’s in a state where he doesn’t know what he should live for. He probably doesn’t even know why he eats or why he keeps breathing.’
Of course, most people live without ever knowing such reasons. But for Rhuin, that reason was everything.
Humans are fragile. Even when life is harsh, they endure—but at the sa ti, even a comfortable life can make them crumble.
This might be the turning point of Rhuin’s life.
Soon, Rhuin opened his mouth.
“To be honest… I don’t know. When I was with Flower, their orders made feel truly happy. But ever since the brainwashing broke… it feels wrong, no matter what I do.”
Rhuin’s words were sincere.
The confusion in his trembling eyes made it clear—even he didn’t fully understand what he was saying.
Garan slowly closed his eyes, as if deep in thought. It wasn’t a bad sign. The Garan Leon knew would reject anyone outright if he thought they were unfit.
The fact that he was thinking ant he was also considering a positive outco.
Soon, Garan spoke.
“For now, I see no problem in letting you join. Your skill is unquestionable, and as for your character… we’ll have to learn about that over ti. But if we supervise you properly, you could beco a dependable comrade.”
Rhuin’s face remained expressionless. He didn’t seem happy—joining the Black Dragon brought him no real emotion.
Perhaps that was why—
Garan gave a foreboding smile and said—
“Now then, let’s have one last test. Follow . We’ll have a spar.”
“I already passed the combat assessnt, didn’t I?”
“Whether swordsman or mage, you can tell what kind of person soone is only after crossing blades. We’re not fighting to test your skill, Rhuin — we’re fighting to understand you.”
“Understood.”
Rhuin followed Garan. He seed like the type to obey quietly once his curiosity was satisfied.
The two went down to the underground training arena.
Boom—!!
A deafening roar shook the tavern from below. The explosive sounds continued for a while. Then, after so ti, only Garan erged from the basent.
Ryan, watching that scene, spoke.
“I rember being in his place once…”
His voice carried a hint of nostalgia.
Ti passed.
It had been nearly a month since Leon began special training with Garan.
Lying flat on his back, exhausted to death, Leon heard Rhuin’s voice.
“Are you tired?”
“I’m dying.”
Leon and Rhuin had grown much closer. From what Leon had heard, Rhuin hadn’t been able to find work.
The reason was simple—his past as a mber of Flower was known throughout the Empire.
Even if he’d been brainwashed, Flower was Flower. In the martial world, they were no different from the Demonic Cult. People couldn’t help but avoid him.
‘Co to think of it, when I ran into him on the street, he didn’t even look human.’
He probably hadn’t eaten or washed in days. No matter where he went, no one would welco him.
“The Black Dragon… it’s a good place,” Rhuin said with a gentle smile.
“You don’t say it outright, but I can feel it. Everyone trusts each other. It’s sothing that cos from being together for a long ti. That’s why I’m curious.”
Rhuin looked at Leon, eyes filled with a quiet question.
“Why did you want to join the Black Dragon? Don’t say it’s because of manpower shortage. You know better than anyone how dangerous it is to take in.”
Once freed from brainwashing, Rhuin had no value to Flower. But they were persistent—they would try so trick to get him back, one way or another.
“That’s exactly why,” Leon replied, looking satisfied. “The Black Dragon has already beco an enemy of Flower. In that case, the more allies we have, the better. You’re strong, Rhuin. You’ll be a great help to us.”
Rhuin nodded, seemingly convinced.
“That’s… a rational reason. I can trust that. I thought you were pitying , but I’m glad you’re not.”
Leon let out a short laugh — one that said, Why would I pity you?
Rhuin chuckled awkwardly.
“I tend not to trust kindness that cos without a reason. I’m glad you’re not a warm-hearted person.”
“A warrior of the North knows nothing of warmth.”
At Leon’s reply, Rhuin laughed again.
Ti passed once more.
It had been two months since Leon returned to the Empire.
Lately, Leon had felt eyes on him.
It was just a vague sensation—an intuition he couldn’t explain in words, a gut feeling.
Because of that, Leon inford his comrades. It might not be sothing only he was experiencing.
He wanted to believe it was just his imagination, but the sensation was too vivid. He couldn’t ignore it.
Yet none of the others felt it. Not even Garan, the strongest in the Black Dragon, sensed anything.
It was unsettling.
Leon had thought that soone as powerful as Garan would have sensed sothing. But no—Garan only grew concerned for Leon.
He said that sotis, those who overtrained suffered ntal strain, and advised Leon to take so rest.
Ti went on.
But the unpleasant feeling remained.
Unable to bear watching him like that, Retina used magic to scan the surroundings.
Nothing appeared unusual.
By now, everyone had begun to worry about Leon.
Eventually, Leon decided to take matters into his own hands.
The gaze was too distinct to be dismissed as paranoia. Ignoring it would only lead to disaster.
One day, Leon asked the mbers to vacate the tavern. The others protested, clearly uneasy, but Leon did not back down.
In fact, he insisted even more firmly. He begged them to trust him—just this once.
Moved by his conviction, the mbers finally stepped aside.
Left alone in the tavern, Leon sat cross-legged and turned his awareness inward.
Since beginning special training, his senses had grown sharper than ever. He had brushed past death every day. His instincts were honed to the extre.
He focused. Even now, the gaze lingered on him. It felt mocking—
As if saying, No matter what you do, you’ll never find .
Leon exhaled slowly. Then he heightened his senses to the limit.
He wasn’t yet able to use Warrior’s Mana freely, but he’d already grasped the foundation.
Incomplete though it was, he could at least imitate it.
Wuuuuum—!!
A faint red aura began to flow from Leon’s entire body. It was Warrior’s Mana.
Compared to Garan, it was barely a flicker.
So Leon didn’t stop there. Not only did he draw up his Warrior’s Mana—he also set the inner energy of the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique into motion.
Normally, using two types of energy simultaneously was dangerous. If they collided, one’s body could literally explode.
But Leon was different.
His Warrior’s Mana and the inner energy of the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique blended as though they had always been one.
It was a sight that defied reason. Even the legendary Yin-Yang Body would struggle to achieve such harmony.
The two forces acted as if they had predetermined roles.
The Warrior’s Mana strengthened him from the outside, while the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique supported him from within.
If anyone had witnessed it, they would have been speechless in astonishnt.
Then—it happened.
With his senses magnified to the extre, Leon caught an unfamiliar presence. Even so, it was faint—barely perceptible.
At the sa ti, he felt sothing stir within his own shadow. A power he could not ignore.
KWAANG—!
Leon’s fist slamd into the shadow. The force was trendous—the ground didn’t just cave in, it cracked apart.
“Found , have you?”
And then Leon heard it— A voice thick with killing intent, oozing with malice.
Reviews
All reviews (0)