The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 85

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Our Neighborhood’s Strongest (85)
Virus, watching the duel between Jang Gain and Ilmaseuk, tilted his head in confusion.
“If Kain used on that human the same attack he used on me, it’d be over in no time. So why isn’t he wielding that terrifying radiance hidden in his aura?”
“You really are simple. Do you think there’s anyone among the humans here who could withstand what Kain called the Strong Thread? That attack severed the finger of a Duke-Class Demon’s true form.”
“Ah, right—that attack cut through my teeth and horns too, so no matter how much of a Sword Master he is, he couldn’t block it.”
“The only way is to meet it with equal force or dodge it. But you can’t block or avoid it, I can’t block or avoid it, and even a Duke-Class Demon couldn’t block or avoid it.”
“I see—if he used the Strong Thread, his opponent would die without even trying anything, so he can’t use it.”
“The Strong Thread is only for strong opponents like us or you.”
“I understand. So it was an attack method used only against strong opponents.”
The two nodded in agreement as they watched Ilmaseuk Alberto, his entire body drenched in blood, collapse to the ground—and they both sucked air through their teeth in disapproval.
“That Bruruoli at least managed to leave a wound on Kain’s body, but this one, for all his flashy Dual Swords work, couldn’t land even a single successful strike.”
“From what I can see, Bruruoli seems a bit stronger.”
“He said he was second-ranked and Bruruoli third, but it’s backwards. He’s third.”
“And yet he overwhelms them without even using the Strong Thread! Not just these two, but the Sword Masters from other nations don’t seem like they’d stand a chance against Kain either.”
“I’d say so. In my view, Kain is a Grand Master.”
“That’s what I think too. But in all of history, has any human ever reached the Grand Master realm?”
“Never. All those Grand Masters and Great Mages called the strongest of their age—they were actually dragons amusing themselves as humans, pulling off a clever deception.”
“Right. That’s what I understood as well. So then, Kain is the only true Grand Master.”
“That’s how it is.”
While the two dragons conversed, the duel ended, and Ilmaseuk Alberto was surrounded by mages, showered in Heal Magic.
“Now that the duel is over, I should wake the soldiers we put to sleep as promised.”
“Then I’d better disperse the fog back to its original state.”
As Virus cast his spell, the sea mist that had blanketed the encampment slowly receded, and the sleeping soldiers began to wake one by one.
* * *
The treatment chamber of the Bermuda Maritime Allied Forces encampment was thick with tension due to General Kairocks’s crumpled expression.
Crash.
“Gasp, gasp……”
As General Kairocks seized the healing mage by the collar, the mage’s face flushed crimson, unable to breathe properly.
“You said you reattached my severed arm correctly. So what’s this? Why is there no strength whatsoever in my left arm?”
“That, that is the absolute best I could, could manage.”
“The best you could manage? With an arm like this, I couldn’t even hold a sword, let alone use a fork properly?”
“At, at first it will be like this, but with consistent rehabilitation training, you will, will eventually be able to eat with your left hand.”
General Kairocks stared quietly at the trembling healer whose collar he gripped, then exhaled a short sigh and hurled him aside.
“Cough! Gasp, gasp, gasp……”
“An arm like this might as well not exist. Are you truly our kingdom’s greatest healer?”
“Yes, I am.”
“There’s no healer better than you?”
“I take pride in saying that among our allied nations, there is no one superior to me in reattachment therapy—merging the Chimera Crafting Technique with treatment magic and Heal Magic to restore severed limbs.”
“Then there is someone better than you in other kingdoms?”
“I cannot say they are better, but there is one other with skill equal to mine.”
“Equal means they’re better, doesn’t it? Who is it?”
“A mage named Aleingde Mir.”
“Aleingde Mir? I’ve never heard of it before. If they’re as skilled as you, shouldn’t the name have reached my ears at least once?”
“Previously, he was confined to the Mage Tower, so his name never became known to the world, and now that he has left the Mage Tower and sells chimeras he creates, he is better known as a Chimera crafter than a healer.”
“A Chimera crafter? Even so, I’ve never heard of him. Have any of you heard the name Aleingde Mir before?”
Most of the mages around Kairocks tilted their heads in confusion, though a few who stood farther away said they had heard of it.
Kairocks called over Maraing, who led the mages.
“You’ve heard the name Aleingde Mir before?”
“Yes, sir. Not just me, but many mages know the name of the Chimera crafter Aleingde Mir.”
“So it’s a name somewhat known among mages. But is he truly skilled at Heal Magic?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure if he’s skilled at Heal Magic. However, since a chimera itself is a magical creature created by gathering multiple monster bodies and making them move, I believe he would be able to reattach your severed arm well.”
“Hmm! If he’s good at crafting chimeras, then he’d handle my arm well. The question is whether an arm reattached that way would function normally……Could my arm end up like a monster’s arm?”
“Even though a chimera is made from stitched-together monster bodies, surely he wouldn’t do the same to your arm? He would simply reattach your severed arm as it was.”
“I suppose so. Then contact this Aleingde Mir and ask him to properly restore my arm.”
“Aleingde Mir has connections with my Master at the Mage Tower, so I will contact my Master first.”
“Good, then contact him at once.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shortly after Maraing pulled out a Communication Device to reach his Master, General Kairocks added another remark.
“If this mage Aleingde Mir can restore my arm so I can use it as before, tell him I’ll pay him ten thousand Gold—no, twenty thousand Gold.”
“Understood. Master, our General says that if Aleingde Mir restores the General’s severed arm, he will pay twenty thousand Gold.”
—A hundred thousand gold, then. Understood. I’ll contact Aleingde and get back to you with his answer.
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
About twenty minutes later, word came back from his master.
“General. Aleingde Mir says he’ll need a hundred thousand gold to reattach your arm properly.”
“What! A hundred thousand? Well, that’s a steep sum, but if he can reattach it properly… fine, tell him yes.”
“Very well. I’ll pass that along to my master.”
General Kairocks watched as Maraing spoke with the master, then forced his left arm upward with effort.
The limb, which hung uselessly past his thigh, trembled violently as he raised it to shoulder height, and the entire join site throbbed as though a hundred needles were piercing it.
‘Damn it. This Aleingde Mir had better restore my arm properly…’
* * *
“Virus, this is one of your teeth. I’m going to plant it in the ground, so pour your mana into it and turn it into a Dragon Bone Knight.”
When Jang Gain pulled one of his canines from his pocket dimension, Virus’s expression darkened.
“You make these requests so casually. Do you ever stop to think about how I might feel?”
“It may have been part of your body once, but it isn’t now. And you said your new teeth grow in stronger. So you should let go of your attachment to it.”
“It’s not that I’m attached to my tooth—I just feel bad about it.”
“Fine, I’m sorry if it bothers you. I’ll just ask Noxcasarsis to create the Dragon Bone Knight instead.”
“What! You want to use Noxcasarsis’s mana to create a Dragon Bone Knight from my tooth? That’s even worse.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Give it here. I’ll make it myself. That’s the least annoying option.”
Jang Gain tilted his head, watching Virus grumble.
“Since you’re going to do it anyway, why not just be happy about it from the start? Plant some scales with it too.”
“I’m doing this so I don’t feel even worse about it. But why are you suddenly wanting to make a Dragon Bone Knight?”
“Ah, right. I made a Dragon Bone Knight from Noxcasarsis’s teeth before, and it seemed to match the Sword Master I fought yesterday pretty evenly.”
“Even if its durability is far superior, its skill can’t possibly be comparable. The Dragon Bone Knight has never trained in martial arts the way you humans do. It’s only formidable because of that absurd regeneration—as long as mana holds out, even shattered bones reform. The actual swordplay is pathetic.”
“Ah, right. Noxcasarsis said his Dragon Bone Knight won’t break unless it takes 8-Star Destructive Power or higher.”
“That’s because of that ridiculous durability and regeneration I mentioned—nothing below that level can destroy it. But even so, it’s no match for a true Sword Master.”
“Really? Hmm, then there’s no point in making a Dragon Bone Knight at all.”
“On the contrary, it’s terrifyingly strong against Expert-Class Knights who haven’t reached Sword Master rank. An unbreakable skeleton warrior that forgoes defense entirely and just relentlessly attacks—it never stops, it just madly swings until its mana runs dry.”
“Ah, so it’s not a match for a Sword Master, but it’s a horrifying opponent for anyone below that level.”
“Exactly.”
“But can’t you teach martial arts to the Dragon Bone Knight? Can’t you use magic to make it imitate the movements of a High-Rank Knight?”
“I can make it mimic those movements. But how much of that can it actually apply in real combat? When split-second judgment and mistakes decide life and death.”
“The Dragon Bone Knight regenerates from any damage as long as it has mana, so there’s no life or death involved for it.”
“Ah, true. There is no life and death. But there are still clear limits.”
“Limits exist, but if it can watch and copy the movements, it would grow stronger. And then I could sell it for more.”
At those words, Virus tilted his head.
“What? Sell it for more? Don’t tell me—you were planning to make a Dragon Bone Knight from my tooth and sell it?”
“Of course I’m going to sell it. What, did you think I’d keep it as a memento of defeating you?”
“W-well… somehow that makes me feel dirty all over again.”
“Look, I understand. When I sell the Dragon Bone Knight, I’ll give you ten percent of the proceeds.”
“It’s not about the money—I told you I feel bad. And what! Only ten percent? It’s my tooth and my mana going into it, and you’re offering only ten percent?”
“It’s your tooth, but it’s my spoils of war. And if you don’t like it, I’m asking Noxcasarsis instead.”
“Damn it, this makes me so angry I can’t even refuse. Twenty percent.”
“Ten percent. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll pour in plenty of mana and make it incredibly powerful, so give me twenty percent.”
“Fine, fifteen percent.”
“Twenty percent.”
“Fifteen. Or don’t bother.”
“Damn, you’ve got the heart of a thief!”
“A thief? I’m just naturally gifted in business as well as martial arts.”
“Thief.”
“I should just go ask Noxcasarsis. He’d probably do it without asking for a single coin.”
“I’ll do it. Damn!”
Shortly after, Virus planted his tooth and scales in the ground and poured his mana into them, and a skeleton warrior in surprisingly ornate armor materialized.
Jang Gain taught the Dragon Bone Knight basic offensive and defensive techniques, and a skill that gathered Aura explosively to heighten attack power. Remarkably, the Dragon Bone Knight copied all of these techniques with ease.
As a final lesson, Jang Gain gathered Aura in his legs and charged with explosive speed. He then pooled Aura in his sword and cut clean through a thick tree trunk in one stroke, then had the Dragon Bone Knight attempt the same.
The Dragon Bone Knight sliced through the adjacent tree identically.
“It really does copy well. Now I need to test how effectively this Dragon Bone Knight can use the techniques it learned from me against actual knights.”
“Hmm, can a knight even block techniques like that?”
“I’ll test it, and if it works, I’ll have it spar with the Masters I fought yesterday.”
“True, that does sound entertaining. But I can’t be the only one to witness something so amusing—I’ll have to summon Noxcasarsis.”
“Agreed. In the meantime, I should visit the Emperor and request permission for the Dragon Bone Knight to test itself against the knights in combat.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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