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“Did you summon me, Duke?”

The middle-aged man with a genial expression sitting at the table opened his mouth to greet him.

“Come in, Teslon.”

With a slightly nervous face, Teslon sat in front of the man, Duke Iranad.

Duke Iranad, a nobleman with the greatest wealth and power in the Graim Kingdom and also seventh in the line of succession to the throne, was currently the strongest Aura wielder in the Graim Kingdom. Perhaps thanks to this, despite being in his sixties, he still maintained the appearance of a middle-aged man. Indeed, except for the king, he was the second most powerful man in the Graim Kingdom, a man with a friendly appearance.

Suddenly, Duke Iranad looked behind him and gestured with his hand, signaling to dismiss all the servants. After a moment, he looked at Teslon and his gaze became more serious.

“Sage Restin.”

Internally, Teslon clicked his tongue. The change in title made it immediately clear to him why Duke Iranad had summoned him.

‘Well, it’s not like I didn’t know.’

He replied without showing his thoughts outwardly.

“Yes, Sage Aphectus.”

Duke Iranad’s expression hardened as he continued.

“Why did you use the Holy Symbol?”

“It was necessary.”

Hearing Teslon’s brief reply, Duke Iranad was silent for a moment before he shook his head and spoke again.

“You are indeed an extraordinary figure, Sage Restin. In history, there was no one who awakened their Aura at the mere age of twenty. Moreover, your mastery of magic is not low, and the power of foresight you possess is truly remarkable, having greatly aided in protecting humanity. Therefore, despite your young age and lack of experience, I recommended you as a Silver Sage, and we have accepted you. We judged that you hold that much potential for the future.”

“I am well aware.”

Teslon replied with a solemn voice. Suddenly, Duke Iranad raised his voice.

“So, the reason you became a Silver Sage is not because of your current skills but because of your potential for the future! You are not yet worthy to act as a Silver Sage! Do you understand?”

“I am well aware. I am sorry.”

Without any excuses, Teslon readily apologized. Duke Iranad frowned for a moment, then his face returned to its usual genial expression.

“Of course, since you didn’t cause any great trouble with the Holy Symbol, there will be no punishment. However, you should be aware of your position.”

“I will be more careful.”

Pleased with Teslon’s compliant attitude, Duke Iranad’s tone softened again.

“Then, you may leave now, Teslon.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Even as he left the room, Teslon maintained an innocent expression. But as soon as the door closed behind him, his expression changed drastically.

Muttering with a stern face, Teslon cursed under his breath.

“Damn it…”

Although he had put on a strong front, in reality, Teslon currently had no power to harm the Count of Tenes. It wasn’t without reason that he had struggled so much to seem mysterious. Teslon sighed.

‘I’ve barely become a member of the Silver Sages, but there’s still a long way to go…’

Protectors of humanity.

The secret society ruling the continent from the shadows, the Silver Sages.

Indeed, their power could undoubtedly make or break a nation.

The problem was…

‘I’m still at the very bottom here.’

He was anxious. Incredibly anxious.

He still remembered that day, six years ago, when he thought he had died and then woke up again, the shock of it all.

Waking up again as an insignificantly frail boy, and the horror when he learned what that boy’s name was.

The body he had trusted more than anyone else in the world, as solid as steel, was no longer his. All he had was a frail body that seemed as if it would break with a mere touch.

The profound sense of loss was overwhelming, but what was even more terrifying was the worst-case scenario.

Becoming the owner of this body meant that the real owner of this body could have taken over his!

However, there was no way to verify this at the time. Teslon’s body, the young Repenhardt, was merely an apprentice wizard, a trainee under a magician in Delphia’s Mage Tower. He was practically a slave, with no freedom at all. He had neither the power nor the money to prove this worst-case scenario.

Despite the despair, he desperately tried. Although he could not undergo the training of Gym Unbreakable again, he was still Teslon, the Fist King, once one of those who had reached the pinnacle of Aura. He mobilized all the enlightenment he had learned to transform this weak body of Repenhardt back into a martial artist’s.

During this time, he also diligently studied magic. Indeed, his brain was worthy of being called that of a Great Sorcerer, to the extent of being dubbed a Demon King. In his previous life, Teslon was not particularly bright, but once he took over Repenhardt’s body, all the magic that seemed like nonsense before suddenly made sense to him.

By the age of twenty, Teslon had managed to awaken his Aura a bit later than in his previous life and also entered the 4th Circle, obtaining the qualifications of an official magician.

As soon as he set out into the world, his first priority was to head to the southern part of the Vasily Kingdom, to the Rakid Mountains. It was to seek his nightmare of a martial sect, Gym Unbreakable.

Of course, he did not meet Gerard directly. The fear of his master was already imprinted on his soul, so much so that he could not muster the courage to meet him again, even in a different body. Instead, he gathered information from a nearby village where Gerard frequently visited to purchase goods.

In that place, he confirmed it. Gerard was teaching his younger self. Moreover, he already referred to his younger self as Repenhardt, not Teslon.

It was a nightmare. The Demon King Repenhardt had undoubtedly resurrected in this era, just like himself, once known as the Fist King.

He wanted to deal with it immediately, but there was no way. The opponent had already awakened his Aura and had full control over his body. Teslon knew best how strong he had been in his youth. No matter how much he had awakened his Aura and mastered magic up to the 4th Circle, he was no match for him.

He didn’t even consider seeking Gerard’s help. Given his master’s character, as long as the body was strong, he wouldn’t care at all whether the soul of his disciple had changed or not.

‘I would have done the same.’

Now, with the brain of Repenhardt, Teslon was cunning, but historically, the disciples of Gym Unbreakable had similar personalities. They spent 10 years getting beaten up throughout childhood, the time when human personality is shaped. A person can only become simple-minded and ignorant.

He felt utterly despairing.

He was already a fearsome Demon King who had plunged the continent into terror. Now, that person had acquired his body, a body as strong as steel. Honestly, defeating Repenhardt had been purely a battle of endurance. It was only possible to bring him down after a prolonged battle, thanks to the sacrifices of his comrades and his indomitable physique.

But now, he had even compensated for his only weakness.

Who in the world could stand against him now that he had become perfect? Who could prevent the nightmare-like future that was approaching?

“We must stop him…”

Walking down the corridor, Teslon muttered weakly.

“We must stop him before he fully regains his magical powers.”

There was still not a complete lack of hope.

‘No matter how much of a Demon King he might be, it won’t be easy for him to regain the magic of his prime with my brain.’

Speaking the words himself, Teslon realized how tragic they sounded. However, he humbly acknowledged that in his previous life, he had indeed been somewhat of a blockhead. Just as he had despaired at his changed body, Repenhardt must have despaired at his changed brain.

Yet, Teslon had managed to awaken his Aura even in this frail body. It was overly optimistic to assume Repenhardt couldn’t do the opposite, especially since he was known as the greatest sorcerer in the history of the continent.

‘Missing out on the Voice of Elucion hurts.’

Teslon clicked his tongue. He didn’t know what the Voice of Elucion was. In his past life, he had been nothing more than a brute. He had no knowledge of complex magical artifacts. All Teslon knew was that Repenhardt had obtained that relic from the ruins of Elucion, which allowed him to develop the skills of a great sorcerer at such a young age.

‘Voice of Elucion, and the artifacts of the Four Gods. Jade did say that the Demon King obtained his power using those Silver Era artifacts.’

Then he must ensure that those artifacts never fall into his hands. Teslon himself didn’t know what the artifacts of the Four Gods were used for. However, he knew where they were and what they looked like, having seen too much information about the Demon King.

‘I’ll have to somehow get ahead of him regarding the artifacts of the Four Gods.’

Pondering, Teslon returned to his room. He wished he could go on an expedition to the ruins himself.

‘But I lack the strength for that…’

As a user of Aura, and not neglecting his magic training, Teslon was slowly reaching the realm of the 5th Circle. It was clear he was a formidable force in his own right, capable of holding his own anywhere he went.

Yet, exploring a super-first-class ruin like Elucion was beyond his capabilities. Despite having knowledge from his previous life, Teslon lacked confidence in his current skills to explore Elucion. This was precisely why he had considered utilizing Eusus.

Of course, the current Repenhardt was in the same boat. Even Eusus, with all his knowledge of the ruin, had barely managed to successfully explore Elucion by mobilizing knights, magicians, and clerics. Truthfully, it would be difficult for Repenhardt’s current abilities to explore Elucion alone.

The problem was the significant difference in the level of information about the ruin between Teslon and Repenhardt.

Teslon knew that Repenhardt, before he was called the Demon King, was already a renowned ruin explorer. While he himself had some expertise in ruin exploration, Teslon’s knowledge was limited to strategies for navigating them. However, Repenhardt was familiar with the system information of the ruins themselves. By manipulating the system and using secretly hidden backdoors, Repenhardt could potentially breach any ruin with his current power.

‘Anyway, I need to grow stronger. Right now, I can’t even face the Golden Knight, let alone Repenhardt…’

Walking on, Teslon clenched his fist tightly.

* * *

Along the Setellad Mountain Range lied the western highway of the Graim Kingdom, where a carriage rattled along the road surrounded by plains.

A horse of mediocre quality pulled the carriage, and a red-haired boy sat dozing off at the driver’s seat, loosely holding the reins. Beside the boy, an elf and a dwarf girl sat chatting amicably. Alongside the carriage, a young man with a sleek figure and a sword strapped to his side kept pace.

The young man with the sword, Russ, suddenly brushed his hair back. The winter wind felt less chilling, hinting at the approaching spring. Russ glanced at the carriage and tilted his head in wonder.

‘What on earth is hyung doing inside there?’

Even a martial artist who has reached a high level of mastery doesn’t neglect their daily training. Yet, since joining this group three days ago, Russ hadn’t once seen Repenhardt engage in martial arts practice!

Throughout their three-day journey north along the western highway, all Repenhardt seemed to do was eat breakfast and then stay inside the carriage, eat lunch and then stay inside, and after dinner, he’d remain inside yet again. According to him, he had some thinking to do, but Russ couldn’t fathom what required so much contemplation that it warranted spending all day inside the carriage.

‘Surely, he can’t be meditating for martial enlightenment.’

While it’s widely believed that a martial artist who has reached a certain level of expertise needs only mental training and no longer needs physical exercise, Russ, as a knight, knew how baseless this notion was.

One day of idleness leads to a day’s decline in martial skill. Enlightenment is essential, but that doesn’t mean lounging around will lead to spiritual growth and an improvement in skills. By that logic, even a person in a vegetative state could become a martial god.

No matter what anyone says, the foundation of martial arts is the physical body. Without a strong body to support it, nothing can be achieved. And nothing is eternal against time. Even the most perfect body will deteriorate if not trained daily.

It was unlikely that someone as powerful as Repenhardt wouldn’t know this, so Russ couldn’t guess why he would skip training for whatever he was doing inside the carriage.