Chapter 346: Let me review it once.
"Snap!"
The sound was produced by the forceful stomping of a foot on the ground.
The sound appeared a split second after Reiger drew his sword.
In that moment, when Reiger unsheathed his sword, everyone surrounding him reflexively stomped on the ground as if they had been scorched by fire and instinctively moved away from him.
Including Gejiev, including Gegran and Iveyer, and of course, including Brian, who had been harboring a defeated look ever since the confrontation began.
Yes.
Brian had moved as well.
And his movement was more intense and rapid than the others, like being cut by an invisible blade, he sprang away as if shot out of a cannon.
"Oh?" Reiger raised an eyebrow and said with a faint smile, "It seems that, dead at heart as you may be, the instinct to sense danger is still there."
Naturally, his words were aimed at Brian.
"..."
Brian didn’t respond. He just instinctively took a stance to draw his sword, with cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
Not only him, but the rest of the crowd exhibited similar reactions.
"G-Gegran, my lord..."
The weakest among them, Clem, was already pallid, as if he’d been struck by some great shock and was being held in Gegran’s hand.
Just now, in the split second Gegran had leaped away, she had incidentally yanked Clem along with her.
But in reality, even Gegran had acted on instinct, without any spare energy to specifically look after Clem.
The evidence was the muscular female warrior sweating profusely just like Brian.
"...Isn’t this a bit exaggerated?" Gegran stared intently at Reiger and murmured in disbelief, "In that instant just now, I thought I was going to die."
"And what about you, Iveyer?"
Gegran called out to Iveyer, not far from her, but her gaze didn’t stray from Reiger for even half a second.
In such a situation, Iveyer’s altered voice reached Gegran’s ears.
"...I felt pretty much the same."
Her voice was full of wariness, shock, and disbelief.
"Can’t be? Even you felt that way?" Gegran forced a very reluctant smile and said, "This is trouble. I originally thought that there were exaggerations in the rumors associated with that lad. Now it seems that those rumors didn’t overstate at all; in fact, they might have underestimated him."
"But is that even possible? That kid looks even younger than our team leader!"
"Can a human truly cultivate such strength at this age?"
"Could he possibly be an ancient monster who has lived even longer than you, Iveyer?"
Gegran’s words did not elicit a response from Iveyer.
Iveyer just stared intently at Reiger, her expression beneath the mask very unsettled.
Even she was like this, and Brian, who Reiger was deliberately targeting, was unquestionably worse, his hand holding the sword trembling.
"...Who are you?"
Brian asked Reiger in a hoarse voice.
"Reiger Brillhaut," Reiger said, ignoring others’ reactions and addressing Brian, "A human being you look down upon."
"Stop joking!" Brian said impulsively again, "How could a person like you possibly be human?"
Brian couldn’t help but think this.
At least, he didn’t believe any human could induce a feeling of almost certain death the next second, merely by drawing a sword.
As far as Reiger could tell, Brian’s way of thinking was completely arrogant.
"Why not?"
Reiger spoke softly.
"Because I’m a human, so I can’t be this strong?"
"Because I’m this strong, so I can’t be a human?"
"Who stipulated this?"
Such words, as if providing a channel for Brian to vent, caused Brian to let out a cold laugh.
"Isn’t it an apparent fact?" Brian said, "Just compare to know."
"In terms of life span, humans live only around a hundred years, which is short compared to all other races, not to mention those immortal species, even when compared to longer-lived ones."
"In terms of ability, humans are naturally far inferior to demihumans and other species, lacking claws, armor-like skin, even night vision; let alone unique racial abilities, they nearly possess nothing."
"Even physical abilities honed through training, at best, compare with weak demihumans like goblins. Should they encounter a troll, even a talented human would need around a decade of training to possibly compare."
"Humans, as a race, can be considered mediocre in the eyes of any species, merely moving lumps of flesh that are easy prey for other species."
"How strong can such a weak race be?"
The look on Brian’s face was one of self-mockery, as if all of life’s efforts were reduced to meaningless sorrow.
"Like me, no matter how much I train in swordsmanship, no matter how many times my hands are worn raw, against a newly born dragon, there’s a high chance of defeat, perhaps not even able to pierce its scales."
"And the dragon? It only needs to open its mouth, and my body would be bitten in half instantly, even if it’s just newly hatched."
"Humans are truly weak. Even those deemed as heroes, after a lifetime of arduous training, their strength may not compare to that of the real strong species’ newborns."
"The physical prowess humans strive to achieve through training is innate to other species. Isn’t this a clear indication of weakness?"
Nobody could deny Brian’s argument.
Indeed, humans didn’t possess the naturally strong bodies or great power of those formidable species; no matter how hard they trained, there were still countless creatures of different races out there much stronger than any human.
So, to some extent, Brian’s statement was a fact, a vulnerability that humanity must confront.
However...
"Just because we are not naturally strong, just because we cannot match other races from birth, should we meekly accept our fate and serve as their food?" Reiger said indifferently to Brian, "It seems you are more submissive than I imagined, Brian Angelos."
"What did you say?"
Brian’s eyes widened slightly.
Reiger chose not to repeat himself.
"I don’t know what you’ve seen, but I am a human, that’s a fact. You may choose to ignore it, and I have no interest in discussing the potential of humans with you."
Slowly, Reiger sheathed his sword, allowing the deadly sense of crisis that had filled everyone’s hearts to gradually fade.
Then, Reiger said this,
"Come and witness for yourself just how strong humans can become."
Reiger extended his hand towards Brian and gave a small beckoning gesture.
"Come, let me see your sword."
Although the words carried no particular tone of insult, they still left Brian feeling humiliated.
But Reiger didn’t give Brian time to get angry.
"Standing before you now is not one of those other species naturally stronger than humans, but a human being, just like you."
"If you haven’t the courage to swing your sword at a monster, surely you have the courage to do so against another human, right?"
"Or are you saying that you’ve even lost the courage to raise your sword against your own kind?"
"In that case, I must wonder whether your weakness is not because you are human, but because you are a waste of space."
His indifferent words caused Brian’s previously unfocused eyes, stagnant like dead water, to finally ignite with flames of anger.
"Swing your sword."
Reiger’s voice clearly reached Brian’s ears.
"Whether or not you are qualified to judge all of humanity, I shall let you try to prove it to me."
Upon hearing this, the hand that Brian held his sword with slowly tightened.
Unintentionally, the corner of Brian’s eye caught sight of Gejiev standing aside.
Gejiev did not speak, merely stood silently, staring at him with an expression in his eyes Brian could not understand.
Was it contempt?
Or disdain?
In any case, it certainly wasn’t anything positive, was it?
With this thought crossing his mind, Brian couldn’t help but recall all the efforts he had made these years to defeat Gejiev Storunov.
He was originally just an inconspicuous farmer, yet by a stroke of luck, he discovered that he possessed a remarkable talent: a flair for swordsmanship.
With his talent aiding him, as long as he wielded a weapon, he would not be defeated, never suffering more than a scrape; he was a true master and a genius.
Having never tasted defeat in swordsmanship, Brian believed he would always walk on the path of victory.
That belief held until the Kingdom Warriors’ tournament, the turning point in Brian’s life.
For the first time since his birth, defeat befell him at that tournament.
The man who defeated him was Gejiev Storunov, the current Kingdom Warrior Chief, known as the strongest warrior in the neighboring countries.
Having lost to him made Brian realize that eternal victory was merely wishful thinking, and he had merely been a frog in a well.
As a result, he turned down several invitations from nobles, deciding for the first time to rise through arduous effort.
He continually practiced martial arts, strengthened his body.
He constantly studied magic, expanded his knowledge.
Though a genius, he worked tirelessly like a Scholar, and his failure put him on this path.
To defeat Gejiev, Brian went as far as becoming a mercenary, a thief, even joining a band of thieves.
To regain his honor and gain greater strength, he was willing to cast aside everything, including his reputation. That was Brian’s resolve.
Unfortunately, such grand ambitions eventually became a joke in an unexpected mishap.
During that "incident," his inconspicuous self fled in a wretched state, sinking into despair on his own.
Even now, that despair still clung tightly to Brian, stifling his breath.
But now, with a human opponent and his arch-enemy present, was he really going to lose even the courage to swing his sword?
As this thought emerged in his mind, Brian took a stance for attack even before reaching a conclusion.
"...just don’t regret it," he growled, his voice ominously clear.
Seeing this, Gejiev’s eyes brightened, and Gegran and the others couldn’t help but fix their gaze on Brian.
At this moment, Brian’s eyes finally shed their ashen tone and kindled a spark of fighting spirit.
Only at this moment was he Brian Angelos, the unyielding genius swordsman who could give Gejiev Storunov a run for his money.
"Come on."
Reiger’s lips curled ever so slightly, his words exceedingly brief.
The air began to grow tense.
The battle was on the verge of erupting.