Published: January 17, 2026
As I sprinted up the steep mountainside, I spotted a fallen log lying on the slope. It appeared to have broken and rotted naturally, but wood is wood.
I hurriedly processed it into wooden blocks and built a wall blocking the path between two large rocks. Wooden blocks have a hardness exceeding steel. It shouldn’t break easily.
“W-we need to put some distance between us now…!”
The moment I said that, a voice echoed from beyond the wall.
“They’re coming soon!”
“T-they’re here…!”
Hearing Dee’s shout, I was so surprised I almost jumped. Using that momentum, I pushed off the ground and glanced back up the slope where I was climbing. Kamushin had already advanced at least a hundred meters ahead.
“So fast!?”
Panicking, I hurried along the path Kamushin likely took, sprinting up the slope. The makeshift wall wouldn’t hold for long. I needed to find other materials quickly…
While thinking this, I vaulted over a large rock and pressed forward when a loud crashing sound and earth-shaking rumble came from behind.
“Sei!”
Startled, I turned around at the shout.
There, ignoring the wall I had built, was Dee smashing a massive rock to the left into two halves. The shattered rock fragments rolled down to my feet along with a fierce wind. Amid the rising dust, Dee stood grinning between the split giant rocks.
“Hahaha! If there’s no path, we just make one!”
“That’s something only Dee can do!?”
Pure terror gripped me. Laughing as he chased me, I dashed up the mountain’s slope at a speed that surprised even myself, despite the varying sizes of rocks and cliffs.
“Oh! Lord Van, you truly have mastered the art of climbing! What an incredible speed!”
As he said that, I noticed Dee’s smiling face right beside me.
“Yikes.”
A voice escaped me from somewhere unknown—perhaps there was no air left in my lungs. Still, Dee didn’t care and raised his sword to strike. Maybe he deliberately swung widely to make it easier to dodge, but his joyful grin as he ran up the steep slope swinging his greatsword was devilish.
“Now, how will you dodge this!?”
For some reason, Dee swung down at me with excitement. The greatsword roared through the air. Although it was dulled for training, its massive iron form was more than enough as a weapon.
“Ugh!”
Desperately, I leapt sideways to dodge the greatsword. It swung down so close to my face that my hearing went temporarily muffled.
“I’m going to die! I’m really going to die!”
I rolled on the ground to absorb the momentum of the sideways leap, pushed off with my hands on a rock about face-height, and sprang up to run again. Seeing me resume climbing, Dee gave a slight nod and looked up the slope.
“Oh, Kamushin is quite something too! Alright, next is Kamushin! Let’s go!”
“U-ughhaaah!”
Hearing Dee’s declaration to chase, Kamushin screamed as he sprinted up the mountain.
“Wahaha! Run, run! Here comes the attack! Ready your sword, Kamushin!”
“Gah!”
Dee charged up the slope like a joke, while Kamushin desperately fled. Actually, Kamushin was fast enough, and somehow managed to keep his sword ready while climbing. As for Dee, he hopped and bounced, swinging his sword down repeatedly.
Dust rose with the rumbling, and amidst the clashing steel sounds came Dee’s gleeful laughter.
“…Alright, I’ll quietly head back now.”
That’s a demon — a training demon, no doubt. I may be a genius, but my physical abilities are just an ordinary handsome young boy’s. If I kept up with this terrifying training, I might perish quickly. That would be a loss for my territory.
Convinced by such half-hearted reasoning, I quietly descended the slope. The rocky terrain had places where a fall could be fatal. I needed to be careful.
“Hmm? Hmmm?”
At that moment, a voice echoed from above. Nervously turning around, I saw Dee standing far above on the slope, arms crossed, looking down at me. Kamushin lay collapsed at his feet.
“Oh! Now it’s downhill training? Very well! Here I come!”