Chapter 296

Lion’s Castle...

Once the best knight academy in the empire, it was a place where young talent across the continent dreamed of enrolling. Back then, students swarmed the sprawling campus, and every year brought with it new faces and fresh graduates.

The lion statue remembered it clearly: the sight of thousands of students on the Stage of Proof, moving as one. In five years' time, those youths, once unpolished gems, gleamed with the grace and poise and skill of full-fledged knights.

Next year’s children too... I’m looking forward to it!

The Stage of Proof... Only for entrance examinations and graduation ceremonies was it used; aside from those two days, the grounds were located in the most secluded corner of Lion’s Castle. Almost no one came to visit, and the wind and rain accompanied the lion statue from one year to the next.

It was a lonely existence.

But it was not without purpose.

Even if only a glimpse, to see those baby-faced youths return as young knights was not only the lion’s statue's greatest joy—but also its greatest gift, as before its eternal eyes, all things live on: the flourishing of an era, the burning hearts of the knights, their towering intent—the lion statue remembered it all.

But following the fall of the empire, this single joy, that final purpose, was stolen.

Gone were the students and teachers, and years passed in silence, followed by decades.

Then centuries.

On the day that the continent shook, and the heavens roared with the fury of warring gods, the lion’s statue thought little of it. Even as the continent splintered and Lion’s Castle was pulled into another dimension, the lion’s statue remained numb. After all, it had already lost its purpose. Only an endless sea of solitude awaited.

Or so it had thought—

“

HAH

!”

“

Shhh

. It’s good to put some strength into it, but there’s no need to strain yourself.”

“Uh, sorry...

Hah.

”

......

“Keep your elbow in, and don’t exaggerate the swing. This form emphasizes restraint. Focus on tight, regulated moves. Remember, the goal isn’t brute force but harmony between body and breath and moving as one with your allies.”

“Thank you for the guidance, Your Excellency!”

Another player nodded at the back of the group. “I see. The key is unity...

Heh.

Basically, the opposite of what that red-haired shorty is doing.”

“I’ll break your legs!

Kiyack!”

“

H-hik

! The orcs are charging! It’s a riot!”

Watching the unfolding chaos, warmth filled the lion statue.

This... This is beyond even my greatest memories.

During the days of the empire, the lion statue had only glimpsed the young talent upon enrollment and upon graduation. Whereas now, it could watch the students’ growth process and witness in real time as they contemplated a technique and articulated their thoughts and enlightenment in their own words.

Those on the stage bore different attire, were of different ethnicities, and varied greatly in sword proficiency. Yet just like the empire’s students, they stood as equals on the Stage of Proof—unified in their desire to learn.

“Tell your orcs to calm down before I shoot them.”

“Roh Jun-Yeop, did you become cocky over the break? Have you forgotten who the manager of the Shooting Club is?”

“Course I remember—it’s Jae-Hyeok. What, have you been a figurehead for so long that you forgot who made you?”

“

Uh,

mm

...”

“Also, cocky? Why is a pathetic bastard who’se never once beaten me talking so arrogantly? Did you eat something strange over summer break?”

“W-what? Pathetic? Come here, you bastard! Flash Steps! Flash Steps! Flash Steps!”

“Uwack!”

...Of course, when people of different walks of life gathered, there was bound to be some disagreements.

But under careful mediation, these were minor blips. In resolving them, everyone grew closer together.

Such liveliness, such harmony...

This scene was more than the lion statue could have hoped for in its wildest dreams.

Since gaining its consciousness, the lion statue had always been alone. Despite the times when Jae-Hyeok and Do-Jin—especially Do-Jin—had annoyed the lion statue, deep down, it had always been thankful for their company. With them, it was able to escape the tedium it had suffered from its entire life, even if only briefly. Yet Jae-Hyeok had not stopped there—as he promised, he’d returned with hundreds of people to fulfill its wish.

Time passed, and the humans on stage gradually harmonized. Their every step, every slash, and every breath fell in time.

Now I understand, Jae-Hyeok, you...

The lion statue’s quest requirement had been to see a perfected sword drill. Before the drill was perfected, Jae-yeok could’ve trained the others anywhere, so why had he waited to guide them on the Stage of Proof?

The lion statue realized that Jae-Hyeok must have done it out of consideration for it.

—You really know my feelings.

The lion statue watched Jae-Hyeok’s back.

—Even if only indirectly, you wanted to let me experience what it is like to be with others.

“That’s right.”

Jae-Hyeok turned, and his warm gaze fell on the spotless lion statue.

The hungry darkness that had lurked in the boys

Jae-Hyeok’s gaze looked nothing like it had the first time the lion statue had met him. Shimmering with faint lightning energy, his eyes were not the twin doors to an abyss they once were. Instead, they sparkled like the starry sky, filled with dreams and hope. The eyes of a youth...

Only then was the lion statue struck by how young Jae-Hyeok was—younger even compared to a squire just entering Lion’s Castle.

Those eyes suit him better.

Emotions swirled in the lion statue's consciousness, and it hesitated before transmitting a message to Jae-Hyeok:

—

So you’ve... accomplished what you set out to?

“Yes.”

At Jae-Hyeok’s reply, the lion statue fell silent. If Jae-Hyeok had achieved his goal and no longer had to hide from his enemies in Lion’s Castle, would he stay? After all, the quest that it had given Jae-Hyeok was unclear about its rewards:

[The Wish of Lion’s Castle.

The will of Lion’s Castle longs for the glory of the distant past. Perform a grand ceremonial drill under its watchful eyes.

Quest Clearance Reward (1): Depends on the completion rating.

Quest Clearance Reward (2): A linked quest will occur.]

It didn’t even know the source of its desire, so the lion statue couldn’t be sure what rewards completing it would yield. Jae-Hyeok must’ve noticed this too, so it wouldn’t be strange if he forgot about the lion statue and sought other gates with reliable rewards.

But...

No, that wouldn’t happen.

Hadn’t Jae-Hyeok come today for its sake? He’d come, just as he always had over the past few months. The lion statue’s discomfort faded, quickly replaced by pride.

—Well done. You’re really something.

The boy with the scarred heart, who had once been as lonely as it, had managed to conquer his hardships and gather hundreds of companions.

How could the lion statue not feel proud?

“Hehe.”

The corners of Jae-Hyeok’s mouth twitched. As a transcendent, he could sense the lion statue’s emotions through its telepathic transmission.

“Stoli, do you like me too?”

Stoli, short for stone lion—it was a blunt, simple name, given by Baek Do-Jin, and in the past, the lion statue had found it unpleasant. But now it felt surprisingly good.

Wasn’t it a good thing to have a name? Otherwise, how else could its friends call out to it?

After a beat of silence, the lion statue answered honestly.

—

Hmph, how could I not like you?

Speaking so openly was a little embarrassing, but it also felt good. It had a premonition that from then on, it would be able to express itself to Jae-Hyeok more freely.

Jae-Hyeok’s smile deepened. “Good. I’m grateful.”

Having been the object of Korea’s hatred for years, he knew better than anyone how precious a single sincere relationship could be.

“This is my small reward.”

Jae-Hyeok held the hilt of his sword, assumed a stance, and joined the thousand humans and orcs behind him in performing the drill.

The Kang family’s ceremonial drill was a complex sword form—but thanks to the guidance of the genius Cho Seong-Hyeon, Seol Su-Ah, the Thunder Emperor, and Kang Hyeon-Ah, everyone had mastered the formation in only a few hours and was moving as one.

Kang Hyeon-Ah’s waiting glare especially kept everyone in line... But in any case, Jae-Hyeok had perfectly recreated the scenery of the Kang family’s golden age.

No, strictly speaking, it surpassed the Kang family’s golden age. Back then, the Yaksha had been the only National Treasure to lead the ceremonial sword drill, whereas now there were three—Thunder God, the Thunder Emperor, and White Night.

Meanwhile, the top swordsmen of the Kang family, personally trained by the Yaksha, were replaced with the Shinra family’s elite, as well as Bellona’s group, the elite of the American Association.

Everything is perfect.

Jae-Hyeok felt reassured as the ceremonial drill progressed.

-

Ahhh...

The lion statue trembled. Yes, this was its true desire; it wasn’t just about watching a wonderful ceremonial drill and recalling old memories. Its true wish was to witness the process of achieving perfection; this was only now realized by the lion statue, while the System had known that from the start:

[The wish of Lion’s Castle has been fulfilled.]

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Night turned to day as a chain of level-ups washed over the crowd. At the same time, Jae-Hyeok’s vision was flooded with notifications.

[Congratulations. You have cleared a quest that has gone uncleared for hundreds of years.]

[Interesting achievement—You have engaged in a sincere relationship with a non-human entity.]

An interesting achievement?

Jae-Hyeok had heard of Amazing, Miraculous, and Legendary achievements before.

But Interesting?

Jae-Hyeok tilted his head in confusion, but his expression soon brightened.