Episode 21
Episode 9. What Exactly Is the Eye of the Mind? (Part 4)
Belop stood before Jin, gripping his wooden sword tightly, sweat streaming down his face. It wasn’t just a figure of speech—he was wiping his forehead and the corners of his eyes every few seconds, his pupils trembling with unease.
Since becoming a trainee knight, Belop had never been the center of attention like this before. It was no wonder he was so rattled.
Even half out of it, Belop—and the other trainees watching—couldn’t help but try to make sense of what Jin had just said.
In this Runcandel…
You can’t survive by playing it safe like that.
“Why would Master Jin say something like that to me?” Belop wondered, his body trembling uncontrollably despite himself.
“Is it because I’m too weak? Too timid?” The question flickered through his mind.
“Is Master Jin trying to embarrass me because I’m so frustrating?”
“Is this a warning that I won’t last long in Runcandel if I stay this weak?”
“Jin’s got a cruel streak after all…”
The other trainees felt the same way.
But Jin paid no mind to their reactions. He simply fixed his gaze on Belop and tightened his grip on the wooden sword.
“Belop.”
“Y-Yes, Master Jin!”
A few stifled chuckles broke out among the trainees. One of them quickly covered their mouth, expecting Garon’s sharp reprimand.
But neither Garon nor Jin even glanced at the laughing trainee.
“I’ve already fought ten opponents and my stamina is drained.”
“Yes, Master Jin.”
Belop, finally regaining his composure, answered clearly.
“And you’re still fresh, right?”
“Yes.”
“Even so…” Jin took a step closer to Belop, continuing in a low voice.
“I’m stronger than you. Except for Garon, I could take on anyone here. And I probably could beat you again.”
Belop hesitated, then silently nodded.
“That’s why I want to fight you.”
“Master Jin, what does that mean to me… ugh!”
Crack!
In an instant, Jin’s wooden sword slammed down on Belop’s shoulder. Startled, Belop staggered but avoided serious injury.
What followed was a seamless flurry of attacks. Belop retreated, parrying as best he could.
“You’re defending well.”
“Thank you… ugh!”
Suddenly, Jin scooped up a handful of sand from the training ground and flung it into Belop’s face. Belop winced, the grit stinging his eyes, forcing him to clutch his wooden sword tighter.
“M-Master Jin…!?”
Jin said nothing. He grabbed Belop’s side, and with a sharp strike of his shin to Belop’s thigh, the younger trainee let out a low groan and collapsed to the ground.
“I didn’t call you here for a sparring match. I said I want to ‘fight.’”
Jin leaned close to the fallen Belop. Through the sand-streaked redness in his eyes, Belop looked up at him.
“I said ‘probably.’ I could probably beat everyone here again right now. But that means I don’t have absolute certainty. Wipe your face.”
Belop brushed the sand from his eyes and cheeks with his sleeve.
“So, you’re saying I’m an uncertain opponent?”
“Finally, you’re making sense. This isn’t sparring—it’s a fight. A real one. When you fell just now, I could have killed you.”
“Master Jin…”
“But since you didn’t understand my intent, I showed mercy. Get up. From now on, I won’t hold back.”
The low, grim tone was too dark to be a mere prank.
Jin spun around and put distance between them again. Belop lowered his head, sighed deeply, then slowly rose, raising his wooden sword.
By then, the watching trainees began to wonder if Jin had lost his mind.
Some thought, “Belop may be a fool, but isn’t this going too far?”
Others believed Garon should step in and stop this before it went any further.
But Garon remained silent, watching without a word.
Frustration and anger welled up inside the trainees. Even the great seven-star knight, the swordsmanship instructor of Runcandel, couldn’t stop Jin.
What could they possibly do?
And why was the strongest trainee in the class picking on the weakest like this?
Where was Runcandel’s honor? Is throwing sand in someone’s face how we uphold it?
All the trainees wore those conflicted expressions.
Then, in the next moment, their faces twisted from frustration to shock.
A faint glow began to shimmer around Belop’s wooden sword. It was a pale, subtle aura, but to those trained in swordsmanship, it meant deadly cutting power.
“A-Aura…!”
The perennial last-place trainee had suddenly unleashed aura, but the trainees barely had time to register it.
At this rate, one of them might die.
“Instructor! You have to stop this! This is a training class!”
“Garon, in…”
“Swordsmanship instructor, Garon Artemiro!”
Jin called out sharply, staring at Garon.
“Speak, Master Jin.”
“What you saw today must remain a secret. Don’t tell any other Runcandel members.”
“Understood.”
Meanwhile, Belop’s aura faded.
But his face no longer showed fear—only a trace of emptiness and anger.
“Is this really what you want, Master Jin?”
“So you can use aura. Then you shouldn’t hold back.”
Jin and Belop locked eyes for a moment. The trainees, who had been shouting to stop the fight, now clenched their fists in nervous sweat. A heavy silence fell.
Then Belop made the first move. He moved with surprising agility and quickly grabbed Jin’s side.
Crack! Jin blocked Belop’s wooden sword with a sharp strike.
The two tangled, pushing against each other with all their strength. Veins bulged on their arms, and their wooden swords trembled from the strain.
“You made a mistake, Master Jin. If you wanted to fight me…”
Screech!
Jin’s wooden sword began to splinter. Belop had layered aura onto his own sword again.
“Before you fight the other ten… you should have done this!”
Snap!
Jin’s wooden sword broke. To Belop and the trainees, the moment Belop’s glowing sword sliced toward Jin’s shoulder felt agonizingly slow.
The wooden sword cut into Jin’s shoulder, heading for his heart. In that instant, Jin caught the despair twisting Belop’s expression.
The despair of having fallen out of favor with Runcandel’s youngest trainee.
The despair of nearly having to strike down Master Jin, who had cared for him.
Belop’s clear eyes were filled with those emotions.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Bang!
Something heavy struck the side of Belop’s wooden sword. It was a Runcandel-style martial arts move—a cutting palm strike. Jin’s solid hand.
The sword bounced off, throwing Belop off balance. As he staggered, Jin swiftly grabbed him from behind and choked him.
“Ugh!”
Most trainees couldn’t even grasp what was happening—except for a few top-tier students like Mesa Milcano.
“Crazy! What is this? Is he insane!?”
Mesa couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Even the earlier sparring was shocking, but compared to this, it was nothing.
“Ugh!”
Belop gasped for air as Jin’s grip tightened. Just as some trainees rose to intervene, Jin released him.
Belop turned, gritting his teeth and glaring at Jin.
“Why did you stop? You said you wanted to do this properly. Don’t stop, Master Jin! You won! Are you satisfied now? Is it fun to toy with people like this? Huh?”
His voice was thick with fury.
Jin shook his head.
“It’s not fun.”
“If it’s not, then why…?”
“Pushing you like this is painful for me too. Very painful.”
“What do you know about me? Why do you make it so hard?”
“I don’t know you well. But I do know this: compassion is a luxury you can only afford once you become truly strong.”
Belop froze, recalling Jin’s earlier words.
In this Runcandel, you can’t survive by playing it safe.
“You’ve probably realized it just now—you’re weaker than me. And kinder. I like that about you. But being good isn’t enough to survive this hell.”
As Jin spoke, the trainees held their breath.
Belop’s choked sobs leaked out, breaking the silence.
“Belop. Belop Schmitz. Look at me. Lift your head and look at me.”
Their eyes met.
“Please, I hope you can keep your kind heart forever.”
Jin paused, placing a hand on Belop’s shoulder.
“But I want you to grow strong. If possible, with me. And with everyone here. And… I’m sorry.”
Belop nodded. Or maybe he just barely did.
Jin couldn’t tell if it was acceptance or refusal, but soon Belop stepped toward the other trainees.
Just then, servants carrying a huge iron pot filled with rough food entered the training ground.
“Uh… the atmosphere is a bit tense. Young Master Jin, Instructor Garon? Should we come back later?”
As the servants exchanged uneasy glances, Bellop finally spoke up.
“Today, Young Master, you should accept it yourself.”
Jin gave a bitter smile.
“Alright, then. Today, I’ll take it on for you as well.”
After the meal and before the afternoon training began, Garon quietly approached Jin.
“You’ve awakened Bellop Schmitz. That boy has exceptional talent, but his temperament was weak, which was a concern… Thanks to you, Young Master, he’s received a much-needed push.”
“Garon.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t speak so casually about awakening or temperament. Whatever my intentions were, it must have been a deep wound for Bellop.”
“Today, Young Master acted exactly as a Runcandel should. Please don’t take it to heart. He’s just a cadet, after all. Not someone the future master should pity.”
Jin shot Garon a sharp look, then let out a short laugh.
“Garon Artemiro, Swordsmanship Instructor for the Guardian Knight Cadets. The only thing you’re qualified to judge is swordsmanship. Stop overstepping your bounds.”
Garon felt a chill run down his spine at Jin’s words.
‘Those Black King’s men called him a young sovereign before… Indeed, he’s a true beast.’
With a smile, Garon bowed his head.
“My apologies, Young Master. As you said, I will keep today’s matter strictly to myself.”