FANSiA Originals and KakaoPage
I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan
[Author/Original: Yuin]
[TL: Scarlett]
[PR: Azrial]
Chapter 6
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"Hold on a moment…" Deputy Commander Mellin's forehead creased in concern. "I think you should find a more suitable opponent. You do realize Thern has already achieved 2-star, right?"
Thern's achievement was notable for his age. He was merely thirteen, after all. Most people only reached 2-star in their twenties even when they start honing their swordsmanship or magic at a young age.
Even then, many failed to reach 2-stars unless they possessed inherent talent.
"We have plenty of squires in our knight order. They would be more suitable sparring partners for you, young master." Mellin firmly believed that even a squire could easily defeat Chris.
"No. If I'm going to prove my worth, I should do it properly. I would like to duel with Thern."
"!!"
"Thern, what do you think? You've been wanting an opportunity like this, haven't you?" Chris taunted. "You're not scared of your older brother, are you?"
Thern gritted his teeth as the final stand of his patience snapped. "I... I accept the challenge."
Deputy Commander Mellin sighed. Secretly, however, she thought that this was a good outcome. 'If it's Thern, no matter what happens, it won't be my responsibility.'
If a knight from the Black Swamp Knights inflicted significant injuries on Chris, it would be problematic for her. However, as Thern and Chris were brothers, Mellin wouldn't be held accountable, regardless of the outcome.
'Since he's always despised his good-for-nothing brother, he won't go easy on him. It'd be perfect if he permanently crippled him or something, but Thern has a tender heart, so he likely won't go that far.'
Mellin despised the weak, a trait expected of a fiend—she especially hated bastards like Christian, who was considered the worst.
'It's outrageous that a bastard like him would dare to defile the sanctuary of the Black Swamp Knights.'
This sentiment prevailed among the other fiends within the order.
"Thern, use this chance to crush that bastard!"
"If he leaves the duel unscathed, be prepared for more intense training!"
With the crowd's boisterous cheers, the two prepared at the arena. This was going to be an unarmed duel without the use of dark energy, as Chris requested.
"You dare…" Thern unleashed a fierce aura.
Chris turned to Deputy Commander Mellin, "What will the rules be? Fight until the opponent surrenders?"
"No," Deputy Commander Mellin shook her head. She didn't want the potential outcome where the good-for-nothing gives up after a single hit. "That might be a little underwhelming. Let's say the duel will continue until one of you is no longer able to fight."
It was a rule clearly meant to punish Chris.
The knights' approving whistles echoed. It was a vibrant and boisterous atmosphere. Everyone there was hoping to see Chris get what he deserved.
"Well, you heard the rules. What should I do?" Chris shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently, I need to pummel you."
"!!" Thern's face reddened further.
Just as he was about to retort in anger, something unexpected occurred.
Thwack!
Chris's fist connected with Thern's face.
Blood spattered, and Chris grinned. "Why are you just standing there? The fight's already started."
* * *
In reality, it was all a ruse.
'I doubt there are any fiends in the entirety of the Black Swamp Knights that can match me in hand-to-hand combat without dark energy.'
Despite not having achieved 1-star as a fiend, he was at the level of a 3-star knight in regards to his Dominion of Light powers.
In contrast, Thern had only just reached the 2-star.
From the outset, Chris's skills were significantly superior. Not to mention, before his regression, he had even reached 4-star.
'4-star is enough to make you a deputy commander or even the commander of a mid-sized order of knights.'
Not only was Chris more skilled, but he had also undergone Metamorphosis. Though his muscles were not yet fully developed, giving him a fragile appearance, internally, he was as strong as he could be.
There was no way a thirteen-year-old like Thern could match him, regardless of his talent.
'No chance. He needs to go drink more of his mother's milk... Wait, I guess that's my own mom I'm talking about,' Chris quickly dismissed the insult towards his own mother while going in for another punch.
Thwack!
Thern's head snapped backward. However, Chris didn't stop there. He got up close to Thern, who was a bit dazed, and kneed him in the abdomen.
As Thern naturally bent forward, Chris swung an uppercut his way.
Wham!
With a loud impact, Thern was knocked to the ground.
"..."
"..."
The training ground fell into silence. Everyone stared at Chris as if they were hallucinating, refusing to accept reality.
"What just happened?"
"Did Young Master Thern get careless?"
"That must be it, right? Otherwise, it doesn't make sense."
Thern seemed to share similar thoughts as he groaned and got back on his feet, grinding his teeth. However, he wasn't in a good state. His face was battered, his head was spinning, and his legs were slightly shaky.
"What...What trick did you use?"
"A trick?"
"There's no way I'd lose to you otherwise!" Thern shouted in frustration.
Chris smirked. "Do you think I used a trick? Well then..."
Thwack!
Chris punched him again.
"I guess you haven't been hit enough yet."
Thwack, Thwack!
Blood trickled from Thern's nose.
'Hmm. Maybe I'm overdoing it,' Chris thought.
There was a reason why he purposely chose Thern.
'I needed to give him a beating.'
If he had left Thern alone, he would have just kept annoying him like an angry chihuahua, which was why he took this chance to teach him a lesson.
And who knows? Perhaps through these punches, a brotherly bond could grow, even if Chris was the only one doing the punching.
'But there's a more important reason as well.'
Chris provoked Thern for his objective.
"Hey, you're bleeding quite a bit. Wait, you're not crying, are you? I'm sorry, man… Want your big brother to blow on your booboo?"
"Aaaagh!" Thern let out a weird half-scream, half-roar.
Finally, Chris had gotten the reaction he'd been looking for.
Fwooo!
Thern's fist became imbued with dark energy.
"Graaaah!" Thern, driven to madness, hurled a fist pulsating with dark energy at Chris.
The Black Swamp Knights watched in shock, their faces drained of color.
Even Deputy Commander Mellin gasped. 'He'll die if he gets hit by that dark energy!'
Chris's death would cause a lot of problems for her, but it was already too late to intervene. Mellin's face grew pale as she watched on in horror.
However, Chris was secretly smiling, hiding his face behind his fists. 'Bingo. He played right into my hands. I was worried he was going to be a goody-two-shoe and not bite.'
Everything was progressing exactly as Chris had envisioned.
He glanced over at Deputy Commander Mellin. 'Watch closely and see how I handle this.'
His main goal in this duel was to impress her. Mellin was a fiend from the main family of the Dark Magic Clan. She was a promising figure who would eventually ascend to the 6-star master stage during the Great War.
His plan was straightforward: deliver a stunning performance.
'The most straightforward strategy against a stronger opponent is to deflect and redirect their power.'
Of course, this was only possible when the power dichotomy wasn't too wide. If Chris touched the dark energy with his bare hands, he'd be inflicted with a lethal wound before he could redirect anything.
So, Chris opted for a different approach.
He glanced into Thern's eyes, which were filled with bewilderment and fear of his own lethal attack. Perhaps it was this confusion, but the dark energy was unstable.
Chris stared directly at the incoming dark energy. It danced around like flames, and within that erratic dance, a momentary opening appeared.
Chris didn't miss that moment.
With a swift strike of his palm, he targeted the weak point of the dark energy, and the dark energy surrounding Thern's fist dispersed instantly.
"Huh?" Thern's eyes widened.
But before he could react, it was over.
Wham!
The punch landed squarely in the middle of his face.
Thern was sent reeling backward, the impact of the solid punch knocking him out cold. This time, he was completely unconscious.
"..."
A hush fell over the training ground. The knights didn't fully understand what had just transpired.
"What happened? Why did the dark energy…?"
"Did Young Master Thern pull back his dark energy because he was worried about injuring the bastard?"
That was the only plausible explanation they could think of. Striking the weak point of the dark energy to disperse it was something completely outside their logic.
But one person reacted differently.
It was Deputy Commander Mellin, the most powerful fiend present.
Her face had hardened, her eyes wavering with both amazement and disbelief. 'He did it…'
Chris smiled at Mellin's reaction, "Is this enough to earn your approval?"
"...Yes." Mellin finally responded, her voice slow and measured.
She attempted to mask her astonishment, but Chris saw it mirrored in her eyes.
A broad smile spread across his face. "Then, please take care of me from now on."
All that was left was now to take the Black Swamp Knights for all they were worth.
From that day on, Chris trained with the Black Swamp Knights in their training ground.
However, that didn't mean he got to receive the same training as them. Though they shared the same space, they trained separately.
The Black Swamp Knights underwent their regular knightly training, while Chris focused on basic physical training.
Despite Chris not causing any trouble, the knights were irritated.
"It's like having a buzzing fly around."
"At least he's better behaved than I expected."
"Even a bastard knows their place. No one would dare act out against the Black Swamp Knights."
"I bet he's just pretending to work hard. I wonder how long this facade will last. I say two days tops."
"I'd give it a day."
"Half a day, at most."
Despite Chris's victory over Thern, their opinion of him remained negative. They were convinced that Chris had used some trick to defeat Thern.
They also misunderstood the ending of the fight as Thern going easy on his older brother. That Thern purposely dissipated his dark energy.
"I should have stepped up instead of Young Master Thern. I would have really taught him a lesson."
A stern reprimand interrupted their grumblings, "Why are you all just standing around chatting? Or do you have nothing better to do than to gossip?"
"Deputy Commander?"
"Get back to swinging your sword instead of chattering around!"
The scolding came from Deputy Commander Mellin.
The knights bowed their heads and quickly refocused on their training. Mellin's rebuke was sharper than usual.
"Why is she so upset?"
"Is it because of that bastard?"
Their assumptions were reasonable.
Mellin's face tightened. 'What was that during that duel?'
She had been shocked since the duel began. All because of Chris.