Despite facing an enemy far above his class…
Despite staring at a monster that had already obliterated multiple magical beasts and B-class mages on its own…
Despite his battered body, Dae couldn't fathom how Dom could face the Reflezard with such an unwavering glow in his eyes.
As Dom suddenly dashed toward the beast, Dae's mind flashed back to an old memory.
An eight-year-old Dae, in a long white robe, stumbled to one knee, pants escaping his mouth as he barely held onto his two short wooden swords.
The crunch of sandals on the grass drew his eyes upward. An old man approached, wooden sword in hand, stopping in front of Dae with a warm, friendly smile.
"You've gotten better. I'm impressed," the man said.
Dae grunted, rising slowly. "I still haven't hit you yet," he murmured, glancing at his dirtied robe compared to the old man's spotless one.
The man laughed. "It'll take a few more years before you do that."
Dae narrowed his eyes. "One more time." He raised his weapon—but the man smacked his head with his wooden sword, making him drop his and rub his aching skull.
"A smart warrior knows when to retreat. I've told you that many times," the man said, suddenly strict, making Dae frown.
The old man's expression softened, and he placed a hand on Dae's head. "Besides, your mother made Yugwa."
Dae's sadness vanished instantly at the mention of his favorite dessert. He dashed to the house as the old man laughed behind him.
Ten minutes later…
Dae and the old man sat at the table. A young woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Dae, arrived with colorful snacks.
"Thank you, mother," Dae said, happily taking the food.
She smiled. "You're very welcome, my dear." She handed a plate to the old man, then noticed the wooden sword. "Father, I thought we agreed not to bring swords to the dining hall."
The man chuckled. "Sorry, Nari. People my age forget things."
Nari, Dae's mother, left, muttering to herself, and the man picked up his chopsticks. He watched Dae organize his snacks by color.
"Does it really matter? You'll eat them anyway," he asked.
"I just like it this way," Dae said, finishing before taking a bite with a satisfied sigh.
The man shook his head, eating with a matching sigh. Minutes passed; he sipped coffee, then Dae asked the question that had been burning inside him:
"Grandfather? How can I become strong like you?"
"Through years of dedicated training and experience," the man replied.
"But I've been at this for two years already."
He smirked. "It'll take a few more years. Maybe thirty, maybe fifty, depending on mastery. Even your father hasn't perfectly grasped the new forms yet."
Dae frowned. "That's… a long time."
The man smiled warmly. "…but seeing you grasp so much already, you may surpass us faster than anyone."
Dae's eyes widened. "Even you?"
"Are you in a hurry to surpass me?" the man asked, smiling.
"I'll become the greatest swordsman and finally beat you," Dae said, determination shining through the colorful smear on his cheek. The sight makes the old man laugh. "Are you mocking me?"
"Of course not, young warrior." The man chuckled, innocently biting into the meal, suppressing his smile as Dae glared at him while drinking his warm milk.
Minutes later, Dae asked the question that truly mattered:
"Grandfather… what if, even after mastering it, I'm still not stronger than you?"
The man raises a brow. "You said great-grandfather and even great-great-grandfather mastered it faster than you… But you're still stronger than all of them? Is it because you added more forms?"
He folded his arms and hummed in thought. "…it might be because I followed Ethan," he said finally.
"The Mage Emperor?" Dae whispered, eyes wide.
The man nodded. "…what drew me to him wasn't his strength or title… it was his savior complex. A person determined to save anyone, even risking their own life."
Dae's brow furrowed. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Exactly why I respected him," the man said, eyes soft yet serious. "Most claim to fight for others, but when danger strikes… they run. Ethan… stood against it. Honestly, it got to a point that it seemed more like a mental illness than a noble trait." He chuckled.
Dae tilted his head, confused. "But… a smart warrior knows when to retreat."
"Yes… But some fights, no matter the odds, cannot be run from. You'll understand one day."
"Really?" Dae asked.
"Yes… and when you meet someone like him, follow them too. Their courage will make you stronger.">
Back in the present…
Dae's eyes widened. "It's you." He whispered as he watched Dom barely evade an attack from the furious Reflezard.
Dom rolled to a stop, scanning the battlefield. "Why's this thing so damn fast?" he muttered, narrowly dodging another claw strike that sliced a tree like paper.
With a grunt, he punched its side, shattering the exposed armor. The beast shrieked. Dom aimed another punch, but its bleeding tail swung at him.
He blocked with his arms, sliding across the clearing. "Damn it," he grumbled.
Another punch, another dodge. The beast reappeared at his side, sending him flying in the opposite direction.
Dominic's strong enough to break its armor… Dae thought, struggling to lift his battered body. The problem is… he's not fast enough. If I can only slow it down…
He noticed shards of the beast's armor scattering, thought hard, and pushed through his pain. It'll make you stronger.
Dae's aura flared, purple mana cascading off him.
Meanwhile… Dom gritted his teeth, grabbed the beast's extended limb, and slammed it onto its back. The ground cracked, dust and debris erupting around him. The Reflezard shrieked in pain.
Dom jumped, aiming both feet down—but it quickly moved.
Dom crashed, creating a new crater. He staggered, spotting the beast's glowing eyes piercing through the dust.
Another tail strike came. A streak of purple lightning snatched him away, Dae supporting him mid-air. They rolled to a stop, Dom to a knee, Dae coughing blood.
"You okay?" Dom asked.
"Worry about yourself," Dae replied, bloodied but determined.
They leapt apart again. Dom punched; the Reflezard dodged while Dae surged forward. "I'll slow it down!"
Dom grinned as he took a stance.
As Dae draws his sword, the beast barreled past him, its attention focused solely on Dom. "I'm not even a threat to you, right?" Dae muttered, sliding across the ground as he chases after it. "You'll regret that."
"Single sword style. Form 2… Orbit!" Dae spun, blade crackling with purple lightning. He aims at the broken armor on its left hind leg and cuts. Blood spewed as the creature crashed… sliding into Dom's path.
Dom's next punch obliterated its right fore-limb. He spun, planted his foot, and aimed another at its head.
But the Reflezard jumped back, narrowly evading the punch but stumbling. Its remaining limbs struggled to hold weight.
Dom's gaze locked on the beast. Predator versus wounded prey. An instinct the beast understood immediately as it suddenly bolted for the trees.
"You're not going anywhere," Dae said, sliding beside it, sword raised.
The beast coiled its tail, shielding itself—but Dae leapt forward, bypassing the guard, stabbing through the broken gaps in its armor. "Viper's Bolt!" The spell ripped through, purple light searing the gaps.
The beast hissed loudly as it slammed its functioning fore-limb into Dae, sending him hurtling through the air. Pain shot through his battered body with every movement, but amid the chaos, a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
The world around him blurred—the corpses beneath him, the dust of shattered armor, the thunderous roars of the Reflezard—but for a fleeting instant, he felt the tiniest surge of pride amidst the pain.
He crashed into a pile of corpses some distance away, the impact sending jolts of agony through his limbs. Steam hissed from the gaps in the beast's armor, and even from his battered vantage point, Dae saw the creature sensing Dom charging toward it.
Its tail whipped forward, sluggish now from the damage and exertion. Dom leaped, and the beast's armored face crumbled beneath his right foot.
From where Dae lay, he could see every shard of metal scattering in slow motion.
Dom gritted his teeth as his mana flared, the intensity shredding his trousers as the force of his kick obliterated the Reflezard's head as if it were a ripe tomato being smashed with a bat.
Time itself seemed to stretch for Dae—the beast's body toppling, fragments of its shattered skull spinning through the air, and Dom uncontrollably rotating from the momentum of the kick.
Dae's chest rose and fell raggedly. His vision swam with pain and blood, yet the sight before him ignited something deep within. His lips parted, forming a smile even amid the torment. I've finally found him, Grandfather.
The words weren't just a thought—they were a realization, a culmination of years of longing, training, and hope.