Future Knight

Chapter 11

* * *

Kang Chan’s wounds, after receiving intensive healing from the Elf mage, were almost completely healed, leaving only red marks behind.

The wounds were so severe that the Elf who healed Kang Chan was exhausted and bedridden after four hours of healing.

Thanks to the healing Elf’s help, Kang Chan barely survived and slept for two straight days.

This was due to the physical exhaustion from excessive use of combat mode.

If he had reached the final sixth stage at that time, he would never have survived.

It was the last card to use, accepting death.

Like a river that could not be turned back.

Lying quietly in the hospital room, Kang Chan slowly opened his eyes.

“W-Where am I?”

His tone was lifeless.

A groan escaped from Kang Chan as he tried to move his body.

“Ugh…”

Even though the magic had healed him to some extent on the outside, bones could not be completely healed with ordinary magic.

Kang Chan had suffered such severe injuries that his bones were damaged, so he had to lie down and recuperate for at least two weeks.

The magic that completely regenerated bones was a fairly high-level healing spell.

Kang Chan leaned quietly against the bed and looked out the window, deep in thought.

‘If I had used the suit, I wouldn’t have been defeated so helplessly.’

It seemed that Kang Chan still had lingering feelings about the battle.

Of course, it would have been difficult to use it in front of them even if he had worn it, but Kang Chan still regretted leaving the suit at the accommodation.

As he was still obsessed with the outcome, thinking about the suit reminded him of the fallen warship and his own situation.

‘I’ve been too preoccupied with adapting to this place and have forgotten my original mission. What should I do now?’

Thinking about his mission made Kang Chan feel suffocated.

His mission was to destroy this world.

Kang Chan sighed deeply and looked at the blue sky beyond the window.

But he soon dropped his head.

It felt as if his ugly true self was reflected in the clear blue sky.

With his head lowered, he suddenly had this thought.

It wouldn’t be so bad to just live here with the Elves and die like this.

That’s how much he had been enveloped in the peace here and didn’t want to lose this precious peace and comfort that would never come again in his life.

However, reality and ideals were always different.

He steeled his mind again to prevent his heart from wavering.

And to do that, he thought he needed a mission to carry out here as well.

‘That unknown power used by that guy Keremion, the strange technique that instantly made him several times stronger and even made an ordinary wooden sword so sharp. Is that the superpower of the aliens living on this planet? They have too many hidden abilities that I don’t know about. I need to investigate this opportunity. That unknown power will be the biggest obstacle for the Federation Army to take over this planet in the future.’

While Kang Chan was lost in these various concerns, someone opened the door and entered.

Elradian had come to visit him.

“What? Elradian, sir. Ugh!”

As Kang Chan tried to get up forcibly with his injured body, a groan of pain escaped, and Elradian stopped him.

“No, just lie still.”

When Kang Chan lay back down comfortably at his words, Elradian sat in a chair next to him.

“Well, are your wounds alright now? The healer here may be young, but in our village, they are second only to Lady Arteon in skill.”

Although Elradian, who had lived for over 800 years, considered the Elf who healed Kang Chan to be young, the healer was significantly older than Kang Chan.

“It was truly remarkable. Thanks to them, I am alright now.”

“I apologize. I should have stopped the duel before it got that intense.”

“No, I am rather satisfied that I could fight without holding back.”

“You’re tough, aren’t you?”

“You flatter me.”

“Well then, let’s see if your wounds have healed properly.”

When Elradian tried to open Kang Chan’s shirt, Kang Chan resisted his touch.

“It’s not a big wound. I’m fine.”

“What do you mean it’s not a big wound? I clearly saw you get pierced by a wooden sword. Show me the wound. I pride myself on having a better eye for sword injuries than any healer.”

In truth, Kang Chan had a compulsive aversion to showing his body to others.

Whenever someone looked at his body, he was reminded of the chilling eyes of the scientists who scrutinized him like a lab animal during his physical modifications in the past.

Because of this, he was well-known for avoiding group showers back on Red Mars.

“I am really alright.”

“Hmph, I can’t tell if your wounds have healed properly unless I see them. Come on, take off your shirt.”

“It seems to have healed well from what I can see.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“……”

“Why are you so shy? Are you a woman by any chance?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then do you have chest hair or something?”

“That’s not the reason either.”

“Then why on earth won’t you take off your clothes?”

“……”

As Kang Chan continued to refuse to show his wounds, Elradian’s patience finally snapped.

“Enough! When I say take it off, just take it off. Why are you being so difficult?”

“Ah! No, you can’t!”

Just as Elradian, ready to tear his clothes off, was forcing Kang Chan to undress, an uninvited guest arrived in the hospital room.

“Uncle! I heard you got hurt?”

The uninvited guest was Jaina, who had hurriedly come to visit after hearing the news of Kang Chan’s injury.

However, the moment she opened the door and saw Elradian and Kang Chan entangled on the bed, Jaina froze in place.

Seeing Elradian forcibly on top of Kang Chan, trying to strip him, Jaina’s expression became extremely ambiguous.

“Uh? Uh? Uh? Excuse me. I’ll just… be going.”

As Jaina blushed and slowly backed out of the room, both Elradian and Kang Chan simultaneously called out her name.

“Hey! Jaina, wait!”

* * *

“Unbelievable, his bones have already healed.”

“Was he really that injured?”

Smack!

“Ouch.”

“Watch your words, calling him ‘kid’! This person is Lady Arteon’s guest.”

“But he’s younger than me.”

“Considering that humans live only one-tenth as long as us Elves, he’s lived twice as long as you have. So, stop playing with such meaningless numbers.”

“Yes…”

Jaina, unable to even think of refuting the Grand Elder’s scolding, glared at Kang Chan with a face full of resentment.

Kang Chan, with an expressionless face, quietly nodded at Elradian’s words.

Seeing this, Jaina felt an overwhelming anger, as if her mind was numbed, glaring at Kang Chan with a look that said, “You’re dead when the Grand Elder leaves.”

But Kang Chan simply ignored her glare.

“For now, drink this healing potion three times a day after meals. It’s a secret healing potion passed down among our Elves. Drink one bottle now.”

As Kang Chan drank the red liquid Elradian offered, his entire body warmed up, and the muscles that had been screaming in pain due to the aftermath of combat mode gradually calmed down.

“The effect is really fast. I feel much better.”

“Of course. Didn’t I say it’s a secret healing potion of our Elves? By the way, you have an incredibly fast healing rate, almost like a troll. Even with the help of healing and the potion, to heal this quickly…”

“Troll? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it, but I do heal faster than most people from injuries.”

“Moreover, you can free yourself from pain at will. Are you by any chance…? Ah, never mind.”

Kang Chan tensed up at the suggestion that Elradian was digging into his secret.

“What is it?”

“Never mind, this old man worries about saying something wrong to you.”

“It’s alright. Ask me anything. I have questions for you too, Elradian.”

“Hmm. Then let me ask. Has anyone ever tampered with your body?”

“That… is not entirely wrong. But I don’t want to talk about it further…”

As Kang Chan’s expression darkened at his pointed question, Elradian could only promise to ask more later.

“Understood, I won’t ask about that anymore. However, I know better than anyone that your skills, having defeated Keremion, are genuine. Experience is not something that can be artificially imparted.”

At the mention of defeating Keremion, Jaina was visibly startled.

Keremion, who was he? He was the elite of the elites in this village, whom Jaina admired so much!

He was a monstrous talent who could control the mana in his body freely even before reaching adulthood, with no equal among his peers in swordsmanship, truly the best of the best among Elves.

Moreover, he was also incredibly handsome.

‘No way, this foolish human defeated Lord Keremion?’

Jaina’s gaze wavered ambiguously.

“Then I have just one question for you.”

“Go ahead.”

“How could someone like Keremion suddenly become so explosively strong? And how could an ordinary wooden sword become so sharp?”

“That’s because he’s a Sword Expert.”

“Sword Expert? What is that?”

A Sword Expert.

It referred to those who could freely control mana through their bodies, a state that all warriors of every race aspired to reach.

Elradian’s eyes were filled with genuine surprise as he looked at Kang Chan, who knew nothing about Sword Experts.

“It refers to those who can manipulate mana with their bodies.”

“Keremion also told me he would use mana against me. Is that the same mana?”

“Oh? So the kid had some conscience left. At least he told you before using it.”

“What exactly is this mana?”

“Since you’re from another world, it’s only natural you don’t know about mana. Today, I’ll be generous and explain it thoroughly so you can understand. I’ll also tell you about the greatness of the mana that makes up this world and the noble pride we Elves have in our swords.”

Elradian’s face was filled with pride as he began to speak passionately about the mana that made up this world, the noble pride of Elven swordsmanship, and its greatness.

The content flowed out like a burst dam, as vast as Elradian’s nearly 800 years of experience.

Even with the latest biochip implanted in his brain, the process of filtering out the unnecessary parts and retaining only the essential information was a daunting task for Kang Chan.

Jaina, who had long since distanced herself from studying, lay down and quickly fell into a deep sleep, leaving Kang Chan to gaze at the rising sun alone.

The next day, even though the sun had been up for a long time, Elradian’s praise for Elven swordsmanship showed no signs of ending.

Such was his immense pride in their swordsmanship.

His pride-filled words further piqued Kang Chan’s curiosity.

Kang Chan found himself wanting to properly learn Elven swordsmanship, not just for the sake of his mission.

Especially since Keremion, who had not undergone any physical enhancements like Kang Chan, had consistently shown superior skill in their duel.

This had left Kang Chan quite shocked.

The fact that all of this was achieved through dedication to swordsmanship alone made it impossible for Kang Chan not to be intrigued.

During Elradian’s talk, his statement that “Anyone can surpass their limits with enough effort in swordsmanship!” captivated Kang Chan’s heart immediately.

‘Anyone can become stronger with effort alone, without undergoing enhancement surgeries?’

Reflecting on his past, where he had been forcibly subjected to numerous physical modification surgeries since childhood to become stronger, Kang Chan found himself deeply envying Keremion, who had become powerful through his own efforts.

Kang Chan’s heart began to fill with a growing desire to learn swordsmanship.

Initially, Kang Chan had listened to Elradian to uncover the secrets of their superpowers, but now, he found himself deeply engrossed in Elradian’s words.