All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 198

◈ Chapter 198

99. Descendants of the Moon – 2

Malon wore a sullen expression as he looked at Ian, who had solved the problem with ease.

However, Ian simply shrugged it off, prompting Malon to sigh.

“Haa… Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Where were we…? Ah, right. I was telling you that we and Blue Moon were once part of the same faction.”

Malon began to recount a tale passed down only to the Silver Moon Clan Leader.

“Silver Moon and Blue Moon were originally a single clan called the Descendants of the Moon.”

This was some years after the Forest of the Martialist was created.

A martial artist was said to have appeared in the Forest of the Martialist.

“He quickly subdued the Forest of the Martialist and soon became the Forest Keeper.”

However, his glory did not last long.

The Forest Keeper suddenly went mad one day.

“Driven mad, he began to massacre those around him.”

“So what happened?”

“Countless martial artists fought to stop him.”

Eventually, he fell, and the martial artists divided his immense power among themselves.

“His weapon, armor, body, as well as aura cultivation methods and martial arts manuals, were all divided. Of course, there was bloodshed in the process.”

The martial artists fought to gain more.

Among them, the one who emerged victorious and obtained the body enhancement technique was the first Clan Leader of Silver Moon.

“The first Clan Leader used the body enhancement technique to grow the clan.”

The first Clan Leader was wise and possessed outstanding talent.

Merely obtaining the body enhancement technique, which combined various energies to strengthen the body, was enough to build a powerful clan in the Forest of the Martialist.

“And then time passed. Conflicts arose.”

The body enhancement technique involved gathering various energies into one.

In the process, a fight broke out between the faction that wanted to use monsters and the faction that opposed it.

“And the faction that wanted to use monsters eventually caused an incident.”

On a night when even the moon did not rise.

They cut down their fellow disciples and left with many things.

What they created was Blue Moon.

“Those who remained suffered great damage in the process. We lost not only our sacred sword, the Moonlight Sword, but also the Clan Leader and the next Clan Leader died.”

Thus, things that should have been passed down orally were lost.

Having lost much, Silver Moon gradually lost its power and eventually was pushed back like this.”

As he calmly explained the clan’s history, Ian crossed his arms and pondered.

‘Is it not related to Rubellin or demons?’

“Then what about that Yaga?”

“Hmm. That was something the previous Clan Leader was testing. He was experimenting with body modification to revive Silver Moon… well, the result is as you see.”

Yaga was used for experiments to revive the incomplete body modification technique.

However, a rampage eventually occurred, and those who were conducting the experiment all died.

Fortunately, Yaga, who possessed the power of various monsters at the Master level, did not want to escape from that place.

Therefore, they ended up sealing the stone chamber itself and closing the training ground.

Ian paused for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay. I understand. Ah, and one more thing. Why are monsters gathered in the Silver Moon training ground? And why was this inscription there?”

At Ian’s question, Malon tilted his head.

“I’m not sure about that either.”

After finishing his conversation with Malon and leaving the Silver Moon Clan, Ian walked down the street, thinking.

‘Rubellin’s symbol was found in the same place twice. What does this mean?’

‘I don’t think a mere chimera and that stone chamber are important.’

Is the chimera manufacturing method important?

Ian didn’t think so.

If the chimera manufacturing method was in its original form, it would be valuable, but the level on the stone wall would only create failures.

When he denied it, Circe mentioned the second hypothesis.

‘That’s more likely. Is there no demonic energy within the Forest of the Martialist?’

That was confirmed when he first came to the Forest of the Martialist.

Therefore, Circe answered immediately, and Ian nodded.

‘Then it means that someone came from outside, or there may be guys among the martial artists who made a deal with the devil without a contract.’

When Circe mentioned that, Ian shrugged.

“Well, let’s investigate that. And right now, we need to pay more attention to other things.”

After speaking lightly, Ian arrived at his destination and kicked the door open.

-Crack!!

The door burst open, revealing dozens of martial artists with their heads to the ground, trembling in fear.

The sturdy middle-aged man kneeling at the front, who had received a signal from those who had seen Ian earlier, urgently shouted.

“L, Lord Ian! I, I am the Clan Leader of the Tracard Clan… I apologize for what happened earlier!”

If the opponent was just a martial artist from the inner castle [the central, more prestigious area of the Forest of the Martialist], it would be worth risking his life to fight.

If he won, he would get a chance to enter the inner castle.

But wasn’t this person treated as equal to the Forest Keeper, the pinnacle of the Forest of the Martialist?

Moreover, even if he won against an outsider, there would be no great benefit.

Of course, he would gain fame.

However, he had no intention of dying to gain fame, so he started to respond realistically.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Immediate apology.

He just decided to lie flat [to surrender and offer no resistance].

“I don’t want just words of apology.”

“O, of course, it’s not just words!”

He hurriedly handed over a prepared pouch.

It was full of gold coins.

“It’s a small token, but I hope it will appease Lord Ian’s anger.”

If he gave up resistance and chose to surrender, that wouldn’t be bad either.

Ian put the pouch in his bag and turned around.

As he came out, a group of martial artists were running down the alley.

“There he is!!”

“What? What is that?”

“It’s the Jackal Clan!!”

When the Tracard Clan, who followed him out, shouted, the Jackal Clan martial artists running down the alley raised their weapons.

“Damn it!! Ian has joined hands with the Tracard Clan!”

“Damn bastards! You want to try, huh?”

“Huh?”

What was this about?

As Ian looked on, the Tracard Clan Leader was embarrassed.

“Our clan and the Jackal Clan are hostile, but…”

When he first came to the Forest of the Martialist, he trampled on the Jackal Clan.

And he trampled on them in the market as well.

Because of that, the Jackal Clan thought that Ian had come at the request of their rival, the Tracard Clan.

“Bring the elder!!”

The Jackal Clan members blocked the way.

Looking at them, Ian grabbed his sword with a look of amusement.

“There are hardly any guys blocking my way these days. It’s a pleasure to meet you in a place like this.”

“I, Ian! Lord Ian!! Even if you are…”

-Slap!!

As one of the Jackal Clan members stepped forward and shouted, Ian slapped him across the cheek.

The one who was hit flew away, rolled on the floor, and fainted, causing everyone to tense up.

They couldn’t even properly see him move his hand or step forward.

“Use honorifics.”

“…Lord Ian. No matter how much of a lord you are, we cannot tolerate such atrocities in the Forest of the Martialist.”

“Isn’t this place about the survival of the fittest?”

Ian smiled mockingly and took another step forward.

When the Jackal Clan members hesitated and stepped back at the sight.

An old man confidently approached with the other Jackal Clan members.

“Hoo. Hooohooo. Are you the brat named Ian?”

It was a skinny old man.

He smiled as he rolled his white eyes while holding a cane, when Ian looked at him.

“I am Behind, the Poison King.”

“I guess you don’t get along with the Forest Keeper?”

“Hooohooo. I’ve always had a bad relationship with that guy. We’ve always argued about who can cause more destruction. I need to settle that.”

“But why are you doing that here? It doesn’t seem like the Forest Keeper is in the Forest of the Martialist right now.”

“Hooo Hooohooo! If I want to become the Forest Keeper, I have to deal with the clans that follow him first. And I have to join a clan according to the rules of the Forest of the Martialist. So I made some suitable guys my disciples.”

He would entrust himself to the Jackal Clan and lead them to destroy the Forest Keeper’s clan, Blood Devil.

And after taking the Forest Keeper’s head, he would take over the Forest of the Martialist.

That was Behind’s plan.

“Anyway, before that. It wouldn’t be bad to make a conceited brat with a little bit of fame kneel at my feet.”

Behind twirled his cane and pointed it at Ian.

At that moment, blue aura soared from the cane.

As it gradually turned black, the Jackal Clan members cheered.

“It’s here!”

“The Elder’s Poison Aura!!”

It was mixing the poison contained in the cane with aura.

Now, even touching that aura would spread the poison, so even Ian wouldn’t last long.

As the Jackal Clan members cheered happily, the Tracard Clan members naturally cheered for Ian.

“Damn it!! Lord Ian!”

“Don’t lose to that crazy old man!!”

The Tracard Clan members and the Jackal Clan members cheered.

Ian, caught between them, looked at the triumphant Behind and said.

“Leader. This is my job, so don’t interfere.”

At those words, Behind turned his body and swung his poisonous aura.

The Sword Demon Leader, a masked figure in black clothes who had flown through the air from the roof of the building, said in a low voice.

“Why are you here doing this? If you came to the Forest of the Martialist, you should have come straight to the Sword Demon Clan. If they know you’re here, crazy guys like that will rush at you like crazy. Let’s finish this quickly and go.”

There were realistic clans like the Tracard Clan, but there were many crazy guys in the Forest of the Martialist who didn’t care about status.

Didn’t they have guys like Behind and the Jackal Clan right now?

In particular, there were many guys in the outer castle [the less prestigious area of the Forest of the Martialist] who couldn’t grasp their skills, so it was better to enter the inner castle quickly to avoid troublesome things.

As the leader spoke bluntly, Behind twisted his cane in disbelief.

“…Hooohooo!! Such composure in front of this Behind…”

He couldn’t finish his words.

“U, Ugh?!!”

“E, Elder!!”

The severed head couldn’t speak.

Ian didn’t even pay attention to him, whose neck had been severed, and returned the sword he had drawn to its sheath.

“Then let’s go.”