The Strongest With Nothing Left

As Li turned towards the door, he casually stretched his arms before saying, "I'm going out. Got something to do." His tone was as calm as ever, as if he hadn't just dropped a ridiculous amount of weight onto his student.

Arin, still struggling to keep himself upright, clenched his fists. "...Wait, Master! Where are you going?!" His voice was strained, but his determination burned through. He tried to take a step forward, his entire body still adjusting to the immense weight of the bracers.

But before he could even take another step, a strong hand gripped his shoulder, holding him in place.

"Oi, kid. Not happening."

Venkur, standing beside him, had stopped him with ease.

Arin gritted his teeth and looked up at him. "Let go, General! I can—"

Venkur sighed and shook his head. "Listen, dumbass. I get it. You wanna chase after him, right? But look at you."

He gestured at Arin, who was visibly struggling to even stand properly. His breathing was ragged, his arms trembling, and his legs felt like they were being crushed under mountains.

Venkur gave him a knowing smirk. "You're already pushing yourself just standing there. If you try to follow him like this, you'll just fall flat on your face. And trust me, you don't wanna chase after that guy half-prepared."

Arin clenched his fists. "...But—"

"No buts," Venkur interrupted. "You're gonna master moving with those weights first. That's what he wants. You get stronger here, so next time? You won't need to chase him—you'll be able to walk alongside him."

Arin's eyes widened slightly at those words.

He looked down at his shaking hands, then at the door Li had left through. His frustration was still there, but... he understood.

With a deep breath, he steadied himself.

"...Fine." He muttered. "...Then I'll master this fast."

Venkur grinned, crossing his arms. "Now that's more like it."

As Mia watched Arin struggle with the heavy bracers, her curiosity got the best of her. She turned toward Venkur, who was watching with an amused look.

"General Venkur," she called out. "Can I ask you something?"

Venkur glanced at her. "Huh? About what?"

Mia hesitated for a second before speaking. "About Li Vrak... What was he like in the past? Before he became, well... the 'Living Nightmare'?"

At the mention of the title, Venkur's expression shifted. His usual smirk faded, and his gaze grew distant, as if he was looking into the past. He let out a sigh.

He crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "Before all that, he was just a stubborn bastard. A strong one, sure, but not as cold as he is now."

Mia blinked. "So, he wasn't always this emotionless?"

Venkur scoffed. "Emotionless? Ha. If anything, he was the type to act first, think later. Had a fire in him that made him damn near reckless. But…" His voice trailed off, and for a moment, there was a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

Mia leaned in, sensing there was more to the story. "But…?"

Venkur sighed again. "Something happened. Something that broke him. He lost people. People he loved. And instead of grieving like a normal person, he just... shut down."

Mia felt a chill run down her spine. "He just shut down?"

Venkur nodded. "Yeah. One day, he was just Li Vrak, a man with a goal. The next? He was the 'Living Nightmare.' A machine. A monster on the battlefield. No fear, no hesitation. Just pure destruction."

Mia bit her lip. "...Then, what changed?"

At this, Venkur smirked, glancing at Arin, who was still struggling to adjust to the bracers.

"He met that brat over there."

Mia's eyes widened. "Arin?"

Venkur nodded. "That kid pulled him back from whatever abyss he threw himself into. Whether Li Vrak realizes it or not, he's not the 'Living Nightmare' anymore. He's just... Li."

Mia looked at Arin, who was now determinedly pushing himself, and then at the door Li had walked through.

A small smile formed on her lips. "I see… So he's been saved, huh?"

Venkur chuckled. "Heh. More like he got a second chance."

As Arin finally managed to stand up straight, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Mia and Venkur, who had been talking while he was struggling.

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Mia quickly waved her hands dismissively. "Ah, nothing! Nothing at all!" she said with a nervous laugh.

Arin narrowed his eyes. "You guys were totally talking about something important!"

Mia turned away, acting innocent. "Nope! Just random stuff. Anyway, focus on training, Arin!"

Arin sighed, shaking his head. "You're acting weird…" but he didn't press further. Instead, he clenched his fists, feeling the weight of the bracers slowly becoming more manageable.

As Li Vrak arrived at the soldiers' training grounds, he quietly found a spot to sit down. His presence went completely unnoticed as the soldiers were too focused on their drills.

He observed in silence, his sharp purple eyes scanning their movements, footwork, and coordination. Some were skilled, others still rough, but overall, they were decent.

A few officers barked orders, and the clashing of wooden training swords echoed through the air. Li leaned back slightly, resting his arms on his knees, watching without a word.

Despite his overwhelming presence on the battlefield, here, amidst the noise, he blended in like a shadow completely unnoticed.

Until one soldier, who had been knocked back during a sparring session, was flung straight toward Li Vrak.

With effortless grace, Li extended his hand, catching the soldier's collar just before he hit the ground. The soldier, still dazed from the impact, blinked a few times before finally realizing who had caught him.

His face instantly paled.

"Y-You're—!" the soldier stammered, scrambling to stand properly as the realization dawned on him.

At that moment, the rest of the soldiers finally noticed Li's presence. The once lively training ground fell into a tense silence as every pair of eyes slowly turned toward him.

Li Vrak simply looked at the soldier and, without much expression, said,

"Your stance is too open. You left your right side completely vulnerable."

The soldier, still shaken, blinked in surprise before quickly nodding. The others around him watched in stunned silence this was the Living Nightmare, a man of few words, actually giving advice instead of just ignoring them.

A few moments later, one of the senior knights cautiously stepped forward. "Sir Vrak… are you here to oversee our training?" he asked hesitantly.

Li shook his head. "Just watching."

Though his words were simple, the presence of someone like him observing their training sent a wave of pressure through the soldiers. They immediately became more focused, adjusting their movements, determined not to show any weakness in front of him.

Still seated, Li continued watching, occasionally giving short corrections to those who made obvious mistakes. It was rare to receive advice from someone as powerful as him, and the soldiers, while still nervous, took his words to heart.

As Li Vrak continued observing, he found himself giving more advice than he originally intended.

"Your grip is too stiff. Loosen it slightly, or you'll tire yourself out too fast." he muttered to one soldier.

Another was struggling with his footwork, so Li pointed it out. "You're too heavy on your back foot. Shift your weight forward when attacking, or you'll lose balance." 

At first, the soldiers were nervous, but as time went on, they realized he wasn't just some untouchable war legend he was actually helping them. Soon, more of them started listening closely, adjusting their forms based on his advice.

One particularly bold soldier even asked, "Sir Li, do you think I have potential?"

Li simply glanced at him before replying, "Potential means nothing if you don't put in the effort."

Despite the harsh words, the soldier nodded determinedly. The others took his words just as seriously, knowing that every bit of advice from Li Vrak was something they wouldn't get anywhere else.

Though he originally came just to watch, Li found himself unknowingly helping the soldiers train, something he never would have bothered with in the past.

As the soldiers continued sparring, one of them unleashed a Fire Spear spell, aiming it at his opponent. His partner barely managed to deflect it, but the deflected spear flew off-course straight toward Li Vrak.

The moment they realized where it was heading, panic spread among the soldiers.

"Sir Vrak! Watch out!" one of them shouted.

But Li Vrak didn't even flinch. Without standing up, he casually raised a hand, catching the burning spear mid-air as if it were nothing. The flames crackled violently in his grip, yet he remained unfazed.

The soldiers stared in shock as Li molded the fire into a perfect ball, rolling it between his fingers like it was mere clay. Then, with a simple squeeze, the flames flickered out, disappearing completely.

Silence filled the training grounds.

"H-How…?" one soldier muttered in disbelief.

Li glanced at them, his expression unreadable. "Control your attacks better next time," he said before turning his attention back to the sparring.

The soldiers swallowed hard. To them, it was just another reminder—Li Vrak was on an entirely different level.

As General Venkur arrived at the training grounds, the soldiers immediately took notice. Without hesitation, they straightened up and saluted him in unison. "At ease," Venkur said casually, waving a hand. His eyes quickly scanned the area before landing on Li Vrak, who was still sitting on the sidelines, watching the soldiers train.

Raising an eyebrow, Venkur smirked. "Didn't expect to see you here, Li. What, taking an interest in training soldiers now?"

Li didn't even look at him. "Just passing time," he replied flatly.

Venkur chuckled. "Yeah, right. More like scaring them with your insane abilities."

The soldiers, still shaken by the sight of Li casually catching and molding a fire spell, exchanged nervous glances. They all knew who Li Vrak was—The Living Nightmare—and now, even their general was teasing him?

Li sighed, finally shifting his gaze toward Venkur. "What do you want?"

Venkur grinned. "Oh, nothing much. Just making sure you're not terrifying my men too much."

The soldiers tensed up. They had a feeling their general and Li Vrak had a long history together.

Venkur stretched his shoulders with a grin. "It's been a long time since our last spar, huh? What do you say, Li? Feel like reminding me how terrifying you are?"

The soldiers around them froze, eyes wide in shock. The general wants to spar with Li Vrak?

Li, still seated, glanced up at Venkur with his usual unreadable expression. He didn't respond right away, making the tension in the air even heavier. 

Venkur smirked, crossing his arms. "Come on, don't tell me you've gone soft after training that brat of yours?"

A flicker of something passed through Li's piercing purple eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

With a slow exhale, he stood up. The soldiers instinctively stepped back, some gulping as if they could already sense the pressure from just his presence alone.

Li finally spoke. "Fine. Try not to piss yourself this time, Piss Boy."

The entire training ground fell into silence—before some of the braver soldiers struggled to hold back their laughter.

Venkur's face twitched in annoyance. Damn it, he's never letting that go, huh…

Shaking his head, Venkur chuckled. "Tch. Guess I walked right into that one. Alright then—let's do this."

The soldiers quickly cleared the area, forming a large circle around them.

Li Vrak vs. General Venkur