Objectively understanding one's own skill and level was a quite important matter.
No matter how hard one tried to view things objectively, it was human psychology to perceive situations subjectively and become infinitely positive about oneself.
However, Lee Han was always strict with himself.
He had no other choice.
He had no master; he had to stand entirely on his own.
Although he had a special ability, it was nothing more than a convenient tool.
Because of this, while putting in the effort, Lee Han always strived to view his abilities objectively.
‘How should I gauge my strength?’
If this worldview were Wuxia, then most of those knight bastards would probably be around the level of first-rate to pinnacle martial artists.
They were ones who had learned the Tuqi Method, so wouldn't they be around the level of the promising rising stars of the Orthodox Sect?
And conversely, he himself would be the bastard who grew strong through the methods of the Unorthodox Demonic Path rather than the Tuqi Method.
Sorcery or a troll's regeneration, it was all the same.
However, by repeatedly becoming stronger through this, Lee Han's level had unmistakably reached the very edge of the Pinnacle.
And presumably, if he were to surpass the Pinnacle and reach the Ipsin (Entering God) realm, then perhaps...
Kwaaang!
That old man would be at that level.
Lee Han's body rolled pitifully across the dirt floor.
Paah!
But as soon as he rolled, he sprang up like a spring and charged at his opponent.
The series of movements was so elastic and swift that it was enough to evoke the image of a four-legged beast rather than a human.
Kwajik!
Every time he kicked off the ground, the concrete floor crumbled, and Lee Han tackled him right away.
With his weight, strength, and speed added together, it boasted destructive power comparable to a dump truck collision, but unfortunately, the opponent was not someone who could be budged by a mere dump truck.
Hwiiik!
"You're still as rough as ever. You need to learn to be more composed."
Movements like a butterfly playing in the wind.
It was Valtar who smoothly deflected and avoided Lee Han's fierce tackle, and he naturally raised his palm to plant a single strike on Lee Han's back.
Kuung!
"Keugh!"
The ground shook.
The palm strike from Valtar that pierced his body seemed to contain a profound principle, piercing through his tough body like a skewer and attempting to break him down.
If an ordinary person had taken that palm strike, they would have set off a chain reaction of explosions from the inside and burst on the spot.
Meaning a rather gruesome scene would have been staged.
"...You vicious old man!"
"Haha, you've gotten tougher."
However, Lee Han's body did not burst, nor did he pass out.
He grabbed Valtar's wrist just like that.
Ujijik!
The arm strength capable of crumpling iron revealed itself without mercy and crushed Valtar's wrist.
Powerful arm strength that could shatter a human wrist like a thin tree branch.
"What good will it do to just use force mindlessly?"
Even with Lee Han's grip strength, Valtar did not show any sign of pain.
Why else would an Aura User be called a superhuman?
It was because that seemingly frail flesh was a vessel that contained superhuman strength beyond anyone's expectation.
No matter how strong the grip, it was not something that could be easily broken off.
As expected.
"Haap!"
"Keo-heok!"
Lee Han flew away miserably.
The intense pressure bursting from Valtar's body like an exploding volcano instantly turned into a typhoon and blew him away.
But.
Kwaang!
He did not fall, and put his weight into it while maintaining his charging posture.
As he gathered strength in his calves and thighs, they swelled up as if they would burst, and Lee Han, just in that posture...
Kwaaang!
Launched his entire body out like a spring.
A bold move of shooting himself like an arrow.
Paang!
A whirlwind swept across the surroundings.
The pressure and shockwave that turned even the scattered stones around into sand attested to his power.
Seeing this, the sneer that had been on Valtar's lips from beginning to end disappeared for the first time.
Instead.
"Good."
Chwak!
He took up his sword for the first time.
Although the sword was still sheathed, just the fact that he held the sword changed the atmosphere.
Saaaak!
Valtar swung his sword before Lee Han could even reach him.
Slashing at thin air.
It might seem ridiculous, and one might wonder what kind of posture that was all of a sudden, but the change brought about by that series of swings was by no means ridiculous.
Paang!
"...?!"
With a bang, Lee Han's trajectory was blocked as if he had hit something, and he was flipped right over.
Unlike a flying arrow being blocked and embedded in a shield, the wall of air was so incredibly hard yet flexible that it deflected him without injuring him.
"...Old man, you can make a shield out of wind too?"
"It's a small trick. But it's a relatively decent move against a beast no less fierce than the Mountain Lord."
"......I'm losing my mind."
Lee Han scowled and panted heavily in the humiliating posture of sitting slumped on the ground.
But he didn't look all that tired.
It was partly because he was hit less than usual, but his stamina was truly out of the norm, so he wasn't even out of breath at this level.
Of course, it wasn't as if there was no recoil from clashing with an Aura User.
Throb!
"...My ribs are broken."
"Haha, only?"
"What do you mean 'only'? It hurts like hell."
It would probably take an hour before they could go at it again.
"Good, to think you made me use this kind of technique."
"How do you do something like that?"
"It is a technique that anyone can do simply by reading the grain of the wind. Those spellcaster bastards like to use it."
"...It's my first time knowing you can use magic without spells."
"The world of Martial Arts is endless. If you keep striving, you'll be able to pull off those spellcaster techniques easily."
"You're spouting bullshit."
Probably, the spellcasters would say something similar to him.
Because it was that absurd of a statement.
A wall of wind, how the hell was he supposed to pierce through that?
‘Peel it, and more keeps coming out.’
As expected of a 70-year-old veteran monster.
His hidden techniques were endless.
"What about you, what was that just now? You flew at me like an arrow."
"I named it Gungsintanyeong."
"...Just like that 'Geumgang' or whatever you said before, the techniques you use all have a somewhat bizarre side to them."
"None of your business."
While grumbling, Lee Han reviewed the sparring match from just now in his head.
‘One similar to the Neijia Heavy Hand Method, and should I consider the rest as Sword Wind (Jianfeng)?’
Lee Han pondered, converting Valtar's techniques into his own style based on the countless Wuxia novels he had read in his past life.
‘...I don't know about Sword Wind, but I might be able to imitate that Neijia Heavy Hand Method.’
...Is it something like this?
Thud.
"...Sseup, no?"
He pressed his palm against the ground and bounced off, but unfortunately, he only gave a slight shock to the ground.
This was closer to just imbuing energy rather than the Neijia Heavy Hand Method.
As he was feeling disappointed.
"Your senses are as good as ever. A guy who doesn't even know the basics of the Tuqi Method can imitate that? Hah."
It was only natural for Valtar to find it absurd.
What was the Tuqi Method in the first place?
Wasn't it a sort of Gangche Sul (Body Hardening Technique) where a martial artist who had built up training felt the life force (Vitality) flowing within their body, erupted it, or momentarily strengthened their body?
However, because it was like a profound 'technique' that not just anyone could learn, it was named the Tu-Gibeop (Battle Technique).
From feeling the life force within the body to controlling it, that itself was entirely the realm of talent.
Moreover, the optimal time to feel the flow was during childhood when the life force was still meager, and no matter how hard one tried to learn it at a late age, it was meaningless.
Since the most delicate and weak period of the flow had already passed, and the flow of life had somewhat hardened, it was virtually impossible for an adult to feel it.
But that guy was different.
Even though he was already thirty, his life force was still 'pulsating' like a child in their growth period.
And whether it was due to his growth, or because his trait was bizarre, he was controlling the flow intuitively.
For example, the method of inflating the power in his legs to shoot out like an arrow just now, or even his internal organs withstanding Valtar's power, were based on the same principle.
‘However, that guy's power is a mess. It's probably because he only controls it by feel.’
Lacking the basics of the Tuqi Method, the mere act of growing the flow through pure training had formed a peculiar state where only a fierce rotational force was generated throughout his entire body.
It was no different from waves surging ceaselessly within his body.
And if someone other than Valtar had known the condition of Lee Han's body, they would have been horrified.
A guy who should have died long ago from failing to withstand the flow was still perfectly fine, simply because he had mindlessly expanded his vessel.
A crazy spellcaster would have made him a test subject or struggled to dissect him.
‘...How fascinating.’
The only emotion Valtar felt was interest.
Assuming such a flow, 'Life Force (Vitality)', continues to become fiercer, and assuming the vessel can also withstand it.
What if, in that state, he awakens his Aura and becomes a superhuman?
Perhaps.
‘He might possess strength on par with the legendary Lion King or the Knight King.’
It was still only a stage of speculation.
But imagining the future of a young man with his whole life ahead of him...
‘Finding a guy who stimulates my interest so much in my twilight years, heh.’
It must be an inevitable plaything for an old man facing retirement.
Valtar hid his aching wrist and laughed refreshingly.
* * *
Gulp...
Only the sound of dry swallowing echoed faintly.
Because the clash between the two knights brought such a passionate shock.
Especially for the rookie knights seeing their clash for the first time, the shock was even greater.
They clearly knew Lee Han was strong.
Didn't he instantly overpower Yord, the top graduate?
But they didn't know it was to that extent.
What is that?
‘A mini [Mountain Lord]?’
Mountain Lord, or the monster Ogre called the Tyrant of the Mountain.
He hadn't seen one in person, but if there were a Mountain Lord in human form, wouldn't it look like that?
To the point of suspecting he might be a half-breed with a monster.
‘Why does a person like that remain a regular knight?’
Regardless of his status, a powerhouse of that level should hold a certain position.
Yord wouldn't deny that his view was slightly biased, but he couldn't accept that he was still a regular knight...!
"It's because he has a lot of penalty points. So don't misunderstand."
"...Pardon?"
"It's true that there are many higher-ups who look down on him because of his low status, but that alone isn't the reason he's a regular knight. He's still a regular knight because of his poor behavior."
"Poor behavior?"
"He's not only late, but he also rarely goes out on missions. Because of that, he has a significant amount of penalty points."
"......"
"Based on his skill alone, he could've been a Vice-Captain by now, but well, with his behavior being like that, I don't know when he'll ever get promoted, heh."
"...As expected, he's a bizarre person, Senior Lee Han."
"It's Lee Han. ...But why am I correcting you?"
Without hearing Jake's latter words, Yord stared passionately at Lee Han.
Although Lee Han might think he was miserably defeated, Yord, who was watching, felt differently.
He instantly realized that rather than the Captain, the existence named Lee Han was a massive wall and a goal he must strive for.
‘To have someone like that beside me, this is nothing short of great fortune!’
To have a strong person like that nearby.
Also, he heard he was always looking for a sparring partner!
This was an opportunity for Yord.
If he sparred with a strong person like that, he would naturally grow as well.
‘I'm looking forward to it.’
Yord felt his knight life was incredibly rewarding—.
"—Knight Lee Han Turtle, hear me. Your insolent attitude, destruction of knight order facilities, four months of mission dereliction, and various other offenses cannot be overlooked. This tarnishes the honorable dignity of the White Silver Lion, thus it would be just to dismiss you from your post! However! We cannot disregard the merits you have accumulated thus far, and taking this into account, we shall bestow upon you an honorable punishment to reduce your offenses. Go forth and teach the apprentices who will shoulder the future of Pendragon for three years. This is truly an honorable and wise decree, therefore, Lee Han Turtle, you shall receive this as glory."
...Huh?
Unfortunately, it seemed Yord's hopeful wishes had flown far, far away.
Lee Han.
He was demoted.