REAPER SCANS
I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan
[Translator – Jreaming]
[Proofreader – Leef]
Chapter 8
‘But if what I saw back then wasn’t a mistake…’ Mellin pondered, eyes blazing with intense curiosity. ‘He might surprise us again.’
With such hope in mind, she watched the ongoing duel carefully.
Yet what unfolded surpassed even her wildest expectations, becoming a scene bordering on the unthinkable.
Clang!
A resonating impact echoed.
‘What?’ Mellin's eyes widened in disbelief, mirroring the shock of every fiend present at the training ground.
Someone had fallen—but it wasn’t Chris. It was Cannon, lying sprawled on the ground with blood trickling from his face after taking a direct blow. The duel had ended with just a single strike.
Chris sneered, casting an arrogant glance toward the gathered Black Swamp Knights. “The Black Swamp Knights don't seem to be anything special. Does anyone else want to challenge me?”
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The training ground fell into stunned silence. The knights were bewildered.
“What just happened?”
“How did Cannon get defeated?”
The situation seemed inexplicable. Cannon had been relentlessly attacking Chris from the start.
“Cannon may be a squire, but he's a 1-star. There's no way that bastard stands a chance.”
“How long will he last?”
“Ten seconds?”
“Five, at most?”
Everyone had anticipated Chris’s swift defeat. But the battle shifted in an instant—Chris’s wooden sword had slipped through Cannon's aggressive attacks and struck him squarely in the face, resulting in the current situation.
“Was it just a fluke?”
“Did Cannon lower his guard due to overconfidence?”
But this was already the second time Chris had decisively defeated someone. Could it still be dismissed as mere negligence?
Amidst the confusion, a cocky voice echoed throughout the training ground.
"Are there no more challengers? I know for a fact many of you are dissatisfied with me.” Chris smirked smugly. “Anyone is fine. I want to see if the Black Swamp Knights’ prowess matches their reputation, though frankly, I just can’t believe it’s true.”
Anger flared among the fiends. Their faces flushed as their eyes collectively turned toward one figure.
A fully-fledged knight, a 2-star fiend, stepped forward with an icy glare
"I am Torin."
"There's honestly no need for introductions."
"...You'll regret disrespecting the Black Swamp Knights."
"We'll see about that." Chris gestured with the tip of his sword. "Bring it on."
Provoked, Torin’s expression hardened, and he lunged forward.
Clang!
Their swords collided, sending a vibration racing up Chris' wrist.
‘Just what I wanted.’ Chris’s heart was filled with satisfaction. He deliberately provoked the knights, expecting a 2-star fiend to take the bait.
‘A higher-ranking fiend wouldn’t lower himself to fight a supposed weakling like me out of pride.’
Torin was exactly the opponent Chris needed right now. With his current capabilities, he should be able to manage against a 2-star opponent.
‘I might lose in terms of dark energy, but I can still deal with this much.’
Clang! Thud! Screech!
Their swords clashed repeatedly. As time passed, the field grew eerily quiet. Everyone sensed something was awry.
"What are you doing?!"
"Hurry up and end this!!"
From an outsider’s perspective, it seemed as if Torin, the clear 2-star fiend, was overwhelmingly dominating Chris. Yet Torin couldn’t finish the fight. In fact, he wasn’t even close.
‘What’s happening? I can't break through!’ Torin couldn’t believe it.
Chris’s crude counterattacks continuously disrupted Torin’s rhythm. Whenever Torin tried to overpower Chris with sheer strength, Chris mysteriously dodged each blow.
None of Torin’s attacks were going as planned.
‘The two before me weren’t just careless.’ Torin gritted his teeth.
The situation was baffling. Although Chris was obviously weaker, Torin felt increasingly pressured, while Chris appeared calm and utterly in control.
‘This can’t be real,’ Torin thought desperately.
Torin wasn’t alone in his astonishment. Deputy Commander Mellin stood frozen, equally stunned.
‘…Unbelievable.’ Mellin could hardly contain her shock. ‘So my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, after all.’
Each of Christian’s movements sent chills down her spine—not because they were extraordinary, but precisely because they weren’t. They were completely ordinary, but that was the problem.
Had Christian dominated his opponent with superior swordsmanship, Mellin wouldn’t have been this shocked. But he was gaining the upper hand using basic, ordinary maneuvers.
He was achieving the impossible.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator – TinTin
Proofreader – Leef
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‘…This is insane. How is this possible?’ Mellin was at a loss for words. Perhaps, theoretically, it was possible with exceptional combat sense, but even witnessing it firsthand was difficult to believe.
The field succumbed to stunned silence. Everyone's gaze was now intensely focused on Christian.
Meanwhile, Chris pondered to himself. ‘Should I end it here? I’ve already seen everything I needed to.’
He had two primary motives for causing this spectacle today.
First, he sought recognition from the fiends.
In the society of fiends, where power was the ultimate proof of acknowledgment, defeating a formal 2-star knight would alter how others viewed him.
‘But there's a more important reason.’ Chris narrowed his eyes as he watched his opponent swing his sword.
He saw beyond the attack itself: the position of the wrist holding the sword, the angle of the grip, the contraction of the arm muscles, the forward motion of the foot, and even the subtle extension and enhancement of dark energy.
Essentially, Chris was analyzing the Black Swamp Knights' fundamental technique, 'Mud Swordsmanship', in action.
‘So that’s how it’s done.’
He’d stolen glances while running laps and had gained some understanding from afar, but his knowledge was limited. Thus, he had deliberately created this opportunity to get a closer look.
‘This should be enough.’
With that thought in mind, Chris made his final swing.
Swish!
Dark energy surged through his veins. It was a scant amount, barely scraping the threshold of a 1-star, but the quantity was irrelevant. It wasn't about how much, but rather how it was manipulated. Even with the same amount, the manner in which he utilized it could create an immense difference.
Unlike Torin, whose powerful dark energy couldn't even graze him, Chris’s sword effortlessly slipped past Torin’s defenses.
Thwack!
Chris's wooden sword struck Torin's temple with pinpoint precision. After receiving a direct hit to a vital spot, Torin's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
Silence fell heavily over the training ground. The fiends stood frozen, momentarily unable to process what they’d witnessed. It was too shocking, and their minds resisted accepting the reality for a moment.
But only for a moment.
Soon, astonishment began rippling through the crowd.
"What the...? The bastard young master was actually this strong?"
"He's not that strong. His dark energy level, his swordsmanship... they were all mediocre.”
“That makes it even more incredible. Seriously, how’s something like this possible? His dark energy level can’t be more than barely 1-star.”
“Wait, I thought he couldn’t even use dark energy. When did he reach 1-star?”
The reaction wasn't merely admiration. It was shock combined with deep confusion.
At that moment, one thought simultaneously crossed all their minds.
‘…Is he a genius?’
They all swallowed hard. Such feats were impossible without immense talent—and not just ordinary talent, either.
“How much talent does it take to achieve something like this?”
The fiends here were elite, many considered prodigies in their own right. Yet none had ever witnessed such astonishing growth.
“To think that the bastard was hiding this kind of talent.”
Their perception of him was evolving. After all, fiends had a simple mindset: respect the mighty! They bowed to the strong and rejected the weak.
Chris had been mocked partly due to his behavior but fundamentally because they’d considered him weak—a bastard who dared to be both weak and pathetic.
Had he been strong, his disrespectful behavior would have been tolerated as long as it didn’t cross certain lines. Of course, even the strong faced strict discipline if they committed any serious transgressions, but generally, the citizens of the Magic Empire were lenient toward the powerful.
‘Good. This is exactly the reaction I was looking for.’ Chris silently rejoiced. He had planned today's events to specifically elicit this kind of response.
Nevertheless, he remained calm and maintained a cool and indifferent exterior. He believed this demeanor would elevate his status among the fiends.
Chris's intentions were hitting the mark, and the spectators were again in awe.
“Look at his expression. He doesn’t seem too impressed. This kind of fight is nothing to him.”
“He’s finally acting like a proper fiend.”
Initially, the original owner of Chris’s current body had worn a perpetually unpleasant expression. After undoing Metamorphosis, Chris began exuding a dignified aura.
Now, standing there with a cold, stoic face, he appeared not just dignified but highly arrogant.
Yet, among fiends, the arrogance of the strong was considered virtuous. In their eyes, honest arrogance was far superior to false humility.
“We’ll need to keep an eye on him in the future,” the fiends whispered quietly to one another.
As their views towards Chris continued shifting, he did something unexpected yet again.
‘I didn't start all of this just for this.’
"How disappointing. It seems my expectations for the Black Swamp Knights were far too high." He spoke loudly, his voice dripping with disappointment.
A tense silence gripped the knights.
Having openly insulted their order, the fiends’ faces darkened. Even though they respected strength, openly ridiculing the order itself was crossing the line.
Just as they were about to step forward, Chris pressed even further, his eyes shifting provocatively. "What do you think of this, Deputy Commander?"
"...!!"
Chris’ lips twisted into a smirk. He was the perfect embodiment of a jackass. "The order’s lackluster abilities are partially your responsibility, don’t you think?"
Everyone held their breath. To openly challenge Deputy Commander Mellin!
“Crazy bastard.”
“He hasn't changed at all. If anything, he's gotten crazier.”
“Shouldn’t we stop him?”
Deputy Commander Mellin chuckled. "Young Master, I understand the thrill of an unexpected victory, but don’t you think you’re overstepping your boundaries?"
"Well, only one way to find out.” Chris shrugged, raising his wooden sword and gesturing challengingly. "Deputy Commander, please demonstrate the true abilities of the Black Swamp Knights."
Everyone froze in shock.
He had openly challenged Mellin to a duel.
Her face turned icy. "You bastard... If I were to exert my full strength, you would be dead within a second."
All veneer of formality had vanished.
* * *
Reaper Scans
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