Frog Luagarne stared at the man swinging his sword.
The blade fell abruptly.
From top to bottom.
Whoosh.
The sound of the sword’s movement echoed. The scent of iron tickled Frog’s nose.
Luagarne, with his talent for discernment, observed the man’s sword closely and assessed it.
Extremely earnest.
Utterly cautious.
How could he strive to give his best every single day, every single hour, every single moment, despite the repetitive nature of his swings?
The man would swing his sword after breakfast, then practice tumbling and lifting heavy stones, repeatedly sitting and standing.
After lunch, he would resume swinging his sword, even carrying it while attending to personal matters.
Sometimes, he would train to dodge stones, and he often sparred.
His opponents were his own comrades, all of whom were significantly more skilled than him.
‘Are they at their limit, or have they surpassed it?’
The talent for discernment works through observation and insight, posture and attitude, and the speed of skill improvement.
In essence, it comes down to intuition.
It involves the realm of instinct and sixth sense.
How is this discernment made in the realm of instinct and sixth sense?
It’s by observing those who have lived that way, understanding through experience.
In this regard, Frog was exceptional among those with the talent for discernment.
In other words, he had a lot of experience.
He had seen countless individuals swing their swords and surpass their limits.
Through such repeated observations, he could gauge a person at first sight.
And Frog’s instincts repeatedly told him.
‘That man cannot become a Knight.’
To outline the conditions for becoming a Knight, the foremost is reaching the limit of human capability.
This itself requires talent among dozens or hundreds, but that’s just the beginning.
Next is to surpass that limit.
This is a talent that might emerge among thousands.
After encountering and surpassing one’s limits.
‘Realize the will.’
Most people falter at this stage. This path cannot be breached by talent alone.
Interestingly, those with exceptional talent often set their limits too low.
It makes one doubt whether ‘best effort’ truly means the best.
In short.
‘Few strive diligently.’
Thus, Frog considers two things when discerning talent.
First, whether one has the talent for physical skills, whether swinging a sword or fighting with fists.
Second, whether one has the will to advance.
The will to advance means having the strength to push through a tedious and arduous path without arrogance, even when believing in one’s talent.
The second talent cannot be discerned merely by intuition, it requires time and close observation.
However, if the first talent is absent, there is no need to assess the second.
‘Why is that?’
Luagarne observed the man who tirelessly practiced his swordsmanship from morning to evening, enduring sparring and rigorous training.
Of course, his appearance played a part as well.
Frog’s sense of aesthetics was unique, indifferent to conventional notions of human beauty.
In this regard, Encrid and the surrounding platoon members all passed the test.
‘Indeed.’
They certainly did.
Encrid, with his black hair, blue eyes, and upright demeanor, was a man with an impressive presence, as Luagarne would describe him.
What about the friend named Rem?
In terms of talent, Rem and the others all passed in areas excluding ‘will’.
‘Will’ is partly a matter of luck.
It’s an uncontrollable factor since Frog’s vision sees potential, not the future.
Regardless of talent, they were pleasing to look at.
Rem, with his gray hair and unpredictable, unruly personality, was like a blade without a handle.
That’s how Luagarne would describe Rem to other Frogs.
He possessed a dangerous charm.
Jaxon was similar but slightly different.
With his reddish-brown hair and dull eyes.
‘He reminds me of a flower that shouldn’t be touched, a flower filled with poison.’
He evoked the image of a beautiful yet intoxicating flower, the kind that poisons upon contact.
A flower known as a poison flower.
And what about Audin?
Setting skills aside.
“One would call her ‘sister’.”
His keen eye perceived a delicateness in him, despite his size and appearance.
A delicate bear, that’s how he appeared.
Luagarne’s identity as a female Frog seemed to be a common understanding among the platoon members.
This large platoon member noticed it immediately.
Everyone seemed unusually perceptive.
‘Blonde hair and red eyes are also nice.’
Ragna, hailing from the North, was like a lazy afternoon sunlight.
Though occasionally fiery, he was mostly calm. In terms of talent? Luagarne thought Ragna was the best among them.
But talent and skill do not necessarily correlate.
She knew this from experience.
How had such individuals all gathered here?
‘Some seem to have tasted the edge of ‘will’.’
Tasting the edge doesn’t mean understanding it.
The path to Knighthood is arduous, steep, and challenging.
Many remain stagnant at that threshold.
Luagarne’s gaze lingered on Encrid.
Her eyes followed his every movement.
Even as she pondered all these things, the most intriguing remained the man before her.
“Hoof.”
Encrid moved, swallowing his breath. As he swung, sweat scattered in the air.
It was a horizontal slash of the Mid-level Sword Technique, also known as a spinning slash.
It was a sword move that maintained the body’s centerline, using the left foot as a pivot to strike with full force.
‘Where did he learn this?’
He had clearly learned it properly, his fundamentals were solid.
Moreover,
‘He doesn’t know how to give up.’
It had only been a few days, but there was no change. He was consistent. Geniuses often showed incredible growth in just a few days.
In that regard, it was puzzling how Encrid had developed such skills.
It’s hard to keep trying if you can’t see your own growth.
It would be a lie not to be impressed.
For Frogs, indulging in desires was akin to the purpose of life.
She was true to her desires.
Each Frog indulges in different types of desires.
Some invest everything in ‘spiritual love’.
Another Frog stakes their heart on achieving accomplishments through training.
Luagarne was vulnerable to the ‘unknown’.
Despite being a Frog who had lived a long time, she now faced an unknown she had never seen before.
“Aren’t you bored just watching?”
The unknown asked.
Luagarne chuckled.
Her cheeks puffed up.
“Are you saying you want to see my weapon?”
“I think it’s closer to wanting to face it rather than just seeing it.”
A man who doesn’t know how to give up, challenging his limits.
There were many such people. Luagarne had seen countless humans.
But
‘What a truly fascinating guy.’
This was the first time she saw someone progressing without wavering. There was no sign of hesitation or despair. He completely disregarded such things, accepting what he had and focusing on what he could do.
How many people can say and do that?
‘I think he’s the only one.’
His determination to advance shone brighter than any talent he possessed.
So bright it was almost blinding.
‘If the coin tossed by the Goddess of luck lands on its edge instead of heads or tails.’
The coin tossed by the Goddess of luck has two sides, but it could theoretically land on its edge with an absurdly low probability.
Luck is always improbable like that.
‘If, if that were to happen.’
If the man before her were to grasp ‘will’.
It was thrilling. The fulfillment from this unknown made Luagarne’s heart race.
Luagarne stood up.
“Shall we play?”
It was only natural that she was intrigued.
Others might think she stayed because of Ragna.
‘I’ve seen many like that.’
Ragna wasn’t the unknown to her.
Only the man in front of her was. The unknown. Enough to engrave the name Encrid in her mind.
‘It’s been a long time.’
Frog, Luagarne, felt a desire for ‘spiritual love’ for the first time in a long while.
* * *
‘Becoming a Knight.’
This goal had now taken shape in his mind. A milestone had been set.
Facing one’s limits.
This was something he had done countless times before.
“People do not know their own limits. So what should they do?”
Ragna had shown him the way.
The answer was in the question.
“Just keep walking.”
Even if crawling, you must move forward.
In other words, keep doing what you’ve been doing.
Face your limits, break through them, and advance.
After surpassing those limits, one must awaken the unknown power called ‘will’.
This was a simple and clear fact.
Encrid knew his own talents well.
He always acknowledged, accepted, and embraced them.
He simply did not despair after acknowledging, accepting, and embracing them.
“A whip, huh.”
Encrid muttered as he lay on the ground, looking up at the sky.
There was a common stereotype that Frogs usually used bladed weapons. It was just a preconception.
The Frog before him used a whip.
The handle was looped, curling into a circular shape.
The whip was about half a spear’s length.
It twisted like a snake, wrapped around his ankle, and pulled.
He slashed, struck, dodged.
After ten exchanges, he fell backward as his plan failed.
‘Why didn’t it work?’
It was something to ponder. The answer would give him the strength to move forward again.
“You’re quite an interesting human.”
The Frog spoke.
“Your name?”
Encrid finally asked for the name.
“Luagarne, you can call me Lua.”
“You can call me Enki.”
It wasn’t a formal introduction. It was just a way to ease the time they would spend together in the future, however long that might be.
Encrid responded and stood up.
There was still much to do, it wasn’t time to rest just because he had fallen.
The training had started in the early morning, and it was now past noon, so there was still plenty of time to keep moving.
“Once more?”
Encrid asked as he stood, and Luagarne chuckled.
“Sure.”
They grabbed their weapons again, sparred, and faced off. They searched for new paths, contemplated what ‘will’ was, and thought about how to reach their limits.
That was the task at hand.
Encrid continued to wield his sword and train.
He occasionally watched Finn and Audin spar.
It was a contest between the Ail Caraz Style and Valaf-Style Martial Arts. It was less exciting than expected, but there were still lessons to be learned.
Jaxon still frequently disappeared.
Krais pored over some map he had acquired, deep in thought.
As a month passed after the battle, the weather started to warm up.
Even standing still, sweat began to form.
“With this great victory in battle, the Kingdom’s territory has expanded. In honor of this victory!”
A festival-like celebration was held. It was different from previous parties. Food and drink were distributed throughout the city.
Even then, Encrid was swinging his sword.
“You’re a really boring human.”
Frogs loved festivals. After all, enjoying life was their purpose.
Luagarne watched Encrid practicing with his sword even during the festivities.
Despite the fact that daily sword practice couldn’t possibly be more entertaining than a festival.
‘Why does watching this have its charm?’
It was a mystery. An unknown. And that made it enjoyable.
Time passed. There was a declaration of surrender from Aspen.
Three months passed.
* * *
Now, sweat would run down even while standing still.
“This summer seems a bit longer than usual.” Rem muttered.
Encrid ignored the comment and continued swinging his sword.
Three months had passed, and Frog Luagarne was still around.
Finn hadn’t left either.
Originally a scout, she seemed overdue to join a new platoon.
“There hasn’t been any word yet.”
Had the Battalion Commander forgotten about her, or did he think she belonged here?
It didn’t matter.
She just kept practicing, day after day.
Three months passed like that.
“Rem, Rem.”
In the three months, Frog had somewhat opened up to the platoon members.
“What?”
“How did you teach him that?”
Frog stuck out her long tongue.
“Hehe, you would have been even more surprised if you had seen him before.”
Rem replied with a laugh.
Indeed, Frog was also astonished by Encrid’s lack of improvement.
Despite swinging his sword and training every day, Encrid seemed stagnant.
At least, that’s how it appeared to her.
So she couldn’t help but be even more impressed.
Effort itself was a talent.
To keep trying, one had to see progress in their swordsmanship and physical training.
‘What is he really thinking?’
Frog was simply curious about what was going on in Encrid’s mind.
For three whole months, Encrid had been in a state of stagnation.
At least, that’s how it appeared to her.
However, Encrid thought otherwise.
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