"Razz?" Hektor frowned as he repeated the familiar word. For some reason, he felt like he should know this name. Furthermore, it was a very important name. But try as he might, he could not recall its origins.

Razznik looked upon Hektor's struggle with a blank expression. "Do not waste your time. You will not be able to recall my name no matter how hard you try."

Hektor's frown deepened as he glared at the man before him. "What did you do to me?"

"I temporarily sealed the portion of your memories pertaining to me," Razznik replied with a flat tone. "Do not worry. They we will be unsealed after the test is over. If you survive that is."

"Why!?" Hektor challenged with a low growl. He hated the idea of having his mind easily infiltrated by this dangerous man who came from gods know where.

"Why? Why did you come here? Why did you endure all the way through this dungeon to reach this very point?" Razznik calmly replied with a question of his own.

Hektor did not know why, but even though he did not want to give the man the satisfaction of a reply, he felt an urge to answer, "To get stronger of course."

"Therein lies your reason," Razznik revealed. "Knowledge is not always good. Right now, your knowledge of my origin will only hinder your path to get stronger. Hence, I temporarily blocked it."

Hektor's brows bunched together in stressed thought. "I don't like it. I want to make the decision myself."

"You seem to be under a misunderstanding," Razznik coolly said as a gargantuan pressure akin to the weight of a mountain suddenly crashed down on Hektor. Razznik's feiry eyes glared at the youth as the latter coughed up blood. "This is not a request. I am merely informing you of the process. You lost the right to negotiate the moment you forced your way down here, and gripped the sword's hilt. You will now undergo my test. Be warned however, that you shall perish if you fail, and join the rest of these fools."

"Fools?" Hektor repeated in a confused stupor.

At the child's word, Razznik snapped his finger. Immediately, space itself seemed to twist and distort, as if it was a fabric being grabbed by a seamstress. With a slight tug, the veil was removed, revealing the interior's true form.

Hektor's eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the numerous hills composed entirely of skeleton bones. Some were fully intact, while others were shattered to the point they might as well be dust. "These are?"

"Yes, these are adventurers who were lucky enough to stumble upon this dungeon, or had backings from great families and countries," Razznik revealed. "They all challenged the test and failed, leaving their little lives behind." His eyes burned with a savage fire as he said, "You will take this test. Whether you prevail or fall like these fools is entirely upon your shoulders alone."

Hektor gritted his teeth and frowned. He could tell there was no way he could escape from these man. However, even as he was faced with this fatal predicament, the youth's eyes slowly began to light up with a defiant flame. Hektor had always been the type to rush headfirst into danger. Now, Razznik's words had provoked that innate, stubborn fighting spirit.

Hektor clenched his fists as he looked at Razznik. "What is the test?"

Razznik nodded. Though his fierce expression did not show it, he was impressed by the boy's spirit at the very least. Over 90% of the challengers lost their wills upon seeing the skeleton hills, but for this child it had the opposite effect. That alone was commendable. "I will test your skills."

"Skills?" Hektor raised a brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The difference between two equally powerful warriors is determined by their skills," Razznik explained.

Hektor frowned. "I was raised in a poor village. I don't have any powerful skills. The two I know right now, I learned in this dungeon. There's a third but," Hektor looked at his right arm with a despondent sigh, "It's sealed."

"Such skills are superfluous," Razznik chided as he placed his arms behind his back. "The most important skill is learning how to control each part of your body to the fullest. Only when you have mastered your ki can you begin to claim you have skills."

Razznik waved his hand and a rockbiter rat appeared on the ground in front of Hektor. "The skill you learned. Use it on that rat."

Hektor looked at Razznik with suspicion, but then turned his attention to the rat. He took in a deep breath, gathered his ki at the base of his throat, and then let out a deafening roar. The rockbiter rat stiffened as it was enveloped by a deathly aura. Blood seeped out of its ears and it immediately toppled over and fainted. Hektor looked over at Razznik, expecting praise, but he was only met with a stern glare.

Razznik snapped his finger and this time, an ant floated in the air in front of Hektor. "Use that skill on this ant."

Hektor, confused, repeated the skill once again. Suffice to say, the ant instantly perished under the assault. However, Hektor weakly staggered. The second roar had taken a lot out of him. As expected of a skill he had copied from the dragons. It's ki usage was extremely unbearable.

Razznik glared at the teen, and rebuked. "Waste. Do you still not understand?"

Hektor, who had not expected to be reprimanded, paused and reconsidered what just transpired. He utilized dragon's roar on the rockbiter rat and the ant. Both were successful, but they left him exhausted. Wait? Why was he so exhausted despite facing a rockbiter rat and an ant? "Could it be?" Hektor muttered as he looked up at Razznik.

"Good, you are not entirely stupid," Razznik snorted. "You faced two enemies of vastly different strength, yet you utilized the exact same skill at the exact same amplitude. This is what people call using a hammer to crack an egg, or using a treasured sword to truss a chicken. You, like most stupid Summoned and Residents, do not understand your own bodies and ki. Because of this, you end up wasting more energy than you need during battles. A slightly more skilled opponent can use this gap to easily destroy you."

Hektor's eyes shook as he knew Razznik was telling the truth. He had watched Kashi fight, and it seemed the daeben always used the necessary amount of ki for a situation without any waste. Hektor looked at his right arm, and recalled how he used to indiscriminately pour all the energy in Sram's mark into his axe as a finisher. Why had he never tried to make that energy his? Why did he never consider utilizing it in more skillful ways.

Razznik clapped, drawing Hektor out of his thoughts. "Good, this is why I prefer warriors who live for the sword. I only have to say a few words, and you are already applying it to your situation." Razznik stepped forward, causing Hektor to involuntarily let go of the sword's hilt and retreat. However, before the youth could go too far, Razznik disappeared from his eye's and appeared once again right in front of him, and grasped the youth's right hand.

"Sram's mark is it?" Razznik said as he examined the arm. "I see. She has yet to fully choose you as her champion. That works out fine." Razznik looked at Hektor and said, "Boy, would you like to be my champion? I can easily wipe out this mark."

Hektor's body violently trembled like a thunderstorm had been unleashed in his heart. The youth did not know why, but he felt like he would be unrivalled in the world if he accepted the man's proposal. However, in the end he gritted his teeth and shook his head. "I have already contracted myself to a god. Unless she releases me, I will not choose another."

Crackle!

As soon as Hektor said those words, the space to his right suddenly cracked open like it was a piece of glass being shattered. The youth watched, wide-eyed as a fiery, scantily-clad, black-haired woman emerged from within the crack. A savage aura akin to the roar of a primordial beast shook the entire cavern as the woman made her appearance, and the air seemed to saturate with the thick scent of blood.

This was the power befitting the lone god to have survived Razznik's rampage. This was the power befitting Sram, theo god of war.

"Well said!" Sram said as she grasped Hektor's right arm and glared at Razznik. "A mere remnant dare still what is mine?"

'I never said I'm yours though.' Hektor inwardly protested, but he knew better than to speak up at this moment. Although he might not fear these gods as a result of Kashi's influence, he was still very cognizant of their strength. If he messed around too much, he wouldn't even know how he died. However, the word remnant did pique his interest, "Remnant?"

"Of course, just a remnant," Sram replied with a disdainful snort. "The real deal can never appear in this world again. We made sure of that. This is just a memory stuck to that sword. Should I call it a sword spirit? Do not fret. This thing is not even 1% as strong as the real deal."

Sword spirit? Hektor's gaze shook as he stared at the man before him, and then at the sword. This thing that felt so unfathomable was a simple sword spirit? Then just how strong was the real deal? Wouldn't he just suffocate to death in the real Razz's presence alone?

Sram, not realizing the sever psychological blow her reveal had caused to Hektor, frowned as she glared at Razznik, ah, no, the sword spirit. "What do you want? You know I will not let you erase my mark. Who knows when next I will find a suitable champion."

The sword spirit's gaze remained even, but its fingers twitched as it struggled to refrain from attacking Sram. Be it then, now, or forever, Razznik had and would always be a creature of battle. Upon meeting Sram, the first and foremost thought in his mind was to battle against her even though he knew his current form was not her match.

Luckily for Hektor, who would have been crushed to paste had these two started going at it, the sword spirit managed to curb its desire. It looked at Sram as it said, "Bestow your full mark on that child right now if you do not want him to die."

Sram frowned and roared as a tempestuous gale erupted and blasted toward the sword spirit. "What!? You dare order me!?"

"The true test is about to begin in a moment," The sword spirit calmly replied even as it was enveloped in the tornado. It's jacket barely ruffled in the fierce wind, and its relaxed expression looked more like it was enjoying a midsummer's night breeze. "If that child does not have your full mark, he will definitely perish."

"A mere sword spirit dare threaten me!?"

The sword spirit's eyes burned with a fervor that did not lose out to the god of war's in any way. "You can try to interfere, however, the moment you do, I will definitely kill that child then fight you as you wish. However, as I'm sure you know, I cannot be killed unless you break that sword, or the test is complete." The sword spirt's aura exploded outward, and for the first time Hektor knew what it felt like to drop into the pits of hell. "Are you capable of breaking that sword?"

If Sram's aura possessed the savageness of a primordial beast, then the sword spirit's aura contained an endless sea of bloodlust. When it exploded, the very air itself was dyed red by the blood, and Hektor choked as he felt he was drowning in a sea of blood.

Sram's eyes furrowed, but upon noticing Hektor's pained expression, she withdrew her aura, following which the sword spirit did the same, thereby releasing Hektor from certain death. "I was planning on giving him the full mark anyway. I have been thoroughly impressed by the valor he has shown in this dungeon over the past weeks."

"As you say," replied the sword spirit nonchalantly as it took a few steps back, allowing the god and her champion some alone time.

Sram glared at the sword spirit and then looked over at Hektor. She saw the stubborn glint in his eyes and could not help but feel a shudder in her heart. She knew better than anyone the real reason she had hesitated to bestow her full mark on this child. That was because the more she watched over him, whether it was his stubborn pride, willingness to fight, or his aptitude in combat, they all reminded her of a young Razznik Y'Terlow.

Sram gritted her teeth as she recalled all those centuries ago, when she chanced upon a promising red haired youth. She had carelessly bestowed her mark on him after seeing how strong he was. Unfortunately, that youth grew too strong too quick, and even thought she withdrew her mark later, it was too late. That youth took the unique ability of her mark, 'Weapon Master' which allowed its user to acquire the same proficiency regardless of which weapon he used and made it his own, such that even after losing the mark, he still retained the skill.

That youth was Razznik Y'Terlow. Now, was she about to make the same mistake? She was not sure, but at the very least, Hektor's eyes were clearer than Razznik's. Unlike the latter who pursued strength almost like it was a religion, the former seemed to have someone or something to protect, or that he cared about. She could only hope that person or thing would keep him grounded.

Sram grabbed Hektor's right hand and then looked into the youth's eyes as she said, "Endure. This will hurt a bit..."

Hektor was about to ask what she meant when a searing pain suddenly rushed up his arm and tunneled throughout his entire body. It felt like he had been dropped into the nest of a million soldier ants. They bit, and nibbled at his flesh, bones and nerves, causing him to almost run mad from the pain.

However, through it all, Hektor persevered as he thought about the daeben who faced pain with a nonchalant smile. "W-wait for me...AAAAH!"

SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PATREON STARS:

Residents: Andrew Maurer, Eli Calabria, Rusty Reaper, Cobalt_Storm, Eli Romero, Niyeban, Sarah Kinkade, Gamma2626, GodSpeed99, Antinium, Oziel

Adventurers: Hyproxy, Merlin252, Michael Barton, OlusholaAbidakun, Mental_Napalm, Jamie Ibarra, Adam Whitman, Sven Buchheit

Warriors: Caleb Ian Melton, Ragnaf, Cullen M Brewer,

The High Council: Sly, Jacob Morgan, StrikerPrince, Thund3rTank, Facemaster, Pumba

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