The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Chapter 39 The Price of Victory

No, Senior Brother. You said you could win...."

"How can I overcome what I am not ruthless enough to wield?"

Marcus quietly looked at Vera, who sat beside Aiden.

And Vera... was smiling.

"Look, Ethan, Noah."

"At what?"

"Look at her. Vera is smiling."

Both Noah and Ethan turned to see the same smile.

Those dark, empty eyes no longer seemed as hollow.

"That's enough," said Marcus softly.

If he had used a Killing Strike to win, would that girl still smile at him like this?

If he had injured him using a strike meant to kill...

As a martial artist, it might have been a victory worth boasting of.

But as the Senior Brother of the Mount Suncrest Sect, it would have been a loss far greater than the battle.

Even if he earned recognition from the martial artist Vera, he would not have been able to face her as Junior Sister Vera without shame.

In his final move, Marcus chose his true identity.

Not merely a martial artist, but a Senior Brother above all.

Before considering his pride as a swordsman, he measured his dignity as a leader of his juniors.

To bite into the world with the fangs of his sword was not his destiny.

That fate belonged to people like Vera or Theron, seated in the audience—those of a different caliber entirely.

Though still young, Marcus already knew.

The era he was born into would be swept into chaos.

A ruler would never tolerate someone beyond their control.

But his Junior Sister?

If it were her, she would undoubtedly...

"Well done, Senior Brother," said Vera as she rose from her seat beside Aiden and approached him.

That small, fragile girl would undoubtedly surpass the heavens one day.

Last night, as she faced a table full of food with a sword drawn, Marcus had known.

"So, Vera, how was this Senior Brother? Did I do well enough to earn your acknowledgment?"

"Yes. Among all of us, Senior Brother is the greatest."

"Then that's enough. I think I'll take a rest now..."

With those words, Marcus collapsed unconscious.

Noah and Ethan paled as they rushed to his side.

Aiden quickly descended and checked his pulse.

"...He's only fallen asleep."

Only then did Vera, Noah, and Ethan exhale in relief.

He had simply fallen into an exhausted slumber.

Aiden lifted the unconscious Marcus, cradling him gently.

"Let's return to the tent for now."

* * *

The First Competition was temporarily suspended.

After all, only two matches remained: Dylan versus Vera, and the winner of that battle against Jace in the finals.

The semifinals were already underway.

This pause allowed Aiden's brothers to tend to their fallen Senior Brother, a thoughtful gesture by the Sect Leader.

But that was only the surface reason.

"Dylan," called Magnus, his tone low.

The girl's small shoulders trembled as her gaze remained fixed on her feet, unable to meet his eyes.

"Y-Yes, Master..."

"I've heard you intend to leave the sect."

Her eyes widened in shock.

Only Jace had known about that.

But then, she recalled the earlier commotion in the training grounds when Vera had intervened.

Did she tell him?

No.

Even though they had met only a few times, Vera wasn't the type to do that.

"...Neither Dylan nor I are geniuses. We're just ordinary people."

Marcus's eyes narrowed.

Noah and Ethan reacted similarly.

Only Vera remained unfazed.

"Please, explain further," Vera said calmly, her voice thin and cold.

Something about her tone compelled Jace to confess the truth as if entranced.

"Dylan and I... every month, we undergo the Bone-Cleansing Rituals from Magnus."

"Bone-Cleansing Rituals... it must have been painful," remarked Aiden softly.

"Yes, Master. All for the purpose of defeating your disciples in this First Competition."

Vera blinked, processing the implications.

Neither Ethan nor Noah were participating.

That left only Marcus, the Senior Brother, and herself, the youngest.

But Marcus, despite his skill, was not Jace's true target.

The goal was her.

"If Dylan fails to defeat Vera this time... something terrible will happen."

"Terrible? What do you mean?"

"Yes, Vera. Magnus... well, perhaps he wouldn't actually kill me. But..."

The implication was clear.

For Magnus to mention death meant he was not bluffing.

Aiden's expression hardened.

He already knew Magnus was not someone who spoke in vain.

"No, Senior Brother Jace. Surely, the honorable Mount Suncrest Sect wouldn't actually kill you?"

"They may not kill me outright. But crippling me, rendering me useless before casting me out... I can't dismiss that possibility."

"Isn't that too harsh a view of Magnus?"

Jace shook his head violently.

"You don't understand. You've never seen the expression he wears during the Bone-Cleansing Rituals."

"What kind of expression?"

"He smiles. He watches us suppress our screams in pain... and smiles."

Jace clenched his fists tightly—not out of his own suffering, but for someone else.

"Dylan... that girl is like my little sister. There's a reason I let her mischief slide."

The bond of martial siblings within the Mount Suncrest Sect was forged in the sect.

But Jace and Dylan shared a different connection.

Though it wasn't a story for now, the truth was clear.

When Gideon sent Damien and Aetheris to recruit disciples from secular sects, they had swept through countless minor sects.

Jace and Dylan were orphans raised in a small, struggling sect.

The sect's master didn't teach swordsmanship; instead, they fed and sheltered orphans, believing that exposing them to the violent world of martial arts would only lead to early graves.

However, this drew Gideon's attention, and Magnus personally intervened.

"...Master Aiden, this was the only way. Vera, I beg of you..."

Aiden gently patted Jace's shoulder.

"No, Jace," he said.

"...What?"

"I will speak to Aetheris, your master. We can resolve this."

The kind smile had vanished from Aiden's face.

And Jace saw it: the gleam in his eyes.

"But there is a condition," Aiden continued.

"A condition...?"

"You and Dylan must accept the result, no matter what it is. Do you understand?"

Vera recognized those eyes.

The same eyes that had once proposed a deal to her:

To protect and teach her martial arts under the Mount Suncrest Sect...

But in return, she would carry the weight of their duty.

She would have to kill the Sword Sovereign.

"...Of course. I will obey. And I will persuade Dylan as well."

"You've promised. There's no taking it back."

"I will not go back on my word. Never."