“This is our first meeting, I presume.”0

In the small barracks just outside the capital, Karyl regarded the elderly man as he lounged back in a worn-out chair. He was thin and short—far from the physique one might expect from a master of hand-to-hand combat.0

To anyone else, he could easily be mistaken for a harmless old man from some quiet village.0

“Feel free to speak casually. After all, you’ve essentially become the king of this continent, right?” the old man said leisurely, not bothering to rise from his reclined position. 0

What an odd guy, Karyl thought to himself. 0

The man sitting in that chair was none other than Valvont, the King of Martial Arts.0

Of the five great Sword Masters from his previous life, Valvont was the most enigmatic. Like the Spear King, he kept out of continental affairs. But unlike the Spear King, who had essentially retired, Valvont had never truly revealed himself. In fact, this was the first time Karyl had laid eyes on him.0

All I knew of him was that he was present at Tramel, the ancient ruins holding the Blood...0