As Alcott and the rest were getting ready to leave, Kayden, out of them all, sat outside the city, meditating on a large boulder. He didn’t have much else to do, so he had decided to rest a bit and think. Cain had gone insane, and so everything was slowly drifting to chaos. He too was insane, but his insanity was controlled. He saw everyone as dogs, but he was at least aware.

Looking at the people walking down the path to the city’s gate, all he could see were small puppies and disgruntled dogs. He could only see the true form of those strong enough, and there weren’t that many of those.

Here in the mortal world, he was a swordsman, and one who had trained for thousands of years. Even without his demonic powers, he was still unmatched with the blade. He had learned every blade art that exists, and created counters to all of them. But it had been a while since he saw something new, something exciting to learn and master.

Life was boring.

"Are you okay over there?" A young man, a fresh F-ranker, approached him. "Aren’t you cold?"

Kayde wore nothing but his casual clothes, not even leather armor. Here in the frozen Arctic, no one walked without a fur coat and several layers of clothes underneath it, so he looked strange. Add his long hair, slightly unkempt beard, and chronically passive expression, and he looked like someone at the end of their ropes.

But even looking like that, the young F-ranker could tell that something was off. Was it that Kayden wasn’t shivering at all, that his skin wasn’t discoloured from the cold, or that everything around him seemed a bit too calm? No, it had to be gaze. Kayden was looking at him with the same eyes someone looks at their pet with.

"I am fine. It isn’t that cold." Kayden replied without even opening his eyes, and the young man looked at the sword at his waist. The sword itself was a kriegsmesser, and even though the handle looked mundane, something about it screamed that it was more than just a random weapon.

"Are you a swordsman?" He approached, and Kayden opened his eyes. Of course, here he only had one pair. He didn’t see the other eyes, and so he stayed in a fully human form. The moment the F-ranker saw Kayden’s red eyes, he stopped approaching and took a step back instead, feeling as if he was standing with a blade to his neck.

"I am, indeed." When Kayden stared at the kid, he jumped back, feeling a huge presence in front of him. It wasn’t a demonic aura, but something that every fighter could sense and understand: the feeling of being in the presence of a master.

The F-ranker wasn’t clueless. He had once trained with an A-ranker, and the guy explained to him exactly what this feeling is. All fighters are used to looking at their opponent to find weak points. Looking at the waist for swords and weapons, at the limbs to judge their thickness and strength, looking at the opponent’s clothes and searching for hidden weapons, armor, and even the possibility of facing something inhuman.

Kayden had just looked at him like that, studied him, and it all happened in a fraction of a second. The F-ranker had picked on that, and it was what triggered all of his senses subconsciously.

The young man smiled, "Now that gave me chills. The moment you looked at me, you were thinking about how to cut me apart." He reached toward his sword, and Kayden nodded. "Of course, what else would I think when someone asks if I am a swordsman?"

The moment Kayden stood and approached the F-ranker, the young man jumped back a few steps. He wasn’t just afraid and intimidated. He could already feel that Kayden could’ve cut him at least a dozen times by now. "We swordsmen cut, cut, and cut." He turned toward the boulder and pointed. "Can you cut that boulder in half?"

The boulder was massive, a half sphere that was at least two meters wide, old and jagged, having stood there on the side of the road for probably decades. "Your answer would decide your talent."

The young F-ranker gulped. He could barely cut a monster’s limb off, let alone such a thick boulder. If he were of a higher rank, he might be able to do it, but now it is impossible. "I can’t; my sword isn’t long enough to cut it. Even if I had the power and skill, I’d be able to split it in half at best."

Kayden smiled, "You’re smart; you indeed won’t be able to cut it. The length of your blade is just as important as your skill; that is why most novice swordsmen struggle against monsters. Their blades just aren’t long enough to cut the monsters deep." He lifted his hand. "They see people like me do things like this and think they can just train until they reach our level."

The mountain was at least forty kilometres away, but he could clearly see the peak falling, causing a massive avalanche. He could even feel the ground shaking beneath his feet. This wasn’t the level of power a single man should have. That mountain peak could’ve been a castle, or an entire city with its people. This swordsman sitting outside the city, looking like a homeless monk, is powerful enough to be hailed as a hero.

"You can use barrier magic to extend the length of your swords and reach. It also allows you to fight without swords." Kayden rested his palm back on his waist. "It is hard to master, so for the next few decades, you will only be able to extend your sword a bit. That should be enough to catch someone off-guard."

"A... Amazing! You cut that mountain peak all the way from here? Are you an S-ranker?" As the young man stared at him, Kayden crossed his arms. "No, I never registered as an adventurer. I am a dog trainer for a living, and I also manage several orphanages."

Kayden indeed has a kennel in Alina where he trains guard and hunting dogs for people, and he is very good at his job. Almost two-thirds of all the dogs in Alina were trained by him. The orphanages, on the other hand, were all made for Kali’s sake. There are thousands of them all across the world, and they are directed by demons masqueraded as humans. Those demons were made from Kayden’s blood, making them his direct servants.

Kayden then pointed at the boulder. "Even if you are a swordsman, learn magic, and specifically barrier magic, to extend your reach." As he said that, the city’s gate opened up and a carriage driven by Alcott rolled out.

"Daddy!" Kali waved her hand from the window. "We’re heading out! Hurry!"

Hearing her, Kayden smiled. "Take care, little pup." With those words, Kayden disappeared like a ghost.