Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 155 - 155 - Luagarne, the Frog
Chapter 155 - Luagarne, the Frog
Luagarne silently observed the man swinging his sword.
The blade fell.
From top to bottom.
Whoosh.
The air-shattering sound rang out, and the scent of metal tickled the Frog's nose.
Luagarne's talent for discerning potential locked onto the man's sword.
Utterly focused.
Utterly meticulous.
How could he pour his absolute best effort into every single swing, every single day, every single hour, without fail?
The man ate breakfast, then swung his sword.
When he set the sword down, he threw his body into training.
He repeatedly lifted and lowered heavy stones.
After lunch, he swung his sword again.
Even when he went to relieve himself, he carried his sword.
Sometimes, he incorporated dodging exercises with stones.
He also frequently sparred.
His opponents were members of his unit.
Each and every one of them was far superior to him.
'Are they beyond limits? No, they have already surpassed them.'
How did Luagarne's talent for discernment work?
Observation and insight.
Posture and attitude.
The speed at which someone improved.
It was about reading these foundational aspects.
Simply put, it was instinct.
Sixth sense, intuition—the realm of the subconscious.
How was judgment formed in that realm?
By having seen countless others walk that path.
In other words, it required experience.
And in that regard, Luagarne was one of the rarest and most gifted among the Froc, possessing the eye for potential.
In other words, she had seen much.
She had witnessed countless warriors swing their swords and surpass their limits.
Watching them, over and over, she had come to understand it at a glance.
And her instincts whispered the same thing, over and over again.
'That man can never become a knight.'
To become a knight, one had to first reach the limits of human capability.
Even this required a rare level of talent—perhaps one in dozens or even hundreds could achieve it.
The next step was to go beyond those limits.
This was a level of talent that might emerge in one among thousands.
After reaching their limits and surpassing them—
'They must awaken their Will.'
Most people faltered at this stage.
It was not a path one could tread with talent alone.
Ironically, those most gifted in talent often set their limits too low.
The word "best" itself became something to doubt.
To put it simply—
'Very few persist with true dedication.'
That was why Luagarne assessed two things when evaluating talent.
First, whether someone possessed an aptitude for wielding a sword, fighting, or using their body.
Second, whether they had the will to move forward.
And what did that will entail?
The strength to believe in their talent without arrogance, to persist through the monotonous and grueling journey ahead.
The second factor couldn't be judged at a glance—it had to be observed over time.
But if someone lacked the first, there was no need to consider the second.
'Yet for some reason...'
Luagarne found her gaze drawn to this man who trained tirelessly from morning to night, swinging his sword, sparring, getting beaten down, and refining himself.
Of course, his appearance played a role as well.
The Frogs had a peculiar aesthetic sense.
They judged beauty and ugliness in humans.
By that standard, everyone in the unit, including Enkrid, passed with flying colors.
'Naturally.'
Enkrid had black hair and blue eyes, standing tall and upright.
If Luagarne were to describe him, she'd say he had an impressive back.
And what about that man named Rem?
Judging by talent alone, Rem and the others were all qualified—except they didn't awaken Will yet.
Well, Will had an element of luck to it.
That was something beyond control.
The Frog's talent for discernment saw possibilities, not prophecies.
Regardless of talent, though, he was quite something to look at.
Rem's gray hair and unpredictable nature were like a blade without a hilt.
If she were to introduce Rem to other Frogs, she would put it like this:
He possessed a dangerous allure.
Jaxen was similar in some ways, yet different.
Reddish-brown hair and those dull eyes—
'He reminds me of... a poisonous flower.'
Beautiful on the outside, but the moment you touched it, the poison seeped in.
A so-called Poison Flower.
And what about Audin?
Setting aside his skill—
"I should call you Sister, then."
Despite his massive build, his eye for detail was sharp.
A delicate bear—yes, that was the impression he gave.
The entire unit had likely picked up on the fact that Luagarne was a female Frog, but this giant among them had realized it immediately.
They were all exceptionally perceptive.
'Golden hair and red eyes are quite appealing, too.'
Then there was Ragna.
A man from the North, reminiscent of the warm glow of a lazy afternoon sun.
At times, he burned intensely, but overall, he had that kind of presence.
As for talent?
Among them, Luagarne judged Ragna to be the most gifted.
But talent and skill did not always go hand in hand.
She knew that from experience.
How had such individuals all gathered here?
'A few of them seem to have brushed against the edge of Will.'
But simply brushing against it did not mean they had grasped it.
The path to knighthood was treacherous, steep, and daunting.
Many reached that threshold, only to stagnate and remain there forever.
Yet still, Luagarne's gaze remained fixed on Enkrid.
Her eyes followed his every movement, capturing everything.
And despite all her thoughts, what fascinated her the most—
Was still the man before her.
"Hup."
Enkrid inhaled and moved.
Sweat scattered into the air with his motion.
It was a mid-range horizontal slash of the heavy sword stance—also known as the spinning slash.
Maintaining his central axis, he pivoted on his left foot and struck with all his might.
Chapter 222 - Unknown Paths
"Where did you learn that?"
He had been properly trained.
His fundamentals were solid.
And beyond that—
"He doesn't know how to give up."
It had only been a few days, yet nothing had changed.
He remained the same.
Geniuses often showed unbelievable growth within mere days.
Considering that, one had to wonder how Enkrid had managed to build up such skill.
When progress isn't visible, it's hard to even keep trying.
So, if one didn't admire him, it would be a lie.
For a Frog, indulging in their desires was as essential as life itself.
She was faithful to her own.
Each Frog pursued a different kind of desire.
Some staked everything on 'spiritual love.'
Others devoted their hearts to the achievements gained through training.
Luagarne was weak to the unknown.
Even though she had lived for a long time, she now faced something she had never seen before.
"Isn't it boring just watching?"
The unknown spoke to her.
Luagarne let out a deep chuckle.
Her cheeks puffed up.
"Are you saying you want to see my weapon?"
"Rather than just seeing it, I think I'd prefer to face it."
A man who refused to give up, challenging his limits.
There were many humans like that.
Luagarne had seen plenty of them.
However—
"He's truly fascinating."
She had never seen someone like him—who continued crawling forward without even the slightest hesitation.
Who truly never wavered.
There was no despair, no frustration.
He completely erased those things.
He acknowledged what he had and accepted it, then simply did what he could.
People often said such things, but how many could actually put them into practice?
"Probably just him."
Regardless of his natural talent, his will to move forward shone brightly.
So much so that it was almost blinding.
"If, by some impossible chance, the coin thrown by the Goddess of Fortune lands not on heads or tails, but standing on its edge—"
A coin has only two sides, yet by some absurd probability, it could land upright.
Luck was always irrational.
"If—just if—that were to happen..."
If the man before her were to grasp Will.
The thought thrilled her.
The unknown itself set Luagarne's heart ablaze.
Luagarne rose to her feet.
"Shall we play?"
It was only natural for her to show interest.
Others might think she remained because of Ragna.
"But I've seen countless people like that."
Ragna was not an unknown to her.
Only the man before her was.
Enkrid—his name was now etched into her memory.
"It's been a long time."
For the first time in ages, the Frog Luagarne felt even the stirrings of spiritual love.
'Becoming a knight.'
The thought was now firmly in his mind.
The path was set.
Facing one's limits—
That 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.
"Keep walking."
Even if he had to crawl, he just needed to move forward.
In other words, he simply had to keep doing what he had always done.
Face his limits, break through them, and move forward.
And the moment he surpassed them, he would awaken the unknown power called 'Will.'
A straightforward and absolute truth.
Enkrid knew his own talents well.
He always acknowledged, accepted, and embraced them.
He simply never despaired afterward.
"A whip, huh."
Lying on his back, Enkrid muttered as he stared at the sky.
There was a common assumption that Frogs mostly wielded blades.
It was a preconception, nothing more.
The Frog before him wielded a whip.
Its handle formed a loop, and it coiled into a circular shape.
The length was about one and a half times that of a spear.
It curved like a snake and wrapped around his ankle, pulling him down.
He slashed, deflected, and dodged.
But after ten exchanges, he still found himself falling backward.
'Why didn't it work?'
It was something worth pondering.
Once he found the answer, it would be another step forward.
"You're quite an amusing human."
The Frog spoke.
"Your name?"
It was only then that Enkrid thought to ask.
"Luagarne. You can call me Lua."
"You can call me Enki."
It wasn't a formal exchange of names.
It was merely a way to acknowledge each other, to make the time they would inevitably share a little smoother.
Enkrid answered and stood up.
There was no time to rest just because he had fallen.
Training had begun at dawn, and now it was well past noon.
There was still plenty of time to move.
"One more round?"
As he stood, Enkrid asked.
At his words, Luagarne let out a chuckle.
"Of course."
Once again, he took up his sword.
They clashed, crossed blades, and explored new paths.
He pondered what Will truly was and considered ways to reach his limits.
That was his task.
Enkrid continued swinging his sword, dedicating himself to his training.
From time to time, he watched Finn and Audin spar.
A duel between Eil karaz-style and Valaf-style martial arts.
It ended more one-sidedly than expected, but even that had lessons to offer.
Jaxen still frequently disappeared.
Krais was poring over some map he had found, groaning in frustration.
A month had passed since the battle ended.
The weather was beginning to warm.
Even while standing still, sweat trickled down his body.
"The kingdom's territory has expanded with this overwhelming victory in battle. Let us celebrate this triumph!"
A festival that wasn't quite a festival was held.
Unlike previous gatherings, food and alcohol were distributed throughout the entire city.
Even then, Enkrid continued swinging his sword.
"You really are a boring human."
Frogs loved festivals.
After all, wasn't the purpose of life to enjoy and revel in it?
Even then, Luagarne watched Enkrid as he swung his sword.
Surely, swinging a sword every day couldn't be more entertaining than a festival.
'Why do I find this so enjoyable to watch?'
It was something unknowable.
A mystery.
And that made it exciting.
Time passed.
Aspen declared its surrender.
Three months went by.
Now, even standing still, sweat poured down in streams.
"This summer feels longer than usual," Rem muttered.
Enkrid let the comment pass as he swung his sword.
Three months had passed.
The frog, Luagarne—she was still there.
And Finn hadn't left either.
She was originally a scout.
By now, it seemed about time for her to be assigned to a new squad.
"Haven't heard anything yet."
Had the battalion commander forgotten about her?
Or did he think she fit in well here and left her be?
It wasn't Enkrid's concern.
He just kept swinging.
Again and again.
That was how he spent the three months.
"Rem, Rem."
Over the past three months, the Frog had finally gotten comfortable speaking with the other squad members.
"What?"
"How the hell did you teach him that?"
The frog flicked out her long tongue in exasperation.
"Heh, if you'd seen him before, you'd have been even more shocked."
Rem laughed as he answered.
It was true.
Even the frog was astonished—by the fact that Enkrid's skills hadn't improved.
Despite swinging his sword every day, despite training relentlessly, Enkrid remained stagnant.
At least, that was how it appeared to her.
And that only made her more amazed.
Effort was a talent too.
'What the hell is going on in his head?'
Frogs was simply curious about what was inside Enkrid's mind.
For three whole months, he had been at a standstill.
At least, that was how it seemed to her.

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