Lowering oneself always came with ulterior motives, like prying for information.
Perhaps Herace should “accidentally” drop a clue or two.
He mulled it over, his list of concerns growing ever longer.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Want me to repeat it?”
“No, I’m asking what kind of nonsense it even is! And what about the test?”
“The Great One acknowledged you. They’re not one to take interest in humans, so I’ve come to see what kind of person you are. As their favored servant, of course.”
Luke still looked unconvinced, his expression shouting, ‘What kind of crap is this?’
Understandable.
Though he was the protagonist, Luke was currently a mess—his greatness yet to be realized.
The contrast would only make his eventual rise more impactful.
Once the eldest son of the Clayton family, Luke had been shunned for his inability to sense magic, despite his prestigious lineage.
Even his attempts to wield a sword were thwarted by a constitution ill-suited for combat.
Spurned by his family, disillusioned by his incompetence, he became a delinquent, seeking attention through mischief.
His downward spiral led to him being discarded and sold into slavery.
How incompetent and worthless must he have felt?
Yet now, someone supposedly extraordinary was acknowledging him.
Of course, he’d be baffled.
“If you don’t get it, I’ll explain it to you,” Herace said.
“…Explain what?”
“Had a good sleep? Full stomach? Feeling fine?”
Luke eyed him warily but gave a reluctant nod.
“You think you’re up to the task?”
“You—wait, are you into taking it? I’m not into messing around with guys!”
“Don’t say such low-class things.”
This novel’s all-ages, remember?
“Then why are you asking questions like that? You’re the one making things confusing…”
At least his sharp tongue suggested he was doing just fine.
Herace decided it was time to toss the protagonist into a challenge worthy of his title.
“Well, then. Let’s see what you’re capable of.”
“Capable of what—ack!”
With a flick of Herace’ hand, the window flung open, and Luke’s body began to float weightlessly.
Before he could even shout in protest, he was unceremoniously thrown out of the window.
Herace smoothly followed, flying through the air as though it were second nature, guiding Luke along with an invisible tether.
Dragged behind him like a kite, Luke sputtered incredulously.
“Who the hell are you? You didn’t even chant! And the activation time—what the hell? That’s not possible!”
“I told you, I’m a favored servant of that one. It’s only natural I’d be this competent. Also, I’m not human, by the way.”
“If you’re not human, then wh—ahhh!”
Luke plummeted.
“Hey! You just drop me because I asked a question?!”
“Don’t be so dramatic. Just stop overreacting and look ahead. We’re here.”
Luke landed lightly on a tree branch near Herace, though he clearly wasn’t thrilled about obeying his instructions.
His eyes were soon drawn to the sight before them.
A massive black wolf-like beast with glowing, menacing eyes stood growling, its sharp teeth bared.
“W-what the hell is this…?”
“I told you, we’re testing your skills.”
Herace timed his sneering laugh perfectly, giving off a villainous vibe.
If his face weren’t hidden, the smirk beneath the mask would’ve been breathtaking.
“Catch it. Before my patience runs out.”
“How the hell am I supposed to catch that thing—ah!”
The beast lunged, and Luke barely leapt out of the way in time.
Perhaps the good meal and rest had left him light on his feet, though his pale face suggested he didn’t realize it himself.
“Why can’t you catch it?”
“Do I look like I know?! My hands are all—oh, damn it!”
Luke flailed his useless hands before retreating in panic.
‘Honestly, it’s not such a bad starting point.’
Compared to what lay ahead, this was nothing.
Protagonists deserved harsh trials—catharsis came from narrowly overcoming the impossible. Readers loved that, didn’t they?
Right now, Luke couldn’t even hold a sword, but that’s why the enemy was merely a “wolf beast.”
In ‘The Black Sheep Swordsmanship Genius of a Magical Family’, this beast was so minor it didn’t even get a name.
Early on, Luke struggled with just a few of these creatures, but later he’d casually obliterate entire packs with sword energy.
For now, though, it was just one. Herace didn’t think he was being particularly cruel.
Sure, Luke lacked a weapon, but his monstrous strength—the key to wielding a sword—was intact, as were his sturdy legs.
“Hey! I’m worth a hundred million gold! You bought me for a hundred million gold! Are you seriously just going to let me die after spending that?”
Not that his brain was working well enough to strategize.
Instead, he screamed protests at Herace, running for his life.
“For someone saying that, you’re running around pretty energetically.”
“Shut up!”
But mindless retreat wasn’t a solution.
Luke stepped on a branch, lost his balance, and fell.
With no hands to grab onto anything, he landed on his rear, staring straight at the wolf beast.
The creature, far from rushing to kill him, seemed to toy with him, circling lazily as though savoring the thrill of its prey’s fear.
It was both a relief and an insult.
The implication was clear: Luke wasn’t even worth taking seriously.
Grinding his teeth wouldn’t fix his damaged tendons, nor would retreat save him now.
When the wolf beast opened its mouth to reveal razor-sharp fangs, Luke’s wide blue eyes filled with terror.
‘Let’s see how he handles this.’
Herace watched with interest.
“Get—get lost! Go away! Die!”
Faced with impending death, Luke’s rationality vanished.
He lashed out with a desperate kick.
Having gotten used to relying on his legs since losing the use of his hands, Luke instinctively closed his eyes and struck out.
Thanks to his protagonist-level strength, the kick landed with impressive force.
The beast yelped like a scolded dog.
“Y-you saw that, right? I—”
“What are you bragging about?”
Seriously, was this a show-and-tell?
Herace chuckled dryly.
The situation was far from resolved.
“I just got thrown into this from eating stew—can’t I have a moment to—oh, crap.”
The wolf beast, now angered, growled deeply, baring its teeth in earnest.
The sound sent a shiver down Luke’s spine, freezing him momentarily.
The beast lunged again, this time biting down on Luke’s arm.
“Agh—shit, shit! Let go!”
Luke winced as pain shot through him.
The beast’s jaws were like iron; forcing his arm free would only tear it apart.
But he didn’t give up, lashing out with relentless kicks until the beast finally released him.
Bleeding and trembling, Luke bit back tears.
It wasn’t the pain but the sheer indignity of it all that stung the most.
“You need to go on the offensive. If you keep running, the beast will see you as easy prey and keep attacking,” Herace commented coolly.
Luke wanted to throttle him.
Was he serious?
Run toward the thing trying to eat him alive?
However, Luke didn’t have the luxury to respond logically to the comment.
He had to run for his life because the wolf monster lunged at him again.
This time, a thick tree trunk was struck in his place by the creature’s massive front paw.
Luke’s heart pounded wildly.
‘Something feels off.’
Though Luke thought Herace looked nonchalant, that wasn’t entirely true.
‘He’s not fighting as well as I expected.’
Luke had assumed Herace would dispatch the creature in no time.
This was unexpected.
Sure, the situation wasn’t ideal, but wasn’t this just a minor creature?
Dragging this out too long wouldn’t sit well with the readers.
The story Herace envisioned required the protagonist to effortlessly overcome the “difficult challenge imposed by the villain to test their skills.”
Even under such unfavorable conditions, Luke was supposed to quickly pass the test, scoffing at the difficulty with a casual, triumphant air.
Instead of being satisfying, this was turning into a frustrating mess.
He had never written a novel before, but now that he was altering the flow of the narrative, he couldn’t help but care about such things.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t try writing novels.’
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