Gunther

Gunther is a Flowing Force Clan prodigy, academy examiner, and the older brother whose success overshadows Mada. Introduced as a seventh-rank middle-stage warrior stalled before his next breakthrough, he enters the academy for opportunity and a bounty but becomes an important protector and instructor. He later helps Mada seize the clan, eventually serves as its current head himself, and joins Pagna's final intervention in Alterian.

Biography

A stalled heir at the academy

Gunther begins as the Flowing Force Clan's leading heir, ahead of three brothers but frustrated after years at the seventh rank. He hunts dimensional beasts in hopes of obtaining a boss crystal that can produce a breakthrough pill, then accepts an academy examiner post partly for access and partly to investigate the Crimson Crane's Dark Magus bounty. His motivation is initially personal advancement rather than teaching, although the assessment quickly gives him responsibilities he did not expect. (Chapters 72–80)

When Gunther senses Raze's Demonic energy, he chooses not to expose him. He argues that faction identity comes from values rather than the energy or technique a warrior uses, passes Raze, and warns him to conceal that cultivation from less tolerant Dark Faction members. Gunther also protests when the assessment becomes prolonged abuse and repeatedly notices the teamwork of low-status students. His practical self-interest remains, but the academy begins turning him into an advocate for pupils the hierarchy treats as disposable. (Chapters 81–181)

Protecting students inside Murkel's academy

The cancellation of the Dark Magus bounty removes Gunther's original reason for remaining, yet he waits anxiously for Raze's group and warns them that the academy's coming trials will spill blood. He considers leaving but stays because his presence may save students. As the institution becomes more violent, he tears up the failed wanted notice, shields the group's secrets where possible, and becomes one of the allies whose standing prevents the top clans from acting without resistance. (Chapters 243–270)

Gunther's position remains dangerous rather than cleanly heroic. To protect himself after opposing academy decisions, he informs his clan head Crine of selected events and frames his involvement as concern for students. When conflict with Murkel Dockthron becomes open, Gunther fights beside Dame and the animated statue, committing his water-aligned dual swords against the principal. Afterward he trains Mada and Ricktor intensely, treating their privileged status as a reason for harder preparation rather than indulgence. (Chapters 370–486)

Clan upheaval and coalition leadership

When Raze's allies take control of the major Dark Faction clans, Gunther returns with Mada to the Flowing Force Clan. He fights beside his younger brother against members who reject the new order, then says he wants no part in ruling and lets Mada take the helm. His support nevertheless gives Mada the legitimacy and strength needed to secure the clan and inherit its artifact, transforming their unequal family relationship into a working alliance. (Chapters 650–862)

By the coalition war, Gunther is identified as the current Flowing Force clan head. The corpus does not narrate the intervening transfer of authority from Mada back to Gunther, so the reason and timing remain unknown. He brings the clan into Raze and Amir's united army, uses rivalry with the Demonic Faction to rally morale, survives the Pagna war, and later crosses through the Golden Globe with Flowing Force warriors to support Raze in Alterian. (Chapters 1202–1205 and 1721)

Appearance and personality

Gunther first appears in dark blue, fish-scaled armor carrying two upward-curving swords with jagged white edges and dark blue bodies like shark teeth. His water-like visual Qi produces droplets around the blades and the image of a falling waterfall during powerful strikes. The corpus does not provide an equally detailed later civilian appearance. (Chapters 72 and 448)

He is ambitious, blunt, pragmatic, and unusually flexible about faction identity. Gunther pursues rewards and sometimes protects himself through selective disclosure, but he repeatedly objects to pointless student deaths and stays in dangerous institutions when leaving would be easier. His relationship with Mada also exposes both pride and responsibility: Gunther's excellence contributes to his brother's insecurity, yet he ultimately fights beside Mada and supports his authority. (Chapters 72–83, 243–270, 394–486, and 801–862)

Magic, cultivation, and abilities

Flowing Force cultivation

Gunther is explicitly a seventh-rank, middle-stage Pagna warrior at introduction. He channels Qi through his body and twin blades, with Flowing Force techniques manifesting as water droplets, waves, and waterfall-like visual Qi. The blades can kill large dimensional beasts in one crossing strike, while concentrated swings project enough force to join high-level coordinated attacks. His refined senses also let him read unusual energy in Raze and compare the strength of other warriors or constructs. (Chapters 72–81 and 448)

At the beginning, Gunther has been stuck at the seventh rank for years and ordinary portal crystals no longer advance him. He seeks stronger beasts, pills, or resources as a solution, establishing a progression limit rather than a later breakthrough. The corpus never assigns him a higher numbered rank, even after he becomes clan head and survives two wars. His latest strength should therefore be described as experienced middle-stage cultivation with exact later rank unknown. (Chapters 72, 448, 801–862, and 1202–1721)

Dual-sword combat and instruction

Gunther fights with two curved swords, using paired angles, Qi reinforcement, and large descending strikes. Against Murkel he coordinates his waterfall attack with Dame and the animated statue rather than relying on an isolated duel. His weapons and style are effective against beasts and ordinary warriors, but Murkel's superior cultivation requires allies, and Gunther openly recognizes when another construct carries more Qi than he does. (Chapters 72, 446–449)

As an instructor, he evaluates cultivation, identifies tactical habits, and trains different fighters according to their weaknesses. He pushes Mada to fight as if his life is at stake and refuses to copy the same approach he uses with Ricktor, explaining that students with similar privilege still need different instruction. These teaching skills arise from combat experience and observation, not a separate supernatural system. (Chapters 81–181 and 481–486)

Relationships

• Mada: Gunther is Mada's celebrated older brother and the standard against which their father judges him. That shadow fuels Mada's resentment, but Gunther later fights beside him, helps him secure the clan, and endorses his authority before Gunther himself is subsequently identified as current head.
• Raze Cromwell: Gunther initially investigates the Dark Magus bounty without knowing Raze's identity. He passes Raze despite detecting Demonic cultivation, protects his circle inside the academy, and eventually leads Flowing Force warriors in Raze's united coalition.
• Ricktor: Gunther trains Ricktor alongside Mada after the academy crisis. He recognizes that the two privileged main disciples have different combat needs and refuses to treat their instruction as interchangeable.
• Crine: Crine is Gunther's clan head and father. Gunther informs him selectively when academy politics threaten Gunther's safety, then later helps overturn the clan order that Crine represented.
• Murkel Dockthron: Gunther works within Murkel's academy while objecting to its lethal excesses. Their institutional tension becomes direct combat when Gunther joins the attempt to stop the principal.

Items

• Twin shark-tooth swords: Gunther's paired curved blades channel Flowing Force Qi and support his water-like visual techniques. The corpus does not establish unique names, separate enchantments, or later transfer of the weapons. (Chapters 72 and 448)
• Dark blue scale armor: Gunther wears fish-scaled armor during dimensional hunting. No special ability or later custody is established, so it should not be treated as a named artifact. (Chapter 72)