Arthur dashed forward, sword raised, ignoring the sting in his muscles. His feet hit the cracked stone floor, and [Shadow Step] triggered mid-movent—his figure flickering briefly before he reappeared just off to Alex's right.
Alex reacted instantly, pivoting with a tight parry, his blade slamming into Arthur's with a tallic clang. Sparks flew.
Neither spoke.
Arthur pressed forward with a short burst of [Blade Dance]. Three rapid slashes—low, mid, high. Alex blocked two, redirected the third, and imdiately spun with a precise counter aid at Arthur's side.
Arthur gritted his teeth, calling [Arcane Shield]. The glowing barrier absorbed the hit but cracked on impact. He felt the force rattle through his arm.
Alex moved in again, fast. He went for a feint—a raised slash toward the head before dropping low for a sweeping leg strike.
Arthur saw it coming, thanks to [Foresight].
He jumped, narrowly avoiding the sweep, and counterattacked with a kick to Alex's chest. Alex slid back a few feet, catching himself just before hitting the simulation boundary wall.
Both of them were bleeding, breathing hard. The ground around them was torn up from the clash—craters, scorch marks, and broken stone everywhere.
They locked eyes. No taunts. No smirks.
Just focus.
Alex was the first to move this ti. His blade glowed with raw energy as he shouted, "[Pierce Drive!]"
He lunged, thrusting forward with pinpoint force.
Arthur didn't dodge.
He moved in.
Right at the last mont, he tilted his body, guiding the thrust past his side—just enough to avoid getting skewered—and brought his elbow down hard onto Alex's arm.
A crack echoed.
Alex's grip faltered.
Arthur didn't waste the opening.
He grabbed Alex's collar, yanked him forward, and slamd the poml of his sword into his stomach. Alex gasped, bending over—and Arthur spun, sweeping his legs out from under him.
Alex hit the ground with a grunt.
Arthur moved fast, stepping on Alex's wrist before he could recover and driving the tip of his blade to his throat.
And with that his figure disappeared.
~~~~~
Outside the simulation:
Samantha exhaled sharply. "He did it."
Layla gave a low whistle. "That was brutal."
Luke, Alex's master, crossed his arms, jaw tight. "Tch… barely."
Samantha smirked. "Still a win."
Luke clicked his tongue but didn't argue.
Layla leaned back with a grin. "Well? Ready to bow whenever you see for a month?"
Luke groaned. "Don't remind ."
"And don't forget the part where you do it with a smile," she added, smug.
Luke shot a glare at her but turned his focus back to the screen.
Samantha folded her arms, watching Arthur's exhausted form walk off the field. "Still rough around the edges," she muttered to herself. "But he's getting there."
~~~~~
Inside the Simulation
Arthur dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. The cold steel of his sword clinked softly against the cracked floor beneath him.
He'd won—but barely.
"Damn… that took more out of than I thought."
He wiped the sweat from his brow, eyes narrowing at the faint shimr of the simulation sky above.
'Guess I need to start training my body more seriously. Taking down Alex with just swordsmanship… was a lot.'
A faint chanical beep echoed in the silence.
Arthur looked up at the countdown tir hovering faintly in the air.
[00:13:58]
"Tch. Thirteen more minutes," he muttered, pushing himself to his feet. "Guess I'll go clean up the rest."
And clean up he did.
For the remaining thirteen minutes, Arthur beca a blur of death—swift, silent, and efficient. His blade danced through trees, ruins, and rocky plains. Every step was calculated, every strike lethal.
Most students couldn't even react.
To be honest, it was less a fight and more a slaughter.
Only Alex had managed to push him—and that too when Arthur restrained himself to pure swordsmanship. Against anyone else, it was a massacre.
He didn't cross paths with any of the other core contenders. Just stragglers and overconfident nobles who thought they could win through flair over technique.
He proved them all wrong.
Then, just as he was wiping blood off his blade, the countdown reached zero.
Eventually, the sky above began to flicker. The countdown hit zero.
[00:00:00]
A soft hum filled the air.
Then—darkness.
Arthur closed his eyes as the simulation faded.
"Finally, it's over." he muttered, letting his body relax as he drifted back to the real world.
Back in the Real World
A wave of garbled shouting reached his ears as he returned to consciousness.
It was loud, but muffled—like being trapped beneath a pillow while soone yelled at you from across the room.
He squinted, his body still stiff from the magical trance. The ceiling above was familiar—arched stone lined with mana circuits. Warm light spells glowed softly overhead.
Arthur pushed himself up from the rune-inscribed mattress, muscles groaning in protest.
"Ugh..." he exhaled. "That's not sothing I wanna feel every day."
He glanced around.
Most of the other students were already awake, many talking loudly in clusters. So were laughing, others clearly frustrated. Their competitive spirit hadn't died just because they had.
Arthur's sharp eyes scanned the room. A few faces stood out—people he rembered cutting down.
'So they got taken out early... figures.'
A few others were stirring at the sa ti as him.
Alicia sat up in one smooth motion, brushing strands of hair away from her face. She looked unfazed, but Arthur caught the glint of fire in her eyes. She wasn't satisfied—not even close.
On the other side, Nadia Mystic slowly opened her eyes. She remained still for a mont, scanning the surroundings like a predator gauging the room.
A few seconds later, Luna groaned softly and sat up, stretching with a yawn. "Damn… that was a ride."
Arthur stood, rolling his neck. His body was sore, but not broken.
His hand instinctively reached for a sword that wasn't there.
Alicia looked over. "Still thinking about the fight?"
Arthur gave a short nod. "Yeah. It was decent."
Nadia's gaze locked with his for a second. "You were the last to wake up."
Arthur smirked faintly. "Guess that ans I stayed in longest."
"Or maybe you just like taking naps," Luna chid in playfully.
Arthur let out a soft chuckle.
~~~~
"Congratulations on your placents, everyone."
The familiar voice rang out clear and smooth, slicing through the post-simulation murmurs like a blade through silk.
All eyes turned to the front.
Samantha strode in with composed grace, her heels tapping rhythmically against the stone floor. She clapped her hands once—sharp and crisp—then smiled brightly.
"You all deserve a round of applause."
Silence.
No one moved.
They'd all been through this before. A complint from Samantha usually ca with a but... a critique, a backhanded reminder of expectations.
But this ti? Nothing.
Samantha let the silence stretch, her eyes slowly sweeping across the crowd—evaluating, asuring.
Her smile held.
Then, just for a mont, her gaze landed on rlin.
It lingered.
Her smile subtly deepened.
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
'Hmm? Master looks unusually pleased… did sothing good happen to her?'
anwhile, on the other side of the room—
Alex flinched.
The cold stare of his master, Professor Luke, bored into the side of his head like a spike.
'What now? I didn't even do anything this ti…'
Luke's eyes scread disappointnt, even though his expression barely shifted.
"Now then," Samantha said, breaking the tension. "I'd like the winner to step forward."
A single beat passed.
Then, in perfect unison, every head in the room turned to Arthur.
He blinked.
'Seriously? No suspense? No hesitation?'
With a sigh, Arthur stepped forward, dragging his feet like a man on trial. Whispers floated around him—so hushed, others awkwardly congratulatory.
He stood before Samantha, feeling dozens of eyes drilling into his back. There were no cheers, no applause—just an odd tension in the air. The kind that followed a massacre. Because that's exactly what the simulation had been.
Samantha gave him a nod, then turned back to the crowd.
"As most of you may have guessed," she said, her tone amused, "Arthur Ludwig ranked first. Not just by eliminations—but ti survived, efficiency, and combat evaluation."
Gasps and murmurs rippled across the room. So students looked stunned. Others...frustrated.
Samantha continued casually, "Second place goes to Alex Stale."
Alex flinched slightly at the sound of his na.
Luke, his master, didn't move from the back of the room, but Alex could feel that disappointed glare digging into his skull.
'Seriously? Even after that fight... I still ca second?'
He clenched his fists.
"Third," Samantha said, "is tied between Nadia Mystic and Alicia Raven. Both perford well in different ways—Nadia showed excellent one-on-one control, while Alicia lasted long and covered the most ground."
Alicia raised a brow but didn't say anything. Nadia just crossed her arms, expression blank.
"Fourth place," Samantha continued, "is a bit of a surprise—Luna Harper."
Luna blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? ?"
"Yes, you," Samantha replied with a grin. "You caused enough chaos and distraction to affect multiple students' placents. Even if most of your kills were sneak attacks."
Luna giggled, scratching her cheek. "Heh. I'll take that."
The rest of the rankings were read aloud—nas most of the crowd didn't react to. So clapped politely. So didn't bother.
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