The tournament preliminaries are conducted much more simply than the main event.
Only the main event is streamed online and attended by external parties.
The preliminaries serve to weed out the cadets who will advance to the finals.
Because of this, instead of just one arena, the matches are spread across multiple locations, leading to many overlapping schedules.
Take first-year students, for instance, when you consider all the upperclassmen, the number of overlapping matches doubles.
Because of this, not many people bother to split their time to watch the other cadets’ preliminary matches.
As a result, the arenas hosting the tournament preliminaries are relatively empty, creating a mostly quiet atmosphere.
“……”
Usually, that’s how it goes.
Coming out of the waiting room and onto the stage, I could hear the murmur of the crowd and feel a strong presence that could even shake the wind.
The arena looked similar to a coliseum.
In the center was a spacious arena covered in sand, surrounded by a circular audience area.
The noise and energy coming from the audience were far from quiet—more like a bustling market!
Even though there were no external spectators, it was packed with cadets.
Using the power of observation, I could see that quite a few seats were filled. Not just green ties representing first-years, but also red, yellow, and blue ties were present.
These were upperclassmen I rarely encountered due to different living quarters.
Among them were a few individuals I recognized on a one-sided basis.
Individuals who would eventually become world-class powerhouses if they didn’t meet with misfortune along the way.
One who would gain a solid reputation as a skilled fighter.
Someone whose combat ability was lacking but could be beneficial to befriend for political power.
‘And…’
I shifted the perspective of my observation to a corner of the audience. Even in a relatively concealed spot, there was a person who caught a lot of attention.
An individual advertising their superhuman status with an above-average height.
Distinctive yet captivating sharp features.
Brown hair casually tied back and leaf-like bright green eyes.
A stoic face that stood out even among dirt and foliage colors.
‘Choi Ji-yeon.’
The successor of Taesan, someone I hadn’t met yet. A key character I would be working with until the end of the first round.
The moment I recognized her…
– Ding!
An alarm sounded, familiar to the point of being annoying. It was like a small bell ringing in my ear.
I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.
No confession necklace, no hologram projector. I hadn’t even equipped the feathers of the sky.
In the tournament, you couldn’t use your self-made weapons or artifacts obtained from Shio-ram.
I left it all behind.
In other words, there was no reason for such a clear alarm to ring in my ear, nor was it coming from the audience.
I suppressed the wave of arrogance trying to break through. With all these eyes on me, if I frowned at the opponent stepping onto the stage, it wouldn’t end well.
‘Status window? Status?’
That unidentified alarm.
I first recognized it when I was in the healing room recovering from injuries sustained in Siphunah.
Even without a smartwatch, the alarm echoed in my ears. At first, I was unsure, but at some point, I was certain it was ringing for me.
‘Is it really the status window? But why isn’t it showing up?’
The first reason that popped into my mind was the status window. Yet, when I tried to call it forth in my mind, not even a hint of the status window appeared.
I was starting to suspect I might be going crazy.
I swallowed my sigh and loosened my body.
On the opposite end of the stage stood Aidan, gripping a longsword.
Each of us held a sword. A stage for the duel. Various gazes were piercing down on us.
It was a situation quite reminiscent of that time.
“Long time no see… Um, well, it’s not been that long since we saw each other in class a few days ago…”
Haha…
Aidan approached clumsily, checking his gear while speaking in a somewhat awkward manner.
He had a peculiar emotion emanating from his expression and tone, as if he also felt that this situation was similar to the last.
“……”
I was just as speechless as before. Like last time, the curse was still unresolved, and I was barely getting by with the confession necklace.
It wasn’t exactly the same as before.
[We will now begin the tournament preliminaries.]
During this lull, the amplified voice of the announcer thundered through the building.
[The rules allow for virtual duels. This includes a full range of combat with physical bodies, ki, magic, and unique abilities, and can be halted at the announcer’s discretion.]
This was different from our last friendly duel. Now, it was also a mid-evaluation of Shio-ram, so backup from the tower’s power was on the line.
The interior was in a state similar to that.
At the very least, no one would die, and injuries would be represented in the same way as last time.
[Now, both sides, prepare.]
– Swish
I drew my sword. A chill swept past my ear as I gradually settled into position.
Aidan also composed himself and drew his sword.
“Aidan Reynolds. Nice to meet you.”
He held his sword firmly with both hands, extending it forward. Aidan spoke with determination in his eyes.
“This time, I won’t let my guard down and will go all out.”
To prove those words, there was no hint of carelessness in his posture.
Nodding in response, I spread the magical power residing in my core throughout my body.
‘Body Enhancement Technique, Activated.’
[Now, evaluation begins!]
As soon as that voice echoed, both sides grounded themselves.
The distance closed. At last, in the center, our swords clashed.
– Clang!
The metallic sound echoed. Sparks flew, and a ki-clad sword was flung upward.
“Ugh…!”
Unlike last time, it was Aidan’s arm that got sent flying.
Even though he swung with one hand while I swung with both, there was no time for Aidan to panic as he quickly regained his stance and swung his sword back.
I observed his sword path. I followed where he would strike and predicted the trajectory it would generate for his next attack.
– Clang! Clash! Smack!…!
The swords met. The blades grazed against each other, pushing off with power, sparks flying.
His grounded stance shifted continuously.
With that, his body moved to evade my attacks, and his sword followed, swiping aimed at me.
The duel was underway.
It didn’t take long before one side began to falter.
The one being pushed back was Aidan.
With each thrust, I slammed down my ki-infused sword.
A blue arc flew, and Aidan, who could only focus on blocking, frantically steadied his sword with both hands.
Boom!
“Gah…!”
Aidan gasped in pain. His two legs dug into the ground, creating a small crater, and dust kicked up as he got pushed back.
His arms shivered under the strain of blocking my attack. He slowly began to bend his knees.
Judging that a strength contest was unwise, Aidan gritted his teeth and shifted his center of gravity downwards.
He tried to disperse the pressure and aimed to shove my sword off in a moment of silence.
I predicted this. I reacted accordingly.
As he tried to shove my sword aside, I withdrew mine first.
Then, I turned my body toward the sudden opening created by his movement and kicked with my ki-infused leg.
Bam! My foot slammed into Aidan’s torso.
“Cough…!”
Another explosive sound erupted as Aidan’s back bent awkwardly.
Unable to absorb the shock, Aidan slid backward, dragging his feet along the ground.
I immediately followed, swinging my sword at him.
Aidan couldn’t let this opportunity slip away; he wiped the drool from his mouth and thrust his sword toward me.
– Clang! Clash! Clash!
Our swords tangled. The contact points increased. Ki intertwined, and one side gradually broke down.
Woosh! Light exploded next to Aidan’s shoulder.
With a grimace, Aidan tried to defend, but my blade kept encroaching.
‘Strength.’
In this one-sided struggle, I held the upper hand.
‘Magic.’
The quality and quantity of magic I possessed, its purity, and the strength of the ki formed from it overwhelmingly favored me.
‘Technique.’
My basic swordplay and combat skills were also superior.
The one being pushed back was Aidan, and the one losing ki, becoming riddled with injuries was Aidan.
“Whew… Whew…”
Aidan stood several paces away, breathing heavily.
From the wounds carved on his body, the light representing blood dripped down.
These wounds had formed during the duel.
In contrast, my breath remained steady, and my magical energy overflowed. I bore not a single injury.
It was one-sided.
It was different from before.
Aidan wasn’t careless or underestimating me. He was giving it his all from the start too.
It was as if time had shifted in its feeling.
It was an incredibly strange feeling.
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