Three figures cut through the dense forest. One of them, urgently, opened their mouth.

It was Lorraine, a support major with an inherent ability in detection.

“She’s moving.”

“Escaping?”

“No, the pace is slow. It seems like a lure.”

The one who responded to the report was Kim Hyun, a combat major student. He adjusted the sword at his waist as he moved.

“A lure, huh… Could there be a trap?”

“Maybe.”

Kim Hyun’s party, consisting of three, had formed a temporary alliance to seek out the special admission student, Lee Hayul.

Within the tower, competition among cadets was allowed. However, this did not prevent cooperation among them if needed.

Combat majors Kim Hyun and Raven, along with Lorraine, who was a support major with detection abilities, had formed their party based on individual motives.

Of course, there was no ill intent towards Lee Hayul from anyone.

Kim Hyun was merely curious about the abilities of the much-talked-about special admission student. He wanted to test his skills against him and seized the opportunity to act.

Raven and Lorraine aimed for Lee Hayul for the points they would gain from catching the special admission student.

A whopping 1,000 points. It’s the score you’d get for capturing the highest rank twice. Even split three ways, it’s more than 300 points each. There was no reason not to aim for it.

“Lucky… I think. It seems we’re the first to find him.”

Though Lorraine was a detection specialist, finding traces of the special admission student was nothing more than luck.

Inherently, detection abilities are not so convenient.

They consume a lot of mental energy every time they are used, and in an environment with such a high concentration of mana, it is even more so.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the detection ability that found him, but rather a tracking of the traces left on nearby trees and ground.

It was fortunate, as Kim Hyun’s party was indeed aiming for the special admission student.

“We’re right on top of him.”

At Lorraine’s words, the other two tensed up and gripped their weapons tighter.

They entered a clearing beyond the thick underbrush.

* * *

The last adjustments to my senses were made.

On the verge of battle. Thankfully, I wasn’t too nervous.

It was thanks to Professor Atra’s teachings to keep my mind calm and collected.

– Rustle

The presence of my pursuers entered the clearing.

Lee Hayul turned his head in that direction.

This time, he gauged his opponents with mana. It felt awkward, but his mana affinity helped see through the nature and total amount of his adversary’s mana.

“One has relatively weak mana. A support major, perhaps. The other two seem like combat majors. They appear quite skilled.”

I couldn’t make any detailed judgments. Even this could be a misjudgment.

As Lee Hayul remained silent, the three who had entered the clearing tightened their grip on their weapons.

‘…..’

Though his eyes were closed, Kim Hyun in the lead was certain that Lee Hayul could identify him properly.

Raven, who was gripping his spear, spoke first.

“I’m Raven, a combat major. No hard feelings, but even though it’s 3-on-1, I just wanted to fight.”

“I’m Lorraine, a support major.”

“I’m Kim Hyun, a combat major. I would like to hear your name.”

Kim Hyun, out of courtesy, also named himself and drew his sword. It was a formality he always observed when dueling in his family’s household.

He was from what could be called a prestigious family, where it was natural to observe decorum before dueling.

As his words ended, Raven, who was aiming his spear, turned to Kim Hyun with a look of shock, as if staring at a madman.

“Hey, hey.”

“?!”

Kim Hyun tilted his head at his friend’s bewildered voice, then suddenly shivered. The rumors about Lee Hayul, particularly those involving ‘speech,’ were well-known.

“…I apologize. I have been rude.”

“……”

Although Lee Hayul couldn’t see the comedy unfold, he understood the situation. Usually unfazed due to his smartwatch, he was rather nonplussed now.

He nodded politely and drew his sword.

It was a signal to end the conversation.

– Swish

Lee Hayul drew the sword from his waist. The clear ringing of the sword being drawn elicited an internal admiration from Kim Hyun.

It was a standard issue sword. Nothing special, but he sensed a well-honed posture in the way the sword was drawn.

He was skilled. The posture was unlike that of a superhuman who had awakened less than a month ago.

Kim Hyun heightened his tension, gripping the sword firmly. He tapped his inner core, drawing forth mana.

‘I will not be careless.’

Lee Hayul’s past duels were already widely known. Even if the opponent was careless, he had defeated a student majoring in combat.

He was no different from a superhuman. A slight competitive spirit arose, a natural emotion for anyone who prided themselves as a swordsman.

Just as he was about to charge in with a deep breath, Lee Hayul raised a hand and pointed at Kim Hyun.

‘What?’

A sudden action.

Before he could question it, a chilling intuition caused Kim Hyun to immediately raise his sword, wrapping Qi around the blade.

– Whoosh!

Lowest-level magic
[Mana Slash]

The intuition was correct. A powerful slashing force tore through the ground towards him. It was too late to dodge; Kim Hyun hastily raised his sword.

– Crashing!

“Ugh…!”

The slashing force, which tore away chunks of Qi, made Kim Hyun’s eyes bulge.

Using magic. He had heard the rumors, of course.

But not like this.

With such speed and power in a shadowless spear technique. He hadn’t imagined it would be this formidable.

Scratching, his legs skidded across the ground, and ultimately he was lifted off his feet.

– Thump!

Caught in the slash, Kim Hyun’s form was flung far away. The delayed windstorm swept over Raven and Lorraine.

Raven’s ponytail fluttered fiercely.

“Crazy.”

The fight had begun. A slash that easily shattered several trees charged forward, and Raven cursed as he charged.

Lowest-level magic, Mana Slash. Even Lorraine, who hadn’t entered the realm of magic, knew of it.

Its power was out of this world, delaying her judgment.

Qi wrapped around the sharp edge of his spear. With a snap of his wrist, the spear thrust forward. It was textbook spear technique.

– Clang!

As if it was expected, the sword intercepted the trajectory of the spear. The blade, similarly wrapped in Qi, blocked the spear and tangled with it.

– Crack! Clang! Crashing…!

The spear and sword repeatedly struck each other, wearing down the Qi.

‘Damn, what is this.’

Spear technique against swordsmanship.

Raven, too, hailed from a prominent family, having already proven his talent upon entering Shio-ram.

He had confidence in his spear skills. From a very young age, he had wielded a spear. He could proudly say his life had been lived with a spear.

The spear was blocked by the sword. It wasn’t about the superiority of spear technique over swordsmanship, but his own spear skills being obstructed by swordsmanship.

The direct yet adaptable spear was shot down by the fluid movements of the sword technique.

– Shhh

Of course, he wasn’t completely suppressed. In this close encounter, the advantage was Raven’s.

The tip of his spear flicked away the sword and lunged. Lee Hayul twisted his head. The narrowly dodged spear grazed his cheek.

This pattern repeated during the brief clash.

The problem wasn’t that.

– Crashing!

Arms clashed, shaving each other down. Before the arms broke, the Qi that enveloped them wore away first.

…His own Qi being shaved away. Raven’s face sank into astonishment.

Spear skills. To not overwhelm was shocking. Talent and all that, he got it. He had heard about substituting sight with detection abilities, but to be overpowered in a spear fight by a blind man was hard to describe.

The intensity of Qi. He was being pushed back. It was evident at a glance. When Qi collided, his own was shaved away more.

What did that mean?

It meant that the 20 years’ worth of mana he had cultivated, the Qi techniques he had trained in, were being pushed back by Lee Hayul’s month-old mana and Qi techniques.

‘Oh…’

This was maddening. Raven let out a hollow laugh, twisting the shaft of his spear. The sword followed the changed trajectory of the spear.

As Lee Hayul twisted his waist, the sharp tip of his sword narrowly missed his clothes. Lorraine, who had burrowed in from the side, swung her sword.

Lee Hayul stepped back to regroup his sword. 2-on-1. And Kim Hyun, sent flying by the Mana Slash, would soon join.

‘Raven.’

It was a bit overwhelming. His yet unstable senses made for clumsy responses. In fact, in a brief moment, wounds appeared here and there on his body.

Although invisible, the original narrative described them as oozing red particles.

Spear against sword. Difficult to respond due to the distance. The spear never allowed for a gap, even for a moment, during its skilled maneuvering. It was overwhelming to close in.

‘Lorraine.’

A support major. Yet, she fought as if combat was expected, wielding her sword. On her own, she could be dealt with quickly 1-on-1. But Raven wouldn’t let her be.

‘Kim Hyun.’

The leader of the group. The one who asked for his name and apologized. Probably the most skilled among them.

Raven was already a challenge, but facing all three together would be difficult with a sword.

With a sword.

I poured mana into the hilt I grasped. The trembling blade soaked up tremendous Qi. Clenching my teeth, I swung the sword widely forward.

Mana gained from the elixir. By now, I had enough to engage in combat properly.

There was still a portion yet to be assimilated. Even at this moment, the unassimilated portion responded.

– Crashing!

Scattered Qi struck ahead. Raven withdrew, and Lorraine, too slow to dodge, received a minor cut on her arm.

“Ugh.”

I widened the distance. Regulating my breath, I spread my senses beyond.

Past the torn earth, Kim Hyun with a hardened face was rushing back.

‘3-on-1.’

The situation was disadvantageous. The other two also adjusted their pace, keeping their distance as they acknowledged Kim Hyun’s return.

They seemed intent on forming a triangular formation to encircle me.

Lee Hayul soothed the mana within and took a deep breath. The pure mana moved obediently at the will of its owner.

Kim Hyun closed in from the front. Pure Qi twined around his sword. The blade etched a clean trajectory.

Impressive swordsmanship.

Watching him, Lee Hayul raised his leg and stomped down hard.

– Boom!

The earth heaved around Lee Hayul’s leg, and thick walls of dirt rose.

‘Magic!’

Once again, a shadowless spear technique and a high-speed incantation that was difficult to anticipate. Kim Hyun admired and swung his sword. The dirt wall was cleanly scored by a straight trajectory.

Lowest-level magic
[Mana Slash]

The dirt wall was cleanly split by the oncoming slash. Parallel casting. Kim Hyun’s sword intercepted the Mana Slash.

– Crashing…!

This time he had anticipated the magic. He managed not to be tragically sent flying, but pushed it back instead.

A power unfit for the lowest-level. But he could block it. With that thought, he pushed more Qi into the attack.

However, Kim Hyun misjudged.

Lowest-level magic
[Mana Slash]

The original lowest-level magic wasn’t outstanding in power, but rather it was an efficient spell that allowed rapid fire.

Another slash flew in… three of them. Kim Hyun gasped and hurled his body aside.

Three slashes tore through the ground. The scars they left were as if a giant beast had swung its claws, causing his skin to crawl.

The gap after using magic. Raven and Lorraine aimed for that moment, targeting each flank.

Calmly, Lee Hayul gripped his sword. Once again, the mana within stirred.

Thump! This time without leaping, the ground rose, blocking Raven’s path.

‘Is another slash coming?’

Raven pondered inwardly. It was due to the sequence just seen. The magic that made the ground surge, followed by the Mana Slash that struck just before breaking through.

A moment’s ponder was all it took. During that, Lee Hayul turned and stamped towards Lorraine.

Lorraine grimaced and thrust her sword with both hands. The sharp sword tip split the air.

He truly felt it. The split air circled his ears.

The sword that thrust forward. The burning Qi on top of it was felt.

Lee Hayul exhaled. He sharpened his senses. Suddenly, blood trickled from his nose.

The senses had become extremely acute during the fight. Still clumsy, but now decent enough to use.

A strange sensation.

I couldn’t see anything, yet I could feel.

It was mystical that the world could be perceived by mere sounds, the outlines of mana, the touch on the skin.

I extended my sword forward.

Sword met sword. Huh? Lorraine let out a gasp.

It wasn’t simply deflected. Lee Hayul’s sword flowed naturally over the other’s blade, like smooth-flowing water.

– Crack!

A discord. The abruptly changed trajectory struck upward. The sword left her hands. Both arms flung open wide.

The twirling sword soared through the sky. Lorraine watched her weapon, floating like a bird in the air.

‘Oh.’

The difference in talent. It was being keenly felt. He was from the Ipchun class. He hadn’t interacted with Lee Hayul, but he had experienced his abilities through duels firsthand.

The victory over a combat major in a duel. The match that had changed the subtle view of him, despite his special admission.

Though he had seized the victory by exploiting carelessness, it wasn’t a reason to belittle his abilities.

But at that time, his level was comparable to Lorraine’s. After all, Lorraine was a student of the secondary, not the combat, major.

Back then, they were comparable. So, naturally, he thought he had a chance to win. It was 3-on-1. He thought it was obvious they would win.

Now, he was almost suppressed in nearly one strike. The reality hadn’t fully registered.

During these thoughts, something cool jabbed his forehead.

Crunch! It wasn’t gentle. The sword blade that thrust in was rough, like splitting a watermelon.

‘One.’

Lee Hayul counted coldly to himself.