"Haa..."

Aiden let out a deep breath. Having steadied his breathing, he straightened his previously hunched body and held his sword upright.

I paused, noting the shift in his demeanor.

In truth, I could have overpowered him almost from the start.

The gap between us had widened more than I had anticipated.

If I had fully committed to my body strengthening technique, I could have easily knocked him out. Bombarding him with unrestrained magic would have eliminated him quickly. Using the new Spirit Magic I had learned would have made it even easier.

But I refrained.

Even though this is a tournament for competition, and these are preliminary rounds to determine who advances to the main stage, there are certain unspoken courtesies.

In duels like these, it’s customary not to reveal your full power from the beginning.

Partly, it’s to keep your hand hidden, but it’s also about mutual growth—giving your opponent a chance to improve, no matter the gap in strength.

Aiden hadn’t revealed his full strength to me at once, either, back then.

There was the soft scrape of a sword being drawn.

Both my sword and Aiden's were already unsheathed. There was no blade to pull out of a scabbard.

Aiden stood with his sword held firmly. His mana remained unchanged. His aura hadn’t surged.

Instead, an intangible presence began to boil within him. Not mana or aura, but a force of willpower.

I readied my sword in response.

‘Swordsmanship Technique.’

The unique ability: Swordsmanship Technique.

It’s Aiden’s personal talent.

In the original, it was a fairly common unique ability.

Classifying unique abilities can be quite challenging.

But if we were to categorize Swordsmanship Technique, it falls under the skill category, with a specific focus on swordsmanship.

Skill-based unique abilities aren’t typically known for standing out dramatically.

Swordsmanship Technique. It specializes in wielding a sword.

Others can wield swords too.

Having a skill-based unique ability might enhance one’s swordsmanship, but it’s not something others can’t handle.

While some might unleash fire that burns foes to ashes in their hands.

While others could heal wounds with water or freeze everything with ice.

While others could command the earth, the very symbol of life and strength, and even summon the spirits of the dead to do their bidding.

Swordsmanship can feel rather plain in comparison.

Spears and sabers, fists and legs.

Mastery over weaponry can seem ordinary against other supernatural abilities.

In other words, it lacks uniqueness.

"Haa..."

However, no one dismisses skill-based unique abilities.

Even if someone might disregard them, they wouldn’t dare overlook a superhuman who has honed their skill-based unique ability.

Wielding a sword isn’t particularly special.

But...

If one slash can cleave the distant sky, then it’s undoubtedly extraordinary.

If a single thrust can pierce through mountains and create canyons, it’s remarkable.

If a single strike can split the earth, it is a special ability that stands out or even surpasses others.

Skill-based unique abilities are particularly conducive to the manifestation of expanded abilities. They are designed with expansion in mind.

Aiden raised his sword. The growing momentum, the essence of his uniqueness, flowed into the blade.

Then, he swung his sword downward.

The essence expanded.

The tip of his blade struck the ground, carving a deep slash across the floor.

 

He felt sick. A backlash twisted his insides as though his organs had turned inside out.

“Urgh...”

Aiden collapsed, bright light trickling from his mouth as his body gave out.

Cutting Flash.

While it’s true that skill-based abilities are easier to develop, mastering them is an entirely different matter.

Aiden still couldn’t wield it freely and was nowhere near mastering it.

He struggled to catch his breath, unable to properly regain his composure. His vision was hazy, barely making out what lay beyond the swirling dust.

Soon, the dust settled, and his focus sharpened slightly.

Etched into the dueling floor was a scar large enough to fit several adults lying side by side.

The mark extended all the way to the wall across from him, even leaving traces on the magical barrier, right beside where Lee Hayul stood, completely unharmed.

‘He dodged it, as I expected.’

The speed was too much for him to follow with his own eyes. Aiden let out a hollow laugh.

Aiden possessed talent.

Among his awakened peers, he and Attila particularly stood out.

Through hard work, he earned a place among the top ranks at the academy.

But he wasn’t the best student, even among them.

Attila, for instance, consistently scored better than him and was physically stronger.

Aiden had peers who surpassed him by more than a dozen ranks.

And it was the same at the academy.

There were many students at other academies who were stronger than Aiden, and expanding the scope globally, the numbers multiplied exponentially.

He had talent. But there were plenty who had more than him.

Yet Aiden had been chosen as a cadet at Shio-ram.

He always wondered why.

With so many students stronger and seemingly more talented than him, why had he been chosen?

• I saw potential in you that I didn’t see in them. That’s all.

 

The professor who recommended Aiden had said no more than that.

What is talent?

Is it learning something earlier than others? Learning what others cannot? Growing faster and stronger?

Even after joining Shio-ram and receiving an education of a higher quality than he had experienced at the academy, Aiden’s questions remained.

Then, he met the special transfer student standing across from him.

A cadet who possessed unprecedented potential, even here, amidst a sea of talent.

It made him curious.

Everyone he met at Shio-ram sparkled with their own talents.

Aiden could recognize it immediately.

He could distinguish it.

But he couldn’t discern the special nature of the transfer student.

At first glance, he appeared very frail.

He was small and thin, with barely any muscle to speak of.

Maybe he was a mage? But the mana he possessed was minuscule.

The unique ability he had was supposed to be sensory-based... but in Aiden’s understanding, sensory abilities were for support, not combat.

Of course, he knew his assessment was off. He was aware this cadet had only been awakened to superhuman abilities for about a month.

It was natural for him to still be weak and undeveloped.

But he was curious.

What made him special? What was so remarkable about him that he could earn such an unprecedented evaluation among so many other talents?

Aiden had always been told that he acted before he thought.

On the positive side, he had the courage to act and carry out what he decided.

On the negative side, he was impulsive, short-sighted, and didn’t think much about consequences.

So, he charged ahead.

He hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but looking back, it was a pretty stupid thing to do.

A win wouldn’t have gained him anything, but a loss would only make him look more foolish.

And in the end, he was thoroughly defeated.

A humiliating memory.

• Thump.

 

The sound of footsteps reached his ears.

Lee Hayul, who had been studying the marks on the floor, took a step forward.

He had lost.

His mana was depleted, and his body wouldn’t move.

“Ugh...”

But conceding defeat immediately felt humiliating.

After all, this was a duel, and he felt he should at least be struck down by his opponent’s blade.

Thinking that, he forced himself to his feet.

“...Oh...”

His eyes blinked automatically.

Lee Hayul had raised his sword.

Unlike Aiden, he held the sword with one hand, and his posture was naturally different due to his smaller frame.

But why?

Why did it feel like he was staring into a mirror?

As soon as he thought that, he saw a will surge over Lee Hayul's blade.

It wasn’t mana or aura, but a colorless force.

An emerging uniqueness.

A sensation like gazing into a mirror...

“Oh?”

A sense of bewilderment escaped his mouth once more.

A single, unbelievable thought flashed through Aiden's mind.

It was absurd. Naturally, uniqueness isn’t something one can imitate just because they want to.

It’s special. Unique by definition because it’s distinct from others. Even if the process is similar, the result is what makes it unique.

Thus, it’s individual and independent. Unique abilities are separate concepts, inherently difficult to replicate.

That was Aiden’s understanding. That was what he had been taught. And that was what common sense dictated.

Versatile.

And.

Expanded Ability.

As if to deny all of that, Lee Hayul's sword slashed downward.

Thousand Faces, Cutting Flash.

The air split, and a whirlwind was created.

Next to the existing scar that ran across the floor, a new line formed parallel to it.

Lee Hayul withdrew his sword from the end of the new mark he had carved.

Versatile.

A unique ability classified under the versatile skill type.

A master of various forms.

In short, all hail versatility.