While sleeping, Mario experienced the memories from the simulation as dreams, where he could only watch everything unfold from a first-person perspective.
Compared to the blurry memories from the first simulation, the dreams this time were far clearer — so vivid that it felt as though he were truly reliving each event, making him forget that he was inside a dream.
---
A month into the competition, Mario stood among the top 1,000.
He stood in the arena, the roar of the crowd washing over him without leaving a trace. Cheers clashed, names were shouted, but none of it reached his ears.
Across from him stood a young man with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in a standard swordsman uniform. A sword hung at his side, still sheathed — but even at a glance, Mario recognized it as a double-edged blade.
The young man slowly stepped forward with a relaxed posture, as though the match outcome had already been decided — Intermediate Rank.
Mario exhaled softly and also stepped forward, face expressionless as he wasn't wearing his usual mask.
A hint of surprise could be seen in the young man's eyes as he raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly, then placed his hand on the scabbard and drew the sword with his other hand.
After that, he assumed his stance, extending the sword with his right hand and his right foot slightly forward before shifting his body sideways.
"You won't concede? I'm sure you're aware of our difference." He said with the same smile.
But Mario didn't answer and instead assumed his own stance.
The "Eight Directions Slash" — both feet planted firmly on the ground, right hand forward, left hand anchored behind.
He inhaled and exhaled slowly.
"Begin!" The referee shouted.
The young man stood for a few moments looking at Mario, then with a single stride, he vanished.
Mario saw nothing at first — then the young man suddenly appeared close to him, a blade already sweeping in from the side.
He retreated instantly, his feet sliding back. He didn't even consider blocking — he knew better. Meeting that strike head-on would end the fight immediately. The difference in physical strength alone would crush him.
Whoosh~
'...Fast.' The sword passed where his neck had been.
However —
Before the motion was completed, the young man changed his footing, stopping the blade mid-swing and transitioning into a thrust.
A feat considered impossible by normal standards.
Mario was mid-dodge and couldn't immediately follow up with another.
He reacted on instinct, executing one of the fundamentals he had learned — Parry.
Grzz~
Sparks burst between the clashing blades as steel screeched against steel. The impact rattled up Mario's arm, numbing his fingers.
He forced his wrists down, attempting to redirect the thrust at a downward angle and open a path — for a counterstrike.
However —
The sword did not yield.
Instead, the opponent's blade seemed to coil against his own, pressure spiraling inward. The contact tightened, locking their weapons together in a way Mario had never experienced.
Bam~
'What is that...?' he thought in surprise, but before he could react, a fist slammed into his face.
The world lurched.
Mario was sent flying backward, boots skidding across the arena floor before his legs shook and he dropped to one knee. His vision blurred as he fought to stabilize himself, jaw ringing from the impact.
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Before he could rise, something cold pressed against his throat.
Looking up, he saw the young man with his sword extended to Mario's neck, looking at him with a faint smile.
Mario raised one hand in surrender, and only then did the young man remove the sword and extend his hand.
Mario took it and slowly stood up.
"It's better than I expected — most would fall from the thrust, but you?" The young man said with a hint of excitement. "...If we were at the same rank, I would've definitely lost."
"A loss is a loss." Mario shook his head slightly, put on his usual mask, and smiled in return. "...It was a good fight. I learned quite a few things."
The fight was short, lasting only five moves, but it was a good fight — it allowed him to learn the gap.
"Thank you." Mario bowed his head slightly before turning and walking down from the arena.
Behind him, the crowd erupted — not in mockery, but in cheers stirred by the clean finish and the quiet respect left in its wake.
'So that is the difference with an intermediate swordsman, huh?' Mario recalled the strange, immediate transition to the sword coiling.
Ding~
A soft vibration and sound interrupted his thoughts. He turned his head slightly toward the watch on his right wrist, seeing a notification pop up.
He lightly tapped it.
[Balance: 115,890 Points]
Mario smiled. 'Worth it.'
---
A week later...
Mario sat in the audience seats, watching an upcoming fight in one of the arenas.
In one corner stood a young swordswoman, and in the other stood a young man with white hair and blue eyes. His face was aloof, suiting his handsome features.
"...It's him."
"Yeah, the untouchable swordsman."
"But could he remain untouchable against her?"
"...You're right. I heard both of them are from the same academy."
"This is going to be fun to watch."
The people beside him kept their conversation low, but Mario heard them, making him anticipate the upcoming fight.
The fight started, but neither person rushed immediately at the other.
The young woman appeared wary, observing the white-haired young man while placing one hand on the hilt and the other on the scabbard. Her body shifted slightly as she extended one leg forward and lowered her stance.
The young man, meanwhile, observed her calmly, his expression remaining aloof as he neither unsheathed the sword in his hand nor prepared a proper stance.
The young woman's face creased into a frown at his arrogant behavior. The muscles in her extended leg tensed before she burst into a sprint, reaching the white-haired young man's position almost instantly.
However —
The young man sidestepped before she even managed to get close, causing her to rush past him.
As if already expecting that outcome, her other foot skidded across the floor, breaking her sprinting momentum before she twisted her body and made a quick-draw horizontal strike.
Yet as if the young man had already seen through her movement, he easily sidestepped again, dodging her attack by a wide margin.
Shock was evident on her face, but before she could transition to another strike, a sword still in its scabbard hit the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious as she fell flat to the ground.
The crowd cheered for the white-haired young man as he calmly walked down from the arena, leaving behind the young woman lying unconscious on the floor.
"...That's amazing," Mario unconsciously muttered, openly admitting his admiration.
'If it were me, I would've definitely lost to that first move.' He exhaled a heavy breath. 'It's impossible for a novice — and maybe even an intermediate — to dodge something that fast.'
'But how did he do it? I could see that he was slower than the young woman… and yet he seemed to anticipate her movements.' Mario's gaze briefly fell on the white-haired young man walking down from the arena. '...Is that a unique skill?'
He couldn't think of any plausible reason other than that.
Eventually, he shook his head, putting the thoughts aside, and continued to watch the other fights.
---
The competition grounds — normally drowned in cheers and the constant clash of steel — fell into a sudden, unnatural silence.
Twenty figures in gray robes stormed into the arena.
Their movements were synchronized, precise, and disciplined. Their targets were clear: promising academy students scattered across the grounds.
Before anyone could react —
Clrrrraaanng~
Chains suddenly appeared out of nowhere, covering the ground.
Rrrrattle — CLANG
They surged upward in a violent roar of metal, twisting and locking together in midair, forming a towering wall that cut the arena in half. The assassins were forced to halt just short of it.
Mario froze, stunned, along with the audience beside him. Almost simultaneously, they all drew a sharp breath at the sight of the chains forming a wall that covered half the stadium.
"…Is that also a unique skill?" he muttered absentmindedly.
"…W-what is that?"
"…Chains…?"
"No — that's a wall…"
The shocked murmurs from the crowd awakened Mario from his daze. He quickly inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and composed himself.
All twenty figures immediately shifted formation.
On the right, several robed figures radiated a deep crimson aura, their bodies coiled with barely restrained violence — martial artists.
On the left, swords slid free from scabbards, blades wrapped in a faint, translucent white sheen — swordsmen.
Behind them stood a single figure, calm and still, gripping a wooden staff crowned with a glowing blue gem.
A mage.
Yet none of them moved.
Their attention was fixed as an opening appeared within the chain wall, and from it a man stepped out, walking at an unhurried pace.
His frame was lean, tightly packed with muscle. Long black hair was tied into a neat ponytail that swayed lightly with each step. He wore a dark coat threaded with faint silver lines along the seams. The sides were split for movement, revealing a fitted deep-gray uniform beneath.
At his waist hung a longsword in a blue scabbard.
The man raised his left hand, then slowly lowered it.
Rattle~
The chains sank back into the ground behind him, leaving empty space — no students. Only battlefield.
Then his right hand settled on the hilt of his sword, and before anyone could react —
The metallic sound of chains rang out again as they exploded back into motion.
They rose like living serpents, surging forward and slamming into both flanks of the assassins, forming new walls that crushed inward. The barriers forced the swordsmen and martial artists aside, tearing open a direct path — straight to the mage.
The man vanished.
One blink, and he was already there.
The sword was drawn in a single smooth motion, cutting toward the mage before stopping mid-swing, as though it had struck an invisible barrier.
The man didn't seem surprised. He kicked the invisible barrier.
The impact shattered the unseen defense, sending the mage hurtling backward through the air. Using the recoil, the man twisted sharply and slipped through an opening in the chain wall to the right.
Half a minute passed in a blur.
The mage steadied himself midair before flying back toward the battlefield — only to see the right-side wall collapsing slowly.
Chains unraveled and fell away.
The man emerged calmly.
His clothes were still clean.
Behind him lay ten bodies — martial artists who moments ago had radiated crimson aura — now sprawled across the arena floor, blood pooling beneath them.
As he walked forward, the left-side wall dissolved as well.
Five assassins were revealed, cocooned in chains, bound tightly with only their heads exposed — alive, but helpless.
Four others were impaled clean through, chains piercing their bodies and pinning them to the ground.
With a flick of his left hand, the man separated the five cocooned figures from the chains and hurled them backward, away from the arena.
Then —
He turned.
His sword extended forward, leveled at the floating mage, before a transparent aura covered the sword's metal.
Mario couldn't see the expressions of the man or the mage from his position, but he could guess that one was relaxed while the other was tense and serious.
'This is… confidence,' he thought, smiling faintly, though he couldn't be sure whether it was from awe or bitter realization.
Eventually, he shook his head and continued to watch.
The mage, floating in midair, aimed his staff at the man below and hurled small balls of fire toward him.
But before they could get close, a small wall made of chains appeared in front of the man.
The fireballs crashed into the chains, heat roaring as the metal softened.
When the last links finally melted away —
The space behind them was empty.
The mage immediately looked around, searching for him. As if realizing something, he turned — but it was already too late.
The blade struck without any interference from the invisible barrier, but the man turned the blade sideways mid-swing, sending the mage toward the ground.
The mage hit the ground, already unconscious from the impact of the sword.
Meanwhile, the man was standing atop the chains. He jumped down, tied the mage with his chains, and slowly walked away, dragging the mage and five half-dead swordsmen behind him.
