It Was Fun... But Terrifying!
Right now... What on earth just happened?
The referee, Bern, muttered this to himself without realizing it, his gaze drifting blankly over the dueling field. He had officiated the entrance exam bouts for over a decade, yet this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a turn of events.
Selena Blint. The most promising swordswoman. Even in the academy where countless talented stars gathered, she was hailed as the brightest star of the year. A girl whose talent outshone all others, and with her relentless effort, there were those who claimed she would be the first to reach the pinnacle of Masterhood in the distant future.
She had lost. And she had lost to an academy student. In a single blow.
But Bern's surprise went far beyond that.
Shining talent often faltered in such matches. Among the referees, it was already a tale told as the underdog's rebellion. Yet this case was on a whole other level.
'This boy named Ian... he didn't even know how to swing a sword.'
From the proper grip to the stance, the stride, and the arc of the strike. Judging from everything, Ian had never actually trained with a blade. He had only learned the basics of breath control. And that, for the offspring of a noble family, wasn't particularly strange. The knight's breathing method provided support not just in martial arts but in daily life as well.
In the end, Bern concluded that Ian had almost no chance of defeating Selena.
But.
'That strike.'
When Ian raised his sword to strike, Selena's counter was flawless. Even when she could have pressed him down with raw power and skill, she dropped her body lower, piercing the empty space to target his core. It proved she never underestimated her opponent.
Yet Ian's response was even more astonishing.
'He deliberately twisted Selena's leg to topple her balance. And despite that, the downward arc remained perfectly straight.'
It was so sharp it could only belong to someone who had never touched a sword in his life. Different from the beginner who had merely been shown the grip.
'A coincidence...? '
Someone in the crowd voiced doubt, but Bern could only let out an internal chuckle.
Coincidence?
That perfectly clean strike?
The downward cut while the blade was already raised was the best possible move for Ian. The footwork was no different. It looked like his leg had just given out, but it required years of honed flexibility and muscle control.
But as he had said, Ian had received no such training.
'That was talent.'
An innate gift for the sword. The so-called Heavenly Physique spoken of in the east.
If that was truly coincidence...
'Then it was nothing less than the blessing bestowed by the gods.'
The only explanation was that the deity ruling the entire world had pushed Ian toward victory.
'What an outrageous guy.'
Bern swallowed hard and stared at the boy on the field. He was frowning slightly, his expression displeased, after hurling the sword away.
'He clearly doesn't like that strike of his.'
Indeed, since he had relied solely on talent without practice, the result would feel distant from the image he had imagined in his mind.
But with such an expression and action...
'He'll keep working at it.'
Bern thought. Surely, among the countless stars, this one would shine brightest.
Of course, the boy himself being watched...
'My ankle!! It twisted...!!' He was only grimacing in pain.
@
No way.
'Fuck.'
Was this even believable? In the bout with Selena, he had 'accidentally' tripped, 'accidentally' struck, 'accidentally' hit her head, and 'accidentally' won.
'What the hell is this doctor strike?'
Could time be rewound? In all those parallel worlds, had he only pulled out the single surefire move that guaranteed victory? Or was it the one-move miracle from the Go god, this sensei? Had he, Ian, actually landed the perfect winning move?
'I'm losing my mind.'
His twisted ankle throbbed, his grip tingled. The barrage of stares and words pounded against his skull.
While he desperately steadied his breathing and calmed his mind, someone else's voice snapped him back to awareness.
'Huh?'
'...'
Selena, who had collapsed as if unconscious, was now pushing herself up. She dusted the dirt from her body with a few light pats, blinked slowly, and then looked straight at him.
'I'm still fine.'
Given how ludicrously she had fallen and how luckily her head had taken the hit, it was only natural that she would feel a bit weird about the outcome.
Perhaps she even thought he had genuinely beaten her by pure chance. So please...
'Figure out the truth...!'
he screamed inwardly. But.
In that instant, when Selena's blue eyes met his, a chill ran down his entire body. His instincts screamed: If you don't pull away now, your peaceful life will be over.
'You lost?'
But he could do nothing. He could only tremble like a rabbit in the face of a tiger and stare back at her.
'Whoa.'
'...'
'Amazing...!'
The moment Selena beamed at him with a bright smile, Ian's instincts screamed: 'Ah... I lost.'
@
Students who entered the academy were given one title: Rising Stars. New Stars.
They were the ones who would soon graduate and shape the future of the empire and the continent. They were also the ones who would leave their mark in their respective fields.
To them, the title of Star was given. But since their talent had not yet blossomed, the phrase "rising" was often used alongside it.
Yet one person was different.
Selena Blint. A star that had already risen.
Her talent had already bloomed fully, and with blood and sweat poured into it, she ranked at the absolute top among the academy's stars.
For Selena, defeat was an unfamiliar and distant word.
Born into a marquis house, she had swept through every peer with overwhelming talent from the moment she picked up a sword. She had learned from countless teachers along the way and, in the end, defeated even those very teachers.
Defeat during training was never considered real defeat, which is why the word "defeat" slowly faded from her life's narrative.
And now.
Even after entering the academy, she had never been expected to lose. Yet she had. In a single strike.
'It's fun...'
To Selena, the fact wasn't shameful or embarrassing. It was fascinating, fresh, and genuinely enjoyable.
She had clearly targeted her opponent's opening. No hesitation. A perfect strike from where she could manage it.
But it blocked.
The opponent had predicted exactly that and suppressed her in one breath, standing alone in the center of the field.
That was fun.
Always after a bout ended, the one standing alone in the dueling field was Selena. The winner was always Selena, an unchanging truth.
And now that truth had shattered.
'It's fun, it's fun, it's fun.'
Selena's personality was originally gentle, kind, and forgiving. In fact, the Selena who didn't hold a sword was the kind who couldn't easily refuse or insult others.
But when it came to the sword...
She didn't want to lose. She wanted to reach even higher, even greater heights.
In those eyes of Selena, he was reflected.
Light gray hair. Eyes that fell indifferently like the sword itself. Skin as pale as if untouched by sunlight. A face that would be strikingly handsome to the other noble daughters, yet strangely... oddly hazy.
If she had stared at his hazy face any longer, it would have faded from memory, so she only smiled faintly.
'I learned one move!'
'...'
Ian merely nodded in silence to Selena's words. As if he had expected nothing less. That attitude only made Selena feel even happier.
'The winner is Ian Killian!'
Once the exchange between Selena and Ian ended, Bern finally snapped back to reality and spoke.
But despite the bout concluding, neither cheers nor applause erupted. The result had been too unbelievable for that.
Still, Ian accepted the truth calmly and walked out of the field with steady steps.
The entrance exam bouts were held quite often, but for Ian they were exceptional. First place in entrance scores.
By defeating Selena in the duel, he no longer needed to face anyone else.
Selena stared fixedly at the retreating back of the indifferent boy and smiled again, nodding slightly.
'It'll be fun!'
Entering the academy had always been essential to climb higher, but his appearance made the prospect even more thrilling.
Of course, Ian...
'It's terrifying...!!'
He could only think of running away.