Phase Synchronization: Fruits of Effort

Seongun Academy's central arena boiled like a massive furnace. Gone were the cold jeers and sneers from the entrance ceremony; in their place, the air thrummed with a bizarre mix of fervor and doubt from the crowd's roars. The hot breath of tens of thousands of spectators brushed my cheek. But inside, I was eerily calm, sunk into an icy stillness.

I glanced indifferently at the scoreboard, hands in my pockets. 90 days. Short for some, but for me, it had been agonizing endurance—painfully forcing my off-spec 100.1% mana to fit this world's physical laws.

"Jae-hyun, your hands are cold. You nervous?"

A gentle warmth wrapped around my hand from the side. It was Baek Seol-ha. Her eyes brimmed with worry for me. I clasped her cold hand briefly, sharing my warmth, and gave a soft smile.

"Nah. Too calm, if anything—that's the problem. Remember our 90 days of practice? Seol-ha, just stay behind me like always and handle the defense magic. I'll take care of the rest."

She nodded firmly, steeling herself for battle. Beside us, Lee Jin-ah cracked her knuckles with a hearty laugh.

"Do Jae-hyun! Let's breeze through round one! Steak dinner on me with the prize money— that place I mentioned!"

Her voice was bold, but her fingertips trembled faintly. I patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Sounds so good I'm already hyped."

As I looked up while checking on my teammates, my gaze met that of a man seated at the center of the VIP section. Kang Do-hyun, pinnacle of Seongun Academy and advisor to the eight great guild alliance. His eyes weren't those of a mentor watching a student. They were the piercing stare of a hunter sizing up a massive predator that could threaten an ecosystem.

Next to him, Lee Jin-woo gripped the railing so hard it creaked, glaring daggers at me. Venom filled his eyes. But I gave them a casual nod.

"Round 1 of the preliminaries for the 26th Class Tournament! Do Jae-hyun's party from the beginner class versus Park Tae-jun's party!"

The announcer's voice boomed, and a white-haired referee stepped to the center.

"Before the match, the rules: This is a real-combat evaluation. Fatal injuries or dismemberment are permitted, but causing 'death' results in immediate disqualification and expulsion from the academy. Prepare your teams."

At the referee's chilling warning, Park Tae-jun smirked slyly. He stood there in far flashier armor and with a famed sword, upgraded from 90 days ago.

"Hear that, Do Jae-hyun? Just don't die. Lose a limb or two, academy won't care. Those pretty girls by your side? Tough luck today. Maybe I'll go easy if Jin-ah asks nice."

In that instant, my inner temperature plummeted. Insults to me were tolerable. But threatening my comrades who'd trusted and followed me? That crossed the line.

'You'll regret those words.'

I exhaled quietly and unleashed my mana.

Snap! My off-spec 100.1% mana responded to my will, warping the phase of space itself. The crowd's jeers turned to stunned silence in an instant.

"Match start!"

At the referee's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠signal, Park Tae-jun's party moved in perfect sync.

One of his party members slammed the ground, and massive rock hands erupted at my feet to snare my legs. Simultaneously, giant fireballs rained from above. Smooth teamwork from their prep.

But to me, every attack crawled like a frozen frame.

Coordinate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shift.

I didn't even lift a foot. I just subtly twisted the coordinates of my standing space. The rock hands clutched only my afterimage in empty air. The fireballs refracted around me, scorching the arena floor pointlessly.

"What the—why's it missing?!"

Flustered, Park Tae-jun charged himself, blue sword aura flaring around his famed blade in explosive speed.

Clang! Crash!

In one second, dozens of slashes. The sharp whistle of wind-cutting steel filled the arena. Cheers erupted: "Ooh!" It looked like he was overwhelming me.

But not a single blade touched my clothes. Hands in pockets, I dodged with minimal head tilts, reading his paths like highways. Space was mine to command.

"You bastard! Stop dodging, Do Jae-hyun!"

Enraged, Park Tae-jun overcharged his mana for a final blow—flame-infused sword aura plummeting vertically at my head.

"Seol-ha!"

"Got it! Absolute Shield: Phase Synchronization!"

Seol-ha touched the ground, enveloping us in a massive, transparent ice barrier. Incoming spells froze and shattered on contact—her shield tuned perfectly to my space magic's vibrations over 90 days.

"Die!"

"Killing's disqualification, remember? Didn't hear the ref?"

As his blade neared the barrier, I glanced at Jin-ah.

"Jin-ah, if you would."

"Coordinates locked. Subspace gate open."

Jin-ah's blue mana thread linked his sword to the empty air behind me. I casually reached out, grasping the space along his charge path.

Shhh— No boom, no blast. In a flash, before his sword touched the barrier, his sword-arm, armor, everything—severed clean.

"...Huh?"

His shoulder ended in a smooth stump where the sword should be. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Momentum sent him tumbling across the floor.

Clang! Thud—

Behind me, in empty air, his sword, armor shards, and severed arm dropped to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ground.

One move. 0.1 seconds of erasure.

Dead silence choked the arena. I walked slowly toward Park Tae-jun, trembling blankly at his missing arm. Arrogance gone, his eyes held terror deeper than death.

"N-no! Stay back! Stay away!"

"You've pissed me off since day one at the academy. Especially that filthy mouth of yours dragging my comrades into it."

I leaned to his eye level. Touching his forehead with a fingertip, cold purple flames ignited.

"Don't ever mess with my people again. Next time, it won't end at an arm. Got it?"

He fainted without a scream, collapsing backward. Even the referee froze in terror, forgetting judgment.

I met the chairman's gaze. Lee Jin-woo was already beneath notice.

The scoreboard flashed the result, but no applause came. Only awe laced with fear weighed down the arena.

I nodded lightly to Seol-ha and Jin-ah. Handing Park Tae-jun's arm to the rushing medics.

"Here's his arm. Cut clean, so treat him well."

Approaching my teammates.

"Whoa, Do Jae-hyun's insane? Championship's a cakewalk now?"

"J-Jae-hyun... you okay? Cutting off an arm like that..."

Tears welled in Seol-ha's eyes. Her worry touched me deeply. I gently stroked her hair.

"Good work, everyone. Thanks to you, easy win. Without your shield, Seol-ha, I'd have been in trouble."

"Tch, always with the praise. Hey! Prep for the next one!"

Jin-ah punched my shoulder shyly. We left the arena together. Tens of thousands of stares pierced my back like arrows, but I never looked back.

Not until I vanished into the shadows at the entrance did the crowd utter a sound. It was silence—like someone muted the world to zero. Scouts who'd cheered Park Tae-jun's aura, students who'd mocked my failing scores—all frozen like statues under a spell.

What they'd witnessed wasn't mere victory. It was a miracle: space itself sliced like paper by human hands.

Shhh... Purple mana traces on the floor dissipated into the air with a frictional hiss. In the VIP seat, Chairman Kang Do-hyun rose slowly. His short exclamation carried via mic across the arena.

"...Marvelous."

That sparked the pent-up air to erupt.

"Did you see that?! No magic circle!"

"Park Tae-jun's arm... just gone! Subspace gate that precise?!"

The storm of murmurs chased us down the hall—shock, fear, dawning reverence.

Too early to be surprised. This is just the beginning.

The arena's uproar swelled, but our party's steps were lighter and quieter than ever.