The Moon Sword Awakens
Zien swung his sword down.
Clang!
An invisible wall of mana blocked his path. This was the way of the Saber, channeling power through their Stigmata. Blue flames danced in the downpour, following the flicks of Isabel's fingers.
"You're strong, aren't you?"
Isabel said. She stood rooted in place, just as she had from the start.
"It's an honor."
Zien, on the other hand, was clearly exhausted. He marveled at her. Isabel's mana potential of 9.7.
'Now I see it firsthand.'
He had tried to overcome the mana gap with stamina and experience, but Zien's mana—still clogged with residual mana not long ago, leaving him barely functional—couldn't compare to Isabel's.
"I'm serious. Don't take it as sarcasm."
Isabel was enjoying the fight with Zien.
How long had it been since she'd gone all-out in a one-on-one? She was always the victor.
Victory was sweet, but sweetness grew tiresome all too quickly.
"But that ending? Kinda underwhelming, don't you think?"
Isabel sneered at Zien.
Her gaze shifted to a rock. More precisely, to someone sprawled atop it, dozing off.
Nod... nod...
In the drab forest where gray dawn was breaking, Aria's yellow raincoat stood out boldly. Her head kept bobbing lazily.
"Should've hidden your trump card better."
Isabel clapped her hands with a sharp snap. Aria was on a rock quite a distance away, but that didn't matter.
Boom!
Isabel's Magic Art shattered the boulder. An explosion of fire amid the torrent. As the rock crumbled to pieces and the yellow raincoat shredded into scraps, Zien thought:
'A-Aria...'
After the exam, should he grill her over the raincoat or the sleeping? Clutching Black Hiang tightly, Zien steeled himself.
Aria has been eliminated.
Remaining participants: 2
Even without the announcement, Zien already knew.
Now it was truly just him.
All he could trust was himself—and the Stigma etched on the back of his hand.
'If I can reclaim just one more skill from those engraved in my Stigma...'
With his mana too low to wield his Magic Tool right now.
What Zien had to cling to were his skills. But so far, the only one he could use was Sensory Maximization.
"You look rough. Finally giving up?"
Ignoring Isabel's taunt, Zien closed his eyes.
Whoosh...
Pat... pat... pat...
Sizzle...
The relentless rain slowed, then stopped—as if time itself had frozen. Eyes shut, Zien accelerated his thoughts endlessly. The essence of Sensory Maximization.
One second, one instant, stretched into eternity for him now.
'Focus.'
Past-life memories unfolded like a puzzle. Zien grasped a fragment that shone brightest.
7th rank Gate: Sun and Moon.
The backdrop was the 3rd zone, commonly called the martial world. On a lofty mountain there, the Sword God—leader of the Murim Alliance—spoke to Zien's past self.
"The moon is bright tonight."
Just as the Sword God said, the moon that night gleamed unusually vivid. With the decisive battle against the Heavenly Demon looming, talk of the moon felt out of place.
In that urgent crisis, where the gate's outcome could alter reality itself, Zien was bloodshot with desperation to slay the Heavenly Demon and clear the 7th rank Gate.
"What of it? We just accept it."
As if reading his mind, the self-proclaimed master took a swig of liquor and spoke again.
"Isn't the moon truly bright?"
The moon shines by receiving the sun's light. Simply accepting it is enough to radiate brilliance. In that teaching, Zien found the final piece. Swordsmanship wasn't all about power.
With enlightenment, a skill engraved itself into his Stigma.
A skill earned from a 7th rank Gate, no less.
Far beyond anything he'd gained before.
Legendary Skill from 7th Rank Gate
Perhaps the skills etched in his Stigma had faded because his memories had. If he could recall that teaching, that moment...
'Could I reclaim it?'
The thought reached its peak. His Stigma began to glow.
Skill engraved in Stigma.
Acquired Skill: Moon Sword
This was no reminiscence—it was reality.
"I told you already, Isabel."
Zien opened his mouth.
His eyes, shut for what felt like ages in pursuit of enlightenment, now snapped open. To Isabel, it looked like no more than a blink.
"What?"
"That I'd win. Video feed off!"
Now, the counterattack began.
Showing Isabel his past-life skill would suffice.
Zien's body surged toward Isabel—a feat impossible until now, without a proper Magic Tool or skill.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Isabel snapped her fingers with a click. The explosion came fast at close range.
Bang!
Zien's left shoulder caught the blast, but this was merely a virtual gate. No need to fear injury or death.
'It's fine! I can reach her!'
A huge advantage for Zien.
Moon Sword fueled itself on the caster's life force and vitality. With no fear of death, Zien could pour everything into this single strike.
Light gathered on Black Hiang.
The glow, like soft moonlight at first, intensified until it enveloped the entire blade.
In the 3rd zone, it was called sword aura.
In the 4th zone, an aura blade.
Clang!
Zien's sword struck Isabel's mana barrier.
Crack!
Fissures spiderwebbed across it.
Shatter!
It exploded into fragments.
"Impossible..."
Before she could finish, Isabel was engulfed in light, destructive mana rending the air.
Isabel has been eliminated.
Remaining participants: 1
Exam terminating in 30 seconds.
"Video feed on."
Hundreds, on the edge of their seats from the thrilling 1st Gate broadcast, could finally see again. But all that appeared was Zien's solitary back.
He turned his gaze to the lake and spat out curtly.
"...It's over."
Those words carried layers of meaning.
The uproar erupted first among the students.
"What? He won?"
"How'd he pull that off?!"
It came from the stands where upperclassmen and peers sat.
"...Dude could walk into a gate right now and come out alive."
"What's his total score gonna be?"
"Lemme see, 56 five-point orbs..."
Conversations tangled, voices overlapping, swelling the chaos.
"Move! Lemme see his face!"
"Kyaa! Don't shove!"
"Yo, group project soon—wanna recruit him?"
Upperclassmen and peers alike jostled for a glimpse of Zien, each with their reasons.
Corporations weren't the only ones scouting talent. Seniors wanted to snag promising recruits for clubs; classmates aimed to form parties.
In Arcana Academy, rife with group assignments and off-campus activities, talented students naturally drew crowds.
The gifted were rare blue chips, coveted by all.
"Man, his market value's skyrocketing. Too good to waste on janitor duty, huh?"
Jackson remarked.
A grizzled veteran from the Broom of Extermination guild.
"Um... Senior?"
Irel shoved Jackson aside from the voting booth with a grunt.
"You've been hovering forever. Why don't you head back to the guild? I'll handle all the scouting, okay?"
"Hey, ease up. Gotta watch the other teams too."
"What's wrong with janitors? Fighters like that are perfect for it. Slice-slice-slice with the sword, monsters diced up, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Not just 'cause he's your type, huh?"
Teased by Jackson, Irel's nagging ramped up.
"Who picks for looks? They're cost-effective! Magic Tool addicts without basics burn through potions..."
As Irel glared and lunged, Jackson backed off like taming a wild horse, waving her down.
"Alright, alright. Do your thing, junior. You know scouting budgets are tight for grads, right?"
"Of course~ But keep hovering, and even you'll get an earful."
Jackson just chuckled at her warning.
With that, Zien's scout offers—from broadcaster and guild—totaled two.
The loudest cheer from faculty came from Karsen.
"Incredible! Zien! Hey, Romina, you see that? He beat No. 1!"
His excitement clashed with his usual demeanor, but.
Romina watched Karsen fondly.
'Karsen...'
Not even commoner stock—a true outcast.
Yet through grit, he'd become a 5th rank Saber by 28. A shame about the ankle injury forcing retirement.
'Personality's rough too...'
Still, a man worth respecting.
But Romina knew Karsen was growing disillusioned with teaching lately.
The noble elitism from prestigious families.
The frustration from lower-achievers. He hated that atmosphere.
But positions created distance. Teachers alone couldn't shift the tide.
To air out the pervasive discrimination...
'It has to come from the students...'
Romina gazed at him with soft eyes. Karsen stared back blankly, then scowled.
"What're you grinning at me like that for? Creeps me out."
Conference room.
One day after the exam.
Ahead of year rankings, an emergency meeting convened. The fuss stemmed from Gate 1, Zien's group.
Over twenty professors ringed the massive table, Selphis grumbling in the midst.
"56 five-point orbs, 60 three-pointers—total 500 points. Scoring like this is clearly problematic."
A young acting professor chimed in.
"Unprecedented. 162nd place beating No. 1? Puts the whole ranking system in question."
Romina glared at the acting prof, Jerome.
"Question? 500 points is top across Arcana—and other academies. A record! If this kid isn't No. 1, who is?!"
"Bumping dead last to No. 1 off one exam? What about written tests or others? This freak result's from Gate 1's relative evaluation!"
Romina clamped her mouth as Jerome dissected point by point. Zien's 162nd to 9th leap? Due to the exam's scoring: relative evaluation.
Beating top seeds Isabel, Lake, Rita—and hitting 500-point record—yielded a near-glitch 9th place.
"But why keep calling him 'dead last'?"
As fiery Romina rose, Karsen mediated.
Dressed properly for once, long hair tied back, he looked every bit the teacher.
"Everyone, calm down."
Karsen continued evenly.
"This might be a good chance to scrap relative evaluation."
"Hey! Karsen!"
"Enough. And no casual talk in meetings, Romina."
Relative eval lingered because no precedent had broken balance.
"Gate 1 just set that precedent."
Indeed, ranking Zien 9th as-is bred issues.
"Scrap relative, monitor exam footage, score by performance order."
Romina huffed in displeasure at Karsen's words.
"Professor Karsen? Then the poor souls stuck at 40th-ish?"
"Apply that to the other five. Zien's rank..."
Tension peaked. Karsen paused. Selphis and all eyes locked on him.