First Stream of Nightfall
‘He’s strong.’
Looking at Ariandel handling that massive greatsword with one hand as if it were nothing, Jin’s first thought was simple: he’s strong.
Before fighting anyone else, Jin’s first step was always to size up the opponent.
That meant gathering information and preparing a counter-strategy.
You had to know how much power they had, what skills they wielded, and what habits they showed up with before you could guarantee victory.
Standing here with no intel on his opponent and talking trash about winning felt like pure arrogance.
Over the past twenty years, Jin had watched far stronger warriors than him throw everything away just because they got cocky and underestimated their opponent. He knew it all too well.
And looking at Ariandel through that same lens, he was strong—way stronger than some werewolf yesterday.
That alone sent a thrill racing through him, making his chest throb with something electric and new.
Ever since he returned from the other world, he’d sworn he’d never fight to the death again.
Yet here he was, facing a real (even if fake) powerhouse who made his heart race like no one else ever had.
“I beg you to hold out as long as you can. It’s been ages since I had a real fight, so I’d love to enjoy it a little longer…”
“Bullshit.”
SWISH!
The moment Jin thrust his sword at Ariandel, the other man swung his greatsword to block.
KAAAANG!
Sparks exploded in the air as their weapons shot off in opposite directions.
On the surface it looked perfectly even, but it wasn’t.
ZZZZING.
Jin felt a sharp jolt run up his arm from the force he’d just deflected and couldn’t stop the bitter smile that tugged at his lips.
‘Just like I expected… The difference in basic strength is insane.’
He finally understood what Winter had warned about—the gap between their stats was way too huge.
The swing he’d just blocked hadn’t actually connected. He’d sidestepped it.
There was no other choice.
The instant their weapons clashed, Jin had realized Ariandel’s swing packed far more power than anything he’d anticipated.
If he’d taken it head-on, his own sword and the man’s body would have been split in half.
‘That’s why the tutorial said you could never beat Ariandel normally.’
Of course it made sense. He couldn’t even properly face a normal strike, so clearing the tutorial was impossible.
Here the opponent was almost untouchable, there the opponent could one-shot him if he so much as twitched.
Utterly unfair. Straight-up ridiculous.
But.
‘It’s fun.’
That unfairness only made the fight feel even better.
The game was already too easy anyway. This kind of handicap was exactly what made things interesting.
“You haven’t trained much, yet you’re taking my attack head-on?”
Ariandel looked surprised too. His eyes narrowed with genuine curiosity.
“Fascinating. You’re far more capable than I expected. Perhaps… you really could be the one to fulfill my long-cherished wish.”
‘Long-cherished wish? What the hell does that mean? Did Ariandel really say that?’
‘Winter oppa’s some golden goblin, huh? Every single play he pulls out some new insane thing lol lol lol’
Chat exploded with fresh laughter at Ariandel’s words, but Jin was barely listening.
His entire focus was locked on deflecting the next strike.
KAANG! KAAAAANG!
Their swords and the greatsword hammered together in the air, shockwaves rippling outward like thunder.
The hatred poured into every clash screamed that neither man would yield an inch.
They fought without a single step back, flames filling the room as sparks flew.
But the third-person viewers watching from outside could already see the truth.
‘Hoo… Winter oppa looks pretty rough right now.’
‘He’s not even attacking anymore. He’s just blocking Ariandel’s strikes.’
‘Can’t blame him. The stat gap is ridiculous.’
Yes. He was losing.
At first glance it looked balanced, but Ariandel was swinging that massive greatsword like it weighed nothing, while Jin was barely keeping up with the blocks.
The weapon was so fast and so powerful it looked like it could clear a person’s body in one swing.
Ariandel moved that ancient, shrunken frame like it was a toy.
Inside that storm of violence, Jin’s only option was to block and survive.
But.
ZZZZZZZANG!
Jin’s sword trembled for just a fraction of a second—and then every single swing was perfectly deflected.
He was holding his own.
He was weaker in strength, speed, reflexes—everything.
If this was his real body, maybe. But the game avatar only carried the power he could push through this fake form.
Still, he was holding on.
Because he was watching every single thing that happened inside this fight.
Ariandel’s footwork, the angle of his eyes, the twitch of his muscles, the way he gripped the hilt, even the tiny habits before he swung.
He observed everything, memorized everything, and predicted everything that came next.
That was Combat Prediction—the weapon he’d forged over twenty years of war.
Even the Death King, Kardanak, the strongest berserker who ever lived, couldn’t break that foresight.
So how could he possibly lose to Ariandel now?!
“Heh heh… Your movements are impressive. I know you’re not going all out, yet an old man like me is being blocked this far. It’s been so long since I faced a fresh hunter. I’m genuinely happy.”
Ariandel lowered his sword, took one step back, and spoke with a gentle smile.
“But that’s as far as it goes. Please, no more pointless resistance. With the respect due a worthy foe… I, this old man, will show you my strongest attack.”
CLANG!
Something inside the greatsword clicked—a machine activating—and the blade began to vibrate.
‘Kkkkk this is scary as hell.’
‘Vibration-enhanced cutting effect on the blade lol lol lol instant-kill pattern lol lol lol.’
‘This is the two-phase pattern that should only trigger later why is it already out???’
‘Did the tutorial auto-switch to phase two after a certain time?’
‘Today’s broadcast is straight legendary lol lol lol’
“Stay perfectly still. If you move, I won’t be able to end this without pain.”
Ariandel spoke like victory was already certain, arrogance dripping from every word.
“Go ahead. Try me.”
Jin’s voice came out sharp, almost biting.
His eyes were locked in absolute focus.
Ariandel smiled warmly, like a kind grandfather, and swung again.
“Then please die to this strike.”
PUCK!
The greatsword shot forward at blinding speed, leaving a faint after-image in the air.
SLASH!
Arc-shaped and merciless, it sliced through the wall as if it were cake, tearing through everything in its path.
SHIM!
Jin’s instincts screamed—don’t block it, don’t dodge it!
It felt exactly like facing the Demon King head-on.
It wasn’t that his power was lacking. It was that the game itself had decided he would die.
‘Is this an instant-kill move?’
Of course the developers wouldn’t leave it without a way to counter. There had to be a system to stop it.
But he only had one sword. No other items. No buffs. No escape.
If he let it land, he was dead.
‘I’m dead.’
Looking at the blade racing toward his throat, Jin clenched his teeth.
He knew. This was just a game. Dying here meant nothing in reality.
But it still hurt.
Whether real or fake, death was death.
He didn’t want to die.
Over twenty years of fighting to survive in that world, he had made it to the end.
He would not let even a fake death—especially not a system-forced one—take him!
‘Then I win.’
But how?
Right now his body’s power was nowhere near enough.
This was a virtual world. Reality’s laws didn’t apply.
Still, even inside virtual reality, one thing remained unchanged.
‘Human thought.’
Human thought was infinite.
Even light would take billions of years to reach the edge of the universe.
But in human imagination, you could cross the universe in a single thought.
Though it had no physical form, when focused with unbreakable will, it could instantly rewrite reality’s rules.
That power was called Uinyeom.
It was one of the reasons Jin, a mere human, had been able to defeat the Demon King.
‘Can I do it?’
That hesitation didn’t even form.
Uinyeom wasn’t just human will—it was the power that appeared the moment will transcended even itself to reach the very core of the world.
So he believed.
He believed that the limits the system had set here would shatter like glass.
And he wasn’t wrong.
PUCK!
‘???’
‘Hoo… insane…’
‘What the hell is this???’
The fight was over.
In the space of a single breath, everything was decided.
Jin’s sword had pierced straight through Ariandel’s heart.