Tutorial (3): The Expert's Unbroken Circle
"The test content is simple enough."
Philip said that as he drew a circular line around himself with his sword. It was a narrow circle—so tight that even a single step in place would cross the line. While the training hall's players watched with puzzled gazes, Philip calmly raised his sword.
"Without using aura, I won't step a single foot out of this circle. Gang up on me, use any trick you want—it doesn't matter. Succeed in pushing me even slightly outside, and that's it."
Tutorial - Job Change Quest
Warrior Aspirant - 3
Quest Content: The Sword Tower's swordsman and warrior training instructor Philip is testing the trainees. Prove yourself and seize the opportunity!
Push the training instructor Philip out of the circle.
📍 Success: Job change to Warrior, massive EXP, Sword Tower recommendation letter, ???
📍 Failure: Job change to Warrior, small EXP, ???
Confirming it, the players' eyes began to sparkle. Training hall completion? Meager rewards? None of that registered. What mattered was the recommendation letter for the Sword Tower.
It was already famous knowledge that simply entering the Sword Tower granted achievements, titles, and even hidden classes. A handful of rankers affiliated with the Sword Tower had revealed it themselves, so every warrior player knew.
The founding Sword Tower Lord who built it—the greatest swordsman in history, the previous Sword Saint—had personally devised epic-grade training sword arts that could be learned there. In short, it meant a smooth path ahead in one's gaming life.
With over five billion players enjoying the game, and rankers casually earning billions in annual salary the moment they rose to the top. In such an era, affiliating with the Sword Tower meant instant recognition as a ranker candidate—and rocketing to stardom.
A chance that might even reverse one's life! And the conditions didn't seem too harsh. They already knew the instructor was a ranker-level monster, an Expert swordsman.
But it wasn't about winning outright, right? Just make him move a little. Overwhelm with numbers—even an Expert couldn't handle that. Plus, he'd promised no aura, and the guy had a limp. A slight shove should topple his balance easily...
Such thoughts flashed through multiple players' minds at once.
"Let's plan a strategy first."
Not everyone thought that way, of course. These were players who knew about instructor Philip's test from the start. Aspiring rankers who'd chosen Dakein Territory as their starting point specifically for the Sword Tower recommendation in the extra quest rewards.
They knew this test wasn't as easy as it looked—they had some inkling of an Expert's terror.
"This test will be tougher than it seems. No chance going solo. Ganging up is basic. It's not like the recommendation goes to just one person—why compete?"
Everyone agreed with the player. Soon, they huddled together to devise a plan. Well, newbies brainstorming didn't yield anything brilliant. At best, surround and rush together, or practice a few combos.
Meanwhile.
As the players united, Yuri lounged apart from the group. Spotting her, an aspiring ranker player shouted.
"Hey, you! Come join the strategy session. We need to team up here. No way solo."
"No, I'll go alone. You guys first."
Her immediate refusal flustered him, but Yuri didn't budge. He grumbled under his breath.
"What's with the show-off? Just 'cause she took down that scarecrow easily..."
"Skip her, then. If we pass, she's the only loser... Can't get the rec solo anyway. Just make sure she doesn't interfere later."
The aspiring ranker eyed Yuri regretfully. She seemed skilled from the scarecrow fight—would've been helpful. Probably overconfident in her talent, thinking she could solo it.
Like, I've got some gift, so it'll work out alone, right?
Soon enough.
Once prepared, the players encircled the still Philip.
"Finally coming? Got bored waiting—nearly nodded off."
Keeping a gimpy guy standing too long? Philip muttered with a grin. The instant he did—
- Thud thud thud!
Four players surrounding him kicked off the ground first. Philip glanced back. With his aura sense sealed by the rules, his rear was the biggest worry.
And that was their aim.
- Whoosh!
The approaching players secretly flung handfuls of sand from their grips.
'Any means allowed, right?'
He smirked inwardly. Vision meant little to a skilled swordsman—but only with aura. No aura, senses sealed? Even a top swordsman was helpless...
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the world flipped.
'Huh?'
No time to grasp what happened. Philip's sword subtly shifted, and somehow the close players flew far off. Even the sand scattered harmlessly in the natural sword wind.
Impossible without aura.
"Charge!"
The rest panicked but rushed Philip anyway. Front, back, left, right—over ten with real swords, their simultaneous assault looked imposing despite the clumsiness. Timings off, combos mismatched.
Still, the sword flash gleamed.
Watching from a step away, Yuri clearly saw the sword's motion. It traced elegant curves, precisely slicing gaps in the thrusting attacks. Invisible to them, the strikes deflected every blow, flat-slapping varied body parts until players tumbled rolling across the ground.
Less than five seconds.
A pathetically anticlimactic end.
'Well, about what I'd expect.'
Yuri nodded as if she'd foreseen it. An Expert swordsman was already superhuman, beyond human limits. Even sans aura, physical prowess was inhuman. Decades-honed talent made their swordplay near-divine.
Newbies who'd barely held a sword couldn't faze them, no matter the numbers.
'A few talents mixing in for a blind rush might budge one foot, though.'
Unfortunately, no real prospects here. Their best ploy? Sand.
"Hm."
Meanwhile, Philip turned to the lone Yuri, uninvolved.
"Won't you challenge me? Would've been better joining that gang-up."
She smiled back, drawing her sword. Sorry to the rolling players, but a Sword Saint ganging up on a fellow swordsman? Pride wouldn't allow it.
Besides, pranking a complacent junior was child's play—no gang-up needed.
Philip thought.
'Yuri, was it? That kid.'
A peculiar girl in a mask, barely over 150cm.
'From her scarecrow handling and steps, she's trained in swordsmanship... but physicals are plain human level.'
No training traces. Not a speck of aura in her body. No matter the skill, soloing this test with that strength? Impossible.
Absolutely. Even if positions reversed.
As Philip stared ahead confidently—
- Step.
The cat-masked girl approached with light steps. Blue hair like the night sky fluttering. Like a butterfly's wings, a child frolicking in fields, dandelion fluff swaying—infinitely soft smile and gait, utterly silent, ethereal...
Tap.
'...Hm?'
The light shoulder tap snapped Philip alert. Like waking from a long dream. No clue when she'd closed in—close enough for breath to touch, the masked blue-haired girl smiled faintly.
"I win, Instructor."
Understanding dawned briefly; disbelief froze his face as he stared.
......
His injured right foot had crossed the circle's boundary.