First Round Mercy
‘Begli!’
The first opponent to lock eyes with me sent a blazing gaze full of fighting spirit. As a member of the king mantis clan, she was one of the top trainees here. She was also a friend with strong pride in herself.
‘Too bad.’
With her unshakeable confidence, her eyes burned with the determination to defeat me no matter what. But was that even possible?
Honestly, there was no one here who could match me. If I had to pick, maybe Ruslan and Robed? Even then, if I used ether, I was confident I could beat both easily.
As long as nothing unexpected happened, the grand prize elixir was mine.
‘Still, I can’t just crush a young sprout mercilessly, so I’ll have to soften the blow as much as possible.’
It was the utmost consideration I could offer. While others were racking their brains on how to win, I was pondering how to minimize the shock to my opponent.
“Aleck! I got a bye in the first round!”
Kind came running over with a huge grin. He’d drawn number 31, snagging the first bye for Team 2.
‘Even lucky?’
But I couldn’t help chuckling. Number 29 had the name of one of the top contenders: Robed.
If Robed advanced to the round of 16, Kind would face her next.
“Gah! Oh no……”
Kind finally noticed, clutching his head in both hands.
I let out a soft laugh. Watching Kind always brought a smile—he was always a little clumsy in one way or another.
“Alright, let the matches begin. Team 1, numbers 1 and 2 first, then proceed in order.”
With Norton’s words, the tournament kicked off.
The first match pitted Bana of the broad mantis clan against Leto of the antler mantis clan. It was a close fight.
But what shocked the trainees even more was something else.
“Whoa…… Is that really Bana and Leto?”
“Their movements are twice as fast as a month ago.”
“Their strength looks way up too.”
Yesterday, when they first removed their iron weights and warmed up, they’d felt their physical abilities had improved dramatically. But they hadn’t fully grasped the extent while adapting to their changed bodies.
Now, watching the two clash, they truly realized just how much stronger they’d become.
It was explosive growth, to say the least.
“Leto wins!”
The first victory went to Leto of the antler mantis clan. The trainees applauded in congratulations and encouragement.
Each match averaged under five minutes.
Soon, it was Ruslan’s turn, the last of Team 1.
“Ruslan!”
“Whoa.”
As he stood, an overwhelming aura poured from him, leaving them breathless. Everyone’s physical abilities had risen from Norton’s training, but not by the same margin.
Some had improved far more than others—like Ruslan.
“Ruslan versus Geri, prepare for your match.”
Geri, from the king mantis clan, stood before Ruslan. I watched their standoff with interest. Geri had the sturdy build befitting a king mantis, nearly matching Ruslan’s robust frame.
But—
Boom!
The match started with a thunderous crash, and Geri flew backward.
“What the—?!”
“Insane……!”
The trainees shot to their feet, cries of shock escaping their lips. Geri was out in one blow.
‘He was already a monster physically, and now he’s even more of one.’
I was impressed inwardly. Ruslan’s physique was the real deal. Over the past month, he’d grown beyond my expectations.
‘As expected of the shield clan.’
The potential of the upper clans was no joke. It made me think again: without my Limit Break (S) trait in my previous life, I never would’ve become the strongest mantis.
‘If the shield clan is this much, then the Megaera clan……’
I licked my lips looking at my status window: ‘Megaera Mantis (EX, Awakening)’. No idea when it would fully awaken, but once it did……!
Anyway.
With Ruslan’s shocking performance, Team 1’s matches ended. Now it was Team 2’s turn.
The first match for Team 2 ended after a grueling ten-minute battle, crowning their first winner.
The next was mine.
“Aleck versus Begli, prepare for your match.”
I rose at Bardwin’s call.
“Ooh!”
“Aleck versus Begli……”
The trainees watched us eagerly. Begli had secured her top spot with her innate divine strength and battle sense.
‘Same here, though.’
From the survival exam to every training session, I’d shown astonishing feats—even taking down senior Motenson in one move. That put me firmly in the top tier, no question.
‘But…… being from the lesser mantis clan, won’t his limits start showing?’
‘Probably. Those who shine early and fade are always from the lower clans.’
‘Still, better not judge too soon. Let’s watch a bit more.’
The label of lesser mantis clan always trailed me. Even if they thought I’d win, they couldn’t be sure—because of that.
“Match start!”
With Bardwin’s signal, our match began.
Begli didn’t let her guard down like Motenson had. Like a seasoned hunter, she approached cautiously, warily, without openings.
Physically, she had the edge—clear to anyone. She just had to watch for my speed and counters, and victory was hers. Her confidence showed.
‘Her fundamentals are solid.’
Mindset sharp, stance stable. As a king mantis from the top clan, her bones and muscles were excellent. If she kept growing steadily, she’d likely reach Complete Body.
I let my sword hang low. When she entered range, I casually sidestepped right.
She mirrored me exactly, refusing to give an inch.
The crowd held their breath, eyes glued to us.
‘Truth is, I could take her down in an instant if I wanted.’
No need for ether. I remembered all the techniques I’d honed at the peak of the Abian Continent.
Even in this crude body, a glimpse of those skills would shatter her balance and pin her—like a water strider skimming the surface.
‘But that might traumatize her too much.’
By my standards, Begli was a fine young warrior. I didn’t want to crush her spirit.
“Hoo.”
The standoff dragged on until Begli couldn’t take it and moved first.
‘Her patience reached its limit.’
Not bad. She’d resisted my deliberate feints for a good while. Eventually she bit, but it was still impressive.
‘But charging into my range like that? Reckless.’
Her light probing thrust met my counter-thrust.
“……!”
She hadn’t expected me—clearly weaker—to meet her blade head-on. Her eyes widened slightly.
But she gritted her teeth harder, pouring more power into her strike. No way she’d lose in raw strength.
And she wouldn’t.
‘But I didn’t thrust for a strength contest.’
I smirked and flicked my wrist.
No ether. It strained the body too much to use often, and against Begli—not even Ruslan—it’d be unfair.
Instead, my blade tip wobbled and split at the wrist’s motion.
Shhh!
The bifurcated blade slithered along hers like serpents climbing, twisting and turning.
“What……!”
Before she could finish her startled cry, my blade rode hers to slap the back of her sword hand.
“Kuh!”
Pain exploded from her lips. I’d targeted a pressure point—far worse than a simple hit.
Yet she didn’t drop her sword. Impressive.
“Not bad!”
I praised her briefly and whipped my sword upward.
She hadn’t expected an upward thrust from her forward-leaning stab. Panic flashed as she twisted away.
But—
Thud!
“Kyaa—!”
The blunt tip struck her solar plexus. She screamed and toppled backward.
Lucky it was a training blade. In real combat, it would’ve pierced clean through.
“Kuh…… I…… lost.”
She admitted defeat through gritted teeth.
I offered my hand. She bit her lip but took it, standing.
“Your technique’s on another level. But I won’t fall for the same trick twice.”
Her eyes still burned undimmed. I smiled back.
Exactly as I’d hoped.
‘What matters is an unbroken spirit.’
With her fight intact, she’d train harder and grow as I wanted.
“Team 2, Match 2: Aleck wins!”
Bardwin declared my victory.
“Woooah—!”
“Beating Begli that easily……”
“Fine, I admit it. Aleck’s in the Ruslan-Robed-Theo tier.”
“Whether you admit it or not, he was always top-tier there.”
The trainees whistled and cheered. The lesser mantis stigma seemed to peel away another layer.
“As expected of Aleck.”
Robed propped her chin on one hand, grinning.
Ruslan nodded, having expected my win.
“Kuhaha, that kid went easy on her on purpose.”
“Huh?”
Bardwin stared, confused by Norton’s words.
“He could’ve crushed her from the start but didn’t. Gave Begli openings deliberately.”
“Why bother?”
“Consideration for the kid. A shocking loss can leave scars on someone still growing.”
“Ah……!”
Bardwin saw me anew. What kind of margin allowed such mercy? Margin came from skill.
He’d pegged Ruslan for winner, but now Aleck felt like a contender.
“Kuhuhu, what a fun guy.”
Norton grinned, thoroughly pleased. Talent, skill, character—all passed for his disciple. His eyes sparkled like a boy in love.
“Let’s proceed to the next match.”
“Yeah, gotta hustle to semis today.”
Bardwin bowed to Norton and continued.
Matches flew by. Kind, after his bye, faced Robed next—and suffered a crushing defeat.
Skill gap aside, his crush froze him up.
‘Sigh.’
I shook my head at the sight. Told him to just think of her as a guy, but easier said than done.
“Robed wins! Robed advances to round of 8.”
I followed with an easy win to the round of 8.
Then the round of 8 wrapped quickly.
Semifinalists: Team 1 Ruslan VS Theo; Team 2 Aleck VS Robed.
‘Versus Robed…… This’ll be fun.’
I met her beaming gaze and smiled back.