The dorm room was unusually quiet.
Harry had already settled into bed, his soft breathing filling the silence while Euris sat on the edge of his own mattress. The springs creaked beneath him as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.
His thoughts drifted back to the fight with Terry.
The victory should have felt satisfying.
Instead, all he could think about was the notification waiting for him.
"Status window."
The familiar blue screen shimmered into existence before his eyes.
Another thought brought him to the page he wanted.
Martial Skills
His eyes slowly scanned over the three familiar branches.
Attack
Defense
Traversal
He still had one unspent Martial Skill Point.
The first thing he did was open the Defense tree. His newly acquired Parry skill glowed faintly, indicating it had already been learned.
Beneath it sat several locked abilities.
Counter Guard — 3 Skill Points Required
Iron Defense — 5 Skill Points Required
Weapon Reflection — 8 Skill Points Required
"...Way out of my budget."
He closed the menu.
"So Defense is out."
That left two choices.
Attack.
Traversal.
He opened Attack first.
Only one skill was available.
Blind Strike
Spend 1 ENG.
Instantly attack an opponent's blind spot.
Deals 150% damage.
Only effective against opponents within two levels of the user.
"Hm..."
That sounded powerful.
Very powerful.
If he landed the attack.
He switched to Traversal.
Dash
Spend 1 ENG.
Increase movement speed by 25% for one minute.
He stared at both descriptions for nearly a full minute.
Attack meant ending fights faster.
Traversal meant surviving them.
"Which one..."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"If only something could tell me which would be better."
The robotic voice answered almost instantly.
"Situation Analysis available."
Euris nearly jumped.
"...Wait."
A new button appeared.
Begin Analysis?
His eyes widened.
"You could do that this whole time?"
Without another thought he pressed Yes.
Running combat simulations...
Collecting combat data...
Analyzing previous encounters...
A percentage slowly climbed.
10%.
28%.
43%.
67%.
91%.
100%.
Analysis Complete
Current Recommendation: Dash
Reason:
• Current STR sufficient against equal opponents.
• SPD below academy average.
• Increased survivability estimated at 37%.
• Future synergy with Parry: High.
• Future synergy with Mimicry: Very High.
Euris couldn't help smiling.
"So you actually explain your reasoning."
That made him trust the recommendation much more.
"Acquire Dash."
The screen flashed.
Traversal Skill Acquired
Dash Lv.1
He flexed his fingers.
"I'll test it tomorrow."
Satisfied, he dismissed the window.
His energy wasn't completely full yet, so he wrapped the charging cable around his palm and leaned against the wall near the outlet.
The familiar warmth spread through his arm.
Unlike eating, charging felt...clean.
It wasn't just restoring energy.
It relaxed every muscle in his body.
By the time his ENG reached maximum, his eyelids had already begun to droop.
He unplugged himself, crawled beneath the blanket, and was asleep within minutes.
Morning arrived much too quickly.
The alarm on his academy watch buzzed loudly.
Euris groaned, stretched, showered, put on his uniform, and topped off his energy one last time before leaving the dorm.
As always, Harry was already waiting in the breakfast line.
"Morning."
Harry smiled.
"Morning."
The two grabbed their trays and sat at their usual table.
Harry immediately noticed something different.
"You're way more excited than usual."
"Huh?"
"You've been smiling all morning."
Euris laughed.
"Have I?"
"A little."
Harry pointed his fork toward him.
"You actually like this tournament, don't you?"
"I think I do."
Euris looked down at his hands.
"The training...the fights...every battle teaches me something."
Harry nodded enthusiastically.
"Maybe you'll end up joining the Arcane Combat League one day."
Euris nearly choked on his drink.
"Me?"
"Why not?"
"I'm Level One."
"No talent."
"No element."
"I'd get laughed out of every agency in the country."
Harry shook his head.
"Maybe right now."
"But I've heard stories."
"People are talking."
Euris blinked.
"...Talking?"
"They keep mentioning the guy with no talent who's somehow winning matches."
Euris scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"They're probably exaggerating."
"They also say you're partnered with Konner Gryff."
"...That part's true."
Harry laughed.
"See? Maybe people already know who you are."
Euris smiled faintly.
"Konner's the one people care about."
"He'll probably have agencies fighting over him after graduation."
Harry couldn't argue with that.
Konner was simply built differently.
The breakfast bell ended their conversation.
Euris stood.
"I'll see you at lunch."
Harry waved.
"Good luck."
"You too."
Combat Class.
When Euris entered, only a handful of students had arrived.
Konner was already there.
Of course he was.
The giant warhammer slammed into the training floor over and over.
Each impact shook the room.
Euris walked over while stretching his shoulders.
"So...how are you today?"
Konner didn't stop swinging.
"Fine."
"You?"
"I'm great."
Konner finally rested the hammer against his shoulder.
"You seem excited."
"I am."
"Don't let excitement cloud your judgment."
Euris grinned.
"I won't."
Inside, however, he couldn't help thinking differently.
I've won every fight so far.
Maybe I'm finally catching up.
The bell rang.
Silas wandered into the arena while yawning.
Without any introduction he simply raised one hand.
"Next matches."
Students immediately began moving toward their assigned entrances.
Euris and Konner took their positions.
Across the arena stood today's opponents.
Unlike the previous teams, these students looked...wealthier.
Their armor was polished.
Their weapons were clearly expensive.
Even their uniforms looked custom-made.
One of them stepped forward.
He wielded a sleek metal spear with engraved runes glowing faintly along the shaft.
Euris immediately understood.
Actual quality equipment.
The horn sounded.
"BEGIN!"
Konner vanished before the echo had faded.
Euris focused completely on his own opponent.
The spearman moved first.
So did Euris.
His staff shot forward using the footwork copied from the short sword user.
The attack targeted an opening near the opponent's shoulder.
The spearman reacted instantly.
CLANG!
The spear swept the staff aside with effortless precision.
"...!"
Euris's balance broke.
The opening he'd tried to exploit became his own.
A fist rocketed toward him.
"PARRY!"
His body moved automatically.
Steel collided.
Even after redirecting the punch, the impact launched him backward several feet.
Parry Activated
HP -1
9/10 HP
He planted his staff into the ground to stop himself.
Before he could recover—
A kick slammed into his ribs.
CRACK.
Pain exploded across his side.
HP -3
6/10 HP
"Damn..."
The spearman didn't slow down.
Another barrage was already coming.
Euris tried stepping back.
Too slow.
His new Speed stat wasn't enough.
His thoughts raced.
Parry won't save me forever.
I need something else.
Then he remembered.
Dash.
"...Here goes."
"Dash."
Nothing happened.
"...Again."
"Dash."
The speed increased slightly.
He understood immediately.
"It stacks?"
His opponent kept charging.
Euris clenched his teeth.
"Dash."
"Dash."
"Dash."
Every point of energy disappeared.
WARNING
ENG: 0/5
Emergency reserves exhausted.
Overclock initiated.
Movement Speed Increased: 125%
Warning: Body integrity insufficient. Muscular damage expected.
Everything changed.
The world slowed.
Not literally.
His brain simply processed everything faster.
He could see every movement.
Every shift in weight.
Every twitch of muscle.
The incoming spear felt almost predictable.
Euris stepped aside.
Barely.
The spear missed.
The opponent's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Euris didn't answer.
He couldn't.
His muscles screamed every time they moved.
It felt like his legs were tearing themselves apart.
But he ignored it.
He struck once.
CRACK.
Twice.
THUD.
Three times.
The spearman stumbled.
Euris pressed forward.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The barrage never stopped.
The expensive armor absorbed part of the damage, but not enough.
One final swing crashed into the side of the opponent's head.
CRUNCH.
The spearman collapsed face-first into the arena floor.
Silence.
Then—
Enemy Defeated
50 XP Awarded
Significantly Stronger Opponent Defeated
Bonus XP: 100
Current XP: 215/250
"I... did it..."
Euris smiled weakly.
His victory lasted exactly one second.
The pain he had ignored returned all at once.
His muscles locked.
His vision blurred.
The arena spun violently around him.
The system spoke one final time.
Warning. Severe muscular overload detected.
Emergency shutdown recommended.
"...Shutdown...?"
Everything went black.
The last thing Euris heard before hitting the ground was Harry's voice echoing faintly in his memory.
"Don't overdo it."
Then consciousness disappeared.