Just three hours after Art helped Helbert complete his upgrade, Wim finally received the device he had been waiting for.
A device that attaches to the top of his wrist, with several features he had personally desired. A weapon he once used at the beginning of the Victory Shard game.
Its name is 'Hidden'.
And this tool will be his primary weapon throughout his journey.
...
In the backyard of Helbert's hut, accompanied by the setting sun, Wim stood directly in front of several wooden training dummies, standing still, ready to be destroyed.
Wim: "Okay, now's the decisive moment."
He began tapping his finger on a small rune on the side of the Gauntlet.
Click...
Shrrrkkk... VMMM
From the top of the Gauntlet, two metal prongs extended, forming a structure resembling a magical bow.
Not only that, Wim was slightly surprised because he felt his Mana being absorbed into the tool itself.
Helbert, who was beside him, crossed his arms and began to speak.
Helbert: "Do you feel it, kid?" he said.
Helbert: "The Gauntlet you're wearing has a Mana conversion system that will absorb your Mana. Although this system is very difficult to create due to the lack of materials, but thanks to the blueprints of You're little light who helped me create this system," he said, pointing at Art.
Art himself was inspecting the Hidden to see how optimized it was, then his eyes lit up softly.
Art: "Optimization is perfect. Wim, time to test it out," he said.
Wim nodded.
He began aiming his Hidden at the Dummy, and a small magic arrow began to form between two metal prongs. It formed a bow and was nocked.
Fweeeeeet—TCHUNG!!
The magic arrow shot straight and struck the Dummy in the distance, exploding with a small spark of mana upon impact.
BOOM!!
Wim grinned at the sight.
Helbert: "Not bad. The accuracy is good. You can even spam that magic arrow as long as you have enough mana inside."
Next... Grapple Mode
Wim pressed another rune.
The side opened, and a small Grapple Hook imbued with a mana aura formed, like a spring-loaded bullet waiting to be fired.
CHK-KRAK!
Wim aimed at the dummy again.
SHOOOM—CRACK!
The rope shot out and stuck into the dummy...
The grapple clamped tightly onto the dummy. Without warning, Wim's body was pulled forward at high speed.
Wim: "Hey—Hey—Wait—WAAAH!!" He screamed as he was pulled forward.
BRUUUUK!
Wim hit the dummy so hard that the wood toppled over. He fell to the ground, leaning against the shattered debris. His hair was disheveled, and his chin hit the ground.
Wim: "...Ouch..."
Helbert and Art started walking toward Wim.
Art: "Wim!"
Helbert: "Hey kid, are you okay?"
Wim, hearing this, could only give a thumbs-up sign, as a sign that he was okay.
...
Finally... Sword Mode
Wim pulled the small lever on the side of the gauntlet.
ZzzzZT—SHING!
The bottom of the Gauntlet opened, revealing a metal handle. In an instant, a bright blue glowing magic sword erupted from the handle, resembling a lightsaber from an old movie Wim had seen in his previous life.
Wim: "Woah!"
Helbert: "Ready?" Helbert asked, raising his hand.
A small, red ball of magic formed from his hand, floating.
Helbert: "Final test. Cut this."
BOOOOOOMMM—WUSH!
The ball of magic hurtled toward Wim.
Wim, sensing the ball with his Mana Detection, began to prepare to slash it... then... He swung his sword.
SHING—ZZZZZT!!
The ball of magic split in two, then... disappeared. There was no explosion. No sparks. It was as if it had been turned off at the source.
Helbert paused for a moment.
Helbert: "...Okay. That's even neater than Sherman when he tested his own device."
Helbert approached and patted Wim on the shoulder.
Helbert: "How does it feel, kid?"
Wim smiled meaningfully.
Wim: "This... is the device I've been needing. Thank you very much, Mr. Helbert."
Helbert raised an eyebrow and grinned.
Helbert: "Relax. But remember the agreement," he said, waving his hand and finger at Wim and Art.
Art: "Yup. Take care of the house, look after the garden, don't touch any explosive devices."
Helbert: "Especially my collection of magic tools in the top drawer."
Wim: " Aye Sir," he replied with a laugh.
With that, Wim successfully completed his mission of unlocking the potential of the Mana Grapple, which was now 'Hidden'.
...
The next day, at noon,
The atmosphere at Unio Academy's training ground was filled with the roar and bustle of students. Self-defense training. The martial arts specialization class teaches techniques using various weapons: swords, sticks, axes, and more. Many students come from experienced military families, but many come simply to test their fighting skills.
The training field was spacious and filled with dummies, wooden weapon racks, and magic poles for mana reflection training.
In the center of the field stood a tall, burly man, with solid muscles bulging from beneath his battle coat. Vicious, the martial arts teacher at Unio Academy, was supervising almost every duel between the students.
Vicious: "Remember, you are protected by personal magic shields. There are no serious injuries, but the pain is still felt. Use this to hone your skills!" he shouted to the students practicing their duels.
The field was filled with the sounds of clashing metal, flying dust, and clashing magic. The students fought intently, but remained protected by a thin layer of personal magical shields cast by their instructors.
Vicious was smiled to see his students' tenacity in training.
However, from a distance, Vicious sensed something was amiss when he saw Bernard, a student from a noble Cryztolian family, taunting an opponent after winning a duel.
Vicious: "Bernard," he muttered softly.
He knew this would happen; an arrogant noble student would use this class as a tool to intimidate others. And that was clearly evident in Bernard.
Vicious felt a surge of anger within him, eager to correct Bernard's attitude. But unfortunately, he couldn't, as his noble status made him hesitate.
Then, his eyes glanced at someone who seemed to have no partner. He was just standing there.
Wim
He raised his hand, trying to offer himself. But the other students were reluctant to approach, perhaps because of his social status, or perhaps because of his somewhat mysterious, relaxed demeanor.
From there, Vicious approached him and asked:
Vicious: "Wim. Are you haven't found a partner yet? And also, where's your weapon?"
Wim began to show off his new device, The Hidden.
Wim: "I'm trying out my new device, but... no one's asked me yet..." he replied.
Vicious: "I see..." He mumbled, understanding.
Then, an idea popped into Vicious' head.
His eyes shifted to Bernard, then back to Wim, this time whispering to him.
Vicious: "Wim, I have an idea. How about we test your new device from the podium. Bernard will be your opponent?"
Wim: "Wait, are you seriously, sir?" Wim was a little surprised.
Vicious: "Teach Bernard a lesson. I'm sure you can do it. If you succeed, I'll give you extra points."
Then Wim nodded firmly.
Wim: "Okay, sir."
Vicious then shouted.
Vicious: "Bernard! Face Wim now on the podium!"
Bernard, still busy taunting, turned with an arrogant expression and a smile.
Then the two of them began to ascend the podium, while several students, slightly curious, watched them like a wave.
"Hey, that's Bernard from Cryztolia."
"Who's his opponent?"
"Wim? That ordinary kid?"
"Crazy... he's using a magic sword!"
In the middle of the crowd, Bernard, with his blond hair slicked back and the royal crest of Cryztolia on his chest, stood arrogantly. His body was straight, his posture confident, and his gaze condescending to anyone he considered beneath him.
Then he drew his sword. A long, slender weapon with gold engravings on the side of the blade—a noble's sword. He glared at Wim with disgust.
Bernard: "Hey, country bumpkin," he said loudly.
Bernard: "You'd better go home and drink your mother's milk before I teach you a lesson for looking down on nobles like us," he sneered arrogantly.
Bernard's supporters: "Show no mercy! Destroy him, Bernard!"
Wim, hearing this, felt hurt and annoyed by this NPC's behavior.
Wim: "Okay. He's already annoyed just by his mouth."
Art: "Should we beat him up, Wim?" he asked, hiding behind Wim's uniform.
Wim: "No need to ask, of course we'll beat him up."
Wim glanced at his right arm. He pressed the rune on the Hidden Tool.
SHHHKT!—FWHOOM!
A blade of bright blue energy shot out of the handle, forming a magical sword of light.
The crowd fell silent, except for gasps of amazement.
"What's that?"
"Is that a magic weapon?"
"But he said he can't do magic?"
Bernard was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his arrogance.
Bernard: "Tch. A commoner's toy."
From the edge of the arena, Vicious stood with his arms crossed, his eyes intently assessing his students' every move.
Vicious: "Simple rules. Whoever hits their opponent first wins."
Then with a deep voice...
Vicious: "Start!"
Bernard immediately sped off.
SCRAAKK!
His sword slashed towards Wim at a deadly angle, wanting to finish things off immediately.
Wim took a half step back, raised his magic sword, and...
KLANGG!
Blue energy and metal merged in the first impact.
Wim: "Crazy, that big mouth is so fast!" he thought as he sensed Bernard's speed.
Bernard didn't waste any time. He launched a barrage of brutal attacks, each swing filled with devastating intent.
Wim remained calm. His Mana Detection was active. He read Bernard's mana rising slightly to the left, pressure from his right foot, and then a swing from above.
CLANG!
TING!
WHOOSH!
Perfect deflection.
Some of the students present were slightly impressed by Wim's resilience, still able to withstand Bernard's brutal attacks.
"He can actually last that long!"
"Even I can't hold out if his attacks don't stop."
Meanwhile, Bernard was getting heated.
Bernard: "Shut up and fight me seriously, you coward!"
Wim: "Hey, I've been holding back this whole time, you big mouth!"
Bernard stepped back. His eyes narrowed. He began to chant magic.
Bernard: "Spike!"
A magic circle appeared in his palm, and a sharp earth spike emerged from his palm, shooting towards Wim.
TUG!
Wim, watching, tried a little experiment with his sword.
He flipped his sword, causing the back of the blade to strike the earthen spike.
TING! CRACK! ZUMP!
The spike bounced off, hitting the ground, and shattering on the spot. Several students gasped.
"He reflected the magic!"
"Unbelievable!"
Wim was equally shocked.
Wim: "Wow, so that Jedi technique works," he said to Art under his uniform.
Art: "Maybe the blade can be used to cut the flow of magic, but the back can reflect magic."
Bernard sneered when his earthen spike didn't work.
Then he rained down new spikes, and Wim ran straight, reflecting them all while closing the distance.
TING! TING! TING!
WHOOSH!
In an instant, he used Teleport.
BLIP!
Wim disappeared from Bernard's sight.
Bernard: "Where—?"
BLIP!
Wim appeared in front of Bernard, his magic sword blazing brightly!
CLANG!
They clashed, Bernard took a half step back, his breathing becoming labored. Wim pressed forward, attacking mercilessly.
Bernard: "Hah—hold this!" he shouted, slashing horizontally.
Wim jumped back, then...
BLIP!
Teleported again, this time behind Bernard.
Bernard: "...What?!"
SLASH!
Wim's magic blade struck the back of Bernard's armor just above the waist. Bernard's magic shield flashed red.
CRRAAKKK!
The sound of the magic system echoed across the field.
...
Silence.
The students stood speechless.
Vicious stepped to the podium. His eyes were sharp.
Vicious: "The winner is Wim."
Instantly, cheers erupted from the students.
"WOOOWWW, he won!"
"That was so cool!"
"You did it, Wim!"
Amidst the cheers, Bernard remained standing, but his face was pale, his eyes disbelieving.
Bernard: "No way..."
Then he clenched his jaw, turned, and left without a word. His followers also bowed.
Vicious could only watch as Bernard and his followers left in defeat.
Signifying the end of his arrogance.
Vicious: "Finally..." he muttered as he witnessed the crushing defeat for Bernard and his followers.
Meanwhile, from the second floor of the academy's main building, a girl stood looking up at the podium.
Louisa, with long, silver-white hair, had her hand on the glass.
She saw Wim laughing with his new friends, with Art floating like a close friend.
Her eyes softened a little
Louisa: "He looks like..."
But he didn't finish the sentence.
Because in his heart, slowly a question emerged
Louisa: "Who really is Wim?"