Gregorian Empire, Port City of Cartag
Provincial Amphitheater
Announcer:—"Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to witness a once-in-a-lifetime battle…Lucius Cortéz, the Golden Eagle of the Spark Legion…versus Franklin Michelli, the ruthless King of Mercenaries…Only one will advance to the final!"
Silence fell. The entire amphitheater held its breath.
Then, emerging from the iron gates, came the Empire's young pride.
His armor—trimmed with gold and adorned with crimson ornaments—gleamed beneath the midday sun. His presence radiated the hardened experience of the western frontlines. A captain of the Legion, he strode toward the black stone platform.
The moment he drew his gladius in a gesture of conquest, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
Lucius smiled arrogantly as he looked at Frank—dressed as always, carrying himself as always—and spoke with a sharp, mocking tone.
Lucius Cortéz:—"Try to endure my attacks, if you can."(To hell with it. I'll finish this filthy bastard.)
Answering with a strained smile, the mercenary king replied:
Franklin Michelli:—"Hahaha… and you, try not to die."(This guy… something about him feels wrong.)
Announcer:—"Are both combatants ready? Then—let the match begin!"
The tension was palpable in every corner of the amphitheater. Even Prince Alex had ordered the priests to remain alert, ready to reinforce the runic sealing barrier.
And then—the monsters collided.
The arena cracked under the force of their impact. Priests and mages alike broke into cold sweat as they felt, up close, the sheer power of the clash.
Frank noticed the subtle difference in Lucius's aura during their first exchange of weapons.
"This bastard… he's not planning to make this the exhibition match it was supposed to be…"
Frank steadied his breathing and tightened his grip on his spiked mace. Lucius, in contrast, shifted into an aggressive stance.
Both were preparing to unleash their techniques—yet Lucius frowned inwardly.
"What's wrong with this idiot? He's supposed to let himself be humiliated."
Lucius charged, imbuing his sword with aura. Frank answered in kind, releasing his own aura into the mace.
Their second collision nearly shattered the sealing barrier. Priests spat blood. Mages nearly collapsed from the shock alone—just from the impact of a mace against a sword.
The duel showed no sign of slowing—until Frank made a decision.
"To hell with the ten thousand gold… I'm not letting this trash humiliate me."
***
Inside the Coliseum
I watched intently from a corridor—the duel that would decide my final opponent.
Lucius was lean but clearly athletic, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a neatly kept blond beard. He wore a military uniform, favoring a sword as his primary weapon.
What caught my attention, though, was the uniform itself—it was unmistakably a fusion of Roman and Spartan design. A Greek aesthetic… just with a lot more gold. Unfortunately, his level was unreadable to me.
As for Frank—my former boss—he wore armor made from monster hide, taken from a Leopard Bear he had slain during the preliminaries. His weapon of choice was a heavy spiked mace.
The moment the duel began—
Those two made contact.
Their clashes shook the entire coliseum.
This was a battle between two extremely powerful NPCs.
Lucius was using what I recognized as an aura-blade technique—a concept I had read about thousands of times. Aura condensed and channeled directly into the steel of the blade.
According to martial arts novels, that energy originates from the lower core, located near the navel—commonly referred to as the lower dantian.
The fact that these concepts were being applied inside this game was honestly incredible.
That's when a question hit me, and I asked Quincy.
—"Quincy—aside from the leveling system, what exactly is the power system in this game?"
[Excellent question, Master. I cannot explain every NPC power system in exhaustive detail… but I can summarize it in four words for a Player: Energy, Titles, Skills, and Achievements. ʕ°👅°ʔ]
—"Can you break those down?"
[Energy: the primary power source used by most NPCs on this continent is known as Mana. It fuels both magical and combat-based abilities. 💪(🔥ₒ🔥҂)]
—"I know that. That's basic game stuff."(I'd also noticed that depending on the NPC's importance, the stat name itself changes—easy to deduce from Aphrodite's status window.)
[Master, allow me to clarify—mana usage is not controlled by the system itself, but by the user. ☜(⚈ₒ⚈)]
[Meaning the ability to manipulate energy rests entirely in the hands of the Player or NPC. (⊙₃⊙)👌]
—"Okay. What about the other three?"
[Titles, as you know, grant specific functions, effects, or unique abilities. They can also be transferred—though their quality degrades in the process. Your own title effect, "Supremacy," from Successor of the Supreme Entity, is the clearest example. (─͟ʖ─)]
—"Right… I still haven't actually experienced that effect."
[As for skills, they are divided into Passive, Active, and Basic categories. (≧ᵔᴗᵔ≦)]
—"Aren't there unique skills?"
[No, Master. According to my database, all skills can be learned or created. (✿👁₃👁)]
—"So, for example—could I use sword techniques without ever practicing with a sword?"
[No, Master. No skill can be acquired without fulfilling specific requirements. (❛₃❛)✌]
—"Like what?"
[Physical stats, energy stats, or highly developed basic skills. The only exceptions would be hidden classes or special quest rewards. ⊂(>ᴥ<)⊃]
—"So basically… I'm already qualified to learn almost anything?"
[Correct. Would you like me to continue with Achievements? (ง>ᴗ<)ง]
—"No, thanks. That was already a lot to process."
[Remember, I am always at your disposal. (◉ᴗ◉)]
—"…."
I returned my focus to the battle.
Lucius fought with elegant techniques, executing each strike with extreme precision. His overwhelming aura amplified the destructive power of his swordplay, cracking large portions of the arena walls.
(Are they trying to kill civilians or what?)
Frank, meanwhile, seemed to be using something akin to a combustion technique—burning mana directly to gain explosive power. His attacks shook the arena violently.
At first glance, Lucius clearly held the advantage. Despite the sword's shorter reach, it allowed him to dictate the flow of the fight.
Or so I thought.
Then Frank began using aura.
That made no sense.
Frank was using combustion and aura simultaneously—something that should've been impossible. I had read and translated way too many martial arts novels back in college to miss that.
By their own principles, those techniques were nearly opposites.
Yet it worked.
And it was insane—in the best possible way.
When I observed more closely, I realized the truth.
Frank wasn't just using aura—he was using a martial art.
More specifically, a body-strengthening martial art—a technique that reinforces the body by circulating internal energy.
Frank was blending Western combat techniques with Eastern martial principles.
All I could think was:
"What the hell were the writers and programmers smoking?This is so unhinged… that it actually works."
Once he activated it, Frank seized the advantage almost immediately.
The crowd went wild at the display of sheer power.
The fight remained evenly matched for a time—but the scales ultimately tipped in Frank's favor due to his superior techniques.
It was a battle worthy of two superhumans.
In the end, Frank spared Lucius's life.
After a brief silence, the announcer's voice rang out once more.
Announcer:—"A battle worthy of two titans…The victor—and finalist of the Glasthor Tournament—is…the Mercenary King!"