"It is an honor to receive a citation from Earl Ashur, lord of Patrian and a Great Magician of the continent," Instructor Kesle said, his voice dropping to a tone of profound gravity.
He held the document as if it were made of thin glass. "It is an heirloom that can be passed on to your descendants. Treat it with the respect it deserves, Cadet Arthur."
Arthur nodded, his expression one of humble gratitude, though his mind was racing through the tactical implications.
He shook Kesle's hand—a firm, soldier's grip—and turned to bid farewell to the 712th Reserve Unit. The commoners, who only hours ago were strangers, now looked at him with a mixture of reverence and hope.
However, as Arthur stepped toward the barrack's iron-wrought gates, the atmosphere chilled. The rowdy cheers of the cadets died in their throats.
A man blocked the exit. He was a mountain of steel, clad in heavy, midnight-blue plate armor etched with the sigils of the Earl's household.
This was no mere instructor; this was a seasoned killer. The knight's visor was up, revealing a face scarred by wind and war.
"Greetings," the knight said, his voice like grinding stones. "My name is Rush, a knight under the banner of Earl Ashur. I was instructed by the Lord himself to test your skills in combat, Sir Arthur."
The use of the title "Sir" was not lost on the crowd. Rush was acknowledging Arthur not as a cadet, but as a combatant worthy of a knight's challenge. Arthur felt a familiar surge of adrenaline.
In Satisfy, when a Great Magician takes interest in a Level 10 player, it usually means a life-or-death trial or a path to ultimate power.
[The Great Magician Ashur's Test is occurring!]
[Sparring mode is activated!]
[Hidden Quest: 'Great Magician Ashur's Test]
* Difficulty: A+
* Description: The Great Magician of the Eternal Kingdom, Ashur, wants to assess your skills. Do your best to get a good evaluation.
* Clear Condition: Last one minute in the spar. It is considered an elimination when your health enters the red zone.
* Rewards:
* Survival < 10s: No rewards.
* Survival > 10s: Acquisition of a 'Random Spellbook'.
* Survival > 30s: Acquisition of 'Ashur's Favor'.
Arthur smiled. The quest said "last one minute," but Arthur knew the hidden logic of the game. Lasting was for the weak. Winning was for those who intended to rewrite the records.
As they walked back to the central training ring, Arthur reached into his inventory. A hum of magical energy vibrated through the air as he manifested a new weapon.
It was a bow carved from the heartwood of a World Tree sapling, wrapped in silver wire that seemed to pulse with the rhythm of the wind.
[Prodigy Bow]
* Rating: Unique
* Durability: 600/600
* Attack Power: 510 ~ 770
* Effects: * 15% bonus wind attribute damage.
* Focus Fire: Increase damage by 10% up to 100% when holding an arrow (5-10 seconds).
* Attack speed +5%, Hit rate +10%.
* Bow Mastery +4.
* Passive Generated: [Magic Arrow] (Applies Magic Power to physical projectiles).
* Conditions: Arthur; Archer with Intermediate Bow Mastery.
The spectators gasped. A Unique-rated item was a rarity that most players wouldn't see for dozens of levels.
Rush's eyes narrowed as he drew his heavy claymore. He recognized the weapon for what it was: a threat.
Kesle stood between them, his hand raised. "This is a spar to the 'Red Zone'. No intentional killing blows. Both sides, are you ready?"
Arthur notched a practice arrow, his fingers light on the string. Rush entered a defensive stance, his shield raised high.
"Begin!"
Arthur didn't wait. He didn't circle. He unleashed [Heavy Shot] instantly.
Rush, confident in his Level 100+ stats, swung his claymore to deflect the projectile. He expected the wooden arrow to shatter against his steel. He was wrong.
BOOM.
Upon contact, the arrow exploded with a concentrated burst of wind. The [Magic Arrow] passive had converted Arthur's hidden mana potential into raw kinetic force.
The wind pressure acted as a secondary thruster, slamming the arrow into the blade with the force of a battering ram.
[Critical Hit!]
[Due to the level gap being over 100, damage is decreased by 50%]
[You have dealt 4,372 damage.]
Rush gasped as his boots furrowed two deep trenches in the dirt. He had been pushed back five meters by a single shot from a "cadet."
His pride flared. Gritting his teeth, he activated a [Charge] skill, his body becoming a blur of blue steel as he closed the distance.
Arthur didn't panic. He saw the charge coming through his [Insight]. Instead of retreating, he stood his ground and began to draw his bowstring back to its absolute limit.
One second... three seconds... five...
Rush was halfway across the ring, his sword glowing with the light of a finishing strike.
Eight seconds... ten seconds.
The [Prodigy Bow] began to glow with a violent, emerald light. Arthur's eyes locked onto Rush's chest plate. He didn't just fire; he unleashed a catastrophe.
"[Gale Arrow]!"
The arrow didn't fly; it vanished. It broke the sound barrier, creating a localized sonic boom that knocked the nearest cadets off their feet. The projectile, wreathed in a screaming cyclone, struck Rush mid-charge.
[Critical Hit!]
[Critical Hit!]
[Due to the level gap being over 100, damage is decreased by 50%]
[You have dealt 12,890 damage.]
[You have dealt 8,760 damage.]
The impact was absolute. Rush's charge was not just stopped; it was reversed. He was launched backward like a stone from a catapult.
His heavy armor crumpled at the point of impact. He flew across the arena, sailed over the boundary rope, and slammed into the stone wall of the barracks with a sickening thud.
The wall cracked. Rush slumped to the ground, unconscious, his health bar plunging instantly into the deep red.
The silence that followed was deafening. Even the wind seemed to stop. Kesle looked at the crater in the wall, then at Arthur, who was calmly unstringing his bow.
"Due to knockout and ring-out...!" Kesle's voice cracked before he found his strength. "The winner is Arthur!"
The barracks exploded. The 712th Reserve Unit went feral. They didn't just cheer; they roared Arthur's name until the very foundations of the fortress shook.
"ARTHUR! ARTHUR! ARTHUR!"
[You have cleared the hidden quest 'Great Magician Ashur's Test'!]
[Remarkable Achievement: Beating an opponent with a 100-level gap!]
[All skills have increased by 5 levels!]
[You have gained the 4 Basic Elemental Magic spells.]
[Earl Ashur is greatly interested in you. Favorability has increased significantly.]
[The title 'Limit Breaker' is received.]
* Stats: All stats +20.
* Passive: Increase physical/magic damage by 10%.
* Hidden Effect: When facing an opponent 10+ levels higher, the level-gap penalty is reduced by 50%.
Arthur looked up at the high balcony of the Earl's manor. There, standing amidst the shadows of the stone pillars, were two figures.
Earl Ashur, the man who held the fate of the frontier in his hands, was leaning against the railing. Beside him stood his wife, a woman of ethereal beauty and sharp intellect. They had watched the entire display.
"It seems a genius has landed in Patrian," Ashur murmured, his eyes fixed on Arthur. "What do you say, my dear wife? Shouldn't we introduce ourselves to him? A man who can fell a knight at his level... he is either a god in disguise or the future of this Kingdom."
His wife smiled, her eyes reflecting the setting sun. "Indeed. He is already a hero to the citizens. His character seems tempered by the discipline of the barracks, unlike the chaotic 'adventurers' who usually wander through our gates. If we do not claim him, the Saharan Empire surely will."
Ashur nodded, a plan already forming in his mind. He didn't see a cadet anymore. He saw the spear that would pierce the Gauss Kingdom. He saw the shield that would protect his legacy.
"Let us go down," Ashur said. "It is time the Lord of Patrian welcomes his most promising adventurer."
Arthur stood in the center of the cheering crowd, the system notifications still flickering before his eyes. He knew this was the moment the "Tutorial" ended. He wasn't just playing Satisfy anymore. He was leading it.