As she walked, her green hair flowed. With her green eyes, high cheekbones, sharp facial features, and crop-style outfit, her charm was on a whole other level. Her name was Amelia. Amelia was one of the most talented names of the younger generation. During the war, she killed hundreds of monsters. Throughout all this time, she showed no emotion. When I met her, I never thought I could value her so much.
The students of Oserisin lined up in front of us. They all had a harsh and dominant aura. They were all very strong, but only strong. They had very little experience. Defeating them would only be a little difficult, that's all. Today, I want to change everything. The only way to take advantage of many opportunities and advantages is to show my strength.
Zane stood in front of us and began to speak after examining everyone.
"Your opponents are the strongest of the first-year students. They are stronger than you, but don't let that scare you. Today, everyone will have a chance. If you win, you will get 5 points. Make good use of this opportunity. Alright, you will go out five at a time. The first group, get ready."
Everyone started discussing among themselves. Everyone was excited.
Points were necessary to advance to the upper class, and I needed them badly. I could only change things as long as I had a say in the matter. I decided to go out with the last group. They were all stronger than me, so I had to decide who to choose and plan the right strategy. The first group stepped forward. There was Michael and four others. Facing them were Max Corven, who would later be known as the Sword God, monster hunter Adam Smith, disaster witch Emma Ston, Shadow King Caster Easton, and Amelia. They had no chance.
Michael and his companions moved to five empty fields and began fighting with the people they had chosen.
Corven stood his ground. He separated his sword from its sheath and carefully placed it on the ground. It was clear he valued his sword. He repositioned himself and swung his sword at Michael, who was eight meters away. Michael gave him a dismissive look and didn't move, but that was a big mistake. Corven had infused his sword with mana. Since the mana was so subtle, Michael didn't notice it, and a second later, he was lying on the ground. The match was over. The others also lost without being able to do anything.
****
Finally, it was my turn. Even though only two people from my class put on a performance worth watching, they still couldn't win. They all lost decisively and unequivocally. They didn't stand a chance. Their opponents were supported by important people. That's why they had so many resources and advantages. I went to the nearest empty field and waited for the opponent we had chosen.
I chose Esteri, who was known as the saint of emptiness in the future. I met her during the war, and we won many battles together. We were together in every mission until she died. I know her very well, and she was one of the few people I could defeat at that moment. She was two ranks above me and was about to be promoted.
Rubies are different colored gems that appear on a person's forehead when they use mana.
Humans
Novice
1-Black
2-Red
3-Orange
4-Blue
5-White
Master
1-Black
2-Red
3-Orange
4-Blue
5-White
Transcendent
1-Red.
.
Immortal
1-Green.
.
.
Each ruby is a different color, and when the level increases, they all merge, and this repeats every time the level increases. The highest-known warrior among humans is immortal and has two rubies.
Ester had five fuel cells and was at the top of her game. Under normal circumstances, I couldn't beat her, but I knew her weakness.
Ester stood before me, greeted me, and took her place. Zane gave the signal, and the duel began.
I stood my ground and spread my mana as thin as a spider's thread across the entire field. Ester always uses her void ability to quickly eliminate weaker opponents. I closed my eyes and focused. Even though I knew her weakness, she was a tough opponent. I sent mana to my feet, spun 180 degrees, and clashed my sword with hers. Ester looked surprised but quickly regained her composure. She took a few steps back. There was a smile on her face.
"Not bad."
She started running to attack again, but I knew it was a feint. Ester teleported away, distracting her opponent's attention. Sorry, friend, you picked the wrong person. I sent most of my mana to my sword and the rest to my feet. I started running toward Ester. When there were only three steps between us, Ester disappeared again. I spun my entire body along with my sword and stopped the sword just an inch away from Ester's face as she emerged from the void. Ester looked at me and smiled.
"You're really not bad."
I looked at Ester, who had stopped her sword an inch from my chest.
"You're good too. Do you want to continue?"
I smiled at her.
"It would be a lot of fun to continue in this position."
Without moving again, Zane teleported next to us.
"ENOUGH, STOP! The match is a draw."
After Mr. Zane's words, the others looked at us. Many of them looked surprised. A few looked curious.
I drew my sword and put it back in its sheath. Ester smiled and did the same.
I heard applause and looked in the direction of the sound. Ms. Oseris was coming toward us, clapping.
"Haha, you really got a draw against someone from the top with two Yakuts. You're talented. Giving you 0 points would be ridiculous. If we give 5 points to the winner, I'll give you 3 points for the draw. I didn't pay much attention because I didn't expect a good performance from you, but you reacted as if you knew where Ester would appear even if she didn't mean anything. How did you do that?"
Ester and many students who heard her voice looked at me. Especially Ester examined me closely. I turned to Ms. Oserise and spoke.
Teacher Zane explained the game, saying we would have only one chance and that we could choose our opponent. I paid attention and watched everyone's matches to find a suitable opponent. Finally, while watching Ester's match, I memorized what I needed to do and her movement pattern, and except for the first move, I left the last one to chance.
Ester looked at me with a troubled expression.
"So my moves were very simple and easy to understand, but it was a good match."
That's why I like you, Ester. A normal person would feel humiliated and speak badly, but Ester is a good person. Oseris looked at me and spoke with a strange smile.
"I understand. Well, this week's match is over."
Zane continued.
"Before returning to class to discuss your movements and mistakes, I would like to thank Ms. Oseris and the students."
The students in my class lined up with serious expressions on their faces, thanked the other class, and began to leave to change their clothes. I looked at Amelia one last time and headed toward the changing room.
****
Everyone looked at me several times on the way to class. Michael looked a little angry, but he didn't say anything. I took my seat at the back and waited for the teacher, Zane. I heard Emily's voice from the side.
"You're really amazing. I didn't expect you to be this good. Your opponent was one of the best. Even watching from a distance, I couldn't keep up with him. You're incredible, my friend. Relax, Michael won't be able to bother you anymore. After what happened today, the whole school will definitely be talking about you..."
While listening to Emily, I couldn't think of how to respond. She was praising me a lot and talking a lot. Of course, you talk a lot to a girl. If you don't want to die. Emily finally fell silent and waited for my answer.
"I was just lucky. Ester held back. If she had attacked with all her strength, I wouldn't have had a chance."
I was right. Ester had held back. Even if I had said I could win, it was only because Ester and the others had held back. There was a difference in Yakut numbers and levels, and Ester was two levels higher than me. In a fight to the death, I wouldn't have stood a chance.
Emily looked at me and smiled.
"No, you're actually good. You're two levels below her, and yet you managed to tie. Be proud of yourself, buddy, and boast about it."
Emily looked at me expectantly. I spoke in a slightly hushed voice.
"I'm really good, man."
Emily smiled at me.
"You're amazing. Always boast about it."
What I did was just luck, but after Emily's words, I started to feel proud of myself. We continued chatting with Emily, and she kept talking until the teacher arrived. Teacher Zane walked in through the door, and everyone looked at him seriously. Zane spoke while organizing the papers in his hand.
"To be honest, I was expecting these results. Now I'll talk about everyone's grades and mistakes. First, Emily, you did well. Your defense was strong, and you dodged your opponent's attacks flawlessly. The only thing you're lacking is your level and more attack-focused skills and sword styles. Overall, your score is 6 out of 10."
Emily stood up after Mr. Zane's words, thanked him, and sat back down. She looked at me and smiled proudly.
"John, you made too many mistakes and...."
****
Mr. Zane made many comments about everyone, and I understood why he was such a good teacher. He never spoke ill of anyone, and by pointing out everyone's mistakes, he gave them a new opportunity. If I save him, will the world be different?
It was Mr. Zane's voice that distracted me from my thoughts.
"Jin, to be honest, I didn't expect such a great performance from you. During the time I've been in this class, I haven't seen any talent or hope in you, but today you changed the way I look at you and the way others look at you. Even if Ester held back, your response to her skill was a perfect result, considering the power level between you two. I'm not saying these words to flatter you or brown-nose. These are my impartial and fair comments. You only showed a few moves, so I can't fully evaluate you, but even what you showed deserves an 8. If you show yourself in the next tournament and demonstrate your skills to everyone, you could even move up a class. If your goal is to get stronger, take this competition seriously and prepare yourself. That's all I have to say. Keep up the hard work."
I stood up, thanked Mr. Zane, and sat back down. I looked at Emily and showed her that I was proud of myself. What is happening to me? I was impressed by a girl and was about to become arrogant. Arrogance is a soldier's greatest enemy. Very arrogant people are always the first to die. I think I need to pull myself together.
There will be a tournament at school next week, and the top 10 prizes are really great, but I might have to give it up because this time everyone will be serious, and I can't beat them with my current strength.
'PING'
[NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED. INTER-WORLD TRANSFER]
The sound that distracted me came from my head. Everyone had the system, so my inspection wouldn't draw attention. What's special about me is that I have the upgraded version of the system. They can't find out about it because each system is personalized and invisible to others. I opened the status window and looked at the new feature.
------------------
NEW FEATURE: INTER-WORLD TELEPORTATION UNLOCKED.
EXPLANATION: For a certain fee, the user can travel to other worlds. The teleportation duration is 24 hours. The user automatically returns to the teleportation location after 24 hours.
PLANET ASTON: 5 low-level Yakut.
PLANET MARS: 10 medium-level Yakut.
PLANET DREAMLAND: 1 high-level Yakut.
MOON: 5 low-level Yakuts.
PLANET PHOENIX: 25 medium-level Yakuts.
UNDERGROUND REALM: 1,000 high-level Yakuts.
REALM OF THE GODS: ?????????
-------------------------
Fuck, what the hell is going on? The realm of the gods? The underworld? As... Ast. Aston? Can I go to the realm of the gods now? Aston is where the Morvaks come from. Humans gave the monsters the name Morvak. Even if humans could enter the planet Aston through the open passages, no one who went there survived. At least until Max and his team went there. The upgraded system really has a lot of benefits. In the normal system, it only provided information about everyone's power and skills. If I go to Aston, I can become even stronger. I decided to go this weekend. If I want to change everything, I need to become even stronger, and even though the Morvaks' planet is dangerous, it offers opportunities.
If a human wanted to increase their Yakut power, they had to consume the core energy of monsters. The number of cores increased at each level. For the 4th Yakut, I needed to consume a Morvak core equivalent to one of mine. I was an orphan, so I couldn't find many Yakuts. Human leaders had to give 100 low-level Yakuts to new superhumans. This was a decision made to strengthen more warriors.
I need to level up this weekend. The rewards given to the top 10 will definitely be useful. I closed the status window and looked around. Class was over. Everyone started leaving the classroom. The next class was chemistry, and it would be in another classroom. I took my books and started following the others. I don't remember where the chemistry classroom was.