Behind the gate of Gurdat Town, confusion spreads instantly. What they are seeing does not align with the expected rules of level difference or combat hierarchy.
A level 1 inmate in plain clothing has just managed to overpower a level 8 fighter in direct engagement. The outcome does not match any stable interpretation of the system they rely on, leaving only uncertainty in place of understanding.
Deniro and his group remain where they are, unmoving. They do not step in to assist Victor, because ganging up on a level 1 opponent in this situation would damage their standing and risk losing respect from the others watching.
Back in the savanna field, Victor's body is still locked in place, pain forcing his reaction to break down as Arven maintains pressure on his face.
Arven does not immediately continue the attack. Instead, his attention shifts briefly, habitual and detached, toward Victor's equipment.
He notices the 'Stridebound Boots' that adds 2% movement speed to the weared. And there's the Soulpiercer dagger, light agility-based enhancement with minimal stat increase.
Nothing in either item registers as a threat. Even at Victor's level 8, the combined value of his equipment does not exceed the amplification Arven gains through the Mindforge Loop on his finger.
But Victor, despite being restrained, lets out a short, strained chuckle. He shifts his remaining hand toward the hilt of Soulpiercer again, stabilizing his grip as the weapon's effect continues to function.
Mana drain begins to take effect. Arven feels his mana decreases slowly, steadily, as if being drawn out through continuous contact.
His expression tightens, not because of the mana drain itself, but because there is still no system alert. Normally, any anomaly affecting his body triggers an immediate notification from the interface, especially something involving external effects or irregular status changes.
This time, however, there is no response at all, just like when the system failed to notify him about the gate activation earlier.
"…What's going on here?" Arven mutters, his grip on Victor's face loosening slightly as his focus shifts inward.
Victor misinterprets Arven's brief hesitation as ignorance of the dagger's effect. A grin spreads across his face, sharpening with renewed confidence.
"You just realize it?" he says. "What a bullock. I thought an inmate with the lowest number would know everything. But guess you are just some brainrot who only has muscles."
Arven raises an eyebrow, then abruptly shifts his grip, catching Victor's hand and tightening his hold before wrenching the weapon free in a single motion. At the same time, he plants a casual kick against Victor's abdomen.
Bugh!
Victor stumbles back and drops to one knee, clutching his midsection. Yet his reaction is fast despite the hit. He pushes off the ground, flips backward cleanly through the air, and lands on his feet without losing balance.
Meanwhile, Arven already takes a stance with Soulpiercer held in his right hand, drawn across his body to the left side, blade angled back in a restrained slashing position as if prepared to cut forward in a single motion.
Victor straightens slowly, expression still carrying arrogance. He draws another Soulpiercer from his belt and lowers into a crouched assassin stance, openly presenting it as a duel.
"Come on, muscle freak. Let's see who's better with the dagger."
Arven tilts his head slightly. His stomach is already wounded and bleeding, but his expression remains steady and composed.
"Only muscles, you said," he replies. "Then try this."
Arven finally swings his hand forward in a single motion, releasing the attack without stepping forward.
Victor narrows his eyes for a moment, confused by what he sees, until a faint blue shape comes into view; something like a small windblade traveling toward him.
His expression shifts, but it is already too late. Victor draws his head away, but no matter how fast he reacts, the distance is too small and the timing too tight.
Slssh!
The windblade disappears, and the field goes silent.
And then, a thin line of red appears along the left side of Victor's neck, and blood bursts outward sharply, cutting through the still air.
Confusion spreads behind the gate. They can see Arven's movement clearly, but there is no clear understanding of what actually struck Victor. The slash is visible, yet the distance between them is too far for it to physically connect, leaving the outcome inexplicable.
Victor stands frozen for a fraction of a second, then raises a hand to his neck. His fingers press against the wound as he staggers and drops to his knees, blood seeping through his grip. He tries to speak, but his voice comes out strained and hoarse.
Two of his companions break formation and step through the gate despite Deniro's lack of command. One rushes to Victor, pulling out a vial filled with thick red liquid, while the other draws her bow and releases a shot.
Arven jumps sideway, avoiding the arrow. The moment he stops, his attention shifts briefly to his system interface. His mana indicator shows only 7 points remaining.
He moves immediately, running forward. A small motion of his hand releases a condensed blue windblade, weaker than before but still precise.
The archer girl reacts instinctively, jumping sideways to avoid it. But the attack was never aimed at her. The windblade travels past and strikes the man behind her, slicing his forearm cleanly enough to make the vial slip from his hand.
Arven closes the distance in a single burst, leaping forward and snatching the vial as he rolls once through the air. He lands on one knee with the injured man behind him, then pivots into a half spin to drive the Soulpiercer backward into the gap in the man's armor.
Jlb!
The effect is immediate; his mana begins to recover through Soulpiercer's drain. But he doesn't linger, pulling the dagger free and jumping away as the man swings his sword.
Once at a safe distance, Arven flicks the vial open with his thumb and drinks only half of it. His wound closes, HP fully restores, and mana partially recovers.
He channels that small mana into Soulpiercer, coating the blade in compressed blue plasma.
Zooom!!!
The dagger extends slightly as the energy condenses along its edge, making it denser, sharper, and longer than before.
Behind the gate, the inmates shift from confusion into focused attention as Arven's weapon begins to change, trying to match what they are seeing with known mechanics.
"Is that his unique ability?"
"It can't be. He's still level one. You need at least level ten to unlock a class. That's when abilities manifest."
"Then explain what he's doing with that weapon."
"I know Soulpiercer drains mana. But I've never seen it turned into something like that."
Deniro, who has been observing without comment, finally shows a bit interest. He steps through the gate, and the moment he sets foot on the savanna field, his gaze shifts toward Victor's body.
Victor is still on the ground, breathing unevenly, both hands pressed against his neck as he struggles to stay conscious.
"Deniro… please… give me a life potion… I don't wanna… die here… and go back to that sleeping pod…"
Deniro looks down at him for a moment, expression cold. He then draws his sword, and without hesitation, drives it into Victor's stomach.
Jlb!
Victor jerks violently, voice breaking as pain overtakes him.
"Why…? Deniro…?"
"It's better for you to go back to that sleeping pod," Deniro replies flatly, "than wasting a life potion. You know how expensive those are."
He pulls the blade free and crouches closer, calmly wipes the blade on Victor's plain white clothing.
Victor's body begins to glow faint blue as the system initiates reset. Within seconds, he disappears completely, leaving only a pair of boots and Soulpiercer on the ground.
Deniro picks them up and turns his attention forward. Arven is already moving away, stepping back toward the jungle with his mana-coated dagger still active.
"Anyone who wants revenge," Arven says without turning, "come find me in the jungle."
Then he accelerates into the bush and disappears. The archer girl steps forward to pursue him. But Deniro stops her immediately.
"Kaela. Don't go."
The girl halts, still tense. "We should finish him now. If we let him go, he'll level up and become a real threat."
"If you go there," Deniro says, "you'll only make him even stronger. I might have denied it by killing Victor myself, but even then he still took enough experiences from that kill to possibly gain a few levels."
Kaela's expression shifts immediately into disbelief, then irritation. At level 13, fully equipped with an expensive sword, a bow and and a quiver filled with arrows, being told to hold back against a level 1 inmate feels less like strategy and more like an insult.
She looks at Deniro as if expecting clarification that never comes. Then she turns away, without another word, moving back toward the jungle, ignoring the warning completely.
Deniro watches her go in silence. His attention shifts instead to the man beside him.
Wolly stands there, a strength-type warrior at level 15. His armor is intact, but a clear wound marks the small gap between the plating where Arven managed to land a precise stab.
Deniro takes a vial of life potion from his belt and tosses it to him. "Go heal yourself. We can't afford to be any weaker than this or we'll become targets for the others."
Wolly catches it without hesitation and steps back to recover. He only takes half of it, and that's enough to close his wound.
A bright light flashes nearby. Deniro turns and sees a few inmates begin stepping through the gate.
Deniro's grip tightens around his sword as a thin layer of ice begins to form along the blade. "Didn't I warn you not to enter right after me?"
The newcomers freeze. A few instinctively turn back, as if expecting Gurdat Town to still be behind them.
But there is nothing there anymore. Only the savanna stretches behind them, with dense jungle to one side and a cliffside dropping into the ocean on the other.
Moments later, another flash of light follows. Victor reappears, barefoot, plain white clothing, back as level 1. His eyes dart around in confusion before locking onto Deniro.
"Where is he? Deniro… have you killed that guy?"
Deniro doesn't answer. He turns instead and starts moving toward the jungle, following the path Kaela took earlier.
"Let's go, Wolly. That stupid girl might be a high-level archer, but she's never been good in the jungle."