Chapter 81: The Edge of Growth (1/2)

The eighth opponent was Aldric.

Just as he had mentioned, he was a swordsman who had reached the fifth floor.

We didn’t know exactly how strong he was.

So naturally, the seventh request was directed at those swordsmen of the fifth floor.

As in the previous challenge, Cassian issued a duel request to them.

The association accepted it.

I spread the news throughout the city.

A swordsman from the second floor had challenged those of the fifth.

The rumors stirred up quite a commotion.

It was Cassian’s declaration and a display of her confidence.

She wanted more people to witness the duel, and for more to participate.

“I’ll win in the end, anyway.”

With a confident smile, Cassian stepped into the training grounds.

The area was packed with spectators.

Not only swordsmen but even a few mages could be seen among them.

Dolls moved through the crowd, handing out waiting tickets.

Before long, a man stepped forward to face her.

The first opponent.

Cassian slowly drew her sword upon seeing him.

They clashed immediately.

After several exchanges, Cassian’s sword slipped from her grip, and she collapsed to the ground.

A thousand points drained away.

“Ugh…” Cassian groaned, making an incomprehensible sound.

Her opponent nodded at her fallen form before leaving the training ground.

He approached a doll and received another waiting ticket.

Holding onto it, he silently watched Cassian.

A rematch was always an option.

But to challenge again from the very first opponent—it was unexpected.

‘Was he trying to gain more points? That didn’t seem to be the case.’

His eyes were filled with sincerity, a complex mix of emotions as he gazed at Cassian.

His intent to fight again was clear.

The same thing happened repeatedly.

She lost, lost, and lost again.

Her wounds accumulated faster than they could heal.

The points she had gained so far melted away like snow.

Yet even in the face of such loss, she only smiled brightly.

She threw herself into the battle as if she were burning her entire being.

I watched her every movement.

***

‘What was the life of a swordsman like?’

Cassian said that her entire life was reflected at the tip of her sword.

I had thought it was just a metaphor.

But perhaps it wasn’t just empty words.

Watching her fight, I started to understand.

Mages focused on filling themselves—nurturing their internal tree, strengthening both their soul and body.

As a result, they became stronger, more complete.

But swordsmen were different.

They focused on emptying themselves.

What they cast off flowed into their blades.

Maybe that was the meaning behind Cassian’s words.

Like her, those swordsmen lived tethered to the edge of their blades.

The fleeting nature of their lives was encapsulated in that sharp point.

A swordsman’s life was just like a blade—one that simply moved forward.

Their depth came from something beyond mere efficiency.

Other mages wouldn’t understand it.

They didn’t know how to let go.

I placed my hand over my chest.

The shadowy tree inside me stirred in response to my will.

Had it not been for this, I wouldn’t have understood either.

Cassian lost again, and another thousand points were deducted.

The wall of the fifth floor was too high.

The difference in realm alone was vast, making it an inevitable outcome.

She simply couldn’t win.

But within those losses, her movements grew deeper.

Cassian was stealing the depth of her opponents through defeat.

It was a familiar process.

After all, we had always been modifying her body—constantly adding something new.

And she was instinctively doing the same.

She absorbed the skills of others, added them to herself, and then cast them away.

Her points kept dropping, but the scoring system failed to recognize her transformation.

‘Mira had once said that Cassian’s body had no more room for growth.’

I had thought so, too.

But I was wrong.

There was still space.

Not in her body—

But in her sword.

Cassian knew exactly where she needed to go.

That was why her actions always led to her growth.

Just as Mira had said, it was guided by instinct.

Cassian had offered her body to Mira and allowed herself to be used by me, all while single-mindedly pursuing her own growth.

Through all of it, her body had become perfect.

Now was no different.

Even in defeat, she never stopped.

And she continued to grow.

That day’s duels continued until she lost consciousness.

***

“Are you alright?”

I asked Cassian.

She didn’t wake up until we had arrived at her room.

Only after several dolls had worked to relax her body did she finally open her eyes.

“Yeah, somehow,” she replied with a hazy smile.

A bear doll clung to her, gently patting her shoulder.

Cassian stroked its head before closing her eyes.

“I lost every match, but I’ve got the feeling now. I just have to keep going. Then, I’ll win.”

Mira released a mist, wrapping Cassian’s body in its embrace.

Within it, she slowly drifted into sleep.

***

The next day was the same.

She lost again.

She collapsed again.

She lost more points.

But she never stopped.

She kept raising her sword.

The swordsmen, responding to her determination, continued pulling waiting tickets.

Even those who had fought her before returned to the training grounds to watch her.

Observing their duels, I found myself lost in thought.

‘Why do they live like this?’

‘Why do swordsmen—no, why do swordsmen live by the edge of their blades?’

For me, survival was the most important thing.

I simply wanted to stay alive.

To do that, I gathered everything I could.

I avoided risks and despised losses.

As Mira had pointed out, mine was a passive life.

But that was how I had lived—how I had survived.

If not for that, I wouldn’t have made it to the university.

Survival mattered more than anything to me.

But beyond that—

‘Was there any value in my life?’

Swordsmen chased battle.

It didn’t matter if they were inside or outside the university.

They risked their lives, constantly treading the line between failure and success.

Mages always said that swordsmen grew quickly because their lives were short.

That was their defining trait.

Swordsmen grew fast—

And they fell just as quickly.

I had once mocked their short lifespans.

But watching them now, I realized—

Perhaps, to them, lifespan didn’t matter.

Mages feared dying of old age—

Afraid that, after exhausting their training, their trees would wither and they would die like weeds.

But swordsmen had no concept of growing old and dying.

They simply fought and fought—until they broke like their swords.

They existed only in battle.

That was why they grew so fast.

From a survival standpoint, my way was better.

But in terms of ascending higher—

Perhaps their way was right.

To grow, one had to clash, move, and break.

Only then could one reach the top.

Cassian collapsed once more.

I closed my eyes.

That day, she lost twenty times and won once.

***

The next day, she didn’t win at all.

On the fourth day, she won three times.

On the fifth, four times.

On the sixth, six times.

Over a week, Cassian fought nearly two hundred duels.

Her points plummeted.

She lost countless times.

Of those two hundred duels, she won only about twenty.

And one of those victories was against Aldric in their eighth match.

That was enough.

***

I checked the footage.

The scoring system gave it a score of zero.

Smirking slightly, I tucked the mirror beetle into my pocket.

Then, I bowed slightly to the approaching figure.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Pleasure to see you. To think I would lose… It seems I misjudged you all.”

Aldric laughed heartily.

The cold demeanor from before was completely gone, replaced by a bright smile.

“Don’t worry about the points. We’ve handled everything as requested.”

He patted his chest as he spoke.

Cassian, who had been tense, sagged in relief.

It was understandable.

She had fought with passion, but the accumulated debt was immense.

She had spent every point she earned elsewhere, leaving her with barely anything.

So, for her eighth request, she had asked for the costs of the public duels to be covered.

The association had made an even grander offer in return.

They had offered her a substantial amount of points—if she joined them.

But Cassian shook her head.

She had learned her lesson about being shackled by points.

Of course, she still accepted their sponsorship.

“Still, I appreciate you watching over her,” I said, bowing slightly toward Aldric.

His eyes widened in surprise before he waved his hand dismissively.

“Watching over? No, we both gave it our all. In the end, she won.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, it seems Cassian prefers being with you all rather than us. I suppose that makes sense. After all, if she had stayed with us, she wouldn’t have been able to grow this much.”

Aldric said this with a laugh.

I smiled in response.