That moment. Artificial Dungeon.
Thanks to the sudden appearance of a mysterious figure in the midst of chaos, the panicked students’ attention was drawn to the center of the plaza.
The figure was dressed in a light outfit optimized for movement, layered with hard leather armor.
On his back, a sheath was strapped, holding two swords too large to be called daggers. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but judging by his physique, he appeared to be male.
“Is he an overseer…?”
“But his outfit looks kind of odd.”
“Maybe he dressed like that just in case?”
Opinions among the students were divided regarding the figure who had appeared after the unprecedented incident in the history of the artificial dungeon.
The general assumption was that he was either an overseer or a professor from the academy, here to resolve the crisis.
However, there was something strangely off-putting about his presence.
What made it even more unsettling was that, despite standing there for quite some time, he hadn’t moved a single inch.
“U-Um…! Are you…a professor…?”
One student finally stepped forward and cautiously asked the mysterious figure.
“Phew…”
The man let out a breath before pulling back his hood, revealing his face.
His bright orange hair stood straight up in a mohawk, an eye-catching style that drew attention to his hair before his face.
“…Who is that?”
“Was there anyone like him in the academy?”
“I-I don’t know…! I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.”
The students grew even more confused.
Among them were fourth-year students who had spent years at the academy, yet none of them recognized him.
With such a distinct hairstyle, he would have been hard to miss, yet not a single person in the crowd knew who he was. That could only mean one thing he was not from the academy.
Then…
“Nice to meet you, hatchlings.”
Breaking his silence, the mysterious man finally spoke.
“I don’t usually enjoy trampling on fresh sprouts, but… let’s just say you’re out of luck today.”
Schwing—
“H-Huh?!”
“He drew his sword!”
Calling them ‘hatchlings’ with a condescending tone then immediately drawing his weapon.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
“He’s an enemy! He must be involved in this incident!”
The elite students of the academy wasted no time, instantly drawing their weapons and staves, aiming them at him.
“Is he insane? The difference in numbers is ridiculous…”
“But just in case, stay alert…!”
No matter how they looked at it, he was alone while they numbered in the dozens.
They couldn’t tell if he was simply reckless or genuinely confident. But one thing was certain their hands, gripping their weapons, were already drenched in sweat.
“Uh…”
“Wait, stay still.”
“…Yes?”
The atmosphere was so tense that it seemed like a violent act could erupt at any moment. Rachel also drew her wand, but it was Rosaria who stopped her.
‘Gordon Young… no, since coming to the academy and attending the master’s classes, I’ve developed a better sense of gauging people’s abilities.’
Before coming to the academy, Rosaria endured Gordon’s harsh training.
After attending classes at the academy (while beating up half her classmates), she felt she had developed a keen eye for assessing people, especially their combat skills.
‘And now, my instincts are telling me that guy is dangerous. If we act recklessly, we’re done for…!’
Rosaria felt an ominous aura emanating from the mysterious man. Despite being in a clearly disadvantageous situation, the man showed no signs of nervousness.
The students, sensing even a fraction of his overwhelming presence, hesitated to make the first move, despite outnumbering him by dozens.
The tense standoff continued for a brief moment.
“…Hell, yaaaaah!!!!”
Finally, the male student at the front (the one who had first called for battle readiness) raised the sword in his hand and charged forward.
“Let’s go!!!”
“We outnumber him!! Charge!!!”
“Hyahhh!!!”
Inspired by his courage, the combat students behind him also began to charge, while the mages in the rear started chanting their spells.
In an instant, a barrage of cold weapons and spells was unleashed, creating an extremely dangerous situation.
Yet, the man still appeared completely at ease.
“Hyahhh!!!”
The leading male student realized the man was now within striking distance and swung his sword with all his might.
But then.
Clang—
“…Huh?”
‘I didn’t even see it…!’
The student’s sword shattered into pieces mid-air, and his eyes widened in shock as his pupils dilated.
Swoosh—
“Gwakkk…!”
At the same time, faint lines appeared across the student’s body, and blood gushed out as he collapsed to the ground.
“Crazy.”
Rosaria, however, saw exactly what had happened.
The man, who had been casually swaying, quickly crossed the backs of the two swords he held in an X-shape, trapping the student’s blade between them and shattering it.
In the blink of an eye, he slashed the student’s entire body and then calmly flicked the blood off his swords.
“W-what was that…?!”
“What just happened…!”
Except for Rosaria, the other students were frozen in place, horrified by the sight of their comrade collapsing in a pool of blood in less than a second.
“Too light, too easy.”
“Run…! Everyone, run!!!”
At the sight, Rosaria desperately rushed forward and shouted at the frozen students to run away, but it was already too late.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
“Ugh…!”
“Huff…!”
“Ah…!”
The man, who had already closed the distance to the students, swung his arm swiftly, and in an instant, the students collapsed, spurting dark red blood.
“Damn it, you crazy bastard!!!”
Thud—
Without a moment to lose, Rosaria kicked off the ground and charged at him as fast as she could.
She grabbed the barrel of the rifle slung on her back and swung the stock at him like a sword. By now, her body was enveloped in the shimmering mana of a blue spirit.
“Whoa, careful.”
Crash—
The man, who had been looking down at the students he had just felled, blocked Rosaria’s attack with his own sword.
Screech—
“…Oh? You can take this?”
“What the hell are you, you bastard!!!”
Rosaria tried to break his sword just like she had done with the first student’s, putting pressure on the crossed blades, but the man smirked, seemingly impressed that her rifle held its form.
“Drop dead!!”
Bang—
When her first attack failed, Rosaria immediately followed up with a second. She twisted her body, pulling the rifle back and spinning around to deliver a heel kick aimed at the man’s face, but he dodged it with ease.
After deflecting her second attack, the man crossed his arms and muttered something, as if deep in thought, while Rosaria continued her relentless assault.
“Shall we test this, then?”
Whoosh—
“Huff…!”
This time, the man took the initiative, charging at her with his sword reversed in his grip. The blade came dangerously close to Rosaria’s face, but she leaned back just in time to avoid it.
However, the man wielded two swords. While she dodged one, the other came at her from a different angle. It was impossible to evade the second blade mid-air, especially as it aimed straight for her torso.
“Ariel!!”
– Mom!!
At Rosaria’s call, Ariel’s power manifested, allowing Rosaria to twist her body mid-air. She struck an acrobatic pose and narrowly avoided the man’s second sword.
“Damn, that was close. I almost got sliced.”
– Mom! Are you okay?
“Oh, uh… thanks. You saved me.”
Rosaria, who had backflipped lightly to create some distance, gave a reassuring smile to Ariel, who had flown in close with a worried expression.
“Phew~ No matter how I look at it, this feels like hitting the jackpot.”
“You keep saying ‘jackpot, jackpot’ since earlier… What the hell does that even mean, you bastard?!”
But the man, still standing in place, kept spouting nonsense while looking at Rosaria.
“Well then, I guess I’ll have to ask you myself.”
Clang—!
“Guh…!”
‘There was definitely quite a bit of distance… but somehow…!’
Just as he seemed to realize something, the man nodded slightly then, in the blink of an eye, he closed the gap.
His twin swords swung down toward Rosaria, who barely managed to block them with her entire body, gritting her teeth.
However—
“You… you’re from Korea, aren’t you?”
“…What?”
Hearing the man’s murmured words up close, Rosaria nearly lost strength in the hand she had extended.