The arena buzzed with excitement after Luna's swift victory.
Students throughout the stands were still discussing what they had just witnessed. Some were impressed by her clean technique, while others were quietly relieved they didn't have to face her in the first round.
Three seconds.
That was all it took.
Even the instructors seemed satisfied with the demonstration of control and precision.
Aaron sat calmly in his seat while the next few matches proceeded.
Below them, the arena floor saw several short battles.
A warrior defeated a mage with brute force.
An archer narrowly won against a dagger assassin.
Some fights lasted several minutes.
Others ended in moments.
The tournament was progressing quickly.
Beside Aaron, Rei leaned forward nervously, staring at the giant display screen hanging above the arena.
His eyes scanned the scrolling names again and again.
"Brother Aaron..."
Aaron didn't look away from the arena.
"Yes?"
Rei swallowed.
"My name hasn't appeared yet."
Aaron nodded.
"That means it will."
Rei rubbed his hands together.
"...I know."
Then he suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"But what if my opponent is someone terrifying?"
Aaron thought for a moment.
"That would be unfortunate."
Rei looked at him.
"Your words bring me no comfort."
At that moment—
The display screen flickered again.
New names appeared.
Match 7
Rei Lang
vs
Gabby Stone
Rei froze.
Then he slowly turned toward Aaron.
"...Brother Aaron."
Aaron nodded.
"That's you."
Rei inhaled deeply, the breath of a man accepting his fate.
"...It's happening."
Aaron stood up. "Go."
Rei stared at him for a moment, something almost pleading in his expression. "You're not going to say something encouraging?"
Aaron thought about it genuinely, for several seconds.
"Try not to get beaten too badly."
Rei stared at him in silence for a long moment.
"...I regret our friendship."
Despite the dramatic complaint, he still stood up and walked toward the arena entrance.
The crowd murmured as his name appeared.
Some students recognized him.
"Isn't that the guy who confessed to Kang Yue earlier?"
"Yeah..."
"He got rejected pretty badly."
"Poor guy."
Rei pretended not to hear them.
Inside his mind, however, he was screaming.
Why does my life always turn into a public performance?
He stepped through the arena gate and onto the combat platform.
The sunlight reflected off the polished stone floor beneath his boots.
Across the arena, another student entered from the opposite gate.
A thin young man with short black hair and a confident smirk.
The screen displayed his information.
Gabby Stone
Class: D-Rank Blade Fighter
Gabby rested a short curved blade on his shoulder as he looked at Rei.
"A Scout?"
His tone sounded mildly surprised.
Then he laughed.
"Looks like I got lucky."
Rei's eyebrow twitched.
From the stands, Aaron watched quietly.
The Arbiter instructor stepped between the two students.
"Participants."
"Prepare."
Gabby spun his blade casually.
Rei adjusted the straps on his light armor.
Unlike heavy warriors, Scout-type classes relied on speed, perception, and battlefield awareness.
Their strength came from agility and positioning.
But they weren't usually considered front-line fighters.
The arbiter raised his hand.
"Begin!"
The moment the signal was given—
Gabby moved first.
His body lunged forward with surprising speed, blade flashing toward Rei's shoulder.
"Too slow!"
Rei barely dodged sideways, the blade cutting through the air where he had been standing a moment before. The crowd reacted with a low murmur.
"Good reflexes."
"But Scouts aren't strong in direct combat."
Gabby attacked again, his blade sweeping horizontally toward Rei's ribs. Rei stepped back quickly and the strike narrowly missed. Gabby grinned.
"You can dodge well. But can you attack?"
Rei frowned. That was exactly the problem. Scouts specialized in reconnaissance and battlefield awareness, not direct combat power. But Rei had trained for this tournament. He took a slow breath, then suddenly rushed forward.
Gabby looked surprised. "Oh?"
Rei feinted left. Gabby reacted immediately, swinging toward the expected direction. But Rei twisted mid-step, slipping right instead. Scout movement techniques were built for unpredictable footwork. Before Gabby could adjust, Rei's fist slammed into his shoulder.
THUD!
Gabby staggered. The crowd gasped. Rei's eyes went slightly wide.
It worked?!
Gabby recovered quickly and came back faster and more aggressive, his blade whistling through the air in rapid succession.
Rei was pushed into retreat, the strikes growing sharper with each exchange. One cut grazed his sleeve. Another nearly reached his chest. In the stands, Rei's heartbeat grew loud in his own ears.
I'm going to lose...
Gabby laughed. "You're fast, but that's all!" He raised his blade for a heavy downward strike.
Then Rei noticed something. Gabby's stance. His balance. His center of gravity shifted too far forward on powerful attacks. A small weakness, but a real one. Scout instincts locked onto it immediately.
When the blade came down, Rei didn't retreat. He stepped forward and Gabby's eyes widened.
"Idiot!"
But Rei's body twisted sideways and the blade missed entirely. At the same moment, his leg swept low across the ground.
THUMP!
Gabby lost his footing and hit the arena floor hard. Before he could recover, Rei was on top of him, fist hovering above his face. Both fighters went still.
The arbiter stepped forward. "Stop!"
Silence fell across the arena. The arbiter raised his hand.
"Winner. Rei Lang."
Rei didn't move for a moment. Then realization landed.
"...I won?"
The crowd broke into laughter and applause, several students looking genuinely caught off guard.
"Did the Scout just win?"
"Not bad."
"He actually fought pretty well."
Rei climbed slowly to his feet, his legs trembling slightly beneath him, his face splitting into a wide grin. From the stands, Aaron clapped at a measured, deliberate pace. Rei found him immediately and held his gaze with an expression that needed no words.
Did you see that?!
The display screen above the arena flickered and updated. The whispers spread before most people had finished reading it.
"Kang Yue!"
"The Radiant Archer!"
"Her match is next!"
Aaron looked up calmly at the screen.
Match 8 — Kang Yue vs Leon Dang