The association president min`jae-woo was impressed at Ji-Han, because he didn't show any sign of weakness even though his level was low before others. He checked his data only to discover he had only awakened a year ago and didn't use any form of elixir to level up. He was marveled and shocked.
"Is this another genius?" He muttered.
The commentator came out and called out the final contestants.
The arena fell silent. No whispers, no laughter. Only anticipation.
The board flickered-
[FINAL MATCH]
HAN SEO-JUN//YOON SE-AH
The two contestants stepped onto the stage.
Seo-jun.
Calm as ever, blade resting at his side.
Yoon se-ah
Silent and still, and her presence… barely there.
For a moment, it felt like one person stood in the arena.
The referee raised his hand.
"…begin."
Nothing happened.
Seconds passed. Seo-jun didn't move. His eyes slowly scanned the arena.
"She's already gone."
A faint distortion__
Behind him.
CLANG!
He turned instantly—
Blocking a strike that wasn't there a moment ago.
Se-ah appeared-
Then vanished again.
"…fast," Seo-jun muttered.
The next attack came from the side—
Then above—
Then below—
Each one precise.
Silent.
Deadly.
Seo-jun moved with sharp efficiency—
Blocking—
Dodging—
Countering—
But never landing a hit.
"…I can't track her fully…"
The crowd leaned forward.
"Where is she?!"
"I can't even see her!"
Seo-jun exhaled slowly.
Then—
Closed his eyes.
The arena stilled.
Feel it.
A shift in the air.
A slight distortion.
A presence—
He moved.
CLANG!
Their blades met mid-air.
Se-ah's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…you adapted."
Seo-jun smirked faintly.
"…you're not invisible."
She disappeared again.
This time—
The shadows deepened.
The entire arena dimmed slightly.
"…she's increasing output," someone whispered.
Multiple shadows moved at once.
Illusions.
Afterimages.
Or something else entirely.
Seo-jun's eyes sharpened.
"…which one is real?"
They attacked—
All at once.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Seo-jun deflected several—
But one slipped through—
A shallow cut appeared on his arm.
Silence.
"…she hit him…"
Seo-jun looked at the blood briefly.
Then smiled.
"…good."
The air around his blade changed.
Mana surged—
Sharper.
Faster.
"Let's end this."
He vanished.
For the first time—
Se-ah's eyes shifted slightly.
CLASH!
Their movements blurred.
Speed against stealth.
Precision against unpredictability.
Seo-jun struck—
Se-ah dodged by a fraction—
Countered—
Vanished—
Reappeared—
The arena couldn't keep up.
Shockwaves echoed.
Cuts appeared across the stage.
Neither backing down.
Then—
Everything stopped.
Seo-jun stood still.
"…found you."
Behind him-
A shadow moved.
He turned—
Faster than before—
SLASH.
Silence.
Se-ah reappeared—
His blade—
At her throat.
A single drop of blood traced her neck.
The referee hesitated—
Then raised his hand.
"…match over."
"Winner: Han Seo-jun."
The arena erupted.
But—
Se-ah didn't move.
She looked at him quietly.
"…you saw through it."
Seo-jun lowered his blade.
"…barely."
A pause.
"…if you had one more second—"
He didn't finish.
Se-ah turned.
"…next time."
And walked away.
From the stands—
Ji-Han watched silently.
His eyes are sharp.
"…so that's the level…"
Not unreachable.
Not anymore.
Just—
Far ahead.
And for the first time, he didn't feel despair, only drive.
The crowd applauds the contestants who participated. And the president min jae-woo came and gave a speech exuding a fine aura. Then the four top contestants were awarded, and Ji-han was one of them.
Han Seo-jun
He was given a weapon enhancement core, capable of amplifying blade output significantly (S-grade Artifact)
Yoon Se-ah
She was given A shadow amplification relic. Enhances stealth and presence suppression (S- Grade Artifact).
Kang Ji-won
She was given a flame catalyst. Increases spell output and control. [A+ Grade Artifact]
Ji-won smiled slightly as she took it
"Perfect."
Yoon Ji-Han stepped forward to receive his reward. The murmurs returned
"…him?"
This time, it wasn't mockery but acknowledgement.
A smaller case was brought out.
It opened. Revealing a simple necklace, but the energy it emitted was undeniable.
[A+ Grade Artifact- Protection Necklace]
A defensive artifact that automatically activates a protective barrier under lethal threat. And his eyes widened slightly.
"…A+."
"This item will protect its user from fatal damage once per activation cycle," the official continued.
Ji-Han slowly took it
"…thank you"
Some scoffed quietly
"…a defensive item suits him; he can't fight anyway."
Ji-Han heard it. But instead of lowering his head, he looked at the necklace.
"…this is enough."
He stepped down from the platform. The applause faded behind him, and the whispers too. His hands rested on the necklace (Simple, unimpressive to others). The moment his fingers touched it.
DING
The black system interface appeared
[SYSTEM DETECTED FOREIGN ARTIFACT]
Ji-Han froze.
"…what?"
The necklace in his hand shimmered faintly, but not with normal mana, but with something deeper, which he couldn't understand.
[ANALYZING…]
The screen glitched briefly—
Then stabilized.
[ARTIFACT RECLASSIFICATION COMPLETE]
Ji-Han's eyes widened.
[NAME: CELESTIAL FRAGMENT – "ASTRAL GUARD"][GRADE: A+ → SCALABLE][TYPE: CORE-LINKED ARTIFACT]
"…scalable?"
[DESCRIPTION: A fragment of the Celestial Core. Responds to host synchronization.]
His breath caught.
"…Celestial… Core?"
[SYNC LINK ESTABLISHED]
[CURRENT SYNCHRONIZATION: 23%]
The number rose slowly…
Then stopped.
Ji-Han stared in disbelief.
"…it increased again…"
[ARTIFACT ABILITY – ASTRAL BARRIER][CURRENT LEVEL: 1][EFFECT: Automatically deploys a high-density barrier upon lethal threat, ???][SPECIAL: Scales with synchronization percentage]
This wasn't normal, and it wasn't just an item.
"...it's part of me."
For a moment, he felt a faint connection. Like the necklace wasn't something he wore, but something that had chosen him.
He opened his status window.
[STATUS WINDOW]
[NAME: YOON JI-HAN]
[LEVEL: 15]
[CLASS: BARRIER (ASTRON)]
[STATUS: ???]
[STRENGTH: 25]
[AGILITY: 22]
[ENDURANCE: 30]
[INTELLIGENCE: 24]
[LUCK: 5]
[MANA: 21]
[SYNCHRONIZATION: 23%]
[SKILLS:]
• STELLAR BARRIER (LV3)
• BARRIER REINFORCEMENT (LV3)
• GUARD SHIFT (LV3)
• IMPACT STRIKE (LV3)
• CELESTIAL BARRIER (LOCKED)
[ARTIFACT LINKED:]
• ASTRAL GUARD (LV1)
Ji-Han stared quietly.
"…Level 15."
"Still not enough, not compared to the top."
He clenched his fist slightly.
"…I'm getting closer."
The president rose and spoke
"For next month, there will be a system grading."
The contestant lit up in excitement after hearing his words.
"And if you are a D-rank and above. You will participate in newfound dungeons, which are calculated to be D-rank, as training." The president continued.
"If cleared, you will be promoted to a player and also scouted by each guild. If lucky top guild will come to you, and the association as well. Thank you all." Speech adjourned.
The contestant and those who watched the tournament applauded, and the tournament ended.