Kyle moved like a whisper through the forest, his presence fading into the suffocating darkness as if the void itself had accepted him. The ground shifted beneath his feet, roots, loose soil, fallen bark,but none of it broke his rhythm. Each step was measured, controlled, the result of weeks of repetition drilled into his muscles until movement became instinct. The faint pulse of the artifact in his hand guided him forward, a quiet beacon in the endless black, but Kyle didn't rely on it alone. His perception stretched outward constantly, brushing against the edges of his surroundings, picking up the smallest disturbances, the faintest shifts that betrayed life.
The first target came quickly.
A figure crouched low behind a thick trunk, breath uneven, clearly trying to stay hidden while watching the direction of their own artifact. Kyle didn't slow. Didn't hesitate. By the time the boy realized he wasn't alone, Kyle was already there.
A single step.
A draw.
Steel whispered.
The body dissolved before it could even hit the ground, while his artifact landed on his palm.
Kyle didn't stop moving.
The second was different. Faster. Smarter.
A girl, dual daggers in hand, rushing him the moment she sensed him, her strikes quick and precise, aimed for vital points without hesitation. For a brief second, their blades met, metal clashing softly in the darkness but Kyle's movements were calmer, cleaner. He shifted slightly to the side, letting her momentum carry her forward, then responded with a single horizontal cut.
Too clean.
She vanished.
Kyle exhaled lightly, his grip steady as he continued forward, the artifact pulsing again, directing him deeper into the forest. From the beginning Kyle hadn't checked the artifact.
Time passed.
Minutes blurred into something indistinct as he moved from one location to another, each encounter brief, decisive. Some tried to fight. Some tried to run. None succeeded. His movements grew smoother with each clash, the Juski Katana Arts embedding themselves deeper into his body, his control sharpening with every swing. There was no wasted motion, no unnecessary effort.
Only results and many were eliminated.
At some point, the forest changed.
The trees grew even larger, their trunks twisting unnaturally, the canopy above thickening until even the faint traces of light vanished completely. The darkness here was heavier, denser, almost alive. Even Kyle slowed slightly, his senses pushing harder against the void, trying to read what lay ahead. His blue eyes scanning every little detail. The artifact pulsed as he checked his surroundings. It was quiet but something else was there.
A presence.
Kyle stopped.
For the first time since entering the simulation, he didn't move immediately.
The air felt… different.
Still.
Too still.
Then he heard a sound. A faint crunch not behind him, not ahead.
Everywhere.
Kyle's eyes narrowed slightly, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his katana as his perception expanded outward.
And then he saw him.
Standing not too far ahead, partially obscured by the massive trees, was a figure unlike the others Kyle had encountered. White hair fell loosely around his face, almost glowing faintly against the darkness, and his eyes, pure white, completely devoid of color and were fixed directly on Kyle.
There was no hesitation in them, no fear.
Only… calm.
In his hand, he held a scythe. It's black long hilt with a black red blade made it look menacing , not decorative, not ceremonial.
A weapon.
And the way he held it made it clear he knew how to use it.
Kyle's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…he's a tier 2 peak ," he muttered under his breath.
He could feel it.
The difference.
This wasn't someone who had just awakened. This was someone who had already stepped forward.
The white-haired boy tilted his head slightly, studying Kyle in return, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he spoke.
"Hhmm you can leave I don't fight weak people."
His voice was arrogant.
Kyle didn't respond.
The silence stretched for a moment.
Kyle moved, his katana already on his hand as he launched himself forward.
The ground shattered beneath Kyle's foot as he surged forward, his body accelerating instantly, Huhuva activating without conscious thought, power flooding through his limbs as he closed the distance in a blur.
The white-haired boy didn't retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward.
The scythe moved.Fast.He held no sense of danger. Hus weapon already mid swing.
Far faster than it should have been.
The curved blade sliced through the air in a wide arc, aiming to intercept Kyle before he could fully close in, forcing distance, forcing control of the battlefield.
Kyle reacted instantly.
His body twisted mid-step, the blade of the scythe passing just inches from his chest as he shifted his trajectory, his hand tightening on the hilt of his katana.
Steel met steel.
Clang!!!
The impact rang sharply through the forest, the force behind it pushing both of them back slightly, their feet digging into the ground as they adjusted.
Kyle's eyes narrowed.
Strong.
The white-haired boy's expression didn't change, but his grip tightened slightly as he swung again, this time lower, aiming to sweep Kyle's legs out from under him.
Kyle jumped.
The scythe passed beneath him, cutting through the space he had occupied, and in the same motion, Kyle drew his blade.
A flash of steel.
The strike was instantaneous.
Or at least, it should have been.
The blade cut through the air and missed.
Kyle's eyes sharpened.
The white-haired boy had moved.
Not quickly.
Not forcefully.
But precisely.
He had shifted just enough to avoid the path of the strike, his body already turning as the scythe came back around in a reverse arc.
Kyle barely brought his blade up in time.
Clang
The force behind the strike was heavier this time, pushing Kyle back several steps as his feet slid across the ground.
"…You're not like the others," the white-haired boy said quietly, his voice still calm.
"Tell me what's your name?No one has ever held this long against me, well at least my my age,"
Kyle didn't respond.
But his grip tightened slightly.
This was different.
This wasn't a fight he could end in one move.
The air shifted again.
They clashed.
Kyle moved first this time, his body accelerating forward, each step faster than the last as Huhuva pushed his speed and strength higher with every motion. His blade moved in sharp, precise arcs, each strike aimed to end the fight, to cut through defense and land cleanly.
But the scythe met him every time.
Wide, sweeping motions that controlled space, forcing Kyle to adjust constantly, to move around rather than through. The white-haired boy didn't rush. Didn't overcommit. Every swing of his weapon was deliberate, calculated, designed to keep Kyle at a distance where the katana was less effective.
Kyle shifted.
Adapted.
His movements changed subtly, becoming less direct, more fluid, weaving between the arcs of the scythe instead of clashing head-on.
Step.
Slide.
Turn.
The forest around them seemed to blur as the fight intensified, their movements growing faster, sharper, more precise. The ground beneath them was torn apart with each exchange, bark splitting, dirt scattering, the sound of metal clashing echoing through the darkness.
Then Kyle vanished.
Void Leap.
For a fraction of a second, his presence disappeared completely.
The white-haired boy's eyes narrowed slightly.
Kyle reappeared behind him.
Blade already moving.
A perfect angle.
A perfect strike.
But
The scythe was already there.
Clang—
The white-haired boy had turned, intercepting the attack at the last possible moment, the impact sending a shockwave through both of them.
Kyle clicked his tongue softly.
Fast.
Too fast.
They separated again, both breathing slightly heavier now, though neither showed any real sign of exhaustion.
"…Interesting, silent and deadly," the white-haired boy murmured, his expression turning serious.
Kyle still didn't answer.
But this time—
He moved differently.
Slower.
Calmer.
His breathing steadied.
His grip loosened slightly.
The world around him seemed to narrow.
Focus.
One line.
One moment.
The white-haired boy noticed. His expression shifted.Kyle's hand rested on the hilt of his katana.
Stillness.
Then—
He drew.
The blade moved.
Not faster.
Not stronger.
But… certain.
The First Art.
Executed perfectly.
The strike didn't aim where the white-haired boy was.
It aimed where he would be.
And this time—
There was no escape.
The blade cut through.
Clean.
Precise.
Final.
The white-haired boy froze for a fraction of a second, his white eyes widening slightly as the realization hit.
Then—
His body dissolved.
Silence returned.
Kyle stood still, his blade lowering slowly as his breathing steadied, the faint remnants of the fight fading into the darkness around him.
"…Tier 2,he wasn't that strong," he muttered quietly.
"that's because your stronger than most people, all thanks to me of course." the nexus said. Kyle just smiled.
Then he turned.
The artifact pulsed again.
More targets.
More flags.
Kyle stepped forward, his figure disappearing once more into the endless forest.
Because the test wasn't over.
And neither was he.