The door clicked shut behind him.
Noah stood alone in the wide, circular chamber of Room 17. The walls pulsed faintly with blue mana lines, tracing gentle spirals across the stone like veins under skin. A quiet hum filled the air—barely noticeable, but constant.
Above the door he had just entered, glowing letters appeared in pale-blue script:
"Noah"
He glanced back briefly, eyes narrowing at the sight of his name written so clearly.
Then, a mechanical voice echoed from above:
"Please request the weapon you are going to use."
Noah didn't hesitate.
"Katana."
A soft shimmer of light flared a few feet in front of him, and a pedestal emerged from the floor. Resting on top was a standard iron training katana—simple, unadorned, utilitarian. He stepped forward and picked it up.
It was light.
He gave it a test swing through the air. Functional, but dull compared to the weight and edge of Kagetsume.
Still… it would do.
"Let's see how this year goes," he muttered.
The voice returned, still calm and synthetic:
"This trial consists of combat against illusion-based monsters. They will spawn in increasing difficulty with each wave. Do not worry about being harmed—these are simulated constructs. Any contact will leave a mana trace on your skin, removable with a cloth afterward. There is no limit to the number of waves. Performance will be ranked.
There are four hundred new students. Ten classes. Each class will contain forty students.
Good luck.
The test begins in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…"
A pulse of light flared from the ground.
Noah's eyes narrowed.
The test had begun.
A flicker of mana twisted in the center of the room, warping the air like heat rising off stone.
Then, they appeared.
Five wolves materialized in a burst of violet mist—each one lean, muscular, and covered in sleek fur that shimmered with a faint purple glow. Their eyes burned with ethereal light, jaws already parted in low, hungry snarls.
Noah didn't move.
Not until the first wolf lunged.
He exploded into action, augmenting his legs with a quick pulse of mana. His foot slammed forward, launching him like a spear toward the nearest beast. His katana flashed out—not elegant, just fast. The blade sliced clean through the creature's neck. It burst into shimmering fragments before it even hit the ground.
The second lunged from his left.
Noah twisted, crouched, and swept low—his blade carving through its forelimbs.
Another flash. Another body gone.
Within seconds, the remaining three rushed together.
Noah moved like water. Side-step, slash, pivot. Each strike found a vital point—neck, ribs, spine. The iron katana wasn't perfect, but his body made up for it. Augmented speed, tight control, precise aim. One breath later, the final wolf collapsed into smoke.
Silence.
Noah stood still in the center of the room, katana resting lightly in his right hand. The room remained dim, still flickering faintly with mana energy.
He let out a quiet breath.
"Puff."
'Twelve seconds for five wolves. Not bad.'
The floor pulsed again.
From the glowing runes around the chamber, a new form began to rise.
A white bear, nearly twice his height, stepped into view. Its fur was dense and matted with frost. Ice clustered at the edges of its claws and along its fangs. Cold mist poured from its maw with every breath.
It roared—and charged.
Noah didn't flinch.
He angled his feet, lowered his stance, and enhanced his shoulders and core.
When the bear lunged, he met it head-on, slashing once—clean, fast, horizontal. He rolled under its follow-up, pivoted, and struck again at its hind leg.
Before the first one dissolved, the second had already spawned.
Then a third.
He moved through them with unrelenting rhythm. No panic. No wasted motion.
A downward slice to the jaw. A kick to the ribs. A slash to the back of the neck.
The room returned to silence once more.
Noah adjusted his grip.
'Seventeen seconds. Not bad… just like my lucky number.'
Another pulse of mana spread from the floor.
The next challenge was already on its way.
The air shimmered again.
But this time, the creature that emerged was slower… heavier.
A massive boar, easily three meters tall at the shoulder, materialized at the far end of the chamber. Its hide was a deep, earthy brown, streaked with glowing red lines pulsing like veins. Its tusks were jagged and long, tipped with faint silver. Steam hissed from its nostrils as it pawed the ground, snorting.
Then it charged.
The stone floor cracked beneath each step.
Noah didn't move.
He stood completely still, katana resting loosely in his hand, his crimson eyes locked on the beast. He waited until the distance closed.
Three meters. Two. One.
Then he surged forward.
His mana flooded into his legs and core—enhancing his stance, sharpening his timing.
He dropped low and slashed upward with a powerful, vertical strike—from hip to opposite shoulder.
The boar didn't even make a sound.
Its massive body halted mid-charge as the line of the cut pulsed with light. Then it split apart into glittering fragments before crashing into the floor.
Gone.
Noah exhaled once, steady.
He rolled his shoulders and tilted his neck with a soft crack.
'Three seconds.'
He spun the blade once through the air and returned it to a low guard.
The chamber pulsed again.
New mana gathered.
And Noah smiled slightly.
In the control hall above the atrium, a dozen crystal screens floated mid-air, each displaying a different trial room. In front of them stood several instructors, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, watching.
Professor Trinity stood tall at the center of the room. Her long coat swayed gently as she leaned forward, studying the feeds. Her expression was calm but focused.
To her right, a tall, broad-shouldered man adjusted his stance with a thoughtful grunt. His skin was dark and smooth, his black beard neatly trimmed. He wore a sleeveless teaching vest that revealed a build forged through decades of hard training. Professor Darius, physical enhancement specialist and head of combat training, tapped his chin.
"Some promising ones this year," Darius muttered, eyes scanning the screens.
Trinity didn't look away. "Anyone stand out so far?"
He pointed toward one of the upper panels. The feed zoomed in on a girl whose wide-brimmed hat tilted just slightly as she unleashed a precise burst of flame, scorching the illusions before her.
"That one, the girl with white hair and blue eyes. She's got great control of mana and her fire element. I think she's a candidate to win."
Trinity arched a brow, her gaze flicking to the girl in question. "Hmm. Interesting choice."
She turned back toward another feed, where a green-haired girl defended herself with elegant formations of stone and wind. Her robe bore the unmistakable crest of House Ardean.
"I'm placing my bet on Amelie Ardean."
Darius let out a deep chuckle. "Bold. The nobles are definitely putting up a fight this year. That Teo kid from the Manipulator bloodline isn't bad either. Or Nora from the Shadow Clan—dangerous magic on that one."
Trinity gave a slight shrug, her voice dry but amused. "Still going with Amelie."
Darius grinned. "Alright then. Let's see who's right."
A sudden shout cut through the low murmur of the room.
"WHAT!?"
Professor Trinity and Darius turned in unison, startled by the outburst. The voice came from the side of the control hall—sharp, breathless, and very much unlike the composed atmosphere they maintained.
Professor Al, a short, older man with a round frame and a perfectly trimmed white mustache, stood near one of the side consoles. His hand trembled slightly as he pointed at one of the crystal screens.
"What is it?" Trinity asked, eyes narrowing.
"Is something wrong?" Darius added, stepping closer.
Al didn't answer immediately. He simply gestured again, voice barely more than a whisper now.
"Look at Room 17..."
The screen zoomed in automatically.
The image sharpened: a lone student stood in the middle of the chamber, katana in hand, surrounded by glowing fragments of defeated monsters. Another illusion was already forming, but the boy hadn't even broken form.
His name glowed faintly above the door: Noah.
But it wasn't the scene itself that made Al's finger tremble.
It was the timer.
1 minute, 33 seconds.
Trinity blinked, stepping closer. "Wait… how long has he been in?"
"Look at the wave marker," Al said hoarsely.
On the side of the feed, a glowing glyph read: Wave 8.
Darius's brow furrowed. "No way…"
Trinity's voice dropped in pitch. "What was the previous record for reaching Wave 8?"
Al swallowed hard. "Four minutes and three seconds."
Silence fell across the room.
Even the other professors, previously absorbed in their own students, glanced toward the feed.
Noah stood completely still in the chamber. He wasn't panting. He wasn't even sweating. His posture was relaxed—balanced, ready.
Trinity narrowed her eyes slightly. "Well then..."
Darius crossed his arms, voice low and impressed. "Looks like we have ourselves a new variable."
Professor Trinity stood rigid, arms folded tightly across her chest, eyes narrowed at the feed.
"A new record," she said under her breath.
Professor Darius gave a low whistle beside her. "How far do you think he'll go? Wave ten? Fifteen?"
From behind them, Professor Al adjusted his glasses, face unusually serious.
"The record stands at Wave 29," he muttered. "And we all know why it stopped there."
Trinity turned slightly, brows furrowed. "You think he could reach that far?"
Darius shrugged, his grin faint but confident. "We'll see. He's got the skill. He just needs to endure."
All three turned back toward the screen.
The image showed Noah standing still, katana low, breathing steady. The next wave was already forming.
Wave 10 had begun.
Noah rolled his shoulders once and took a few calm steps forward, eyes locked on the shifting glow at the center of the room. His stance was stable, katana angled low, ready to move.
Then they appeared.
Five stone golems, each towering at two and a half meters, rose from the floor with a grinding rumble. Their bodies were made of thick, interlocked slabs, glowing slightly between the cracks with runes of stabilizing magic. Their arms ended in jagged, club-like fists, and their steps shook the ground.
Noah blinked once.
Then stared.
"Nuh uh," he said flatly. "I'm not going against that. I surrender."
The system chimed softly in response.
[Participant has forfeited. Trial concluded.]
The chamber lights dimmed.
Noah let out a slow breath and sheathed his training katana.
'I still remember the time I had to fight twenty golems with a normal weapon. Never again. If I had Kagetsume, it'd be a different story.'
He turned around and walked toward the now-open door, rubbing the back of his neck.
There was no shame in walking away from a losing fight.
Just strategy.
Silence fell across the control room once again.
Then—
"He… surrendered!?" Trinity's voice cut through the quiet like a blade. She stepped forward toward the screen, her eyes wide in disbelief.
The monitor clearly showed Noah walking calmly toward the door of Room 17, the training katana already sheathed. The simulation had ended.
Professor Al blinked several times, stunned. "He stopped at Wave 10… Just like that."
Trinity stared at the screen with growing frustration. "He was winning. He had the fastest progression time by far. If he had just kept going—"
She dragged a hand through her hair, visibly fuming. "Why would he give up now!?"
Next to her, Darius crossed his arms, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Which means..." He motioned toward another screen.
"She went further."
The projection shifted. It showed the white-haired girl with blue eyes—calm, quiet, composed—landing the final blow of Wave 11.
She wasn't fast.
But she was still going.
Trinity turned toward Darius, jaw clenched.
He gave her a satisfied look.
"Guess that means I win the bet."
She groaned loudly and turned away from him, muttering curses under her breath.
Darius chuckled and leaned back. "You know, you really should learn to bet on consistency instead of drama."
Trinity didn't answer.
She was too busy staring at the empty Room 17 feed, still visibly upset that the student who could have shattered every record… had walked away.