Tower Realm – Floor 5
[Trial Gate: Blade of the Forgotten]
The platform leading to Floor 5 ended before a wide, polished obsidian field—flat like a mirror, stretching infinitely under a gray sky. No walls. No ceiling. Only the endless horizon above and the echo of silence.
In the center stood a man.
He wore ancient, ragged robes, torn and burned at the hem. His head was bowed. A long katana rested in his right hand, the blade blackened with age. His presence was unnaturally still.
> [Trial of the Blade – Duel Initiation]
Objective: Defeat the Sword Warden in single combat
Rule: No skills, no stats, no system assistance
Reward: Combat Technique, Dexterity Boost
Condition: All system effects locked during trial
Ha-Joon blinked.
"No skills…?"
The system had helped him grow. Stats, passives, enhancements—he had come to rely on them. But now?
It was just him.
And the sword.
---
A spear rested beside the entry point. Basic, plain, unenchanted.
He picked it up.
The moment he stepped onto the arena, the old man looked up.
His eyes were white—lifeless. Not blind. Empty.
He raised his katana and moved into a stance so perfect, it looked like art.
---
Ha-Joon shifted into a defensive position.
He had learned movement. Instinct. Flow.
But this was different.
This was technique.
---
The warden moved.
Not a dash. Not a flash.
Just a clean, fluid step—and then he was there.
Blade swinging, fast but silent.
Ha-Joon blocked with the shaft of his spear. Sparks flew. His arms vibrated from the impact.
Before he could react, the blade came again—from above, then from the side, then low.
He barely dodged.
---
The fight was silent.
No words.
Just the clash of metal and the sound of feet brushing stone.
For the first time in a long time, Ha-Joon felt pressure that didn't come from strength or size—but skill.
The warden was faster. Cleaner. Years—no, centuries—of swordsmanship burned into every movement.
---
But Ha-Joon didn't retreat.
He adapted.
Every swing taught him something.
His spear tip began to react faster.
His steps shortened. His center lowered. His blocks grew tighter.
The warden's attacks came faster—testing him.
But Ha-Joon kept learning.
And then… something shifted.
---
He didn't think.
He just moved.
When the katana swept across, Ha-Joon spun his spear mid-block, trapping the blade for a second.
His feet shifted.
He pushed inside the warden's stance and thrust the blunt end of the spear at his ribs.
It landed.
The warden staggered one step back.
Then smiled.
---
The next attack was no longer a test.
It was lethal.
The katana danced—strikes so sharp, they sang through the air.
Ha-Joon bled. A cut on his cheek. A graze on his thigh.
But he no longer cared.
He had stopped defending.
Now—he was fighting.
---
He screamed, unleashing everything.
Swing. Block. Strike. Twist.
The spear moved like an extension of his soul.
The warden parried. Countered. Pressed forward.
But now they were even.
---
Then came the moment.
The warden stepped forward, overextending.
Ha-Joon feinted low—then twisted and slammed the end of his spear into the warden's temple.
CRACK.
The katana dropped.
The old man fell to one knee.
And smiled.
> "Good," he said.
Then faded into dust.
---
> [Trial Cleared – Blade Duel Complete]
System Unlocked
• Reward Acquired: Technique – Flowing Spear Style Lv.1
• Passive Boost: +2 Dexterity, +1 Precision
• Trait Gained: Weapon Adaptation (Polearms)
• Title Unlocked: "One Who Fights Without Power"
Ha-Joon dropped to one knee, panting hard.
His hands were blistered.
His legs trembled.
But inside…
He was calm.
---
This was no longer survival.
This was growth.
Evolution.
One step closer to someone unbreakable.
---
Earth – Suwon, Late Autumn
The leaves had started falling.
Ha-Rin watched as school kids passed the store window, laughing in their uniforms. Some of them wore the same school badge her brother used to wear.
Her gaze drifted to the back corner.
His desk. His textbooks. His notes.
Still untouched.
Some nights she sat there, holding his old pencil case in her hands. Reading his half-finished assignments.
The pain never dulled.
But something in her refused to move on.
Because somewhere in her heart…
She believed.
He was still fighting.
---
Back in the Tower Realm
Ha-Joon looked at his reflection in a puddle of blood and dust.
Crimson had begun to creep into the edges of his irises.
Power whispered from deep within.
Not from the system.
Not from any blessing.
But from the countless trials he faced.
And he was far from finished.
---