Chapter 319

Words : 2525 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Chapter 319 Going back to before the tournament began, Jake was heading to the Hall of Martial Arts early to warm up when he got a message from Se-Hoon. The winner will get whatever they want? Se-Hoon’s offer dangled a tempting prize before them, stoking the competitors’ drive. And that wasn’t unusual for a sponsor to do—to stir up competition—but the issue was what Se-Hoon had promised. Hmm... this is a really good opportunity. When faced with such an opportunity, most would simply request a weapon or some other piece of equipment for personal use, but with Se-Hoon, there was always a chance someone might ask for a ground-breaking technology—which changed everything. Just recently, Jake’s own family started reaping significant benefits thanks to their monopoly over the mass-produced sword aura equipment Se-Hoon had developed. Se-Hoon surely wouldn’t have sent this out without considering that... so the key is figuring out who he did send it to. Jake was certain that Se-Hoon didn’t send it to every participant. So, he started by thinking through Se-Hoon’s acquaintances, considering who might have been excluded. Inoue Ren’s off the list... and Manuel Ortega isn’t that close to him. As for... At his sister’s name, Jake’s thoughts briefly lingered there before a faint, wry smile crossed his face. He wouldn’t have sent it to her either. It definitely was true that their relationship had improved, considering Se-Hoon modified their uncle’s sword and even asked for her help to eliminate Apostate. But there was still a noticeable boundary between them, leaving Jake doubting that they’d exchange such messages. That just leaves... Reaching the last possibility, Jake’s expression darkened. Just then, he sensed a gaze from up ahead and lifted his head. Standing in the path to the Hall of Martial Arts, Erika, phone in hand, was watching him. “...Of course.” Letting out a sigh, Jake walked over to stand before her and met her gaze. “Did you receive the message too?” “Yes.” Though her voice was calm, Jake detected a flicker of tension, making him hesitate momentarily. “If you do manage to win... what are you going to ask for?” “...Why do you ask?” Her curt reply carried a hint of unease. It wasn’t an unreasonable reaction, as some might consider it a sensitive question. And normally, Jake wouldn’t pry in the first place. But since it involved Se-Hoon, he pressed on. “Because depending on what you’re going to ask for... I will have to fight you for real.” The energy radiating from Jake made his intent unmistakable—if Erika’s request posed any threat to Se-Hoon, he wouldn’t hesitate to intervene. Erika stared at him silently, and then coldly responded, “Try me.” And with a tone as sharp as a blade, she added one more line. “If you can.” *** Boom! Explosions and fiery blasts erupted in the arena, the result of Jake slicing through five massive fireballs in one swing. His blade carved a path through the flames as he leaped forward, charging into the residual embers. Crash! The teal blade of the Windchaser Sword dispersed the remaining flames, releasing cutting winds that swept across the arena. And through the now strips of flames, Jake spotted Erika, quickly prompting him to activate his weapon skill, Wind Fang. Swoosh! Three blades of compressed air, replicas of the Windchaser Sword’s edge, shot forward at frightening speed. Yet Erika faced them calmly. “Slash.” Clang! With her mutter, a silver blade descended from above, deflecting the incoming blades of compressed air. Then, just before it struck the arena, the silver blade curved sharply and shot toward Jake like a bolt of light. Jake instinctively swung his sword. Clang! The silver blade—a crow that had its entire body transformed into a razor-sharp blade—clashed with Jake’s Windchaser Sword. Jake’s expression twisted. How is it this strong ...? What had been an ordinary crow was now powerful enough to withstand his attacks? While he could still overpower it through brute force, he knew it would take too long. Deciding to adjust his approach, Jake loosened his grip on the blade without hesitation. Fwoosh! With the compressed blade now released, the crow’s talons tore through just air. Wasting no time, Jake deftly twisted his wrist, reformed the blade, and swung it in an unpredictable arc. Slash! “Caw!” Flung back, the crow let out a startled cry. Meanwhile, Jake used the opening he created to push forward, aiming the full force of the Windchaser Sword at Erika. Clang! However, his attack was halted by a semi-transparent barrier resembling a pair of spectral wings. Still, Jake didn’t falter, immediately adjusting his grip and launching another relentless flurry of strikes. Clang! Clang! Clang! The teal blade flickered in and out of view due to Jake’s barrage of irregular attacks, forcing Erika’s wing-like barrier to move frantically to shield her. You’re quite a persistent one, aren’t you... Facing Jake’s unyielding assault, Erika made her move. She waved her hand, and countless magic arrays etched into her robe activated. Swoosh! A torrent of curses, compressed into streaks of light, rained down on Jake—a classic strategy: if one lost the advantage of distance, then just overwhelm the opponent with ranged sorcery. “Hmph!” But Jake countered it with ease. Boom! The moment Erika’s curses struck him, bursts of blue-colored mana erupted from his body and nullified the attacks entirely. Taken aback, Erika’s eyes widened in surprise. And even Jake raised an eyebrow. It actually worked? Just before the tournament, Jake had visited Kwang-Soo to ask him how he should deal with curses from sorcerers like Erika. People typically just used anti-curse gear or tried to dodge them cleanly, but Jake knew that wouldn’t suffice. “Just overpower it with your will.” It was a straightforward answer. Since curses tampered with one’s synesthetic mindscape to induce negative effects, then as long as his synesthetic mindscape was strong enough to resist, minor curses could simply be repelled through sheer force of will. Now I don’t need to worry about her curses anymore! With renewed confidence, Jake swung the Windchaser Sword harder, slicing through Erika’s defenses with the wind. The spectral wings had finally faltered under the relentless onslaught. Seeing her protective barrier begin to waver, Erika assessed the situation with cold precision and realized that resorting to simple spells won’t hold him off. Deciding to bring her spell up a notch, she shifted her gaze to the crow recovering at the edge of the arena. Crack! The crow twisted its head sharply, breaking its own neck. Its body then began melting, spreading out into a black swamp that crept across the entire arena. Shadow Crow Requiem Bubble, bubble- From within the swamp, more crows clawed their way out. Not a single one was an ordinary crow—just living weapons designed to devour the flesh of all living beings except the caster. It was a spell that Erika knew could end up getting her in trouble, but she thought the stakes of the prize made it a worthy gamble. Soon, hundreds of crows fully emerged from the swamp, their wings beat furiously, ready to take flight. But at that moment— Wind Mirror: Fivefold Tempest Slash Five swords of compressed wind shot into the swamp. Crack! The compressed energy within the blades erupted all at once, unleashing a destructive whirlwind that scattered the swamp from existence. “...!” Erika was completely stunned. Her spell has been dismantled in an instant? But what was even more surprising was the following casual remark from Jake as he observed her reaction. “Looks like I worried for nothing.” Whoosh- The whirlwind of wind and sword aura returned to Jake’s blade, reforming into the Windchaser Sword. Tightening his grip, Jake then further empowered the blade with his mana. Seeing Jake, Erika hastily raised her Bound Celestial Garment to block the incoming attack. HOWL! A teal storm shredded everything in its path, sending dust thickly billowing across the arena, the remnants of the collision lingering in the air. Jake had felt the tangible resistance breaking under his attack—not just the Bound Celestial Garment, but even the barrier beneath. Yet despite thinking that it was his decisive blow, Jake didn’t relax. Maintaining vigilance, Jake cleared the dust cloud with a quick flick of his sword so that he could survey the surroundings. Whoosh- And as the dust dispersed, he once again saw Erika, now standing on the opposite side of the arena. However, apart from the torn edges of her Bound Celestial Garment, she bore no visible injuries. Gasps of disbelief rippled through the audience. “She... avoided that?” “That’s... impressive.” Buzzing, the audience speculated over how she managed such a feat. Many even blamed the obstructing dust for their inability to see what happened. Jake, however, thought differently from all of them. There’s no way she could have avoided it... His senses told him that his strike had destroyed over half of the barrier shielding her upper body. So why was she standing unharmed? Chasing the train of thought, Jake’s gaze shifted toward the surrounding air. If the wind, drawn toward and away from the Windchaser Sword, had met an obstacle, it should have scattered. Yet, strangely, it seemed it had just passed through Erika’s body as if she wasn’t there. Wait.... No... it can’t be. The safety barrier worked by detecting the severity of one’s physical injuries. That meant, in theory, if someone could feign their condition to prove they were fine—even when their body was significantly damaged—they could bypass the barrier’s automatic intervention. “You...” Realizing the truth, Jake’s eyes widened with shock. Noticing, Erika calmly muttered, “You’ve become quite stronger, too.” In the past, her previous spell would have subdued him. But it appeared their gap in skill had lessened after Se-Hoon had stepped into the game. Now, she had no choice but to give it her all. At that thought, though, her brother’s warning before the match echoed in her mind. “There’s no need to go all-out in a trivial tournament like this. Try your best to wrap it up quickly and quietly.” Revealing her full power in front of a large audience carried risks, such as potentially exposing her weaknesses to her enemies. Even so, as Erika locked eyes with Jake, she knew she couldn’t hold back. I can’t give up on Lee Se-Hoon... To Erika, everything—her family’s orders, the secrecy around her techniques, and even her personal safety—paled in comparison to the necessity of having Se-Hoon by her side. And the moment she realized Jake was an obstacle to that goal, her voice, devoid of warmth, resonated across the arena. “Open Gate.” The ends of her Bound Celestial Garment stitched together, forming a ring-like shape behind her. Black magic arrays then crept across the fabric, transforming its spectral, wing-like appearance into a foreboding dark mass. Splash- An unknown black substance spilled out of the ring, creeping across the ground and swallowing the arena. Sensing the ominous energy emanating from it, Jake instinctively steadied his stance, channeling all his mana into the Windchaser Sword. Howl! Teal winds swirled with increasing intensity, all converging into the blade. Stars of blue light began shimmering along its edge, radiating brilliance. Both unleashing their full power, their gazes met once more. Heavenbreaker’s Dominion: Soul Sword Manifestation The storm of teal light collided with the abysmal swamp. BOOOOOOM! The resulting explosion was so bright it blinded the entire hall. Moments passed, and when Jake could finally see again, he found himself flat on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. He reflexively looked at his hand. “Phew...” To his relief, the Windchaser Sword remained intact in his grip. He had fought with no regard for its durability, so seeing it undamaged brought a sense of accomplishment. But... why didn’t I notice immediately... hm? His hand gripped the hilt, yet he couldn’t feel the sword—or anything at all, in fact. Worse, his body didn’t move when he tried to stand up to survey his surroundings. Now panic was setting in. Just then, a familiar voice rang in his ears. —Ah. The academy director just ruled on the match. It was Lan Fang, the tournament’s announcer. —The strange phenomenon that obscured the arena toward the end of the battle was caused by Inoue Erika tampering with the hall’s control system. The arena was obscured? Hearing Lan Fang’s commentary, Jake turned his gaze toward the audience. They, too, seemed confused by the sudden verdict from how they were murmuring among themselves. —This is classified as a dangerous violation, resulting in Inoue Erika’s disqualification. As such, the winner of this match is Jake Myers. Jake was completely baffled. He was still trying to process the unexpected turn of events. Well, if I won, then that’s good, right? And he could feel sensations slowly returning to his body as well, so Jake felt some relief. Or at least he had until Lan Fang continued. —However, Jake Myers is deemed unable to continue the next round due to incapacitation. As a result, he automatically forfeits the following match. ...? As Jake struggled to process the absurdity of the situation, a stranger approached, stopping him from moving. “Whoa there. Try not to get up.” “...” “Relax. It’s me.” Though the man’s face was unfamiliar, he held an oddly familiar aura. But just as Jake opened his mouth to speak, the man spoke first. “Hm... it doesn’t seem too bad. I’ll count to three. Brace yourself.” And before Jake could react, the man began counting down. “Three... two... one.” Crack— A wave of searing pain ripped through Jake’s entire body, rendering him unconscious once again. *** “Ugh... Th... ack...” Jake’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly before he collapsed again, unconscious. Watching Jake groaning in pain with each strained breath, the man standing over him—Se-Hoon, disguised—scratched his head awkwardly. I didn’t mean for them to go all out like this... How desperate was he to win that he pushed himself so hard that he ended up getting himself hurt? Feeling a pang of guilt for unintentionally overworking Jake, Se-Hoon turned his gaze to the other side of the hall. It doesn’t look too good over there either. Erika was leaving the stadium with Ren. Though Se-Hoon had asked Ludwig to obscure the match’s final clash, Ren was perceptive enough to have realized that Erika had indeed gone all out. It was a bit of a close call... but I guess this works out in my favor. During the climax of the match, Ludwig had subtly intervened to create a gap, allowing only Se-Hoon to witness something that others hadn’t noticed. He had clearly seen the scene: Erika’s black ring and Jake’s teal sword clashing. Hmm... There’s a lot to think about. Recalling that moment, Se-Hoon thought he needed to reassess not only Erika and Jake but also the abilities of his other acquaintances. —We will resume the tournament in thirty minutes after a quick system check. Thank you for your patience! And with that, the first round of the tournament came to a close.

Chapter 319

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