Just then, Daniel spoke to himself in his mind:
"But why should I try to change anything?"
"Those sacrifices… they were necessary."
"Yes, those people died… but the world was saved because of them."
"If I interfere now and alter the course of this story… what if the protagonist fails?"
"What if… the world is never saved at all?"
With that unsettling thought pressing heavily on his heart, Daniel made a decision.
"No… I won't interfere. I won't become a part of this plot. I'll stay in the background… just a side character watching the story unfold."
---
By the time class finally ended, it was lunchtime.
Daniel and his friends were walking together in the corridor, the noisy chatter of other students echoing around them.
Daniel looked at the others and said, "Does anyone want to skip lunch and come with me to the Training Center?"
"I want to check out the virtual bots. Haven't had the chance to go there yet."
A few moments later, all of them reached the Training Center.
The place was completely empty—silent, with a cold mechanical hum in the air. The Training Center was massive, with several individual chambers built for personal combat simulations.
Each of them walked into separate chambers, the metal doors sliding shut behind them with a soft hiss.
As Daniel stepped into his chamber, a soft glow lit up in front of him. A floating, translucent screen appeared in the air—a status window.
[Select Difficulty Level]
Daniel stared at it for a moment, then tapped on Level 1.
The screen instantly disappeared.
A second later, the lights in the room shifted—pale blue turned to a warm red as a humanoid bot materialized in front of him, its body sleek, muscular, and clearly built for combat.
Without warning, the bot lunged forward. The training had begun.
Daniel moved fast, his instincts kicking in. He dodged the first few attacks narrowly, his feet sliding against the polished floor as he defended himself, carefully observing the bot's movements.
The bot wasn't holding back—it was fast, calculating, and surprisingly powerful for a Level 1.
Daniel's eyes sharpened.
"So this isn't going to be a cakewalk…"
He continued defending, analyzing every move. And then, as the bot repeated a sequence of strikes, Daniel finally understood its pattern.
His body moved before his mind could process it.
In a flash, Daniel stepped in, countered a punch, ducked low, and landed a heavy blow to the bot's midsection. Another spin—kick to the shoulder. A final elbow strike knocked it down.
The bot fell with a heavy thud against the chamber wall, sparking briefly before shutting down.
Daniel stood still, breathing steadily. Sweat glistened on his forehead.
[Time Taken: 6 Minutes]
The chamber lights turned blue again.
Daniel wiped his brow and muttered, "Not bad… but I'll need to level up fast if I want to survive in this world."
Still breathing heavily from the last fight, Daniel stared at the floating screen in front of him. Without hesitation, he tapped on Difficulty Level: 2.
The defeated bot across the room flickered, then powered back on. Its limbs twitched as it stood upright once again—only this time, something had changed.
Its stance was different. More compact. More calculated.
The moment the simulation began, Daniel realized why.
"Tch… it's adapting."
The bot's fighting pattern had changed entirely. It was more aggressive now, faster and smarter. Every move Daniel had used in the previous match was now being countered. It felt like fighting someone who had already studied him inside out.
Daniel grit his teeth as the bot landed a solid hit to his ribs, sending him skidding back.
But he didn't stop.
He pushed himself forward again, relying purely on raw instinct and hand-to-hand combat—no skills, no mana, no magical boosts. Just him and his body.
It was a war of attrition.
Every punch Daniel threw was answered. Every dodge demanded perfect timing. The bot didn't relent. And neither did he.
Minutes bled into more. Sweat soaked his clothes. His knuckles ached. But after what felt like an eternity—thirty full minutes—Daniel finally caught an opening.
He unleashed a brutal combo: a spinning back fist, followed by a knee to the gut, and a final upward strike to the jaw.
The bot collapsed, systems fried, body limp.
Daniel dropped to his knees beside it and laid flat on the training floor, chest heaving.
His lungs burned.
His arms trembled.
But he was smiling.
Two minutes passed. He let the silence wash over him like cold rain. Then, slowly, he sat up.
His hand reached toward the screen again.
Difficulty Level: 3
A new bot emerged—taller, bulkier, and this time, radiating pure pressure.
The fight began.
Daniel barely lasted five minutes.
The bot was too strong, too fast, too precise. Without his magical powers, without his skills—he simply couldn't keep up. He hit the floor with a loud thud, vision spinning, arms spread.
-You lose-
Lying there, eyes half-lidded, he let out a small chuckle.
"So… this is my limit without powers, huh?"
He stared up at the ceiling, then whispered to himself, "That's all I needed to know."
A pause.
Then a grin spread across his face.
"Now it's time… to fight like someone from this world."
He pushed himself up, wiping blood from his lip.
Standing tall, he tapped the screen once more.
Difficulty Level: 3 – Begin.
The match restarted.
But this time… Daniel wasn't holding back.
Daniel reached for his dagger.
The moment his fingers curled around the hilt, the bot launched its attack. Fast. Brutal. Precise.
But Daniel had already studied its pattern, gauged its speed. He sidestepped the first strike with fluid motion and slashed at the bot's arm, drawing a shallow cut along the synthetic flesh.
For a moment, he thought he had the upper hand—until the bot's eyes flared red.
"It changed its pattern again?"
Before he could brace, a sharp kick landed on his ribs, sending him flying across the training chamber. He crashed hard into the wall, the impact rattling his bones before he dropped to the floor with a grunt.
Pain bloomed in his side. But he didn't stay down.
Teeth clenched, he pushed himself back onto his feet. Without wasting a second, he hurled his dagger at the bot.
It responded instantly, shifting its weight to dodge.
But that's exactly what Daniel wanted.
The moment the bot leaned sideways, Daniel burst forward with a sudden burst of speed. In mid-air, his hand caught the spinning dagger again—and with precise aim, he plunged it straight into the bot's chest.
The blade buried deep, sending a pulse through the bot's core.
It staggered.
But it didn't fall.
With a growl of mechanical rage, the bot retaliated. Its fist rammed into Daniel's stomach, launching him backward once more. He hit the ground hard, coughing, body barely moving.
The bot stood tall.
Reaching to its chest, it yanked the dagger free and turned toward Daniel.
But it only took one step.
Then its knees buckled.
Its systems sparked.
And it collapsed, lifeless, to the floor.
From the ground, Daniel let out a faint chuckle.
"Didn't think poison would work on bots too."
He slowly stood, walked over to retrieve his dagger from the bot's hand, and added with a smirk,
"If there weren't cameras watching… I'd have tested my other skills too."
Without wasting a moment, he reset the match and selected Difficulty Level 3 once again.
But this time—no weapons, no magic, no skills.
He needed to evolve. To grow stronger with just his body.
The match began.
The bot charged.
And once again, Daniel fought.
He dodged, blocked, countered—but he couldn't win. No matter how many times he tried, the bot was relentless, overwhelming him with speed and power.
Again and again, he was knocked down.
Again and again, he stood back up.
But he didn't win. Not once.
Time passed. Sweat poured. Muscles ached.
And finally, a chime echoed through the chamber.
Training Limit Reached.
Daniel collapsed to his knees, panting, sweat dripping from his chin to the floor.
He hadn't won…
But he was learning.
Every loss carved a new lesson into his bones.