When Arthur opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar world—a dense, ancient forest with towering trees stretching beyond sight. It wasn't real, of course. Even if he died here, he would simply be ejected from the simulation. But the beasts? The danger? That was very real.
Arthur climbed a nearby tree using his enhanced footwork, trying to get a vantage point. Suddenly, a sharp instinct screamed danger. He leapt to the next branch his movements fluid and silent. From his elevated vantage point, he spotted a creature—a crimson-furred monkey with violet eyes and a single horn protruding from its forehead.
[Skill Activated: Appraisal]
•Name: Crimson Horned Simian
•Level:- Mana circuit open 8
In the blink of an eye, Arthur unsheathed his sword, and as the beast lunged into his range, he decapitated it with a clean strike. His watch blinked: +35 Points.
He moved deeper into the forest, leaping from tree to tree. This first round was all about earning points—whoever killed the most beasts in six hours would qualify for the next round.
Suddenly, he froze. A strange sound—"Hirk!"—echoed from the north. Arthur crouched, hiding behind the leaves. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a massive goblin village. With a quick [Appraisal], he noted multiple goblins with 6 to 8 mana circuits… and three with 9.
Just as he was analyzing the situation, a voice called out.
"Oye! Kid! What are you doing up there?"
Arthur turned, eyeing the speaker warily. "Who are you?"
The boy smirked. "I know who you are—Arthur Valerian, the Little Northern Blade."
Arthur replied in a cold tone, "Yes."
"I'm Julien Reinhart," the boy said proudly.
"Are you the only son of Count Reinhart?" Arthur asked coldly.
Julien nodded. "Correct. One of the Five Counts of Northern Elydrion, remember? The Spear of Flame rules my house."
Arthur just nodded slightly
Julien asked. "Now, you going to tell me what you're doing up there?"
Arthur tilted his head. "Why don't you come up and see for yourself?"
Julien, not one to back down, scaled the tree. His eyes widened as he saw the goblin village. "Damn, that's a treasure trove of points!"
Arthur added coolly, "There are three with 9 mana circuits."
Julien, a genius himself with 7 circuits at age 11, frowned. "I could beat them… but I'd exhaust all my mana. That's risky."
He glanced at Arthur. "Why don't we team up? Split the points?"
Arthur turned to him, voice cold. "Why?"
"For points, obviously!"
"I don't need help," Arthur replied. "I can kill them all myself."
Julien was left speechless.
Without waiting, Arthur vanished from the tree. He moved like a shadow, slaying a goblin in the watchtower. Then he dashed into a tent and activated [Thousand Sword Strikes]. A flurry of silver light flashed—before the goblins could react, their heads were already falling.
The noise drew others goblin. They started attacking together on arthur.
Without pausing, Arthur leapt toward the next group, his footwork flawless—swift, silent, and deadly. He weaved through the chaos like a phantom, each step calculated, each strike lethal.
Arrows flew. Arthur spun, slicing them mid-air, cleaving arrows in two. Ten goblin charged with swords, but he activated [Lightning Strike]—his blade crackled with thunder, cutting through all ten like paper.
He danced with his footwork and cleaved Goblin with Bow and arrow.
Suddenly, a fireball hurtled toward him—he dodged and turned to see a goblin shaman with two elite guards: one wielding twin swords, the other a massive shield. They were the 9th mana circuit opener of the village.
Arthur smirked. "Finally… a bit of fun."
He charged. The shield-bearer blocked, but Arthur leapt, kicked the shield—no movement. The twin-swordsman attacked. Blades clashed fiercely, but in five seconds, Arthur overwhelmed him.
There is no match for arthur in sword skill.
Then, a thunderbolt fell from the sky—magic from the shaman.
Arthur barely dodged. "Guess I need to get serious."
He took a breath, channeled mana through his body, then into his blade. From afar, Julien watched, stunned.
"He's using… sword aura?" Julien gasped.
A voice echoed from Julien's ring. "Hmm… Mastering sword aura at 9 circuits? Quite the talent."
talent."
"Master, is that even possible in the upper realm?"
"Of course. It's rare here, but not above. Still, impressive."
The voice added, "Anyway, focus on your own points. This fight's almost over."
Julien turned just in time to see Arthur decapitate all three 9-circuit goblins in a single clean swing.
He stood there, breathing lightly. His watch displayed: +1000 Points.
Julien stared at him. There was something different about this boy.
Arthur glanced back at Julien
"So, he's a protagonist… one blessed with an ancient soul from the upper realm," Arthur thought.
He had known the moment he used [Appraisal] on Julien. That ring wasn't normal. That voice wasn't from this world.
Arthur hadn't agreed to team up for one reason: he knew nothing about the upper realms. He hadn't even heard the term before today.
"Damn… this world hides too many secrets. I need to be careful. Who knows how many other 'protagonists' are lurking out there?"
Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the forest's shadows.