The dawn mist had barely cleared when the challenge bells rang in the sky above Astralis Academy. A deafening chime seemed to shatter the morning silence and announce a single message:
"The battle shall begin."
Verchiel stood in the center of the Iliris Colosseum arena, surrounded by tens of thousands of cheering students. Their eyes radiated with enthusiasm, a thirst for drama and destruction. They didn't know who Verchiel really was. But they wanted to see him lose. Or die.
On the opposite side of the arena stood Zeyvian Althorne, heir to a noble family and leader of the Crowned Moon faction. The young man with pale golden eyes and silvery white hair brandished two curved swords.
"I don't know where you came from, Verchiel Schwarz," he said calmly, "but you've climbed too quickly on a ladder that should be climbed slowly. And today, I will help you climb back down."
Verchiel raised his scythe. His face was impassive, his eyes devoid of emotion.
"You're such a talker."
"Begin!"
Zeyvian charged first, his movements as fast as lightning. Using his C-Tier Mirror Arc Edge skill, he created the illusion of sword shadows attacking from multiple directions. A burst of purple magical energy enveloped the arena.
Verchiel remained calm. His scythe spun in a defensive circle.
[Awareness D → B (full due to the intense pressure of battle)]
He didn't try to read all the attack directions, only one: Zeyvian's center of rotation.
The scythe slashed downward—not at Zeyvian, but at his visible reflection.
Blood spurted.
Zeyvian stumbled backward, his arm cut.
"You cut the reflection..."
"I cut you."
[Scythe Mastery B → B+ (92% progress)]
Suddenly, the sky changed. The system screamed. Gleaming letters appeared in the air:
> [System Stability: Threatened] [System Anomaly Detected - External Entity Infiltration]
From the sky, a black crack opened. And from within descended a woman dressed as an ancient priestess, her face blank as a mask.
"Who is she?" Zeyvian stepped back.
Aetheria appeared at the side of the arena.
"That's... the Oracle of the 3rd World Fragment. She shouldn't be able to break through the boundary. The world is rewriting its own script."
Verchiel gritted his teeth. This world was constantly changing. Constantly resisting his control.
The Oracle absorbed the energy from the arena. The students screamed in panic, some fainting from the immense magical pressure.
"Aetheria! Help Zeyvian! I'll take care of that woman."
"Are you sure?"
"Just believe me!"
Verchiel stabbed his scythe into the ground. A black aura exploded from his body, forming a vortex of magic.
[Writer's Instinct B → A (Trigger: Dealing with non-script system anomalies)]
With his writer's instinct transformed into a weapon, he could read the enemy's intentions before they even moved.
"You're not the character I wrote. But now I've rewritten you."
The scythe struck. The Oracle parried. The battle spread beyond the arena's boundaries, breaking through the illusionary space the system had constructed.
They fell into a strange dimension. The sky was like ink, the ground reflecting Verchiel's face.
The Oracle began to speak. Her voice came not from her mouth, but from the air:
"You are the one who wrote. And because of that, you are the most vulnerable. All systems can be turned back on their creator."
Suddenly, Verchiel's body felt heavy. The system was trying to erase him.
[Status: Reality Denial - Initial Dimensional Privilege Activation]
The aura of her scythe changed. Jet black mixed with silver glowed. Time slowed. Even the Oracle came to a standstill.
Verchiel gripped her scythe tightly.
"I am not God. But I am not a character either. And most definitely... I am not a puppet of the system."
[New Skill Triggered: Rejection Slash - Grade S]
With one mighty swing, the dimension shattered. The Oracle was thrown out of the fragmented world.
The sky cleared again. Verchiel fell to his knees. All around him was silence.
Zeyvian stared at him in horror.
"You... are no ordinary human."
Aetheria pulled Verchiel up.
"You've disrupted the system. The world will retaliate."
"I'm ready."
---
Elsewhere, in the sky palace, four silhouettes stood facing a large crystal recording Verchiel's battle.
"So he's already appeared..."
"He hasn't reached level 10 yet. But he already possesses S-tier abilities. This is deviant."
"We'll wait until he touches the Sealed Fragment. Only then will we strike him down."
[Verchiel Schwarz Stats - End of Chapter 8]
Level: 8 (increased due to intense battle against system anomalies)
HP: 193
MP: 120
STR: 16
AGI: 19
INT: 20
VIT: 17
[Active Skill]
Awareness B
Writer's Instinct A
Scythe Mastery B+
Rejection Slash S (newly acquired from system conflict)
[Passive Skill]
Battle Insight
[Special Stat]
Privilege EXP x3 (active against anomalies and true monsters)
Initial Bond: Aetheria Arvane
Identified by Monarch