Morevan's eyes widened the moment he realized what he was seeing.
Ashan was no longer just keeping up with the A rankers.
He was outrunning them.
"That guy is insane," Morevan muttered under his breath, disbelief sharp in his voice. His normally calm expression cracked, replaced by pure shock. "He is forcing every muscle fiber to its absolute limit. His tendons, his lungs, his heart… everything should be screaming right now."
Morevan's gaze sharpened, analyzing Ashan's posture, stride, breathing pattern.
'No one here is taking this race that seriously,' he continued internally. 'Not even us. This is supposed to be conditioning, not a death sprint. So why is he pushing like this?'
His eyes flicked toward the A rankers behind Ashan, who were visibly straining, faces twisted, breaths ragged.
'And why,' Morevan thought, teeth clenching slightly, 'can they not catch him?'
Then it happened.
Ashan's eyes shifted.
For a brief moment, sharp and piercing, they locked directly onto Morevan.
Morevan felt a chill ripple through his spine.
'What the hell…?' His steps faltered for half a second. "Why is he looking at me like that?"
A thought surfaced in his mind.
'Don't tell me… is he actually aiming for me too?'
Nearby, Roswayn let out a low whistle, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement.
"Well damn," she said, watching the chaos unfold behind them. "That is one hell of a scene."
She glanced back again. The A rankers were chasing Ashan like starving predators, faces red, pride wounded, movements reckless.
"It looks like they want to tear him apart," she added with a laugh.
Her gaze lingered on Ashan's face. Unlike the others, his expression was focused, almost joyful.
"Look at him," Roswayn murmured. "First he pulls out bizarre skills in duels, and now he is humiliating A rankers in a race. As a B ranker."
Her lips curled upward.
"He is full of surprises."
Luphar suddenly turned his head toward Magnar.
"That boy," Luphar said, eyes burning with interest, "he is the B ranker who won the duel earlier, remember?"
Magnar stiffened slightly as he followed Luphar's gaze.
"…I remember."
As Ashan surged closer, something inside Luphar ignited.
His chest tightened.
His heartbeat thundered.
"What a magnificent person," Luphar said quietly, voice thick with emotion. "His body is weak compared to ours. Frail. In any direct contest, he should lose."
Luphar clenched his fists.
"And yet," he continued, "his will is unbreakable. It is driving him beyond the limits of flesh."
A slow, almost feral grin spread across Luphar's face.
"He is enjoying it," Luphar realized. "He is happy. Happy to surpass those stronger than him with nothing but determination."
His blood began to boil.
Veins bulged along his arms and neck. His breathing deepened, his posture shifting instinctively. His expression twisted, mirroring Ashan's intensity.
Magnar noticed immediately.
"What the hell…?" Magnar gasped. "Luphar?"
Luphar's aura changed completely.
"Is he really about to push himself like that lunatic?" Magnar muttered. "This is getting out of hand."
He hurried closer, placing a hand near Luphar's shoulder.
"Hey," Magnar said urgently. "Listen to me. There is no need for this. Just ignore him and run normally. There is no reason to push yourself over a race."
Luphar turned his head slightly, eyes gleaming.
"My friend," Luphar replied calmly, "I cannot ignore this."
He pointed backward with his chin.
"That boy is weaker than us. Far weaker in raw strength. And yet… he has dragged us into his line of sight."
Luphar's grin widened.
"If someone like that dares to challenge us, then we owe him respect. A fair race. A proper answer to that iron will."
Before Magnar could respond, Luphar exploded forward.
The ground thundered beneath his feet.
He surged past Magnar, then overtook Rowan with brutal acceleration.
Rowan's eyes widened as Luphar passed him.
"Tch… damn it," Rowan growled, biting down hard. "So you are doing it too?"
His pride flared violently.
"I will not fall behind," Rowan snarled. "Not like this."
He leaned forward and unleashed everything he had.
Behind them, Magnar cursed under his breath.
"Idiots," he muttered. Then he exhaled sharply.
"…Fine."
His muscles tightened. His pace increased sharply as he chased after them, catching up once more.
Roswayn watched the chaos with sparkling eyes.
"As expected," she said with an excited grin. "This is getting fun."
She stretched her arms slightly mid-run.
"If you all are going insane," she laughed, "then I am not staying behind either."
Even Elarith, who had been running calmly, found herself drifting backward as the madness escalated. The atmosphere shifted, pressure building, forcing her to respond.
"…So this is human competitiveness," she thought.
She adjusted her stance and surged forward, joining the escalating storm.
One by one, they closed in on Morevan.
Morevan glanced back.
What he saw made his stomach tighten.
In his eyes, they no longer looked like fellow racers.
They looked like a pack of rabid beasts.
'These people have lost their minds,' he thought. 'Why are they reacting to him like this?'
He exhaled slowly.
"…If this is their choice," Morevan said quietly, "then I will be fair as well."
In an instant, his speed increased.
The gap widened again.
Elarith stared in disbelief.
'He can go faster?' she thought. 'This is no contest. A speed battle against him is absolute defeat.'
Seeing the chaos he had caused, Ashan smiled.
His excitement surged.
Rational thought began to fade.
The only thing left in his mind was simple.
Catch them.
Ashan shifted his posture. He began loading more weight into his leg muscles. His eyes widened slightly. The movement in his face went unnervingly still.
Then he sprinted.
Eirena's eyes widened in alarm.
"He is accelerating again?" she thought. "This is bad."
Her instincts screamed danger.
"He is pushing far too hard," she realized. "At this rate, his organs could fail."
Yet Ashan kept coming.
Meter by meter, he closed the distance.
…
From a monitoring area, Aren observed the runners who had already completed their distances.
"…Impressive," Aren muttered. "Most of them cleared their targets. Some even exceeded expectations."
A staff member approached hurriedly.
"Sir," the man reported, "only ten students were caught using mana. Forty-two failed to complete their distance. Currently, eleven B, A, and S rankers are still running."
Aren nodded.
"Good. Keep watching. Inform me immediately if anything unusual happens."
Suddenly, the man stiffened.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Sir," he said urgently, "something is wrong. Please look at this."
He handed Aren the tablet.
Aren's eyes widened as he read the display.
"…What?" Aren muttered. "A B ranker passed every A ranker?"
His brow furrowed deeply.
"He is running between A and S rankers," Aren said slowly. "That is impossible."
The staff member shook his head rapidly.
"We verified all bands, sir. That runner is definitely marked as B rank. And he is not using mana."
Aren pressed his fingers against his temples.
"Then either our data is wrong," Aren said grimly, "or we are witnessing something unprecedented."
He stared at the screen.
"And he is still closing in."
Out on the track, S rankers and A rankers alike wore the same expression.
Disbelief.
Tension.
Magnar glanced back at Ashan.
"Is he really going to catch us?" he muttered. "Impossible."
Luphar, however, looked at Ashan with pure respect.
"The weak challenges the strong," Luphar said softly. "You have earned this."
Ashan drew closer.
Luphar's eyes widened.
In that moment, Ashan no longer looked human.
He looked like someone from Luphar's past.
His elder brother.
The one who used to chase him down mercilessly.
(Three meters)
(Two point five)
"You are almost there!" Luphar roared, laughing wildly. "Do it!"
(Two meters)
(One meter)
Instinctively, all S rankers except Luphar surged forward.
Luphar stepped aside deliberately, clearing the path.
Then a familiar notification appeared.
—-----------------------------------------
Sub mission achieved.
Reward acquired - Killer B's Seven Sword Style.
—-----------------------------------------
Ashan exhaled.
"…That's enough," he thought calmly. "Ten kilometers is more than enough."
And to everyone's utter disbelief…
Ashan suddenly leapt sideways, exiting the track entirely.
The entire field froze.
Mouths hung open.
Silence fell.
The madness ended in a single, incomprehensible move.