Present Time…
"Oh my… Didn't I say no killing?" Vice Principal Elva's amused voice cut through the silence.
"Yet here you two are, trying to tear each other apart."
Her lips curled slightly, but her eyes remained sharp. "Now, what punishment should I give the rule-breakers?"
Both remained silent.
Neither spoke,
Elva sighed. "Well, at least your fight was entertaining. The audience outside is losing their minds over it."
She paused, tilting her head. "You've been going at it for hours. Your stamina is insane."
She released them both,
They exchanged a glance before lowering their weapons, stepping back in sync.
"Still, you broke the rules. And I can't just let that slide." She tapped her chin.
A flicker of tension passed between them.
"Both of you are talented, and it will be pity to just disqualify both of you, but there is no backing of from punishment"
"So, here's your punishment," she finally declared. "I'm confiscating all the flags you've collected." Her smirk widened.
"You have four hours left until the exam ends. If there are any flags left, you better go find them."
With that, she vanished—taking the flags with her.
Silence Regained in the surroundings again.
"Tsk," Ethan muttered, sheathing his daggers.
Ray exhaled heavily,
Neither spoke.
Both turned and walked away, their bodies screaming in exhaustion.
Neither had won.
But someone else definitely had.
***
Hours earlier, when the battle first began…
Ethan emerged from the haze, his red eyes glinting in amusement.
Ash clenched his fists, forcing himself to remain steady.
'Skill creation,' Ash called in his mind.
"Don't you think you should use some kind of handicap?" he asked, keeping his voice measured. "You're obviously stronger than me."
He needed time, so he decided to talk.
Then a screen appeared before him—pitch black, with white letters.
**
<Codex Of Creation>
Skill name- N/A
Skill creation chances- 01
Probability of creating skill Successfully- N/A
**
Ethan scoffed. "I believe one should fight with everything they have. And I'm not some chivalrous fool who cares about honor."
Ash remained silent, his attention focused entirely on the screen.
"Then why are you even fighting me? You already said I'm weak. There's no reason for you to bother" He said aloud,
But in his mind, he commanded:
'Create a skill that enhances my thinking speed, suppress pain and emotions, and consumes no mana.'
[Processing...]
**
<Codex Of Creation>
Skill name- Omni thought
Skill Creation Chances- 0
Probability of creating skill successfully- 98%
[Creating Skill...]
**
'Tch. At least show me the description.' Ash clicked his tongue inwardly.
His body was screaming.
He felt weak.
Every muscle burned, his strength drained, his vision hazy.
'Guess, I have no choice.....but to stall for time until the skill is created'
Then—he gritted his teeth and forced mana into his body.
His limbs tingled as energy surged through them. The trembling in his stance faded.
Strength returned, his breath steadied.
'I can move for at least 10 more minutes before my mana is exhausted. After that, I won't be able to fight.'
Ethan's gaze darkened. "You already know why."
Ash felt a flicker of irritation.
'He's getting on my nerves…'
'Now? Now, I don't care what happens.'
Ash took a defensive stance, his gaze cold.
Then—he smirked.
"From what I remember," he said casually, "I didn't touch your mother after that fateful night."
A split second.
That was all it took.
Ethan's expression snapped.
His body blurred—moving instantly—a fist heading straight for Ash's face.
But this time—Ash was ready.
He blocked the strike with both hands.
Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Surprise, motherfucker," he spat.
Ash lunged, driving his knee toward Ethan's crotch. But Ethan vanished once more.
"Tsk, it should have connected," muttered Ash under his breath.
[Skill Creation Successful]
'Finally. Let's see what this does.'
He activated it without another thought.
'Omni Thought.'
The moment Ash activated Omni Thought, reality shifted.
The world lost all color, everything turning into shades of gray—devoid of emotion, stripped of meaning.
To him humans were no longer people.
They were tools, variables, resources to be used.
Even his own existence became mechanical, logical, and devoid of sentiment.
Before, Ash never would have realized.
He wasn't the type to be aware of his surroundings on that level. But now? Now, his brain was operating at inhuman speeds, overclocked far beyond its limit.
His enhanced perception caught the faintest flicker of Ray's presence, hidden in the distance, observing and watching.
He shouldn't have been able to notice Ray. Not with how chaotic the situation was.
Not with how fast everything was happening and with his low strength.
But he did.
Then—countless threads of thought formed in his mind.
His primary directive was to Reach the mountain.
Nothing else mattered.
Countless ideas flooded his mind in an instant, forming and dissolving just as quickly.
Some were ruthless, others reckless, and a few so coldly calculated they sent a detached shiver through his own body.
But his mind never stopped. His thoughts accelerated, faster than he could consciously comprehend.
Then, he found it.
The perfect plan—one that wouldn't just get him to the mountain, but would also ensure he faded into the background.
It would make him appear weak, undeserving of attention.
He would lose, but in doing so, he would remove himself from the spotlight.
And better yet—he would shift that spotlight to the real protagonist.
Ray.
Everything around him slowed to a crawl.
To the outside world, only a second had passed.
To Ash, it felt like an eternity.
But there was a problem.
His body couldn't keep up.
His brain, now functioning at an unprecedented speed, was outpacing his own physical capacity.
A sudden wave of overload struck him—like fire searing through his skull. His breath hitched.
Even His mana enhanced muscles trembled.
His vision blurred, flickering between hyper-awareness and darkness.
His thoughts ran faster than his flesh could handle.
His nerves burned, his lungs strained, his muscles screamed under the pressure.
And then—Ethan spoke.
"You—" Ethan's voice cut through the static, distorted and slow. "You bastard—how dare you attack someone in that region?! Don't you have any shame?"
Ash's mind lagged.
It took a full second for the words to register.
Dumbass.
His lips parted.
He tried to speak, but his tongue felt numb.
The words—where were they?
The calculations in his head were too much.
'I can't cancel the skill now, I need to see everything play as I want'
His mind was devouring itself, redirecting all energy to strategy and precision.
Conversing felt like dragging himself through wet cement.
But he had to say something.
Ash's breath hitched as he forced out a response.
"I... believe…" He swallowed, the effort draining him. "One… should fight… with everything… they have."
His own words sounded distant, sluggish. His throat felt raw, his voice weaker than he expected.
"And…" He exhaled shakily, his body trembling under the weight of the skill. "I'm… not some chivalrous fool… who cares about shame…"
Pain.
A sharp migraine split through his skull like a blade, but he had to push forward.
Ethan's face twisted in anger. His red eyes burned with fury, his entire body trembling with unrestrained rage.
Ash barely processed it.
His mind struggled to keep up, drowning in the flood of Information from the surroundings.
Ethan's voice cracked with rage. "This—this bastard! First, he was traveling with Melissa, my fiancée, and now he's asking what he did wrong?!"
What?
For a second, Ash's brain short-circuited.
Then—click.
'Oh'
'So that's why this guy was after me.'
Through the suffocating strain in his head, Ash barely managed to think.
Ahh… right. This bitch was Melissia's fiancée.
Ethan was fuming. Ash could see the veins bulging on his forehead. He had to respond, but his body was failing.
His vision blurred, darkness creeping into the edges.
Still, he forced a smirk.
"Oh, that?" His words slurred slightly. "I was… just taking a lift… if you know what that means."
His knees buckled.
He pushed through.
"And besides…" He took a ragged breath. "I… was forcefully taken by them. That bitch—oops, I mean, Melissia—She's unreasonable."
His head throbbed.
Ethan clenched his fists, his fury reaching its boiling point.
He could see it all—the shifting of Ethan's muscles preparing to attack, the particles of dust rising from the ground, the movement of leaves swaying in the wind.
Every frame of reality slowed, stretched into data points for him to analyze, process, and calculate the optimal response.
Ethan, unable to hold back any longer, vanished from sight.
'Good, he is attacking in anger just as planned'
He forced his body forward, allowing Ethan's attack to come.
Desperation.
That's what he needed to show.
He had to lose convincingly.
He had to make it seem as if he were nothing more than a struggling weakling, barely holding on.
If he could make Ray step in, then everything would go according to plan.
He would get out scot-free.
He would be healed.
He would escape the spotlight.
Then—
Ethan's fist connected—a brutal impact straight to his face.
His vision cracked, as blood splattered from his mouth, a sharp jolt running through his skull.
A tooth flew out.
'I am glad that even pain was nullified due to the skill'
His body was weightless, flung backward like a ragdoll.
He crashed into a tree, the impact shattering the trunk behind him. Bark and splinters rained around his motionless form.
then-
Blackness.
His body gave out before he could see it through.
The side effect of the skill hit him all at once, and just like that—
He lost consciousness.
***
A/N:
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