“Haaa....”

Deeply inhaling and then exhaling, I met Thomas’s line of sight.

He stood with a frown over his face.

“Haaa...”

Again I deeply inhaled and exhaled.

“I think dodging some of my attacks have gotten to your head, huh Trash?” Thomas spoke with a wry smirk.

But I ignored him like he was thin air.

Because right now I had more pressing matters at hand.

“Haaa...”

Again, I inhaled and exhaled. After inhaling and exhaling three times, I placed my left hand over my sword’s scabbard and my right hand over the hilt.

Then with a swift movement, I pressed the heel of my foot on the concrete platform and closed the distance between Thomas and I.

But Thomas was ready with his spear held firmly in his hands. He ducked down an inch and an indomitable aura exuded his body and a blue hue enveloped the body of his spear.

But nonetheless, I just approached him.

After reaching Thomas, he propelled his spear with full force towards me.

But I didn’t dodge.

The spear head came closer and closer to my body.

SLASH—!

Dodging at the last moment, I ducked down.

But the spear slashed me on my left shoulder, ripping the protection suit and slashing through my skin.

I gritted my teeth and simply covered the distance, and now stood only two metres away from Thomas.

My hands firmly holding the sword which hung over my hip.

I felt a warm and wet sensation on my shoulder, down to my hand. From the edges of my eyes, I saw my shoulder had started bleeding, but not too profusely.

‘Right now...’

I thought as I closed the two metre gap and now I stood only a few inchs away from Thomas’ body.

‘Mind’s Eye...’

I inwardly exclaimed as my eyes locked on Thomas, and the world came to a standstill.

A grey veil enshrouded the world as time started flowing slower and slower from my perspective.

Thomas’s movements became slower than a snail’s.

Then I examined his body from head to toe. Then having come to a conclusion, I deactivated Mind’s Eye, the grey veil lifted and the colours returned to the world as time began to flow normally.

I pulled my left leg backwards and dug my right foot forward into the ground.

The force at which I dug my foot, caused the ground to crack and fissures to appear near my foot.

I channelled the mana inside my body, and directed it towards my hands and feet.

I also coated my sword with mana.

Soon when I felt the mana had reached the spots where I directed it and had reinforced my hands and feet, I increased my grip over my sword.

I bend down about two inches.

Then exactly at that moment when I had bend down, I quickly unsheathed and sheathed my sword from the scabbard.

All the mana that I had circulated towards my limbs, bursted, and I hit the pommel of my sword near Thomas’ abdomen.

But Thomas didn’t defend, because he couldn’t.

I withdrew my sword back into the scabbard and put pressure over both of my calves and jumped to my right.

I stumbled and rolled on the concrete platform about seven times.

All hail my great acting skills!

All of this happened in the time frame of three seconds. Where Thomas’s spear slashed my shoulder, to the last moment, when I unsheathed and sheathed my sword.

I stood up from the ground and placed my hand over my bleeding shoulder.

The bleeding had become more prominent, because of how I had circulated the mana inside me.

But... I had done it!

My attack was not seen by the crowd.

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Because, I had unsheathed and sheathed my sword so fast that it was not visible to the naked eye.

But even people who were paying attention could have barely seen what I had done.

I looked down at my right arm, placed over my shoulder, which was now shaking, and I felt my arm going numb.

‘Heck yeah!’ I inwardly rejoiced.

I finally did the basic move for learning the ‘Crescent Moon Style’ in this body.

Then my gaze landed on Thomas who blankly looked at me with his spear weakly held in his hand.

“Uek...”

Coughing a mouthful of blood, Thomas dropped down on one knee and placed his free arm, over his abdomen where I had just hit him with the butt of my sword.

Then seeing Thomas getting on one knee, I raised my right arm and shouted.

“I give up!”

The moment I said those words, Thomas snapped his head in my direction and looked at me, with blood still dripping down from his mouth.

“—hat just happened?”

“—is Thomas coughing up blood?”

“—the other boy give up?”

The loud muttering of the crowd entered my ears, as I looked at Thomas who had a blank look over his face.

Well can’t blame the poor guy, can we? He doesn’t even know what happened to him.

[Contestant Seo Jiwoo has forfeited the match]

[So the winner is contestant Thomas Carter!]

Soon I heard the commentator’s thunderous voice boom inside the arena.

But I only heard the crowds muttering, not one cheer.

‘That’s right, that’s how it should be.’

My goal was never to win, but to humiliate Thomas. Poor guy wouldn’t even know what I did to him.

Then I put pressure on the heel of my foot once again and walked towards the stairs.

“W-Where the h-hell are y-you going?” Thomas hatefully spat. “I’m n-not done w-with you, f-fucker.”

He staggered, and tried to regain his balance. He barely got up on his feet and then tightly held his spear.

I sighed.

‘I guess I was a little too harsh on him.’

I turned my head sideways and spoke.

“The match is over Thomas, and...”

I turned around and with a smirk I continued.

“... unfortunately I lost.”

Then turning around again, I continued my walk and soon walked down the flight of stairs.

Then I walked back into the wide corridor which lead to the platform.

‘I knew how egotistical Thomas was just from meeting him a few times. So this should be a good blow to his ego.’

I inwardly exclaimed as I walked through the wide corridor, with my hand placed over my bleeding shoulder.

***

“Adam when is there going be a worth watching match?” Amanda asked with a disinterested voice.

Adam solemnly sat in his seat and didn’t move his gaze an inch away from the platform.

“Oy, Griffin...”

But Amanda kept on pestering him.

She leaned back in her seat and placed her head backwards--like a child when they don’t like something or are irritated.

“Huh—!”

But all of a sudden Amanda heard a weird noise escape Adam’s mouth.

She snapped her head forward and looked at Adam’s face.

“What’s wrong Adam?” She hurriedly asked as she turned her gaze from Adam towards the platform, where now the youth Thomas was on one knee and had coughed up a mouthful of blood.

[I give up]

Then both of them saw contestant Seo Jiwoo raise his right arm up and appeal to forfeit the match.

Confusion flashed on her face as she snapped her head from the platform towards Adam.

But, Adam was in deep thought, his face had a surprised look. He placed his hand over his chin and contemplated over what he had just witnessed.

‘That precise mana control and maneuverability to make the perfect use of one’s muscles and body...’

Adam’s eyes were wide open after he saw what Jiwoo had done.

‘... I had judged his mana control to be mediocre when I saw his first fight... but for it to be so precise...’

Right now the only thing which absorbed Adam’s mind was the way Jiwoo had circulated the mana inside of him, as well as made perfect use of the atmospheric mana, without wasting a single movement.

He was awestricken to see someone use mana in such a precise way, that he had never seen.

But calming himself down, once again his face harboured a solemn expression as Adam's mind raced.

‘That movement was so fast that even I was barely able to see what had just happened, but I couldn’t see it perfectly at the same time.’

Then Adam turned his head and gazed at the youth who was leaving the platform and walking down the flight of stairs with his right hand placed over his shoulder.

“Seo Jiwoo... who are you?” Adam said in an almost inaudible voice.

***

After seeing the youth with glossy black hair forfeit the match, Samuel just couldn’t forget about what he had just witnessed.

“That kid forfeited?” Mikhail exclaimed. “Well good for him, he was just wasting our time.”

But Laurena on the other hand had a soft smile over her face as he looked at the youth exit the platform.

‘I was right about the boy,’ she thought as she gazed at the hologram.

But the same couldn't be said for Samuel, who’s brows were knit together and he had a complicated look over his face.

The movement that Jiwoo had just performed, not even Samuel was able to perfectly follow that movement. Even as a renowned ranked hunter, he was barely able to see what had happened.

‘It’s just like his’...’ Samuel thought as he looked at the youth with glossy black hair leave the platform, over the hologram.

Samuel had seen that kind of speed and accuracy only once in his life, on the battlefield.

‘Is that boy maybe ‘his’ disciple?’

Samuel leaned forward in his seat and clasped his hands.

***

“Huh...”

There amongst the crowd sat a boy with ash-brown hair and amethyst eyes.

His height was average, but he was quite good looking.

But right now his face harboured an astonished look, as he had just witnessed Jiwoo’s attack.

‘How did he do that?’ He inwardly thought as he looked down at the platform.

‘That was amazing.’

He snapped his head left to right and saw that the people around him had a confused look on their faces.

‘Did they not see what happened?’

***

And just like that match upon match happened and now it was evening.

SLASH—!

Right now the last match of the open tournament was being fought between the first and second ranked in lock.

Jiyoung was right now engaged in a duel with Aogiri Ryuya, the number one ranked in the first year.

Everyone had their eyes fixed on the two. It was a duel between the first and second ranked of Lock. The two most talented individuals, in the first year.

Jiyoung perfectly countered Aogiri Ryuya’s barrage of sword slashes.

But in the end the rank difference and swordsmanship played a big role in Ryuya’s victory.

SLAM—!

He kicked Jiyoung in her side and she went stumbling a few steps, then with a swift movement, he approached Jiyoung and extended his sword near Jiyoung’s throat.

Jiyoung simply stood there.

Note that, Jiyoung had not used her skills, so she purely lost in a battle of swordsmanship.

And Ryuya had a notch better swordsmanship than Jiyoung.

But it was already evident the Ryuya had won.

She pushed back and sheathed her sword back into the scabbard.

“It was a good match Park Jiyoung.” Ryuya said with a smile.

But with a single nod, she left the platform.

Jiyoung knew that fighting any further would have been pointless. And she was well aware of her limitations.

[The winner is Aogiri Ryuya!]

Aogiri Ryuya stood in triumph on the platform. A soft breeze ran through his body, which caused his hair and clothes to softly flutter.

Just like his rank being number one, his looks were the same.

His midnight blue hair, coupled with his emerald eyes and white skin, his chiselled jawline and well-built physique, made him look outstandingly handsome.

He looked like he could score any woman he wanted.

And just like that, the first day of the Lock's tournament came to an end.