Chapter 118

(4)

7.

The moment Ulan left the base.

All the video recording devices focused on him.

When he finally faced the Eloden Assault Group, a palpable tension filled the air.

But that was short-lived.

As Laurea headed toward Arsen’s base, the video recording device split into two, to capture the battle about to unfold at Arsen’s base.

Suddenly, as the screens divided—

Puh-whoosh! Crackle!

A tiny explosion echoed.

Suddenly, the screens went pitch black.

{Huh? What’s going on?}

{Looks like there was an incident.}

The sudden turn of events left not only the spectators but also the narrators from both factions bewildered.

There were only two video recording devices left.

Should we divide them? That thought crossed someone’s mind, but surprisingly, it was quickly resolved.

{…!}

{Ulan is on the move!}

It was because Ulan had suddenly launched the fight.

Of course, Laurea was an important figure too, but there was something else grabbing everyone’s attention.

Ulan Bator and Ian Marcus.

As the ace representatives of both factions seemed ready to start combat, the remaining video recording devices immediately focused on the spot.

The narrators shared the same sentiment.

The two young men and women looked excited as they gazed at the formation of the Eloden Assault Group.

{It’s a 3-star Holy Shield!}

{No matter how much of an expert Ulan is, breaking that Holy Shield will be tough.}

{Judgment is key here. Since a 3-star Holy Shield doesn’t last long, waiting a bit before approaching might be a strategy.}

The narrators were all throwing out their opinions.

Just then.

Ulan, who had been chatting with Teron Shulagen, suddenly approached the Holy Shield.

{This seems a bit hasty!}

{It’s not a wise decision. With the Judgement Shackles also in play, rushing into the shield will just give them an opportunity for a counterattack.}

The narrators voiced their concerns.

Meanwhile, Ulan remained unfazed. He just kept walking calmly.

Shortly after.

To everyone’s surprise, the Holy Shield failed to stop Ulan. Instead, it shattered like a piece of paper.

{…?}

The narrators widened their eyes in shock.

They were taken aback by how easily the Holy Shield had been destroyed.

{Wait, why did it just break?}

{Y-Yeah…?}

They looked utterly dumbfounded.

It was as if they couldn’t comprehend the situation.

But only the shield had broken. There was still another trap waiting to stop Ulan.

{The Judgement Shackles! As long as those exist, Eloden still has a chance!}

{Speaking of which, what are the Judgement Shackles?}

{It’s a Holy spell used by Priests. It binds the opponent with sacred chains and shackles, temporarily immobilizing them.}

After finishing that detailed explanation.

The narrator from the Eloden faction, Rive Merheal, shouted with a triumphant look on his face.

{Once bound by the shackles, there’s no way they’ll escape easily this time!}

With a confident voice.

Bang!

The sacred chains shattered.

But that wasn’t all. The Judgement Shackles melted into the air as if they didn’t exist.

An unexpected scene unfolded.

Rive stood frozen with his mouth agape.

Meanwhile, Edeline from Arsen’s faction tilted her head in confusion.

{But they got released?}

{…….}

{Why?}

No answer came back.

Rive was just as clueless about the reason.

And at that moment.

Ulan’s counterattack began.

Whack!

Swinging his club, he sent his opponent’s wooden sword flying, then grabbed their face with brute force. After that, he slammed them into the ground.

KABOOM!

The earth shook violently.

With a jarring impact, Rive and Edeline finally snapped back to reality.

{U-Ulan Bator!}

{He’s swiftly overpowering the Eloden cadets!}

The two narrators hurriedly reported the battle.

However, as the fight continued, their expressions became increasingly strange.

{Um, why is he…?}

{Why is he slamming them into the ground?}

Just as they said, Ulan was sending not just the three cadets who charged at him but also Eloden’s representative, Teron, into the dirt.

Their intentions were inscrutable.

But the sight of them being smacked down hard was scary enough to evoke fear in anyone watching.

But that was just for a moment.

From the spectator seats, faint cheers began to trickle out. Everyone had been waiting for this moment when Ulan and Ian faced each other in a standoff.

{Finally, this moment has arrived!}

{It’s the one-on-one battle between Arsen’s expert, Ulan Bator, and Eloden’s expert, Ian Marcus!}

Rive and Edeline shouted with excitement.

Of course, the question about Ulan’s bizarre behavior still lingered, but this battle took precedence over everything else.

{What kind of battle will they show us?}

{Personally, I expect a decisive victory for Marcus.}

{Huh? What’s that about? Are you favoring him just because he’s from the same Eloden Academy?}

{Absolutely not. This is purely objective analysis and prediction.}

Rive lightly shook his head.

He then explained his reasoning.

{Because Marcus knows a special prayer used by Knights.}

{A special prayer?}

{You’ll find out when you see it.}

A meaningful smile crept onto Rive’s lips. Not long after, the meaning behind that smile was revealed.

BAM!

Ian’s body was enveloped in a silver glow.

The divine power began to condense around his wooden sword like a beacon of pure strength, unlike mere magic power.

{Could it be…!}

Edeline’s eyes widened in shock.

As if she knew what it was.

{O-Oh no! Is that an aura?!}

{That’s right. It’s a sacred aura.}

The symbol of a Master, the aura.

Rive grinned in affirmation.

Edeline, still in disbelief, questioned him again.

{B-but, Ian is just an expert, right? How on earth does he have an aura…?}

{Thanks to the prayer.}

{Is that the special prayer you mentioned earlier?}

{Yes, the Knights of Eloden can momentarily use much greater power through their unique prayers.}

Just as that explanation ended.

The spectators stirred, filled with excitement.

It wasn’t just the spectators.

The waiting room where the eliminated contestants were gathered was also in a state of shock.

“He’s using an aura?”

“No way, that’s cheating!”

“How does he expect to win against that…?”

Gasps of amazement, complaints, and resignation echoed among the Arsen competitors. This was no different for Iris Senior, their representative.

‘That explains why he seemed insanely strong.’

Now it made sense that they were getting clobbered.

Iris sighed silently. Her gaze shifted to Ulan, beyond the screen.

‘He fought valiantly, but…’

It seemed this was the limit.

Still, he had fought admirably.

Ulan had single-handedly taken down six of Eloden’s offensive cadets, after all.

‘Yeah, that’s enough.’

Iris’s shoulders slumped slightly.

Just as she was about to resign herself to this reality.

Something caught her eye.

‘Huh?’

It was Ivella and Delia.

Unlike the other students, the two girls still had hopeful expressions on their faces.

Instead, they were staring at Ulan beyond the screen with eyes sparkling like stars. Watching this, Iris’s eyes widened in astonishment.

‘Could they possibly think he can win against the aura…?’

No way, he absolutely doesn’t have a chance.

If weapons with aura clash with those without, the latter will surely break.

{Is this really how the fight ends?!}

{That’s likely. An expert can never defeat a Master, no matter what.}

The narrators were also reacting negatively.

Which made sense.

Even a child knows that an expert can’t defeat a Master. Only another Master can challenge one.

‘So…’

Ulan can never defeat Ian.

Iris was dead certain of that.

But then, at that moment.

“Huh?”

A sound of certainty shattering filled the air.

Ulan, the barbarian facing Ian, suddenly began to glow red.

Simultaneously, a fierce flame erupted from the club in his hands. It was a force with the same nature as the sacred aura surrounding Ian’s sword.

{Oh, an aura! Doesn’t that mean he has one too?!}

Edeline screamed in panic.

Her face was painted with disbelief.

She wasn’t the only one startled. Rive’s face showed disbelief too, his lips trembling.

{How can he, not even a Knight, use an aura?!}

Edeline shouted with a question infused with bewilderment.

The answer to her question was simple. The aura was a symbol and token reserved for Masters.

In that sense, Ulan could only have an aura for one reason.

“…Master level.”

A voice quivered from Iris’s lips, filled with disbelief. The moment the unbelievable truth engraved itself into everyone’s minds.

KABOOM!

With a massive roar, the battle ended.

{…….}

Moments later, as the dust settled.

What appeared on the screen was Ian, facedown like the other cadets.

His wooden sword, wrapped in the sacred aura, had been shattered in two, and his shield lay in pieces.

In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided, plunging the spectators into an eerie silence.

They hadn’t seen a single thing.

No clue what had happened, or how Ian was slammed to the ground.

But one thing was unequivocally clear.

Ulan is a Master.

Not an expert.

Faced with the undeniable truth, Iris clenched her fist tightly.

She thought it was impossible.

After being thwarted by the Student Council and seeing Ian manifest an aura, she thought it was all over.

But Ulan was different.

He mocked her expectations and single-handedly turned the tables.

Moreover, he shattered everything Iris assumed was the wall of reality. As she gazed at Ulan’s astonishing performance.

“See? I told you earlier, didn’t I?”

“Ulan definitely doesn’t lose.”

Ivella and Delia smiled confidently.

With grins laced with certainty.

[Winning Faction: Arsen Academy]

[Final Victor: Ulan Bator]

[The mock battle has ended.]

Fanfare didn’t ring out as the friendly mock battle concluded.

Only silence enveloped the spectators. Students and professors stared at Ulan in bewilderment.

They couldn’t help it.

Since it was the first time in the school’s history that a student had proven to reach the level of a Master.

On the day the friendly mock battle ended.

The one who captured everyone’s attention wasn’t the Eloden delegation, but a single barbarian warrior.

8.

After the mock battle officially concluded.

Those in charge hurriedly prepared for the awards ceremony.

Meanwhile, the professors from Arsen were still amazed, unable to tear their gazes from Ulan.

“Honestly, I still can’t believe it.”

“He was a Master, not an expert.”

“He didn’t hide his age, did he?”

Gasps of awe, confusion, and distrust echoed through their voices. Alongside that, the professors furtively exchanged glances.

With the emergence of a new Master.

They needed to determine his worth.

Ulan was a Master from the barbarian tribe.

Without any backing, without a noble house, and zero political ties with other countries.

In other words, he belonged to no one.

This was a significant advantage. Like a strategic weapon without an owner.

The moment they realized that.

“Ahem! I’m going to take my leave first.”

“I’ll excuse myself as well.”

“I have urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll be off….”

Professors from the Royal Alliance sneaked out one by one.

They intended to report the emergence of a Master from the barbarian tribe back to their respective homelands.

Perhaps sensing the chaotic atmosphere?

Professor Stella, who had been quietly observing her surroundings, finally spoke with a grave expression.

“…Senior.”

“What is it?”

“No matter how I look at it, this seems disastrous, right?”

Ethan didn’t answer.

There was no need to waste words. He sighed, rubbing his forehead in worry.

‘The worst-case scenario I feared just happened.’

The revelation that Ulan was a Master.

What’s more, Ethan had never anticipated that Ian Marcus would manifest an aura, nor that Ulan would also create one to counter it.

‘I can’t just sit back and regret this.’

The situation was already out of control.

From now on, the professors of each kingdom would compete fiercely. All in a race to claim the free-spirited weapon, Ulan.

Especially for small nations without a Master, they might propose unexpectedly outrageous conditions to acquire him.

‘To prevent that…’

There’s no time to hesitate.

I need to approach Ulan and find out what he desires so we can negotiate.

As quickly as possible. Or rather, immediately.

After organizing his thoughts.

He turned to Stella and asked.

“Where’s Dean Erkazan?”

“He went to the Dean’s Office a while ago. Dean Diplyn wasn’t present from the start as she was engaged in personal research.”

Seems he had returned to the office just minutes before Ulan manifested his aura.

Ethan immediately turned around.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“To the Dean’s Office.”

“Wait, you’re going to inform him right away?”

“We need to come up with measures before it’s too late.”

Of course, Dean Erkazan would be furious. But simply hiding the fact out of fear of his anger was a bad move.

It’s better to deliver this news as quickly as possible and collaborate on a strategy.

So, Ethan left Stella, who looked aghast, and headed toward the Military Department building.

Meanwhile, while the professors were bustling around.

The award ceremony preparations finally came to an end.

“Thank you for your patience!”

“We will now commence the award ceremony!”

Edeline and Rive, who had been narrating the mock battle, took on the roles of hosts for the ceremony. They read their script clearly, although visibly nervous.

“First, we’ll reward the player with the greatest achievement from each faction.”

“Step forward, Ulan Bator from the Arsen faction and Ian Marcus from the Eloden faction!”

Ulan stepped up to the podium silently.

Meanwhile, Ian was nowhere to be seen.

Naturally. Ian had been knocked out and was sent to the infirmary along with other cadets in similar plight due to Ulan.

So, in his stead, it would be Laurea to represent Ian.

“For Ulan Bator, we present three gold coins and three Outing Permissions as a reward.”

“For Ian Marcus’s representative, Laurea, we award five gold coins and a specially crafted plaque as his prize.”

Despite receiving the Outing Permission and gold coins, Ulan didn’t look particularly thrilled. After all, these weren’t the rewards he was seeking.

On the contrary, Ivella and Delia couldn’t have been more ecstatic.

The Outing Permission, a reward exclusive to the victorious faction. Having received the rewards they desired, the two girls beamed with joy, as if they were flying.

After the obligatory praise was done.

“With that, we conclude the award ceremony!”

“Let’s hear it one more time for the players from both factions who fought valiantly!”

Applause erupted from the surrounding crowd.

Ulan turned his body with an expressionless face. He was heading down from the podium.

But then, a voice suddenly caught his attention.

“…Ulan.”

It was Laurea.

She sparkled with a peculiar glint in her eye and whispered softly so that only Ulan could hear.

“Do you have time tonight?”

“Hmm? Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“Just answer me first.”

Her delicate brow furrowed.

A playful expression.

Ulan paused to consider briefly before giving a positive reply.

“I should be free.”

“Really? That’s great. Then come to my room.”

“What for?”

“I have something to discuss. It’s important.”

Her face had turned serious.

Seeing that, Ulan silently nodded.

He understood her intent.

And as time passed.

The promised night eventually arrived.

Chapter 28. How about we not go for a draw?