The Villian Who Broke The Story

The moment Kael stepped into the Virtual Simulation Hall, every operator inside the control room looked up.

"...He’s back."

"I thought he’d at least wait until after the exams."

"Didn’t he nearly kill himself before the tournament?"

Kael ignored the whispers.

He walked straight toward the reception desk, where the same elderly operator who had handled most of his previous sessions stared at him with disbelief.

"...Back again?"

Kael nodded.

"The exact same settings as before."

The old man frowned.

"You mean sixfold gravity..."

"Yes."

"The weighted restraints..."

"Yes."

"The combat restrictions..."

"Exactly the same."

The operator hesitated.

"You’ve only just recovered from the tournament."

"I’m recovered."

"You sure?"

Kael smiled.

"I’ll tell you if I’m not."

The old man sighed before operating the crystal console.

"...Simulation Room Three."

"The requested conditions have been approved."

"The difficulty will remain identical to your previous training."

Kael gave a small nod before walking toward the familiar metal doors.

Behind the observation glass, several operators quietly gathered.

"I’ve got a feeling we’re about to witness something ridiculous."

"Again?"

"When is it ever anything else with that boy?"

The heavy doors slid shut behind Kael.

Immediately—

Boom.

The sixfold gravity crashed onto his shoulders.

His clothes fluttered violently before settling.

The weighted restraints around both wrists and ankles materialized exactly as they had before.

The familiar pressure returned.

Kael simply rolled his shoulders.

"...Feels lighter."

Not because the gravity had weakened.

His body had simply become stronger.

Months ago...

This same pressure had nearly forced him to his knees.

Now—

He casually stretched both arms.

His joints cracked pleasantly.

"Looks like Infinite Adaptation really finished the job."

A mechanical voice echoed through the arena.

『Training Conditions Confirmed.』

『Sixfold Gravity Active.』

『Combat Restrictions Active.』

『Beginning Ranked Simulation.』

『Opponent: Rank 20.』

The arena shimmered.

A familiar swordsman stepped onto the battlefield.

The young man drew his sword confidently.

"You again?"

Kael smiled.

"I’ve missed you."

The timer reached zero.

The simulated student rushed forward.

His sword cut cleanly through the air—

Kael disappeared.

The operator watching the monitors blinked.

"...Where did he go?"

Before anyone answered—

The simulation ended.

The Rank 20 student froze.

A thin red line appeared across his chest.

He shattered into particles.

『Victory.』

Silence filled the control room.

"...One strike?"

"...Wasn’t that supposed to be Rank Twenty?"

Professor Raphael slowly folded his arms.

"He didn’t even draw on Darkness Mana."

Kael calmly sheathed his blade.

"Next."

『Opponent: Rank 19.』

The second opponent specialized in close-quarters combat.

The instant the battle started—

He charged.

Kael stepped sideways.

One movement.

One slash.

The simulation ended before the opponent understood what happened.

『Victory.』

Rank 18.

A spear user.

Three exchanges.

Finished.

Rank 17.

A Beastkin.

It barely lasted longer.

The Beastkin lunged with overwhelming force.

Kael met the attack head-on.

Their fists collided.

The simulated student stumbled backward in disbelief.

Kael’s sword flashed.

『Victory.』

One operator slowly lowered the cup in his hand.

"...Isn’t he... stronger than during the tournament?"

Raphael shook his head.

"No."

"He isn’t simply stronger."

"He’s become efficient."

Lyra, who had entered the observation room unnoticed, watched quietly through the glass.

"Before the tournament..."

"He relied on overwhelming adaptability."

"Now..."

"He already knows what every one of these opponents can do."

She smiled faintly.

"So instead of adapting during the fight..."

"...he ends the fight before adaptation is even necessary."

『Opponent: Rank 16.』

The mage immediately filled the arena with fireballs.

Kael never slowed down.

He sprinted straight through the bombardment.

His body twisted naturally between every spell.

The distance disappeared instantly.

The mage widened his eyes.

"...Impossible—"

Kael tapped the flat of his blade against the mage’s forehead.

The simulation shattered.

『Victory.』

Kael let out a quiet breath.

"Still too easy."

He looked toward the ceiling.

"Continue."

The mechanical voice answered immediately.

『Advancing to Rank 15.』

Outside the arena, Raphael couldn’t help smiling.

"The real training..."

"...starts much later."

The arena shimmered once again.

『Opponent: Rank 15.』

A familiar figure materialized, twin sabers already drawn.

The instant the simulation began, the assassin vanished.

The operators instinctively leaned closer to the observation crystal.

"Fast..."

"He wasn’t this fast before."

Kael didn’t move.

He simply closed his eyes.

The assassin reappeared behind him, both sabers slicing toward his neck.

Clang!

Without turning around, Kael caught one blade with his sword while his elbow crashed into the assassin’s ribs.

The simulated student staggered.

Before he could recover—

Kael’s sword traced a clean arc.

The assassin dissolved into particles.

『Victory.』

"...Again?"

"He isn’t even using skills anymore."

Professor Raphael watched silently.

"He’s conserving everything."

"He already knows the fights ahead are the ones that matter."

『Opponent: Rank 14.』

A heavily armored knight emerged.

The knight slammed his greatshield into the ground.

The entire arena trembled.

Kael smiled faintly.

"So you’re next."

The knight charged.

Every step cracked the stone floor beneath him.

Kael met the charge head-on.

Instead of avoiding it—

He accelerated.

Their weapons collided.

The impact echoed throughout the chamber.

The knight expected to overpower him.

Instead...

His stance collapsed.

Kael twisted his blade, redirecting the tremendous force before driving his shoulder into the knight’s chest.

The armored student lost his footing.

A single downward slash ended the match.

『Victory.』

One operator scratched his head.

"I remember this guy giving Kael a lot of trouble."

Raphael nodded.

"He did."

"But that Kael no longer exists."

Ranks Thirteen...

Twelve...

Eleven...

The battles came and went almost like practice.

Every opponent fought exactly as Kael remembered.

Every habit.

Every opening.

Every mistake.

It was as though he was reading a script.

He didn’t rush.

He didn’t show off.

He simply dismantled each opponent with the smallest number of movements possible.

By the time Rank Eleven disappeared—

Kael hadn’t suffered a single injury.

Not one.

『Opponent: Rank 10.』

The atmosphere changed.

Even the operators straightened in their seats.

"The Top Ten..."

"Now it starts."

The simulation completed.

A familiar swordsman stepped onto the battlefield.

Unlike the previous opponents...

The Rank Ten student didn’t attack immediately.

He studied Kael.

Kael returned the stare.

"...Last time we met, I barely scraped past you."

He slowly drew his sword.

"This time..."

"...let’s make it quick."

The battle exploded.

Steel clashed.

The simulated student unleashed an elegant sword style, forcing Kael back two steps.

The operators’ eyes widened.

"There!"

"He actually got pushed back!"

Kael smiled.

"So that’s what everyone’s waiting to see."

His foot shifted.

His entire rhythm changed.

The sword style he had just been using vanished completely.

The Rank Ten student hesitated.

That single hesitation was fatal.

Kael slipped inside his guard.

The pommel of his sword struck the student’s wrist.

The blade flew away.

Before the simulation could react—

Kael’s sword stopped inches from the student’s throat.

『Victory.』

"...Four exchanges."

"He beat Rank Ten in four exchanges..."

Lyra folded her arms.

"He didn’t become stronger."

"He became unpredictable."

"Every few seconds his fighting style changes."

"No one below the highest ranks can keep up anymore."

Kael exhaled slowly.

He rolled his shoulders.

Sixfold gravity still pressed against him relentlessly.

The restraints still weighed down every movement.

Yet...

His breathing remained calm.

Not once had he activated Mana Emphasization.

Not once had he relied on Darkness Mana.

Everything so far...

Had been achieved using nothing but pure technique.

He looked up as the arena began reconstructing itself.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Now..."

"...the real opponents begin."

The mechanical voice echoed once more.

『Preparing Opponent: Rank 9.』

Far behind the observation glass, Zion stood silently, having arrived without anyone noticing.

He watched Kael through the crystal.

"...So this is how much you’ve grown."

No one answered him.

Everyone in the room was thinking the same thing.

If Kael was clearing the lower Top Ten this effortlessly...

Then what would happen when he reached the monsters waiting at the top?

The arena lit up once again.

『Opponent: Rank 9.』

A tall elf wielding a slender rapier stepped onto the battlefield. Unlike the previous opponents, he didn’t attack immediately. Instead, he slowly circled Kael, searching for an opening.

Kael mirrored the movement.

Neither of them spoke.

Then—

The elf disappeared.

A silver flash pierced toward Kael’s chest.

Clang!

Kael tilted his blade just enough to deflect the thrust before stepping inside the elf’s guard. The elf reacted instantly, twisting away and launching a barrage of precise stabs.

Each strike was aimed at a vital point.

Kael calmly weaved through them.

One.

Two.

Three.

The fourth thrust was redirected with the flat of his sword.

The elf’s balance shifted for the briefest moment.

Kael didn’t waste it.

His shoulder slammed into the elf’s chest before his sword rested against the elf’s neck.

The arena dissolved.

『Victory.』

『Opponent: Rank 8.』

A mage.

The battlefield immediately became a sea of ice.

Frozen pillars erupted from the ground while dozens of razor-sharp icicles rained toward Kael.

He dashed forward.

His movements were smooth despite the sixfold gravity.

Every step avoided another spell.

Every swing shattered another block of ice.

The mage tried creating distance.

Kael refused to give him any.

Within seconds—

He stood directly in front of the spellcaster.

The mage raised another spell.

Kael flicked his wrist.

The spell circle shattered.

The tip of his sword rested against the mage’s forehead.

『Victory.』

"He’s not giving anyone time to fight."

One operator swallowed nervously.

"He’s ending every battle before they can settle into their rhythm."

Professor Raphael nodded.

"That’s exactly what Stella wanted him to learn."

『Opponent: Rank 7.』

The Beastkin roared the moment he appeared.

His claws tore through the arena floor as he rushed Kael.

Unlike the previous opponents...

He relied purely on overwhelming physical strength.

The first collision echoed throughout the chamber.

BOOM!

Both combatants slid backward.

The Beastkin grinned.

Finally...

Someone had forced Kael to give ground.

The Beastkin lunged again.

This time Kael lowered his stance.

Instead of meeting force with force...

He flowed around it.

The Beastkin’s punch struck empty air.

Kael appeared at his side.

A precise strike landed against the Beastkin’s ribs.

Another behind the knee.

Another against the shoulder.

Each attack disrupted the Beastkin’s posture.

Before long—

The giant collapsed onto one knee.

Kael calmly pointed his sword at his throat.

『Victory.』

Kael slowly breathed out.

His heartbeat had finally increased.

"...Better."

For the first time since entering the simulation...

He felt slightly excited.

The system responded.

『Opponent: Rank 6.』

Another familiar figure appeared.

The battle lasted longer than the others.

The Rank Six student specialized in defensive swordsmanship.

Every attack Kael launched was answered.

Steel rang continuously throughout the arena.

The operators watched in complete silence.

Finally—

Kael abandoned conventional swordplay.

His grip shifted.

His movements changed completely.

The defensive rhythm his opponent had relied upon collapsed instantly.

One clean opening appeared.

Kael stepped through it.

The simulation ended.

『Victory.』

Silence.

No one inside the observation room spoke.

Six consecutive victories against members of the Top Ten.

Not once had Kael activated Darkness Mana.

Not once had he used Mana Emphasization.

Not once had he copied a technique.

Everything had been accomplished through pure fundamentals.

Raphael slowly folded his arms.

"...He’s saving everything."

Lyra frowned.

"Because he already knows who comes next."

Everyone turned toward the rankings displayed on the crystal screen.

Only four names remained.

Rank 5.

The Tigerkin.

The opponent Kael had struggled against countless times before finally overcoming him.

Rank 4.

The dwarf.

The relentless close-combat monster who had forced Kael to adapt every second of their battle.

Rank 3.

Auriella Voss.

The prodigy with the Eye of Ruin.

Rank 2.

Zion Crawford.

The strongest swordsman among the first years...

Until Kael defeated him in the tournament.

Kael stared quietly at the rankings.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"...Now we’re getting somewhere."

The simulation system immediately responded.

『Preparing Opponent: Rank 5.』

As the arena began reconstructing itself, Zion’s reflection remained fixed on the crystal screen.

"...Show me."

"...How much stronger you’ve become."

The heavy doors sealed shut once more.

The real training...

Was finally about to begin.