The Protagonist Already Knows

"..."

???

*Ring~ring*

As the bell rang, Professor Sooyung wiped down the chalkboard and said.

"If you are participating in the Inter-Academy Try-Outs, you are now dismissed. Please head to the coliseum."

"Everyone else, please head out with me for one-on-one sparring practice."

As I continued silently gazing out the window, Lily clicked her tongue and stood up, leaving with about half the class.

...

...

...

"Hey, drunkard, spar with me."

Tilting my head at the figure in front of me, who was one of the cronies who stuck to Leon, I just pulled out my wooden Dao.

I had to calm myself down for a moment: they’re just novel characters, not even real people. Don’t let them bother you.

Then, the taunts began.

"Even if he’s ranked #99, does he really think he can beat Zander!?"

"*PFFT* He’s not even a real rank #99, and Zander is #66. Who the hell does he think he is!?"

As the remaining crowd of low-ranked or lazy students who didn’t even want to try out for the team watched us, Zander raised his wooden sword to the sky like a golden knight.

"If the academy won’t take action, I will!"

"BEAT HIS ASS, ZANDER!"

"GET HIM!"

"DESTROY THAT CHEATING BASTARD!"

Perhaps drunk on the attention he was receiving with all the other powerful students gone for try-outs, Zander grinned and pointed his sword at me.

"I’ll fight fair, even if I’m not fighting a decent person. No mana or anything, just swords."

"How noble of you."

"You’re really confident, aren’t you? Perhaps you’re drunk right now?"

"*PFFT*"

"Hahaha, he’s probably down two beers to be this confident!"

As the crowd exploded into snickers, I paused for a moment in confusion, my composure slowly unraveling.

Did he really believe his own lies that he himself had spread? He seemed to genuinely believe I was a drunkard despite being the one to make up the rumor.

No matter how much you say and spread something, you can’t speak it into existence.

Was this guy fucking dumb?

Nodding my head expressionlessly at him, I calmly evaluated Zander for a moment as the two of us stood ten steps apart in a makeshift circle, surrounded by the crowd of students snickering.

As a rank #66, he was likely a higher stat-rank than me, probably at E or the bottom of E+, but, all in all, though, I doubted he was a difficult opponent.

Perhaps, if he had a mana sword, or a sword with mana veins flowing through it, the fight would have been harder, as I’d have to deal with his elemental sword slashes.

But, alas, the two of us were using wooden swords.

In pure and utter swordsmanship, there was no first-year, besides Haerin and possibly Lily, who could challenge me.

"GO!"

As the shout sounded from the crowd, Zander confidently sprinted toward me, his wooden broadsword held by his waist.

Staying completely still, I simply looked over his shoulder.

There was no image.

He was just a mana swordsman.

Of course, though, he had been in this world for a whopping 17 years, probably training with the sword for at least 10.

His first slash was swift and precise, as he jabbed his sword at my left shoulder, perhaps trying to get me to duck so he could kick me in the face.

All I did was think, and my wooden Dao instantly flew across my body and between his sword and my shoulder.

*CLANG*

As our swords collided, he continued pushing forward, drawing a cheer from the crowd.

"ZANDER, FINISH HIM!"

"LOOK, HE REALLY IS DRUNK: HIS BODY IS WOBBLING."

As I retreated a step back and withdrew my sword, with my legs now at the edge of the circle, Zander didn’t hesitate to continue pressing, looking at me, trapped.

Seeing him approach me, I jabbed my sword forward slowly, purposely allowing him the time to parry my attack.

*CLANG*

My sword hit the same spot again, a small crater forming on his blade.

Then, as he counter-attacked, throwing his left hand forward at my chest, I stepped to the right.

Attacking me with his sword from all angles, Zander tried to overwhelm me and repeatedly slashed and jabbed his sword at me.

*CLANG*

*CLANG*

*CLANG*

Not moving back a step, I parried all his attacks with the side of my wooden Dao, retrieving my sword each time and stepping to the right or left.

His attacks didn’t have any cohesiveness: they were simply wild attempts to hurt me with no coordination or planning for the future.

"HE’S TRAPPED, NOW!"

"YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!"

Hearing the crowd, which had somehow even grown bigger as time passed, cheer, Zander smiled even harder.

From the outside, it must have looked like a pummeling: I was with my back against the boundary, desperately parrying and dodging his attacks.

Looking at me, he muttered while aiming another jab at the left side of my stomach.

"You’re fucking dead."

Simply looking at him blankly, I tilted my head awkwardly.

Really, a feint?

As I stepped to the right to avoid his sword, his left fist instantly surged at my stomach, attempting to catch me off guard.

But I simply stepped to the right again, watching it fly past me.

Finally, I raised my Dao and aimed a slash at his right shoulder.

As he held his sword up preemptively, I simply looked at the small dent on the side of his blade.

My sword hit his, the side of my blade meeting the dent in his wooden blade.

There was no "*CLANG*" this time.

My sword simply pushed through the dent completely, chopping his blade in half like it was butter.

*BANG*

Cleanly continuing through the air after cutting his sword, the edge of my blade hit his neck, instantly throwing him to the ground.

"..."

The crowd went silent.

As he lay on the floor, his expression distorted in pain while half of his blade lay on the ground beside him, my sword instantly jabbed diagonally downward, hitting him in the stomach.

"AHHHH!"

Then, it happened again.