I strode down the hallway, Rebellion in hand. My white attire was splattered with blood, and I sighed, thinking that I should change into something else. As I continued down the blood-soaked hallway, littered with the dead, I paused upon hearing footsteps—multiple sets of footsteps echoing nearby.
I peered around the corner and spotted several individuals clad in black, their masks resembling crows. "Shit... What do I do now...?" I muttered to myself.
{You've gotten a beginner's gift!}
Oh, that's new. Ah... accept?
{You have gained a skill:
low-level Sword Mastery!}
Suddenly, a flood of memories rushed into my mind, as if I had been wielding a sword for years. I gritted my teeth against the pain I had never experienced before, as if my brain were burning.
"Well... This feels exciting..." I sighed. Suddenly, I heard a voice whisper, "I hope this ends quickly... I want to get out of here..."
"We only follow orders. Shut up and obey," another, more authoritative voice replied coldly. "Yes, sir!" came the quick response. Will I have to kill them...?
They tortured me for years... Well, that's an obvious reason to get revenge... Inhale, exhale, time to rock, baby!
I stepped out into the hallway, letting them see me. One of them said, "Hey, that boy, he's an experiment, right...?"
"It looks like this one is called X-4. Kill him quickly. Don't let any of them escape," another instructed, glancing at a tablet in his hand. Oh, no, no... Not even kidding... I smiled, my eyes gleaming with anticipation. It was time to exact my revenge... Just think about the shit they did to me...
I ran towards one of them, my body feeling incredibly light. I appeared in front of him like a blur and sliced off his head without hesitation. Blood splattered across my face, but I ignored it. "What the hell...?" exclaimed another, as he tried to draw his sword. I quickly impaled him on the wall with Rebellion, my sword piercing his chest. "Hey, do you like kebabs...? I do..." I smiled, pulling my sword out of his chest. His blood gushed out, staining the wall.
I smiled at the next guy and said, "Hey, come on! Don't be so... sharp!" I dodged his sword attack and kneed him in the chest, sending him flying like a bullet toward a wall. He crashed into it, the wall cracking under the impact. I heard him cough, and I even saw blood seeping from his crow mask, slowly dripping to the ground. I ran towards him and kicked him in the face, my eyes filled with anger. I intended to kill them all, but I also needed information.
"So, that's it...? You guys are clowns, right? Are you going to show me another trick?" I pointed my sword at those who were still alive. "This brat..." one of them growled, taking a step forward. I smiled and said, "Well... You're the big clown, right?"
He lunged at me, and I went flying, crashing into a wall. I felt a sword pierce my chest. "Done, these idiots. It wasn't that difficult..." I clicked my tongue and removed the sword from my chest, I fell to the ground but got up quickly. Blood began to flow from my chest, but I was cured in seconds. "Nice sword... But it's not as cool as mine. Well... Now I'm angry. I really don't like it when someone impales me..."
The guy in the crow mask stared at me, his eyes wide. "What the hell...?" I smiled and said, "Well! Now comes the main act!"
I disappeared in a blur and reappeared next to him, kicking him in the chest. He flew backward and crashed into a wall, and I threw the sword that had been thrown at me, impaling him through the chest against the wall. The blood slowly dripped down, soaking him.
"SURROUND THAT DAMN BRAT!!" one of them shouted. I smiled and said, "Hey, calm down... I don't like it when people scream. I remember screaming when they made me do things... I hated that noise..."
I dodged a slash from another sword, my speed astonishing. I clenched my fist and punched him in the chest, sending him flying. I felt like I had broken something. I tightened my grip on Rebellion and sliced off his head. His head flew through the air and landed on the ground with a thud. "Ha ha! Double points!!" I exclaimed, a wide smile on my face. I was going to kill these bastards.
I dodged another attack and jumped into the air, landing on one head. "It's not bad, but I think you need more practice... Well, I'm 15 years old, younger than you... But hey, let's stop talking nonsense." I swung my sword and cut off his head. Jumping, I dodged the gushing blood and landed on the ground, turning to face the last guy. He seemed more formidable, and I smiled, saying, "Well! Are you a Dark Souls boss or a tutorial boss? This doesn't seem so difficult..."
The guy just stared at me, his eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he disappeared like a blur, and I ducked, dodging a kick. This one's fast... not bad... I quickly dodged more punches and kicks, this guy definitely surpasses the speed of sound. Mach 2 or 3, or maybe even faster?
Although I think he could dodge a lot more than that... I ducked and dodged a punch, saying, "Well! Now it's my turn, big guy!"
I clenched my fist and punched him, sending him flying. However, he stabilized in the air and landed on his feet. Ohh! This guy really does feel like a good tutorial boss!
"Well! Come on!" I said with a wide smile.
The guy just looked at me with half-closed eyes, and it seemed like he really wanted to destroy me, but I wanted to destroy him, too. Suddenly, he disappeared with a speed faster than the human eye could track. I ducked in time, dodging a kick that tore through the air, and I saw and heard a sonic boom. This guy is pretty fast... not bad... I quickly dodged more punches and kicks; this guy is definitely fast. I hope I don't lose.
I crouched and dodged a punch that grazed my hair just in time. I smiled widely and said, "You almost had me, didn't you?"
I clenched my fist and hit him, but he blocked with his arms. He was pushed back several meters but managed to stay on his feet. "Well... you have a lot of strength," I acknowledged.
"But good fights are what matter!" I smiled.
He and I blurred as our swords collided, slicing through walls and the ground. I almost managed to cut him in the chest, but he dodged it quickly. He took a step back, looked at me, and said coldly, "What a humiliating thing... A damn brat of... what? 15 years old? Just destroyed my team..."
"Well, the world brings many surprises, doesn't it...? But I don't think it's a good time to talk, right?" I smiled. I noticed another guy crawling on the ground, blood oozing from his chest. Impressive resilience... I thought to myself. I figured it would be best to finish this guy off quickly and then get information from the one who was still alive and crawling. I hoped he wouldn't die too soon.
The guy sighed, his anger seemingly intensifying by the second. "It looks like I'm going to have to use this against a damn brat..." Suddenly, his sword began to emanate a yellow beam of light; it glowed slightly before exploding slightly, reminding me of the aura of Nen. I smiled and asked, "Hey, is that magic?"
"No..." he replied seriously. Suddenly, he disappeared, leaving only a shadowy image. I gripped the handle of Rebellion tightly, feeling my senses heighten.
He and I moved swiftly, our swords clashing, but I was sent flying, crashing into a wall. I jumped to my feet, wincing. Damn... my chest hurts... That didn't feel like any of the magical weapons I've been impaled with before. Those weapons emanated a blue or light blue aura, but this guy's is yellow.
I sighed. "Haha... I guess I should stop playing around, huh?" I tightened my legs and gripped Rebellion's handle firmly. I felt my arms tense as I sprinted toward him like a coiled spring. I jumped, and our swords clashed again, but this time, I held my ground. I quickly dodged a cut that grazed my cheek. His speed was increasing. I glanced down the hallway and spotted the other guy crawling toward the corner, about to turn into another hallway.
"Well... time to go all out," I thought. I squeezed my legs harder and held Rebellion tightly. "I hope you can handle this..." I whispered to the sword. It was my first time attempting this. I swung my sword at the guy rapidly, my thrusts creating afterimages. He countered with more blows, but some of my strikes cut into his body. I crouched and kicked him in the face, sending him flying. Good!
I ran down the hall and swiftly slashed at him with my sword. Several cuts appeared on his body, and blood soaked the floor. I smiled and taunted, "Hey! Are you going to enter your third phase or what?"
The guy growled and rushed toward me with increased speed. My senses sharpened as I inhaled slowly, holding Rebellion tightly. I watched as he closed in, tensed my legs, and sprinted toward him. With all my might and speed, I swung Rebellion and cut him across the chest.
I appeared as a blur behind him, a cut on my chest. I gritted my teeth as the wound healed rapidly, though it felt slightly slower than usual. Well... I'm only 15 years old. I'll get stronger as I grow up.
I heard something fall to the ground and turned to see the guy kneeling in a pool of his blood. His sword lay on the ground, its shine and aura slowly fading. I won...
I approached and stood before him, grabbing his mask and ripping it off. "Oh... you're an old man, huh?" His face was etched with deep wrinkles, and his hair was full of gray. He stared at me with cold eyes and spat, "Damn monster... This is impossible... This shouldn't be happening," through the blood that trickled from his mouth. I smiled and replied, "Haha... Yes, a monster, right?"
My smile faded as I continued, "Don't screw with me, you bastard... They captured me, they tortured me... I was their lab rat... And now you call me a monster? How ironic. Aren't you the monsters for putting me through that for years?"
The guy just stared at me with those cold, unyielding eyes. "Do you have a family...?" I asked, and he replied, "Haha... Well, something like that... Although I haven't seen them in years..."
"You have grandchildren?" I probed further, and he answered, "A granddaughter..." I closed my eyes and said, "You know what? I feel guilty... A family will be left without their grandfather... But I shouldn't feel sorry... Well, just die..." I cut off his head without hesitation, and it flew through the air before landing on the ground.
I sighed and muttered, "Now for the other guy. I want to get out of here." I walked down the hallway, following the trail of blood on the floor, and turned into another hallway, only to find something unexpected.
There was a girl, perhaps my age, pointing her hand at the guy who had been crawling before. "Hey, Don't kill him—" I started to say, but the girl didn't listen. Fire erupted from her hand, engulfing the guy's face. Within seconds, he turned to ashes.
"Great, I lost my source of information... Thanks a lot..." I said, my voice laced with annoyance.
I sighed and addressed the girl, "Hey, you're from here too, right...?" Her hair obscured most of her face, but I could make out one eye. I frowned, concerned, and asked, "Hey, are you okay?" As I stepped closer, she backed away, shaking and muttering, "M-monster..." with each step I took. Okay... I'm confused now.
Suddenly, the girl pointed her hands at me and shouted, "D-DIE!" I felt the air around us grow heavier, an almost tangible sensation. My heightened senses warned me just in time, and I blocked a burst of crimson fire. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?" I yelled, anger lacing my voice. Why was she attacking me?
I felt my hands burning, and a sense of weakness washed over me. Damn... I also felt drained of energy... I must have expended a lot in that previous fight.
I quickly moved away, jumping into the adjacent hallway. I looked at my hands, the skin burned away, revealing red muscles and bone. But my hands regenerated swiftly, surrounded by a faint scarlet light—demonic energy.
Suddenly, a massive crimson flame engulfed the hallway I had just left, reducing everything to ashes. Phew... Good thing I got out of there, or I'd be burned to a crisp.
I sprinted down the hallway, aware of the girl's incredible abilities. She could burn my hands to the bone in seconds. I grabbed the tablet from the floor and continued running. Damn... Suddenly, lightning struck a wall ahead of me. What the fuck!?
She can throw lightning and fire... What the hell...??
I ran down the hallway, squeezing my legs to build momentum. I turned into another hallway and spotted an elevator in the distance. I inhaled deeply and ran faster than ever before, covering the distance in less than three seconds. I needed to be faster...
I cut through the elevator doors with my sword and kicked the doors open. I looked at the buttons and realized it was the lowest floor. Sighing, I looked up at the ceiling and thought, "I hope this works..."
I sliced through the ceiling with my sword, causing it to collapse. I jumped, and the ceiling flew through the air. I looked up and realized I needed to climb.
I bit down on the handle of Rebellion and clenched my hands tightly. I jumped and began climbing the wall, using metal protrusions as handholds. I quickly ascended, hoping to reach the top soon.
---
In the hallway, the girl stared at the nearby elevator. She ran toward it but suddenly collapsed to the ground, writhing and muttering, "No... please..." Blood began to trickle from her mouth and eye sockets. She clutched her head, her teeth clenched as the space around her began to distort. blue energy filled the air, emanating from the girl.
The ground sank, forming a small crater, and the walls rapidly crumbled. A tornado of blue energy swirled around the girl, who bled profusely and screamed in agony.
A nearby person's body began to distort, their arm vanishing and reappearing through the wall, their head disappearing and reappearing in the air before falling to the ground.
Suddenly, sections of the ground started to disappear and reappear, as if space itself was breaking, distorting, or restructuring. Then, a massive blue shockwave consumed everything.
---
Come on, just a little more!!
Suddenly, a sense of impending danger washed over me. I looked down and spotted a large blue wave hurtling toward me. Shit!!
I tried to climb faster, but the shockwave swallowed me, enveloping me in blue before everything went dark.
---
Lunaria, one of the strongest and largest cities in the world, is a place where commoners and nobles coexist, each keeping to their own circles. The bustling streets are alive with activity, magical trains directed by mana crystals pass by daily, and it is home to Cristaia, the most prestigious academy in the world. Cristaia is renowned for producing the greatest magicians, knights, beast tamers, and other talented individuals the world has ever known. The most prominent and popular talents have emerged from within its walls...
A person stood on the ledge of a tall building, enjoying a hamburger with a smile. The wind ruffled his black hair, and a bit of ketchup splattered onto his black jacket and blue pants. He frowned, annoyed, and said, "Ah, come on... These clothes are new."
His eyes, full of annoyance, suddenly narrowed as he looked toward the bustling city. "That Mana..." he muttered.
In a blur, he was gone, running across the rooftops and landing in an alley. "Well... I feel the Mana here..."
The air distorted, and a figure emerged—a white-haired boy clutching a sword with a skull hilt tightly in his hand. The boy fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious.
The black-haired man approached, narrowing his eyes as he beheld the boy's hair. "Oh... This is really strange. A Noble...?" he contemplated aloud. "Maybe...? Those hair colors are almost always associated with nobles. Is he one of them...?"
As he drew closer, the white-haired boy suddenly opened his eyes, disappearing in a blur and reappearing behind him, sword pointed at his back. "Where am I...?" he asked.
The black-haired man, unfazed, replied, "Welcome to Lunaria... foreigner...?"