The audience seats around the duel stage.

Some second-year Class 0 students felt awkward about dressing specially for the occasion.

However, soon they began to enjoy the duel festival, led by Guseulbi and Ong Gil-dong, who had never felt awkward from the start.

The duel level was so impressive that outfits hardly mattered, and thanks especially to the great performances by Eun Gwang High students, particularly those from the same class.

“This is my first time seeing a duel—it’s fun!”

“If only Hyodon or Han-i could join, maybe they could compete in martial arts too. It’s a shame it had to be swordsmanship. In martial arts novels, some fighters don’t use swords.”

“Don’t ask that where Jin Jeong-mook can hear. You’ll be listening to the philosophy and ambition of the Black Forest Sword Saint for an hour.”

Min Green, who once got scolded by Jin Jeong-mook for such questions, summarized what he said back then.

Speaking softly like a whisper, the classmates looked warmly at Min Green.

Today, Min Green showed her bare face without her usual glasses or AR glasses.

Ong Gil-dong, unaware of her situation, had suggested removing the glasses since they didn’t match her outfit.

After some hesitation, she accepted.

She had asked to make the pocket big enough to keep the glasses given by Jo Yi-shin as a gift, but now she blended in normally without a hood or glasses covering her face and eyes.

Song Dae-seok wasn’t nearby, and strangers filled the surroundings, but Min Green didn’t seem intimidated at all.

“Oh, the vice class president is coming up.”

As their conversation paused, Jo Yi-shin and his opponent Oh Hye-yul ascended the duel stage.

Jo Yi-shin walked with a straight posture; his broad shoulders and the finely fluttering hems of his clothes caught the eye.

His black robe was as dark as the night sky, and the Ho clan insignia, shifting color with sunlight, looked like constellations.

Ong Gil-dong praised the fabric choice, delicate embroidery, restrained decoration, expression, and balanced design.

“It’s frustrating—this is an artistic masterpiece I simply can’t create with my current skills! I must train harder. Also, I can’t help but admire the model who so magnificently carries this work!”

The classmates secretly agreed.

Had Jo Yi-shin heard that, he might have thought, “This outfit was made to fit Seodol, so it doesn’t matter whether I carry it or not.”

But with no one to divert the conversation, they gossiped at length.

While introductions for Jo Yi-shin and Oh Hye-yul proceeded, Hwang-ho returned.

“Did you take care of it?”

“I wanted to throw it out, but failed. At least I put it far away, so rest easy.”

Answering Cheong-ho’s fierce question with some displeasure, Hwang-ho spoke.

Kwon Rena, overhearing nearby, asked,

“Ji-ho, what did you take care of?”

“A rat.”

“...There are rats here?”

“Rena, don’t worry. I’m skilled at catching rats too.”

Some kids were shocked to hear about rats, but most reacted calmly.

Growing up in a normal urban household, they’d rarely see rats except as pets, but children here came from diverse backgrounds.

Especially the Ho clan quietly fueled their fighting spirit.

Then Jo Yi-shin swore to fight against demons, and the two participants took their places.

Before the start, they prepared to materialize their item cards.

Sawol Seyum watched Jo Yi-shin’s fingertips and said,

“Uisin, you’ll use a sword today, right? I hope you use something better than what school gave you.”

At that, Baekho, who had been quietly smirking, finally spoke.

“Don’t worry. Jo Yi-shin will use a very good sword.”

“You know what sword it is?”

“Of course.”

Boasting, Baekho drew annoyed looks from Hwang-ho and Cheong-ho, who glared in unison.

Despite that, Baekho looked pleased.

It made sense: the material for Jo Yi-shin’s sword came from Baekho’s true form, and the maker was his younger brother Eunho.

Baekho’s most cherished sword was Paoon Chamnoe’s Baek-a — “White Fang,” meaning a white tooth that shatters clouds and cuts lightning.

Today, Jo Yi-shin’s sword was Joseum Dogwang’s Shinseong (“Morning Star”), meaning the dawn star that shines light in the darkness and guides it.

“Begin the duel!”

At the announcer’s voice, Jo Yi-shin materialized a silver greatsword and grasped it.

The radiant light from the sword made the stage seem brighter for a moment.

As Jo Yi-shin breathed supernatural energy into the hilt gripped with both hands, the sword absorbed dark energy, glowing like a star shining at dawn in harmony with its name.

Oh Hye-yul, who saw the gleaming blade up close, paused briefly—its light was pure and deep.

Kyaaaang!

Jo Yi-shin noticed his opponent hesitating, closed distance, and swung his sword.

But perhaps respecting the duel’s unspoken rules, he refrained from deadly techniques like “sweeping strike” or “cutting strike” that could cause fatal damage.

In duels, a greeting move with low lethality, called gisu-sik, is etiquette for the first move.

Therefore, Oh Hye-yul raised her sword late but was able to block that strike, though she didn’t look pleased.

Before Oh Hye-yul could recover her stance, Jo Yi-shin nimbly stepped back, adjusted his grip despite the massive greatsword, and prepared again.

“That guy’s skill level must have gone up again. His weapon handling feels heavier than before.”

“Heavier and faster than the captain’s or Jeong-mook’s sword. The vice captain’s skill level must be higher.”

“His opponent is related to senior Oh Hye-ji, right? Given his age, his skill level shouldn’t be very high... Will the match end quickly then?”

The classmates, unfamiliar with swordsmanship, tried to gauge skill by skill level.

This approach wasn’t bad from their viewpoint but wasn’t always correct.

Hwang-ho reminded them of a fact.

“Skill level stats are important but not absolute. Jo Yi-shin proved that. Didn’t he win against enemies with much higher skill levels during the entrance exam?”

“Ah...!”

Back then, Jo Yi-shin defeated his opponent with a low-rarity weapon item.

Some dismissed the instant-kill skill as luck, but Jo Yi-shin used a barrier inflicting status effects to lower the opponent’s resistance and built up weapon proficiency step-by-step.

If you judged victory by level differences alone, neither planning moves nor survival would be possible.

“Even with the same physical conditions and similar levels, victory varies. It’s like two players picking the same character in a 1v1 fighting game—results depend greatly on the player’s skill.”

Hwang-ho recalled a time playing games with Eunho’s descendants, picking the same character but losing terribly.

He thought picking a character with matching performance and controls would reduce the gap, but it didn’t.

“Hey, so do you think he might lose?”

“I want to ask the same! I agree with what you said but dislike the context!”

Guseulbi and Ong Gil-dong openly expressed dissatisfaction.

Some others nodded quietly in agreement.

Of course, Hwang-ho, who usually got all sorts of jeers from Ho clan friends, wasn’t discouraged.

“I’m just stating a general principle to avoid biased thinking. Look at Jo Yi-shin’s eyes. Does he look like he’ll lose?”

Jo Yi-shin on stage moved as if feeling no weight from the greatsword.

The silver afterimage left by the divine greatsword Joseum Dogwang and the fluttering curve of his robe’s collar left a long trace.

Watching Jo Yi-shin’s fast movement was not easy, but Class 0 had quite a few who could keep up.

Just then, Oh Hye-yul swung her sword upward to cut Jo Yi-shin’s collar, but Jo Yi-shin read it first, pushed off the ground, spun in the air, and fiercely struck down with Shinseong.

His eyes fixed firmly on his opponent.

“That guy’s got sharp eyes. He’s been watching and dodging based on his analysis.”

“Exactly. Jo Yi-shin doesn’t appreciate eyes much, but {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} he has good ones.”

Ho clan members openly disliked that Jo Yi-shin lost his left eye, and Maeng Hyo-don, present that day, showed a troubled expression.

Victory seemed nearly certain, but Oh Hye-yul’s fierce resistance delayed the finish.

Just when the outcome was near, Jo Yi-shin, who had fought silently, spoke for the first time.

What I had to do at the duel festival was clear.

Respect the rules set by the martial artists here and prove I had the strength to fight.

So I decided to wear the best possible clothes and fight wielding a famous sword.

After telling this and preparing, Seodol and the tigers got overly enthusiastic, making me wear excessive clothes and wield an extravagant sword.

This increased Eunho’s burden.

—I’ll make a sword that rivals Baekho hyung’s White Fang of Paoon Chamnoe. Actually, since you awakened, I’ve been crafting a weapon fitting for you, Uisin hyung. I have to hurry.

Isn’t a sword at the level used by mythical Ho clan members a bit much?

But since I’d already mentioned it, no one listened to what I said next.

Eunho’s Joseum Dogwang’s Shinseong was less rare than Paoon Chamnoe’s White Fang but seemed to be the type to grow stronger depending on use, like other SSR and UR items.

—I’m not satisfied with this sword now, but once Uisin hyung wields it, it’ll be complete.

Eunho said he wasn’t satisfied with it, but it was already too much for a single student to wield.

Or, to put it negatively, the Ho clan might be arrogant enough to think giving a weapon this strong to a human is no threat.

Anyway, Eunho showed such zeal that I couldn’t refuse.

Besides, thinking this way would make the white tiger happy and excited, so I tried to hold back, but I wanted to try the greatsword too.

For convenience and versatility, magic would be best, but maybe it was because I learned swordsmanship from the white tiger and sparred with him in this world.

Exaggerating, this fight felt so enjoyable that the greatsword seemed lighter than a rod.

‘Oh Hye-yul is quite a capable swordswoman. But compared to the white tiger, she’s far behind.’

Though I enjoyed it, my opponent felt lacking.

Realizing the skill gap, Oh Hye-yul’s expression slowly crumbled but she didn’t want to give up.

She forcibly drew in supernatural energy to the point of harming her body and tried reckless sword skills.

I could overpower her with strength, but if I pressed her physically, she’d resist even if it broke her body.

Aiming the greatsword, I said,

“You know the Eun Gwang High exam isn’t easy, right? If you push too hard here, you’ll hurt yourself and it’ll affect the exam.”

“...I’m confident I could pass even if I lost an arm or leg.”

Oh Hye-yul gritted her teeth, maybe thinking I was provoking her.

Comparing the skills of first-year juniors and Oh Hye-yul now, she wasn’t wrong.

Maybe she’d fail the written test, but she wouldn’t fail the practical.

I wasn’t worried about Oh Hye-yul failing Eun Gwang High.

“But if you take the exam injured, you won’t be first.”

“...!”

Hearing me, Oh Hye-yul’s expression faltered.

Someone climbing the duel stage and preparing early for the GED and Eun Gwang exam wouldn’t lack ambition.

I wanted my prospective junior to face the exam in the best condition.

“When you come to Eun Gwang, I’ll face you again.”

“...”

After much thought, Oh Hye-yul lowered her sword.

I still held my sword ready, so the outcome was decided there.

The referee accurately interpreted Oh Hye-yul’s intent and declared,

“The winner of this duel is the nameless rising star, Jo Yi-shin!”