Surviving in my Own Unpublished Failed Novel-Chapter 86 Exhibition Battle (2)

"This... This is an unprecedented matchup!"

The referee, standing in front of the arena in the Obelisk Grand Stadium, silently read the names of the participants this time on the small holographic screen from his smartwatch.

"Without further ado, Here I call...

"The daughter of the number one Player, Mr. Artorious Hall... Samantha Hall!

"And the one who challenge her, the one who defeated Leon earlier this morning... Han Jiho!

"This will be the battle between the Rank 5 and Rank 1 of the A-1 class of first years!"

After the entrance of the two notable students, the spectators seemed to go wild as shouts reverberated within the barrier-made roof of Grand Obelisk Stadium.

Samantha — whose auburn ponytail hair resembles her stillness and brownish eyes which seemed to have a vast desert on their own — looked at Han Jiho on the other end of the arena, devoid of any emotion.

Han Jiho responded to her emotionless gaze, waiting for the signal from the referee who had been with them since the start of the Ranking of Exchange.

Twenty to thirty seconds later, after the referee confirmed the readiness of both participants, he raised his hand and cleaved down the thin air along with the word signaling the start of the battle.

...

Russell, Freya, Amelie, and Amelie were watching the battle in the middle of the arena as if they forgot to even blink. It was the same case for Elizabeth, Rumia, Anya, as well as Leon who already recovered from the inexplicable sword art that Han Jiho used against him earlier. They were watching with different expressions on their face.

Although the two group seats were near each other as there was no seat requirement per class this time, they focused on what was happening in front of them where Samantha and Jiho used their refined swordsmanship, heating up the momentum of the battle. Both were on offense and defense at the same time, but it's clear to some eyes who were at the disadvantage.

The crowd — who were wild when the referee introduced the participants — had their mouths slightly agape, their eyes filled with awe, and some even held their breaths away.

'What a fierce battle.'

Russell muttered in his mind as he watched silently the ongoing bout between Samantha and Jiho.

...

[Activating Skill: Light Steps]

At this moment, Han Jiho's speed increased by a slight amount as he rushed towards Samantha who raised her sword diagonally with her right hand with perfect posture, befitting of a true swordsman.

Clang-! Clang-!

"Hup-!"

Han Jiho lowered his body, aiming for Samantha's side.

Clang-!

But it got blocked by her by reversing the position of her sword as if she was painting diligently.

It was a beautiful move without using any sword art, just refined swordsmanship from the Expert Swordsmanship.

Han Jiho realized that Samantha's swordsmanship reached the highest level in terms of the basics. It was only at this moment he saw her swordsmanship because whenever he, with others, practiced in the Exclusive Public Training Grounds dedicated to A-1 students of first years, he only saw Samantha bashing the training dummy, breaking the training wooden swords with different sturdiness.

'Not good.' 𝘧r𝘦𝗲w𝘦𝚋𝐧o𝘷𝘦𝙡.co𝑚

He muttered inwardly as he saw the incoming attack from above, then he lowered his body, and leaned it slightly from the side before jumping away from Samantha's range.

Bam-!

Samantha's sword hit the ground, causing some cracks on it as the arena made from M-F-RA or the Mineral Flexible Rocky Alloy was on its rocky form.

At this moment, the two came to a standstill, their thoughts were different.

'Should I use it again?'

Han Jiho thought about the First Movement of the mysterious swordsmanship he has, even though he doesn't remember how to do it anymore as some mysterious power blocked his ability to do so, he, at the very least still recalled what triggered the condition to perform it.

It was his trait, 'Will of the Sword', which helps him adapt to any battle the longer he fights.

...

<Aren't you going to stop toying with him?>

The dignified womanly voice echoed in Samantha's head as she sized up Jiho who took a distance after he dodged her simple cleave.

<Stop talking to me and just go back to sleep.>

Samantha replied via some sort of telepathy, and not verbally which would make her appear crazy if seen by others.

<Hahaha! That's the attitude I admire about you the most. You're not only possessive towards some people, but even with just an unanswered question. Aren't you grumbling because I didn't answer earlier what do I mean by calling your opponent right now a 'runaway'?>

The dignified womanly voice turned into a tone of sarcasm, but Samantha — who was used to it — didn't react strongly and just silently listened to the babbling of the entity in her head.

<Tsk. Are all Constellations talkative like you?>

Samantha asked in her head, causing the voice in her head to turn back its dignity.

<Don't lump me with those bunch of idiots.>

Samantha smiled inwardly as she heard the response of the entity in her mind.

...

Han Jiho looked at Samantha a few meters away from him.

'It's my chance.'

At this moment, he noticed that she seemed lost in her own world, taking this chance to strike.

'It's not enough.'

His trait, 'Will of the Sword', would release its full effect when he fought for a given amount of time, but strangely, his fight against Samantha compared to Leon earlier is now longer at this moment.

Clang-!

'More! More!'

Han Jiho realized the praises that Elizabeth and the others gave to his opponent at this moment. He felt like he was being toyed with earlier, and right now, he's being pushed back, losing his momentum in the process.

Although he felt within himself that he was adapting against Samantha, it was very slow as if he was being hindered by some kind of power. It's like his mind was being delayed by something, making him unable to instantly process the subsequent necessary moves.

After forcing himself to fight head-on, he finally received numerous System messages, he felt a light of hope illuminating his soul.

He's planning to use again the First Movement of the mysterious swordsmanship if his trait manifests its full effect, causing the sword in his hand to react to him again then granting him the ability to perform the first movement of his sword art without any physical backslash.

But his hope turned into a speck of dust the moment he read the System messages. His face turned grim with the inexplicable content of the messages.

[Your Trait: Will of the Sword (SSS+) became an Impossibility.]

[It was impossible for you to fully utilize your trait at this moment.]

[Duration until you can fully utilize your trait again: Cannot be found]

...

"What?"

Samantha heard Jiho's low voice, and without giving him a moment to react...

Bam-!

She vanished from her spot, then smashed the back of her sword to his scalp.

It was a solid and clean strike that didn't break Jiho's neck, but rather only rendered him unconscious as his body fell, his face facing the ground.

Silence enveloped the entirety of the arena, even the referee couldn't process what happened for a few seconds because for him, it was an unexpected way to lose, especially if the student was within the Top 10 of the A-1 class, and if the battle started with a fierce exchange.

But as a professional, he quickly reined in his thoughts as he enthusiastically announced the winner, sending the mentally lost spectators back to their senses, thus shouts reverberated throughout the whole of Grand Obelisk Stadium.

...

After the last exhibition battle from some third-year students, the closing ceremony marking the end of the Emergence Event Remembrance would take place.

Ayleen Mayfield, the model-like teacher of the first-year A-1 class, stood again in the middle of the Obelisk Grand Stadium where the arena earlier appeared. It transformed into an alloy platform this time.

"Thank you to everyone who joined us for five days.

"Every country has its own way of celebrating the Emergence Anniversary.

"We know that it reminds us of the painful memory... The destruction that struck our world 40 years ago.

"But this event also reminds us of the opportunity presented to us.

"We are reminded that we cannot bring back what was lost!

"But rather we must be encouraged to move forward on what's in store for us!

"I!

"Ayleen Mayfield of the Obelisk Organization.

"Announce the end of the Emergence Anniversary!

"For humanity!"

Her serene and firm voice that captivates the hearts of the listeners echoed in the ears of the standing audience across the Grand Obelisk Stadium.

"For humanity!"

"For humanity!"

The voices of the audience seemed to shake the whole stadium as they strongly reverberated, it was a sign of their patriotism.

Although each of them had their own interests, because of the threat of the unknown or the unexplored part of the world, they wanted humanity to reach greater heights... Just like an obelisk that would pierce the skies and reach the stars.

With this, the end of the Emergence Anniversary took place.

Spotlights were unintentionally granted to some promising students which were eyed by the Guild Scouters and Investors.

Investors and Guild Scouters took their next steps for future for the prosperity, and connection to be strengthened.

Media companies hastily summarized their unique stories to be published and distributed across the countries in the Orion Continent.

Some students were stripped of their privileges as others managed to take them away.

And just like that, the bluish moon soon appeared in the vast, starry sky.

...

Room 38, Rigel Building

Russell was standing in front of the door with the placard attached atop with the number 38 written on it.

The Obelisk staff in charge of clearing and cleaning the dorm were already done with their job even before the last day of the Emergence Anniversary ended.

"Hah... This is it."

He opened the door and instantly saw his new room as the new student in the A-1 class.

It was the same when compared to his previous dorm, the difference was the quality of the furniture.

His bed was now wider and more comfortable, it was the same with the couch.

There was the television and wall clock as if the two couldn't be separated.

He walked through the kitchen where he saw the refrigerator that he didn't have in his previous dorm and the kitchen utensils of great quality hanging near the sink.

"Now, this truly feels like home."

He remembered his previous life where he became a shut-in, trading stocks of various companies all day long.

After an unknown period of time of taking out his belongings in his Dimensional Inventory and organizing them, placing them in their right place, he slumped down on his new bed, feeling comfortable as an exhale escaped from his mouth. f𝑟𝑒ewe𝚋𝚗૦𝐯e𝘭.c𝗼𝓂

'There's so much space...'

The most notable change was the space in the room. Every piece of furniture including his belongings just occupied at least a fourth of the total area of the dorm room.

"There's that, too."

He muttered as he recalled the Personal Training Ground which he didn't really need because he has access to a better training ground, it also has the same function, if not greater than the Virtual Capsule time difference. It was the Chaos Training Grounds that he could access with the help of the True Key of Chaos.

Russell didn't choose a butler and two maids to serve him as a privilege given to every A-1 student, but he was given two weeks in any case he changes his mind.

Aside from the Obelisk helper assignment, an A-1 student could bring one themselves, and with this option, Russell recalled his journey prior to finding the Hidden Dungeon, 'Oldest Root of Yggdrasil'.

Then, instead of choosing a butler and two maids from the Obelisk staff to serve him, a ridiculous idea entered his mind.

He plans to recruit 'Maya', the salesclerk of the Player General Store.

"Another untouched element."

He muttered as he reined in his thought before reaching out for a plain purple notebook he placed atop his new study desk.

Russell then opened its first page and read again the headline he wrote after realizing the events that happened in the Emergence Anniversary.

"Book of Changes"