With the tide reversed, Cain lunged forward. His movement was slow but carried a strong current that made Abel grit his teeth.
Cain swung his katana diagonally, aimed precisely at his opponent's neck. Abel jumped, kicking the ground forcefully and throwing pebbles that shot toward Cain.
He raised his hand, defending against the stone fragments that rained down on his sight. Seeing his opponent stop, Abel tightened the grip on the hilt and lunged forward.
However, Cain was ready and jumped backward, then ran around Abel, who stood still, preparing to face Cain's assault.
The grey-haired boy ran in a circle, then launched an attack from Abel's back. Of course, Cain was easily read as Abel rotated his waist and swung the sword.
"Got you!"
Veins popped out on Abel's hand, but his blue eyes widened as he saw Cain stop right at the tip of his sword, passing on his chin. Cain swung his katana upward, clashing against Abel's side sword.
In an instant, Abel felt a jolt in both his hands that struck his shoulder area, temporarily paralyzing him.
From the sparks that flew, Cain grinned, admiring Abel's persistence in not letting go of his sword despite receiving a surprise attack.
Without warning, he kicked up the dirt and shot forward like an arrow. Cain slashed sideways, attempting to end this fight.
However, Abel furrowed his brows. He was about to jump but accidentally stepped on a slippery rock, causing his body to fall, and coincidentally dodged the attack.
Not only that, he immediately spun around on the ground while being chased by Cain, who was thrusting his katana.
"Stop rolling!"
"I don't want to!"
Utilizing his rolling momentum, Abel instinctively pushed his body up and immediately stood up to face Cain, who clicked his tongue.
"Tch, you were lucky just now."
Abel let out a short sigh, then put up his stance again.
"Here I go."
Cain's breath hitched as a sudden massive pressure crashed against his body. For a moment, Cain saw a faint white light engulfing Abel's body.
Deep inside his subconscious, he knew that his opponent was in the process of breaking his shell to step into a higher dimension.
Emotion faded from his face, as if he no longer saw this fight as a test. His instinct screamed to finish this fight immediately, or Cain would lose.
That thought instantly ignited embers in his heart. The blaze pulsed as it spread throughout his body, awakening his dormant power.
Both immediately disappeared from their respective places. 'Clang,' a loud sound of metal clashing echoed, scattering out sparks that seemed to come from the eyes of the fighters.
Abel pushed his limit and relentlessly swung his sword, intending to destroy his opponent.
Cain reacted quickly, avoiding and parrying every attack while waiting for a counter moment, but that was a bad choice for the current situation.
His black pupils narrowed. Cain's hands trembled every time he parried Abel's attack, and they slowly became numb.
'This is bad!'
Aware of the danger, the gray-haired boy fell silent as his body was dragged several meters backward with both hands quivering.
Cain, who was panting, lowered his katana. He raised his face and saw that his opponent was the same.
However, his body stiffened when he saw Abel grinning. And the white light that enveloped his body became brighter.
"Impressive, Abel. In terms of raw power, you might best me, but..."
Cain inflated his lungs and plunged into the abyss of focus. He glared at his opponent in front of him, who was ready with his sword.
'Status, put all my remaining bonus stats into Agility!'
[Agility: 31 > 40!]
[Remaining Bonus Point: 9 > 0!]
His vision was distorted. The surrounding scenery blurred, and his body stiffened, becoming motionless even in the decisive battle.
Abel blinked, inhaling a deep breath while observing his opponents. He frowned after a second passed, but Cain still stiffened like an abandoned robot.
'What's the matter?'
For a moment, his grip loosened, but seeing the eerie darkness radiated from Cain's eyes, his body immediately tensed, and he lowered his stance.
"If you don't want to come, then, I will end this!"
Abel inhaled deeply before jumping. He raises his sword around his head. When he arrived before Cain, the boy stomped hard and transferred all the remaining strength into his arm to swing diagonally.
'This is my win!'
The moment he thought so, the sharp edge that almost touched Cain's neck slashed only empty air, while Cain's figure disappeared.
"Eh!?"
Abel took a cold breath, seeing the view in front of him suddenly spin as he tastes the bitter flavor of the dirt.
Light began to swallow his vision, and Abel's lips curled when he realized he had lost in that last attack.
The boy bit his lip. He saw the floor coated in cold metal slap his consciousness awake. Abel turned to face above. The floating hologram was displaying Cain, who was still in his slashing motion, then slowly sheathing his katana.
Abel could not hold back his laughter while raising his hand to block his blurred vision.
"Damn it!"
…
Cain, who snapped from his reverie, lost his balance. Both his knees trembled, and his body was pulled to the ground on four, dripping with sweat.
His lungs heaved. Every breath felt like fire, spreading throughout his body and almost causing his consciousness to fade.
However, he clenched his fists and pushed to straighten his posture. The light from the artificial sun gave him a gentle warmth that loosened the tension in his body.
"That last exchange was a close call."
With the increase in his Agility status, Cain could outpace his opponent, even if only for a moment. But there was a slight mishap he never considered.
After upgrading his Agility, Cain understood perfectly the system he had and its shortcomings.
Having good status in speed does not mean his body, reaction, and stamina can compete with that speed. He became aware that balance in his body was also important.
Cain was lucky in the last fight. His body moved instinctively to slash Abel's neck. If he had missed slightly, or if Cain had run out of fuel first, he would be the one to disappear from this place.
As he took a long breath, his vision was blocked by a blue panel floating in front of him.
[Integrity Sync Complete.]
[Integrity 100% Reached]
> Level Up → 9.0
> Parameters boosted → All stats +1
> Bonus Point 5!
His eyebrows rose. For a moment, silence enveloped his consciousness, which was broken by a small laugh that escaped his mouth.
"Ahaha, just as I suspected."
In one day of fighting against several cadets. Cain's level rose twice, the same as when he first trained on that dirt field.
From this moment on, Cain could envision what he would be like in the future, and what steps he would take to develop his growth further in becoming strong.
Because he knew exactly what someone with Potential Mutation Level 9 was like. He felt it himself during the battle just now.
'Abel is truly insane.'
Filled with the determination to win. Abel developed explosively, even surpassing Cain, who literally had an anomaly, like a system.
Not only that, but the same system Cain received also demanded a price, as he sacrificed part of his memories from his two lives.
Cain's shoulders slumped, his expression sank into gloom. He desperately wanted to shout, but it was no use crying over spilled milk.
He shook his head, throwing away that pessimistic thought that would only gnaw at his soul.
"Let's go."
Cain pushed himself to stand. He looked around the area and saw a vast, seemingly endless land.
"Okay, I better…"
From a distance, a light flickered, drawing his attention, which was still dazed and reeling from a jolt that shut down his brain momentarily.
'Oh, what is this?'
His vision spun, seeing the scorching sun smiling as if mocking him for lowering his guard in this survival test.
"Right, there's Rika."
His consciousness disappeared into the white light, and when he woke up, Cain felt a hard and cold surface on his back.
"Eh, Cain, why are you here?"
The shadow of a boy looked down. His blue eyes widened, pondering why Cain appeared in the Arena.
"Your wife is scary."
"...Who's wife?"
Abel tilted his head sideways, causing the gray-haired boy to chuckle and exhale all the air in his lungs.
'You better remember this, Rika!'
…
From the top of the highest hill, the muzzle of the sniper rifle emitted smoke due to the last shot that dragged Cain to the Arena.
"That was my revenge for Abel!"
Rika's voice was cold, laced with fury as it showed on her blazing red eyes, glaring at the spot where the grey-haired boy disappeared.
She stood while carrying her sniper rifle, unaware that one of her missed shots now pierced its target properly.
Her red ponytail fluttered gently as it was carried by the silent wind that signified her loneliness.
"By the way, how did I get out of here?"
The girl's thoughts halted momentarily, wondering how the winner of the test would return.