Chapter 11: Result

  Two days ter.

  [Congratutions! You have completed the hidden mission: Creation is also Destruction.]

  [Creation is also Destruction: Your understanding of your domain has grown. You have realized that creation is not just about building and giving life—it can also be wielded as a weapon by those who seek it.]

  Reward: +3 Divine Essences

  [Congratutions! Your swordsmanship has been recognized by the system. Name your style to register it.]

  [Achievement Unlocked: Sword Progenitor]

  [Sword Progenitor: You have created a sword art recognized by the system.]

  [Reward: +25% increased mastery speed in sword arts, +3 points to all attributes]

  I stared at the notifications, my mind struggling to process what had just happened. I had barely managed to make my sword art usable, and yet… the system had acknowledged it.

  What a nice surprise.

  If my guess was correct, the requirements to create a new swordsmanship that would be recognized by the system were:

  The technique must have the potential to develop beyond a certain threshold.It must be at least functional in actual combat.

  In other words, the true challenge wasn’t necessarily skill—it was creativity.

  And creativity? That was my specialty.

  A grin crept onto my face. Will was going to be in for a surprise.

  But first, I needed to name my style.

  I thought carefully. If everything went as pnned, I would develop more sub-abilities in the future, which would further expand my swordsmanship. I had also started coming up with new ideas that relied purely on my ability.

  So, the core of this art was my power of Creation—everything else would be built upon it.

  Now, I just needed a name that fit.

  Something reted to creation… Genesis? Origin? No… something was missing.

  And then, it clicked.

  I looked down at my sword and whispered, “The Weave of Origin.”

  The name barely left my lips, yet I felt an instant connection to it. It was perfect.

  [Name saved: The Weave of Origin Style]

  [It has been added to your status.]

  Curious, I quickly pulled up my status screen.

  [Status]

  Name: Elian

  Level: 14

  Titles: [Divine Mortal]

  Domain: Creation

  Achievements: [First Step in Creation] [The Phoenix’s First Step] [Giant Syer] [Sword Progenitor]

  Attributes:

  Energy: 170/170

  Agility: 31

  Strength: 23

  Endurance: 22

  Intelligence: 34

  Creativity: 45

  Luck: 10

  [Free Points: 0]

  Ability: [Creation I]: 99%

  Sub Ability: [Phoenix I]: 99%

  Swordsmanship: [Weave of Origin Style] 0.5%

  Divinity:

  Divine Essence: 8

  Faith Points: 0

  [Mission]

  More Details Accessible at Higher Levels.

  [Status end]

  This is insane!

  My new swordsmanship was officially recognized, though barely—it was sitting at only 0.5% completion. It truly had just met the requirements to be acknowledged.

  And my ability… it had finally reached 99%.

  I frowned slightly. Lay had been stuck at 99% mastery for a while now. How do we push past that limit?

  Well, that was a question for ter. Right now, I had something more pressing to take care of.

  I had to find Will before the day ended.

  I rushed out of my room, excitement coursing through my veins. The past two days had been nothing but isotion and training, and I hadn’t stepped out once.

  The second I swung open my door, I nearly crashed into Lay.

  She blinked, surprised. “Elian? Did you finally decide to come out?”

  Her words were teasing, but there was a genuine look of relief in her eyes. No wonder—she had been the one bringing me food, making sure I didn’t starve while I was too obsessed to think about eating.

  She really was my guardian angel.

  “Yeah,” I said quickly, brushing past her. “But I’m in a hurry. I need to see Will before he finds a way to weasel four days’ worth of food out of me.”

  She raised an eyebrow, thinking for a moment. Then, she tilted her head slightly. “So… you finished what you were working on?”

  Her tone was curious.

  I nodded. “Yep. You coming?”

  She hesitated for half a second before replying, “Sure. Let’s hurry.”

  The two of us took off toward the training grounds.

  As we arrived, Will, who had been practicing alone, turned to face us. His sharp eyes immediately locked onto me, alert from the noise I made running.

  His lips curled into a smug smirk. “Did you come to hand over your food tickets?”

  I returned his smirk with one of my own.

  “How about we spar?”

  Will’s expression faltered. “Are you crazy?”

  I shrugged, maintaining my confidence. “Come on, let’s just use wooden swords and—try not to kill me, alright?”

  He let out a mocking ugh. “What’s this? Don’t tell me you’re trying to impress the dy here?” His gaze flicked to Lay before settling back on me.

  I rolled my eyes. “Just shut up and fight me.”

  He scoffed, but I could see a flicker of interest in his eyes. “Fine. You really are a suicide boy.” He stretched his arms and grabbed a wooden sword from the rack. “Pick one and let’s get this over with.”

  I simply smiled and lifted my hand.

  In an instant, a bde materialized in my grip.

  Will’s eyes widened.

  Lay, standing to the side, was watching us both intently. There was a rare spark of excitement in her expression—it was kind of cute. I didn’t know she had that side to her.

  Will exhaled sharply. “Then you better be ready.”

  He turned to Lay. “Count us down.”

  She nodded, then spoke firmly.

  “4… 3… 2… 1… Go!”

  And in an instant, Will charged.

  He moved with explosive speed, his stance perfect, every muscle in his body honed for combat. I barely had time to react. Not that I was surprised—his level was far above mine. But I had prepared for this.

  With the 20% stat boost I gained from fighting someone five levels above me, combined with my already high agility, my extra attribute points, and a well-timed surge of Phoenix energy in my legs, I had just enough speed to barely outrun him because that wasn't part of his mains stats.

  Barely.

  But speed alone wasn’t going to win this fight.

  I had one chance. One opportunity to prove that my technique worked. If I missed this, I wouldn’t get another opening.

  Will’s mastery over weapons was terrifying. Just standing in front of him with a bde in hand sent a shiver down my spine. He wasn’t even going all out, and yet… his mere presence suffocated me.

  As our swords were about to csh, I whispered the name of my technique.

  “The Weave of Origin, First Style: Phantom Edge.”

  For less than a tenth of a second, my weapon vanished, phasing out of existence before reappearing behind his sword, past his guard.

  His eyes widened. A normal opponent would have been completely exposed.

  But Will wasn’t normal.

  With inhuman reflexes, he twisted his wrist mid-swing, completely changing the angle of his attack. That should have been impossible.

  Still, I had expected him to react, though—I was ready for this.

  I immediately dispersed my weapon again, and in the fraction of a second where my hands were weightless, I adjusted my position and re-formed the bde at a new angle.

  This time, he was truly caught off guard.

  And yet… even then, he dodged.

  Damn it!

  I felt the wind of my missed strike as my sword cut through empty space. Before I could recover, Will’s counterattack smashed into me with overwhelming force.

  I was sent flying.

  Pain exploded through my body as I hit the ground hard. My breath caught in my throat as I gasped for air.

  Shit, that hurt.

  I had lost… but—

  I grinned, despite the pain. I had won the bet.

  There was no way he could deny that I had improved. And more importantly—I wouldn’t have to starve for four days.

  As I struggled to sit up, I looked at Will’s dumbfounded expression.

  His eyes were still wide with shock.

  “How…? Am I still dreaming?” His voice was quiet, stunned. “What in the world was that? Two days ago, you could barely swing a sword… and now this?”

  I let out a breath and gave him the biggest smile I could manage.

  “First thing first—I won the bet, didn’t I?”

  His jaw clenched. His mouth opened, then closed, several times as if he was searching for a way to refute me. But in the end—

  “Tsk.”

  He turned his head, scowling in frustration. I had him.

  “Just tell me what the hell that was.”

  “Sure, sure, grumpy master.”

  He shot me a gre that could kill.

  I coughed and cleared my throat. “Ahem. I created my own swordsmanship—based on my ability.”

  “…What?”

  He looked at me as if I had just told him the sky was green.

  “You’re telling me that you, a guy with zero natural talent, made your own sword art?” He scoffed. “Did the system even acknowledge it?”

  I understood his disbelief. From his point of view, I had been practically hopeless just a few days ago. Even after training under him for five straight days, I had barely grasped the basics.

  And now, suddenly, I had an entirely new combat style?

  Not to mention—as far as he knew, my ability had nothing to do with combat. My power was about building things.

  I simply smirked and pulled up my status screen. I made sure to show only my attributes and swordsmanship—conveniently omitting my creativity stat.

  I caught Lay’s gaze from the side. She was staring at me, wide-eyed, but there was something else there—a glint of pride.

  Of course. She already knew. She understood my ability better than anyone else, so it must have clicked in her mind the moment she saw me fight.

  Will, on the other hand, was completely speechless.

  “No way… this is insane.”

  He slowly shook his head, as if trying to process the impossible.

  “Even I didn’t manage to do this…” He exhaled. “I only know that the system recognizes a sword art when it’s either complete enough or has the potential to become something great tough my ability.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Wait… you couldn’t create your own swordsmanship?”

  He hesitated, his jaw tightening. Then, finally, he shook his head.

  “I don’t know what the hell happened in the st two days, but it looks like you found your way.”

  A small, almost reluctant smile threatened to appear on his face. “You really are a mystery, Suicide Boy.”

  His voice softened. “You, who had no talent… just surpassed me in this domain.”

  For a moment, there was a pause between us. The weight of his words hung in the air.

  Then, his smirk returned. “But don’t get ahead of yourself.”

  I exhaled. Of course.

  “The technique you made is amazing, but your actual swordsmanship still needs a LOT of work.”

  He crossed his arms. “In my case, my ability is what helps me, sure—but I’ve also been training with weapons for a long time.”

  I nodded slowly. I understood now.

  Unlike me, who had started with a bnk ste, my creativity allowing me to build my style from scratch, Will had spent his life refining existing techniques.

  For him to create his own sword art, he would have to break free from everything he had learned—and that was far harder than starting from nothing.

  But this conversation wasn’t over yet. I could tell from the look in his eyes.

  He was still curious. Still intrigued.

  And more than anything else—

  He was interested.

  “But there’s one thing I’m curious about—you developed two styles in your sword art, right?”

  When I pulled up my status, it dispyed the two techniques I had created: Phantom Edge and Bzing Surge.

  “Yes,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. “But the second one… It’s hard to control, and honestly, it’s pretty destructive.”

  Will’s eyes lit up with excitement. This guy had two true passions in life—food and weapon techniques. And right now? He looked like he had just found the most delicious meal of his life.

  He fell into deep thought, his gaze flicking between me and my status screen.

  “Alright,” he finally said, stretching his arms. “For now, go get some sleep. You look like you’re about to colpse. It’s already te, so come back when you wake up.”

  I exhaled in relief, only for him to add, “Oh, and just so you know—the president is pissed at you. She wanted to ask you to keep working on the dorm’s defenses, but you locked yourself away for two days. Lay was the one who convinced her to let you be.”

  I blinked, turning to Lay in surprise. She had been completely silent throughout the fight, simply observing, as was her nature. She wasn’t someone who spoke unless she had something meaningful to say most of the time.

  Now, she looked slightly embarrassed, shifting on her feet.

  “Thanks, Lay,” I said, feeling a genuine warmth in my chest. “I mean it. I really needed those two days to figure this out, and if I had lost focus, I know it wouldn’t have worked out.”

  She hesitated, then murmured, “W-Well… We’re partners, right? You have my back, and I have yours.”

  She was blushing slightly, and for some reason, that made my chest tighten a little.

  A pang of guilt hit me. She had done so much for me, and yet, what had I really done for her in return? Nothing.

  Or rather… I hadn’t been able to.

  We walked back toward the dorms together, the cool night air settling around us. It was quiet, peaceful—the kind of stillness that didn’t exist during the day, when everyone was fighting to stay alive.

  “Elian,” Lay suddenly said, her voice softer than usual. “Why are you pushing yourself so hard? You could just stay at the base. I’d protect you if you needed.”

  I gnced at her, watching the way she stared out the window as we passed by one of the buildings.

  “…Because,” I started, choosing my words carefully. “This is the first time I’ve ever made a choice for myself.”

  She turned to look at me.

  “All my life, people told me what to do. What I should be, where I should go, how I should act. But none of it ever felt right. Nothing ever interested me.” I let out a quiet chuckle. “It’s funny, isn’t it? It took an apocalypse for me to finally feel like I’m where I belong.”

  Lay’s expression softened.

  “I see…” she murmured. “To me… You were the first person who ever stepped up for me. The first person I wanted to protect.”

  Her voice carried a weight of emotion, something deep and unspoken.

  She hesitated, then finally spoke. “I was always just a tool for my parents. They had everything pnned for me, down to the smallest detail. My achievements weren’t mine—they were theirs. They made sure I followed the exact path they wanted, no room for mistakes. No room to be… me.”

  I stayed silent, letting her talk. She had never spoken about her past before.

  She let out a bitter ugh. “Everyone around me hated me. My parents paid my way into the best schools, the best programs. The students there resented me. The teachers pretended to respect me. Nobody ever really cared about me, just the image of who I was supposed to be.”

  She exhaled shakily. “And when I finally tried to break free… I came here. And then this happened.”

  My hands clenched at my sides. I had never even thought to ask about her past.

  Had I really been that self-absorbed?

  She looked down. “That’s why… When you saved me, I felt so thankful.”

  I frowned. “Lay—”

  “But then,” she cut me off, “I got stronger. I had power, real power. And I swore that I’d use it to protect you. But then… I see people coming back injured every day. I see people dying. And I wonder—am I working hard enough? If I could just push past my limit, if I could reach the next stage, maybe… maybe fewer people would die.”

  Her voice cracked on the st word.

  I stepped forward, gently pcing my hands on her shoulders. “Lay, look at me.”

  She lifted her gaze, her violet eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

  “Nobody has been able to pass 99% mastery. Not you, not me. And we don’t even know what happens when we do.” I held her gaze, making sure she understood. “This isn’t your fault. It never has been. And even if nothing changes… I appreciate you just the way you are.”

  Her lip quivered. “But—”

  I gave her a soft smile. “I might have saved you once, but do you even realize how many times you’ve saved me?”

  She shook her head, frustration flickering across her face. “It’s not the same! You saved me when I was useless. I had no value! But now, I know what you’re capable of. What if I’m just… taking advantage of you?”

  Her voice broke completely, her body trembling.

  I let out a sigh. This stupid girl.

  Did she really think I’d see it that way?

  Without another word, I stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

  She stiffened, startled. Then, slowly, she melted into my arms, gripping my shirt like a lifeline.

  And just like that, she started to cry.

  Silent, muffled sobs against my chest. She had been holding this in for so long.

  I just held her, letting her get it all out. She needed this. She needed someone to remind her that she wasn’t alone.

  Eventually, the tears slowed. She pulled away, wiping at her eyes, her face flushed with embarrassment.

  “…Thank you,” she whispered.

  I smiled. “Anytime.”

  We walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence. By the time we reached our rooms, exhaustion hit me like a truck.

  As soon as I colpsed onto my bed—

  Complete darkness.

  I was asleep before I even had time to think.