The moment Euris pressed yes , everything changed.
It felt like the world lurched forward.
Like time itself had been grabbed and dragged ahead at impossible speed.
His vision blurred.
Sound stretched and warped.
And then focus.
Everything narrowed down to a single point.
The short sword user.
Out of the entire battlefield, the system locked onto him.
Every movement.
Every step.
Every shift in weight.
Euris couldn't even see the rest of the fight properly anymore.
It was like his brain had filtered everything else out.
"…Whoa…"
The swordsman moved again.
A clean slash.
A precise step forward.
A subtle turn of the wrist.
And Euris saw it.
Not just the movement, but the reason behind it.
Footwork.
Positioning.
Timing.
Each motion broke apart in his mind, slowed down, then reconstructed into something he could understand.
Block.
Step.
Turn.
Strike.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The world kept accelerating But at the same time It felt like it was slowing down.
"…This is insane…"
Before he could even process how much time had passed.
It stopped.
Silence.
Euris blinked.
He was back in the arena stands.
The match was over.
"…Already?"
A notification appeared.
Combat Style Analysis CompleteWeapon Type: Short SwordProgress: 15%Mimic Capability: Beginner Level
"…15%…"
Euris thought back to what he knew.
Combat mastery rankings.
Beginner.Intermediate.Competent.Proficient.Advanced.Expert.Master.Grandmaster.
Eight total.
"…So I'm at the very bottom…"
He clenched his fist slightly.
"…Still…"
A small smirk formed.
"…It's something."
His eyes shifted upward toward the match queue.
Then widened slightly.
"…Wait…"
His name.
Right there.
Next match.
"…Oh—shit."
Euris shot to his feet and rushed over.
"Hey—Konner!"
Konner was stretching casually, like he wasn't about to fight.
He glanced over.
"…What is it?"
"Our match," Euris said quickly. "We're up next."
Konner gave a small nod.
"…Alright."
No hesitation.
No nerves.
Just calm.
Together, they made their way toward the arena entrance.
The staircase leading down felt longer than it should have.
Euris' grip tightened slightly around his staff.
"…Okay…"
This was it.
They stepped onto the sand.
The arena stretched wide beneath them.
Euris exhaled slowly.
Then He pulled out his staff.
Across from them, the opposing team stood ready.
Four people.
Euris quickly scanned them.
First, a massive guy.
At least seven feet tall.
Built like a wall.
"…Yeah, not him…"
Then two more.
Average build.
Nothing too crazy.
Then the last one.
Euris paused.
A girl.
Red hair.
Red eyes.
Cold expression.
A katana rested lightly in her hand.
"…Oh…"
For a second, he forgot where he was.
Then he shook his head hard.
"…Focus…"
He looked back at the group.
The skinnier guy.
Gauntlets.
"…That's my best bet…"
Euris leaned slightly toward Konner.
"That one's mine."
Konner nodded once.
"…Got it."
Euris pulled up the system.
Mimic Combat Style?
"…Yeah."
The moment he activated it, his body shifted.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
His stance lowered.
His grip adjusted.
His footing steadied.
"…Whoa…"
It felt Natural.
Then.
BWOOOOOM.
The horn echoed across the arena.
Before Euris could even react, Konner was gone.
No, not gone.
Already halfway across the field.
"…What the—?!"
Euris snapped forward and ran after him.
The distance closed fast.
His target stepped forward.
Gauntlets raised.
Euris swung his staff.
CLANG.
Metal met metal.
The impact vibrated through his arms.
"…Strong—!"
He was pushed back—
And before he could recover, A kick slammed into his side.
"—!"
He rolled across the sand, barely managing to plant his staff and stop himself.
HP: 8 / 10
"…Tch…"
"That all you got?" Euris said, forcing a smirk.
The guy's face twisted.
"Cocky bastard…"
He charged.
Fast.
Too fast.
But Euris saw it.
The movement.
The angle.
The path of the punch.
"…There—!"
Instead of backing up, Euris ran forward.
At the last second, he dropped low.
Sliding directly under the incoming strike.
"…Got you—!"
The guy stumbled, thrown off balance.
Euris twisted his body.
Used the momentum.
His hips turned.
His arms followed.
And the staff came around in a wide arc resembling a golf swing.
CRACK.
The strike connected cleanly with the guy's jaw.
His body went limp.
And hit the ground.
Silence.
Then
Enemy Defeated+50 XPProgress: 50 / 150 XP
"…I did it…"
Euris barely had time to process it
BOOM.
The ground shook.
He turned.
Konner.
Two opponents were already down.
"…What…?"
Only one remained.
The girl.
She moved like water.
Fast.
Precise.
Her blade flashed again and again as she weaved around Konner's massive swings.
Neither of them used elements.
Just raw skill.
Talent versus technique.
Euris watched.
Completely captivated.
"…That's…"
It didn't even feel like a fight.
It felt like
Art.
Every movement had purpose.
Every step flowed into the next.
"…How do you even...?"
He couldn't follow half of it.
But that only made it more incredible.
Then
BUZZZZ.
The signal rang out.
Time up.
Euris flinched slightly.
"…Oh…"
The match was over.
He looked around.
Judges.
Screens.
Numbers updating.
Their team—
Had the advantage.
"…We won…"
A wave of relief hit him.
"…Thank god…"
Euris jogged over to Konner.
"Nice work," he said.
Konner nodded slightly.
"…You too."
Simple.
But genuine.
Euris scratched the back of his head slightly.
"…He's insane…"
They stepped off the arena floor.
Konner walked off toward another area, already preparing for more training.
Euris watched him go for a moment, then gave a small wave.
"…Yeah… I made the right choice taking a chance on him…"
He returned to the stands and sat down.
More matches followed.
One after another.
Teams clashing.
Winning.
Losing.
But something bothered him.
"…Nobody's using anything I can copy…"
Most fights were brute force.
Or simple techniques.
Nothing like the short sword user.
"…Guess I'll have to wait…"
He leaned back slightly.
Watching.
Waiting.
The matches dragged on.
And eventually—
His eyes closed.
"…Just for a second…"
And he drifted off.