After leaving the hospital, Alex trudged back to his little home nestled in the outskirts of Avaloria.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, all the emotional walls he had built began to crack. He slumped onto the couch—well, it was more like a crooked chair with aspirations—and let out a long, weary sigh.
His gaze fell on the flickering lights, the cracked wall, and the dusty air. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "Still a dump. But at least it's my dump."
After a warm meal made of mana-infused noodles (mostly because it was the only thing left in his EtherFridge), Alex lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I need to reach Advanced Rank. I can't afford to stay weak. Not now."
The memory of Lily smiling despite her condition stabbed at his chest. Her voice echoed in his mind.
> "Don't try to fool me, Alex. I know you're worried. But it's okay. I'm still your big sister, you know."
He chuckled softly. "Yeah, a big sister in a twelve-year-old body, huh?"
The next morning, Alex wasted no time. After a quick meal, he headed straight to a nearby high-tech training facility in Sector 6, known as "Mirage Core Arena".
It was famous for its highly immersive virtual combat simulations, often used by aspiring students and even licensed adventurers.
After paying the hefty fee and booking a full session, Alex changed into the standard black bodysuit. A technician scanned his EtherPad and activated the pod.
"Simulation ready. Combat difficulty: Level 5 - Intermediate Peak. Timer: 60 minutes. Begin."
The world turned white for a moment, then shifted into a massive battlefield swarming with abyssal monsters.
The AI enemies rushed him like waves, their distorted roars cutting through the simulated air.
Alex cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's dance."
He dashed forward, his training sword humming with mana.
"Astral Void Rend — First Form: Void Step!"
He vanished and reappeared behind a shadow-beast mid-leap, his blade slashing through its core. The monster howled and disintegrated into flickering code.
Another monster lunged from behind.
"Astral Void Rend — Second Form: Phantom Rend!"
His blade shimmered as it sliced through the air, afterimages trailing behind. The confused enemies swiped at illusions, only to be cut down by the real Alex slipping between them like a ghost.
Wave after wave descended—abyssal wolves with flame-tipped claws, shadow berserkers, and corrupted battle constructs. But Alex danced through them.
"Astral Void Rend — Third Form: Celestial Flow!"
His movements became fluid, seamless. He parried and spun, ducked and weaved, his energy expenditure drastically reduced as he chained attacks with surgical precision.
At the thirty-minute mark, the terrain morphed into scorched ruins. A towering figure emerged—a Shadow Titan, armored in obsidian plates, its helm crowned with jagged horns.
"Let's see how you handle this…"
The Titan roared and brought its colossal mace down. Alex dove to the side and rebounded off a wall.
"Astral Void Rend — Fourth Form: Bladestorm Mirage!"
He erupted into a whirlwind of strikes, his sword flashing like a storm. Slashes tore into the Titan's armor as it stumbled back, reeling from the relentless barrage.
The Titan activated a mana barrier and stomped the ground, releasing a shockwave.
Alex slid back, breathing heavily. "So it's got tricks, huh?"
His energy was running low, but his focus was sharp. He took a deep breath and tapped into Celestial Flow again, seamlessly weaving through the Titan's strikes and countering with precise slashes.
Then, with a final burst of speed, he leapt high.
"Bladestorm Mirage — Overdrive!"
A cyclone of slashes rained down, cracking through the armor. The Titan stumbled, roared—and collapsed in a burst of simulated flames and data shards.
"Simulation complete. 9 minutes, 42 seconds. New record set."
Alex blinked. His arms dropped to his sides, and he panted for a moment, drenched in sweat.
Then, a look of stunned realization crossed his face.
"…That… was insane."
And alex didn't even use all his skills and Elemental affinity.
He stared at his sword-hand, still trembling with leftover adrenaline.
"This sword art—Astral Void Rend—it's not just powerful. It's unreal."
He looked around at the empty simulated battlefield, still catching his breath.
"I cut through everything. Flowed like it was instinct. Like… it wanted to be used."
A slow grin crept across his lips.
"This thing's the real deal. If those were only the first four forms... then what the hell are the others like?"
He chuckled, both thrilled and terrified by the thought. "Looks like I've been given a monster of a blade art."
---
Inside another simulation pod nearby, a 16-year-old noble youth with jet-black hair and emerald eyes opened his eyes in surprise.
A golden badge glittered on his collar—the unmistakable insignia of House Crestvale, one of Avaloria's top-ranking noble families.
Alden von Crestvale, son of a Duke, and a prodigy swordsman at Intermediate Peak Rank.
He stared at the notification projected in front of him and raised an eyebrow.
"Alex Dragonheart? Who in the seven skies is that?"
Exiting the pod in style (and a dramatic hair flip), Alden walked toward the control desk. The staff, sensing drama, began whispering.
Alex emerged from his pod moments later, still grinning and practically glowing from the high.
"Damn! That felt awesome! I might've unlocked a new move if I train this one more time."
He paused mid-step as he saw someone walking towards him. Tall, noble posture, ridiculously shiny boots—yup, certified big-shot noble.
"You. Are you Alex Dragonheart?" Alden asked, arms crossed, clearly trying to look impressive.
Alex, still toweling his face, blinked. "Yeah. Who's asking? You lost something in here? Like your sense of fashion maybe?"
Alden narrowed his eyes. "You broke my record. That makes you interesting."
Alex raised a brow. "Oh? I thought I was just awesome."
Before Alden could fire back a noble-tier comeback, Alex chuckled and pointed at the simulation desk.
"Relax, Crestvale Jr. It's just a simulation. I'm sure you'll get your pretty score back. Eventually."
Alden's eyebrow twitched. "You speak like a peasant, but you fight like a noble."
Alex smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."
The tension between them crackled, drawing the attention of nearby trainees.
Then, as if a switch was flipped, Alex gave a nod. "Catch you later, record boy."
And just like that, he walked past, leaving Alden staring after him, unsure whether to be angry, impressed, or both.