Chapter 96: Swimming Class

Solvas Umbra.

I never imagined I would face him right from the start of the International Individual Tournament preliminaries.

‘If they’re going to arrange the matchups, they should at least do it properly.’

Well, considering how small this forest is, there aren’t many placement options. Even so, I couldn’t help but feel a little aggrieved.

“Your name was Hanon, right?”

Solvas continued speaking.
He said that, even though he already knew my name—and not just mine, but everyone who participated in the meeting as well.

“It’s quite the coincidence that we ended up in the same group at such close range. How about teaming up? The preliminaries only require us to make it into the top 16, so forming a team wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Solvas flashed a friendly smile.

Liar.
He’s already thinking about backstabbing me.

“Really? If it’s a team with you, Sir Solvas, I’d be honored.”

But that goes for me too.

Solvas and I exchanged smiles.

He is not someone to be taken lightly.
Not once has he ever revealed his true intentions.
But there’s one thing he doesn’t know.

That the person standing right in front of him is the only one who can truly see through him.

“Great. I’ve already recruited a few people in our group. If we join them, we should be able to clear this round safely.”

The people Solvas supposedly recruited? Just decoys.
He must have his real allies somewhere else in Group 2.

‘The decoys will stick together, eliminating opponents, and once they’re exhausted…’

Then Solvas will call in his real team to finish them off.

‘This strategy… it’s the exact same one he used in the past International Individual Tournament preliminaries.’

I was almost certain of it.

“That’s a solid plan. We’ll be able to pass the preliminaries without wasting unnecessary energy.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Just then, a sound echoed from the bracelets we wore.

It was the signal that all participants had reached their designated positions.

【 3 】

The countdown for the start of the preliminaries had begun.

【 2 】

Solvas and I locked eyes, smiling.

【 1 】

Then, we both immediately leaned forward.

【 Preliminaries Start 】

Whoosh!

A shadow blade grazed past the tree next to my head.

At the same time, I pressed down hard on the ground and activated the magic sigil beneath my feet.

Boom!

Like a cannonball, my body launched straight toward Solvas.

Solvas met my eyes and curved his lips into a grin.

That was proof that he never trusted me from the beginning either.
If he had done his research, he would know I was a dangerous opponent.
Of course, he wouldn’t let me stick around—he’d eliminate me at the start rather than even consider adding me to his dummy team.

Thud!

Solvas stomped his foot down.

Immediately, shadows surged up in front of me like ink spreading in water.

For a moment, my vision was completely obscured.

But without hesitation, I thrust my hand forward—straight toward the shadows.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sword that surged from within the shadows clashed against mine.

Standing there, gripping his shadow blade, was Solvas.

The moment our weapons met, we both leaped away from each other.

“You never trusted me from the start, did you?”

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

At some point, even my tone had changed.

Solvas curved his lips into a deep smile.

“I have a good eye for people. I can always tell when someone is distrustful.”

“I don’t waste my time chatting with fortune tellers.”

Even at my provocation, Solvas didn’t flinch—he simply kept smiling.

Instead, the shadows beneath his feet stirred.

The Umbra Count family has long possessed a unique technique.

Its name:

Nightshadow

Nightshadow originates from the Mystery that the Count’s family has worshipped for generations.

Mystery

Lily Shadow

By severing a portion of Lily’s shadow, they gain the ability to manipulate it, transforming it into any form they desire.

This is the secret art of the Umbra Count family.

The succession within the Umbra family is determined by one’s mastery of Nightshadow. Manipulating Nightshadow is as grueling as controlling a body part one doesn’t possess.

That’s why, even among the descendants of the Umbra family, most fail to wield it properly.

Except for one person in this generation—Solvas.

He was different.

He possessed an innate talent for Nightshadow.

The shadows he wielded moved freely, morphing at will.

Because of this, Solvas’s fighting style was highly unpredictable.

Even if you could track his movements, you could never track his shadows.

His shadows could be anywhere—and emerge from anywhere.

Which meant that at any given moment, an attack could come from an unseen angle.

Those who fought against Solvas all suffered from the constant tension, their nerves fraying from exhaustion.

And Solvas, fully aware of this, exploited it.

He tired his opponents out, then struck the openings that appeared.

It was a strategy he frequently used.

Sure enough, shadows began to pool beneath my feet.

Just before they could rise, I pulled my body back.

At that instant, spike-like shadows shot upward, barely grazing my chin.

I didn’t stop there. I shifted my back foot forward, pressing onward.

This time, short spikes erupted and vanished in the exact spot where I had been standing.

Solvas’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he observed me.

His shadows moved again, targeting me.

This time, the attack came from a complete blind spot.

Yet, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I dodged the surging shadows.

Solvas studied me with peculiar eyes.

Of course, he would.

It was an unbelievable sight—I had evaded every single attack from his blind spots.

“…Hanon, you seem to perceive my Nightshadow, don’t you?”

“And how, exactly, does one perceive shadows?”

I smirked shamelessly.

Solvas’s eyebrow twitched once more.

“Hmm. I’d really like to know how you’re doing it.”

The one who rarely showed emotion now looked visibly irritated.

Solvas had immense pride in his Nightshadow.

For it to be completely seen through—this reaction was only natural.

The reason I could perceive Solvas’s Nightshadow was simple.

‘Because ‘Skin of Steel’ is also a Mystery.’

Mysteries tend to instinctively react to one another.

Normally, humans wouldn’t be able to sense this kind of reaction.

But Skin of Steel was a part of me—my very being.

For ordinary people, Solvas’s shadow attacks came from completely blind spots.

But for me, every movement of his Nightshadow was transmitted directly to me.

‘What a shame.’

Your tricks won’t work on me.

I let a deliberately provocative smile spread across my face.

“Alright then.”

At my taunt, Solvas brushed off his irritation and instead laughed along with me.

“Then I’ll just make sure you can’t dodge, even if you perceive it.”

A chilling energy surged outward from Solvas’s body, instantly spreading through the forest.

Sensing it, my feet came to an abrupt halt.

Rumble—

Then, a sound I should never have been able to hear began to fill my ears.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The Skin of Steel within me reacted violently.

My vision wavered.

Noticing this, Solvas’s smirk grew even more wicked.

RUMBLE!

Then, behind him—

A massive tidal wave of shadows rose, swallowing the forest whole.

“AAAAHHHHH!?”

“W-what the hell is this!?”

“Guh—S-save me…!”

The nearby students were caught in Solvas’s shadow wave and were instantly eliminated.

So this is what it feels like to stand before an incoming tsunami.

At some point, I had become nothing more than a human facing an unstoppable force of nature.

Solvas spread his arms wide toward me.

“Try dodging this, then.”

Nightshadow

Outlaw of the Waves

This bastard had no sense of honor.

The moment he deemed me a threat, he immediately played his strongest card.

This was an attack that couldn’t be dodged.

The wave, swallowing trees and terrain alike, surged right up to my face—

And in the next moment, I was completely engulfed by the shadow tide.

* * *

Above the towering wave of shadows—

A boy with wolf-cut, ashen-gray hair stood effortlessly, his hair billowing in the wind.

Solvas Umbra.

One of the Six Stars—Son of Shadows.

And this was the secret technique of his Nightshadow.

Outlaw of the Waves.

A forbidden art that conjured an enormous shadow tsunami.

This technique devoured an immense amount of power—

But in return, it wielded overwhelming might.

Under normal circumstances, he hadn’t planned on using it in this preliminary round.

But the moment he laid eyes on Hanon, that changed.

This was the person who had become famous in just half a year at Zeryon Academy.

On his very first day after transferring to Zeryon Academy, he had boldly cursed the school for the tragedy that had taken place before his arrival.

It had seemed like the ravings of a madman.

But everything he had done since then proved otherwise.

The people from other nations had yet to witness his feats firsthand.

But Solvas had planted spies inside Zeryon Academy.

He had received reports of everything Hanon had done.

‘The achievements that have been revealed… there’s no way that’s all there is.’

There were too many gaps in his story, things that didn’t quite add up.

Evidence that he had been secretly acting behind the scenes.

‘His actions at Zeryon Academy must have had a purpose.’

An academy isn’t just a peaceful place.

If someone has intentions, then that means they also have countless things to hide.

Solvas had studied Hanon’s exploits and came to a conclusion.

And today, after seeing Hanon in person—

He made his decision.

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in Hanon’s gaze as he faced him.

That meant one of two things:

Either he was an arrogant fool who placed absolute trust in his own abilities—

Or he had prepared something capable of countering Solvas.

And Hanon… was the latter.

People like him—if not taken down immediately—become dangerous.

Solvas never underestimated people.

Even after becoming one of the Six Stars, he remained cautious, constantly doubting his opponents, testing them, and playing his strongest cards when necessary.

And now, Hanon had forced his hand.

“If the weeds sprout too quickly, they must be crushed before they take root.”

If an enemy is trying to think of their next move—

Crush them before they even have the chance.

This wasn’t part of his original plan, but so be it.

He would wipe out every student here using Outlaw of the Waves.

Just as Solvas made up his mind—

Splash—

A sound reached his ears.

It sounded like… someone swimming.

Thinking he had misheard, Solvas scanned his surroundings.

But there was nothing—only the endless, churning waves of shadows.

Splash. Splash.

The sound came again.

A bad feeling washed over him.

Solvas hurriedly turned his attention toward the inside of the shadow wave.

And then—he felt something.

Something moving through the wave.

Startled, he immediately turned in the direction of the presence.

SPLASH!

Solvas saw him.

A figure swimming through the shadow wave at an incredible speed.

Butterfly stroke.

Yes.

He was using the butterfly stroke.

Inside the shadow tsunami, a pair of vivid crimson eyes flickered.

“…Is he out of his damn mind?”

Solvas muttered, his expression frozen in sheer disbelief.

Because—of course.

What kind of lunatic would ever think to swim through shadow waves?

And yet—there he was.

SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH!

And at an absolutely terrifying speed.

Hanon Airei.

The one who had been swallowed by the shadow tsunami—

Was now swimming through it.

Solvas clenched his fists, muttering Hanon’s name under his breath.

And in that moment, he realized something.

Hanon was an even more dangerous lunatic than he had thought.