Legacy System Interface Booting…
A familiar voice echoed in Jin-Seok's mind, cool and amused.
"Will you sync with me, or use your own strength again?"
Jin-Seok blinked once. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh? Finally showing up? I thought you went missing. I was about to file a report."
Aris chuckled softly.
"I'm just watching silently. You've done well so far. But if you synced with me, this would be over already. Why drag it out?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Jin-Seok replied, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the chaos unfolding around him. "It's not time yet."
A pause. The voice in his mind grew slightly more serious.
"Fair enough. But don't underestimate anyone here. Especially those two—"
Jin-Seok's gaze instinctively panned to Noah and Zephyr. Then it shifted again—to a distant figure shrouded beneath a low hood.
"And that hooded one. Joshua to."
Jin-Seok's eyes sharpened.
"Yeah. Not a single pushover in this place."
---
{Jin-Seok vs Noah – Chaos Triggered}
BOOM. Jin-Seok launched forward without warning, body exploding into motion.
His target—Zephyr.
Zephyr turned, just slightly, his eyes narrowing with surgical calm.
But—
"Wow, you're fast. Mind if I cut in?"
A blur appeared in front of Jin-Seok.
A hand—open-palmed, playful—caught his incoming strike.
Noah.
Their fists collided.
CRACK—BOOM.
Air rippled. Leaves scattered. A crater formed beneath their feet.
Jin-Seok's brow twitched.
"Figures. You'd show up now."
Noah grinned.
"What can I say? You looked like you were having fun."
---
{Zephyr, Zayna, and Evara – Precision vs Chaos}
A savage war cry ripped through the jungle.
"HEY, FROSTY! DODGE THIS!"
Zayna Malik barreled through the foliage like a berserker on a sugar rush, axe overhead.
Beside her, walking like she couldn't be bothered, was Lady Evara Umbrea—all noble poise, blade drawn, eyes sharp with contempt.
"Can you stop screaming for five seconds?" Evara muttered as they closed in.
Zephyr didn't answer. He didn't have to.
He moved like vapor—unhurried, unflinching.
Zayna's axe came down with enough force to snap a tree.
He sidestepped—barely. It brushed his coat.
Which was exactly what he wanted.
She overextended.
He forced her to pivot—right into Evara's incoming slash.
CLANG.
Zephyr ducked, crouched, swept Zayna's legs out from under her, and in the same motion, thrust a knife-hand toward Evara's throat.
CLINK. She blocked it with the flat of her blade, cool and efficient.
Strike. Counter. Feint. Redirect.
Zayna scrambled back to her feet with a growl.
Evara's eyes narrowed.
Zephyr still hadn't said a word.
But every motion screamed one truth:
He was always three steps ahead.
---
{Kaleon vs Elina – Trickster Meets Ice}
While the forest shook with noise and collisions, Kaleon Vass moved in practiced silence.
"Too many meatheads getting punchy. No thanks," he muttered, slinking between trees like a snake in silken robes.
He adjusted his collar, casually spinning a small coin between his fingers.
"Let the fools burn themselves out. I'll pick up the scraps later—maybe trade a trinket or two."
A twig snapped.
Kale froze.
From the shadows ahead, Elina Vel stepped into view.
Arms crossed. Hair tied back in a no-nonsense bun.
She looked like a headmistress who had no patience left.
"Running already? I thought merchants loved risk."
Kale chuckled nervously, already taking a step back.
"Me? Risk? No, no, no—I'm a humble man of commerce. You wouldn't hit a businessman, would you?"
"Exactly why you're the perfect target."
Elina's tone dropped like a guillotine. She struck.
A sharp roundhouse kick zipped through the air.
Kale barely ducked, stumbling back, hands raised.
"Whoa whoa—no need for violence!"
Another punch—precise and fast.
He twisted sideways.
A sweep. He jumped.
An elbow jab. He blocked with his forearm, barely.
"H-how very rude!" he wheezed. "Are you sure you're not a debt collector? You fight like one!"
Elina didn't smile.
She moved with absolute control—sharp angles, no wasted motion.
Kick. Pivot. Elbow. Turn.
Kale danced around each strike, not quite graceful—but slippery enough to survive.
"Persistent, aren't you?" he huffed, hair tousled now.
"Whatever happened to polite first impressions?"
Elina finally paused, eyes narrowed.
"Stop stalling. You're smarter than you pretend to be."
Kale's grin slipped—for half a second.
"Guess I'll have to start negotiating a little harder."
He snapped his fingers—and a hidden flash trap exploded in the dirt.
FWOOM!
Elina covered her eyes—
But when the light faded, Kale was already gone, darting into the trees.
She sighed.
"Tch. Slippery rat."
Then, without hesitation, she gave chase.
---
{Dante vs Rokhan – Brute vs Brute}
Elsewhere, where the jungle shook and trees leaned from the pressure—
Two titans met.
Dante Dragunov stood with a cocky smirk, arms wide like he was inviting a storm.
"Heh. Everyone's already going wild."
Across from him, Rokhan Zokhul stood calm. Steady. Like an immovable wall.
"Looks like it," Rokhan replied, voice even.
Dante cracked his knuckles.
"So... wanna see who hits harder?"
Rokhan nodded once.
"Yeah."
They stepped in.
Dante threw the first punch—a massive straight.
Rokhan didn't dodge.
BOOM. Flesh slammed into flesh. A shockwave cracked the air.
Leaves scattered. Trees groaned.
Dante grinned.
"That all you got?"
Rokhan answered with a clean hook to the ribs.
THUD. Dante slid back, boots carving dirt.
He laughed, winded but thrilled.
"Oh yeah. This'll be fun."
He came again—uppercut, full force.
Rokhan dipped under it, spun, grabbed a thick branch—
CRACK—
Threw it like a spear.
Dante shattered it with his elbow.
"Throwing sticks now?"
Rokhan's lips barely twitched.
"Saving the big stuff for later."
Then they charged.
Shoulder to shoulder—
BOOM.
The ground split.
Birds exploded from the canopy.
The earth was too small for both of them.
---
{Joshua – The One Who Waits}
High above it all, on a cliff edge where the wind whispered—
Joshua stood. Still. Silent. Hood drawn low.
He watched everything.
Jin-Seok's sudden clash with Noah.
Zephyr's deadly elegance.
Zayna and Evara's flawed coordination.
Elina's relentless pursuit.
Kaleon's tactical escape.
Rokhan and Dante's brute fury.
His arms remained folded.
His expression, unreadable.
But his eyes—sharp as knives—missed nothing.
He wasn't participating. Not yet.
He was observing. Measuring. Waiting.
The storm raged below.
And he… remained untouched.
---
[Colosseum Broadcast – Jungle Chaos Begins]
VOX (broadcasting above roaring crowds):
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! If you're just tuning in—congrats! You've arrived at the most chaotic, most violent, most absolutely unhinged part of the Newbie Trial!"
"That's right! FOUR Golden Generation battles have ignited across the jungle, and it's absolute carnage out there!"
—Camera cuts to Jin-Seok slamming Noah into a tree with a shoulder throw.
"OHHHH! Ryu Jin-Seok just gave Noah Varnok a firsthand lesson in gravity! Did you see that takedown?! That tree did NOT survive!"
—Cut to Zephyr ducking under Zayna's axe swing, countering with a brutal knee to her gut.
"And THERE goes Zayna Malik! One minute she's screaming battle cries, the next she's hugging bark! Zephyr's reactions are UNREAL!"
—Cut to Elina weaving calmly through brush, setting traps as Kaleon tiptoes around with exaggerated caution.
"Elina Vel—the brains of the generation—is moving like a master tactician. Look at those placements! Look at that patience! Kaleon better pray she trips or sneezes, because that's the only chance he has."
—Cut to Dante and Rokhan in a pure, earth-shaking brawl, neither dodging, both grinning.
"And if you're wondering what it looks like when two rhinos learn martial arts—that's Dante and Rokhan having a friendly heart-to-heart through blunt trauma!"
"It's BEAUTIFUL, it's VIOLENT, it's the Newbie Trial! And I'm VOX, your favorite voice of carnage, saying—don't blink! Or you'll miss a body fly by!"
---
[Colosseum General Seating – Alfred & the Little Girl]
The little girl gripped the edge of her seat, eyes wide as the screens flashed from battle to battle.
"That's him! That's really him!"
Next to her, Alfred stood tall and dignified—an older-generation butler droid, masculine in posture and tone, wearing a tailored coat despite the heat. His glowing eyes calmly tracked Jin-Seok's movements.
"Indeed, young miss. That is Master Jin-Seok."
He tilted his head thoughtfully.
"His instincts are sharper than most veterans I've seen. But… he's still holding back. How curious."
The girl beamed.
"He's going to win, right?"
Alfred gave a slow, deliberate nod.
"If victory were determined by resolve alone… then yes. Without question."
He paused, watching the screen flicker to Noah charging again, laughing.
"Though… the eccentric young master Varnok appears intent on testing that theory."
---
[VIP Balcony – Azhrel, Lyra, and the Observation Team]
The private viewing box overlooked the entire Colosseum, tinted glass offering silence amidst chaos.
Inside, Azhrel Karshem leaned forward, fingers laced beneath his chin.
On screen: Jin-Seok began closing in on Zephyr—then suddenly, Noah tackled him sideways mid-step, laughing like a lunatic.
Azhrel exhaled slowly.
"Tch. He was going for Zephyr. I wanted to see that."
Across from him, Lyra Varnok leaned one arm on the window frame, expression unreadable.
Azhrel turned his head slightly.
"Can't you do something about your little monster?"
Lyra smirked faintly.
"Do you really think anyone can stop Noah?"
She tapped the glass lightly, eyes on the screen.
"We've all given up on that idea a long time ago. Even my father couldn't rein him in."
Azhrel raised a brow.
"Since childhood?"
She nodded.
"He's never had a proper rival. He always wins. Always has. And when he sees someone stronger—"
She gestured to Jin-Seok being tackled again, but now countering with a sweep.
"—he won't let go. That's how he is. He'll chase it like a dog after lightning."
Azhrel frowned.
"And if he loses now?"
"Then so be it," Lyra said, eyes sharp.
"Maybe… if he loses here, he'll finally learn what to do with himself."
For a moment, the balcony fell quiet—only the sounds of the Colosseum echoing faintly through the walls.
Then—
BOOM!
Jin-Seok and Noah crashed through a tree, again.
Azhrel sighed.
_________________________________________________
{An Original Series by Celestial Raven}