Chapter 83

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Chapter 83: Former Rival

He slept in the hollow of the tree like a squirrel all night, not waking until the next morning.

After making sure no one else was around, Winnie jumped out of the hollow and stretched his muscles.

He realized the disadvantages of sleeping in the tree hole: it wasn’t as comfortable as a bed, his back ached when he woke up, and he had been disoriented when he first fell asleep.

When he took out the map to examine it, he was startled to find that the area near the town, which had been intact the day before, was now completely blackened.

Even the area on the third map had been reduced to ashes.

It’s progressing faster than expected.

The dungeon assessment spans three days, and with one day already gone, almost a third of the mapped area has been devastated by thunder, reducing it to an impassable wasteland of ash.

Winnie was missing two maps, leaving only the fifth one.

However, the area near the mountains above was also showing signs of ash erosion, suggesting it would soon be consumed as well.

He was relieved that he had run far enough to avoid being caught by the advancing ashes and thunderbolts.

Otherwise, he would have had to flee overnight, even if he hadn’t been eliminated.

Though the quality of sleep was poor, it was better than no rest at all.

After a simple breakfast, Winnie continued his journey with the Frost Fang in hand.

With almost no maps left, he now walked through a fog of war, each step filled with uncertainty.

It was the second day of the tournament, and only the strongest remained.

They likely carried many maps, far more than Winnie, who had only three.

As he moved forward, Winnie heard the clashing of swords in the dense forest nearby, and several arrows landed not far from him.

He didn’t linger.

When he passed a mountain path, he noticed something unusual.

The road was littered with arrow feathers, the rocks bore sword marks, and there were scorch marks from explosions, likely caused by thunder and fire elements.

A fierce battle had taken place here, and it seemed the conflict was still ongoing.

Winnie hesitated for a moment. He recalled a clause in the dungeon assessment rules: wild monsters in the realm could provide assistance to candidates. Defeating them would grant buffs or other advantages.

Those who competed for resources would grow stronger, while those who avoided conflict would only grow weaker.

The signs of battle on this mountain path suggested it might be the habitat of a special wild monster.

Looking at his current points, he only had fifty-five. To pass the assessment, he couldn’t avoid fighting forever. It was inevitable.

He had been hiding for a day, but he couldn’t escape the war indefinitely.

With a light sigh, Winnie gripped his spear, his expression solemn, and took heavy steps up the mountain path.

The trail appeared natural, with no obvious signs of excavation, though the sword scars etched into the mountain could be considered “artificial” marks.

The walk was unimpeded, but the area, which clearly bore signs of a recent brawl, was eerily quiet. There was no one in sight.

When Winnie reached the mountaintop, he found it unnervingly still, as if the place itself were asleep.

The ground was littered with fragments of tokens, and the rock walls were scarred with sword marks, yet no one was around.

At the summit, there was a naturally formed ring-like small passage. Winnie’s instincts sharpened.

This small passage reminded him of the boss rooms from games he had encountered in his past life.

Just by looking at it, he could tell that something significant, likely a powerful boss, was waiting inside.

“Huh?” As he drew closer, Winnie faintly heard what sounded like a conversation coming from the small passage.

He found it strange. At this stage, shouldn’t everyone be fighting on sight? Who would still be talking so calmly?

Curious, Winnie approached the edge of the gully and peeked inside. At the center stood a stone throne, but it was empty. Aside from that, he spotted four people.

Three of them seemed to be addressing a young man in ornate clothing who stood facing them.

“Young Master Bryan, we are all nobles of the Camella Kingdom. Let’s leave some room for courtesy. It’s fate that we’ve met here. Why must we fight to the death?” one of the noblemen suggested.

“Yes, yes,” another chimed in. “We are all nobles of the kingdom. Shouldn’t we stand united? Master Bryan, don’t you recognize me? I attended the last banquet hosted by Count Ankaton.”

“That’s right,” a third added. “We didn’t manage to claim [Earth Lord], but that’s just a matter of ability. There’s no need to harm our harmony over it, is there?”

From their words, Winnie quickly pieced together the situation.

It seemed the special wild monster king that once inhabited this mountain had likely been defeated by the silent young man standing before them.

And these three young men were clearly no match for the silent young man.

Not only that, but the three of them didn’t trust each other, making it impossible for them to work together against him. Instead, they were trying to negotiate a truce.

…Bryan?

Winnie frowned as he observed the young man. There was something vaguely familiar about him.

“Do you think this is some kind of game?” After a moment of silence, just as the three nobles thought their proposal had been tacitly accepted and began to relax, Bryan finally spoke.

“Entering the dungeon means relying on strength. That’s the purpose of the Carillian entrance exam. What are you trying to do, recruit me? Don’t you know the rules explicitly forbid forming teams?” The young man’s voice was cold, his expression stern.

As he spoke, Bryan drew his intricately carved sword and thrust it forward.

The nobleman closest to him hadn’t expected Bryan to act so decisively. He barely had time to react, but the sword didn’t pierce him, it only tore through the fabric of his shoulder. Bryan had deliberately held back.

“This sword is a reminder. The contest has already begun. Drop the flattery and show some backbone,” Bryan said, his gaze sharp as he swung his sword, carving rippling waves in the air.

Seeing this familiar scene, Winnie’s memory clicked.

This man was Bryan Ankaton, a named character in the original plot. He was the eldest son of a count’s family in the kingdom, a prominent figure from a well-known noble house.

How did I run into him?

If Winnie remembered correctly, in the original story, Bryan had clashed with Winnie as well.

He had once publicly humiliated Winnie, and the two had developed a mutual dislike. The difference was that Bryan was fearless and capable, while Winnie had been powerless and resentful.

In the original story, Bryan had also participated in the campaign against Winnie.

Well, Winnie was used to it. Given his notorious reputation, even nobles he’d never met had reason to dislike him, let alone those he’d crossed paths with.

Before entering the dungeon, Winnie had harbored some hope that the dungeon was vast enough to avoid running into so many named characters from the original story.

Yet here he was, having already encountered two protagonists and now a knight with a name and backstory.

Those who left their names in the original story were no ordinary people. They were all exceptional in their own right, and Bryan was no exception.

With his exceptional talent and unique understanding of water element magic and swordsmanship, he had shattered the stereotype that water elements were weaker in offense compared to other elements.

This man was a force to be reckoned with.

Now that Winnie knew the special wild monster on the mountain had been dealt with by Bryan, there was no reason for him to stay. Lingering would only invite unnecessary conflict.

He had just escaped one dangerous situation, only to stumble into another. It was better to leave while he still could.

With these “good brothers” keeping Bryan occupied, now was the perfect time to make his exit.

“Ahhh!” Just as Winnie lifted his foot to leave, several high-pitched screams erupted from the small passge.

Looking back, the few young men who had been struggling to resist earlier were now lying on the ground, their bodies disintegrating into several incomplete maps.

Ahh…

They’re gone? Just like that?

One against three, and he wiped them out so easily?

Of course, part of it might be due to the buffs from the wild monster he defeated, but still, was the gap in strength really that huge?

It seemed Winnie’s only option was to find a place to hide and wait for this “plague god” to leave…

“What’s the point of skulking around like a thief who doesn’t dare show his face?” At that moment, a commanding voice rang out from the gully, hitting Winnie like a hammer to the head.

So… he’d been discovered a long time ago?

Winnie sighed, rubbing his forehead. He really was unlucky.

Wait, maybe Bryan was just trying to bluff, to see if anyone was actually there?

Winnie stayed still, holding his breath.

“Don’t you plan to come out and show yourself?” Bryan raised an eyebrow and swung his sword. A burst of water surged forward, shredding the rock Winnie had been hiding behind.

“……”

Winnie froze, then slowly stood up under Bryan’s icy gaze.

“……Winnie?” Bryan recognized the man in front of him, his frown deepening.

“Yo, so Young Master Bryan still remembers me? I’m truly flattered.” Since he’d been caught, there was no point in running. Winnie decided to face the situation head-on.

“How did you get here?” Bryan asked coldly.

The implication was clear: why hadn’t someone like Winnie been eliminated already?

“Young Master Bryan, the road is open to everyone. If you can come here, why can’t I?” Winnie flicked his spear, and the Frost Fang gleamed in his hand.

“You’ve lowered the standard of this entrance exam,” Bryan said bluntly.

“Heh, thanks for the compliment. If I can single-handedly lower the gold standard of this year’s Carillian entrance exam, it must mean I have some skill.” Winnie smirked.

Look at the kind of monsters participating this year, if he could drag down their standards, then he must be doing something right.

“Did you come here to steal the buffs?” Bryan raised an eyebrow. To be fair, Bryan was quite handsome, with sharp features and piercing eyes.

It was a shame, really, that he was born into this twisted world, destined to never achieve anything truly remarkable.

“Guess?” Winnie replied with a cheeky grin, knowing full well that this confrontation was unavoidable. He didn’t care about Bryan’s attitude, this was a fight he couldn’t run from.

The protagonist group was untouchable, but he couldn’t just flee every time he encountered someone during the entrance exam, could he?

He’d already been through a few battles, but his points were still far behind the top contenders. Hiding forever wasn’t an option.

On the contrary, if he could defeat Bryan here, this formidable opponent, and take his points and maps, the situation would completely reverse in his favor.

It was a gamble, but Winnie wasn’t going to run. This time, he had to face this powerful enemy head-on.

Taking a deep breath, Winnie steadied himself. This might be the first time since awakening his past life’s memories that he’d faced a named character from the original story.

Bryan’s talent might not rival Charon’s, but he was undoubtedly a formidable opponent, one Winnie couldn’t defeat without resorting to extreme measures.

This would be a true test for him. Winning would mean a chance at redemption; losing would mean defeat.

Seeing Winnie’s dismissive attitude, Bryan didn’t bother with further conversation.

The carved sword in his hand danced through the air, creating rippling waves of water.

“If this weren’t an assessment, someone like you wouldn’t even be worth my sword.”

“But letting you go isn’t an option either.”

“Rather than letting you tarnish the standard of this entrance exam, I’ll send you back to where you belong.” Bryan pointed the tip of his sword at Winnie, his words sharp and deliberate.

“Huh? Your lines are way too long, don’t you think? I didn’t realize you were such a dramatic character.” Winnie squinted at Bryan, unfazed by the verbal jab. Words didn’t faze him.

Bryan didn’t respond. Instead, he stepped forward, aiming to take Winnie down with a single strike.

He underestimated Winnie, not even bothering to use magic against him.

Good speed, Winnie thought to himself.

Bryan’s swordsmanship was impeccable, a testament to years of training since childhood. Winnie, with his half-baked skills, was clearly outmatched.

“Clang!” Sparks flew as Winnie’s solid armor materialized, deflecting Bryan’s blade.

Unlike others who would have been pushed back by the force, Bryan stood firm, his eyes narrowing as he saw Winnie summon his Soul Armament.

“Winnie, as a descendant of the goddess, is this all you’ve got?”

“Choosing an armoured soul armament that can only take hits and not fight back? The Varelis family really has fallen.”

“Well, using magic against you was never my intention,” Bryan said as ripples formed at the tip of his sword.

“Now, let me demonstrate my own unique techniques.”

[Water Slash]

“Whoosh!” A highly compressed line of water shot toward Winnie like a comet, following the arc of Bryan’s sword.

‘What a fast strike!’

Winnie raised his spear just in time to block Bryan’s blade, but the sheer force of the water pressure bore down on him.

His shoulders buckled, and he dropped to one knee.

In just one move, Winnie was completely suppressed, unable to move. Bryan, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, even fighting one-handed to maintain his advantage.