Chapter 15: The Name Not Yet Written

— There's nothing special about him.

The voice answered after ten minutes. The woman smacked her lips when she was dissatisfied.

— Really. He's an orphan without parents or relatives. The orphanage held an examination for potential heroes, and He never stood out with a below-average rank before entering Diamond

"…"

Then how did he notice me? The Artifact was a EX grade accessory with perception distortion, among many other abilities. impossible to see through without exceptional perception and eyesight.

— Do you still have doubts? I can put his name down in the book if you want.

"… No."

The woman shook her head.

"""There's still time. As soon as we know the truth about him, we'll write down his name—"

The boss leaned forward. "What's his name?"

The boy opened his mouth. "It's…"

Is Pa...

"Oh, Boss, you were here."

The name vanished, lost in the interruption..)

An imposing voice resounded. The woman turned and saw a huge man smiling viciously.

"It's been a while, Boss."

"Funny, really—he called her Boss, even though she looked like she needed a stool just to meet his eye. Yet the way he spoke to her made it clear: respect wasn't a question."

"This place is filled with powerful heroes."

Click, click. The man clenched and unclenched his magic gaunlets.

"Take it off. We didn't come here to cause trouble."

"Ah, right. I almost forgot."

At the woman's command, the man's black magic gaunlets scattered into dust. He scratched his neck in silence while she coldly glared at him.

"W-What?" Startled, the man asked.

— The report.

The mysterious voice asked instead of Boss.

"Ah, yeah—nothing worth mentioning. I could snap their heads like twigs with a finger flick anyway."

— Idiot. That's obvious. I'm talking about their potential.

The man rubbed his chin.

"Hmm… I'm not sure. I went to watch the second year's cadet, but they wasn't special."

— You should be watching the first years. They said this year's freshmen were exceptional, so look again. Oh, Boss, I have something to do now, so I'll talk to you later.

"Yeah, screw off."

— You shut up.

The voice disappeared, and the man smiled at the woman.

"Boss, I don't think there are any good Cadets. What do we do? Since we're here, can't we blow some steams?"

The man couldn't hold back his desire to fight. He flaunted his battle spirit by releasing his magic power, which fluttered in the air. Although it was careless and a hero could notice,

"… George."

"Mmm?"

"just do your job."

Ok boss

"How is it? Can you see me?"

"Oh, is that the artifact you got before? I can't really see your real face

"…"

As expected, the Artifact worked fine. Although the man was a muscle-brained , he still had a high perception that matched his skills. Even he couldn't see her, so how did the boy saw through me?

"Oh, dang. I got to go before they noticed but..

"We're done here. Go."

The woman cut off his chatter.

"Make sure you complete your mission."

"Yes, Boss."

He turned around without a fuss as she watched him walk away. His bulky back, flawlessly refined physique definitely stood out. He was an irregular who inherited the old Martial God's spirit.

— George wasn't always like this, right Boss?

His name was George. One of our strongest members.

***

The weekend passed, and combat exams began. Monday's exam was a duel. Cadets could nominate other cadets to fight. Each cadet can fight whoever they nominated, and a nominated cadet couldn't refuse.

Although it might seem like the strong would naturally overpower the weak, Diamond Academy wasn't foolish. They restructured the duels to level the field. In ranked matches, cadets weren't scored solely on victory, but on performance relative to their opponent's rank. Take Saul Mayne, Rank 1—as an example. If he went up against a bottom-ranked cadet, the duel wouldn't be judged on who won, but how he fought. A flawless victory might still earn him nothing—or even cost him points—while the lower-ranked cadet could gain score simply by lasting long enough, landing a clean hit, or showing strategic improvement.

In addition, there was an unofficial but powerful motivator: fame. Though not graded on paper, it pushed cadets to take risks, especially by targeting stronger opponents. With thousands of cadets clashing in multiple arenas under strict time limits, the environment was a chaotic proving ground. Scouts from major guilds and foreign powers watched closely, focusing on the top ranks—yet even low-ranked cadets had a shot at recognition. All it took was one bold challenge, one impressive showing against a stronger rival, to catch the right pair of eyes.

"… I knew this would happen."

Even with all the systems in place to ensure fairness and reward bold challenges, it still happened—Rank 18 cadet Den Garry nominated me.

[Duel 1] [Rank 18 Den Garry vs. Rank 930 Paul Wayne]

If Den Garry managed to win, he'd barely earn more than three points. In a matchup between Rank 930 and Rank 18, this thick-headed brute was practically guaranteed to come out on top.

"Guess there's no helping it." He just wanted an excuse to rough me up.

I slipped my tablet into my crossbody bag and stepped out of the dorm. The view outside was comforting, the breeze carrying the soft fragrance of blooming flowers.

"Yun, smile for the camera! Wait—isn't that Saul Mayne? A-Are you close with him?! I really want a photo with him!"

Cadets went about with their families. Since last Friday, their families stayed with them in the same dorm room. I walked alone, watching other cadets laugh and joke with their families.

"Where are you going?"

Someone scurried next to me like a cat. I paused and turned.

"To the duel arena."

"Ah, that's right—Garry picked you." Mira Roodes said, pretending not to know.

"...Is there a reason you're telling me this?"

"I did what I could to talk him out of it, but he was dead set on going after you. My hands were tied."."

"Oh, I see."

I kept moving forward. Mira Roodes trailed behind me briefly, then suddenly veered off. She didn't want to be spotted by one of the hovering drones scanning the area. Once it drifted away, she returned like nothing happened.

"Oh, by the way…"

Snap. She flicked her fingers, and a tall man stepped forward, handing her a sleek case without a word.

"Here, 100 top-tier bullets. If you need a refill, just let me know. I can also get you some defensive gear if you want."

"Hm?"

Mira Roodes suddenly yanked the case back just as I reached for it.

"Before you say anything," Mira Roodes said softly, "this isn't repayment for what you did."

"Huh?" I looked at her, puzzled.

She hesitated for a moment—not out of embarrassment, but like she was choosing her words carefully.

"I just… wanted to give you something. No reason beyond that."

A small smile tugged at her lips, brief but genuine.

I met her eyes, saw the meaning behind them, then reached out and took the suitcase gently.

"Thanks," I said, my voice quieter than before. "I'll take care of it."

I snatched the suitcase.

"They're asking me to file a report."

"Hmm?"

"About the phantom incident."

"Oh, that. What're they saying?"

"They want me to spill everything, but I've been dragging my feet. Figured you didn't want your power getting out."

She'd clearly left out the part where I sniped that phantom without breaking a sweat.

"... Then just keep it that way."

Drake Bowman contracted with an especially dangerous Specter. Phantoms were all ill-natured and heinous, so things could get problematic if they found out I killed Drake Bowman.

"Understood. Oh, by the way, do you think Garry stands a chance?"

Her question carried an unspoken meaning—like she was wondering if I might hold back. I wasn't interested in drawing unnecessary attention to myself with a flashy victory.

"Then I'm off."

Before I could reply, Mira Roodes quickly left. A group of reporters noticed Mira Roodes and ran towards her.

***

I arrived at the third duel arena. It was still early afternoon, but the place was already packed with people. Reporters swarmed around, cameras flashing and microphones thrust forward.

A nearby reporter caught my eye and gave a quick rundown.

"Today's lineup features Saul Mayne, Lila Dawn, and Den Garry dueling from 12 P.M. to 2 P.M."

I maneuvered through the crowd and proceeded towards the arena.

Then

I walked through and arrived at my assigned waiting room.

[Waiting Room 6]

This room should be full with people like me. People like Saul Mayne and Lila Dawn resided in waiting room 1, closest to the reporters.

I opened the door, and the 30-40 cadets talking among themselves suddenly turned quiet. They all stared at me before resuming their previous activities.

I walked in and sat down on a random seat.

As I rested, a stranger approached me. His face seemed familiar—probably someone from my class. He glanced around cautiously before speaking.

"You really shouldn't have shown off so much. Den Garry must have you marked now."

I just nodded in response, saying nothing.

"…"

I opened my mouth to say something but stopped myself. Instead, I muttered quietly inside.

Unlike you guys, I don't even know how I could have been showing off.

"By the way, why do you keep leaving Diamond? Are you really just burning through cash at those sketchy places?"

Those rumors clearly hadn't died down. I just shook my head silently.

"No way, you do?"

Somehow, he interpreted my gesture however he wanted. I opened my mouth without a choice.

"No. Even if I wanted to, I got no time for that."