Chapter 9 – The Rank No One Saw
The sand was still stained with the blood of the last match.
But none of it was mine.
Not yet.
We weren't meant to fight today. It was supposed to be a strategy session. Map reading, troop formation, theoretical sparring—everything calm.
Until a messenger arrived from House Verrin with a challenge scroll sealed in frost.
A formal duel.
Vincent didn't hesitate.
"Accept it," he said, barely looking up from his glass. "And send Wicky."
I blinked. "Me?"
"You want to be taken seriously, right?" he smiled. "Time to see what your luck's really worth."
He tossed me the scroll.
A one-on-one ranked match.
Against Talek Verrin — Icebound Duelist. Rank D+, Elemental Affinity. Ten wins. No losses.
And me?
Still publicly F-rank.
Even though the System had already whispered my truth last night.
---
> [Level Up Conditions Met]
Combat Sync: 100%
XP Threshold Achieved
Stat Recalibration Complete
⚔️ RANK ADVANCEMENT – E
New Stat Distribution Unlocked
Hidden Title: "Echo Diver"
Skill: Shadow Mark I (Passive – Concealed)
System visibility: Masked
Public Perception: F-Rank
---
No one else knew.
Not Cero. Not Naera. Not even Vincent.
And that's how I wanted it.
Because every time someone underestimated me, I inched closer to a future they couldn't control.
---
The duel was set for sunset.
The circular pit was smaller than the training arena—tighter, with nowhere to run. The audience was smaller too, but filled with more dangerous eyes.
Kellen Verrin himself watched from the stands.
Talek stood in front of me, wrapped in a deep blue combat coat laced with runes. A saber of ice formed in his right hand, humming with mana.
His face was calm.
He didn't see me as a threat.
Not yet.
---
"Try not to die too quickly," Talek said with a faint smile. "My House prefers clean victories."
I didn't respond.
Because if I opened my mouth, I'd feel how dry it was.
Instead, I let the System flow into my mind.
> [Enemy Class: Iceblade Duelist – Elemental Sync: 88%]
Weakness: Mid-rib faint fracture – left side
Combat Tempo: Fast Start → Frost Lock Transition
Counter Window: 0.7 seconds (after parry surge)
I adjusted my grip on the worn training blade they'd handed me.
I wasn't here to impress anyone.
I was here to win.
---
The signal flared in the sky.
Talek moved first.
A blur of blue light, sword flashing with ice so cold it cracked the air. His first swing grazed my cheek before I even registered the motion.
> [HP –7]
[Slow effect – 3 seconds]
I stumbled back, legs heavy.
His second strike aimed for my ribs.
I twisted — barely — and took the hit on the flat of my blade.
Cracks split across my weapon. The edge was already turning brittle.
The crowd watched in silence.
They thought I was just surviving.
What they didn't know… was that I was studying.
---
Talek raised his left hand — a spike of ice launched from the air toward my back.
I rolled. The ice shattered behind me.
But my foot slipped. He capitalized immediately — driving his saber toward my chest.
I barely raised my blade—
CRACK.
It snapped in two.
---
> [Weapon durability: 0%]
[HP: 61/100]
Combat Danger Level: Red
I fell back, panting. Disarmed. Weaponless.
Talek looked disappointed.
"Your House sent you for this? This isn't a duel. It's a mercy kill."
He lifted his blade for the finishing strike.
---
> [System Trigger: Survival Protocol]
Shadow Core Reaction: 62%
Passive Activated: Shadow Trace (Silent Cast)
Effect: Shadow Marker placed behind Talek (Unnoticed)
Time slowed.
I wasn't fast enough.
Wasn't strong enough.
But I didn't need to be either.
I needed to use what I had.
---
I kicked sand into his eyes — not elegant, not honorable — just desperate.
But it worked.
He turned, blinded.
And that's when I moved.
I used the momentum of my fall to spin.
Slid around him—toward the shadow I had marked.
And through it.
---
> [Shadow Trace – Shadow Step Initiated]
Location Shift: 3 meters behind target
Stealth bonus: +80% for 1 second
Critical Window: Open
---
He turned, confused.
Too late.
I picked up the broken half of my sword from the ground and drove it into his exposed side — right where the System told me his fracture lay hidden.
CRACK.
He screamed.
His blade dropped.
---
> [Critical Strike – Vital Spot]
+103 XP
Debuff Applied: Bleed – Internal
Target incapacitated
---
The judge stepped in a second later, freezing the match with a flick of mana.
But it was already over.
Talek clutched his side, pale from blood loss.
I stood, panting, shaking…
But not falling.
---
> [VICTORY – Duel Won]
Rank Disparity Bonus: +EXP x1.5
Class Progress: 78% toward Phantom Core Tier II
Concealed Growth Status: Maintained
Shadow Skill Sync: +12%
Hidden Passive Advanced: Shadow Feint I – now triggers disorientation if undetected
---
Vincent's face in the crowd was unreadable.
But his fingers twitched — like he'd just hit jackpot on a bet he didn't even mean to place.
Cero grinned like he'd always known.
Naera… just stared.
Then turned away before anyone noticed she was smiling.
---
Later, in the dark, after the arena lights died down—
The System pulsed again.
> [You've defied expectations again.]
Your growth is no longer linear.
Your name is beginning to be whispered.
You are no longer prey.
You are the hidden blade.
---
I lay on my bunk, the broken hilt still in my hand.
Everyone still thought I was F-rank.
I let them.
Because that's how shadows grow best.
Unnoticed.
Until they strike.