Brever stood dazed for a while, with the sunset behind him. He was taken aback because I, who had been running away, suddenly stepped forward confidently. But soon, realizing that I was the Rai who had always been submissive to him, he snickered.

"Hah! The guy who couldn't even defy me once, now thinks he can kill me? A guy who can't even step on a bug, what...?"

It seemed he was confident that the Rai he knew wouldn't be able to kill him.

'But I'm no different from the Rai he thinks I am.'

Until just now, I was merely an ordinary reader. Naturally, I had never killed anyone. Me, killing three people? Normally, it would be unimaginable. But if I don't kill them, I'll die. That much is certain.

[The 'Second Creation' of the story is in progress.]

And anyway, this is inside a novel. Even if I kill someone here, when I return to Earth, it will just be replaced by a few lines of description in the novel. I just need to read through it indifferently, as always. Like a villain being taught a lesson in a one-sided story.

"If it's a bug, I can do it."

My gaze turned cold. I gripped the sword with my sweaty hands.

"You arrogant bastard..."

Brever gritted his teeth.

"Don't get cocky just because you blocked me once!!"

Brever charged roughly. The blade approached, cutting through the sunset. I may not have an eye for swords, but for a villain in the first episode, his swordsmanship is quite sharp. But that's all there is to it.

Clang!

I swung my sword horizontally, deflecting Brever's attack. My grip tingled for a moment, but that was it. Rai's strength is greater than Brever's.

"Die!"

At that moment, Bell, who had emerged from the forest, swung his sword with his bulky body. He was just at the level of Brever's lackey.

Thud!

As I retreated and kicked him hard in the solar plexus, Bell let out a pig-like scream and was thrown back.

"How dare you!!"

Mud, true to his appearance, sneakily aimed from the side. When I deflected the sword aiming for my neck, his upper body was exposed, having lost balance. Without hesitation, I thrust my sword into his heart. My body instinctively resisted, but my command took precedence.

Squelch!

As the sword pierced Mud's heart, a chilling sound of flesh tearing was heard. Mud's torn eyes widened greatly.

"You, you..."

Mud's lips trembled. I could feel his heartbeat slowing through the sword.

Splash!

As I pulled out the sword, red blood splattered. Mud, showing the whites of his eyes, fell backward. To say I'm okay would be a lie. The sensation of piercing skin with a sword is quite unpleasant. But I have no regrets. He was someone who tried to kill me. I gripped the sword tightly and turned my head.

"Are you... really the Rai I knew?"

Brever asked dumbfoundedly. Bell's pupils beside him were trembling. Both were so shocked that they couldn't immediately charge at me. Naturally, they must be bewildered. They never expected to be pushed back by Rai, let alone someone dying at my hands. In the original story, they kill Rai without any injuries. Only to disappear to the other side of the story when the protagonist appears later. I erased the original content and opened my mouth as if filling it with new text.

"This isn't the academy."

"..."

"The relationship between you and me now isn't noble and commoner. It's just human to human."

I pointed the blood-stained sword at them. The tip of the sword trembled slightly. I couldn't tell if this emotion was Rai's or mine.

"Haha... Hahahahaha!!"

Brever laughed, covering his face with his hand. He was originally a madman, so I didn't question his sudden action. I have no interest in the behavior of beasts.

"Why did someone with such power take beatings from us all this time?"

Brever asked, his smile not completely gone.

"I told you. Back then, our relationship was noble and commoner. If I had resisted, I wouldn't have even graduated from the academy."

Rai's past feels as if it were my own. Even though it's just a single line of setting in the novel. But since I'm not Rai, I added one more thing.

"And I don't fight weaklings."

Brever's eyebrows twitched.

"...Your true nature shows once you step outside the territory."

Brever exhaled as if suppressing his emotions.

"Fine. Then let's see who's superior here, without any backing."

"Do we really need to? Given that you couldn't even pass, the answer is clear."

I gained some confidence. More than anything, I got used to moving the trained muscles. If things continue like this, I'll eventually win.

"Hah, you bastard... You have a knack for getting on my nerves."

"Why do you talk so much?"

That was the trigger. Brever, bursting with anger, swung his sword down. A steady trajectory. Indeed, even as a reserve, he didn't get there for nothing.

'If I'm careless, I'll lose.'

It's forbidden to indulge in the newfound strength. I must not forget that this is still my first real battle.

Clang!

I raised my sword above my head to neutralize the attack. If I had tried to deflect it forcefully, my balance would have been disrupted.

Whoosh!

Another sword emerged from the side. It was Bell, whom I had momentarily forgotten. I quickly stepped back to widen the distance. Before Bell could slowly retrieve his sword, I swiftly pushed off the ground.

Swoosh!

I aimed for Bell's neck. If the sword got stuck in his thick body, it would be troublesome to pull it out.

Thud!

"Ugh, ugh...!"

I easily turned Bell into a skewered pig. Perhaps because I was empathizing with Rai, at least for now, I wasn't caught up in luxurious humanity. Besides, there was no room for that.

Whoosh!

Brever's blade swung toward my head. It was too late to pull out the sword from Bell's neck, so I had to retreat barehanded.

'Whether it's the neck or the body, it's the same.'

I clenched and unclenched my empty hand. But more than that, Brever's reaction was unexpectedly quick. As if he anticipated my move.

"Using him as bait because he seemed useless?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Brever casually pushed Bell's fallen body with his foot. My sword was still stuck in Bell's neck. In fact, he knows too. That he can't win against me in a direct confrontation. No matter how much he wants my life, his own life comes first.

'Fighting barehanded is obviously hopeless.'

But I had anticipated this and noted the location earlier. Rolling my eyes, I saw a sword lying next to the dead Mud. It was Mud's sword. I subtly watched Brever's reaction and met his gaze. He seemed to know what my next move would be.

Thud!

I simultaneously dashed toward Mud. I was closer to Mud and faster than Brever. However, Brever already had a sword in his hand from the start.

Swoosh!

The blade swung down toward me. I rolled forward, snatching Mud's sword from the ground.

Clang!

Brever's sword struck the ground in vain. But without hesitation, he changed direction and charged at me. Having already regained my stance, I swung my sword at Brever.

Clang!

The two swords clashed, creating a loud noise. I pushed Brever's sword away and spoke.

"Didn't you say to fight without any backing?"

"Didn't you say it was human to human? I just used what I could..."

His excuse sounds plausible. No, it's only natural since his life is on the line. The swords separated for a moment, then swung again as if drawn to each other.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Above the canyon, bathed in an orange hue, the two blades clashed. Today, one of them will break here.

"Just die already!"

Brever shouted in frustration.

"You have no parents or mana anyway! Even if you get into that academy, nothing will change!"

Rai having no mana. That's half right and half wrong. It may seem like there's no mana now, but as the mana stone disease is treated, Rai will eventually possess vast mana. The characteristic of the mana stone disease is that the mana solidifies like stone. However, Rai himself probably didn't know that.

"But I! But I must get in this year! If not, my father won't even give me a chance!!"

Brever gasped, muttering. He was already covered in wounds from my sword. As the second son of the Aldirith family, Brever knows that if he doesn't prove his worth this time, only the competent eldest son will receive the 'special opportunity.' That's why he's risking this danger to get in. But...

"What does that have to do with me?"

"What?"

"You failed to get into the university purely because of your lack of ability, didn't you?"

When I struck my sword down hard, the recoil made him step back a few paces. I pointed my sword at the fool standing there.

"So shut up and come at me."

"Damn it!"

Brever let out a scream-like shout and charged. His balance was off, probably due to exhaustion. In contrast, I was only out of breath but otherwise fine. The difference in physical ability was stark from the start.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

I could feel it throughout my body. The desperation and swordsmanship Rai had built up over time. Yet, the sadness of not being able to defy fate and having to fall. That's why I will never lose to someone who was arrogant just because of their status.

Clang!

The increasingly dull sword finally shattered into pieces. The fragments of the sword reflected the sunset light as they scattered.

"...Haha."

The wounded Brever laughed as if he had lost his mind. His legs, barely holding on, staggered severely, and behind him was a vast cliff.

"Ah, so damn tiring..."

He lost his footing and fell backward. His body disappeared from sight in an instant.

"Save, save me..."

But I could still hear his voice. As I approached, I saw him hanging onto the edge of the cliff with one hand, desperately clinging as if he still wanted to remain in this story.

"I have no strength to climb up..."

His hand, gripping the cliff, trembled with effort.

"I don't need to get into the academy anymore... I'll pay for attacking you, so please just let me live... I don't want to die here..."

I looked down at him calmly. If I pull him up now, he might survive. But there was no reason to do so. If he could be of help to me, I might consider it, but instead, he would only hinder my future goals. So there's only one action I can take now.

"Goodbye."

I lightly kicked the hand holding onto the cliff. Losing his only support, he began to fall into the unseen depths. I met his empty pupils with indifferent eyes.

"You are not needed in this novel."