"Shameful. You must live the rest of your lives in shame..."
Marius looked down at his fallen students lying on the ground, gasping for breath. Some had bruises, others were bleeding from their noses.
"Arthur has been training for just 10 days and is already able to surpass the majority of you... How can I show my face to the other captains of the guild?"
The only silhouette still standing was me.
It had been 10 days since I joined the dojo of the Arm Hearts Guild.
Under the supervision of Marius, my life had turned into hell. Me—the owner of this tower—suffered daily beatings from Marius and the senior members of the dojo. They used juniors like me to test and sharpen their techniques.
This dojo is the true backbone of the guild. Contrary to what I had believed, Alfred wasn't the most important member—even though he is the leader and the strongest fighter.
The real powerhouse here is Marius, the teacher of the elite troops and the creator of HEMA, the technique that gives the guild its name and fame.
Marius came from royal origins in Europe. He was trained in swordsmanship from a young age, but in the chaotic modern world before the tower, he never found a stage worthy of his skills.
Here, in the tower—where guns and modern armor have disappeared—he finally found the perfect setting to shine. But age remains his greatest enemy.
It's true that the energy-rich atmosphere of the tower allows players to surpass normal human limits, but it can't stop aging.
So Marius chose to create a dojo within the guild and pass down his family art.
To join this dojo, players must either be extremely talented and earn an invitation—or have powerful connections within the guild.
Even with a ticket in, Marius has no hesitation in kicking someone out if he sees a lack of discipline or potential.
The guild is composed of many teams. Each year, a ceremony is held where teams try to recruit the most promising players graduating from the dojo.
[Name: Arthur]
[Age: **]
[Level: 3]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Arm Hearts – Trainer]
[Techniques: Historical European Martial Arts (18% Mastery)]
In the past ten days of hell, my level and stats improved—but more importantly, my martial arts mastery had nearly reached the 20% Alfred demanded.
Now, I could easily defeat every new trainee in the dojo. Those who had been training for only a month or two couldn't even touch me.
Of course, I was still far from the level of Zaine and the older players.
Something about the relationship between Zaine and Alfred struck me as odd.
Alfred occasionally visited the dojo to check on trainees, but with Zaine, he was different—he took the time to give personal instructions and even trained with him directly.
He was far too friendly with him... for some reason.
"Important news from the Leader!"
Everyone turned their heads as Alfred's secretary entered the dojo to deliver a message.
"The list of participants for the hidden quest clearance: Zaine, Arthur..."
The existence of the hidden quest was no longer a secret. Although it hadn't been officially declared, those close to guild captains were aware of it.
Alfred already knew my level of mastery, so he included me in the team.
The total number of selected players was 18. Many who weren't chosen felt slighted.
Of course, some got their spot through connections.
Well... I was one of them.
"The captains of the team are Zaine and Kudo Danjuro. Both of you are to report to the guild council after training. Also, those selected may head to the storage facility to collect weapons and armor.
Departure is in three days."
Kudo Danjuro is the dojo's top-ranked talent. He possesses both skill and lineage—his father, Kudo Koetsu, is second-in-command of the guild.
He and Zaine have been rivals since they joined the dojo together.
I don't know much about the inner workings of the guild leadership, so I can't tell whether their competition reflects a deeper conflict between Alfred and Koetsu.
"Well... I must not forget my true identity as the tower's owner..."
After completing the day's training, I returned to my room.
Each trainee had a small personal space to rest.
Lying in bed, I closed my eyes. My soul slowly rose from Arthur's body...
[Are you sure you want to create the third floor? Y/N]
Of course, the answer was yes.
With players advancing so quickly, I needed to prepare the third and fourth floors in parallel.
Even with Alfred and the Arm Hearts Guild busy clearing the hidden quest, there was no guarantee someone else wouldn't attempt the second trial.
In fact, the third floor was already partially built after the war between the Holy Forest and the Bird Tribes.
Neglecting the Peacocks and Pandas would be a waste of resources. So I had assigned a moderator to send them to the third floor to begin teaching humans true martial arts and the fundamentals of magic.
Looking down upon the third floor now...
The two tribes had already begun to clash after being forced from their forest.
Even inner conflict had erupted within each tribe—leading to the founding of new branches and rival families.
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"Mmm... what should I add as the main challenge?"
waiting for your comments and ideas