"Wait a minute."
The voice cut through the silence of the city gate just as Will was about to pass through the final checkpoint and step beyond the boundaries of the imperial capital.
It wasn't loud, yet it carried a strange weight, sharp enough to make him stop mid-step.
Will turned around slowly.
A young man stood several meters away, rain-washed stone beneath his boots, posture straight, gaze fixed firmly on Will.
His eyes were intense, sharp in a way that suggested discipline and obsession rather than arrogance. There was no hostility in that stare, but there was something just as dangerous focus.
Ethan.
The moment their eyes met, something subtle shifted.
Ethan had come here with a purpose. He had been looking for the owner of Infinity Choco House, the mysterious shopkeeper rumored to have survived an impossible sword incident, the same person Klaus had hinted might be hiding far more than he showed.
Ethan did not know Will's face. But the instant he saw him standing near the city gate, every instinct honed through countless swings of the sword screamed the same answer.
It's him.
The way Will stood was calm, but balanced. His shoulders were relaxed, yet his center of gravity was perfect, neither leaning nor stiff.
His forearms were muscular, not overly bulky, but dense, shaped by repetitive motion rather than raw strength training. His hands were rough, calloused in places that only came from long familiarity with a hilt.
This was not a merchant's body. This was a swordsman's.
Ethan stepped forward, his expression was steady and controlled. "Nice to meet you, William," he said, his voice calm but firm.
Will raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.
"My name is Ethan," the young man continued. "And I would like to challenge you to a sword duel."
The words were simple, direct and Honest.
Inside Will's mind, the system reacted immediately.
[LMAO!! (❤️´艸｀❤️)]
Will sighed internally.
"I'm sorry," He said with his tone polite and unhurried. "I'm actually heading somewhere important, and moreover, I don't know how to use a sword."
He turned, taking a step away.
But suddenly a hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder.
Before Will could react outwardly, the air around them shifted.
Two presences appeared without warning.
they were Klaus and Brian.
It was not teleportation in the literal sense, but it was close enough that most people would never see the difference.
One moment the space behind Will was empty, and the next, the Sword Saint himself stood there, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
Brian was half a step behind him, his broken sword resting at his side, eyes already narrowed in assessment.
Ethan stiffened. "Master—!"
Klaus raised a palm, cutting him off without even looking at him.
"Kid," Klaus said, his voice low but carrying a natural authority that made the air stiff. "I know you use a sword."
He took a step forward. As he did, a faint pressure rolled outward, invisible but unmistakable. It was not murderous intent, but it was heavy, pressing down on the senses like a deep ocean current.
"How about you spar with my disciple," Klaus continued, "and in return, I'll personally clear the murder charges against you."
Inside Will's head, the system clicked its tongue.
[TSK… they really know how to bully.]
Will didn't even blink.
"There were no murder charges against me to begin with," Will replied calmly, his lips curling into a small, amused smile. "Oh esteemed Sword Saint."
The honorific was deliberate.
"The men who died were criminals from an infamous gang," Will continued, his voice steady. "If anything, I should be rewarded."
For a brief moment, silence fell.
Then Klaus laughed.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't mocking. It was the kind of laugh that came from genuine interest.
"Oh well, well," Klaus said, eyes glinting. "If you know my name, then you're definitely not normal."
Will shrugged lightly. "I'm very normal. It's just that your face is easy to recognize. You're quite famous."
He paused, then added with a mischievous smile, "Especially among married women."
Brian snapped instantly. "Kid, watch your tone."
But Klaus stepped forward, stopping him with a single movement.
"You are definitely not normal," Klaus said, his gaze sharpening. He had already realized something unsettling. His aura suppression wasn't working at all.
Yet when he probed Will's mana rank, what he sensed was unmistakable.
F+ Rank.
He came clean yet Klaus couldn't sense any other affinities or laws and that made no sense.
"Since you know I am the Sword Saint," Klaus said slowly, "how about you become my disciple?"
Ethan's eyes widened slightly.
Brian frowned.
But will didn't hesitate to shake his head "Nope," he said simply.
"I already have a master."
The confidence in his voice made Ethan freeze.
Klaus's brows furrowed. "Do you think your master is stronger than me? Is that why you refuse?"
"Yes," Will replied instantly. "Absolutely."
For a split second, the world seemed to pause.
Ethan stared at Will in disbelief.
Brian's jaw tightened.
No one had ever spoken to Sword saint Klaus like that.
Then, unexpectedly, Klaus smiled.
Not an angry smile but an excited one.
"How about this," Klaus said, his tone suddenly lighter. "If you defeat my disciple, I will fulfill three wishes of yours. Any three."
He glanced at Will
"If you lose, you become my disciple and Ethan's junior brother."
Inside Will's head, the system screamed.
[TAKE IT HOST!! TAKE IT PLEASE!!!! THIS IS TOO GOOD OF A CHANCE TO MISS]
Will's smirk deepened. "I accept," he said. "But you'll hear my three wishes first. I don't want you backing out later."
Klaus crossed his arms without getting offended "State them."
Will raised one finger. "First. You will owe me a request. If an emergency arises, you will come to defend me or fight alongside me, regardless of the danger or difficulty."
Klaus studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Fine."
Will raised a second finger. "Second. I want hundreds of healing, stamina, and mana recovery potions. As many as you can obtain using your connections. Immediately after the duel."
Klaus's expression darkened slightly. "I don't know what kind of battle you're preparing for," he said slowly, "but fine."
Will raised his third finger.
"I want an Abyssal Node entry pass Issued under your authority."
The air exploded, a crushing pressure descended instantly, this time no longer restrained.
Brian's ice elemental aura surged, cold enough to make nearby people stumble back as frost crept across the stone. Klaus's spiritual pressure layered over it, sharp and absolute, like a blade pressed against the soul.
"How do you know about that?" Klaus demanded.
Will didn't move, shiver or even flinch.
Brian's ice affinity tried to invade, to chill his blood and rattle his nerves, but it was instantly suppressed. The divine solar physique burned quietly beneath Will's skin, annihilating the cold before it could take hold.
At the same time, Lawless Adaptation activated without sound, subtly adjusting Will's body and soul to withstand the pressure. What should have crushed an F-rank boy instead dispersed like mist against an unyielding wall.
"Don't underestimate my master," Will said calmly.
Hearing the words the pressure vanished.
Klaus and Brian both stepped back, eyes sharp with disbelief.
"Who is this master of yours?" Klaus asked quietly.
"The name of my master cannot be spoken by mortals," Will replied. "You are not ready to hear the unspoken."
The cryptic words settled heavily, to Klaus and Brian, this was no longer speculation but certainty that Will had a surprisingly strong and deep backing, on top of that his words made them raise their guards.
They exchanged a glance.
They didn't know that Will's calm and ability to withstand pressure was enforced by talent and physique rather than backing. They only saw a boy immune to their pressure, hiding depths they could not probe.
Will looked at them both.
"So" he asked, his tone light, "Are you still in for this wager or not?"