2 PM, Rhodes Island Training Grounds.
"Yo, Nameless! Here to observe again today?"
A burly man with a large beard walked toward Nameless, who was standing in a corner, holding two bottles of water as he greeted him.
At the same time, he handed one of the bottles over.
"Mm."
Nameless shifted his gaze away from the operators currently training and looked toward the burly man before accepting the water and setting it aside.
He knew this man.
Rhodes Island elite operator, Ace.
Aside from missions, Ace spent a large portion of his time at the training grounds.
As for why Nameless came here, it was simply to verify some of his own thoughts.
At the same time, it also gave Amiya some personal space.
After all, quite some time had already passed since his summoning. Aside from supplying him with the magical energy needed to maintain his existence, the Holy Grail had shown no other activity.
That forced him to adjust his daily routine.
Following Amiya around constantly like before was manageable for short periods, but if it continued for too long, it would become inappropriate.
Moreover, Kal'tsit seemed to have certain matters she wished to avoid discussing in front of him while privately instructing Amiya.
As a result, whenever he had free time lately, he would come to the training grounds and observe Rhodes Island's operators during their training.
"So you are only planning to watch? You are not thinking of loosening up a little? Ever since you came to Rhodes Island, I have never seen you fight. If this keeps up, your body is going to rust, you know?"
Seeing that Nameless was willing to respond to him and appeared to be in a decent mood, Ace flashed a broad grin as he spoke.
"...I do not have that problem," Nameless replied.
He understood his own abilities quite clearly. There was no such thing as becoming rusty or regressing for him.
After all, these abilities had long since been engraved into his body itself, nearly becoming instinct or even part of the very foundation of his existence.
"Just treat it as stretching your body! How about sparring with me?"
Ace took another step forward, continuing his attempt to invite Nameless onto the training field.
"You people made a bet?"
Seeing how unusually enthusiastic Ace was being, Nameless sensed that something was off. His gaze swept across the surroundings and quickly noticed a group of people gathered nearby, all watching this direction.
Suspicious behavior.
A crowd gathered to watch.
Combining the two together, Nameless naturally figured it out.
The bet was probably about whether Ace could successfully convince him to spar.
"Ahaha..."
Hearing Nameless mercilessly expose him, Ace scratched his head awkwardly and laughed a few times.
At that moment, he was already wondering whether he should make a quick escape.
The situation had become genuinely awkward.
However, what Nameless said next made Ace abandon that thought.
"That works. Bring your squad members with you as well."
Nameless did not particularly care about Ace and the others' behavior. After all, it did not affect him in any way.
But just as he had said earlier, if he truly had to remain at Rhodes Island for an extended period of time, then his attitude toward others would also need to change somewhat.
There was no chance of him trying to accommodate other people.
But being slightly less harsh was not impossible.
Yes, slightly gentler.
It was only a sparring match after all.
He would not kill them.
"Are we doing a combat simulation?"
After hearing Nameless's words, Ace first felt pleasantly surprised before becoming confused.
Including himself, his squad consisted of more than ten people. Under those circumstances, the match obviously would not take place in a small training area. They would need to use the simulation battlefield for a combat exercise.
A combat simulation essentially recreated a battlefield environment, allowing operators to fight under different terrains and conditions. Although this type of training was more troublesome, it was far more effective for actual combat experience.
"If we are doing this, we may as well do it properly from the start. As long as you get me onto the field, you win your bet anyway, do you not?"
To Nameless, a combat simulation was not particularly different from real combat.
The only difference was that in a simulation, he had access to more methods and strategies.
Besides, he also wanted to personally confirm the combat capabilities of Rhodes Island's elite operators and their squads.
"You are right. I will go make the arrangements now. I will buy you a drink afterward too!"
After hearing Nameless's response, Ace found it fairly reasonable.
Since Nameless himself had proposed the idea, Ace did not feel as though he was bullying anyone. Instead, he seriously began considering how to deal with him.
Although Nameless had rarely acted openly, the few times he had moved had all been extremely precise and sharp. However, Ace himself had never witnessed it personally. Everything he knew had been told to him by Scout.
The only actual combat record available was from the day Nameless first appeared, when he had used firearms from a distance to provide cover fire for Rhodes Island's operators.
The accuracy and firing speed had been terrifyingly high.
If he had aimed directly for vital points instead of limbs, he might have eliminated the enemies entirely by himself.
"Do as you like."
After seeing Ace agree, Nameless stood up straight and placed the terminal and other electronic devices he carried aside.
Most of those had been specially provided by Amiya after his arrival so he could move freely around Rhodes Island.
If they were damaged during combat, it would become troublesome.
Meanwhile, Ace turned around to gather his squad members and apply for a combat simulation field.
As an elite operator, reserving a field was extremely easy.
Roughly half an hour later, Nameless and Ace's squad entered the simulation battlefield together.
"Our primary objective is to restrain you. As for your objective, Nameless, it is either to break through our encirclement and reach the safe zone within the time limit, or defeat all of us. Also... do you not need to change into combat gear or pick up a weapon?"
Unlike their earlier relaxed appearances, Ace and the others were now fully equipped in Rhodes Island combat uniforms and tactical gear.
Nameless, however, still wore the same black suit and shirt.
After Amiya mentioned it to him previously, he had rarely worn his original outfit around Rhodes Island anymore.
To Nameless, it made no difference what he wore.
After all, he relied on magecraft to fight.
But from everyone else's perspective, he looked as though he was entering battle lightly equipped and without even bothering to bring a weapon.
Ace understood Nameless's strength, so he did not think too deeply about it.
Still, he felt obligated to remind him.
What if Nameless simply did not know where to obtain combat gear, tactical equipment, or weapons?
Ace had not forgotten that in terms of time spent aboard Rhodes Island, Nameless was practically a newcomer compared to the rest of his squad.
But Ace's squad members did not know any of this.
Unlike their captain, they had not heard stories about Nameless from others. Their judgment was based entirely on what they saw and felt themselves.
And the conclusion they reached was:
Worse than some Sarkaz.
At Rhodes Island, that was already an extremely low evaluation.
"There is no need. I have my own."
As he spoke, a gunblade suddenly appeared in Nameless's empty right hand.
After casually spinning it twice in his grasp, he made it disappear once more.
It was merely a brief display of his abilities.
After all, since arriving at Rhodes Island, he had almost never fought. Aside from Amiya and Kal'tsit, practically nobody knew about his Projection Magecraft.
As for why he chose to project a gunblade, it was simply because he was already used to using it.
Even without the chanting, he could still produce a high-quality projection with ease.
"Hiss... then please go easy on us."
The moment Ace saw the massive gunblade appear, the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.
Mostly because he had genuinely been startled.
The firearm portion alone already qualified as a medium-to-large gun, and combined with the pitch-black blade beneath it, the overall size of the weapon exceeded the length of his entire arm.
Anyone would be shocked seeing someone casually materialize such an absurdly massive firearm or any weapon, for that matter.
Ace already considered his composure fairly good.
At most, his eyelid twitched a little.
As for the squad members behind him, several had already reflexively stepped backward and raised their weapons defensively.
"Do not worry. Nobody will die."
Seeing their reactions, Nameless revealed a faintly contemptuous smile before heading toward the designated starting position within the simulation field.
The mockery in his attitude was overwhelming.
"Captain! We cannot lose this one! We have to teach him a proper lesson!"
Only after Nameless left did Ace and his squad members finally recover from the shock.
One by one, their desire to win was ignited.
Whether victory itself mattered or not was irrelevant.
They simply wanted Nameless to understand the consequences of mocking people so casually.
"Calm down. Think carefully about what we should do next. Do not make mistakes because of recklessness. I will judge this simulation by real combat standards. Also, this exercise will be recorded as an official combat record."
Truthfully, even Ace himself felt provoked by Nameless's attitude.
But Ace quickly calmed himself down and began briefing his squad members.
The part about recording the combat exercise had actually come from Dr. Kal'tsit.
After learning that he and Nameless were going to conduct a combat simulation, she had specifically contacted him and instructed him to record the exercise and send the footage to her afterward.
Anyone capable of making Dr. Kal'tsit personally request combat records was definitely not simple.
At this moment, Ace felt immense pressure.
He was beginning to feel that agreeing to this combat simulation with Nameless was the biggest mistake he had made in quite a while.
But things had already progressed this far, so there was no turning back now.
At most, afterward he would extort a hefty compensation from the person who had encouraged him to challenge Nameless in the first place.
If he remembered correctly, Closure had recently acquired a batch of rather good alcohol.
And it seemed to be quite expensive too.
He had already decided.
Bad Tom was paying for those drinks.
"There are so many of us! We will definitely be fin—...right?"
The operator who had originally sounded full of confidence gradually lost his certainty midway through speaking.
Mainly because Ace's stare was cold enough to send chills down his spine.
And then there was the gunblade Nameless had just casually materialized.
Forget being shot by it.
Even getting hit in melee with something that massive would probably hurt like hell.
"Do not think that having numbers solves everything. As long as the tactics are planned well enough, it is entirely possible for one person to take down a small squad."
After successfully extinguishing the arrogance in his squad members with a single look, Ace continued speaking.
Confidence was a good thing.
Arrogance was not.
After hearing several examples from Ace, the squad members gradually calmed down and began thinking seriously about strategies.
They did not have much time left.
The combat simulation could begin at any moment, and once it did, they would need to respond to enemy attacks immediately.
"Part of the team will guard the safe zone. The rest will come with me to search for the enemy's position. Avoid moving alone whenever possible, and contact the others through communicators if anything happens."
After thinking for a moment, Ace chose a relatively aggressive strategy.
Normally, his squad specialized more in defensive operations and support activities.
However, considering that Kal'tsit had specifically requested this combat record, he wanted to simulate as many situations as possible for her reference.
This was also an excellent opportunity for his squad.
Normally, combat simulations against other Rhodes Island operators lost much of their effectiveness because both sides already knew each other too well.
An unknown enemy.
Combined with the overwhelming provocation Nameless had just displayed.
Ace believed this combat simulation would definitely help everyone improve...
Probably.
It should help a lot... right?
Thinking back to Nameless's earlier expression, along with the fact that people who wore expressions like that usually possessed a twisted sense of humor to some degree, Ace suddenly became worried the experience might have the opposite effect instead.
They would not end up traumatized afterward... right?
Before Ace could continue overthinking, a low horn sounded throughout the area.
That meant the combat simulation had officially begun.
Both sides were now free to act at any time.
"Move out!"
Throwing aside the distracting thoughts in his mind, Ace led the personnel assigned to search operations away from the area, while the remaining members stayed behind to defend the safe zone.
Meanwhile, Nameless, operating entirely alone, selected a location with a good field of vision that was also difficult to detect and used it as cover while observing Ace's movements.
He did not know the exact size of the simulation field.
However, compared to a real battlefield, it was much smaller, and the objective was extremely straightforward. There was no need to consider additional factors.
Aside from the enemy's numerical advantage and the fact that many of his usual tactics were restricted because this was merely a simulation, there were no real issues.
And even those two problems barely counted as troublesome for him.
He had dealt with situations far more difficult than this before.
"So they chose to take the initiative?"
Using the terrain to conceal himself, Nameless watched the operators sneaking around in the distance.
At a glance, it was obvious they lacked experience in reconnaissance and scouting. An entire group exposing themselves within visible range like that was far too careless.
Though if he lowered his standards somewhat, Ace and the others were actually being fairly cautious.
Under conditions where information was equal, their level would already be enough to handle many situations.
Unfortunately for them, his eyes could see far more than those of ordinary people.
After all, no matter what, he was still an Archer.
"Directly assaulting the safe zone... forget it. I will give them some time to set traps. I will test the waters with the search party first."
After evaluating the situation, Nameless quickly settled on his course of action.
Although he could simply reinforce his body with magecraft and forcefully storm the safe zone to secure victory, he had not forgotten the original reason he agreed to this combat simulation.
Even if he did not show it openly, being treated as the target of a bet still irritated him somewhat.
Besides, Nameless also wanted to know the true capabilities of Rhodes Island's elite operators and their squads, as well as how they differed from the combat records he had studied.
Most of the records he had reviewed came from the Babel era.
Only a small portion were from Rhodes Island's current era.
The difference between the two was considerable.
The Babel-era combat records were far more brutal, both in terms of the enemies encountered and the command methods used by their own side.
By comparison, Rhodes Island's combat records were much gentler.
Though in the end, they were still records of battle, so "gentle" only went so far.
If Nameless himself had to choose, he actually felt the Babel-era style suited him better.
But that was beside the point.
In short, aside from testing his theories regarding Originium Arts and giving these people a small warning, Nameless was only mildly curious about the tactical differences between the two eras.
Curious.
But not that curious.
"Trace on."
Noticing Ace and the others gradually searching toward his location, Nameless suppressed his wandering thoughts and projected a large firearm into existence.
Its massive frame and the scope mounted above clearly identified it as a heavy sniper rifle.
The ammunition inside, however, had been replaced with harmless training rounds.
"Heh. Never thought there would come a day when I would use something with no killing power."
Feeling the bullets loaded within the sniper rifle, Nameless let out a self-mocking laugh.
These rounds had been projected after referencing Rhodes Island's training ammunition.
The old him would never have had an opportunity to use such things.
Being struck by them would probably feel no worse than being hit with a stick.
Their lethality was practically nonexistent.
"Have I become childish after spending too much time around children...?"
The self-mocking emotion did not linger for long.
As Ace and the others gradually drew closer, Nameless closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
The next moment, he opened them again.
His expression had already returned to its usual cold indifference, as though the person who had just shown self-deprecation and exhaustion had never existed at all.
Raising the sniper rifle, Nameless aimed through the scope at one of the operators responsible for reconnaissance.
Boom—
The deafening gunshot echoed out like thunder.
Without any warning whatsoever, the scouting operator collapsed backward onto the ground. The swelling already forming on his forehead clearly proved he had been hit.
"Youth truly is wonderful. Fall asleep the moment your head touches something."
Muttering quietly to himself, Nameless shifted the muzzle toward the next target and pulled the trigger again.
Afterward, he casually tossed the sniper rifle aside and advanced toward Ace and the others.
With this brief sniping attack alone, Nameless had already eliminated two enemy members.
It was worth mentioning that Ace possessed very good awareness regarding sniper threats.
The instant the first shot rang out, he had immediately raised his shield to protect both himself and the people behind him.
Unfortunately, Nameless had aimed at the scout positioned at the very front.
As for the second one...
The operator had attempted to pull his teammate to safety, so Nameless simply eliminated him as well.
Hopefully, after this lesson, they would remember to be more careful next time.
"Trace on."
After approaching Ace's group, Nameless projected the black-and-white twin blades into his hands.
Then he lightened his footsteps and melted completely into the shadows.
Not far away, two operators could be seen sleeping very peacefully.
Nearly all the equipment on their bodies had been stripped away.
Weapons, tactical gear…nothing had been left behind.
Everything useful had been thoroughly looted.
Apparently, while Nameless had been moving into position, Ace and his squad had realized he was no longer sniping at them. They had hurriedly scavenged equipment from their incapacitated teammates before changing positions...
Or perhaps they had remained nearby to ambush him directly.
In Nameless's opinion, both possibilities were highly likely, which was why he had projected weapons in advance.
"...Found you."
After realizing the operators had concealed themselves, Nameless chose not to continue forward.
Instead, he retreated slightly, circled around from another direction, and came back.
During the process, he deliberately threw one of the blades in his hand into the distance, creating a small noise as it embedded itself deeply into a building.
That single action drew most of the operators' attention toward the blade.
And because of that movement, Nameless detected several locations producing subtle reactions.
He casually spun the remaining black blade in his hand and slipped silently toward the nearest target.
Like an assassin hidden within darkness itself, every appearance and attack came with overwhelming speed, instantly suppressing isolated enemies before they could react.
Clean.
Efficient.
The operators did not even have enough time to struggle or make noise through their communicators before being eliminated.
If this had been an actual battlefield, they would have done everything possible to make some sort of sound to alert their teammates.
But this was only a simulation exercise.
Doing so here would basically amount to cheating.
Besides, the operators genuinely admired Nameless's abilities.
No matter what, they were still members of Ace's squad—subordinates of a Rhodes Island elite operator who had survived all the way from the Babel era.
For Nameless to suppress them before they could even react meant his capabilities were unquestionably extraordinary.
Long-range combat.
Close-quarters combat.
Stealth infiltration.
Aside from his merciless way of speaking, he was practically the ideal teammate.
"Tsk tsk, even Captain Ace got a blade to his neck before he could react. This guy is terrifying."
The eliminated operators had all withdrawn outside the simulation room.
Watching the drone footage of their captain getting restrained by Nameless before he could even respond, the group looked more like spectators enjoying a show than defeated soldiers.
The only thing missing was popcorn in their hands.
Then Ace himself emerged, still wearing a bewildered expression, completely unable to understand when Nameless had slipped behind him or how all the teammates he had brought along had already been dealt with.
The moment they saw him, the expressions on the operators' faces became even more shameless.
"Captain! You died so tragically! You did not even have time to react before getting taken out!"
If someone closed their eyes while listening, they might genuinely think the squad members were sincerely mourning their captain.
But Ace could clearly see the massive grins plastered across their faces.
At that point, he could not be bothered with anything else anymore.
Rolling up his sleeves, he walked over and punched every single person present on the head.
Afterward, he sat down beside the monitor showing the drone footage, too lazy to say anything further.
He intended to see how Nameless would handle the remaining squad members defending the safe zone.
Unlike the search team outside, the operators guarding the safe zone possessed fully prepared tactical equipment.
After all this time, the traps should already have been completely set up.
Although searching and reconnaissance were not his squad's specialties, being eliminated this cleanly was still humiliating.
At the very least, when it came to defensive operations and support...
"We can only hope the loss is not too embarrassing."
At this point, Ace had already lost any optimism regarding the simulation.
From the fact that Nameless had silently eliminated all his teammates before finally targeting him, the captain, it was obvious that if Nameless truly wanted to, he could easily infiltrate the safe zone through stealth alone.
Yet now, holding two gunblades in his hands while openly standing before the remaining defenders, Nameless was clearly planning to launch a direct frontal assault instead.
The only fortunate thing was that Ace himself had already been eliminated through restraint.
If he had been defending the safe zone instead, he would probably have been the one getting beaten senseless.
The image was so brutal that Ace almost could not bear to keep watching.
It was obvious that stealth and ambush were not Nameless's true specialty.
What he excelled at most was exactly what the footage currently displayed:
Direct assault.
Naturally, this style of fighting was nowhere near as "gentle" as when he had subdued the search team earlier.
At least aside from the first two operators who had been sniped, everyone else from the search party had walked out of the simulation room on their own feet.
The defenders at the safe zone were different.
Most of them could only be carried out lying down.
Every person had bruises and swelling scattered across their heads and bodies, injuries caused by the ammunition fired from the twin gunblades.
Those with better skills who managed to avoid the initial barrage through shields, cover, or Originium Arts and attempted close combat against Nameless ended up even worse.
Most had been thoroughly beaten before receiving several additional shots that granted them a peaceful "sleep."
As for the traps?
They were utterly useless.
Nameless's eyes were more effective than tactical detection equipment itself.
Not a single trap had successfully caught him.
And whenever one actually obstructed his movement, he simply threw another object forward to trigger it remotely.
"This is way too brutal."
Despite his reluctance, Ace still watched until the very end.
At one point, he even snatched the freshly opened drink from Bad Tom's hand and took several gulps.
On the screen, after eliminating most of Rhodes Island's operators, Nameless stood still and slowly surveyed the surroundings.
Only then did he begin walking calmly toward the safe zone.
The remaining operators were not refusing to reveal themselves out of fear.
Rather, they had deployed even more concealed traps around the safe zone and placed all their hopes on those traps.
And then...
There was no "then."
Nameless simply raised the gun in his hand from afar and fired a single shot, directly triggering the trap.
Under simulation combat conditions, these traps released large amounts of colored powder upon activation.
Once the system determined that a person had triggered the trap and become contaminated by the powder, it meant they had been caught. As for the exact outcome, PRTS would make the final judgment on whether the target was eliminated.
But clearly, Nameless's method had been completely safe.
Even if they wanted to nitpick, there was nothing wrong with what he had done, much less from PRTS's perspective.
Throughout the entire combat simulation, Ace simply could not find any flaws in Nameless's actions.
And this was while the man was clearly holding back.
Ace seriously suspected that even if Nameless had charged directly at them from the very beginning wielding both gunblades, he still could have defeated every single one of them without taking a scratch.
Moreover, Nameless's stealth had only been physical.
He had not even used that previous ability where his entire body disappeared completely, becoming undetectable to both human eyes and machines alike.
Ace could only admit defeat wholeheartedly.
The only thing he worried about now was whether his squad members would end up mentally crushed by the experience—
"Woohoo! That was awesome! Finish off the rest of them too! We cannot be the only ones suffering here!"
"...I was truly an idiot for worrying about you people."
Watching his teammates cheer enthusiastically for Nameless and even hope he would put on another performance by wiping out the remaining squad members, Ace realized he had worried for nothing.
Rather than worrying about these idiots becoming traumatized, it would probably make more sense to worry that Nameless would see this behavior and start viewing Rhodes Island as a gathering of lunatics instead, ruining the organization's image.
However, Nameless himself showed no intention of wasting time dragging the remaining hidden operators out one by one.
He simply carried his weapons and walked directly into the safe zone.
The instant he stepped inside, a low chime echoed out.
It signified the complete defeat of Ace's defending team.
"Compared to the combat records, you still fall somewhat short. But overall, the standard is acceptable."
After the simulation ended, Nameless dismissed the weapons in his hands and casually gave his evaluation of the exercise.
Since he had essentially crushed the entire squad by himself, there was naturally no reason for him to give especially high praise.
Still, there were aspects worthy of acknowledgment.
The setup around the safe zone in particular had been good.
At the very least, the trap placements and personnel arrangements there had finally made Nameless feel as though these people genuinely belonged to the same squad.
Although the traps used were only training models, it was obvious their layouts had been interconnected layer upon layer.
If someone failed to notice the smaller traps positioned beside the main ones and approached carelessly to disarm them, they would very likely trigger another trap out of panic after activating the first.
Against most opponents, those arrangements might actually have worked.
But against him, it only meant wasting a few extra bullets.
Although Nameless had dealt with many obstacles using gunfire, the reality was that he had never exceeded the normal ammunition capacity carried by Rhodes Island sniper operators.
Every single bullet had perfectly fulfilled its purpose.
The same applied to his weapons.
From beginning to end, he had used only two gunblades and the pair of twin swords.
The amount of equipment he relied on was far less than the tactical gear carried by Rhodes Island operators.
Recalling the information he had gathered during the battle, Nameless quietly left the simulation room.
"Yo! Nameless, you did great! Never thought I would live to see Ace and his squad suffer such a crushing defeat!"
Not long after he stepped outside, a large crowd of operators immediately surrounded him, all looking extremely enthusiastic.
After all, this was a monster capable of wiping out Ace's squad single-handedly.
None of them had ever imagined they would witness Ace being subdued with a blade pressed to his neck before he could even react.
In everyone's minds, Ace was the dependable heavy defender, the reliable senior figure whose presence alone made it feel as though all incoming attacks were blocked away, allowing everyone else to focus entirely on firepower output.
And yet that very same veteran leader had just been completely demolished by a single individual.
This was practically a festival-worthy event.
At least, that was the most honest inner thought shared by the operators who were usually brutally suppressed by Ace and his squad during training exercises.
"...Tch."
Looking at the crowd surrounding him, Nameless clicked his tongue in annoyance and immediately dissolved into spirit form, disappearing right before everyone's eyes.
He was willing to interact with Rhodes Island to a certain degree.
That did not mean he wanted to socialize with this many people.
Especially not in meaningless conversations like these.
After all, events that would never be written into his notebook were things he would soon forget anyway.