135

Chapter 135 — The First International Trials

The training program entered its second week, and the atmosphere inside the Association became noticeably more competitive.

The first few days had been relatively calm. The young Awakeners had focused on fundamentals, teamwork, and learning how different abilities interacted. By the beginning of the second week, however, familiarity had replaced nervousness, and the participants had started challenging one another voluntarily.

The training halls were rarely empty.

Swordsmen sparred with martial artists. Archers tested themselves against mobile targets. Elemental users experimented with combining abilities. Tanks practiced protecting teammates against coordinated attacks, while beast tamers learned how to keep their creatures from interfering with allied formations.

Subin spent most of his time moving between groups.

He still didn't consider himself a teacher.

But the young Awakeners had started treating him like one.

"Again."

A young swordsman raised his blade.

His breathing was heavy.

Subin stood opposite him with a wooden training sword.

"You keep looking at the weapon."

The swordsman frowned.

"What should I look at?"

"Everything else."

The young man tried again.

Subin attacked slowly.

The swordsman blocked.

Subin shifted his weight.

The swordsman reacted immediately.

"Too early."

Subin tapped his shoulder.

The young man sighed.

"I thought you were going to attack."

"That's the problem."

Subin stepped back.

"You're reacting to what you expect instead of what actually happens."

The swordsman nodded.

He tried again.

This time he waited.

Subin moved.

The young man didn't react immediately.

His timing improved.

Subin stopped the wooden sword before contact.

"Better."

The swordsman smiled.

That simple exchange was repeated dozens of times throughout the morning.

Across the training hall, Yerin was supervising a group of spear users.

Her teaching style was very different from Subin's.

She demonstrated techniques, explained distance management, and then made the students repeat the movements until their bodies became comfortable with them.

Subin occasionally watched her from a distance.

She noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You were watching."

"You're good at teaching."

Yerin smiled.

"That's almost a compliment."

"It is."

"Then I'll accept it."

Min-seok suddenly walked between them.

"Stop flirting during training."

Yerin's expression changed.

"We weren't."

Min-seok grinned.

"You were."

Subin looked at him.

"Do you want to spar?"

Min-seok immediately became serious.

"No."

Yerin laughed.

"Smart."

The peaceful training atmosphere changed that afternoon.

Director Kang called all senior instructors to the conference room.

A large map appeared on the screen.

"This morning, the International Awakener Federation finalized the structure of the trials."

The event would begin in four days.

The participants would be divided into teams based on ability and nationality.

There would be four stages.

Stage One — Individual Combat.

Each participant would fight one opponent of similar rank.

Stage Two — Team Battlefield.

Five-person teams would compete in a simulated environment with changing terrain and limited resources.

Stage Three — Rescue Operation.

Teams would have to protect civilians and eliminate hostile monsters while managing limited mana.

Stage Four — Dungeon Expedition.

Selected participants would enter a controlled B+ dungeon under supervision.

The final stage immediately caught Subin's attention.

"How large is the dungeon?"

Director Kang answered.

"Small. Estimated completion time is three to four hours."

"Monster levels?"

"Forty to seventy."

Subin nodded.

That was reasonable for the participants.

The purpose was clearly training rather than danger.

Director Kang continued.

"The instructors will not participate in the trials."

Min-seok looked disappointed.

"Why not?"

"Because you're instructors."

"That's boring."

Ara laughed.

"You'll survive."

Director Kang ignored him.

"There is one exception."

Everyone looked at him.

"The final dungeon expedition will have one senior A-rank observer assigned to each team."

Subin understood.

"We supervise."

"Correct."

Yerin nodded.

The trials began four days later.

The Association arena had been transformed.

Flags from more than twenty countries surrounded the stadium.

Thousands of spectators filled the public areas, while millions watched through broadcasts.

The first generation of Awakeners had been forced into battle without preparation.

This generation was different.

They entered the arena with uniforms, instructors, medical teams, standardized equipment, and clearly defined rules.

Subin stood in the observation area with Yerin and several other A-rank instructors.

The first matches began.

Young swordsmen fought carefully.

Some were nervous.

Others attacked too aggressively.

A few surprised the audience with excellent fundamentals.

Subin watched quietly.

He wasn't looking for the strongest participant.

He was looking for potential.

A Japanese swordswoman named Aiko Tanaka caught his attention.

She was only C-rank, but her footwork was excellent.

She didn't waste movement.

Instead of trying to overpower opponents, she repeatedly forced them toward unfavorable positions.

Subin watched her win three consecutive exchanges.

Yerin noticed.

"Interesting?"

"Yes."

"What did you see?"

"She understands distance."

"Anything else?"

"She doesn't trust her first decision."

Yerin looked at him.

"Is that good?"

"Sometimes."

Aiko reached the final exchange of her match.

Her opponent attacked.

She moved backward.

Then stopped.

Instead of retreating further, she stepped forward and attacked through the opening.

The referee called the match.

Aiko won.

Subin nodded.

"She'll improve quickly."

The next match featured Han Seojun.

The young A-rank swordsman fought an American B-rank martial artist.

The martial artist had superior physical strength, but Seojun refused to engage directly.

He controlled distance and forced the opponent to overextend.

When the opening appeared, Seojun ended the match with a clean strike.

Min-seok smiled.

"Your student."

Subin looked at him.

"He's not my student."

"Sure."

"He trained before meeting me."

"Sure."

Yerin laughed.

The individual trials continued throughout the day.

By evening, the first stage had produced several notable participants.

Seojun advanced.

Aiko advanced.

An Indian spear user named Rohan Mehta advanced after defeating a B-rank tank.

A Brazilian martial artist named Lucas Ferreira advanced after winning through superior mobility.

A German shield user named Klara Weiss advanced after successfully countering a fire mage.

The diversity impressed Subin.

Earth's awakening had produced countless variations of combat.

There wasn't a single correct path.

That realization reminded him of something he had once learned inside the Weapon Battlefield.

A weapon didn't determine the swordsman.

The user determined how the weapon was expressed.

The same was true for abilities.

The first stage ended.

The second began the next morning.

Teams were assigned randomly.

Subin's group was assigned to observe Team Seven.

It consisted of Seojun, Aiko, Rohan, Klara, and Lucas.

Their battlefield contained forests, ruined buildings, open fields, elevated platforms, and several resource zones.

The objective was to collect three mana cores and reach the extraction point.

No team was required to defeat every opponent.

Subin immediately recognized the difference between this generation and the previous one.

The participants weren't fighting simply to win.

They were beginning to understand that winning could mean avoiding a fight.

Team Seven moved cautiously.

Seojun took the front.

Klara protected the center.

Aiko moved through the side terrain.

Rohan controlled the rear.

Lucas remained mobile.

Their first enemy team appeared near a resource zone.

Seojun prepared to engage.

Aiko stopped him.

"Wait."

He looked at her.

"They're waiting for us to attack."

Seojun studied the opposing team.

She was right.

Their formation had a deliberate weakness at the front.

A trap.

Instead of attacking, Team Seven moved around them.

The opposing team hesitated.

Then followed.

Rohan smiled.

"They're chasing."

Klara raised her shield.

"Let them."

The team led their opponents toward a narrow passage.

Once the enemy entered, Lucas attacked from behind.

Seojun closed the front.

Aiko blocked the escape route.

The battle ended quickly.

Subin smiled.

"They're learning."

Yerin nodded.

"They're using the battlefield."

The team secured the resource cores and continued toward extraction.

Then the simulated environment changed.

The forest disappeared.

The ground became a rocky slope.

Wind increased.

Visibility dropped.

Several teams were forced to change formation.

Team Seven adapted.

They didn't panic.

They moved slowly and communicated constantly.

When the extraction zone appeared, they were among the first teams to arrive.

Director Kang watched the exercise from the control room.

"Interesting group."

Subin nodded.

"They understand each other."

"That's rare at their rank."

"They're learning quickly."

The second stage continued throughout the day.

By evening, the strongest teams had begun separating themselves from the others.

The next morning would be the rescue stage.

That was where the instructors expected many participants to struggle.

Combat was easy to understand.

Rescue was different.

A fighter had to think about someone who couldn't fight.

Subin remembered the first days after Awakening.

Back then, there had been no organized rescue teams.

People had simply run.

Some had fought.

Some had died.

Now young Awakeners were being trained to protect civilians before they ever entered a real dungeon.

The change was significant.

That evening, Subin stood on the Association rooftop.

Yerin joined him.

"You look thoughtful."

"Watching them."

"The younger Awakeners?"

"Yes."

She leaned against the railing.

"Do they remind you of yourself?"

Subin considered it.

"Not really."

"Why?"

"They have instructors."

Yerin laughed.

"That's true."

"They have training facilities."

"Yes."

"Rules."

"Yes."

"Teams."

Yerin looked at him.

"And you had none of that."

"No."

She smiled.

"You built everything yourself."

Subin shook his head.

"Not everything."

Yerin understood.

He had learned from every person he had fought.

Every rival.

Every ally.

Every enemy.

Every mistake.

He had simply never realized how much of his growth came from other people.

Yerin looked toward the city.

"Do you think you'll ever teach full-time?"

"No."

She laughed.

"I knew it."

"I'll help sometimes."

"That's enough."

They stood together quietly.

After several minutes, Yerin said, "You know, Seojun looks up to you."

"I noticed."

"Does that bother you?"

"No."

"Why?"

Subin looked at the city below.

"Because I know what it's like to look at someone stronger."

Yerin smiled.

"Who did you look up to?"

Subin thought about it.

"For swordsmanship?"

"Yes."

He was silent for several seconds.

"Everyone."

Yerin smiled.

"Everyone?"

"Every swordsman taught me something."

She looked at him.

"Even your opponents?"

"Especially them."

Yerin nodded.

The next day would bring the rescue stage.

The competition was becoming more serious, but the purpose remained the same.

Humanity was no longer simply awakening.

It was learning.

And the young Awakeners stepping into the arena were the beginning of something that would eventually extend far beyond Earth.

For now, however, they still had one lesson to learn.

Strength was not only about defeating an enemy.

Sometimes it was about making sure someone else survived.