The Beginning of Knife King's

The next morning after I passed the entrance exam for Velena Academy, I had to go meet the school director to confirm my enrollment. I hurried to school early, and when I arrived, I saw Lena and Seri sitting on a bench by the fountain in the center of the school.

"Good morning, Lena, Seri!" I called out.

"Good morning, Ren," Seri and Lena responded in unison.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Good morning, everyone!" Alice shouted as she ran over to us.

"You're all here so early," the school director greeted us as he approached.

"Well then, let's continue this discussion in my office," he said.

The director led us to his office. As soon as he opened the door, I could feel an overwhelming aura emanating from inside, a presence that seemed even stronger than a Yeti's.

"Don't worry, I use this room to practice controlling my aura," the director said, placing a hand on my shoulder as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

I stepped into the office, where shelves filled with hundreds of books lined the walls. We all took seats on the guest chairs in the middle of the room, and the director immediately got to the point.

"If I'm not mistaken, your name is Ren, correct?" he asked, his tone becoming serious.

"Yes, that's correct. Is there something you need?"

"Where did you acquire such strength?" he asked, his voice steady and the atmosphere tense.

"And what if I don't tell you? Who would willingly share such a thing with a stranger, especially after being brought into a room with such a heavy aura?" I replied.

"Is that so?"

The moment he finished speaking, the director released a massive wave of aura, attempting to pressure me. However, his aura had no effect on me. No matter how oppressive it was, without the intent to kill, it felt meaningless to me, like a beast showing its fangs without the will to attack.

"Please stop joking around, Director. You're starting to scare everyone else," I said calmly.

"Oh? So you noticed," the director remarked, and the overwhelming aura dissipated as though nothing had happened.

"Of course. You didn't imbue it with killing intent," I replied.

"Ha! As expected from the one who slew that Yeti. My apologies, everyone," the director said, laughing and turning to apologize to the others, who were visibly shaken by the pressure.

"I think you went too far, Director. Do you really think an apology is enough?" I said, my tone neutral, devoid of anger or resentment, as if the flames in my heart had long been extinguished.

"You're right. Then, as compensation, you may each choose one item from this room. Would you accept this offer?"

"Of course," I answered, turning to Lena, Seri, and Alice, who still seemed a bit uneasy.

"It's all right now," I reassured them.

"We're okay now, right, everyone?" Seri asked, giving a faint smile.

"Yes, we're fine. Let's start picking something," Lena said, encouraging Seri and Alice to browse the room.

"It seems you're interested in something other than books," the director observed, hinting at my focus on an object.

"Yes, I believe it's on the upper shelf behind you," I replied.

"Sharp senses. But how do you plan to get it down?" he challenged.

Without a word, I used my abilities to retrieve the mysterious object. As soon as I touched it, the aura it emitted grew even stronger, as if it was calling out to me. Perhaps this was the source of the immense aura in the room.

When the object came down, I saw that it was a pitch-black box sealed with a magic sigil.

"Are you sure you want to open that?" the director asked, his concern evident.

"If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't open it," I replied.

The moment I opened the box, the aura inside surged to an unimaginable degree, even more overwhelming than before. Inside was a black and purple dagger, radiating an aura of death so potent that I broke into a sweat.

"Hah... Hah... You're holding up well," the director said, struggling to maintain his composure.

"I'm not sure, but it feels like it's calling to me," I replied.

As soon as I grasped the dagger's handle, I was pulled into my subconscious once again.

"So, it's still as dark as ever in here," I murmured.

RUMBLE!

"Hmm? Can a subconscious even shake like this?"

Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound of footsteps echoed loudly in my subconscious.

"What is that?"

A shadowy knight clad in black and purple, holding the same black and purple dagger, approached me. Despite lacking any killing intent or aura, its presence was menacing. I immediately summoned my own dagger from my inventory. The knight assumed a battle stance as if prepared to attack me.

"Knight's honor, huh? You're waiting for me to initiate. Fine. If I say 'start,' it counts as the beginning of the fight."

I stretched briefly before readying myself for combat.

"Three... Two... One... Start!"

At my command, it lunged at me, aiming to stab me with its dagger. I countered with the same move. As the tips of our blades collided, a massive explosion occurred, sending both of us flying backward.

We were thrown back to our starting positions, only to charge at each other again. Its techniques and movements mirrored mine perfectly, as if I were fighting another version of myself. However, its experience seemed significantly greater than mine.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Our daggers clashed repeatedly, like two raging storms colliding, blending into one. Though I was at a disadvantage in terms of experience, my speed gave me a considerable edge.

"Let's end this," I said.

With that, I enveloped my entire body in aura, forming an armor I had used before to wipe out tens of thousands of monsters.

"Let's see how you handle this."

I concentrated my aura into my right-hand dagger and charged at the knight with the highest speed I could muster.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

My dagger struck its head with such speed and force that even sound and time seemed unable to keep up, as though everything froze in that moment. The knight dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind two black-and-purple daggers floating in front of me.

I walked toward them and carefully grabbed them. The moment I touched them, I suddenly woke up.

I found myself lying in the middle of the director's office. As I sat up, I noticed Lena and the director looking startled about something. Suddenly, Lena rushed over and hugged me tightly.

"You're really not dead, right?" she cried, her voice trembling with relief.

"What... what happened?" My head was filled with questions.

"When you grabbed the dagger, it slowly absorbed all that aura into you. Once it was done, your heart stopped for about five minutes before you woke up," Lena explained, still clinging to me.

"Lena, I'm fine now," I said, hugging her back.

"You promise you won't leave me, right?" She tightened her embrace as though afraid I might disappear.

"Yeah, I promise I won't leave," I reassured her.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

Bang!

"Ren, you're finally awake!" Seri exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy.

"But… what exactly is your relationship with her?" Alice asked, her tone teasing and her smile widening.

"We're just friends! Really, that's all," Lena replied, her face turning red.

"By the way, the school is hosting an event today. If you're interested, why don't you join?" the director said, placing a hand on both my and Lena's shoulders.

"Of course, I'd love to," I replied, my face slightly flushed.

Upon hearing my agreement, the director immediately led us to the event venue.

End of Chapter 14