The Hidden Ending Strategy of a Veteran in a Dead Game

Chapter 8: The Test

So, the time had finally come for me to learn a mana cultivation technique.

I’d been thinking of finding a way to force the issue if the delays continued, but now I didn’t need to.

“I don’t know how much you’ll manage to learn in just a month, but it’s better than nothing,” Nohr said.

“I can learn enough,” I replied confidently.

“You’re oddly self-assured, but a little bravado isn’t a bad thing.”

Nohr seemed to dismiss my confidence as youthful arrogance, but I wasn’t bluffing—I truly believed it. After all, I had the status window.

Mana cultivation techniques? For others, learning them might take forever.

Sensing mana, understanding its flow, meditating to grasp its principles—it all sounded like a tedious process.

‘For me, I just register it as a skill.’

As long as I had the Mana Circuit constitution, registering it would be enough for me to grow.

“Of course, I’m not going to just hand it over,” Nohr added.

“What? The war hero of the South, the so-called Wolf of the Battlefield, doesn’t go back on his word… or has old age dulled your convictions?”

“Watch your mouth, brat! What do you take me for?”

He roared, and I instinctively raised my guard. After being hit daily, my reflexes had improved.

“Did I say I wouldn’t give it to you? Don’t you remember what I told you when we first met?”

He shifted into a stance, one foot planted firmly on the ground, the other extended backward. 

His upper body leaned forward, arms raised as if ready to grab me if I got close.

“I told you I’d give it to you once your body was strong enough to knock me down. Your body’s about halfway there, so that test is meaningless now.”

Nohr’s expression grew serious.

“You may use techniques. I, too, will use both arms but no mana.”

It was a bold declaration, one that acknowledged my progress thus far.

“That’s… an impressive reversal of conditions, though. Doesn’t that make you a man who goes back on his word?”

He fell silent, his lips pressed tightly together, before finally replying.

“…If you manage to knock me down, I’ll throw in a personal gift along with the cultivation technique.”

“Ah, so this was all buildup for a gift! I misjudged your intentions, sir.”

Our eyes locked.

“Here I come.”

“Bring it on.”

The moment the words left his lips, I sprang into action.

Or at least pretended to.

Kicking the ground, I sent a cloud of dirt flying toward him.

Ssshh!

“You sneaky little…!”

It was a petty trick, the kind that would irritate anyone on the receiving end. 

Of course, it wasn’t enough to faze a seasoned knight like Nohr.

Annoyed, he casually brushed the dirt from his hands.

This was expected.

The real plan started now: Single-Leg Tackle!

“Hah. Do you think that will work?”

As I charged in, he shifted slightly, and before I knew it, my world turned upside down.

Pain shot through my back before I could process what had happened.

Thud!

He had thrown me.

But how?

Was it judo? No, that didn’t seem right. A throw like that shouldn’t have been possible from a one-legged stance.

The sting in my back was sharp, but I pushed myself upright without a groan.

“Even if you can’t move your own body, you can always move your opponent. Learn to use their strength against them.”

I couldn’t fully grasp the mechanics of what he’d done, but it was clear he had reversed my momentum.

While I hadn’t seen the move clearly, I could still feel its essence.

I had reached for his knee, only for my hand to get caught.

‘He grabbed me.’

I remembered that much. From there, he must have twisted my hand to force me off balance.

If I’d resisted, I’d have broken my arm, so instinctively, I’d gone with the motion and thrown myself to the ground.

It was more deduction than certainty, but I felt confident in my analysis.

‘Incredible speed.’

Catching someone mid-attack was no small feat.

Still…

“I can do this,” I said.

“You talk a big game.”

He wasn’t invincible. His stance limited his mobility, and there were ways to exploit that.

‘He said I could use techniques, but…’

Fwoosh!

‘There’s no reason to rely on just techniques.’

This time, I sprinted forward at full speed, arms tight against my body to prevent him from grabbing hold.

I hurled myself into him with a full-body charge.

No matter how skilled he was, physics wouldn’t let him entirely negate the force of my impact.

Like billiards—no matter how lightly two balls touch, one will move.

In other words…

‘All I need to do is deliver a shock too great for him to endure on one leg!’

Even if half the force was deflected, as long as the remaining half pushed him back, I’d win.

“I see your intention, but brute force won’t change the outcome. Your earlier dirt trick was better,” he said.

Thud!

I hit the ground again, hard.

This time, I’d seen it clearly.

“You really threw me, huh?”

As I charged, Nohr had crouched and used my momentum to spring backward, flinging me off balance with incredible strength.

Dusting myself off, I got back to my feet.

“Again.”

“Hmph. Foolish brat. Remember this: if it doesn’t work twice, it won’t work at all. On the battlefield, you don’t get three chances.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

This wasn’t the battlefield, nor was it a life-or-death fight, but I would go to war someday.

It wasn’t wise to ignore the advice of a war hero.

Still, this time, I’d make adjustments.

“Stubborn as ever. In my day, we listened to our seniors without complaint! But kids these days…”

Even as Nohr grumbled, I lowered my center of gravity and prepared to charge again.

Fwoosh!

Seeing my stance, he clicked his tongue. Still, I charged, my opening move identical to before.

As expected, he crouched to counter. That’s when I changed tactics.

Swoosh!

I reached out and grabbed his arm, twisting with all my strength.

Crack!

My gamble paid off. His grip faltered as he adjusted to the sudden pull.

‘Got him!’

Even the slightest imbalance was enough for me to exploit.

With my Titan’s Strength constitution, I could unleash explosive power.

When people encounter the unexpected, they hesitate.

“You little…!”

Nohr began to tip forward. Though he quickly released his grip, it was too late.

Thud!

I scrambled on all fours like a wolf, adjusting my position. His momentary imbalance was the opportunity I needed.

‘This is it. I have to finish it now.’

Trickery wouldn’t work a second time. If Nohr regained his composure, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

Crack!

I took a wide step forward, my body coiled like a drawn bow. My muscles tightened, ready to unleash everything in one final move.

“This attempt isn’t bad, but…” Nohr began, his voice steady despite the situation.

The corner of Nohr’s wrinkled mouth lifted.

“Urrraaaah!”

I hurled the dirt clutched in my hand with all the power of a fastball pitcher.

Swishhh!

The dirt and sand smacked against Nohr’s face, falling in small clumps.

“You scoundrel, resorting to such lowly tricks—”

Swishhh!

For the record, I have two hands.

“……”

“……”

A suffocating silence fell.

Nohr stood still, his mouth stuffed full of dirt. It might have been better if he’d reacted, but he said nothing. The stillness was unnerving.

Was he mad?

“Haha, I suppose I was being a bit cheeky?”

I stuck my tongue out with a grin, attempting to diffuse the situation. This face was supposedly “adorable” enough to earn praise from the maids, but all I received in return was Nohr’s stiff smile and a mustache quivering with rage.

Rumble!

Though he had promised not to use mana, I could feel an oppressive surge of energy radiating from him.

It wasn’t mana—this was the raw intimidation of the man himself.

Creak.

His lips curled upward.

“You’ve got a real… creative strategy, don’t you?”

He was smiling, but why did it feel like I’d be dead if I approached him?

Okay, time for a tactical retreat.

I took a small step back.

The dirt-flinging strategy to provoke him into advancing had failed. The plan had been to make him either step forward or lose his balance, but it clearly wasn’t going to work. Instead, it had backfired.

“Well played, Lord Nohr! Your fortitude in the face of such trivial schemes is truly worthy of a battlefield lion! I’ve learned much from this.”

Perfect.

I smoothly transitioned into complimenting him, laying the groundwork as if I were humbly learning from a master.

“Now, the real battle begins.”

“It was better.”

With Nohr flattered, I closed the distance between us slowly, inching forward while he reset his stance.

At this point, it was time to stick to the basics. Any more antics, and he might genuinely lose his temper.

‘Honestly, I’m curious about myself.’

How far could I go?

Calling this a spar was almost laughable—it was more of a test. 

Yet my opponent was an 8th-Rank Knight, and opportunities to face someone of his caliber were rare.

He was stronger than me.

I had no illusions that he’d hold back just because this was a test.

Time to get serious.

Swoosh!

I threw a light jab, more to test his reactions than anything else.

Nohr didn’t even flinch.

He wasn’t just ignoring it—his sense of distance was flawless.

If punches wouldn’t work…

‘What about a kick?’

Following the jab, I feinted and aimed a low kick at his standing leg, hoping to exploit his single-footed stance.

“Predictable!”

As expected, he caught my leg effortlessly, his grip unwavering.

I figured this would happen.

Through my bouts with Nohr, I had observed one habit he consistently displayed.

‘He loves to throw me.’

Whenever I attempted a tackle or approached closely, he would always toss me.

This time, I anticipated it.

Moving fluidly, I jumped, seizing the moment.

“Consider this an advance on your dentures!”

Grabbing onto Nohr’s head, I executed a flying knee strike.

The timing was perfect, my body felt light. After all, I now had…

[Modern Combat (B) – Passive]

In this world, repetitive practice, whether in combat, cooking, or crafting, could manifest as a skill.

The greatest advantage of skills?

‘They add precision and power to my actions.’

Mistakes became less likely.

I could perform above average even in unfavorable conditions. And with minimal effort, I could execute moves cleanly and powerfully—just like now.

“Impressive. Youth certainly has its advantages…”

Thwack!

Even as he blocked my knee strike, Nohr countered by twisting his body and striking with his elbow.

I hadn’t expected the knee strike to land—it was too straightforward and telegraphed.

The elbow that followed was the real attack.

My solid elbow strike connected with Nohr’s chin, rattling his jaw.

‘It landed.’

Suspended in midair from the knee strike, my center of gravity was precarious, but I managed to put real weight behind the blow.

Without the precision boost from my skill, the strike would’ve been impossible.

Regardless of size or strength, a solid hit to the head should incapacitate anyone.

But instead…

Crack.

Nohr tilted his neck with an audible pop, then looked down at me.

“Intriguing. I knew you were strong, but this level of destructive power shouldn’t have been possible from that position.”

“Haha… Excuse me, but why aren’t you falling over?”

Was he even human?

“Hmph! I’m not old enough to crumble from a brat’s punch!”

Flex!

With a squeeze, his trapezius muscles and neck bulged.

Unbelievable.

“You withstood it with just muscle?!”

“Indeed. Physical training can never be overdone! Surely you’ve learned this by now.”

His neck looked like a tree trunk. No wonder his jaw didn’t budge.

I staggered to my feet, groaning as pain flared in my side.

Throb.

‘Even in the middle of that, he landed a hit on me. What a crazy old man.’

He had counterattacked despite absorbing both the knee and the elbow. While it wasn’t a serious injury, the discomfort was undeniable.

Pure martial arts wouldn’t be enough.

That left only one option.

‘Should I use it?’

I’d wanted to avoid revealing it, but…

With a deep breath, I resolved to show my hand.

“The next one… won’t be so easy to block!”

Fwoosh!

I launched myself forward.

“Come!”

Nohr steadied himself, ready to meet my charge.

I stepped in close and threw a punch.

No—it wasn’t just a punch.

I activated a skill.

Over the three days Nohr had been away, I had pushed myself to the brink in training, ultimately creating three new skills.

One was the passive Modern Combat skill.

And the other…

[Smash (D) – Active]

Vwooom!

A brilliant blue glow enveloped my fist, blazing with energy.