The first day of the 1 VS 1 tournament finals began with everyone's attention focused on it. This was because the strong championship contender, Park Tae-sik, was competing in Group A on the first day.

—Hello, everyone! This is Maha and—

—Soha!

—Here to greet you!

—Thanks to all of your support, we’ve been selected as the official broadcasters for the 1 VS 1 tournament finals!

Originally, the 1 VS 1 tournament finals were broadcast directly by the academy. However, this year, as Maha & Soha TV gained popularity through their individual broadcasts of the preliminaries, they were immediately recruited as the official commentators for the finals.

[Wow, Maha and Soha really made it big.] [Congrats, congrats!] [Congratulations!] [This is all thanks to us!]
└ Agreed, agreed. They got the gig because of us.

—Of course! We’re here today all thanks to our viewers!

—We love you, dear viewers!

With their greetings, the finals officially began.

The matches progressed smoothly, and before long, it was time for Park Tae-sik’s match.

—This match features third-year Park Tae-sik versus third-year Kim Min-seong!

—Finally, the long-awaited Park Tae-sik has arrived!

[Damn, my man is here!] [Dominate! Dominate! Park Tae-sik!]

Before he was called the "Spear King" in the future, his nickname during his time at the Superhuman Academy was simply "Domination." This was because, no matter who he faced, he won in an overwhelmingly dominant fashion.

His opponent had also proven himself capable enough to reach the finals, but—

"Ugh... I surrender."

Faced with the spear in Park Tae-sik’s hand, he could do nothing but admit defeat in helplessness.

[As expected of Park Tae-sik!] [Three-time champion, let's go!] [I swear, spears are incredibly hard to master, but the way he wields it is pure artistry. It’s chilling.]

Just like that, Park Tae-sik once again advanced to the Group A finals without facing a single moment of crisis, displaying an overwhelming performance.

With his spot in the finals secured, the afternoon match for Group A-2 began. Since Han Hyeryeong was in Group A-2, everyone assumed the Group A finals would be a match between Park Tae-sik and Han Hyeryeong.

Han Hyeryeong was known as the "Ice Witch" due to her mastery of ice-based abilities. Her combat style was defensive—she would turn the entire battlefield into a blizzard zone, gradually wearing down her opponent with accumulated frost damage. With her S-rank defensive skill, "Ice Shield," she could withstand almost any attack, slowly suffocating her opponents.

Unless one possessed the sheer offensive power of someone like Park Tae-sik, she wouldn't even allow them to get close. Having made it to the semifinals of Group A without facing any difficulties, she believed she would once again advance to the finals without trouble.

However, that belief was shattered into pieces before the dazzling brilliance of the moonlight.

—This match features third-year Han Hyeryeong versus second-year Kim Subin!

—Wow, this is going to be an exciting match!

—I never expected Kim Subin to rise as such a dark horse.

This was Kim Subin’s first time participating in the 1 VS 1 tournament. At first, no one knew of her strength. People were only supporting her because of her beauty.

However, her trait, "[SSS-Rank] Lord of Moonlight," was overwhelmingly powerful. Using light-based attacks, she effortlessly dominated her opponents and reached the semifinals of Group A.

[I can’t believe such a high-tier superhuman was hiding among us. The world is vast indeed.] [By the way, Kim Subin is gorgeous. I’m officially a fan from today.]
└ She was already famous for her looks.

[Subin noona, take me!]

It seemed many viewers had fallen for her after watching her matches.

—Alright, the Group A semifinals match begins now!

—Eeeek, whoever wins, we support her!

The match between the rising rookie, Kim Subin, and the established powerhouse, Han Hyeryeong, felt like a battle between a spear and a shield.

Whoooosh—

Several orbs of light materialized around Kim Subin, floating up into the sky. At the same time, an area of frost began creeping outward from beneath Han Hyeryeong’s feet.

"Falling Moon."

[Here it comes, Falling Moon!] [Time for a carpet bombardment!]

It was the signature move she had demonstrated throughout the tournament. At her command, the orbs of light in the sky rained down indiscriminately toward Han Hyeryeong.

"Ice Shield."

Simultaneously, a massive shield of ice materialized in front of Han Hyeryeong, enveloping her.

BOOM—!

The light orbs crashed into the ice shield. The scene resembled meteors bombarding a solid bunker.

The arena momentarily became dazzlingly bright as the moonlight exploded upon impact.

Crack— crumble.

The ice shield had successfully blocked the barrage, but cracks began spreading across its surface until it shattered completely. Her attack power was astonishing.

[Whoa, this is the first time I’ve seen Han Hyeryeong’s Ice Shield break—aside from when she fought Park Tae-sik.] [Damn, Kim Subin has to be among the top-tier 3-star superhumans, right?]
└ Yeah, considering Han Hyeryeong was said to be near the peak of 3-star, it checks out.

"Wow, no one in the academy has ever broken my Ice Shield except for Tae-sik. Impressive."

"Whew, this is also my first time facing someone who blocked my attack so easily."

"Oh? So you were planning to take me down with just one move? How cheeky."

"Hehe, was I being greedy? Well then, here I come again!"

Time was not on Kim Subin’s side. Even as they spoke, Han Hyeryeong’s "Ice Field" continued expanding. If given more time, the battlefield would turn entirely in her favor.

Han Hyeryeong did not remain idle this time. She attacked with Ice Ball and Ice Spear to prevent Kim Subin from focusing solely on offense.

However, the tide of battle gradually turned in Kim Subin’s favor.

[Wait, is Kim Subin really going to win?] [Is this the dawn of a new generation?] [No way, is Han Hyeryeong about to lose?]

The unexpected development left spectators in shock.

"Moonlight Descent."

Fwoosh— BOOM!

"Kyaaa!"

Faced with her relentless assault, Han Hyeryeong’s once-impenetrable defense finally crumbled.

"Group A-2 Semifinal Winner: Kim Subin!"

Everyone's jaws dropped in disbelief. Only when the referee officially announced the result did the reality of Kim Subin’s victory sink in.

[Holy crap, she really won.] [Kim Subin is insane!] [Noona, take me!] [Goddess of the Moon! Radiant Kim Subin!]

While everyone else was celebrating, Kim Subin remained calm.

‘Stay composed. Do the best I can.’

After all, her next opponent was none other than "Domination" Park Tae-sik.

Thus, the Group A finals between Park Tae-sik and Kim Subin began. Her attacks were sharp and relentless, but they fell short of reaching him.

As soon as the match started, Park Tae-sik seemed to be momentarily pushed into defense by her relentless attacks. However, the way he dismantled her barrage with just a single spear was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

In the end, when Park Tae-sik's spear reached just in front of her nose, his victory was confirmed.

[Fought well despite losing.] [Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Park Tae-sik in defense.] [This match was basically the real finals of the tournament.]

└Agreed. If Kim Subin had been in Group B, she would have won it.

└Yeah, no one in Group B is stronger than Kim Subin.

Looking at the remaining members of Group B, there was no one who seemed stronger than Kim Subin, so the general consensus was that this match might as well have been the finals.

“Good job, Subin.”

“Wow! Subin, that was amazing. I never knew you were this strong.”

“Seriously, you did great! I never imagined you’d put up such a good fight against Park Tae-sik.”

As soon as Kim Subin returned, congratulations were showered upon her. While they had thought she might have a hidden trump card, no one had expected her to make it to the Group A finals and perform so well against Park Tae-sik.

‘She really does deserve the title of the Mistress of the Full Moon.’

Her attacks were like a carpet bombardment. The only reason she was overwhelmed was because of the difference in rank between her and Park Tae-sik. If they had been of the same rank, the outcome would have been unpredictable. That’s how impressive her performance had been.

“Thank you, everyone! I was lucky to make it to the finals.”

Kim Subin humbly responded. Smiling gently as she spoke, she looked even more beautiful than usual.

“Tomorrow, let’s do our best, Sungshik and Moonguk.”

“Ugh, even if I make it through, I have to go up against Sungshik.”

Choi Moonguk sighed in frustration.

“I guess we’re just meant to be. We keep ending up against each other in places like this. Let’s do our best, Moonguk.”

Sungshik smirked and stretched his hands as if warming up. Moonguk responded with a look of sheer horror.

“Ugh, I forfeit.”

The next day, the matches for Group B began. The first match in Group B was Choi Moonguk’s. His opponent was a thin, wiry-looking boy whose ability was summoning phantom beasts.

The summoned beast was a three-star-ranked wolf. Beast summoning was considered one of the stronger abilities since summoned creatures typically displayed combat power above their rank.

However, Moonguk never lost his upper hand and surprisingly defeated his opponent with relative ease, advancing to the next round.

[Wow, what’s up with him? Why is he so tough?] [Seriously. When I saw him block that giant wolf’s front paw barehanded and counterattack, I nearly lost it.] [He’s got that tank-fighter vibe. LOL]

Moonguk showcased his immense defensive power, enduring the beast’s attacks with his body and launching counterattacks. Given his ability, his high durability was inevitable.

But his remarkable endurance was largely thanks to his training—or rather, his beatdowns—during sparring with Sungshik, which had significantly improved his defensive capabilities.

Next up was Heo Sungshik’s match. His opponent was a third-year student named Kim Chun-nam.

“Kojiro Clone Technique.”

The opponent’s primary ability was cloning. As soon as the match started, he rushed forward and initially split into two. Then he kept multiplying until, before long, he had created a total of thirty clones.

[Wow, this looks like some kind of cell division.] [30 vs. 1? Are you serious? LOL] [Wait, are all those clones real? Do their attacks actually count?]

└Nope. They’re all illusions.

With attacks coming from all directions, anyone would have been flustered. Yet, Sungshik’s expression remained calm.

Holding the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword loosely in one hand, he simply observed.

―‘Insight’ has been activated.

Among the countless clones, a single presence shone distinctly.

Ignoring all other attacks without so much as blinking, Sungshik swung his sword straight at the real body.

“Ugh!”

With a pained grunt, his opponent collapsed. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Sungshik’s attack would directly target him. Thinking he was safe amidst his clones, he had rushed in recklessly—only to be struck down in one blow.

In an instant, all the clones vanished, leaving only his real body sprawled on the ground. It had happened so quickly that the spectators were left wondering what had just occurred.

[?] [What just happened? Why did he suddenly fall?] [The clones were there, and now they’re gone.] [What exactly happened?] [Explainer: Here’s a simple breakdown. Kim Chun-nam used his cloning ability to fight Sungshik 30 vs. 1. Sungshik swung his sword once, hit the real body, and knocked him out. Whether he pinpointed the real body on purpose or just got lucky is unclear. That’s all.] [Wait, how could he identify the real one like that? Is this for real?] [Probably just luck? Even Park Tae-sik struggled to find the real one when he fought this clone guy.] [So is Heo Sungshik’s awakened ability literally ‘Maxed-Out Luck’?]

└That makes sense.

A debate broke out over Sungshik’s victory. It was understandable. Was this a display of true skill, or was it just a fluke?

Moreover, Sungshik had only recently passed the promotion test and was known as a mere two-star. His opponent, Kim Chun-nam, was a well-established three-star warrior. For Sungshik, a mere two-star, to defeat a three-star with skill alone?

“Does that even make sense? Let’s not say ridiculous things.”

That was how most people would react if asked.

So, was it really just a lucky punch?

That, too, was uncertain.

“Even if it was a lucky punch, a two-star knocking out a three-star in one hit? Hmm, I don’t know… That’s not easy to pull off.”

Exactly. It was possible but highly improbable.

However, Sungshik had a precedent. He had already taken down a higher-ranked opponent, Kim Ho-yeon, with what people had called a ‘lucky punch.’

Thus, people started theorizing.

“Ah, Heo Sungshik… He might have a trait related to ‘Luck’ or ‘Critical Hits.’ That would explain everything.”

That’s what people began to assume—either he had exceptional luck, or he possessed a trait that amplified luck-based effects like critical strikes. No one believed Sungshik was actually a warrior of three-star caliber.

It made sense. Just a few months ago, Sungshik had been ranked among the lowest one-stars in various ability tests.

Amidst these debates, Sungshik moved on to his next match.

The Group B quarterfinals: Second-year Heo Sungshik vs. Second-year Choi Moonguk.