Solomon tightened his grip on the rusted greatsword. He widened his stance, mentally preparing to face the next devastating shockwave.

He wiped the dust from his face and watched the monster carefully. The Undead Paladin took another step forward and unleashed a massive horizontal sweep. The resulting shockwave tore through the thick stone pillars on the left side of the room.

Solomon tracked the trajectory of the attack and noticed a distinct pattern. The massive creature stayed firmly anchored near the center of the arena. It maintained a strict attack radius and completely refused to chase him toward the edges of the room.

He glanced quickly over his shoulder. Lune stood directly in front of the sealed entryway, her Mythril rapier glowing brighter by the second. The Paladin deliberately angled every single shockwave away from that specific wall.

Solomon’s eyes widened as the realization clicked into place. The heavy stone doors were completely breakable. The S-Rank monster possessed enough raw power to shatter the walls and bring the entire labyrinth ceiling crashing down upon them.

This beginner chamber severely restricted the creature’s true potential. The Paladin actively held back its devastating strikes to prevent the total collapse of the room.

"I do not even need to worry about the Princess taking collateral damage," Solomon muttered to himself. "The boss is practically protecting her position."

The floating blue screen immediately reacted to his spoken observation.

[GamerGuy: wait Solo Man is totally right!]

[LazyCat: the boss is pulling its punches to save the room!]

[User12: if it uses full power here, everyone gets crushed by the ceiling.]

[LoreMaster: brilliant tactical awareness. the Paladin is heavily handicapped by the small environment.]

Solomon tightened his grip on the rusted greatsword. A deep wave of frustration suddenly washed over him. The boss restricted its own movements and actively handicapped its destructive range. The environmental advantage sat squarely in his favor.

He asked himself why he was struggling so terribly to land a single hit under such favorable conditions. The massive gap in their raw physical stats made the encounter feel completely overwhelming.

He let out a sharp exhale and formulated a new plan. He decided to exploit the creature’s hesitation to the limit.

Solomon stayed firmly planted in his new position. He pointed his greatsword at the monster and let out a long exhale.

"Alright," Solomon said, his voice dropping into a serious tone. "It is time to get serious."

The chat screen immediately filled with a mixture of hype and absolute mockery.

[LazyCat: bro is definitely trying to act tough right now.]

[Skeptic: getting serious with a rusted sword against an S-Rank? good luck.]

[GamerGuy: let him cook! he figured out the boss’s weak point!]

[User12: DO IT SOLO MAN! SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT!]

[BloodKnight: I believe in the barbarian.]

[NewbHunter: he is going to get absolutely flattened.]

Solomon ignored the scrolling text. He reached up, unbuttoned the front of his dusty academy jacket, and carefully pulled it off. He neatly folded the garment and placed it on the floor beside the stone pillar. He grabbed the hem of his standard-issue uniform shirt and pulled it completely over his head.

"I cannot afford to get these clothes entirely destroyed," Solomon explained to the drone, tossing the shirt onto the folded jacket. "I haven’t paid the academy for them yet. Also, the restrictive fabric was making it incredibly difficult to move around properly."

The chat instantly exploded with sarcastic comments.

[OldTimer: difficult to move?! you were literally bouncing around like a panicked rabbit earlier!]

[LazyCat: bro was jumping off walls like a monkey and now he says his shirt was too tight LMAO.]

[Skeptic: getting naked is definitely not a valid battle strategy.]

[User12: what is he even doing...]

The barrage of insults abruptly halted as the bronze owl adjusted its focus.

Solomon stood shirtless under the bright crystal lights of the arena. His physique was absolutely shredded, carrying the dense, hardened muscle mass of a veteran brawler.

However, it was the severe condition of his skin that stunned the audience. A dense network of pale, scars crisscrossed his chest, shoulders, and abdomen. Deep burn marks marred his ribs, and the distinct, raised lines of old slash wounds stretched across his back. His body was a visible map of extreme physical trauma.

The chat slowed down considerably, the mocking tone replaced by sudden shock.

[GamerGuy: ...whoa. what happened to him?]

[OldTimer: those are not standard training scars. those are actual survival wounds.]

[NewbHunter: bro looks like he survived a literal warzone.]

[LazyCat: okay I take back my monkey joke. he is actually built different.]

[BloodKnight: the scars of a true warrior. massive respect.]

Solomon picked up his heavy, rusted greatsword and rolled his bare shoulders.

"I told you guys earlier," Solomon said, keeping his eyes locked on the Paladin. "I have done absolutely everything. I passed through countless extreme training regimens, threw myself into life-threatening situations, and endured massive hardships just trying to force my ability to awaken." He traced a long scar across his chest with his thumb. "I pushed my body to the absolute breaking point over and over again. But my talent never activated."

He gripped his hilt with both hands and stepped forward. "But all that hell gave me the physical stats I need to survive right now. So let’s see if this boss can actually keep up."

The Undead Paladin closed the distance with a heavy step. Its pristine armor gleamed under the crystal lights. The corrupted mana spilling from its visor left a glowing trail in the air as it brought the executioner’s sword across its body in a wide horizontal sweep.

Solomon dropped entirely to the floor as the blade passed inches over his head. The resulting wind pressure carved a groove into the nearby stone pillar. He planted his bare hands on the cobblestones and used his Basic Acrobatics to sweep his legs around, aiming a kick directly at the back of the Paladin’s knee.

His bare foot connected with the pristine white steel. A sharp jolt of pain shot directly up Solomon’s leg, while the Paladin did not even flinch.

The Paladin pivoted on its heel and brought the executioner’s sword up and brought it down in a perfect vertical strike.

Solomon scrambled backward and pulled his rusted greatsword up to guard his chest. The Paladin’s blade struck the floor exactly where Solomon had just been resting. The impact shattered the cobblestones, sending a wave of rock shrapnel into Solomon’s bare chest.

Blood welled up from the fresh cuts on his skin. Solomon gritted his teeth, rolled over his shoulder, and sprang to his feet.

[GamerGuy: BRO HE IS GETTING DEMOLISHED!]

[LazyCat: the boss is literally just using basic attacks!]

[BloodKnight: the difference in raw stats is too massive. Solo Man is fighting a mountain.]

Solomon tightened his grip on his hilt. His muscles strained as he swung the rusted greatsword at the Paladin’s exposed flank.

The Paladin simply raised its gauntlet and batted the rusted blade aside with the flat of its own sword. The parry was executed with such precision that the kinetic feedback violently jerked Solomon’s entire right arm. His shoulder popped loudly.

Before Solomon could recover his balance, the Paladin unleashed a diagonal cleave. The flat of the massive blade slammed into Solomon’s ribs. The sheer force launched him backward. He tumbled wildly across the arena floor, scraping his bare back against the rough stone until he crashed to a halt near his boundary line.

Solomon coughed up a splatter of blood. He dragged himself up to one knee and leaned on his sword.

"Of course," Solomon wheezed, spitting blood onto the floor. "I only possess basic level swordsmanship. A basic fighter can string a few moves together against mindless monsters, but defeating a Paladin is impossible. They stand at the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship. Every single twitch of their muscles is calculated. And I am not fighting it, I am just trying to stall and somehow make it bleed. The princess will take care of the rest."

[User12: Solo Man please just focus on surviving!]

[Skeptic: obviously. It would be weird if you defeated it. That would be trashy]

[OldTimer: that is the terror of a Swordmaster. perfection in the basics is completely unstoppable.]

[NewbHunter: even A rank veterans would piss themselves in such pressure but bro is busy analyzing and passing a commentary.]

The Paladin ripped its sword from the shattered floorboards. He stood perfectly still for a moment, the golden light radiating from its visor framing its white armor. It looked like an invincible god of war bathed in the dim light of the arena. It exuded a pressure so intense it made the air physically heavy to breathe.

Solomon forced himself back to his feet. His entire body throbbed. The fresh cuts on his chest and arms bled freely, tracing red lines over his old scars.

He quickly adjusted his footwork. He noticed the Paladin’s strict adherence to its limited moveset. The boss restricted itself entirely to vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strikes to avoid unleashing wild shockwaves toward the breakable door directly behind Solomon.

The Paladin charged again, bringing the sword up for another vertical execution.

Solomon held his ground. He utilized his Basic Parkour and Basic Footwork, sliding dangerously close to the descending blade at the very last possible millisecond. The wind pressure sliced a shallow cut across his cheek.

He stepped inside the Paladin’s guard, lifted his rusted greatsword, and drove the heavy pommel directly into the boss’s armored elbow joint.

The strike barely shifted the Paladin’s arm. It caused the vertical swing to miss the floor and hit a nearby stone pillar instead. The arena shook violently.

Solomon immediately retreated, putting distance between himself and the monster. He was barely managing the fight, desperately utilizing his agility and the environmental handicap to avoid being instantly bisected.