Shiddharth was surprised to see the same person. He was the one who taught him how to use Urza, the man who had appeared like a passing shadow in his life, changed everything, and then vanished without leaving behind even a trace. After disappearing from that place, seeing him again here felt unreal, as if fate itself had folded back on him.
For a brief moment, Shiddharth simply stood there, staring. The surrounding field of green grass swayed gently despite the absence of wind, and the sky above felt artificial, too still to be real. Everything about this place felt detached from reality, yet painfully clear.
"I also don't know," the man finally said, his voice calm and steady. "But it's not my real self. I can feel it clearly—only my consciousness has been pulled here. So now tell me, why did you summon me?" he asked, his sharp gaze settling on Shiddharth.
"I didn't summon you," Shiddharth replied quickly, still trying to make sense of the situation. "I was told to place my hand on a stone, and the moment I did, I found myself here. How could I summon you?"
His confusion deepened as he realized something strange—more than two minutes had passed, yet he was still trapped in this place.
The man narrowed his eyes slightly. "So where are you currently, and which stone did you touch?"
"I'm taking the entrance test of Yejaeta Academy," Shiddharth replied honestly. "I don't know what the stone is called. It's my first time seeing something like that."
A faint smile appeared on the man's face.
"Oh… Yejaeta Academy. Then it must be the View Stone."
Shiddharth frowned. Before he could ask anything, the man continued.
"Well, you're here because the stone sensed that you learned Urza from me," he said. "So it wants you to defeat me."
Shiddharth's eyes widened.
"Defeat you?" he exclaimed. "When we met before, I was at my peak, and I couldn't even scratch you. Now my stats are sealed. How am I even supposed to think about defeating you?"
For the first time, the man looked genuinely surprised.
"Your stats are sealed? How is that possible?"
So Shiddharth told him everything—about the CREATOR Battlefield, the sealing, the chaos, and the price he had paid.
The man listened silently, his expression darkening as the story unfolded.
"Oh… that must be Itimaxe," he finally said. "He's the only one crazed enough to enjoy fights like that. Because of his madness, he was stripped of his CREATOR title."
Shiddharth clenched his fists.
"Then I really don't stand a chance," he muttered.
"You don't need to worry about low stats," the man said calmly. "The View Stone adjusts difficulty based on the one who touches it. Our power levels are nearly equal here."
As he spoke, blue Urza gathered around his hand, forming into a sword with perfect clarity.
Shiddharth drew his own blade in response. The moment their swords clashed, the sound echoed unnaturally across the field.
He attacked relentlessly, using everything he had learned—experience, instinct, desperation—but every strike was effortlessly blocked. It was as if the man could see his thoughts before they formed. Each time Shiddharth tried to change his sword chain, it was interrupted, forcing him back to the beginning.
"Why aren't you using your left hand?" the man suddenly asked.
Shiddharth hesitated.
"It was cut off by an Itimaxe puppet," he replied quietly. "I almost forgot how to use it during these past two months."
Hours passed.
Sweat drenched Shiddharth's body. His arms trembled, his breathing grew ragged, and eventually he could barely lift his sword. Yet the man before him remained unchanged, calm and steady.
"If our stats are the same," Shiddharth gasped, "then why am I the only one getting tired?"
"This is a consciousness illusion," the man replied. "If I believe I am not tired, then I am not."
That answer struck Shiddharth deeply.
He closed his eyes, understanding the rule of this place. When he opened them again, he imagined his stamina fully restored. Instantly, strength flooded back into his body.
Then he pushed further. He imagined himself at his absolute peak.
A violent surge of energy exploded within him. For the first time, Shiddharth felt confident—truly confident—that he could win.
"This won't work," the man warned calmly. "The stronger you become, the stronger I become. Our power will always remain equal."
Shiddharth's eyes narrowed.
If brute force won't work, then I'll restrain him.
A sudden idea struck.
Friction.
"If there's no friction," Shiddharth thought, "no one can move."
The world responded instantly.
The moment he pushed forward with his sword, the man tried to dodge—only to realize his movements were restricted. His eyes widened in shock as the blade struck his face.
"This is quite good," the man said, smiling even as blood appeared.
"But it won't hold me for long."
"I won't give you time," Shiddharth replied, charging again. His next strike aimed at the man's waist, carrying all his resolve.
The man tried to defend, but the force was overwhelming. In a single, decisive moment, he was split in two.
"You've grown stronger than before," the man said as his form began to fade.
"Never stop believing in yourself. You can achieve anything."
The illusion shattered.
Shiddharth opened his eyes and found himself standing before the stone once again.
"Shiddharth Malhotra total time 10 min. Pass." The voice echoed in the field.
Everyone including the teachers where surprised as how can a new student who didn't turn 20 can achieve something like this. The maximum time of a genius was only 4min 56sec. But this guy just broke the record not with small margin but with the very big gap.