As I prepared to attack my opponent, I heard a voice in my head. "Try to hold back, at all costs."
I quickly scanned the ground, searching for the source of the voice. Instinctively, my eyes landed on the Chairman, who gave me a subtle nod, confirming my suspicion—it was him. The more I knew about him, the more mysterious he seemed.
I smiled. "He didn't have to remind me." If I didn't have a full gauge of my own strength, who else would? I already knew the best way to avoid causing unnecessary damage to the other party.
The referee started the match, and the man in golden armor lunged toward me. I remained rooted in place, unmoving. An arrogant smile stretched across his face as he closed the distance between us. He kept charging forward until he was only a few meters away.
[Telekinetic Control]
Suddenly, the man began to float. His expression shifted to one of bafflement and disbelief. He struggled against the invisible force, but it was all in vain. In a last-ditch effort, he hurled his sword at me, but it stopped mid-air, caught by my [Telekinetic Control], never reaching me.
With deliberate care, I gently placed the man outside the arena, securing my place in the next round.
"It seems I was quite wrong about my statement of this match being breathtaking." The emcee's voice boomed across the stadium,"But fret not, ladies and gentlemen, we still have 13 more matches left to enjoy a good fight. Now, let us move on to the next round!"
The emcee continued to announce the participants. A few matches were slightly notable, but most were average at best. By the time the ninth match began, I had grown bored. My phone buzzed, and Eirin's name flashed on the screen. He wanted me to meet him outside the stadium.
Deciding it was better than sitting through another dull match, I left. Passing through the main gate, it wasn't long before I spotted Eirin—and beside her stood that fiery hunter girl.
"Do they know each other?" I wondered, trying to guess the nature of their relationship. "Girlfriend or something... Nah. Or is it really?"
Eirin, noticing me, waved his hand. I quickly walked toward them.
"Zephyr, this is Lyra Elowen, the Chairman's granddaughter," Eirin said, introducing me to her.
"And Lyra, this is Zephyr Aetheris," he added, introducing me to her in return.
"So, you're Zephyr, the one Grandpa keeps talking about. You're quite the powerful hunter. No wonder he mentions you so much," she said, her gaze appraising me.
"Straight to casual tone, huh," I thought, noticing her relaxed manner of speaking.
"And sorry about earlier, I was rude to see you in that way during the match. I thought you were just another one of the Five Great Families' dogs sent to harm Grandpa. But Eirin here told me everything about what happened," she continued, her tone carrying a hint of apology—or was it mockery?
I kept my expression calm. Judging by her appearance, she looked around 19 years old.
"Even if you had misjudged me and acted on it, it wouldn't have made a difference," I replied with a fake warm smile, softening my tone as much as I could.
As soon as I uttered those words, a small vein of anger appeared on her forehead, and she began oozing faint killing intent.
"Very short tempered," I thought judging by her sudden shift in mood.
Eirin's expression shifted to one of unease, clearly anxious. "Calm down, Miss Lyra. He didn't mean it that way, did you?" Eirin said, his eyes urging me to respond carefully.
"No, no, of course not! I was just surprised to learn that the Chairman has a granddaughter. I thought he'd been alone since the Cataclysm," I said in the most innocent tone I could muster.
Her killing intent slowly subsided. With a forced smile and a calm face, she replied, "It seems newbies nowadays have quite the bravado. I'll see you in the match, then."
"I'll gladly accept your teachings, Miss Lyra," I said, bowing slightly.
Eirin hurriedly grabbed my hand and pulled me away from her. Once we were out of earshot, he turned to me, visibly irritated. "What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you act a little friendlier?"
"Is there something wrong? I thought I was acting friendly," I replied, feigning confusion.
"Nope, you are not," Eirin said, crossing his arms in frustration.
Before I could respond, Lyra called out to Eirin. He glanced at me, sighed, and shook his head.
"Just go already. I have things to do," I said, giving him a little push toward her.
A few minutes earlier, while I was talking with Lyra, an unusual sensation crept over me, quickly followed by the presence of a boy. Neither Eirin nor Lyra noticed him, which proved he was highly skilled at hiding his presence.
The boy's appearance was fleeting. Though I didn't get a clear look at him, one thing was clear—he radiated danger. Not for me, but for others.
I tried to follow his trail but quickly lost it. Activating [One Focus], I heightened my senses. Gradually, the trail became visible as a faint streak of a black line. I followed it to the back of the stadium, but it vanished at the center of the area behind the structure.
I scanned the surroundings, my gaze darting around, but there was nothing—only silence. Activating [Flight], I levitated to get a better view, but the trail was completely gone. Instead, I unintentionally exposed myself to the crowd, who noticed me flying and began cheering.
I quickly descended and re-entered the stadium. The crowd's enthusiasm remained high as the preliminaries had ended, and the second round of the tournament was about to begin. Only sixteen contestants remained out of the original 32.
The emcee announced the names of the hunters for the second round. The first match took quite some time, as both participants were evenly matched in strength, making it difficult for either to secure a victory.
"And now, for the second match of the second round, we have the A-rank hunter Jace Miller! And on the opposite side, we have…" the emcee paused.
"Apologies for the delay, but it seems the hunter who passed the preliminaries is feeling unwell and has forfeited the tournament. However, fret not, ladies and gentlemen! We have a new participant who will take their place!"
The applause grew thunderous as Mr.Miller entered the arena. He was already quite famous in Cobalt City, and his arrival electrified the crowd.
From the opposite entrance, I sensed the same strange presence I had felt from that boy earlier. It was faint but unmistakable, steadily approaching the arena.
To confirm my suspicion, I activated [One Focus] and saw the same faint black trail. Following it, a boy about 15 years old emerged. His aura was dark and oppressive. He wore a tattered outfit, and a ragged black cloak draped around his neck, concealing most of his body. In his hand, he tightly gripped a dagger, its hilt bound to his hand with strips of cloth, almost as if it were welded to him.
The crowd fell silent, visibly shocked. The boy's age was startling, especially considering the typical age of awakening was 16 or older.
!!!!!!!!
Suddenly, the boy released immense killing intent....
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Enjoy...