"Hmph!"
Rey had an indignant expression on his clear face as he watched the stage get cleared so the next set of slaves could fight. Today's variety event featured a tournament-style battle, and since he had faced and won against his first opponent, he was qualified for the next round.
He calmly left his previous position and stood at the periphery per the host's instructions.
There were a total of 32 contestants and a total of five rounds.
At the end of the first round, only sixteen winners would make it to the next one.
Naturally, the losers would have to die.
Rey folded his arms as he watched the other slaves fight, multiple emotions flickering in his cold eyes at the same time. Although they all used various tactics and Artifacts, with a few relying on Ancient MajiK to get the edge, none of them stood out a great deal to him.
He wasn't too surprised by this.
'I have fought all kinds of battles throughout my life…' Rey's thoughts flowed without obstruction, constantly observing the fights while also thinking at the same time.
'I fought and killed all the Dragon Lords at the same time, and even at my weakest, I managed to prevail against the Dragon Emperor. Although Ancient MajiK trumps the Skills and Titles I used to possess, it is a tool in the end. In the hands of an inexperienced toddler, it holds very little value, and its lethality is minimal. But…'
He stared at his small hands, his eyes displaying an otherworldly kind of cruelty.
'… In my experienced hands, such a tool becomes a deadly weapon.'
Although Rey no longer had the overpowered Skills he had accumulated in his past life, he still had his memories. And with those memories came an entire lifetime of experiences. Those wouldn't simply disappear just because his special abilities were gone.
'I saved an entire world from destruction. Compared to that, what is so difficult in winning against some children?'
Although Rey had these thoughts, he didn't make the mistake of being too haughty.
He also knew the dangers of overestimating oneself.
At the moment… he was weak.
Rey knew this too well.
'I only managed to awaken Chaos Art, which is the bare minimum for someone who has the blood of Nether in them. Usually, people of the Nether Realm awaken another Art to accompany Chaos Art. That Art then becomes their main ability, while Chaos Art becomes their secondary ability. Rare geniuses even awaken more than two Arts.' He sighed, comparing their situation to his own bleak circumstances.
It seemed, regardless of the world, he was always bound to be talentless.
'Chaos Art is a very common Art here, but this also means very few people pay it any mind, and they likely won't have many defenses against it. Since the Art itself is also rather difficult due to its unintuitive nature, many are discouraged from exploring it as their main focus. I can use that to my advantage…'
A wicked smile formed on his face as he thought back to the moment after his Awakening.
Logan was disappointed by the results.
His warm demeanor vanished almost immediately, and he turned into a rather cold person. Rey didn't actually care about how someone like Logan perceived him, but the change was too noticeable to simply ignore.
It was at that moment, however, that he realized how dire his situation was.
A sole affinity in Chaos Art meant he wasn't talented in any other thing, which meant he was almost useless. Adding to this grim fact, there was also the immense difficulty of mastery that came with learning Chaos Art.
Honestly, if not for his deep experience and insight, Rey wouldn't have been able to cope with this heavy burden.
Thankfully, what he lacked in talent, he made up for in depth of skill.
Although he looked like a fifteen-year-old, he was able to learn one Technique in time for this Variety Event—The Inverse Technique.
'I only know three Sequences of this Technique—#9: Minor Flip, #8: Flipped Axis, and #7: Inside Out.' He sighed without hiding his disappointment. 'I also wasn't given an Artifact for this battle, which means I can only rely on my ordinary weapon and a small fraction of the combat skills I developed in my previous life.'
He had already exposed Flipped Axis and Inside Out, which meant he only had Minor Flip as his unused card. However, this was the weakest in the Inverse Technique, and his opponent could have defenses that countered it.
When he thought about this, Rey began to notice how bleak his situation was.
He couldn't help but consider his previous analogy.
Yes, Ancient MajiK was like a tool or weapon, and skill played a huge role in the success of its user; he couldn't deny the other factors necessary to secure victory.
'Although I'm very skilled, the weapon I currently possess is too small. It is like a small dagger, while my opponents are likely to wield axes or broadswords.' Rey sighed deeply, shaking his head while falling into grim contemplation.
'While I can somewhat close the distance thanks to my wealth of experience, some fights will be difficult just based on the sheer strength of my opponents.'
Take his previous opponent, for example, Little Lady.
If he hadn't acted very quickly and made the most optimal use of his limited abilities, he would have lost within mere seconds. This even included the fact that he actually prepared for today's event after learning of her abilities from his Master.
Since she was the previous champion, many people already knew her moves.
Thus, it was easy to work around it.
There were many other opponents whose abilities remained a mystery to him, which was why he diligently watched every match and paid attention to all of the details.
He could not get complacent for even a second.
'I can only hope that none of these slaves have special counters for my Inverse Technique, so even if they see me use it, they won't be able to properly counter. Meanwhile, with my wealth of experience, I can easily counter them.'
It just so turned out that his biggest weakness was also his greatest strength.
—Chaos Art!
'In its truest sense, Chaos Art deals with the manipulation of forbidden deviations and anti-natural principles. Chaos Art does not destroy laws—it warps their intent. Its use directly affects other Techniques, allowing me to deviate them from their original purpose. Of course, the only Technique I can currently use is Inverse Technique, which turns existence against itself internally.'
In low sequences, Rey could only achieve this on a smaller scale.
Like switching spatial positions with 'Inverse Axis' or turning a technique inside out through 'Inside Out.'
This would make him incredibly formidable in H'Trae, but he was only the bottom of the barrel here due to just how powerful the residents of this world were. There were Artifacts that easily canceled out the effects of the Inverse Technique, and with sufficient preparation, anyone could break it with ease.
Since he could learn it, it was definitely possible for others to do so as well.
'Logan even mentioned that this is one of the fundamental techniques that is taught in the Academy. I can only assume Augustus knows it, and even his sister, Amara…'
He wasn't special in any way.
But so what if he wasn't?
Had any of these people lived the same life that he had?
Had they fought armies of hundreds of thousands and millions for the sake of their world?
Had they suffered humiliating defeat and lost everything they cared about?
The answer was no!
All of these things were weapons Rey carried in his arsenal, and although he understood the grimness of his situation, he never made the mistake of underestimating himself.
He knew deep within himself.
'No one here is a match for me! No one at all!'