"That's true. Ethan's movement is insane.
Kyle probably won't even be able to hit him. Chances are this will end in a draw."
"Ugh, a stalemate between an unbreakable defense and an untouchable offense? This is gonna be a total bore-fest. I'm outta here."
Kyle was a stocky young man who walked onto the arena carrying a metal shield almost half his height.
Each step he took echoed with a heavy, thudding sound.
Unlike William, who'd been arrogant and careless, Kyle wore a grave expression—he'd clearly watched Ethan's last match carefully.
"Match—BEGIN!" As soon as the referee's voice rang out, Kyle immediately roared, "Iron Wall Barrier!"
A pale yellow energy shield layered itself over his physical shield—a signature skill that drastically boosted his defensive power.
He adopted a full defensive stance, planning to test Ethan's attack style first.
But Ethan had no intention of attacking right away.
As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.
He cast a Heal first, instantly obtaining Kyle's stats.
Name: Kyle
Class: Stone Shield Warrior (Rare)
Talent: Unmovable Mountain (A-rank) — When stationary, reduce damage taken by 50%, and gain a 15% chance to nullify all damage (chance decreases by 1% for each level the opponent has over you).
Attack Power: 25 (0.5 Attack bonus per point of Strength)
Speed: 25 (0.5 Speed bonus per point of Agility)
Equipment: Restriction Shield
The information flashed through Ethan's mind in an instant.
High Constitution, a top-tier defense talent, plus a defensive skill.
A textbook example of an absolute defender who'd sacrificed almost all offensive capabilities for impenetrable defenses.
He had to admit—this guy's defenses were no joke!
With 50% damage reduction, his 5,000 HP was effectively equivalent to 10,000 HP.
Add in the 15% damage nullification chance, and if he got lucky, he'd be a total nightmare for high-burst Mages.
His Defense stat was a whopping 30—any attacker without Armor Penetration would have 30 points of damage shaved off their attacks automatically.
Even an attack-speed-focused Archer would barely be able to scratch him.
But Ethan racked his brain, recalling all the contestants' stats.
It seemed that very few A-rank talents could actually beat Kyle.
Even S-rank talents would have a tough time taking him down.
Amy was an exception—she dealt true damage, and with her critical hit bonus, taking Kyle down would be a piece of cake.
If Kane fought him, he'd probably have to activate his Conceptual Armament's triple enhancement to win.
It just went to show how valuable an S-rank talent really was.
They wouldn't be stuck helpless against a walking tank like this.
Kyle waited for a moment, but when he saw Ethan just standing there staring at him without attacking, his vigilance only grew stronger.
He made up his mind never to take the initiative—lest he leave an opening for Ethan to exploit.
Every profession had its strengths and weaknesses.
For example, he had massive HP and incredible defenses, but his Attack Power and Speed were worse than an average class.
Ethan had bizarrely fast movement and seemingly endless mana, so his Attack Power must be pitifully weak.
All he had to do was hold his ground and wait for Ethan to make a mistake.
Although he couldn't take Ethan down in a head-on fight, he had a secret weapon up his sleeve.
Shield Bash Lv.1: Consume all shield energy to knock back all enemies within a 1x1 area in front of you, dealing damage equal to the total shield value to all targets hit.
He'd never used this skill in front of anyone before.
No one would know it existed, and no one would be prepared for it.
As long as Ethan stepped into the skill's range at the right angle, he could blast him clean off the arena in one hit.
He just needed to be patient and wait for Ethan to step into his trap.
After memorizing Kyle's stats, Ethan more or less guessed what he was planning.
After all, Kyle only had three skills—and Shield Bash was his only offensive move.
It was the only way he could possibly win this match.
But Ethan quickly showed Kyle just how naive his plan really was.
Ethan darted forward in a blur, appearing directly behind Kyle.
He swung his staff downward in a single strike—and the 200-point shield Kyle had just summoned shattered into nothingness!
-431!
A bright red damage number floated above Kyle's head.
Kyle felt an unimaginable force slam into his back.
His body stumbled forward uncontrollably several steps, and he barely managed to keep a grip on his massive shield!
The grave expression on his face instantly turned to sheer horror!
"What?!"
The audience erupted into a chorus of gasps!
"Holy shit! Did I just see that? A Priest just hit for 400 damage with a staff?!"
"That's a Priest? His Attack Power is crazier than a Berserker of the same level!"
"No way!" Kyle screamed inwardly.
"It's an illusion! It has to be an illusion!"
All his careful plans had been shattered in an instant.
The shield he'd relied on for survival had been smashed to pieces by a single casual swing of Ethan's staff?
His shield wasn't the sturdiest, but it wasn't made of paper either!
This Attack Power was simply inconceivable!
He had 50% damage reduction and 60 points of Defense!
Which meant that one ordinary attack had actually dealt over 900 damage!
Kyle scrambled to stabilize his footing and activated Iron Wall Barrier again. The pale yellow shield reappeared around him.
But instead of pressing his advantage, Ethan cast a Heal, restoring all the HP Kyle had just lost.
But this act of healing didn't bring Kyle any comfort at all. Instead, a bone-chilling coldness washed over him from head to toe.
What was this guy planning?
Hit once, then heal?
Was he going to start that sick cycle again?!
The memory of William's broken state flashed through his mind, and Kyle's scalp went completely numb!
"No! Wait a second! I—"
He hurried to speak, desperate to stop the impending nightmare.
But Ethan moved faster.
The moment the glow of the Heal faded, Ethan's figure closed in again, moving like a ghost.
His staff sliced through the air with a terrifying whistling sound, slamming precisely into the newly formed shield once more.
-331!
The shield shattered into dust yet again!
The immense force sent Kyle staggering once more.
He could even feel the terrifying vibrations from the shield reverberating up his arms, numbing his palms.
Before he could catch his breath, that familiar white glow lit up again.
[Heal]
His HP was restored to full.
Then—
Bang!
-331!
[Heal]
His HP was restored to full again.
After several rounds of this torment, Kyle was finally driven to rage.
He likes to toy with people, huh?!
I'll make him pay for this!
But his anger didn't cloud his judgment—it only made him more determined.
He forced himself to calm down, watching Ethan's cycle of hit-and-heal with cold focus.
Every time the staff struck, Kyle stumbled forward a little more.
Gradually, Ethan herded him toward the edge of the arena.
Kyle's heels were now pressed firmly against the raised edge of the stage—he had nowhere left to retreat.
His massive shield blocked most of his body, cleverly hiding the glint of triumph in his eyes.
Perfect! This is the spot!
Ethan couldn't attack him from behind anymore—he'd have to step into the skill's range head-on.
He was now standing right at one of the arena's four corners.
If he timed his Shield Bash just right, Ethan would go flying off the stage.
He'd been waiting for this moment all along!
Waiting for Ethan to close in for another attack out of habit!
The moment Ethan darted forward again, his staff poised to strike—
Now! Shield Bash!
Kyle roared mentally.
Mana surged out of him in a torrent, pouring into his massive metal shield.
The shield's surface blazed with light.
Instead of shattering immediately, the pale yellow energy shield compressed inward violently, then exploded outward in a violent, visible shockwave.
Centered on the shield, it erupted in a fan-shaped blast toward the front!
BOOM!
A devastating wave of force exploded outward!
This sudden counterattack took everyone completely by surprise!
Who would've thought that Kyle, who'd been taking a beating this whole time, had such a powerful trump card up his sleeve?!
"Ethan's too close! He can't dodge!"
"Nice one, Kyle!"
"Teach this freak a lesson!"
The shockwave's radius completely engulfed Ethan.
The sheer force should've been more than enough to blast anyone off the arena!
A triumphant grin spread across Kyle's face—he could already taste victory!
Yet, faced with this sudden killing blow, Ethan's expression didn't change in the slightest.
After all, he'd seen this coming a mile away.
The instant before the shockwave hit him—
Ethan's figure blurred, moving so fast he left an afterimage, and reappeared directly in the center of the arena.
The shockwave, powerful enough to blast a bull flying, slammed harmlessly into the arena's protective barrier, sending ripples surging across its surface.
And Ethan stood there, completely unharmed.
"What?!"
The triumphant grin froze on Kyle's face, replaced by sheer disbelief.
His sure-kill move had missed?!
How could Ethan have predicted it?
How could he have possibly dodged it at that distance?!
The audience erupted into an uproar!
"He—he dodged it?!"
"How is that even possible at that range?!"
"Is this guy a monster?!"
Ethan would never tell him that, thanks to the intel he'd gotten from his Heal, Kyle's so-called secret weapon had never been a secret at all.
Ethan was about to resume his torment, but Kyle wasted no time—he jumped straight off the arena.
"I surrender! I forfeit!"
He yelled as he ran, terrified that the referee or Ethan hadn't heard him clearly.
Silence descended over the arena once more—an eerie, awkward silence.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at Kyle's fleeing back.
It was over just like that?
The so-called "Iron Wall," the man who'd made an A-rank Flame Burst Mage throw in the towel, had been scared off?
One failed counterattack, and he'd jumped off the stage and surrendered immediately?
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the audience erupted into an even louder commotion.
"Whoa! He just ran away?!"
"Kyle! You're an A-rank Defense talent! Where's your dignity?!"
"Come on, is that really necessary? You can't beat him, but you don't have to run like a coward!"
"You have no idea! Did you see what happened to William? Physical pain is nothing compared to psychological torture!"
"Besides, with Ethan's insane speed, Kyle would never hit him anyway! Stay on the stage and be a punching bag? No thanks!"
The referee stared at Kyle, who'd already jumped out of the arena's bounds, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
Finally, he raised his hand and declared with a complicated tone, "Kyle has left the arena's boundaries. He is disqualified by default. Winner—Ethan!"
Ethan had won the match, but he wasn't happy at all.
After all, he hadn't gotten Kyle's talent yet!
Why did he have to surrender so quickly?!
It seemed he needed to change his strategy.
Farming talents with this straightforward hit-and-heal method just wasn't going to cut it anymore.
For his next match, maybe he should break their jaw first, then their legs…
Ethan thought it over for a moment, then shook his head.
It wouldn't matter where he hit them. A single Heal would fix the damage right up.
He needed to come up with a more foolproof plan.
After stepping down from the arena, Ethan didn't pause. His eyes swept across the other stages.
White light flickered to life again, landing precisely on several newly defeated contestants who were still nursing their wounds.
The fighters froze for a split second as they felt their injuries vanish instantly, then jumped to their feet as if they'd been pricked by a needle.
They bowed frantically in Ethan's direction:
"Thanks, boss!"
"Thank you for the heal!"
"We're good! Totally good!"