But that wouldn't have helped him copy Alaric's talent.
An assassin famous for his speed, facing an opponent faster than himself?
He would've lost all will to fight immediately.
If Ethan had dodged every single attack, Alaric would've surrendered long ago.
The fifth round wrapped up quickly.
Kane's luck had gone from bad to worse.
His opponent this time was Vax—another S-rank talent.
And to make matters worse, Kane was still recovering from his stamina depletion.
"Dammit!"
Kane cursed loudly—but in the end, he didn't even step onto the arena.
He chose to surrender directly.
He'd watched Vax's matches carefully in previous rounds—Vax was just as strong as him.
If he activated Triple Enhancement, he was confident he could take Vax down.
But in his current state, stepping onto the arena would only result in a humiliating defeat.
The whispers and mocking stares from the stands felt like needles pricking his back.
He could practically hear what they were saying.
"So this is the S-rank talent everyone's been hyping up?"
"Definitely the weakest S-rank ever—too scared to even fight."
"Ethan the Priest is way better than him…"
"I still have a chance. Can't let my pride get the better of me!"
Kane gritted his teeth, forcing the taunts out of his mind.
"Stamina depletion will wear off in ten minutes. I have to save Triple Enhancement for when it counts!"
"When the time comes, I'll crush him with absolute power!"
"Fifth round matches concluded! Thirty-minute break, then we'll begin the sixth round draw!"
The referee's voice boomed across the stadium.
Fewer than twenty contestants remained.
The atmosphere grew more oppressive with each passing round—each match now meant facing stronger opponents and fighting harder battles than ever before.
But Ethan felt nothing.
With nineteen contestants left, one person would get another bye.
Ethan didn't even need to guess who it would be.
The audience in the stands seemed to have reached the same conclusion, sharing a knowing look.
"I bet my life Ethan gets the bye again!"
"He's already had two byes—might as well make it three!"
Amidst the murmur of discussion, the thirty-minute break passed in the blink of an eye.
Names flashed across the big screen once more, pairing up at random.
The results were announced quickly.
Next to Ethan's name, the two words everyone had been expecting were displayed in bold:
BYE
The entire stadium fell dead silent for a heartbeat—then erupted into a deafening roar of outrage.
"Of course it's him again!"
"This is definitely rigged! There's no way this is random!"
"Referee! We demand an explanation!"
Even some of the remaining contestants frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
The referee seemed to have anticipated this reaction.
His expression remained impassive as his voice boomed through the loudspeakers.
"The draw is generated completely at random by the system—fair and impartial. Anyone who disagrees is welcome to challenge Ethan to a private match right now."
The referee's words echoed across the stadium.
The once-chaotic stands fell silent almost instantly.
Challenge Ethan to a private match?
Are you kidding me?!
Just look at what happened to the last few people who fought him!
Who in their right mind would want to walk into that nightmare?
When Kane heard this, his eyes lit up instantly.
His stamina depletion had finally worn off—he could activate Triple Enhancement now!
He was confident he could defeat Ethan easily!
But when he glanced at the number of remaining contestants, he forced himself to calm down.
"No. I can only use Triple Enhancement once more. Wasting it on Ethan would be foolish."
"I have to save this chance for challenging the top five contestants!"
"My goal is the Seven Schools Training Camp—I can't afford to get distracted by a nobody like Ethan!"
"Ethan, you'd better pray you make it to the top five!"
"When that time comes, I'll make you see the unbridgeable gap between our strengths!"
Kane shot Ethan a disdainful look.
Ethan seemed to sense his gaze, turning to meet Kane's provocative stare.
He raised an eyebrow, a look of genuine regret crossing his face.
Kane's talent was truly powerful—it was a shame he hadn't been able to copy it yet.
Kane's face turned bright red with rage at that reaction, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He glared at Ethan fiercely before spinning on his heel and looking away.
Seeing that no one dared to voice any further objections, the referee snorted coldly.
"Since there are no objections—let the sixth round matches begin!"
The sixth round proceeded in a tense, awkward atmosphere.
Only eighteen contestants remained—all of them powerhouses.
The fights were more intense and hard-fought than ever before.
Ethan tuned out the surrounding noise, happy to have some free time.
He wandered over to the school doctor's station and closed his eyes to rest.
The boost from the A-rank Wind Aegis talent was truly game-changing.
It wasn't just a simple stat increase—there were subtle changes too.
The permanent movement speed boost made his body feel lighter than air, and his ability to sense air currents had become far more acute.
Even with his eyes closed, he could perceive the slightest movements of the people nearby.
It was the air currents!
The changes in the surrounding airflow formed a blurry map in his mind.
'An A-rank talent is already this powerful… Imagine what an S-rank wind talent would be like. It might even let me use the wind as a second pair of eyes.'
Ethan mused to himself, feeling a twinge of regret. Unfortunately, there were no S-rank wind elemental talents at No.3 High.
The sixth round ended faster than anyone had expected.
The remaining contestants were all elites—duels were decided in the blink of an eye, in the space of a single heartbeat.
The smallest gap in strength was magnified exponentially, and the tiniest mistake could lead to an immediate defeat.
The audience in the stands was on the edge of their seats, cheering wildly.
This was the thrilling, high-stakes battle they'd been waiting for!
"Sixth round matches concluded! Thirty-minute break, then we'll begin the seventh round draw!"
The referee's announcement sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Only ten contestants remained!
The true finals were about to begin!
The thirty-minute break flew by, urged on by the impatient crowd.
Names flashed across the big screen once more. Ethan found his name—and his opponent for the round.
Vax!
"Ethan's finally met his match!"
"His luck's run out now! Vax is in a league of his own—way stronger than those A-rank talents! He's a pure, unadulterated powerhouse mage! Not even Kane, the S-rank talent, dares to face him head-on!"
"I'd like to see Ethan try to heal through this! Can you heal when you're turned to ash?!"
When Kane saw the matchup, he froze for a moment—then a cruel smile spread across his face.
Fine. Let Vax take Ethan down first. Then he'd defeat Vax and claim victory.
It would be the same result.
And Vax wouldn't fail—impossible. Against Vax's raging fire magic, a mere Priest stood no chance at all.
What good was healing when you couldn't even survive the initial blast?
Did Ethan really think his HP was higher than an A-rank Shield Warrior's?
In previous matches, Vax had incinerated an A-rank Shield Warrior in less than ten seconds, depleting his HP so fast the arena's protective barrier had activated automatically.
Compared to that awe-inspiring display of power, Ethan's fight against Kyle had seemed slow, clumsy, and utterly underwhelming.
Vax cracked his neck, the joints popping loudly.
His face was filled with blazing fighting spirit as he locked eyes with Ethan, slicing a hand across his throat in a silent threat.
Ethan waved back at him cheerfully.
Arrogance was good—he loved arrogant opponents.
Arrogant people were usually too proud to surrender.
Probably.
Ethan suddenly thought of Kane. That guy had been just as arrogant—but had chickened out of fighting Vax without even stepping onto the arena.
It made him doubt himself for a moment.
What if Vax was all bark and no bite too?
Maybe he should feign weakness again this time?
Ethan's friendly wave didn't earn him any goodwill.
This blatant disregard only served to fan the flames of Vax's anger, making him see red.
"Seventh round—Ethan vs. Vax! Contestants, step onto the arena!"
The referee's voice rang out.
Ethan sauntered slowly onto the arena.
Vax, however, leaped onto the stage in a single bound, landing heavily on the opposite side with a loud thud that sent dust flying into the air.
In his hand was a blazing crimson staff, topped with a massive fire gem that radiated intense waves of heat, making the air shimmer around it.
"Match—begin!"
The referee's voice had barely faded when—
BOOM!
A towering inferno erupted from Vax's body, cloaking him in flames like a god of fire descending upon the mortal world.
rank Talent: Blazing Hellfire Rage — Fire elemental skill damage increased by 100%, casting speed increased by 50%, mana cost reduced by 50%.
All attacks apply the Blazing Inferno Mark.
Targets take damage equal to (number of marks × 50% of caster's spell power) per second for 5 seconds.
When 10 stacks are accumulated, the marks detonate, dealing fire damage equal to 5 × the target's missing HP.
"Meteor Shower!"
Vax had no intention of testing the waters. He unleashed a massive area-of-effect fire spell right off the bat.
You're fast, huh?!
I'll make sure you have nowhere to run!
Above the arena, countless fireballs the size of washbasins materialized out of thin air, completely covering the entire stage.
They hurtled downward like a meteor shower, carrying the overwhelming force of destruction with them!
The intense heat made the arena's protective barrier ripple like water.
"He's using his ultimate right at the start!"
"How can anyone dodge this? The arena isn't even that big!"
"Ethan's done for!"
The audience screamed in shock.
Yet, faced with this devastating area-of-effect attack, Ethan's figure blurred—weaving effortlessly between the falling fireballs.
In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance and appeared right in front of Vax, starting a relentless beatdown with his staff.
Ethan's movements were a blur—he struck and healed Vax twelve times before Vax even had time to react.
Vax's pupils shrank slightly—but then a ferocious grin spread across his face.
"Let's see how long you can keep dodging!"
He slammed his staff hard against the ground.
A searing wave of fire erupted from his feet, instantly turning the entire arena into a sea of flames.
Path of Blazing Flames!
The Path of Blazing Flames swallowed the arena whole in an instant.
The raging fire tongues danced wildly, trying to lick at Ethan's feet, to trap him and burn him alive.
But Ethan's figure moved like a ghost, gliding through the sea of flames with ease.
Every step he took landed precisely in the brief gaps between the surging flames.
The enhanced air current perception from Wind Aegis made him move like a fish in water amidst this large-scale, continuous damage skill.
Without this A-rank talent, even with his incredible speed, he never could have completely avoided the flames licking at his feet.
He closed in on Vax again, his staff whistling through the air as he slammed it down on Vax's head again and again!
Red damage numbers and green healing numbers flickered alternately above Vax's head—a bizarre, unsettling sight to behold.
Vax was filled with shock and fury. It felt like he wasn't fighting a Priest at all—he was being pummeled by an agile Warrior in close-quarters combat, while being forced to endure the most humiliating healing imaginable!
"You bastard! Get away from me!"
Vax roared in rage.
The flames surrounding him exploded outward violently!
Fire Nova!
A devastating fire shockwave rippled outward from Vax's body—a powerful knockback skill designed to clear enemies away from him.
Ethan seemed to have anticipated this move.
The split second before the flames erupted, he tapped his foot lightly on the ground, using the air current to drift backward.