Lucen watched a few of the matches, especially the ones from the named characters like the ducal heirs.

He also watched the matches of Raina and Eisen. He was truly surprised by Eisen's way of fighting.

He flicked a small rock from his pocket at an incredible speed, so fast that most eyes couldn't even follow the motion.

What shocked Lucen wasn't just the precision, but the method. There was no flare of aura, no trace of reinforced strength.

Instead, the movement was guided purely by mana, controlled through telekinesis, a very basic spell. Most who gained a mana core learned this as their very first spell.

It was so subtle it almost slipped beneath his perception. That level of finesse required terrifying control.

'Not to mention, for a brief moment, I sensed how incredibly vast his mana was. Why was that guy not part of the game's main storyline? He was not even mentioned in any of the game's dialogue.'

Seeing as the start in the main game happens six to eight years from now, a lot of things could happen. Still, for a commoner to be this skilled and not even be mentioned in the game meant he either died early or he never existed in the game world.

'Well, it doesn't really matter. I just need to do what I need to do. By now, many things have changed, so following the game's script is pointless. The only thing I can use now is my understanding of each character's personality and move onward with that knowledge.'

***

The matches continued for a while, and Lucen's turn finally arrived. This was the match most people wanted to see.

Lucen Thornehart, the man of many rumors. This time, everyone would see how strong he truly is. It was now time to see how true the rumors are.

Lucen, with his trench coat showing the mark of Thornefang, a silver thorn curling around the fang of a dragon.

He walked towards the arena with confident strides. In the past year, he had grown taller, broader at the shoulders, the kind of change that made people look twice.

Even while wearing his coat, the outline of his training was clear; lean muscle, built not for show but for battle.

His silver hair looked like it was glowing under the sunlight, and his ruby red eyes gleamed. The way he walked, every subtle movement he made was filled with confidence.

He definitely did not look like a fourteen-year-old boy, but slightly older.

The audience became quiet as they looked at Lucen. As for Lucen's opponent, he was Marick Klon, a longsword user.

"What an honor to face the Dragon Slayer," Marick spoke with his longsword grasped in both hands. "Now take out that rumored weapon of yours and let's fight."

Lucen looked at Marick and sighed. "I'm sorry to say this... But... I don't think I would need to use that."

"Are you looking down on me?" Marick almost growled as he spoke.

"It's not that I'm looking down on you, but... How do I explain this?... You're just not the right opponent for it."

Lucen's tone was calm, not arrogant, not mocking, just saying what he truly thought. That made it sting even more.

Marick's jaw tightened. The veins on his temple pulsed. "You!"

Before he could continue, the referee raised his hand. "Both participants, ready?"

Lucen simply nodded his head, hands still in his pockets.

On the other hand, Marick lowered his stance, aura mantle flaring around his sword like a faint blue flame. His entire body tensed up, ready to make a move.

"Then, begin!"

Marick moved first. His charge was clean and sharp, no wasted motion. He covered the distance between them in less than a second, his longsword coming down in a heavy diagonal slash.

He moved so fast that he did not even notice that Lucen's demeanor had changed.

As the longsword fell, Lucen placed his palm on the backside of the sword and pushed it slightly to the side. Lucen then quickly grabbed Marick's wrist, disrupted Marick's footwork by placing his foot between him and Marick's, and then Lucen flipped Marick.

It happened so fast that Marick did not understand why his butt was on the ground. Lucen, who had used Acting Adept to embody any anime or video game aikido master, quickly returned to his normal state.

After using Acting Adept a lot, he learned how to use it in bursts and quickly stop. This lessened the chance for his personality to be devoured by whatever character he was acting as.

Marick quickly rolled to his feet, face burning with embarrassment. He had barely processed what had happened. The moment his sword touched Lucen's hand, the world turned upside down.

Marick did not say a word as he simply gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the handle of his longsword. Marick's aura mantle flared brilliant blue as he sped up his attack.

The longsword carved the air in blinding arcs, horizontal, vertical, then diagonal again, each strike heavy enough to split boulders.

The sound of metal cutting air filled the arena, sharp and rhythmic. Yet none of them came close. Lucen's steps were small, subtle, like water flowing around the blade.

One step here, a little sway here, a slight push here. Lucen just made small moves but was able to evade every attack. Lucen's control over spacing and rhythm was near perfect. The way he moved was so close to the blade that it made it look like the longsword was phasing through Lucen's body.

Lucen was able to achieve such a feat because of the combination of the technique copied from Acting Adept, in combination with his Battle Instincts skill.

What Lucen was doing was more impressive than when Evander stood in position, taking hits and tanking them with his aura and divine blessing.

Each strike whistled through the air, sharp enough to draw gasps from the crowd. But no matter how fast Marick swung, Lucen was always a fraction of a step ahead.

Lucen's coat fluttered lightly, his expression unchanged. It was as if Lucen could predict every move Marick would make before he even made it.

Marick's aura flared brighter, his swings faster and heavier, yet the more he attacked, the more it felt like he was being guided, pushed into patterns Lucen had already mapped out.

Lucen then looked at the time they had left before the match finished; there were two minutes left.

"Sorry, you were just unlucky to be my first opponent."

Lucen suddenly spoke to Marick. Before Marick could even respond, Lucen's hand moved like lightning.

Lucen's palm gripped Marick's head firmly. Lucen, who had enveloped himself with his aura mantle, smashed Marick's head to the ground.

Even though Lucen was just the first mantle, his basic strength without using aura was already powerful; now, enhanced with aura, it was devastating.

The ground shattered under the impact. Cracks spiderwebbed outward in every direction. Marick's head was squashed into the solid arena floor.

A hush fell over the arena, so complete that even the flutter of banners in the wind felt loud. It was such a switch from his flowing evasion to a sudden, violent attack; no one expected such an outcome. Even the referee was momentarily stunned.

"It's my victory, right?" Lucen asked the referee, who finally got his bearings back.

"Winner! Lucen Thornehart!"

It took several seconds for the audience to comprehend what had happened. The crowd's collective breath seemed to hang in the air, waiting for someone, anyone, to break the silence.

Then came the first cheer, and like dominoes, the next one cheered until a roar of cheers echoed throughout the arena.

"Thornehart!"

"As expected of someone from the north, such a brutal way to achieve victory."

Most of the audience was excited by Lucen's performance. Sir Thalos and the others, who were also watching, had a look that seemed to be saying they expected such an outcome.

"Hahaha! Very different from my best friend Vardon's ice-cold style of fighting. I thought he would be the same type as his father at first, but after seeing that finishing move, he has quite the fire burning within him. Like a wild beast hiding its fangs. The wolf pup from before has grown into a true wolf." Kaelvar reacted excitedly.

***

Rachel, who had seen the way each ducal heir won in an overwhelming way, was most shaken by Lucen's battle.

Mireya Aeromont used clever illusions to get near her opponent and win. Elyra Runescar used her overwhelming speed to win in a single attack.

Evander Judicar showcased his powerful divine blessing that withstood every attack that came his way, and won without even needing to engage his opponent, as he tired the other party out.

Yet, Lucen Thornehart showed everyone the overwhelming difference in skill. The way he moved with minimal motion, the precision of his timing, and the way he completely controlled the flow of the battle, everything about it felt refined.

Those movements were not something you would usually see in someone so young. Usually, young people like Rachel and the students of the Royal Academy would focus on increasing their aura mantles, or their mana circles.

Refining one's technique was less focused on. Yet, Lucen seemed to be doing the opposite, as Rachel noticed that Lucen was just at the first aura mantle.

'So that was Lucen Thornehart... He didn't even use his unique magic. To be so strong with just the first mantle.'

Rachel's gaze lingered on the cracked floor of the arena.

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