Chapter 46: Duel
Back in the Rest Zone
Ethan stretched his arms.
"What are my additional rewards?" he asked.
{You have awakened the Hidden Attribute: Charm.}
{You have gained an affinity: Charm (C-Grade).}
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Charm? That's actually pretty useful." He nodded in satisfaction.
No time to waste.
"Alright, let's continue the speedrun. Tower, start the seventh trial."
In an instant, the rest zone vanished, and Ethan found himself standing in a massive circular arena. The ground was rough, made of unyielding stone, and dust swirled faintly in the air.
Before him stood a man with an imposing build, his eyes glowing red beneath his jet-black hair. His presence was suffocating, an aura of raw power radiating off him.
Ethan exhaled sharply. "Oh lord, is that it?"
{Seventh Trial: The Duel}
{Description: To give without constraint, you must be able to protect your goods, your life, and those who follow you. Battle with skill and emerge victorious.}
{Restrictions: No artifacts, no runes, no external forces. Only your own ability.}
{Time Limit: None.}
{You have 3 minutes to prepare.}
{Rewards: A footwork skill and a token to the Great Swordsman Academy.}
{Good luck, O Giver.}
Ethan's face twitched. "No external aids?!" He let out a groan. He knew this day would come—the day he'd be forced into a raw, skill-based fight. But damn, it still sucked.
He studied his opponent. C-Rank.
A slow nod. "Yeah, sure. We all know how this works."
It was never an even match. It was always stacked against him.
But fine. A C-Rank was still within his ability to handle.
'System, upgrade my Charm Affinity to S-Grade.'
A pause. Then—
{Ding! Your Charm Affinity has been upgraded to S-Grade.}
The knowledge rushed in, flooding his mind. Basics. Intermediate applications. Advanced control. All absorbed in an instant.
'Buy Water Manipulation at S-Grade.'
{Purchased: Water Manipulation (S-Grade).}
'Buy three Skill Mastery Runes. I need my three skills at Grandmaster stage.'
{Purchased: Three S-Grade Skill Mastery Runes.}
Ethan activated them all immediately. His mind expanded as his skills—Lord's Voice, Water Maker, and Water Manipulation—surged to the Grandmaster stage.
The Mastery levels went: Beginner → Intermediate → Master → Grandmaster.
Grandmaster was legendary, the realm of old monsters who had honed their craft for centuries.
'Two S-Grade affinities: Sound and Charm.' He smirked. 'They synergize perfectly.'
Alongside them, his S-Grade Lord's Voice and two water-based skills were more than enough.
Okay let's do this.
…
The moment the timer hit zero, the enemy moved.
A single step—BOOM. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he launched forward, fists raised. Ethan barely had a second to react before—
A devastating punch tore through the air.
Ethan sidestepped, barely dodging the strike, but the sheer force behind it sent a shockwave blasting through the arena. The stone beneath where he had been standing shattered.
Too fast. Too strong.
The man wasn't just a C-Rank Strength-type. His body had been trained to weapon-level brutality.
Ethan landed lightly on his feet, exhaling. This wasn't a fight he could win head-on.
Think. Adapt. Exploit.
The enemy wasn't done. He came in again, a blur of power, sending a second strike toward Ethan's ribs.
Ethan activated Lord's Voice.
"HALT!"
The command rippled through the air, infused with Sound Affinity.
The enemy stumbled. His punch lost momentum, his body stiffening for half a second—half a second too short to be a true opening, but enough for Ethan to react.
Ethan threw himself backward and retaliated.
"ROAAAAAR!"
A concussive blast of pure sound exploded outward.
The man barely had time to shield his face before the force sent him skidding backward. His boots scraped against the stone, cracks forming beneath his heels.
He felt that.
Good.
But Ethan didn't give him time to recover.
The moment his opponent's balance shifted, Ethan conjured a sphere of water, shaping it with Grandmaster-level precision.
Then he launched it.
SPLASH! The water drenched the enemy, clinging to his body, sinking into his clothing.
That's it.
Ethan clenched his fist, using water manipulation. The water on his opponent's body shifted—condensing into razor-sharp needles.
SHNK! SHNK! SHNK!
Hundreds of thin water spikes pierced his opponent's arms, legs, and torso. Blood splattered across the arena floor.
"ARRRHHH! YOU—FUCKING—BITCH!"
The man's voice turned into a primal snarl. Pain made him reckless.
Exactly what Ethan wanted.
The enemy lunged.
But Ethan was already moving—baiting.
Instead of dodging outright, he let the man get just close enough before—
"KNEEL!"
Lord's Voice activated again, infused with his full S-Rank Sound Affinity.
The man's body betrayed him. His knees buckled, slamming against the cracked stone.
In that instant, Ethan struck.
Chains of water whipped around his opponent's arms and legs, constricting, tightening, locking him in place.
"Damn it!" The man thrashed violently, but it was useless. A Grandmaster-level binding wouldn't break so easily.
Ethan twisted his fingers. The chains tightened. The man's circulation slowed. His movements weakened.
Ethan lifted a dozen one-meter-long water needles into the air.
"Let's see if your strong body can handle this."
He flicked his fingers.
The needles struck—piercing deep into his opponent's arms, legs, chest, shoulders.
One needle drove through his right eye.
"ARRRHHHHHHH!"
His screams turned animalistic, his body twitching uncontrollably.
Blood pooled beneath him. His breathing became ragged.
He stopped moving and his body went limp.
Ethan finally released the bindings.
He let out a breath. "That should be—"
Then he froze.
The man didn't collapse.
His red eyes snapped open, burning with hatred.
Ethan's stomach dropped.
The wounds were closing. The holes in his body knitting together before his eyes.
"FUCK. A regeneration talent? Are you shitting me?!"
The man grinned—a sick, bloodied smirk.
Then he attacked.
BOOM!
Ethan barely raised a water barrier in time before a fist crashed against it, sending shockwaves through his arms.
The barrier cracked.
Ethan skidded backward, his mana reserves running dangerously low. His arms throbbed from the impact.
'Damn it. This guy won't go down.'
His mind raced. He had one big move left before he burned out completely of mana.
And if the man could heal his body—
Then Ethan would attack something he couldn't regenerate.
His mind.
Ethan's expression darkened. He took a deep breath and focused everything—
His Sound Affinity.
His Charm Affinity.
His willpower, honed through experiencing endless solitude and despair in the Labyrinth Of Souls.
His mana burned—compressing into his throat.
The man, still panting, still recovering, took a weak step forward—
Ethan spoke, activating his Lord's Skill at his fullest.
"DIE."
The sound was absolute.
The air stilled.
The man froze.
His body twitched—and before he even realized what he was doing, his own fist slammed into his skull with monstrous strength.
CRACK.
His skull fractured.
His red eyes went wide—betrayal and confusion flashing across his face.
Then—
THUD.
His lifeless body collapsed.
⸻
{Seventh Trial Complete!}
{Congratulations, you have proven your skill.}
{Your rewards have been sent to your inventory.}
{You are being transported to your rest zone.}
Ethan stood there, chest heaving. His fingers trembled slightly from mana exhaustion.
Then—he grinned.
"I did it, right?"
A breathy chuckle. "Mother and Father would've been so surprised."
He disappeared from the arena.
—End Of Chapter 46—