Free Web NovelChapter 69: Chapter 69: The Tournament: Verdia
Kael stared at Verdia, who stood opposite him.
The beautiful blonde-haired girl seemed genuinely shocked by his statement.
"How do you know Leon? You have never met him and your families share no interaction," Verdia asked.
Kael simply looked at her.
For a brief moment, he almost laughed.
Leon.
A name he knew far better than she could possibly imagine.
In the game, Leon eventually became one of the most influential figures among the younger generation. Whether it was his talent, influence, or the people he surrounded himself with, his name appeared repeatedly throughout the story.
Unfortunately, Kael couldn’t exactly explain that he knew all of that because he had played a game from the future.
"Well, do you really need to know how I come to find out about certain things? Don’t pay much attention to it."
Kael shrugged.
"But could you tell me who cancelled the engagement?"
Verdia looked confused by the question.
"I mean no offense, but although you rejected the engagement, you don’t have enough authority to cancel it," Kael stated.
Verdia frowned.
She bit her lower lip.
The expression alone was enough to tell Kael that there was more to the story than he initially thought.
"Do you really want to know?" she asked.
Kael tilted his head.
Still waiting.
Eventually Verdia sighed.
"Well about that... it was your mother that cancelled the engagement, but she didn’t specify why."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
That answer genuinely surprised him.
In the game, there had never been any mention of his mother being involved.
In fact, most information regarding the Draven family had been suspiciously absent.
Almost as if someone intentionally hid it.
"Now that’s something that definitely didn’t happen in the game."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Or maybe it’s information that was completely hidden."
His thoughts continued running.
Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to investigate family politics.
A tournament battle was still taking place.
Kael slowly drew his blade.
"Let’s stop with the discussions, yeah?"
The moment he finished speaking, he vanished.
Verdia’s eyes widened.
Clang!
Their blades collided.
The impact sent a powerful shockwave through the room.
Verdia immediately pushed herself backward while Kael casually landed several meters away.
Then both moved simultaneously.
Their swords clashed again.
And again.
And again.
Unlike most of Kael’s previous opponents, Verdia possessed genuine skill.
Not merely talent.
Not merely power.
Actual swordsmanship.
Her blade moved smoothly.
Every strike flowed into another.
Kael parried several attacks before stepping sideways.
A sword passed inches from his neck.
Verdia twisted her body.
Her blade came from another angle.
Kael blocked once more.
The clash echoed loudly.
For a moment neither gained the advantage.
Then Kael suddenly grabbed her wrist. freewebnσvel.cøm
Verdia’s eyes widened.
Before she could react, Kael flipped her over his shoulder and slammed her into the ground.
Boom!
Dust exploded outward.
Verdia immediately rolled away and regained her footing.
She stared at Kael.
Kael stared back.
His expression remained calm.
Far too calm.
"You’ve gotten stronger than I expected."
Kael rolled his shoulder slightly.
"I wonder if I still look weak to you."
Verdia paused.
For the first time since the battle started, she carefully observed him.
Not as her former fiancé.
Not as the weak noble she remembered.
But as a fighter.
His posture.
His movements.
Everything had changed.
"When we were younger, you seemed to hate violence."
Verdia lowered her sword slightly.
"I wonder what changed."
Kael sighed.
"Well, you can’t expect me to remain idealistic in a world like this."
Especially with what’s coming.
The thought remained unspoken.
Verdia raised her blade once more.
Her eyes sharpened.
"Well, Kael. It’s common knowledge that I’ve awakened my class and I’m currently Rank Twenty-Five."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"So I’m quite the powerhouse among the first years."
Kael grinned.
"That you are."
Verdia took a deep breath.
Then her mana surged.
"I really hope you can keep up."
The instant she moved, Kael noticed the difference.
She was faster.
Much faster.
Clang!
Their swords collided once more.
Verdia pressed forward aggressively.
Her strikes came in rapid succession.
Each attack carried more power than the last.
Kael blocked.
Parried.
Redirected.
Yet the pressure continued increasing.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Then another.
And Verdia kept getting stronger.
Kael immediately understood what was happening.
Her awakened class.
A terrifying ability.
One he knew quite well.
As the battle continued, her physical capabilities continuously increased.
Strength.
Speed.
Durability.
Reaction time.
Everything rose steadily.
It wasn’t explosive growth.
But it never stopped.
As long as the battle continued.
As long as her body could endure it.
She would keep growing stronger.
Kael stepped backward.
Verdia immediately followed.
Her sword descended.
Kael blocked.
The impact pushed him several meters backward.
Verdia herself seemed surprised by the amount of force she produced.
"Your class really is absurd."
Kael smiled.
Verdia frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Kael casually dodged another attack.
"Your ability passively increases all your stats as the battle goes on."
Verdia’s eyes widened.
Kael continued.
"When you were younger, it allowed you to easily defeat most of your peers."
Clang!
Their swords met once more.
"But because of that, you rarely trained your body."
Another clash.
"You focused on techniques."
Another clash.
"And relied on your ability to compensate."
Verdia froze for a brief moment.
That hesitation nearly cost her.
Kael’s blade brushed past her shoulder.
A shallow cut appeared.
She immediately retreated.
"How do you know all of that?"
Kael ignored the question.
"Your ability has a weakness."
His eyes sharpened.
"Your body must be strong enough to endure the enhancements."
Verdia’s expression darkened.
Because he was right.
Every word.
"Although you can control when it stops."
Kael pointed his blade toward her.
"The best part of your ability is that you can eventually grant similar enhancements to people around you."
Verdia’s eyes widened further.
Even that information wasn’t public.
Yet Kael somehow knew.
"But right now?"
Kael smiled.
"You need to train your body."
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
Verdia gritted her teeth.
Then rushed forward.
Their battle exploded into motion once more.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
This time the pace became far more intense.
The arena floor cracked beneath their feet.
Shockwaves spread through the room.
Verdia’s attacks became increasingly aggressive.
Yet Kael continued matching her. freewebnovёl.ƈom
Strike for strike.
Step for step.
Movement for movement.
Then something unexpected happened.
Verdia noticed it first.
A familiar stance.
A familiar angle.
A familiar attack.
Her eyes widened.
Kael’s next sword movement looked exactly like hers.
Clang!
She blocked instinctively.
Then another strike came.
Again.
It was hers.
Her technique.
Her movement.
Her style.
"Are you copying my sword technique during a battle?"
Verdia asked.
Kael smiled.
"That just shows that I’m not taking the fight seriously."
Verdia nearly stumbled.
The statement sounded absurd.
Yet Kael’s expression remained genuine.
"What do you think about that?"
Kael grinned.
"Fighting yourself."
Verdia’s eyes narrowed.
Her aura exploded.
Mana erupted from her body.
The pressure intensified dramatically.
The surge of energy blasted through the room.
Even the ceiling trembled.
Her blonde hair floated upward.
Her eyes glowed brightly.
The increase in power was immediate.
This was her full strength.
Her true strength.
Verdia vanished.
Reappearing directly before Kael.
Her sword descended.
Kael blocked.
Boom!
The impact shattered part of the arena floor.
Verdia continued attacking.
Relentlessly.
Without pause.
Without hesitation.
Each strike grew stronger.
Each strike grew faster.
Yet Kael continued defending.
Then suddenly—
Darkness mana flowed around his body.
Black energy wrapped around his arms.
His legs.
His sword.
Verdia froze briefly.
She could immediately feel the difference.
The moment darkness mana reinforced Kael’s body, the battle changed entirely.
Clang!
Their swords collided.
Verdia’s eyes widened.
She was the one being pushed backward.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The realization slowly dawned on her.
She wasn’t keeping up with Kael.
Kael was keeping up with her.
There was a difference.
A massive difference.
The thought nearly shattered her concentration.
Kael immediately capitalized.
His blade struck hers.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The force travelled through her arms.
Pain spread throughout her body.
She struggled to maintain her grip.
Then Kael stepped forward.
One final strike.
Clang!
Her sword flew from her hands.
The weapon spun through the air before embedding itself into the arena wall.
Silence followed.
Verdia stood frozen.
Kael landed smoothly on the ground.
A grin appeared on his face.
"This is quite convenient."
Verdia stared at him.
"You lost to me."
Kael slowly walked forward.
"How does it feel that all your efforts till date were squashed by someone who just started training?"
Verdia lowered her head.
The words hurt.
Not because they were cruel.
But because they were true.
She had trained her entire life.
Yet Kael had surpassed her in mere weeks.
"How?"
Verdia finally asked.
The question carried no anger.
Only confusion.
Kael sighed.
"You rely too much on your ability."
Verdia remained silent.
Kael continued.
"Your ability is powerful."
"Ridiculously powerful."
"But power isn’t everything."
He pointed toward her chest.
"If your body can’t keep up, your ability becomes a crutch."
Verdia clenched her fists.
Because once again—
He was right.
She had always relied on her class.
Kael turned away.
The battle was already over.
"I really want you to take my advice to heart."
Verdia looked up.
Kael’s expression remained calm.
"Having an ability this strong and relying entirely on it is eventually going to lead to your death."
The words echoed throughout the arena.
For a moment neither spoke.
Eventually Verdia took a deep breath.
Then lowered her head.
"I guess I lost."
The moment those words left her mouth, her body vanished.
Eliminated.
Kael remained standing alone inside the arena.
For a brief moment he stared at the empty space she once occupied.
Then a notification appeared before him.
[Everyone Present In The Tournament Are Currently In Class A.]
[Entering The Next Battle Is Your Final Battle For This Round Of The Tournament.]
[Wish You Luck.]
[And Welcome To Phase 2.]
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Phase Two already?"
The scenery around him shifted.
The arena vanished.
A new room appeared.
Kael stepped through the doorway.
Then stopped.
A familiar face greeted him.
"Charlotte?"
Standing several meters away was Charlotte.
At the same time, another figure occupied the room.
A Beastkin wielding twin blades.
The Beastkin glanced between them.
Charlotte looked equally surprised.
Kael simply smiled.
"Well that’s quite the change for Phase Two."
The battle was about to become far more interesting.
