E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 103: The Arena Shift

Chapter 103

The arena buzzed with excitement, a sea of spectators marveling at the technological marvels unveiled before them. Among the highlights were the glowing portals—shimmering gateways leading to isolated zones designed to prevent collateral damage during the ongoing competition. No civilians would be harmed, no matter how chaotic things became inside.

Once again, the I-Tech Corporation had stunned the world, revealing a feat once believed impossible: portals that seamlessly connected different environments in real time.

But the surprises didn’t stop there.

Floating high above the arena were four radiant color-coded tabs—blue, red, green, and gold—each displaying hundreds of names. Every participant currently inside the portals had their name listed under the color they entered.

The crowd was mesmerized.

Then a gasp erupted from one section of the stands. A woman pointed at the blue tab, her eyes wide.

Others turned to follow her gaze. At first, they saw nothing out of the ordinary—until they noticed the red Xs beginning to appear next to multiple names.

One after another.

"Are they... being eliminated?" someone whispered.

It wasn’t just a few names. Dozens were being wiped out in rapid succession. The participants in the Blue Door Zone were vanishing like dominoes, each red X a silent indicator of defeat.

But the real question wasn’t how they were being eliminated...

It was who was doing it.

---

Inside the Blue Door Portal

The blue portal opened into a lush island terrain surrounded by crashing waves. Massive boulders dotted the landscape, with pockets of dense greenery offering cover. Two contestants moved cautiously, working as a team, scanning the area for threats.

"Where do you think everyone is?" one asked, peering through the trees.

"No idea," his friend replied, shrugging. "Maybe they’re all hiding. If we lay low long enough, we might survive."

A branch cracked nearby.

"Did you hear that?" the first whispered, eyes narrowing.

His friend shook his head—at first.

Then came a strange hum, low and electric. He spun around, too late.

Bang. Thud.

That was all they heard before darkness consumed them.

Their last sight? The faint smile of a girl standing over them—cold, unreadable, amused.

Their color shards shattered into dust.

Elexa stood above the unconscious duo, completely unfazed.

"More to go," she said casually, before disappearing in a blur of speed so intense it left behind only a swirl of leaves and silence.

---

Elsewhere on the island, Aiden moved with steady purpose. His sharp eyes scanned the terrain, his body alert.

"I need someone worthy," he muttered.

Then, he felt it.

An incoming attack.

A split second later, something slammed into the back of his head. But instead of collapsing, Aiden simply tilted his head and stood his ground.

The strike had landed—but it hadn’t done a thing.

His skin had hardened just in time, transforming into a defense far beyond human limits.

From atop a giant boulder, the attacker smirked—until his eyes widened in disbelief.

The blonde-haired guy he had just ambushed... wasn’t even fazed.

Aiden rubbed the back of his head. "That stung a little," he said with a grin. "Thanks. I was starting to think I was the only one here."

The attacker’s face twitched.

Without wasting time, he loaded two black beads into his next arrow, his fingers twitching with urgency. This time, he wouldn’t miss.

But Aiden was already moving.

His limbs shifted, morphing into those of a high-speed predator—sleek, muscular, agile.

The beads fired with terrifying velocity—

—and missed.

Aiden blurred past them with frightening ease, his reflexes honed, his grin widening.

He was just getting started.

The attacker was starting to panic.

Aiden was closing in—fast. His speed was unreal, his movements sharp and predatory as he weaved through the terrain like a blur. No matter how many projectiles were fired, none could land a hit.

Desperation clawed at the attacker’s chest.

With trembling hands, he hastily loaded nearly a dozen black beads into his catapult and launched them all at once. A final barrage. He knew this would end it.

But Aiden... didn’t dodge.

He ran straight into them.

A smirk stretched across the attacker’s lips. "Idiot," he muttered. "Too confident for his own good."

But that confidence wasn’t misplaced.

As the beads whistled toward Aiden’s chest, his torso rippled and warped—his flesh transforming into a thick, obsidian-black hide. The impact rang out across the field like a drumbeat of war—BAAAANG!

The smoke cleared.

Aiden stood there, untouched.

Not a scratch on him.

The next moment, he was face-to-face with his attacker.

Before the poor guy could react, Aiden casually reached out and grabbed the catapult from his hands—then crushed it like a soda can.

The attacker froze. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.

This wasn’t a man.

This was a monster.

Aiden tilted his head, offering a grin that was anything but friendly.

The young man’s legs gave way slightly. His hands clasped together in a pleading gesture. "P-please," he stammered. "I won’t attack you again! I swear! Just let me go!"

Aiden extended his hand, palm open.

The message was clear.

With shaky fingers, the attacker fumbled for his blue shard and handed it over. If Aiden crushed it, he’d be ejected from the match—and honestly, that was preferable to what might happen otherwise.

CRACK.

Aiden crushed the shard.

Relief flooded the young man’s face as he turned to leave, shoulders slumping.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Aiden asked flatly.

The guy froze mid-step.

He slowly turned, only to be greeted by Aiden’s wicked grin.

"I’m not the type who forgives easily."

"Wait—"

BAM!

Aiden’s punch landed squarely on the young man’s face, launching him backward. He hit the ground hard, tumbling across the dirt before collapsing—unconscious.

Aiden dusted off his knuckles. "Now we’re even."

With that, he turned and continued his hunt.

---

Inside the Gold Portal

Clara strolled calmly through what appeared to be a structural garden—an elegant fusion of nature and tech. Metal vines twisted around crystalline trees. Holographic butterflies flickered between glimmering light posts.

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"How did they build this? Are the portals layered with a stabilizing quantum barrier? And how do the shards interface with personal energy signatures?" she muttered, voice full of wonder.

She admired the craftsmanship behind the arena more than the battle itself.

Clara had one goal: to become the greatest technologist in the world—even surpass her brother.

But just when she thought she was catching up to him, he went and accomplished something like this.

She pouted a little. "Showoff..."

Her thoughts were cut short by a mocking voice laced with arrogance.

"Well, well... what’s a little girl like you doing here?"

Clara turned to find a group of rough-looking men emerging from behind a tall structure. Bandits, by the look of them. The one who’d spoken stepped forward—early twenties, cocky grin, and scars that traced down his arms like trophies.

He extended his hand casually. "Drop your shard, sweetheart. Do that, and I’ll let you walk away without a scratch."

He even tried to smile—like he was doing her a favor.

Clara reached into her pocket and pulled out her shard, holding it out.

The bandit smirked.

But then... she stopped.

Her expression changed.

The bandit’s grin faltered. "What’re you doing?"

Clara tilted her head, a sweet smile forming. "Wait a second. Why should I give you my shard when you could just give me yours instead?"

She casually slipped her shard back into her pocket, unfazed by the men around her.

The young gang leader’s smile twitched.

He stared at Clara, clearly confused. He had offered her a way out—an easy one, even generous in his eyes—and yet she rejected it without a second thought.

Annoyed, he turned to his squad of ten, his expression turning icy.

"Don’t blame me for what happens next," he said coldly.

The group fanned out, preparing for battle. Despite their overwhelming advantage in numbers—and the fact that their opponent appeared to be just a teenage girl—an uneasy feeling crept up the leader’s spine. There was something off about her. Something... dangerous.

Clara’s response was calm and eerily confident.

"Trust me, I won’t blame you."

Without warning, several sleek white bots emerged from within her clothes. They began unfolding and latching onto her body with precise mechanical whirs, assembling a futuristic combat suit around her. In mere seconds, the soft-spoken girl vanished, replaced by a gleaming battle mech—white armor accented with golden lines, humming with energy.

Her voice echoed from within the suit, distorted slightly by its tech.

"The reason I won’t blame you... is because you’ll be too busy blaming yourself for picking the wrong opponent."

---

Meanwhile, at the Pink Portal

A lone figure trudged through an endless desert, golden sand stretching to every horizon beneath a scorching sky.

"Why is my luck always trash?" Ronan grumbled, shielding his eyes.

Most contenders had already found action or opponents. That was the point of this round—to secure a spot in the main tournament. But here he was, wandering through a dead landscape with no cover, no shade, and apparently... no one else.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, Ronan spotted two groups ahead. They were arguing—loudly.

One side clearly didn’t want to fight, preferring to avoid conflict. The other, led by a particularly aggressive man, insisted that battle was the only path forward. Both knew the risks: if they fought, one side might win, but both would be severely weakened or eliminated.

Ronan barely spared them a glance.

He simply walked past.

The hotheaded leader of the aggressive group scowled at the sight of a lone teenager striding through like he owned the place.

"Hey! Stop right there, kid!" he barked.

Ronan ignored him.

Enraged, the man stormed over and grabbed Ronan’s shoulder with crushing force—enough to shatter bone of a normal person.

But Ronan didn’t flinch.

Didn’t even blink.

The man’s grip tightened. "Didn’t you hear me talking to you?!"

Ronan’s eyes slowly glowed a deep violet as he clenched his fist. His voice came low and cold, without a hint of emotion.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life."

To be continued...

This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶