"He defeated him with one punch!?"

"How the hell did he move like that!?"

"So that’s the Calderalth monster!?"

Thunderous screams rocked the entirety of the South as the people cheered wildly. They had all seen the same thing. One moment, Zephyrion had seemed on the verge of losing, and in the next, he had taken down the descendant of House Gido with a single punch.

For many people of the South, it was their first time witnessing the genius of House Calderalth firsthand. After his first battle, the cheering simply refused to die down.

In the coliseum, the Head of House Gido wore a twisted expression, as though he were struggling through a particularly stubborn shit.

"...that boy..." he muttered through gritted teeth. "Did he really have to hit my son like that!?"

Yes, he understood Zephyrion was a prodigy and all, but did he truly have to punch his son that hard!?

The other house heads glanced at him bitterly. Clearly, his ego had not been the only thing bruised.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Loud, rumbling laughter echoed across the platform where the City Lords sat.

"Did you guys see his face!? Hahaha! The poor bastard looked like his soul got punched out of him!"

Their expressions darkened with embarrassment as they watched Garrick laugh as though he had just witnessed the funniest thing in the world.

They had all assumed Zephyrion would lose. After all, the rune arts of House Gido were infamous throughout the South for their danger.

"Hmph..." Borric clicked his tongue. "That child. So he was acting all along."

The City Lords could not help but nod grimly. Only minutes had passed since the Proving began, yet somehow it already felt as though they were dancing in the palm of Zephyrion’s hand.

While the entire South reeled from his actions, Zephyrion merely gazed at the fading motes of light still drifting through the air. His eyes were unfocused, as though his mind had already wandered elsewhere.

In truth, it had.

Within his mind, countless runic symbols flowed endlessly.

The battle had ended swiftly, yet it had lasted long enough for him to catch a brief glimpse of the source runes behind the boy’s rune art.

A moment later, Zephyrion gave a faint inward nod.

’The Gido House.’

When he had been groomed as heir, he had memorized every major house within the South. Their functions. Their duties. And more importantly... their rune arts.

Or rather, the effects of those rune arts.

The arts of House Gido focused heavily on espionage and concealment.

While Zephyrion had already learned numerous methods of going unseen within the Order, most of those methods revolved around bodily control.

Erasing his presence. Suppressing his scent. Slowing his heartbeat. Concealing killing intent. Intent itself.

However, due to the limitations of his level, he had never truly learned a rune art specifically centered around espionage.

Until now.

From that brief glimpse alone, countless ways to improve the art flooded his mind instantly. Yet Zephyrion calmly allowed those thoughts to settle. There were more important matters at hand.

’Later.’

Zephyrion turned toward the flag. After confirming no one else was nearby, he reached out toward it.

The instant his fingers brushed against the flag, it dissolved into motes of crimson light that flowed toward his arm. A small tattoo of a red flag slowly formed on the back of his palm.

Zephyrion gave a slight nod before glancing toward his relic.

Then paused.

The green dot representing him had turned red.

’Because of the flag.’

Zephyrion pondered briefly before arriving at a swift conclusion. If that were the case, then his location was most likely now being broadcast to the surrounding participants.

To test the theory, he zoomed out on the map. His gaze moved across the red dots marking the other flags. Seconds later, he watched numerous dots abruptly begin moving.

Zephyrion closed the map.

If he had not been certain before, he was now. The entire purpose of this stage was to intensify the competition between candidates as much as possible.

Still, Zephyrion’s expression remained unchanged.

Releasing a slow breath, he turned toward the direction of the nearest flag before taking off once more.

...

"Hah! Look at this! A tiny little runt!"

"And she’s carrying a flag too? Ah, today’s our lucky day."

Two large youths stared at the petite girl with chubby cheeks, vicious grins spread across their faces.

Meanwhile, the girl stood with deeply furrowed brows, continuously scanning the forest around them with visible irritation.

"What’s with that face?" one of them burst out laughing. "You lost or something? Looking for mummy and daddy?"

"Oi, how old even are you?" the larger one mocked as he cracked his knuckles with a savage grin. "Ten? Eleven? Relax, nobody’s coming to save you. Hand over the flag nicely, and we might even feel bad enough not to beat you too hard."

The boy towered over her like a giant looming over an ant, his shadow completely swallowing her small figure.

Only then did Lumi slowly turn toward him.

A faint frown formed on her face as she tilted her head slightly.

"What?" the boy’s grin widened further. "Cat got your to—"

Whoosh.

"...Huh?"

He froze before spinning around wildly.

"Where the hell did she go!?"

His companion stared blankly past him.

Then both of them suddenly caught sight of the petite girl already standing several meters away.

"Wha—"

A cataclysmic strike slammed directly into their throats.

Both youths crashed to their knees instantly, clawing desperately at their necks as they struggled to force even a single breath into their lungs.

The last thing they saw was Lumi’s fading figure before brilliant light swallowed them whole.

...

Tobias’ fists were tightly clenched as he sprinted through the forest. Determination burned fiercely within his eyes.

’I can’t let him down.’

In only a few short months, Zephyrion had risen to become the center of attention for the entire South. Every eye now followed his every move.

Unfortunately, that also meant those same eyes had begun turning toward the people around him.

Especially... his ward.

This Proving was Tobias’ chance to prove to both the House and the South that he wasn’t useless.

Eventually, he burst into a clearing. His eyes instantly locked onto the crimson flag hovering at its center.

But that wasn’t what caused his heart to tighten.

At the opposite side of the clearing, another candidate had emerged at the exact same moment.

The instant Tobias saw the youth’s massive muscular frame and savage aura, his teeth clenched unconsciously.

A brute from House Hartvain.

"Hahaha! No way! A Calderalth! Ah, today’s a good day!"

The brute cracked his neck loudly before grinning savagely.

"This’ll be fun. I’ve been wanting to punch one of you people all morning."

’Calm down.’

Tobias steadied his breathing before slowly raising a defensive stance.

The brute grinned viciously as he lowered his body slightly. Then he exploded forward with terrifying speed.

Tobias’ expression sharpened instantly.

’Just like you practiced.’

The brute closed the distance in an instant, his massive fists hurtling toward Tobias like cannonballs.

’Slip Step.’

Tobias shifted aside like flowing liquid metal as the fists tore past him. The moment the attack missed, he surged forward without hesitation.

Metal condensed rapidly around his arm, forming a gauntlet as he drove his fist forward.

Boom!

The punch smashed into the brute’s head with tremendous force, causing him to stagger backward several steps.

Tobias’ eyes widened slightly.

It actually worked!

"Tch." The brute spat blood onto the ground while rubbing his jaw. "Lucky hit. Don’t start smiling yet. Won’t happen aga—"

His voice abruptly stopped.

Tobias’ eyes were locked onto the blood staining the floor. Slowly... his gaze began losing focus.

"Uh... blood..."

Thud.

He collapsed unconscious instantly.

Outside, countless spectators blinked in confusion.

"HUH!?"

"He passed out!?"

"Just like that!?"

"But he was winning!"

"...wait, seriously? A Calderalth candidate lost like this!?"

Even as a blanket of light transported Tobias out of the game, many still could not understand what had just happened.