The crowd's cheers from the final semi-final match were still echoing when Zend stepped away from the arena. Though victorious, he knew the battles ahead would be even more brutal. The remaining finalists were the cream of the crop children of noble houses, wielders of rare Aethers, and some with battle experience from a young age.
Zend knew he wouldn't win with his current power.
His victory had been narrow. Too narrow.
I need more power… and fast.
That night, back at the luxurious inn owned by Chris's family, Zend sat silently in the room they shared. Chris was humming while sharpening his sword, occasionally glancing at Zend, who seemed lost in thought.
"Hey, you alright?" Chris finally asked.
Zend forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… nerves."
Chris nodded. "Understandable. Tomorrow's going to be insane."
That was Zend's chance.
"Actually… I think I'll stay somewhere else tonight," he said. "I need space to meditate. Clear my head."
Chris raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. "Alright, just don't oversleep tomorrow. I won't come dragging you out of bed."
Zend laughed softly. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Later that evening, Zend wandered through the foggy streets of Skyviolet City, eyes scanning every alley until he found the one he was looking for hidden between two inns, behind a flickering red lantern.
The merchant…
There, cloaked in shadows, stood the man again the one with the black robe and gloved hands. His stall was even more bizarre tonight, glowing faintly under magical light. Trinkets, old scrolls, enchanted shards… and in the center, behind a glass case, a small box containing three glowing beast cores.
One radiated fiery heat Firehorn Rhino.
One buzzed with harsh static Horned Lizard.
But the one Zend's eyes locked onto pulsed with spike-like energy the Spinefang Lion Core.
"Three-circle cores," the merchant rasped before Zend even asked. "A rare batch. 50 gold coins each."
Zend flinched. That would drain nearly half of his savings savings he'd kept for emergencies. But this was an emergency.
"I'll take the lion core."
The merchant's mouth curled into something resembling a smile beneath his hood. "Wise choice. Dangerous... but wise."
That night, Zend checked into a rundown inn in the outskirts of the city, one that asked no questions. Inside the dim room, he unwrapped the core. It glowed amber-red, the size of a peach, and radiated heat with each pulse.
This is going to hurt.
Without hesitation, Zend swallowed the core.
Pain. Worse than before.
If the last core had felt like being pierced by a thousand needles, this one was a meat grinder from the inside out. Every cell in his body screamed. Bones cracked. Blood boiled. He collapsed to the floor, convulsing, barely able to bite back his cries. Veins turned black for moments before pulsing with red-hot light.
His Aether responded.
Inside the Soul Chamber, his iron needle shimmered no longer dull, no longer still. It warped and stretched, growing like liquid metal before snapping back. Then it shimmered again this time glowing a deep green-black hue. Two rings… became three.
Morning sunlight broke through the cracked window.
Zend shot awake, drenched in sweat, heartbeat thudding wildly.
What time is it?!
He grabbed his gear, barely had time to wash his face, and bolted through the streets. He cursed under his breath the selection test finals were starting in less than 30 minutes.
As he ran, he could feel it his Aether. Different. Stronger. Alive.
He summoned it mid-run.
The needle floated in his palm. But when Zend focused his mana into it, something extraordinary happened it elongated, growing into a thin, flexible black sword with a serrated edge. Then, with a flick of his will, it shrank back into a needle.
Morphing capability…
Then he noticed the color of the blade: it was coated with a faint green sheen that seemed to sizzle in the air.
Acid. The venom mutated.
He clenched his fist. With this, he had a fighting chance.
Back at the arena, the final participants were already gathering. Chris was there, scanning the crowd, and when he spotted Zend hurrying in, he smirked.
"Nice of you to join us, sleeping beauty."
Zend grinned, though his legs still wobbled. "Had… a long night."
Chris raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"
Zend didn't answer. He simply looked ahead toward the looming gates of the final battleground.
He wasn't just here to survive anymore.
He was here to win.
the second semifinal round began, the arena buzzing with anticipation. Zend's heart pounded as he faced his first opponent a tall, graceful girl with piercing blue eyes. Draped over her shoulders was a shimmering shawl of swirling ice that sparkled even in the fading light. The crowd murmured in awe at her unique Aether.
"An Ice Shawl…" Chris whispered beside him, eyes wide. "Rare and versatile."
Zend's opponent smiled coldly, her shawl rippling like living frost. "Ready to lose, boy?"
Zend clenched his fist. He had hoped to keep his new power a secret, but the girl's confident stance and swift movements left him no choice.
The fight began.
With a graceful flick of her wrist, the ice shawl erupted into a flurry of razor-sharp shards, slicing through the air with deadly precision. Zend barely dodged, feeling the cold sting as a shard grazed his arm. She pressed her advantage, the shawl weaving and wrapping like a serpent.
Zend felt the familiar pressure building the surge of pain and energy from the beast core fusion.
No more hiding.
He concentrated, summoning his needle Aether.
With a focused breath, the needle elongated into a shimmering black blade edged with glowing green acid. The crowd gasped at the sudden transformation.
The girl's eyes widened. "So it can evolve…"
Zend's movements were lightning-fast now. With his telekinesis-enhanced control, he darted around the arena, deflecting the icy shards and launching counterattacks. His blade hissed as it cut through the frost, the acid sizzling wherever it touched ice.
The duel became a deadly dance of fire and ice, acid and frost.
At one point, the girl tried to wrap Zend in a frozen cage, but with a surge of mana, Zend shattered the ice and retaliated with a precise strike to her arm. The acid burned through the frozen barrier, breaking her defense.
Panting, the girl stepped back, eyes filled with reluctant respect.
Zend took a deep breath, focusing all his energy into a final strike. The needle-blade extended into a whip-like lash coated in venomous acid. With a whip-crack, it struck the girl's shawl, melting the ice and forcing her to surrender.
The arena erupted in cheers.
Whispers spread quickly: "The boy with the needle Aether... he's hiding something."
Zend lowered his weapon, heart still racing. He had revealed his power now there was no turning back.
Chris nodded approvingly. "Looks like the real tournament has just begun."