"Contestant Vincent Fox has destroyed the mid-lane energy tower..."
The booming announcement echoed across the entire arena.
"What the hell? A tower already? That was way too fast!"
Inside East Arts Academy's team channel, team leader Zachary Liu shouted, "Lily, what are you even doing over there?!"
"What am I doing?! I already got one-shot, alright?!"
Emily Han fumed with frustration. "That guy's damage is insane! Even with the tower's defense buff, I still got obliterated in one hit! I told you I couldn't stall him, but you wouldn't listen! Now the tower's gone and you're blaming me? Ugh, this is so unfair!"
Her voice cracked with emotion, and before long, she was sobbing.
The other players groaned, rubbing their temples as her crying filled their comms.
Zachary quickly cut in. "Alright, alright, Lily, don't cry anymore... Two bags, alright? After the match, win or lose, I'll buy you two designer bags! Just please, no more tears!"
The moment she heard "two bags," Emily instantly stopped crying and fell silent.
"You really know how to handle her, Captain," someone chuckled.
Zachary sighed. "You still have the energy to joke? You're switching with Lily. Let her take top lane now."
"Huh? But Captain, I'm literally the weakest on the team!"
"Even so, someone's gotta cover mid. You've got that slingshot of yours, right? Just stay behind the tower and use it to clear the minions. I'm not asking you to hold him off, just slow him down a bit. We need time. Go!"
"Fine..."
Outside the arena
"Looks like East Arts Academy is in serious trouble!"
The commentator's voice echoed across the livestream. "In the mid lane, Martial Saint Academy has taken complete control. If East Arts doesn't adjust quickly, their mid lane is going to collapse."
The audience didn't need commentary to see it.
Anyone with eyes could tell that East Arts was falling apart.
"Holy crap! That Martial Saint guy just one-shot someone under tower!"
"Right? His damage is nuts! Is he really a freshman?!"
"Duh! If he weren't a freshman, he wouldn't even be here. You think he could've passed that entrance gate otherwise?"
"East Arts is done for."
"Bottom lane's on the verge of collapse too!"
"Let's see if they can turn it around with some clever tactics."
"Please. When the power gap is this big, no tactic's gonna save them."
"Actually, the only one who's really stomping is that guy in mid. The rest of Martial Saint's team is decent, but nothing special."
"Their bottom lane archer is impressive though. Sharp aim and great damage."
Speculation ran wild among the spectators.
Even though the match had just begun, it was clear East Arts was in serious danger.
Inside King's Canyon
Vincent had already advanced to the second mid-lane tower.
There, a new opponent appeared.
This time it wasn't Emily.
It was a young man, nervously peeking out from behind the tower, only daring to glance at Vincent now and then.
Vincent's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something in the youth's hand.
A slingshot?
He frowned.
He didn't recall any slingshot-using heroes from One Punch Man.
Of course, while Vincent knew the general storylines, he didn't have encyclopedic knowledge of every hero. He was familiar with the S-Class lineup, a few A-Class, and only one B-Class: Blizzard of Hell.
He couldn't tell if this guy inherited a minor hero's abilities or just developed his own slingshot technique.
Soon, the next wave of minions arrived.
Vincent positioned himself right at the edge of the tower's range and started clearing them effortlessly.
Then, without warning, he turned around and left the mid lane entirely.
His sudden retreat stunned not only the opponent, but the audience as well.
"What's this guy doing now?"
"Why didn't he keep pushing? There's no way East Arts could've stopped him!"
"Who knows what this guy is thinking..."
"Bro, this is a tournament match! He's acting way too casual..."
"Check the bottom lane! The real action is starting. 3v3 team fight incoming!"
"I'm not watching the bottom. It's just two squads of noobs flailing around. The real show's in mid lane with this guy!"
"Facts. He's full of surprises. I really wanna see what he's planning now."
At this point, Vincent had become the center of attention. His every move was being followed by the entire audience.
Even the commentator was puzzled.
He didn't understand why Vincent would give up such a massive advantage, but he had no choice but to cover the developments.
"Looks like the mid-laner from Martial Saint Academy has something new in mind. Meanwhile, the bottom lanes are about to clash in a 3v3 skirmish!"
Back inside King's Canyon
Vincent had entered the enemy jungle and spotted the red buff monster.
In truth, he had no elaborate strategy.
He simply wanted to explore and get a feel for the canyon.
As a former top-tier King's Arena player, Vincent had a deep emotional connection to this map.
The Forbidden Zone had recreated King's Canyon with astonishing accuracy.
Naturally, he wanted to explore it thoroughly.
This was only the first match, and their opponents weren't a real threat. Once stronger teams came into play, he wouldn't have the luxury to wander.
The red buff monster was a hulking beast, its eyes glowing crimson and its body radiating heat.
It looked menacing.
But Vincent wasn't worried.
If Autumn Summer could take it down with team support earlier, there was no reason he couldn't handle it alone.
The red buff monster let out a low growl, warning Vincent not to approach.
Vincent smiled slightly, then raised his fist and unleashed a blazing Flame Fist.
Boom!
A fiery explosion engulfed the monster in a sea of flames.
Its health bar plummeted less than one-fifth remained.
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
This beast was tougher than expected. It actually survived one Flame Fist?
He calmly walked up and finished it off with a light punch.
The moment the red buff dropped
A red glow flowed into Vincent's body.
Immediately, he felt a mysterious power surge through his veins.
So this is the buff enhancement? It's actually this powerful?
Vincent was stunned.
He suspected that the red buff's bonus wasn't fixed, but scaled with a percentage of the user's strength.
The stronger the user, the more potent the boost.
For someone like him, the increase was terrifying.
As the red buff's body vanished, Vincent noticed a massive shadow taking shape in the distance.
That should be the Tyrant...
His eyes lit up, and he began walking in that direction.
Outside the battlefield
The spectators were in an uproar.
"One Flame Fist almost one-shotted the red buff?! That's insane!"
"No wonder East Arts got destroyed earlier. This guy's damage is off the charts!"
"A freshman with this much firepower? Come on... that can't be real."
"Heh, maybe you don't know who this is. His name is Vincent Fox. He's the first in history to get the highest mission rating not once, but twice. If he invested all his points into Spirit, this kind of output is totally possible."
"I think I've heard of him. Some crazy rumors were going around online..."
"So it's him! Makes sense now."
"Wait, look! He's heading toward the Tyrant."
"No way... is he planning to solo the Tyrant?"
"Solo the Tyrant? Haha, I'd love to see him try. Let's see how fast he gets deleted."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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