"So boring. None of them even had contribution points for us to steal," Marlon said to Lyra as he watched the last member of the bully team wail before being wrapped in light and disappearing from the survival matrix.
Lyra wiped the blood off her daggers without replying, causing Marlon to smile wryly. He turned toward Logan and Ashton, who stood behind them with their mouths agape, staring at the two of them in disbelief after witnessing how quickly they had taken down the bullies.
Among the preliminary training camp, those guys were feared. Each of them possessed a talent that boosted their natural strength by a large margin. That same talent gave them their buff, muscular build and intimidating presence. While Logan and Ashton trusted Marlon and Lyra's strength, they at least expected them to struggle a little against that group.
ROAR!!!
Before they could speak or even step forward, a violent roar erupted from behind, sending a freezing gust of wind sweeping through the air toward them.
Both of them shivered and turned to face the source of the sound.
Just a few meters away stood a massive, snow-white bear, its body covered in thick fur and sharp icicles jutting from its back. It towered over eight feet tall, glaring at them with glowing blue eyes as it bared its fangs menacingly.
Its sheer size and appearance were terrifying especially for the two of them.
Meanwhile, Marlon and Lyra exchanged a brief glance and then dashed toward the monster without uttering a word.
Lyra moved first. She was swift and silent; her assassin talent let her move like a shadow, leaving barely any footprints behind as she sprinted forward.
Marlon followed, just as fast, though slightly slower due to their difference in level.
Lyra appeared first before the bear and slashed both daggers straight at its eyes, her assassin instincts targeting its nearest weak point.
But the ice bear was no simple opponent.
A thick wall of ice instantly rose in front of its face, forming a solid shield.
The sharp clang of her daggers striking against the ice echoed through the area, followed by a crackling sound as fractures spread across the frozen wall from the sheer force of her strike.
Unfortunately, the wall blocked her vision, giving the ice bear enough time to swing its massive claws in retaliation.
BOOM!
The hit sent her flying backward in the same direction she had come from, straight toward the stunned Logan and Ashton. She crashed into them, and the impact sent all three sprawling to the ground.
Their cries of pain were drowned out by the furious roar of the ice bear as it began stomping toward them, unaware of the human who had used that opening to move behind it.
Marlon flashed a grin.
"Thanks for the distraction, Lyra," he muttered, lowering his stance.
PUNCH OF JUDGEMENT!
A faint, ethereal glow wrapped around his fist as he leapt into the air, driving his punch downward toward the beast's spiky back.
A confident smile crossed his lips but vanished immediately the spikes on the bear's back suddenly elongated and shot toward him.
His eyes widened.
'Oh, shit!'
He cursed inwardly. Midair, he had no way to dodge. With the number and speed of those spikes flying at him, his survival rate was practically zero.
Then suddenly—
"DRAGON BREATH!"
A burst of heat and blinding fire filled his vision, turning the white surroundings into blazing orange.
The spikes melted instantly, dripping down like liquid ice.
Marlon's eyes widened as his survival rate and his chance of killing the bear shot back to a hundred percent.
Without pausing to find out who his savior was, he clenched his glowing fist again and struck down at the massive beast, which had already begun turning toward the source of the flames.
His attack connected perfectly.
The bear's thick body shattered under the blow, its flesh and bones breaking apart as his punch tore straight through its back, leaving a massive gaping hole.
—2000
A glowing four-digit number appeared before him.
The ice bear collapsed lifelessly, defeated by a single punch.
The entire scene left everyone stunned—his team, the mysterious fire-user, and the countless spectators watching from the coliseum.
The fight was one of the battles being broadcast on the ten massive holographic screens so it immediately drew all the attention available in the coliseum.
"Who is that kid?"
"The spike-backed ice bear is a mini-boss! It takes a team of five FF-rank hunters at least an hour of hard combat to kill one! Even two F-rank hunters would barely manage!"
"No wonder he's teamed up with the youngest daughter of the Whitlock family!"
Excited murmurs filled the crowd.
Even in the VIP section, guests who didn't recognize him began whispering about bringing the boy into their family, maybe even adopting him and letting him bear their surname.
Meanwhile, the Ashleigh couple sat frozen in disbelief.
Their so-called useless son had just defeated a powerful monster with a single blow.
Amongst all feat for newbie hunters, such was the rarest.
They turned to each other, the same question flashing through their minds.
Had they been underestimating him all this time?
Had they made a terrible mistake for keeping him hidden, neglecting him, leaving him in the care of abusive staff while showering all their affection on his sibling?
While Marlon's parents sat in reflection, Lyra's parents wore deep frowns.
Her father and mother — both middle-aged, with striking white hair and cold blue eyes — watched the screen with visible displeasure.
The Whitlock and Ashleigh families had never been on good terms. Their long-standing feud was well-known among the higher-ups of the Hunter Society.
Now, seeing their daughter pushed aside while the son of the family they despised stole the spotlight, their frowns deepened.
Walter Whitlock's jaw tightened as his hand gripped the armrest of his chair until his knuckles turned white.
Beside him, Maryam Whitlock muttered in disappointment, "Lyra has always tarnished the Whitlock name. It was your idea to send her to the academy with her sister. Now look what she's done."
"My plan was to let Selena's light cover her," Walter replied with a cold snort. "But who would've thought she'd side with that boy instead?"
The two continued their discussion, voices low and filled with frustration, their words carrying nothing but disappointment toward their own daughter.
====
Nonetheless at the same time.
Floating on a massive spaceship, a group of malevolent alien creatures stared at a large screen displaying the events taking place at the coliseum and grinned.
....
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