Group after group entered the arena.
Some tried new strategies, bringing in people with the same elements.
Others simply charged towards Theo, planning to drain as much of his mana as possible.
Yet... they fell one after another.
The arena had grown deathly silent, with only the occasional explosion echoing out.
None of the spectators cheered anymore.
Instead, they just looked on in pure horror.
But to Theo, it all felt strangely familiar.
’It’s just like back then,’ he thought.
His breathing remained steady as he sidestepped to dodge a bundle of vines.
A single swing of his trident knocked the female plant student unconscious, forcing the judges to intervene immediately.
He no longer wasted mana.
He no longer made unnecessary movements.
Every spell had its purpose, while every dodge was as minimal as possible.
Slowly, his thoughts began to fade as he entered a familiar trance.
Everything around him began to change.
The arena disappeared completely, replaced by flooded streets.
All noise faded into distant explosions and crashing waves.
One by one, even his opponents stopped resembling humans, turning into fishman-like creatures.
Each slash, thrust, lightning bolt... another fishman collapsed.
Water surged around his trident, swallowing smaller spells before crashing into another creature.
His body purely moved on instinct.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the stands had completely shifted.
The students looked at the onslaught with fear in their eyes.
Though Theo didn’t use any flashy moves anymore...
It felt like they’d encountered an unbreakable wall.
’’How many...’’ someone muttered weakly. ’’How many has he beaten now?’’
’’No idea...’’
’’I stopped counting after the tenth group.’’
Even the upperclassmen had fallen completely silent.
Several instructors exchanged glances, unable to hide the surprise in their eyes.
Each only had one thought in their mind.
’What a monster.’
Slowly, their gaze landed on Elise one by one.
She stood at the very front, observing each movement Theo made.
’He’s improving,’ she thought, smiling faintly. ’His growth is almost unbelievable...’
That thought only lasted for a moment though.
The realization of what someone needed to go through in order to reach this state...
Not just Elise, but every instructor present knew it very well.
Back inside the crowd, a small group stood together, quietly watching the battlefield.
Jenny swallowed nervously.
’’What do we do...’’ she muttered. ’’He’s already gone through seventy people!’’
Leon dragged a hand through his blond hair.
For a moment, he just remained quiet.
’’We’ll just have to wait,’’ he finally said, though far less confidently. ’’He’s definitely running low...’’
Silence fell inside the group again.
They watched as another six students entered.
Only a minute later, all of them were carried off the field.
The broad-shouldered young man beside Leon let out a slow breath.
’’Fucking monster,’’ he cursed.
This time, Leon nodded immediately.
’’He absolutely is.’’
His grip on the metal railing tightened slightly.
’’But even monsters have to run out eventually...’’
DING! DING! DING!
A loud bell echoed through the arena.
’’Theo Lane has officially defeated seventy-five students!’’ a loud voice echoed out.
Everyone froze for a moment.
Theo pressed a hand against his ear, shaking his head as everything around him returned to normal.
’Fuck,’ he thought, feeling his head aching. ’I was completely out of it, huh.’
Theo slowly lowered his hand.
Only now did he realize his breathing had grown considerably heavier than before.
His clothes were completely soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his body.
Even so, what surprised him most was his mana core.
’I haven’t lost any mana...?’ he thought, brows furrowing. ’I’ve even regained one or two percent?!’
Theo remained silent for a moment.
Though he was sweaty, his physical condition seemed to have only declined slightly too.
’Everything... feels so smooth,’ he thought, feeling a nice warmth spread through his body.
His eyes swept across the arena.
Despite there being dozens of students still outside the gate, everyone seemed to be more than hesitant to come in.
A small smile appeared on his face.
’These ordinary students,’ he thought. ’They really don’t pose much of a threat.’
It didn’t matter how many spells they’d mastered.
With their limited bronze core mana, they couldn’t fire all of them.
Not to mention his ability to dodge them.
’It’s basically just free money walking into my pockets!’
Theo’s gaze landed on the hesitant students for a moment.
His lips pursed together.
’I can’t let you all back away already...’
Without hesitating, he raised his trident into the air.
He pointed it towards the announcer while gesturing to his open mouth.
The announcer blinked in confusion, but quickly leaned forward.
’’Dear spectators!’’ he shouted. ’’It seems like Theo Lane has something to say!’’
Everyone held their breath.
A judge rushed forward, handing Theo a microphone.
Crack! Crack!
He tapped on it twice, then grinned.
’’Can everyone hear me?’’ he asked.
His voice echoed through the arena loud and clear.
Slowly, his grin began growing wider.
’’You all don’t pose much of a threat,’’ he taunted. ’’I’d like it if the group sizes were doubled... to make it a challenge.’’
Complete silence.
Not a single student uttered a word.
Even the announcer’s mouth fell wide open.
Then, the entire arena exploded.
’’WHAT DID YOU SAY?!’’
’’YOU ARROGANT BASTARD!’’
’’YOU THINK YOU’RE STRONGER THAN ALL OF US?!’’
The hint of fear they’d all felt moments ago was completely washed away.
Several people stood up right away, jumping down towards the special gate.
The line that had been shrinking moments ago almost doubled in size!
Only one person burst out laughing inside the stands.
’’Now that’s the way!’’ Owen said, holding his stomach. ’’Come on, fuck them all up!’’
Jim, Lyra, and Iris still had their mouths open, not at all used to such declarations from Theo.
At the announcer’s platform, the chubby man wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Well..." he laughed awkwardly. "That’s certainly... a unique request."
He raised his hand and pressed down on his earpiece.
For several seconds, he remained completely silent.
Finally, he let go, his eyes wide with excitement.
’’It has been approved!’’ he shouted. ’’From this point on, twelve challengers may enter the arena simultaneously!’’
Not giving anyone time to digest the situation, he continued.
"However, there is one more change!"
He raised three fingers.
"From this point onward, if Theo Lane defeats three groups of twelve challengers, today’s challenge will officially come to an end!"
His arm swung toward the special entrance.
"Now then... let the first group enter!"