Mr. Wong's eyes wandered to Lily Winters when Ethan didn't immediately respond. Deep down, he was silently hoping that Lily would step up and challenge the rankings. Maybe, just maybe, she'd say something like, "This list doesn't sit right with me."
But Lily remained still, her gaze fixed on Ethan. She stared at him, her expression unreadable.
Could it really be him?
Could Ethan be the one who cleared the legendary "Magic Cave of Myriad Realms"?
The image of the cloaked figure who once conquered the dungeon began to blur and shift in her memory, slowly merging with the image of Ethan casually digging at ant nests outside Ravenshade City.
She had spent days pondering who could've accomplished such a feat. To think it was Ethan, the boy she thought was just a beginner? That figure back then felt oddly familiar, and now she understood why.
It all made sense now.
Because of Ethan, she had passed her family's trial—even earning an extra opportunity and additional rewards.
In other words, the debt she owed was to Ethan.
She couldn't wrap her head around it. How could someone who dug ant nests be this powerful?
But then a thought struck her: was that small creature she had seen beside the cloaked figure Ethan's summoned beast?
That tiny creature didn't seem like much at the time... What kind of beast could it have been?
As Lily remained deep in thought, Mr. Wong grew impatient.
"Lily Winters," he called, drawing everyone's attention. "You used to be ranked first. Why don't you explain how we're calculating Ethan's combat power?"
Caught off guard, Lily was speechless for a moment.
But her upbringing kicked in—in the Winters family, only strength mattered. No one cared for stats or numbers. Real skill was measured through action.
She instinctively reached for the long sword by her side and spoke only two words: "Actual combat."
That was the family creed. True strength is proven in battle.
Mr. Wong blinked in surprise. Did this mean Lily wasn't satisfied with Ethan's rank?
Interpreting her words as a challenge, he clapped his hands together. "Then let's settle it in battle!"
He turned to the crowd. "If anyone has a problem with Ethan's position, step forward!"
This was clearly directed at Lily. To Mr. Wong, her use of "actual combat" hinted at some hidden confidence. Maybe she was planning to duel him right now?
But Ethan hadn't responded earlier for a different reason. He had been checking his summoned beast's new skill.
Among the abilities unlocked by his matured blade beast was:
> Greedy Killing (Purple): After slaying an enemy, it re-enters stealth and gains a 20% damage boost for 1 minute.
Ethan's eyes sparkled. That was insanely powerful. Kill, vanish, kill again—with 20% more strength? It felt familiar, like something out of a ninja fantasy.
He was still marveling at the skill when Mr. Wong's voice echoed across the square again, asking who disagreed with Ethan's placement.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"I don't accept it!" shouted a student from No. 1 Middle School.
It was Xu Shan, a well-known SS-level fighter.
Ethan blinked, dumbfounded.
Wait—what rule just changed?
Before he could even process it, another student stepped forward—Jiang Liu, also from No. 1 Middle School.
Now there were two challengers.
Mr. Wong turned back to Lily, wondering why she hadn't moved yet. Hadn't she been the one who brought up actual combat?
Before he could say more, Ethan finally spoke up.
"Anyone else?" he said calmly. "Let's just settle this now."
Boom. Silence fell across the courtyard.
Ethan wasn't trying to show off—he just didn't want to drag this out. Better to face them all at once.
The students from No. 1 Middle School, still smarting from the humiliation of Fairwind's earlier outburst, were fired up. They saw Ethan's calm confidence as arrogance.
Now, with the two top students already stepping up, the rest of the S-rank fighters from No. 1 also rose to the challenge.
Meanwhile, the crowd from No. 2 Middle School had its own thoughts.
At first, the new students believed Fairwind had been the one to clear the dungeon. But now that Ethan had stepped forward, things no longer made sense.
Only someone with overwhelming power could've accomplished what happened in the "Magic Cave."
The realization hit hard.
Ethan wasn't ordinary. He was in a league of his own.
Motivated, another student from No. 2 Middle School stepped up. "Count me in!" he declared boldly.
He just wanted to test himself—to see how far he was from a true genius like Ethan.
If Ethan hadn't been a beast master, maybe he wouldn't have dared. But now that Ethan's class was revealed, there was no shame in fighting alongside others.
Thus, the entire four-person elite group from No. 2 Middle School joined the challenge.
Mr. Wong looked back at Lily Winters again, now understanding her intentions—or so he thought.
Was she letting Ethan fight first to wear him down before finishing him off herself? That seemed like a Winters family tactic—strategy hidden behind pride.
Fine, he thought.
Let's see how this plays out.
He stepped forward and declared, "Everyone, clear the square! Let's give the stage to Ethan and the challengers."
The live-streamers—who had been paid to film what was supposed to be a boring ranking session—perked up with excitement.
Originally, they were here just to record stats.
Now? They were filming a full-scale battle!
They couldn't believe their luck.
Fairwind stepped forward, smiling like a madman. "Nine against one? That's gutsy."
He turned to Ethan. "I'll help. Honestly, I've been waiting for a reason to cut these guys down."
Ethan gave him a glance and a nod. He knew Fairwind well—if he wanted in, it was better to let him.
Some students began to ask Mr. Wong how this should be scored.
He waved it off. "We'll figure it out later. Just let them fight!"
And with that, a regular ranking event exploded into full-blown combat.
Two camps formed on the training grounds.
On one side stood Ethan and Fairwind.
On the other, the elite fighters from No. 1 and No. 2 Middle Schools.
With a swift signal from Mr. Wong...
SPLASH!
Fairwind, without warning, drew his golden broadsword and slashed his own stomach, blood spilling out like a fountain.
The crowd gasped.
Fairwind grinned, teeth bared, drenched in his own blood.
"Ethan, bring any summoned beast you want. I'll show you how I've been dying to cut them down."
But Ethan only smirked.
"Who said I need a summoned beast?"
Fairwind: "...Wait, what?"
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