As Vale exited the ring, everyone looked at him with dumbfounded looks. He had already realised that something was wrong as even the referee officiating the match had eyes filled with disgust as he stared at him.
He was still unaware of what was actually going on, but not for long.
Instead of the medics going in to pick up the young girl, it was Aster who went in, and Vale watched him pick up his sister.
Only then was he able to make the connection. Their hair colour and eye colour were all the same. She was clearly his sister.
It didn't matter though, as Vale didn't really care. A person's background mattered little to him; this was a competition, and if you weren't strong enough, then you would lose.
Still, he made a note to keep his eyes on that Aster guy. It would be unreasonable for him to hold a grudge… but reason didn't always dictate human behavior.
But that would be incredibly petty and unreasonable. Surely he didn't expect her opponents to give up just because she was his sister.
Numerous eyes flickered on Vale as gossip filled the air.
It was hard for humans to agree on a single thing, but everyone seemed to agree on a single statement: "Aster is going to kill him."
Vale might not have known, but the people of Druti were well aware of how much Aster doted on his sister. She was his reverse scale, and most of them couldn't help but feel pity for him.
After leaving the ring, Vale checked out Jack's ring but his match had already ended.
He had no idea who won, but his bet was on Jack.
With nothing better to do, Vale headed for the resting area. Immediately he went into the room, he crumbled on the bed.
His entire body ached.
In the fight against Aster's sister, to dodge her attack, he had used a body technique called Blitz.
Body techniques were methods that allowed one to realise the full potential of their body. A person who used body techniques was always bound to be stronger than a person who didn't, even if he had a superior class.
They were a must-have if one wanted to stand out among their peers. Ariella had used one in her fight, but that technique was incomplete and badly executed.
Even then, it had still been enough to put her at the top in a town like Druti.
Body techniques, also known as qi techniques, had a counterpart known as magi techniques. These two were designed for different sets of people.
Classes were usually either qi or mana focused—although there were a few exceptions like the body mage class which was both qi and mana focused. A qi-focused class had its strength in the body while a mana-focused class had its strength in its control of matter and elements.
As one would expect, body techniques were best suited for the qi-focused classes and magi techniques for the mana-focused classes.
Most body techniques require a high level of strength to practice them effectively. That was why Vale hadn't previously used any, even though he had a few; his body just wasn't strong enough.
Even right now, he could feel the immense strain on his calf just from using Blitz.
If he hadn't used it, he would most likely be dead right now, as only with immense speed had he been able to get out of the hellfire's range.
After taking a sip of the anti-fatigue serum, he lay on the bed looking at the ceiling.
Things were only going to get harder from here on out and he had to get stronger. His surest bet was his body techniques, but he was currently too weak to use them. If he could gain more demon points then he would be able to grow stronger.
A minute increase in demon points would lead to a small increase in strength.
Not long after, the voice rang out announcing the start of the third round. Vale got up and headed back to the arena.
All the rings had already been taken down leaving the arena empty.
Twenty-six people stood in the middle as Vale joined them. He tried not to stare at Aster, but he could feel the star boy's gaze on his back.
He tried his best to ignore it. Jack was also among the twenty-six of them, this didn't surprise him.
"Attention, Attention, Attention." The announcer said, his voice reverberating throughout the entire colosseum.
"The Lord will now address you all."
After saying that, everyone stopped talking.
The Lord of Druti got up from his throne-like chair and cleared his throat before beginning, "You all have gone through trials and tribulations to prove your worth. You have proven to be the best and have brought no shame to Druti.
Currently, you have the opportunity to gain admission to the best colleges. But sadly, not all of you will get into Hunter's College."
He paused for a second, allowing everyone to digest the information.
There were a few murmurs, but everyone seemed to expect this.
"There are only 15 slots this year, so we will be having one last round, to decide the ones who will occupy those slots."
The Lord sat back down and the announcer continued with the explanation.
"Due to the intense requests of the audience and their spectacular performances, four contestants who have been disqualified will be allowed to participate."
The four people were Ariella, Robzo, the pale archer, and Aster's sister.
Vale's eyes twitched: them bringing back Aster's sister was just a way of showing how biased they were towards him. But he had no objection; his only goal was to get into Hunter College.
After that, an official came and created a giant ring in the middle of the arena.
The last fifteen matches were set to hold on this ring.
The first match was called: it was between the pale archer and a hammer user Vale hadn't paid attention to before.
They both entered the large ring and with a loud bang, the match started.
[Author's note: Ten power stones and I'll post an extra chapter today.]