Alex's Qi Gun had already been drawn and fired at Caelan.
It was a quick and calculated move. One he had executed at the perfect moment, when the rest of the Wyndhams weren't paying attention to him.
With several precise shots, Alex fired at the mounted mini-gun on Caelan's shoulder.
The bullets struck exactly where they needed to.
In the blink of an eye, the weapon was blown apart.
The entire shoulder-mounted gun was ripped from its housing and sent flying.
For a moment, Caelan simply stared.
The shock on his face was something he had never expected to feel while fighting someone from a lower-stage clan.
One problem after another kept appearing.
Unexpected abilities.
Unexpected techniques.
Unexpected tricks.
The number of variables continued piling up, and even Caelan was beginning to feel the pressure.
'Is this it?' Caelan thought as he looked at the empty space on his shoulder.
The weapon was completely gone.
All that remained was a damaged connection port sparking with energy.
Small arcs of electricity crackled from the exposed components.
'Is this what Rhyssa meant by unaccounted factors?' Caelan wondered.
His gaze narrowed.
'But all of these were supposed to be negligible.'
The thought irritated him.
'According to our calculations, the strength of any clan below the Mid Stage shouldn't pose a problem for the suit.'
His eyes shifted toward Alex.
'And even for clans capable of posing a threat, the suit was specifically designed to identify their abilities and develop the perfect countermeasure.'
'That was why we were one hundred percent confident of winning this tournament.'
'But this... this is completely going against all those rules, all those calculations, hypotheses, and estimations,' Caelan thought.
His gaze shifted toward Alex.
Alex still stood there with the gun pointed directly at him.
The weapon looked simple enough, but after everything that had happened, Caelan was no longer willing to underestimate anything.
'He is a problem. A big one.'
'I have to get rid of him fast.'
'System, what is that gun?' Caelan asked internally.
[The host is looking at a Desert Eagle model Qi Gun.]
[A Qi Gun is a type of advanced firearm that utilizes Qi as its ammunition.]
[The weapon condenses a small amount of Qi into bullet-like projectiles before firing them.]
[It is lethal to both Paragon beings and ordinary humans.]
[However, the current weapon poses no immediate threat to the host.]
[The armor is strong enough to defend against it.]
Caelan stared at the information.
Instead of reassuring him, it only raised more questions.
'No immediate threat?'
He focused on those words.
'Does that mean it can become a threat under certain conditions?'
His expression darkened.
The system rarely used unnecessary wording.
If it specified "immediate threat," then there was likely a reason for it.
'And how was a Low Stage clan able to get their hands on something like this?'
That question bothered him even more.
A Qi Gun was not supposed to be something people like the Wyndhams could casually obtain.
Yet Alex was standing there with one in his hand.
The more Caelan looked at him, the more variables he found.
And Caelan hated variables.
His eyes locked onto Alex.
"You are really very troublesome," Caelan said.
There was no mockery in his voice this time.
Only irritation.
And a growing sense of caution.
"You have given me more trouble than the rest of your clan members combined, and from what I can see, you're even weaker than they are," he said.
Alex didn't reply.
He simply stared at Caelan.
His eyes moved across the suit, studying every detail as though he were calculating his next move.
'If I pull out the axe like last time, would that be enough to force him out of the tournament?' Alex wondered.
A second later, he dismissed the idea.
'No. I doubt the axe has recovered by now.'
Meanwhile, the silence stretched on.
Not getting any response from Alex, the corner of Caelan's mouth twisted slightly.
"You really think that gun changes anything?" Caelan asked.
He spread his arms slightly.
"All you did was destroy my gun."
His voice carried a trace of amusement now.
"It can't even leave a dent on my suit."
Caelan took a step forward.
"You're celebrating over nothing."
He looked directly into Alex's eyes.
"That weapon was never going to hurt me."
Alex remained calm.
Without saying a word, he lowered the gun.
Dark mist suddenly seeped out from his hand and wrapped around the weapon.
The black fog swallowed it completely.
A moment later, the gun disappeared.
The sight made several of the Wyndhams blink in surprise.
Alex finally spoke.
"I already know it won't be enough to beat you."
His tone was calm and matter-of-fact.
"I only needed to get rid of that annoying gun."
His gaze never left Caelan.
"If I want to beat you, then I already know I'll have to do it with my own hands."
The street went quiet for a brief moment.
Then Caelan froze.
A second later, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
The sound echoed through the ruined street.
He laughed so hard that he had to tilt his head back.
Even some of the Wyndhams frowned at the reaction.
Caelan eventually stopped laughing and looked at Alex again.
There was disbelief in his eyes.
And amusement.
"You?"
He pointed at Alex.
"You want to beat me with your bare hands?"
The smile on his face widened.
For the first time since the battle began, he genuinely looked entertained.
"Now that's funny."
His helmet was still on, making the laughter sound metallic and distorted.
Yet there was no mistaking it.
The laughter was real.
"You really think you can do that?" Caelan asked.
He gradually stopped laughing and looked directly at Alex.
"You know, you remind me of something my cousin said before this tournament began."
He folded his arms.
"She talked about unknown factors. Variables that couldn't be predicted."
Caelan shook his head slightly.
"And for a while, it seemed like she was right."
His gaze sharpened.
"You, Alex, are certainly one of those unknown factors."
"You've changed the path of our estimations more than I expected."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But that doesn't change the final outcome."
His mechanical voice echoed through the ruined street.
"You alone can't do much."
Caelan took another step forward.
"I haven't even used the full power of this suit yet."
Alex narrowed his eyes.
One thing had immediately caught his attention.
His name.
Caelan had called him by name.
'How does he know my name?' Alex wondered.
The thought lingered in his mind.
'Is it part of that system?'
'Can the Synapse Circle gather information on people without them even knowing?'
The possibility didn't sit well with him.
"You must be wondering how I know your name, right?" Caelan asked.
Even through the helmet, Alex could almost feel the smug smile underneath.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Alex shrugged.
"For what it's worth, I don't care."
The answer made Caelan chuckle.
"You will."
His tone dropped.
"You will once I'm done breaking you."
The threat hung in the air.
Then Caelan started walking forward.
Slow.
Steady.
Deliberate.
Each step carried confidence.
The confidence of someone who still believed victory was already in his hands.
Meanwhile, Alex didn't move back.
Not even a single step.
He stood his ground and watched Caelan approach.
The distance between them slowly shrank.
Alex scoffed.
The sound was quiet, but it carried enough contempt to be heard.
"Then stop talking and come prove it."
The atmosphere instantly turned heavier.
"Trust me, one of your clan members said something similar to me once."
Alex shrugged.
"Look where that got him."
Caelan stopped mid-step.
His helmet turned toward Alex.
"What are you talking about?" Caelan demanded.
Alex studied his reaction carefully.
"I said one of your clan members told me almost the same thing."
His tone remained calm.
"Now he's no longer in this tournament with us."
A brief silence followed.
"He?" Caelan asked.
Alex nodded.
For a moment, Caelan simply stared at him.
Then he shook his head.
"You are bluffing."
His voice grew colder.
"You're talking nonsense."
Caelan refused to believe it.
"Someone like you can't possibly harm Eric."
"Eric?" Alex repeated.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
"So that's his name."
Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"He sure caused a lot of trouble for such a small guy."
"That's impossible!" Caelan shouted.
His voice echoed through the ruined street.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Caelan stared deeply into Alex's eyes, searching for any sign of a lie.
But Alex simply stared back.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Confident.
Then something clicked inside Caelan's mind.
A memory surfaced.
A familiar face.
A familiar scene.
His eyes widened slightly behind the helmet.
"Wait..." Caelan said.
He took another careful look at Alex.
This time, he wasn't looking at him as just another opponent.
"I know you."
His voice became lower.
"I think I remember you."
The moment those words left his mouth, Alex felt that something had changed.
Caelan was no longer looking at him with simple arrogance.
Now he was looking at him like he had finally connected several missing pieces together.
"You were the one Rhyssa kept looking at," Caelan said, pointing at Alex.
"Rhyssa?" Alex repeated.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Let me guess. Your sister?"
Caelan didn't answer immediately.
Alex shook his head.
"Seems like you and that Eric guy have something in common."
"What?" Caelan asked.
"You both keep thinking I'm somehow interested in your sisters."
Alex snorted.
"Trust me, that wasn't the case."
For a brief moment, Caelan simply stared at him.
Then he replied.
"No."
His voice was flat.
"You were the one she kept referring to as abnormal."
Alex blinked.
For the first time in a while, he looked genuinely caught off guard.
'So Eric completely misunderstood what was going on after all,' Alex thought.
He had honestly started wondering if there had been something more behind all those strange looks.
'And here I was thinking maybe I finally had a chance at getting a girlfriend.'
Alex almost sighed.
'Turns out she just thinks I'm abnormal.'
That realization somehow felt more insulting than he wanted to admit.
Meanwhile, Caelan continued speaking.
"She kept comparing you to us."
His tone grew more serious.
"Again and again, she kept saying there were abnormal people inside this tournament."
Caelan's helmet tilted slightly.
"And every time she said that, she was talking about you."
Alex remained silent.
He still had no idea why a girl he barely knew would keep talking about him.
Then again, the Synapse Circle never seemed normal to begin with.
"Maybe it's time I prove her wrong," Caelan said.
His voice carried absolute confidence.
"Maybe it's time I show her that she should always trust the system."
He slowly raised his bladed arm.
The spinning edge began to rotate faster.
"I'll give her your head as proof."
"The system's judgment stands above everything."
At this point, Alex honestly wasn't following half of what Caelan was talking about.
Systems.
Judgments.
Abnormal people.
Comparisons.
The whole thing sounded like nonsense to him.
But one thing was crystal clear.
Caelan was done talking.
He was about to attack.
Caelan suddenly rushed forward.
The thrusters on his suit roared to life, blasting compressed air behind him and launching him across the ground like a missile.
Meanwhile, Alex planted his feet firmly.
His body lowered slightly as he settled into a stable stance.
His eyes never left Caelan.
'I have a feeling this is where things start getting painful,' Alex thought.
Even so, he didn't move.
He waited.
Caelan closed the distance rapidly.
The spinning blade on his arm whirled faster and faster.
The ground cracked beneath each step.
Then, just before he could reach Alex—
Something fell from the sky.
Boom!
The object slammed into the ground directly between them.
The impact was terrifying.
The street exploded apart.
Chunks of stone and ice blasted into the air while a shockwave ripped outward in all directions.
Alex was thrown backward.
Caelan was thrown backward as well.
Both of them slid across the broken ground before managing to regain their balance.
Dust and debris filled the area.
For a brief moment, nobody could see what had landed.
Then the dust slowly began to settle.
A figure stood in the center of the crater.
Above them, another figure hovered in the sky, looking down at the battlefield.
The person slowly descended.
Thrusters beneath the suit released controlled bursts of air as the figure landed lightly on the shattered street.
It was Maelis.
She glanced around at the battlefield.
Her eyes moved across the wounded Wyndhams.
Then they settled on Caelan.
Finally, she looked at Alex.
A trace of annoyance appeared in her voice.
"Don't tell me it's taking you an eternity to deal with a bunch of weak low-level clans."
The words were directed at Caelan.
The battlefield instantly grew quieter.
The surviving Wyndhams stared at the new arrival.
Caelan straightened himself and looked at her.
Meanwhile, Alex narrowed his eyes.
Things had just become even more complicated.