Julius had won the battle and approached Jin. "I used more mana than I wanted to," he said, annoyed.

  "But you won! You were incredible," Jin complimented him.

  "You really were incredible." A familiar voice echoed.

  "Shadow!" Jin called out in surprise.

  "What are you doing here?" Julius asked cautiously, eyeing Shadow.

  "Was that your secret weapon you mentioned?" Shadow asked curiously.

  "Like I'd tell you, idiot," Julius retorted.

  "Why not?"

  "Because we're still opponents, and even against you, I won't hold back."

  Shadow laughed. "No worries. We won't be fighting each other."

  Julius and Jin looked puzzled.

  "I accidentally overheard the mayor saying he wants to decide the final matchups himself," Shadow explained.

  "And what does that mean?" Julius asked.

  "There are only two spots left and four contestants." He pointed at the other two fighters. "I think you know what that means."

  "If that's true, the mayor will probably want the nobles to get a spot," Jin said.

  "I know," Julius replied, his gaze fixed on the nobles.

  "So, tell me, was that your secret weapon?" Shadow pressed Julius.

  "As if I'd ever tell you—"

  "No, he still has another secret weapon," Jin interrupted.

  "I knew it! Everyone should have a secret weapon," Shadow said before walking away.

  "What was that? Why did you tell him?" Julius asked, slightly annoyed.

  "Ah, sorry! He just didn't seem like he meant any harm," Jin replied, a bit remorseful.

  "Whatever. I'm going to win anyway." His eyes burned with determination.

  The mayor stepped forward. "Now, the final matches will begin. The top two will earn a place at the newly renovated school in Lidoris."

  All four contestants gathered in the center of the arena.

  "Now, I will announce the matchups." He hesitated for a moment before stepping closer to the participants.

  "You two commoners, what are your names?" He spoke as if forced to ask.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Julius clenched his fists, barely resisting the urge to punch him.

  "Shadow. I'm Shadow, and I'm part of a secret organization," he declared proudly.

  The mayor was momentarily speechless.

  But Julius, amused by Shadow's boldness, smirked.

  "I'm Julius, and I'm going to kick all of your noble asses."

  The mayor's face turned red with anger.

  "We'll see about that," he snapped before continuing his speech.

  "Big words for someone who just got lucky," said a young man beside Julius.

  As Julius turned, he recognized the nobleman he had fought before the tournament even began.

  "What did you say?" Julius growled, provoked.

  "Who would've thought that scum like you could use Tier 3 magic? If Mark had known, he would've used a stronger protection spell," the noble mocked.

  "The matchups are as follows: Shadow versus Wilhelm VanHellsing, and Julius versus Jon Silver. May the best fighter win."

  With those words, the finals began.

  The first fight: Shadow versus Wilhelm VanHellsing.

  "That guy is seriously muscular," Jin commented, surprised.

  "He doesn’t seem like a noble to me," Julius remarked, noticing that Wilhelm carried no staff.

  However, the golden insignia on his uniform proved he was one.

  A gong signaled the start of the fight.

  "Enhance!" Wilhelm shouted, charging straight at Shadow.

  He tried to grab him, but Shadow leaped into the air, dodging the attack.

  "Oh, so you're a close-combat fighter? Fine by me," Shadow said, taking a fighting stance.

  He kicked into the air. "Air Slash!"

  A sharp gust of wind shot toward Wilhelm, slicing everything in its path. Yet, Wilhelm didn’t move an inch. The attack struck him directly, but he stood firm, as if unfazed.

  "He didn’t even cast a protection spell," Jin observed, confused.

  Julius was equally puzzled but quickly realized Wilhelm must be using an artifact.

  Wilhelm smirked. "Is that all you've got?"

  Shadow dashed forward, yet Wilhelm remained still.

  Shadow leaped into the air, preparing his next attack.

  "Thunder Strike!"

  Lightning crackled, surging toward Wilhelm. But once again, he stood firm, completely unaffected.

  Now, Wilhelm shifted into an offensive stance, preparing to strike.

  "Counter Strike."

  Electricity gathered around his fist as he lunged at Shadow.

  Shadow barely managed to block with his arms, yet the impact sent him flying several meters back.

  The attack had dealt significant damage.

  Wilhelm laughed, while Shadow remained on his knees.

  Seeing this, Julius clenched his fists in frustration. Even if he didn’t particularly like Shadow, he refused to let a noble win.

  "Damn it, they can only win because of their artifacts!" Julius growled.

  A laugh came from behind him.

  "Commoners like you always make excuses because you can't accept reality," Jon taunted, stepping closer.

  "What did you say?!" Julius snapped, ready for a fight.

  "He doesn’t have an artifact," Jon replied.

  Julius didn’t believe him. His last noble opponent had used an artifact, so why wouldn’t this one?

  "If it's not an artifact, then how is he taking those attacks without magic?" Jin asked skeptically.

  "You commoners are so pathetic," Jon scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "It's his Blessing—'Endurance.' He has higher resistance to all elements. And since he can only use weak spells, this fight is already decided."

  Julius was irritated by Jon's arrogant attitude.

  "That’s the difference between us and you," Jon sneered before walking away.

  "He just wanted to insult us," Jin muttered.

  "Fireball!"

  A fiery explosion struck Shadow, sending him flying backward.

  "Oh no!" Jin gasped.

  The fireball had hit him directly. After the Counter Strike and the lingering electricity in his body, Shadow had become an easy target.

  "It’s not over... right?" Jin asked anxiously, looking at Julius.

  Julius took a deep breath before shouting at the top of his lungs, "Is this the kind of person who’s supposed to protect the kingdom?!"

  His voice echoed through the arena, drawing everyone's attention. Jin flushed with embarrassment at all the eyes on them.

  But Julius' words reached Shadow, who slowly stood up.

  "Ah... Grandpa would be angry if he…“ Shadow muttered to himself.

  He let his headband fall over his eyes to cover them.

  "Looks like I have no choice but to use my secret weapon."