Chapter 171

Just whаt kind оf bаstаrd is he?

If yоu’vе wаtсhеd Khan’s matсhеs so far, it shоuld be impоssiblе fоr suсh wоrds tо comе out.

‘Mауbe hе hаs а sеvеre hеadаche?’

Кhаn hаd shоwn a fairlу ovеrwhelming perfоrmаnce in his matchеs uр to now.

Anyonе whо had watched the mаtсhes would likеly bе wаrу оf Khan by now.

Dаring to cursе sо fеarlesslу likе thаt was impоssible unless hе was a fool lасking brains.

“Hеу, still staring? Yоu damn runt must want tо die. You’re dеad оnсe the match starts, fоr reаl.”

“……”

Кhаn said nоthing in respоnsе tо Edwen’s insults.

Мixing wоrds with а guу likе thаt would оnlу lоwer Кhаn’s own dignity and prestige.

‘As much as I’d like to shove insults back at him… I should just beat him to near death right after the match starts.’

Normally, Khan would have conserved his Mana as much as possible, but this time he felt he shouldn’t hold back.

‘There’s a little time left to recover Mana up to the quarterfinals, so using some shouldn’t matter.’

So, Khan planned to show hell to Edwen, who was looking down on him, the moment the match started.

Of course, Edwen was also a powerful Adventurer over Level 110, so Khan wondered if he could really show him hell.

‘But that doesn’t mean I should use my full power.’

Frankly, Khan was angry when Edwen first insulted him, but now he felt nothing.

[Skill ‘Sage’s Heart’ has been activated.]

It was after the Rank 10 Hidden Skill, Sage’s Heart, had automatically activated, restoring his composure.

Meanwhile, Edwen was pondering how to deal with that half-wit Mage.

‘Even if he’s a Mage, they’re all just talentless trash compared to me. The only opponent I need to be wary of is Dramos.’

Edwen had personally witnessed most of the matches with his own eyes.

While many other participants rested or slept, he deliberately checked each match of the other participants one by one.

What mattered in a one-on-one fight was understanding the opponent’s techniques and movements in advance.

So, he had stored all the participants’ techniques in his head, remembering even their movements and habits.

‘That guy uses Magic with Chantless Casting, but in a way, that’s all he has. So, he’ll be even easier to deal with.’

In Edwen’s view, Khan didn’t seem like that strong of a Mage.

First, the Mana Khan drew upon each match was even less than the Mana Edwen possessed.

That was the first reason, and the second reason was very simple.

‘The Magic that guy uses isn’t that powerful. It only looks strong on the surface, but in reality, it’s probably incredibly weak. What the hell are those guys who got hit by that kind of Magic doing? Tsk…’

Edwen was a fairly skilled Magic Swordsman.

He wasn’t well-known because he was a Wandering Adventurer who didn’t operate in Arcana, but his skills were outstanding.

However, he didn’t have flashy techniques, so he hadn’t received much attention in this tournament.

‘I’ve already analyzed him perfectly, so I should rush at him as soon as the match starts and shatter his shield first.’

The match against Khan was already fully visualized in his mind.

Edwen planned to rush at Khan as soon as the match started and swing his Aura Sword.

If that happened, Khan would use a Flame Curtain like the one he used in the previous match.

‘I’ll slice through the Flame Curtain with my Aura Sword in one go. After that, if I stab my sword into his neck, victory is absolutely mine!’

His analysis had only been wrong once.

The probability of his analysis being wrong was about 0.001%.

That’s why Edwen eagerly waited for the match to start.

After a few minutes, the tournament host, Rodion, finally shouted.

“Betting has closed! This match is expected to be so evenly matched that the outcome is unpredictable! Oh, as expected, the Betting Odds have come out the same!”

Looking at the monitor floating in the air above the Arena, the Betting Odds placed on Khan and Edwen were exactly 50 to 50.

Seeing that, Edwen felt a surge of anger rise in his head instantly.

‘Do I look like I’m on the same level as that foolish Mage bastard? I’ll show them who I really am this time.’

He valued defeating opponents most efficiently through analysis, so he had received almost no attention from the spectators until now.

Having quietly advanced to the quarterfinals, Edwen now planned to properly reveal his strength.

‘I’ll show my strongest Aura Sword, which I haven’t used until now.’

The strongest Aura Sword he could create.

It was several times more powerful than a normal Aura Sword, making it too extravagant a technique to use on Khan.

‘I’ll win overwhelmingly this time and show them exactly what kind of guy I am.’

He steeled his resolve in his heart and waited eagerly for the match to start.

As Rodion opened his mouth, the monitor floating in the air disappeared, and his voice echoed throughout the Arena.

“Alright! Then, let’s begin the first quarterfinal match right now!”

With Rodion’s shout, the countdown began, and as soon as it ended, the match started immediately.

Mana erupted from Edwen’s body, shaking the area around where he stood significantly.

So much Mana erupted that even spectators who weren’t Mages gasped in surprise.

“Whoa, what’s that? That guy barely used any Mana until now, right? What’s going on?!”

“What do you mean? Seems he was hiding his power. Heh heh… I bet on Edwen, good call. I put my entire fortune on him, so lucky me. Hahahaha!!!”

“Don’t talk nonsense!! I bet on Khan!! Khan isn’t really going to lose like this, is he…?!”

Among the spectators, those who bet on their chosen fighter shouted at the top of their lungs, almost to the point of starting fights.

In the Round of 16 matches, many results were different from expectations, so everyone was in a highly sensitive state, having lost a lot of money.

That’s why they were betting everything they had and cheering for Edwen and Khan.

“Khan!! I bet my entire fortune on you!! I’ve staked my fate, so please, just survive this once!!”

“Please survive, please!!”

“Me too!! I bet on you too!! Please don’t lose meaninglessly, I beg you!”

Spectators began cheering for Khan one by one.

Conversely, those who bet on Edwen also shouted at the top of their lungs.

“Edwen! Slice through your opponent like that!! With that much Mana, you seem to have more than a Mage?! Go kill him quickly!!”

“Finish it quickly! I’m going crazy with anticipation!!!”

The spectators shouted informally at the players, but no one said anything about it.

Because that was one of the rules of the Underground Arena Tournament.

Participants in the betting could cheer for the players in any way they wanted.

Even if they were Knights or Mages.

Since it was a legal act applicable only within the Underground Arena, the spectators’ excitement gradually ignited.

Before they knew it, all the Mana erupting from Edwen’s body was absorbed into the sword he held.

From his sword, an Aura Sword a full five meters long had been created.

It was the largest Aura Sword seen in this tournament so far.

“I’ll kill you!!”

Edwen, gripping the five-meter-long Aura Sword, rushed at Khan at full speed.

His body flew toward Khan at a speed like a missile.

In an instant, Edwen reached right in front of Khan and swung his Aura Sword.

Then, Mana also erupted from Khan’s body, and the three Circles in his heart began rotating rapidly.

Simultaneously, Khan used a skill.

[Skill ‘Flame Curtain’ has been used.]

[Mana ‘2000’ has been consumed.]

Drawing upon Mana to its maximum, a Flame Curtain ten meters in diameter was created before Khan’s eyes.

Khan didn’t stop there and cast another skill.

[Skill ‘Dark Flame’ has been used.]

[Mana ‘1000’ has been consumed.]

Then, the giant Flame Curtain turned black, forming a Dark Flame Curtain.

The heat emanating from the Dark Flame Curtain was so intense it could melt everything.

Naturally, Edwen, who had reached right in front of Khan, had no choice but to face that heat head-on.

“Grr, what kind of heat is this?!!”

The heat of the Dark Flame was so scorching it felt like his body would burn up.

Feeling immense pain instantly, he immediately swung his Aura Sword at the Dark Flame Curtain.

“A mere Flame Curtain like this can be easily shattered!!”

Unlike what he had analyzed, he felt tremendous heat from the Dark Flame Curtain, but slicing through it should still be easy.

He definitely thought so, but.

“Huh? What is this…?”

The five-meter-long Aura Sword he had created with all his power was deflected powerlessly the moment it touched the Dark Flame Curtain.

“My, my Aura Sword!! Where did my Mana go?!!”

Even the Mana contained in his sword was entirely absorbed by the Dark Flame Curtain and disappeared.

“Don’t, don’t mess with me! I’m the one who’s going to win!!! My analysis can’t be wrong!!”

Edwen shouted and swung his sword, but.

The moment his sword touched the Dark Flame, this time it burned up and completely vanished.

As Khan stretched his hand toward Edwen, the Dark Flame Curtain swallowed Edwen whole.

“It seems the weakling is you, not me.”

Without even looking at Edwen covered in Dark Flame, Khan turned and walked away.