Chapter 91: Darius Asturias returned
"Did he destroy the magic with sheer magical power? Wow, is he that strong?" Among the group of judges and referees, some were surprised by Lucius’s impressive magical power.
"Although it looked a little strange... What kind of magic is that?"
"Who knows. It seems to come with an Echo. I wonder what kind of beast he got it from?"
"An Echo that doesn’t require a confined space to move forward and strike with magic... It’s the first time I’ve seen this kind of magic."
"It looks like physical magic, but from a distance..."
"Physical magic, but from a distance..." One of them shuddered. "It’s scary to face someone like that."
"Hehe... I think that little assassin just got a taste of it."
The crowd was also surprised, and those who had come solely to watch Lucius’s match felt they had gotten their money’s worth.
That person wasn’t just skilled at crafting tools—he was also a very talented mage.
Among them, in the VIP lounges, the Asturias family was gathered.
Valerius, surrounded by several elders, was seated in the middle of the room, next to Elara Castelier, who had recently been staying in the city.
"Do you think he deliberately hid his power while he was with the family?" Elara asked suddenly, as she watched Lucius’s fight come to a swift conclusion.
Valerius frowned. "No," he replied coldly.
"He suddenly became talented after being humiliated by his family—just like in novels, is that it?" Elara teased him a little.
"If life were that simple, the world wouldn’t be in chaos."
"Hehe, just a little joke." She laughed. But she turned her attention back to the arena. "So is it a treasure?"
That sounded so implausible that Elara almost took it as a bad joke.
What kind of high-level treasure could he have obtained—one that has granted him the superhuman talent he’s demonstrated in every possible tactic?
A skilled swordsman. A top-tier mage. An impressive toolmaker... Was that even possible?
Valerius himself doubted that claim.
Chrrr!
The door behind them swung open.
Valerius looked toward it.
Darius, completely shrouded in dark clothing, entered the room.
"You’re back," Valerius said, welcoming him.
Darius simply nodded and looked toward the combat arena. "So, Father, is it a treasure?"
Valerius stared at him, surprised that this was his first question upon entering. However, he nodded.
"Of course it is. And it must be one..."
"Of a very high level," Darius interrupted, finishing his sentence. "Right?"
Valerius nodded, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "It’s probably treasure left behind by some legendary figure from the past."
"Like Miss Asturias, right?" Darius continued.
Valerius finally decided to give him his full attention and swiveled his chair around.
"Do you have something to tell me?" he asked.
"No, Father." Darius shook his head, his blue eyes sparkling behind his hood. "My match is about to start. I have a few surprises in store, so stick around to see them," he said before turning and walking away.
Valerius noticed a few strange things, but he didn’t think much of them. He turned his gaze back to the combat arena.
Meanwhile, Elara could only sigh.
Darius’s match was next.
The first thing that stood out on the arena was Darius’s new Local Ranking: #501!
"This kid... has burst onto the C-Rank scene with a bang." Valerius gave him his immediate approval. And to break into that ranking without having to fight the one who previously held it means he must have battled some very powerful beast during his hunt.
His opponent was strong as well—Rank #700...
But the fight was a one-sided rout.
Darius didn’t show off his new spells, but judging by his overall strength, he was clearly not just a weak Rank C.
He probably had 15 Mana Marks and was at the pinnacle of Rank C.
"He could reach Rank B without needing 20 Marks," said a judge, genuinely surprised.
-
That day, two people took the top spots on The Wall’s Trends.
[Random_Internet_User 1: Oh, shit. That guy Lucius has some extraordinary magic!]
[Random_Internet_User 2: What the hell is that? Echo magic, in open areas? Where does that thing come from?]
[Random_User 3: Did you see that power? Even if he was an Assassin, he shouldn’t have gone down with just one hit... It was the second-fastest fight of the day!]
[Random_de_Internet 1: @Random_3 What do you mean, "second"? Who on earth could have finished a match faster than that? That match barely lasted 1 minute and 13 seconds!]
[Random_3: @Random_de_Internet 1 Didn’t you see it? Darius Asturias’s match!]
[XXX1: Wasn’t that guy supposed to fight the Wind Spearman? Did he beat him in even less time?]
[XXX3: He did it in 59 seconds, man! Have you been living under a rock or something?]
[XXX1: Oh, shit! I have to go watch the replay!]
--
Lucius checked the trends on The Wall and looked at the thousands of comments surrounding the fights that had taken place that day.
Whenever he participated in a tournament or something similar, he liked to watch replays of the matches. It was the only way to study his opponent so thoroughly.
Although today he spent over an hour reading comments from internet users, they were very lively.
Some comments even made him laugh out loud, which came as a surprise to Clara.
"Um... Lucius." She called out to him suddenly, after watching him like that for over an hour.
"Yes?" Lucius looked up from the computer screen and glanced at Clara, who was sitting beside him.
They were already in the workshop.
"Aren’t you worried about Darius’s sudden rise? He’s become really strong. I think that below Rank B... no one can match him."
Lucius nodded. "Of course no one can match him. I’m afraid you’d have to bring someone from the Capital for him to lose. Didn’t I tell you he was very talented? Lately, he seems more focused."
"..." Clara was speechless.
She hadn’t expected to ask him that just to hear praise for his greatest enemy...
"What’s wrong? Didn’t I tell you that?"
"No... you did." Clara nodded. "But aren’t you worried?"
"Oh. That’s why." Lucius nodded slightly and turned his gaze back to the computer.
The fight between Darius and the Wind Spearman was playing there—the video with the most views and comments of the day throughout New Asturias and the surrounding regions.
Even in other cities where this same tournament was taking place, people were talking about the fights in New Asturias, and Darius was the center of attention.
"He’s really good—I have to admit it," Lucius acknowledged. "In a head-to-head fight, I’d have a tough time. Even with your help, right now I have a 40% chance of beating him face-to-face, and maybe I’m setting the bar too high for myself."