Chapter 10: Congratulations! You Might Be Overpowered (Or Just Very Confused)
Lucas stumbled back into the arena, still dazed from whatever just happened underground.
His body felt weird.
Not "I-ate-too-much-food" weird.
More like "Did I just absorb the power of an ancient warrior?" weird.
The crowd whispered in shock.
Claire was screaming. "LUCAS, WHAT HAPPENED?! WHY ARE YOU GLOWING?!"
Lucas looked down.
Sure enough—his hands were flickering with some kind of blue energy.
Lucas scratched his head. "Huh… this is new."
Raven watched him carefully.
She had seen fighters unlock latent abilities before, but Lucas?
Lucas was a complete clown.
And yet—this wasn't normal.
Something about that power felt… different.
She tightened her fists. "No excuses. We finish this."
Lucas blinked. "Wait, what? But I just—"
WHOOSH!
Raven lunged at him.
Lucas instinctively raised his arms—
And then—
Something crazy happened.
The moment Raven's fist was about to smash his face in—
Lucas' body moved on its own.
He sidestepped effortlessly, his hand barely brushing Raven's attack—
BOOM!
A shockwave blasted outward as her punch hit empty air instead of Lucas.
Raven's eyes widened. "What—?!"
Lucas stared at his own hands.
"…Okay, I definitely didn't mean to do that."
Claire's jaw hit the floor.
"DID HE JUST… DODGE ON INSTINCT?!"
Lucas tried to make sense of it.
His body felt lighter, faster, stronger.
Memories that weren't his flickered in his mind.
Like someone had just downloaded a whole martial arts movie into his brain.
Lucas scratched his head. "Wait, did I… learn how to fight?"
Raven narrowed her eyes.
"No. You're just a lucky fool who unlocked something you don't understand."
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
Raven attacked again.
Lucas panicked and tried to block.
His body moved by itself again—this time, his hand shot out in a perfect counter.
Raven's attack was redirected effortlessly.
She stumbled backward.
Lucas stared at his hand.
"…Did I just counterattack? On purpose?"
Claire shrieked. "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW YOU'RE DOING THIS?!"
Lucas sighed. "Nope. But it looks cool, right?"
Up in the VIP section, the Headmaster was smirking.
"Fascinating. It seems he's awakened the Ancient Flow Technique."
One of the instructors paled. "Sir… if that's true, then—"
The Headmaster just chuckled. "Then things are about to get much more interesting."
Raven wasn't done.
If Lucas had awakened some random OP power, then she had no reason to hold back anymore.
She took a deep breath.
And then—
A dark aura flared around her.
Lucas immediately felt the temperature drop.
His instincts screamed at him to run.
Raven vanished in an instant.
Lucas panicked.
"OH, COME ON—"
WHAM!
She appeared right behind him and smashed him into the ground.
Lucas groaned in pain. "Okay. That hurt. That really hurt."
Raven wasn't done.
She struck again.
Lucas barely dodged.
But his movements were getting sharper.
It was like his body was slowly catching up to the power.
Raven frowned.
"So, you really are learning mid-battle."
Lucas dusted himself off. "Uh… yeah? I guess?"
Raven sighed. "Fine. I'll end this properly."
Lucas paled. "Wait. No. That's not necessary—"
Raven launched forward.
Lucas instinctively countered.
Their attacks clashed in mid-air—
A massive shockwave rippled across the stadium.
The audience gasped.
And then—
BAM!
Both fighters hit the ground at the same time.
A cloud of dust exploded around them.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then the referee hesitated.
"…A draw?"
Lucas groaned. "Did I win?"
Claire ran over. "NO, YOU IDIOT, YOU TIED!"
Lucas gave a thumbs up. "Nice. That's, like, half a win."
Raven slowly sat up, wiping sweat from her forehead.
She studied Lucas.
Then, for the first time, she smirked.
"You're not as useless as I thought."
Lucas blinked.
"…Was that a compliment?"
Claire dragged him away. "YOU ALMOST DIED, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT?!"
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End of Chapter 10.