Speculations

The matches went on and on until finally—

"Number 34—the only commoner in the academy across all grades—Jarek Jensson!"

"And number 67—, from the Varnis House, Stig Varnis!

When both fighters stood opposite one another, they observed one another.

[

Name: Stig Varnis 

Age: 18

Race: Fire Dragon

Cultivation: Master (Early)

Talent: High Grade (Rank 1)

Physique: None

]

The man stood with commanding confidence, his muscular physique radiating raw, fiery power. His wild, crimson hair flowed in roaring waves, and his molten golden eyes burned with intensity.

Jarek recognized Stig as he is a student who always stood out in the fire class.

Meanwhile, on Stig's side, as he was observing Jarek, he felt a faint yet unnatural sense of danger.

His instincts were trying to tell him that there was something wrong with this human.

He was a threat.

But despite that, Stig smiled as he radiated fierce battle intent.

Across all races, no race enjoyed a good battle as much as the dragons.

They were really simple creatures, most of them.

They mostly solved their problems amongst themselves with their fists.

The one with a bigger fist is always right.

"So, who do you think is going to win?" One of the upperclassmen asked his friend.

"I'll bet on the commoner. He is almost about to break through to the next stage. I think he has a higher chance of winning."

"What do you know? I think Stig is most likely to win this match. Look at the battle will he is emitting. With his foundation, this battle will end in his victory."

In another section of the seating area—

"Boss, that's him." One of the familiar cloaked figures pointed at Jarek in the arena.

These people were naturally Thrain and his subordinates.

Thrain nodded. "Let's see how good he is. It will make it easier to get rid of him, knowing his abilities in advance."

Jarek, who was now inside the semi-sphere barrier, couldn't hear this conversation, but if he could, he would have sneered inwardly. 'You want to get rid of me? How? Just accept your fate.'

"Begin!"

Stig rushed forward as soon as he heard the signal.

It seemed that he wished for a direct confrontation with their fists, considering he wasn't making any attempts to use any ability.

Jarek raised an eyebrow at this, not expecting the situation to develop this way, but he just welcomed his attack with his own.

When their fists collided, a booming sound was produced, and they both moved back by a few steps.

Stig looked at his hand, which was in pain and shaking, thinking, 'What is his body made out of?'

He felt as if he had hit metal.

'A defensive reinforcement physique?'

Sadly, his speculations were very wrong.

The reason why Jarek's body was so durable was that he had the combat prowess of an Empyrean.

Even if he suppresses his strength to that of a Master, his body retains the durability of an Empyrean's body.

So, while this means he can't end the battle in a single blow, Stig also can't deal any effective damage to Jarek.

Jarek can just tank his attacks until he starts to tire out and defeat Stig at his own game.

Jarek was bound to be the winner in this fist fight, and it was this confidence that assured he wouldn't lose against Stig.

He felt it was a rare opportunity to find a rare opportunity to find an opponent who likes hand-to-hand combat.

He didn't have the chance to refine his hand-to-hand combat skills ever since he came to this world.

Stig became even more excited when he realized he was facing against a worthy opponent.

In the academy, there was only one other person who could defeat him in a physical confrontation.

He wouldn't even be able to withstand five blows from that person.

But this was a battle he could enjoy to his heart's content.

With a smile that said he was loving every minute of this battle, he launched a strike at Jarek, who inwardly rolled his eyes and thought.

'I almost break your arm, and you become even more excited. Are you a masochist?'

Jarek deflected the incoming strike to the side, only to launch his own, forcing Stig to dodge.

Stig then aimed a kick at Jarek's left side, to which Jarek responded by guarding his left only to receive an attack aimed at his face, which he naturally dodged.

They both moved at speeds that common mortals would only see their attacks as afterimages.

Throughout the battle, Jarek had fallen for several of Stig's feints, but because of his body's defensive capabilities, he hadn't suffered any damage.

In contrast, Stig had several bruises on his body and was breathing heavily, his stamina running low.

Inwardly, he was shocked by Jarek's talent and combat skills.

His rate of growth was really terrifying.

At the beginning of the battle, he was able to overwhelm Jarek because of their difference in hand-to-hand combat experience.

To put it bluntly, Jarek was a complete novice when it came to fist fights.

In both lives, he had never been in situations that forced him to box someone.

In his past life, he never even seriously fought against someone. He was just an ordinary person.

And in this life, even if he got into dangerous situations, he just used tools to get out of those situations, like the medium-grade cage he stole from Thrain.

This was the first time he experienced this kind of battle.

Stig had an overwhelming advantage at the start, but as the battle progressed, the number of hits he could land decreased.

Jarek was adapting and closing the skill gap between them.

In fact, Jarek was even mimicking his fighting style and using it against him.

Before Stig can form an attack, Jarek would be ready with his counterattack, almost as if he knew Stig's move even before he made it.

If Mir hadn't died and was present to watch this match, he would be shaking his head helplessly at how similar this battle was compared to his own.

Both Jarek and Eira were freaks.

Someone else shared the same sentiment. This rate of adaptation is extremely abnormal.

Inside another underground chamber, both Brynhild and Astrid were watching the match with interest.

Unlike other students, these two princesses were the only participants allowed to share a chamber.

Their status wasn't just for show. Even the academy has to make certain concessions for them.

And the academy therefore fulfilled their request willingly.

Brynhild's eyes narrowed as she observed the match, and then after a few minutes, she posed a question to Astrid, who was beside her.

"Astrid, what do you think about Jarek's combat skills?"

As her eyes were still on both fighters, Astrid gave her honest opinion.

"His talent is terrifying. In only a short time, he went from being an amateur to a fighter who seems even more experienced than Stig. His adaptability is incomprehensible. Even I am not sure I can defeat him in a clash of fists."

Brynhild nodded at Astrid's analysis. Then she added with a mysterious smile, "Yes, his adaptability is quite unsettling. But there is something that almost everyone else hasn't noticed."

Astrid directed an inquisitive look, as if urging Brynhild to go on.

"Species traits." She spoke those two words and became silent, waiting for Astrid to try to connect the dots.

'Species traits? How does that have anything to do with him?' Astrid couldn't find the connection between the two.

Brynhild, seeing that her friend wasn't able to connect the dots, lent a helping hand.

"Take, for example, you dragons. You have an unnatural level of defense, and your affinity for soul laws can't be matched by any other race at the same level. That is your species traits."

"As for us phoenixes, we are unparalleled when it comes to fire manipulation. And no other races can compare to us in that regard."

Astrid nodded at this, since they were things she already knew. 

But Brynhild's next question left her unable to answer.

"But what about humans?"

"Humans aren't essentially more talented in any specific law. What makes them special is that they can use any law they have an affinity for. They can do what other races can as long as they have the appropriate affinity or physique. An example of this would be that they also make their own weapons, something only the dwarves should be capable of because of their metal and fire laws. Don't you find this strange?"

Astrid did indeed find this strange. She hadn't thought much about this before.

But Brynhild wasn't done yet.

"What makes humans unique is their ability to adapt. I was lucky enough to learn about this from my master two years ago. She also mentioned that how strong one's racial traits would be is determined by one's foundation. The more powerful your foundation, the stronger your trait will be."

This information surprised Astrid, but it was still not enough to lead her thoughts to where Brynhild wanted.

Brynhild then turned to look at Jarek and continued, "I can tell that he hides more than he lets on. If what I am thinking is correct, then his foundation might be even better than ours."

"Impossible. How can someone who comes from this place have a better foundation than ours, which was crafted by our ancestors' energy?" Astrid naturally found this hard to believe, even if it was her intelligent friend suggesting so.

It was too absurd.

Brynhild didn't say anything because, in the end, it was still speculation.

But she felt that her thoughts were heading in the right direction if she wanted to unravel the mystery that is Jarek Jensson.

"Have you ever thought about the possibility that he might have found a treasure beyond the supreme grade?"

Seeing that she still needed more to convince Astrid, she added, "Wasn't the founder of this academy, sect, and order such a case? He rose from mediocrity to the peak of this world with the help of a powerful treasure. Even now, we don't know what kind of treasure it is. What if Jarek's case is the same?"

Brynhild's gaze now reflected Jarek's figure, who was completely dominating Stig, and said, "Didn't you also notice at the beginning of the match that when Stig managed to land a few blows, Jarek didn't suffer any damage. One might think that this is because he possesses a defensive type of reinforcement physique, but that still doesn't explain his insane adaptive capabilities. So, the only logical conclusion would be..."

"He is holding back," Astrid answered, now sounding somewhat convinced but also a bit wary.

"Yes. He must keep his secret hidden and be careful not to arouse even the slightest hint of suspicion. Then his strength is that of a peak Grandmaster or maybe an Initial Empyrean." Brynhild had a look of slight admiration at this mysterious classmate of hers.

Jarek had managed to fool the entire academy, putting up a facade that was almost impossible to unravel.

If she weren't a student here, Jarek would not only have fooled the academy but the entire world. 

She was certain that Jarek was destined to reach the top of this world and beyond.

"So what do we do now?" Astrid asked, unsure of their next course of action with this new information in hand.

"We will keep this information to ourselves for now. But after the tournament, we will have to meet with him."

When Astrid heard this, she frowned but still agreed with Brynhild, her thoughts unknown.

Brynhild, on the other hand, who was already several steps ahead, thought, 'I'll have to make sure he chooses me.'