The moment the pairing appeared on the giant display screen, the arena went dead quiet for half a second.
Then the murmurs started.
"Aaron Emegrey?"
"The Laborer kid?"
"Isn't that a lifestyle class?"
Students leaned in close, voices low and fast. A Laborer making it to the elimination round was already strange enough. Most lifestyle classes stayed in the back fixing gear or carrying supplies. They weren't supposed to be standing on this stage.
Yet here Aaron was.
And not just here.
He had walked through the qualifiers without breaking a sweat.
Near the front rows the whispers grew sharper.
"I heard he took down Johan Liebert in the qualifiers."
"Bullshit. Johan's C-rank."
"I'm telling you, some people said it looked effortless. Like Johan never stood a chance."
Another student frowned. "And there's talk he's carrying a legendary weapon."
The rumor spread like fire through dry grass.
Across the arena, his opponent stepped forward.
Mia Voss.
The shy Recovery Priest who had shocked everyone in qualifiers by beating a C-rank Wind Archer. A support class beating a combat class. That win had already made her a small legend among the freshmen.
Now she faced a Laborer.
The crowd didn't know whether to laugh or hold their breath.
One guy in the stands scratched his head. "This matchup is weird as hell."
His friend nodded. "Normally the Laborer would be the one in trouble."
But someone behind them muttered, "Not this time."
"Why?"
The voice dropped lower. "Because this Laborer is the scary one."
Aaron walked onto the battlefield like he was taking a casual stroll. The Abyssfang Blade hung quiet at his waist. His expression didn't change. To him this was just another step.
Mia Voss stepped out from the opposite side. She gripped her small priest staff with both hands, knuckles white. When her eyes met Aaron's across the open ground, she looked even more flustered than before.
The instructor gave them a moment.
Participants were still allowed a few words before the signal.
Mia looked up, voice soft. "You're Aaron, right?"
He nodded once. "Yeah."
She hesitated, then gave a small, shy smile. "I saw you in the corridor earlier today. You seemed… calm."
Aaron's mouth twitched. "People say that a lot."
Mia laughed quietly, the sound nervous but genuine. "I'm the opposite right now. My heart feels like it's trying to climb out of my chest." Her gaze flicked to the blade at his hip, then back to his face. "But… good luck."
"You too," Aaron said.
She nodded, then stepped back to her starting position.
The instructor raised his hand.
"Ready…"
The arena fell silent. The wind across the field felt colder than usual.
"Begin!"
Mia lifted her staff immediately, starting the chant for a defensive barrier. Priests were fragile. Distance was survival. She began to back away fast.
But before she could finish the first syllable, Aaron vanished.
[Effort Theft Activated]
[Unknown Amplification Factor Applied]
Space rippled around him.
From the stands it looked like he had simply stopped existing at his starting spot.
Gasps ripped through the crowd.
"Where did he go?!"
Mia's eyes widened. A faint wind brushed past her shoulder. Then she heard a calm voice right behind her.
"Sorry."
She tried to turn.
Too late.
Aaron had crossed the entire battlefield in a single step. Two fingers pressed lightly against the back of her neck with precise, controlled force. Just enough to shut down consciousness without harm.
Mia's eyes fluttered. Her staff slipped from her fingers. She collapsed softly onto the arena floor.
The stadium went completely still.
The instructor blinked once, then looked at the timer.
The screen above the battlefield flashed.
Match Duration: 0.81 seconds.
New Tournament Record.
For one heartbeat the entire arena was silent.
Then it detonated.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"That's faster than Zheng Luic!"
"He just broke the record!"
"0.81 seconds?!"
Students shot to their feet across entire sections. The screen updated in bright red letters.
New Tournament Record
0.81 Seconds
Aaron Emegrey
Even the instructors on the observation platform looked stunned.
One of them leaned forward, voice low. "Did he just… teleport?"
Another shook his head slowly. "That was a movement technique. But I couldn't track it at all."
On the arena floor, Aaron stood calm beside Mia as academy medics rushed in. They checked her quickly, confirmed she was only unconscious, and gave the thumbs-up.
The instructor gathered himself and raised his voice.
"Match over! Winner — Aaron Emegrey!"
Rei was already standing on his seat, both arms in the air. "BROTHER AARON! YOU BROKE THE DAMN RECORD!"
Luna sat beside him, staring at the battlefield. Her fingers had stopped tapping. Something quiet and unreadable passed through her eyes.
"That speed…" she murmured, almost to herself. "That was terrifying."
Aaron watched the medics carefully carry Mia off the field. His expression never changed. The fight had lasted less than a second, but the atmosphere in the arena had shifted completely. The kind of heavy silence that comes when a crowd realizes it has been underestimating someone the whole time.
The Laborer class student was no ordinary freshman.
And somewhere in the spectator stands, Zheng Luic slowly turned his head toward the battlefield, eyes narrowing with interest for the first time all day.