"He really advanced to the sixth level. I can't believe this. '' Galen remarked while staring at the screen that displayed the number 6, his eyes filled with shock. He had never witnessed anyone else reaching level 6 with his own eyes before, and the only reason he was aware of its existence was that his father had told him about it.
''His proficiency with the technique is already on par with that of the family head? '' Mell, judging from her muttering, has also heard the rumors.
Although no one witnessed it firsthand, it was common knowledge among them that the head of the Demugen family had been the only one to achieve level 6 in this technique, the highest attainable level for this mid-tier technique throughout the long history of the Demugen family.
''Hey…Do you think that he will be able to beat the family head's record of 30 seconds? '' As Galen posed the question, there was a clear indication of the anticipation on his face. The fact that the family head had managed to endure at level 6 for 30 seconds by relying solely on the movement technique loomed large in his mind.
Mell hesitated for a moment, her initial response leaning towards deeming it impossible. However, as she reflected on what she had witnessed thus far and observed Raydon's seemingly unaffected demeanor in the face of level 6's difficulty, she found herself uncertain. "I don't know," she finally admitted, acknowledging the possibility that Raydon might indeed surpass the family leader's record.
With wide eyes and stunned silence, everyone began counting the seconds as they watched Raydon avoid the stones thrown at him on level 6.
''10 seconds have passed, '' Galen murmured.
With an extraordinary level of focus, he began observing Raydon's every action, determined to capture every detail. Simultaneously, he forced himself to keep track of the passing time, fully aware that Raydon's results today had the potential to reshape his entire perspective as an item holder.
And he wasn't the only one who shared his line of thinking.
---
''20 seconds have passed. '' Diam spoke with a quavering voice, no longer feeling the need to conceal her excitement in any way. The only thing that she cared about knowing at that moment was whether or not this technique, which had been a mid-tier up until this point, could go on for longer than 30 seconds and be legitimately ranked as a high tier.
''25 seconds. He will really succeed," Thalia muttered, her expression alternating between excitement and nervousness.
After Thalia's remark, everyone suddenly stopped breathing, and an incredible silence fell around them. They started counting the last five seconds, which seemed like an eternity to them.
And after those final five seconds had passed, Zephyr finally broke the silence with a voice that was full of both joy and amazement. ''30 seconds have passed. He truly surpassed the record set by my father. And… ''
"And that's still not his limit," Diam finished his incomplete sentence, her voice filled with awe. She continued, "This is the limit of our mid-tier technique, but apparently not for him. I'm sure everyone already knows what this means."
As everyone considered what Diam had said, they all swallowed. They had a profound understanding of what this indicated, and something that they had just recently realized to be true but were unable to articulate was now made abundantly clear to them by this new record.
"There can be no more uncertainty. Our technique, which has remained mid-tier for a long time, has been elevated to a high tier," Seren declared, her voice hoarse with emotion. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she continued, "I wish the family head could have seen this."
—
''How did you do this? '' Mell asked the same question she had earlier.
Her voice no longer held the disdain she had shown towards Raydon earlier. Instead, she asked in a hushed and respectful tone, careful not to distract him.
The fact that Raydon had brought this technique, which she had learned over the years, to this level in front of her eyes deserved her most sincere respect.
"Because the one I'm using is not that half-assed technique with a major flaw that you used a while ago. '' Raydon said as he carried on dodging the stones.
"Then... I apologize for my foolishness, but what exactly is the difference?" This time, Mell wasn't bothered by the fact that he referred to their technique as "half-assed." She was aware that the technique she had been proud of seemed utterly worthless in the presence of the man standing before her.
''Difference? Hmm… '' Raydon started to think.
''It's actually not about differences, '' He finally said.
''Then, what? '' When Galen saw his response, he became very excited and asked again. Regardless of what his response may be, he has the potential to increase his level of mastery in the technique as a result of the information and inspiration he would receive.
''It seems as if your technique is just crudely and forcibly combining two different techniques by imitating them. '' Raydon said.
'Oh, it has already reached level 7 difficulty? ' In the meantime, he observed an increase in both the number of stones and their rate of movement and saw the new difficulty level.
Everyone else who was watching him at the time, including Galen, was aware of this as well, but they didn't seem to care any longer. Now, more than ever, the words of Raydon meant more to them.
Everyone who was watching from the room above prayed silently to themselves that Galen would continue with his question, and their prayers were answered when Galen continued with his question. ''Two different techniques? What are those? ''
"The names of the techniques?" Raydon began pondering as if he had encountered a very challenging question.
"Ah, my apologies for the rudeness of my young master. You don't need to explain the techniques. We simply wanted to understand the shortcomings of our own technique," Mell quickly interjected, realizing that Galen's question might have come across as disrespectful.
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