Chapter 833: Dangerous
Asher, William, Finch, Ryaen, and Vaelric were still discussing amongst themselves as they remained seated on the ground. Soon enough, their space rings were returned to them, and the very first thing each of them did was inspect the contents of their respective rings to ensure that nothing had been taken or swapped out for fakes or replicas.
"But I have to ask," William spoke, his eyes turning towards Asher, "aren’t you a bit too outrageous? Even with the greatest talents of our generation from across the entire world gathering in one place, they still couldn’t make you look any less like a monster," he sighed, genuinely exasperated at this point as he simply couldn’t comprehend how Asher possessed such absurd talent.
Asher smiled as he replied, "You all already know I’ve always been this talented. It really shouldn’t come as a shock or surprise to any of you," his tone calm and devoid of any trace of boasting or arrogance.
Ryaen shook her head as she spoke, "Sometimes I wonder how you’re able to remain so calm despite having this much talent. Most people would have become smug, arrogant, and insufferable long ago," she had already been fully healed. All she needed now was to return to the hotel, rest to recover her stamina and Astra energy, and then enjoy a long, thorough bath and meal.
Not only her, but William and everyone else had also been completely healed. The only thing any of them lacked now was sufficient rest after the exhausting events of the Qualifier Round.
"I know, right?... Sigh... I’m just far too humble for my own good," Asher replied in a playful tone, his expression carrying just enough seriousness to make everyone question whether he was joking or genuinely believed what he had just said.
William immediately rolled his eyes while Ryaen couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh at Asher’s shameless self-praise.
Finch, who had remained silent throughout, finally spoke, "Although the gap between you and everyone else is insane, do you think anyone can truly pose a challenge to you during the next stage of the competition?" his tone filled with curiosity.
At Finch’s question, everyone’s attention immediately sharpened.
Seeing their gazes fixed upon him, Asher paused for a brief moment before speaking, "Arianna Haellight."
"The second-ranked participant? But the gap between your score and hers is simply too immense that I’m honestly beginning to doubt all the hype surrounding her," Vaelric spoke, completely forgetting that he himself hadn’t even managed to place within the top five hundred.
"None of you can sense it because your danger instincts aren’t as sharp as mine," Asher began to speak, his eyes unconsciously shifting towards Arianna. "Although her presence feels calm, gentle, and almost inviting... she is dangerous," his tone low and unusually serious.
The group couldn’t help but experience a wave of surprise. Throughout all the time they had spent together since becoming friends, this was the very first time they had ever heard Asher openly describe someone as dangerous.
Asher didn’t doubt his instincts in the slightest. Although Arianna didn’t emit any oppressive aura or overwhelming pressure, his senses had always been extraordinarily sharp and naturally attuned to these kinds of things. His intuition had warned him countless times before, and it had never once betrayed him.
"For you to call her dangerous means she is strong enough for you to genuinely acknowledge her," Finch began to speak. "So... if the two of you fought, who do you think would win?" he asked.
Everyone stared intently at Asher as they patiently awaited his answer.
Asher merely smiled before replying, "You all already know the answer to that question."
Although Asher said that, his eyes couldn’t help but drift towards Arianna one final time before he deliberately looked away. Asher had always known he was talented. In fact, he had no hesitation in calling himself the most talented individual within the entire Zarethorne Empire.
However, he had never once declared himself to be the most talented person in the world. After all, who truly knew what kinds of monsters existed within the other Empires? Even hidden Organisations like The Consumed could easily possess geniuses whose talents had never been revealed because of the secrecy surrounding their existence and Organization.
Asher could tell that Arianna was talented, dangerously talented, in fact, to the extent that she made someone like Ryaen who was already a monster appear almost ordinary by comparison. But whether her talent could truly match his own... Asher honestly didn’t know. Deep down, however, he couldn’t help but doubt it because of the overwhelming advantages granted to him by his absurdly overpowered abilities and unique physique.
At the end of the day, there was only one way to find out; when they eventually crossed blades.
And he looked forward to that more than anything.
"I won’t lie, I’m actually getting hyped to see the two of you fight. I seriously hope the next round is a one-versus-one format so both of you can get straight to it," William spoke, his eyes shining brightly with excitement at the mere thought of such a battle.
Vaelric rose to his feet as he spoke, "I’m guessing there are probably two more rounds before the Inter-Empire Competition finally comes to an end... just a guess, though."
Asher, Finch, William, and Ryaen also rose to their feet as they prepared to leave the stage. However, before any of them could even take a single step, FatelessPen appeared before them in a blip.
The very moment he appeared, his eyes swept across every Zarethorne Empire student present before he spoke. "Good job. You’ve made the Empire proud."
"Thank you, sir," everyone replied in unison.
FatelessPen nodded before his gaze settled upon Asher.
"After creating such a ridiculous gap between yourself and the rest of the students on the rankings, don’t go and get yourself eliminated. After all, Thalric has the White Flag excuse. You don’t," he instructed, offering Asher neither personal praise nor special congratulations despite the astonishing achievement.
"I don’t plan to," Asher replied flatly. He intended to go all out whenever the opponent demanded it and play around whenever the opponent wasn’t worth revealing too much strength against.
FatelessPen nodded before turning away. He proceeded to gather the other students, including Teo Swig, telling them exactly the same thing he had told Asher and his friends. He specifically instructed Teo Swig not to lose against anyone who wasn’t from the Zarethorne Empire... which essentially meant that the only person Teo Swig was permitted to lose against was Asher.
Teo Swig’s eyes shifted towards Asher.
He remembered meeting the young man almost two months ago. Back then, he hadn’t thought much of Asher because the latter had merely been a first-year student. However, seeing Asher accumulate such an incomprehensible number of points had genuinely left him stunned for a brief moment before his expression naturally returned to normal.
Even so, he made no attempt to walk over and strike up a conversation with Asher. Teo Swig had never been much of a talker and had always preferred silence over unnecessary conversation. He was simply an introverted powerhouse who allowed his actions to speak far louder than his words ever could.
"Let’s go. I came here to take all of you to the bus. We’re heading back to the Gentle Hotel," FatelessPen stated.
"What about the other students? Like those who fainted and all that?" one of the third-year students, Teo Swig’s classmate, who had also managed to finish within the top fifty, asked.
"I already have a clone staying with them at all times. Once they wake up, I’ll simply teleport each of them directly to their rooms. As for everyone else who was eliminated earlier, they’re already waiting outside near the bus," FatelessPen replied.
With that, everyone nodded before beginning to walk out of the stage and eventually out of the Coliseum itself. Countless discussions filled the air as students enthusiastically talked about everything that had happened throughout the Qualifier Round, exchanging opinions, theories, and predictions about the rounds that were yet to come.
Asher could feel the gazes of the qualified third-year students resting upon him from time to time, but he couldn’t be bothered acknowledging any of them. He didn’t know them personally, nor did he have any particular interest in talking to unknown people at the moment.
