Chapter 123: Zich’s Turn
"Break Wind Slash!"
The sword struck toward Mira with a sharp burst of pressure.
This attack was far faster than the ones before.
But the instant he lifted his shoulder, Mira had already moved.
She had already judged the direction before the sword even came out.
The blade brushed the edge of her clothes and cut a shallow mark into the arena floor.
At the same time, Mira’s scythe handle hooked behind Kahn’s knee.
She stomped down. Roots wrapped around his other leg. Then she twisted both hands.
BOOM!
Kahn was slammed to the ground once more.
This time, before he could even get up, the blade of Mira’s scythe was already resting beside his neck.
Kahn’s face turned green. A few seconds later, he gritted his teeth and said, "I surrender."
The host’s voice immediately rang out.
"Winner, Mira Veil!"
After a brief silence, the arena erupted.
This time, it was no longer laughter. It was genuine shock and cheering.
"She really won!"
"A farmer beat a combat class?"
"And not only won, she barely got hurt."
"That isn’t a normal farmer, is it?"
Mira withdrew her scythe and bent down to pick up her farmer’s hat.
She gently brushed off the dust, put it back on her head, and her expression remained as calm as if nothing had happened.
She did not celebrate. She did not look at the crowd. She simply walked off the stage quietly.
Soon, the Association’s light screen began updating the evaluation. Everyone’s eyes turned toward it.
[Mira Veil — Evaluation Result]
[Combat Ability: B+]
[Control: S]
[Adaptability: A+]
[Battlefield Contribution Potential: S]
After Mira stepped down, the entire arena still had not quieted down.
There were murmurs everywhere in the stands. Many people were still staring at the evaluation results on the light screen, especially that glaring Control: S Rank, which made the faces of many who had previously mocked her turn strangely awkward.
A farmer class.
Control: S.
Putting those two things together, it looked unreal no matter how you saw it.
"Did the Association already know she was this strong?"
"No wonder they hid her away."
"I still think this fighting style is too strange. It does not look like proper combat at all."
"But she won, and she was barely injured."
"Battlefield Contribution Potential: S. That score is higher than many combat classes."
The discussion rolled on wave after wave.
Zich sat in the audience, quietly watching Mira return to the contestant area. The girl in the farmer’s hat still did not celebrate, and she did not say much to anyone else either. She simply sat back down in her seat, as if that victory was nothing worth paying attention to.
Zich’s gaze lingered on her for a few seconds, and he couldn’t help but subconsciously think about her threat level.
Mira’s class looked ordinary, even weak, but her abilities were not meant for direct explosive duels. Her strength was controlling terrain, disrupting rhythm, and restricting movement.
If it were on a real battlefield, especially one with dirt, grassland, farmland, or forest, she would only become more troublesome.
’If I ever fight her later, I cannot give her time to prepare the terrain.’
Zich quickly came to that conclusion in his mind.
Just as the audience was still discussing Mira, the light screen flickered again.
The host’s voice came from the arena platform.
"The next candidate."
A name slowly appeared on the light screen.
[Zich Grave]
The arena reacted almost instantly.
Some people immediately cheered, clearly those who had heard the rumors about the Golden Secret Realm. Quite a few others jeered because, in their eyes, a summoner was still not the kind of class suited to represent humanity.
"He’s here!"
"That summoner!"
"The guy from the Golden Secret Realm?"
"I want to see just how strong he really is."
"Isn’t a summoner just someone who hides in the back?"
"If he really is as strong as the rumors say, then prove it to us."
Listening to those voices, Zich let out a faint sigh.
He had originally wanted to watch a few more matches.
At least see when Helen and Jaden would go up.
But clearly, the Association had no intention of giving him more time to watch.
He stood up from his seat and walked calmly toward the arena platform. No wave, no response, and no extra movement.
Yet the more he acted like that, the louder the surrounding voices became.
In the contestant area, Helen watched him go up, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
Jaden’s expression grew even colder.
Mira lightly raised the brim of her hat and looked toward Zich. There was no mockery in her gaze, nor was her curiosity obvious. She was simply watching quietly.
Zich stepped onto the arena platform.
His opponent was already standing there.
It was a tall combat class player, wearing heavy armor and holding a broad-bladed longsword. The other man looked at Zich with undisguised disdain.
"So you’re that summoner who’s been blown up so much?"
Zich glanced at him.
"Seems so."
The other man sneered. "I don’t like summoners. Hiding behind monsters and making others fight for you. What kind of strong person is that?"
"A strong person who saves effort."
The man’s expression stiffened.
Someone in the audience laughed.
The combat player’s face darkened even more.
"I’ll show everyone that real combat doesn’t come from piling up pets."
Zich looked at the host.
"Can we start?"
The other man’s face turned even darker.
The host coughed lightly and pressed down the noise in the venue.
"Zich Grave, please register the summons you will use in this match before the battle."
The moment those words were spoken, the entire arena quieted down a lot.
Everyone was waiting.
They wanted to know what Zich would bring out.
According to the rumors about the Golden Secret Realm, his summons were strange. Some said he had a powerful undead knight, some said he had insect-like monsters, and some even linked him to the mysterious Master Shroud.
Zich raised his hand.
He did not summon Iron.
He did not summon Blood Leech.
He did not summon Silverback Ape.
And there was no way he would summon Tiamant.
A faint light flashed.
A blue slime appeared beside him.
Slimy bounced once, its round eyes looking around nervously, almost as if it were a little tense.
The entire arena fell silent for half a second. Then laughter exploded.
