Chapter 178: Arthur’s Faith
[Apologies, I made a mistake with the name earlier. It was supposed to be Alden, one of the top players from the Human Shelters. It’s been fixed.]
...
Inside the contestants’ waiting area, Zich wore a calm expression on the outside, even though several thoughts continued to run through his mind.
As if seeing through his thoughts, the Nullborn called "Nameless" turned his attention toward Zich.
In that instant, the two gazes met in midair.
There was nothing overwhelming or hostile about it, and both were simply trying to see through the other.
The feeling was more akin to an experienced hunter quietly observing its prey before the hunt truly began.
Perched upon Zich’s shoulder, Slimy clearly sensed the unusual aura as well.
The little slime, which had been lazily resting moments ago, instinctively shrank back and hid behind Zich’s neck before letting out an extremely soft cry.
Without saying a word, Zich gently raised a hand and softly patted Slimy’s pliant body, reassuring it that there was no need to be nervous.
After a brief silence, the corners of Zich’s lips slowly curled into an almost imperceptible smile.
There was something about fighting the unknown that was entirely thrilling to his heart.
Since they would inevitably meet sooner or later, maybe in this tournament or in the distant future where there were no rules to keep them alive, he might as well deal with one of them now.
...
After all eight Round of 16 matchups had been completely finalized on the enormous projection screen that covered the sky above the Central Arena, the noise throughout the stadium not only failed to diminish with the conclusion of the draw but instead grew even more chaotic as several highly anticipated matchups appeared at once.
Whether it was the inevitable civil war between Helen and Mira that would eliminate one of humanity’s geniuses ahead of schedule, or the difficult opponents awaiting Jayden, Lucien, Brakka, and Alden, each battle was enough to keep countless spectators arguing excitedly for a long time.
However, what truly drew the attention of the upper echelons of every race was not the matches whose outcomes could already be roughly predicted.
It was the very last pairing of the round.
[Zich — Human]
[Nameless — Nullborn]
Unlike the average players, who could only judge contestants based on what they had witnessed in battle, everyone seated inside these private boxes either controlled enormous powers or stood among the absolute strongest beings on the First Layer and beyond.
More than anyone else, they understood exactly how abnormal it was for a Nullborn Race contestant who had left behind no complete battle footage since the first stage and whose identity could only be displayed as "Nameless."
Inside Humanity’s main VIP box high above the arena, the atmosphere, which had relaxed somewhat after Helen’s successful advancement, became heavy once again as the final pairing appeared.
Several senior officials from the Players Association sat quietly in their seats.
Every gaze settled upon the black robed figure standing silently in the corner of the contestant area, each of them trying to determine the contestant’s true strength through his posture, breathing, and every minute movement.
Unfortunately, they found nothing. From the beginning of the draw until its conclusion, the Nullborn contestant known only as Nameless maintained almost exactly the same posture.
His oversized black robe naturally draped over his entire body, concealing him completely within shadows.
He showed neither contempt after drawing Zich nor excitement at the upcoming battle.
There wasn’t even the slightest change in the folds of his robe.
It was as though the cheers, discussions, and hostile gazes surrounding him simply could not reach him.
An elderly Association executive whose hair had long since turned completely white narrowed his eyes slightly.
After remaining silent for quite some time, he finally spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice.
"I had people retrieve every record from the thinning stage once again. But it seems that, for some strange reason, he was dropped into a location without any players and hadn’t encountered anyone."
The middle aged man seated opposite him frowned.
"That shouldn’t have been possible. Was it interference with the Recording Crystals? Or did the Nullborn Shelter tamper with them beforehand?"
"We cannot determine that yet."
The old man slowly shook his head.
Though age had clouded his eyes, they remained exceptionally sharp.
"If this were ordinary interference, our restoration specialists should have been able to recover at least a single critical frame. The transitions are perfectly natural, so I don’t think there was any interference."
Arthur remained silent throughout the discussion.
Seated calmly at the center of the VIP box, his deep gaze rested briefly upon Nameless before slowly shifting toward Zich standing nearby.
When he noticed that the white haired youth showed no signs of nervousness whatsoever, instead revealing an almost imperceptible trace of excitement, a thoughtful glint flashed through Arthur’s eyes.
"President."
One Association executive noticed his gaze and quietly asked,
"How likely do you think Zich is to win?"
Arthur did not answer immediately. He observed Zich silently for several breaths before finally replying in an extremely calm tone.
"Before they truly fight, every prediction is merely a meaningless number. Rather than worrying whether he can defeat that Nullborn contestant, I would rather see just how much of his hidden strength this battle can force him to reveal."
"You believe Zich has been hiding his strength this whole time?"
Arthur’s eyes remained fixed upon the arena below.
"It isn’t what I believe. He has simply never fought seriously."
The VIP box fell silent. Many Association executives already knew that Zich’s performances throughout the tournament had been highly unusual.
They also knew that in his previous match, he had defeated his opponent almost entirely through the efforts of that seemingly harmless slime.
But hearing Arthur himself make such a definitive judgment carried an entirely different weight.
If one of humanity’s greatest powerhouses declared that Zich had never once fought seriously, then his true strength was likely far more terrifying than the Association’s current estimates.
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