Chapter 269: 1st Level Matches Over Chapter 269: 1st Level Matches Over Singham instantly released the wing and contracted its head backwards, the glowing beak missing by mere centimetres. Enraged, the lion opened its maw as Aura gathered rapidly. A beam began forming at point-blank range. The raven scrambled backward, wings flapping frantically. Realizing the danger, it attempted to take flight. Too late. Singham unleashed the partially charged beam. The blast tore through the air and struck one of the raven’s wings directly. Craaaaaaa! The raven let out a piercing screech, spiraling out of control before crashing violently onto the arena floor. At that same moment, Singham felt movement beneath its paw. The falcon’s wingspan—originally 8 to 10 meters—began expanding. Wind roared violently outward, whipping dust into spirals. But— Singham had already charged another Aura Beam. The falcon beneath him felt terror, which was amplified by the previous roar. The beam fired point-blank into its head. The next instant, the falcon vanished—defeated. "F-fuck... such disparity?" Uraan muttered through gritted teeth, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He knew Leon was strong and expected defeat. But not this one-sided. If Leon was this powerful... then just how strong was Leo, the person Leon stood beside so naturally? Now that his highest-ranked beast was defeated, all chances of winning were gone Singham began walking toward the raven leisurely, heavy paws thudding against the arena floor—like a king approaching prey that had already accepted death. "I am a petty man, I get back to people who have done even tiny bit wrong to me." Leon said with a smirk. "This is the payback for the back slap you delivered back in the room." --- "Good, good, good!" Katherine said cheerfully, clapping her hands lightly, her eyes shining. "I can see that his soul damage has not dimmed his desire to grow stronger at all. On the contrary, he seems even more lively than he was when he left the house!" she added, watching the smile Leon had plastered across his face. "Do you think he will return?" Brant asked. Katherine shook her head without hesitation. "Not a chance. Unless that stupid brother of mine does something, Leon won’t even go to meet him—even if he’s on his dying breath," she said dismissively, not removing her gaze from the arena for even a second. Then her expression shifted. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why does it look like...?" She leaned forward. "Look closely. Doesn’t his body look far too good for someone suffering from such a severe soul-devouring curse?" Brant stroked his chin thoughtfully, eyes sharpening. After a while, he spoke. "As I suspected, that brat indeed has something that nourishes soul. I noticed a scar on his hand earlier—it seemed to have healed unnaturally fast. And unlike normal wounds, that scar had almost completely faded." He paused, recalling carefully. "Maybe it’s his talent. Or some treasure... wait. He did mention something about a soul treasure. But shouldn’t he have consumed it already?" "Who? Leo? The first—er, second-ranked student? The same one Lily can’t seem to stop talking about?" Katherine asked, glancing sideways at him. Brant simply nodded. Below in the arena, Leon finished Uraan. A notification rang out sharply. Ting! Balance: 1,602,090 AC [500,000] -> 2,652,090 AC With this, the 1st level matches came to an end, deciding 5 winners and 5 losers. Winners: 1. Leo 2. Aaron Stone 3. Lily 4. Ronan Virex 5. Leon Losers: 1. Tavian Gridfall 2. Lyra Noctis 3. Dhalia Renner 4. Marco 5. Uraan Hurricane Now, the 5 winners would move on to the next stage, while the losers’ bracket would begin. Currently, the time read 11 AM. After a 1-hour break, the matches would officially resume. "Damn, I made some sweet money, hehe," Uraan muttered, staring at the balance displayed on his phone despite the dried blood at the edge of his lips which wasn’t cleaned properly. Apparently, he had bet against himself, completely certain his loss was guaranteed. The same went for the other 3 boys—Aaron, Ronan, and Marco. All of them had made generous sums after betting on Leon during the last betting window. Dhalia grew restless watching them profit so shamelessly while she wasn’t even allowed to place a bet. Her foot tapped against the floor impatiently. Lyra felt the same frustration, though she maintained her composure, her expression calm and unreadable. As for Leo, Leon, and Lily—they weren’t concerned in the slightest. Miho had been placing bets on their behalf. As it turned out, even after Miho wagered the full 500,000 AC for someone, she was still left with additional credits. She redistributed those remaining credits among the 3 girls and made them bet however she wanted, promising each of them 100,000 AC at the end. Just from Leon’s last match alone, they had earned nearly 2.5 million. It could have reached 3 million—or even 4 million—if not for the credits falling short. All 3 girls—Aina, Mira, and Sylva—were dumbfounded by the numbers glowing on their screens and by how effortlessly Miho was striking rich. Miho giggled softly, cheeks tinged a faint red as her fingers tapped against the phone screen softly. The girls could only sigh helplessly. They couldn’t even think of cheating her. Behind Miho stood 3 monsters who could swat them like flies if they tried anything funny. Soon, the fighting system was announced. Since the prizes from 4th to 10th place were identical, the academy only needed to determine the top student from the losers’ bracket. Thus, a single-elimination round was introduced. Matches in the Losers’ Bracket: 1. Dhalia Renner — Marco 2 Lyra Noctis — Uraan Hurricane Tavian Gridfall is given a bye. Once again, the matchups were intriguing enough to keep the audience hooked. Ice vs Ice. Ground speedster vs Air speedster. The winner from both matches would fight Tavian in Match 3. The victor of that match would then face the remaining contender. This would decide the final winner of the losers’ bracket, who would be granted the opportunity to challenge the students in the winners’ bracket for a chance to enter the Top 3. As for the rest of the rankings, any student who wished to challenge someone ranked 4th or below could do so. But it was unlikely. The more matches an individual displayed before the audience, the more of their vulnerabilities they revealed. And exposing the weaknesses of a Top 10 student was practically a death sentence in later Inter-academy competitions. Not only would it put them at risk, there was no real benefit—the rewards remained the same. In the end, it was only ego at play. --- A/N: Bruh, what the hell is happening to my laptop whole day? One shutdown, and its gone for more than 2 hours. It has already occured thrice today.