Chapter 406: Noah vs Grandmaster [3] Noah raised his sword one more time, gathering the last of his mana reserves. Fire and wind combined into a spiraling vortex around his blade—a technique that represented the pinnacle of what his current skills could achieve. The Manticore charged one final time, everything it had left committed to this last attack. WHOOSH! They met in the center of the clearing. SLASH! Noah’s sword, empowered by combined elemental manipulation and master-tier technique, met the Manticore’s descending claws and venomous tail in a catastrophic collision of power. For a heartbeat, they were locked together—human and beast, master and grandmaster, each refusing to yield. Then Noah twisted his blade with perfect technique, redirecting the creature’s momentum and opening its guard just enough. SLASH! His sword found the Manticore’s throat, the superheated blade carving through muscle and windpipe in one decisive strike. GROAN! The grandmaster Manticore’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. It had been beaten—actually defeated—by prey an entire rank below its station. The massive creature collapsed slowly, its life fading as blood pumped from the fatal wound. Noah stood over his fallen opponent, breathing heavily, his body screaming in agony from multiple serious injuries. But he was standing, and the grandmaster was dying. The fight had been nearly equal—a brutal exchange where both combatants had pushed themselves to absolute limits. But Noah’s versatility with fire manipulation, wind manipulation, and swordsmanship had given him just enough edge to emerge victorious. He had fought a grandmaster-ranked opponent and won. Lola was the first to speak, her voice carrying pride beyond what words could express. "Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Defeating a monster from a powerful clan whilst being a whole rank under it. Noah...you are truly a combat genius." Kipp, Alissa, and Elara stared in complete shock, their understanding of what was possible fundamentally shaken by what they’d just witnessed. Even Valeria looked genuinely awed. "I’ve never seen anything like that. He’s rewritten what we thought master-rank meant." Noah finally allowed himself to collapse to one knee, exhaustion and pain overwhelming his adrenaline. But he was smiling despite everything—because he had tested himself against a grandmaster and proven he belonged in that conversation. After killing the powerful beast, Noah approached the massive corpse despite his injuries. He placed his hand on the grandmaster Manticore’s still-warm body and activated his storage ring, watching as the creature’s form shimmered and disappeared into the interdimensional space. The valuable materials alone—hide that could repel master-rank attacks, bones dense enough to forge tier 5 weapons, organs saturated with grandmaster-tier essence—would be worth a fortune to the right buyers. Noah turned toward Lola, wincing slightly as his broken ribs protested the movement. "How much do you think its body would go for?" Lola pondered for a moment, her experience in hunting and selling beasts immediately calculating market value. "It’s a powerful and rare species to begin with—Manticores are notoriously difficult to hunt even at lower ranks. This one is grandmaster tier with all those intact materials, plus the potent venom still stored in its tail gland... You should be looking at perhaps five hundred golden coins if sold to the right buyer." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Maybe slightly more if you find a master craftsman who specialises in exotic beast materials. The hide alone could be made into armour that would be treasured by any master-rank warrior." Noah nodded his head with satisfaction despite the modest sum. "Not bad at all." Elara immediately jumped in. "My father has been looking for a grandmaster beast’s body. He’s been trying to create a weapon for himself. He would gladly buy it from you, for that price. What do you think?" Noah turned to Elara before nodding. "Then, you can inform the king, if he accepts, we can reach a deal." Elara’s expression brightened before nodding. "Okay!" Five hundred golden coins translated to roughly $50,000 at the system’s exchange rate. It wasn’t the kind of money that would transform his finances—he made more than that in a single day from his shop’s operations, but it was still a respectable amount for a single creature’s corpse. Meat was meat, even if it was mosquito legs compared to his daily revenue. Every bit of income contributed to his growing wealth, and more importantly, killing this grandmaster Manticore had provided invaluable combat experience that no amount of money could purchase. After storing the body and taking a moment to catch his breath, Noah pulled some more bread from his storage and distributed them to everyone, including himself. The magical bread worked quickly, increasing his body’s regeneration capabilities, though complete recovery would take additional rest. "Alright," Noah announced once everyone had recovered enough to travel safely. "Let’s make our way back to Esta. I need to open up the shop for my waiting clients and start sorting out the partnership details with the king." The group began their return journey, moving at a more leisurely pace than their enthusiastic departure. Kipp and Alissa were unusually quiet, still processing what they’d witnessed during Noah’s battle. Elara walked beside Noah with obvious concern for his well-being despite the healing potions. Valeria kept glancing at him with newfound respect that bordered on awe. Lola matched Noah’s pace, a satisfied smile on her face that suggested she was very pleased with how the day had unfolded. As they walked, Noah’s mind was already planning his next steps—opening the shop for the eager customers waiting in Esta, finalising the wholesale partnership with King Aldric, implementing the instalment payment system for premium items, and most importantly, continuing to train and grow stronger. He had just proven he could fight grandmaster-rank opponents and emerge victorious. But that had required pushing himself to absolute limits, sustaining some light injuries, and exploiting every advantage his versatility provided. To truly dominate at that level—to face multiple grandmasters simultaneously or challenge peak grandmaster opponents—he needed to continue advancing. The Idle Training Room would be getting extensive use in the coming days as he pushed his skills from Level 20 toward Level 21 and beyond. The elven kingdoms, the demon realm, and all the other challenges awaiting him would require power beyond what he currently possessed. But today had proven something important: he was on the right path, and victory against seemingly impossible odds was achievable. Noah smiled despite his lingering pain as Esta’s walls came into view in the distance. The future was bright, and he was ready to seize every opportunity it offered.