šŖļø Chapter 22
š§¬ The Misread Mark
The mysterious symbol that had briefly appeared on Aeren's neck during the qualification round lingered in the mind of Instructor Zenar, a Diamond-tier seeker with decades of battlefield experience.
Standing in the observation tower, he whispered to himself:
"That markā¦ it resembles the Lost Crest of the Chrono-Kinā¦ No, impossible. That bloodline vanished a thousand years ago."
Zenar watched Aeren from a distance throughout the day.
But as the hours passed, and Aeren returned to his normal weak and calm self, the instructor eventually shook his head.
"Tch... must be coincidence. Or maybe a remnant illusion magic."
What he didn't know was that it wasn't illusionājust unawakened destiny.
āļø The Second Round: Team Combat Trials
A day later, the arena thundered with excitement as the second round of the First-Year Ranking Tournament began.
šļø "Only the top 60 teams remain. This round is a team combat round. Each team will face another randomly selected team in direct elimination battles. Victory requires teamwork, coordination, and strategy."
Aeren's Team 48 was once again on the roster, now surprisingly at Rank 13 after their incredible performance in the dungeon trial.
Their names began to gain quiet whispers:
"That's the team with the wood-rank genius.""No way a guy like Aeren beat trained Iron-ranksā¦""Maybe the others carried him?"
But those who saw the last round knew the truth: Aeren was the mind behind every win.
š§ Aeren's True Combat Style
In battle, Aeren did not use flashy powers.
Instead:
He read opponents' intentions using his latent mind-reading ability.He could mimic fighting patterns after observing them for seconds.He manipulated terrain and teammate movement like a chessboard.
In the first few rounds of the Team Combat, Aeren barely threw five punches total.
Yet in every match, his team won flawlessly.
Why?
Because he predicted every step the enemy would take, positioned his teammates, and neutralized threats before they even began.
"You're scary," Mersha muttered once, panting after a flawless win.
"You didn't even blink while calling out enemy moves."
Aeren simply smiled. "I'm just... guessing well."
Kaith, once a loud-mouthed doubter, now silently followed his every word.
š„ The Tournament Narrows
Days passed. The air in Sinjai Academy became intense.
From 60 teamsā¦ to 30ā¦
From 30ā¦ to 20ā¦
Now only 15 teams remained.
And somehow, Team 48 was still standingāranked 13th.
Their quiet progression was becoming a hot topic.
"They haven't lost a single round."
"That Aeren kidāhe doesn't even look like a real seeker."
"Why won't he use his power? What's he hiding?"
But Aeren wasn't hiding anything intentionally.
He was simply listening to his instinctsāa quiet voice whispering from deep within that said:
"Not yet. Your time will come."
š§© Foreshadow: Tougher Battles Ahead
Anshi, now spectating from her own class after advancing individually, watched his battles with a racing heart.
She could feel it.
"He's holding back. Even he doesn't know why."
Meanwhile, Director Elzhar and Instructor Zenar stared at the team roster.
"The final 15 teams will now enter the Eclipse Formation Roundāa rotating battlefield designed to disrupt formations and force reactive fighting."
Zenar raised an eyebrow.
"Let's see if your instincts can survive chaos, boyā¦"
āļø End of Chapter 22