"It’s up to you!" Hector said with a bit of discomfort on his face as Bam said vague words to him and then continued training alone until something caught his attention.
He halted all his swift movements and turned his gaze toward the commotion.
"Oh... That’s rare! Maybe I should watch it. Everyone there is way stronger than me... Moreover, I might learn about my future opponents."
"All of us will face each other many times in the second challenge."
Everyone reacted similarly to Hector, drawn to the special fight unfolding before them.
"Fucking prince! I’ll kill you right here!" A young man with a large, broad frame shouted confidently.
"Huh." The prince merely smirked, not bothering to respond. His expression suggested that he saw his opponent as nothing more than an arrogant fool.
The referee beside them sighed in exhaustion—after so many days, he was tired of overseeing these pointless fights.
"Are you guys ready?" He took a deep breath, glancing at both fighters.
They were already prepared, even without the referee’s confirmation.
"Whoa... So he’s the prince of the Empire of Dravengarde ?" Hector muttered to himself, lightly scratching the side of his head as he narrowed his eyes in thought.
Suddenly, a girl’s soft voice rang out behind him, making him jolt in surprise.
Hector took a few steps back before turning his gaze toward the source of the voice.
"Did you forget me? Stupid uncle!"
Another girl’s voice echoed playfully beneath Hector’s line of sight.
However, Hector barely paid attention to Violet. Instead, he looked at Wade with a slightly irritated expression and asked in an annoyed voice:
"Why did you give her that damn book?"
He pointed at Violet, who was wearing a narrowed yet oddly charming expression.
"Hohoho... You should be thanking me instead of saying that."
Wade tilted her head and smirked at Hector, clearly enjoying the situation.
But before Hector could respond, Wade continued.
"You’re a special man... No one has ever made her feel so fond before."
"Of course, except for me!" She added, nodding quietly while gently stroking Violet’s smooth black hair.
"N-No...Y-You’re wrong! I hate him!..."
Violet immediately huffed, swatting Wade’s hand off her hair as her face flushed red. She refused to look at Hector, clearly embarrassed by Wade’s previous remark at this point.
"You’re corrupting her mind with this awful stuff... You know that? She’s just a kid." Hector rebuked aggressively.
However, Wade barely responded, only sighing.
A few seconds later, she glanced at the fighters in the training yard and asked in amusement, "Who do you think will win?"
Hector simply narrowed his eyes for a moment. Although Wade had changed the topic, he didn’t bother arguing. Instead, he directed his gaze toward the fighting yard, observing intently.
At this moment, the fight was clearly in favor of the prince.
He completely overwhelmed his opponent with his absolute power.
"Everything is clear... That muscular man will be defeated."
Anyone watching the match shared the same thought. There was no room for argument.
Wade responded vaguely with a smile.
There seemed to be something strange in the way she looked at the muscular man.
An unknown mana radiated from him, making the hair on his neck stand on end.
"Huh?.. That mana feels too familiar," Hector suddenly grimaced, shifting his gaze toward the man.
"It’s too smelly and disgusting!" Beside him, Violet instantly covered her small nose, blinking rapidly at the unsettling aura radiating from the man.
Everyone had noticed the change in him.
Then, the muscular fighter began attacking the prince violently, putting him in an unfavorable situation.
After several minutes passed, just as he seemed on the verge of losing, he suddenly turned the tables.
"Too bad! He’s going to lose..." Hector muttered, wiping his chin with his fingers while eyeing the muscular man.
"His mana... It’s just like Jet’s!"
"Yeah, I’ve seen that mana from several students recently," Wade said, blinking, her tone unfazed.
"It gives the one that possesses it an incredibly strong"
"But I see that they aren’t stable," Wade added.
Hector nodded and agreed with the idea because he had opposed it when he fought Jet.
"I wonder what the coin is?" Violet asked, rapidly blinking her lovely eyelids.
"I don’t know... The first time I saw it, I asked a few students, but they didn’t give me a proper answer."
"Most students have one thing in common—they are commoners."
"Ah... I know it!" Hector suddenly recalled a memory from the classroom when a cunning student had given him a ruined coin.
"Is this it?" A strange coin gradually appeared in Hector’s hand, surprising both Violet and Wade. Then, he quickly flicked it to Wade.
A little while later, Hector explained everything he had experienced regarding those students—the power they could easily gain without any challenges or difficulties.
"It’s too unreasonable!" Violet narrowed her eyes as she stared at the coin in her hand.
"Yep! No meal is free! Whoever uses it must certainly pay a massive price for that power."
"It’s a dangerous thing that no one should use. Yet, usually, I think commoners wouldn’t do that because, in reality, skill coins are too rare and expensive."
"A power that could rival enhanced coins is something worth noting."
Meanwhile, Wade had been mumbling to herself, ignoring Violet and Hector as always. She had lost control of her mouth, but neither of them noticed at all.
"You’ve used it, haven’t you?" Violet suddenly asked in an angry tone, narrowing her wrinkled brows.
It was clear from her voice that she was genuinely worried about Hector.
"Huh? What’s your concern? I don’t need a kid taking care of me...’’ Hector simply raised his eyebrows and waved his hand toward Violet, implying he wanted her not to pay too much attention to him.
’’It was too trouble and annoyed.’’
But, just a few seconds later, he began to regret his foolish words and actions.
"NO! I’M YOUR MASTER... I MUST PROTECT YOU!"
The shrill sound was so loud that everyone shifted their attention from the match to its source.