The pillar of fire continued to soar into the sky, like a reddish spear about to pierce heaven at any moment. Everyone saw how the flames trapped Clyde inside and wondered if he would survive.
No, what they wondered more was the fact of how Samuel would teach a lesson to Nikos who had killed the person he had just saved.
They all knew how difficult it was to save someone from within the Selection Stage.
Moreover, at that time Samuel not only saved one but six people at once. Besides that, they also heard that the Selection Stage was guarded by the Guardians belonging to the World Masters.
All of that caused Samuel to use up a lot of Mana Crystals to be able to create rifts on the Selection Stage and drain his Mana to be able to survive for just a few minutes there.
Then what if Samuel finds out that one of the people he saved died because of Nikos' arrogance who wanted to prove his strength?
The spectators were worried about that and other things. Maybe they would also become the target of Samuel's anger when they found out that they were just become spectators and didn't stop Nikos.
However, all of that anxiety immediately evaporated without a trace, replaced by a sense of shock when they saw Clyde's form standing in the middle of the fire. They could see it because the pillar of fire had shrunk.
Even Nikos was also staring with widened eyes. He stopped flowing his Mana because he felt that it was enough. But when he saw that the fire had started to disappear he saw Clyde still standing.
Clyde's condition looks perfectly fine. The only thing that was in a bad state inside her was his clothes which were almost completely burnt.
Clyde's pants were only left up to his thighs. His shirt was in the same pathetic state.
But Clyde knew that none of that was more noticeable than the state of his body which was fine as if the great fire couldn't even make a scratch on his skin.
'Could it be because of my Stats?'
Clyde couldn't think of any other answer. That means he most likely hasn't lost any of his system power at all and his Character Information was just corrupted temporarily.
But now there was something Clyde said he should take care of before those possibilities. That is the man in front of him who had burnt his clothes to make him look like a beggar.
Clyde stared ahead, a savage grin appeared on his lips when he found Nikos staring at him with a dumbfounded expression.
"Looks like it's my turn now," said Clyde.
When Nikos heard his voice, its like ice that suddenly froze his spine in an instant. The chill even made his body shudder, despite his affinity for the power of fire he possessed.
What happened to Clyde also made the spectators speechless. It wasn't enough that Clyde had shocked them with the strength of his body's defense, now he looked even more terrifying with his tattered appearance.
Like a wounded beast that goes into berserker mode.
Flames in Clyde's hands swelled up instantly. Then he immediately threw a barrage of fireballs at Nikos.
The fireballs looked like flaming bullets coming out of a gun. And everything was directed toward Nikos, making him tremble in panic.
Nikos cursed loudly, then he immediately channeled Mana into his staff and created two more fire elementals. After that, Nikos walked backward in an attempt to keep his distance.
The fireballs Clyde threw hit the two fire elementals and destroyed them instantly. After that Clyde fired fireballs while walking forward when he saw Nikos walking backward.
Nikos intends to perform his pillar of fire attack again. However, it took him a long time to cast the spell and he didn't see that Clyde would give him the chance to do so.
Clyde kept throwing fireballs with increasing intensity every time. He felt that what he was doing was too monotonous and could be said to be less creative.
That's because Clyde usually combines the fire attack with the Eldgerlass Sword and slashes his opponent with the sword covered in flames, causing a devastating effect.
However, right now he is acting as a magic caster, so he refrains from charging forward and punching Nikos in his face with a fiery fist.
Even though there was no specific rule requiring Clyde to attack as a magic caster, he still did. Because if Clyde decides to get closer, it will feel unfair to Nikos who seems very weak in melee attacks.
Nikos is getting desperate because he feels cornered. He who previously intended to teach Clyde a lesson for being arrogant now had to experience something embarrassing .
Fireballs from Clyde rained down on him without actually hitting him as if to be an indication that Clyde was just playing with him. So Nikos decided to deploy his ace which he shouldn't have used.
'Fuck it! I won't lose here!'
Nikos held his staff which looked like it was made of ordinary wood. Then he cast a spell, this time at a faster tempo than before.
The staff started to turn like wood burned from within. Sparks of fire came out from inside his staff.
Nikos pulled the staff in two different directions, then revealed a sword hidden inside it.
Nikos drew a sword that had a blade glowing red like metal that had long been burnt by flames. Then, to the surprise of the majority of the spectators, Nikos dashed toward Clyde.
Nikos's body was enveloped by a reddish aura that spread heat. His speed also increases, making Clyde raise his eyebrows in surprise.
'What the hell? He can do that?'
Clyde felt confused and dumbfounded. Suddenly Nikos changed from a magic caster to a fighter who wielded a sword and was about to attack him at close range.
If that was the case, Clyde felt stupid for holding back so long.
Clyde sighed. "Fine, then."
He also lunged at Nikos with both hands still burning with fire. He saw Nikos' gaze which looked full of hatred at him.
Seeing that Clyde grinned. Even after Nikos took out what seemed to be his secret weapon, Clyde felt he could still handle it as easily as before.
A much bigger heatwave than before was created when the two of them clashed. Nikos gritted his teeth after swinging his sword with all his might at Clyde.
However, his expression changed to one of shock when he saw Clyde holding his sword with only one hand.
"Nice try," Clyde said. And then, Clyde kicked Nikos in the chest.
Nikos was thrown back ten meters and rolled on the grass before finally stopping.
Nikos tried to get up and gritted his teeth. However, the pain he felt in his chest after Clyde's kick forced him to fall again.
"Urgh..." Nikos groaned.
His sword, which was like metal burning had become dimmer because it no longer got Mana supply from Nikos.
All the spectators who saw him like that could only be silent. Their brains are still trying to process what just happened.
Few among the spectators had ever seen the sword that Nikos drew from his staff. And they know how strong the sword is.
Yet, Clyde held the sword only with his hands which, even though they were covered in fire, is not supposed to be able to hold the sword according to people who have seen the sword has been used.
Clyde threw his tattered shirt on the ground as he walked towards Nikos. Nikos, who had difficulty standing, could only stare at Clyde's arrival with fear.
There was already a possibility in his mind that Clyde would beat him to a pulp. Or even worse.
After all, the mental states of people who had experienced the cruelty of the Selection Stage had changed into something violent too so they could survive.
Nikos saw Clyde's bare feet which looked smooth without any injuries before his eyes.
"Hey, you can still move and fight again?" Clyde asked.
"I-" Nikos sighed heavily. "No. I don't think so."
"That means you've lost."
Nikos didn't answer. It really hurt his pride. But he couldn't do anything about it because it was true.
Clyde didn't try to say anything to Nikos who had already suffered a humiliating defeat after challenging him arrogantly. He didn't even think about it.
Now Clyde's center of attention is on his power which seems to have returned.
Maybe his Stat's power had not fully returned yet. Because he only fought weak enemies, Clyde couldn't know his limit.
Everything is indeed easier with the existence of Character Information where his power is written in clear numbers.
Clyde walked through the crowd of spectators who were still staring at him with dazed eyes. They had just witnessed someone's shocking power.
Those people immediately praised Samuel in their hearts for recruiting that man.