It was only a few minutes after Clyde left that place that Lahn and Wayne arrived there.
They saw a group of people who were supposed to be practicing with their respective groups but instead gathered together and talked about something.
From what the two of them could see, those people seemed to be discussing something serious. So Lahn and Wayne immediately decided to approach them to ask.
Lahn and Wayne were of course also aware of the withered grass and some of the explosion marks. They could more or less figure out what was going on. There must have been a fight in this place. But, who had just fought ?
If they were just practicing, the type of damage incurred would not be this great. So Lahn and Wayne immediately concluded that there had just been a fight in this place.
Seeing the rising smoke and the lingering heat, the two of them concluded that this fight must be between two fire-using magic casters.
"What just happened here?" Wayne asked a man who had been a spectator.
"Nikos challenged the man Samuel just saved. And then, he lost," the man replied.
Wayne and Lahn looked at each other in shock. They knew immediately who the man was referring to.
"How did Nikos lose?" Lahn asked with obvious curiosity in her voice.
The man began to tell. The other spectators who saw the incident also helped tell the story in their own way.
In the end, it all became a story that shocked both Lahn and Wayne. They heard that Clyde ate Nikos' big attack as if it were nothing.
Clyde defended against the pillar of fire that soared into the sky for a few seconds which should have been more than enough to burn him to charcoal.
However, he came out with nothing but burning clothes. While his skin is not affected by the fire at all.
"How is that possible?" Lahn frowned, lost in thought.
"There are only a few possibilities. Either he is special, or the power of his system is back," Wayne said.
Lahn immediately shot him a glance. "What do you mean he is special? Even Samuel had to spend several decades to get to his current level and he said it was a relatively short time.
And how could the power of the system have returned? Have you ever heard of that?"
Lahn was still staring at Wayne as if he wanted to get an answer to every question he had even though he knew that Wayne didn't have a definite answer either. She just wanted to convey her frustration.
Wayne shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I'm just guessing."
Lahn didn't say anything else and continued her pondering over this situation. No matter how she thought about it, Lahn couldn't come up with any other answer other than that Clyde was indeed having some kind of special advantage.
There is an X factor that allows Clyde to heal, awaken his Mana, and reach a level of power in a very short time.
Lahn and Wayne thought the same thing and they couldn't help but feel jealous because they had trained hard for years and yet couldn't get to the level where Clyde was now.
"We should ask him directly," Wayne said, suggesting.
Lahn shot him a glance. "You think that's a good idea?"
"Well, I'm not sure." Wayne grimaced. Clyde doesn't seem like a friendly person and will answer all their questions with a warm smile. Moreover, it was power related to his power.
However, they need to satisfy their curiosity. If indeed Clyde has something that can make them gain power, they will be happy to do it.
"Let's do it!" Lahn said after setting her heart. Her desire to take revenge on the being who had made her suffer dispelled her hesitation about talking to Clyde.
Meanwhile, the person that was being talked about by many people had finished cleaning himself and wearing new pair of clothes. Now Clyde looks much better than a beggar or a fire victim.
He came out intending to go out for lunch because the time was already entering the early afternoon. Clyde felt his stomach growling for something to be filled.
This was something quite strange because even though he and everyone else in this fortress had powers beyond normal humans, they still felt hungry and had to satisfy it with food.
He didn't know whether eating was still essential for their survival or just to satisfy hunger.
Maybe, they can still feel hungry but can still survive in other ways. Mana is flowing in his body which he can use to strengthen his body and let out magic attacks. Then it's not impossible that maybe they can use Mana to overcome hunger.
Clyde finally arrived at the cafeteria. This place is still quite calm because it's not yet lunchtime. Clyde just got ahead of them and after all, he wanted to eat in peace alone.
However, when he sat down at the table and put down his tray of food, two people approached him.
Clyde looked up with a disapproving expression. But that expression changed to one of astonishment after he saw who was coming at him.
"Hi," Wayne greeted with a sheepish smile. "Did the fight just now make you hungry?"
"What do you want?" Clyde asked coldly.
Wayne winced at the cold reply. He grimaced and scratched his cheek then turned to Lahn as if to leave the next task to the short-haired woman.
"Are we bothering you?" Lahn asked.
"I'm sorry, but we need to get an answer from you soon." Lahn persisted until she gritted her teeth in preparation for the refusal Clyde was about to give.
However, Clyde exhaled and then started shoving his food into his mouth. He thought it would be easier to answer their questions now so they wouldn't bother him anymore.
"You guys want to know why I'm fine after being hit by that powerful magic attack?" Clyde said because he had expected it.
"Yes," said Lahn then sat in front of Clyde. "Please tell me how you got that strong in just one month. I've been training for so long but I think I'm still a lot weaker than you."
"To be honest I don't have a particular answer," said Clyde casually. "I don't know how my body can become that strong."
Clyde, of course, won't talk about how he got so many advantages. He had prepared a lie knowing when people saw his power they would start to ask questions.
So Clyde could answer casually as if what he said was true. After all, they had no way of knowing if he was lying at least as far as he was concerned.
And if indeed they have a way to find out if he is actually lying, Clyde will also not hesitate to fight back with the excuse that he doesn't trust them enough to talk about it.
Clyde continued eating. The clinking of spoons and forks against trays was the background that sounded especially loud in the silence after Clyde's answer.
Lahn and Wayne stared at Clyde in disbelief. So they are still staying here even though they don't know what else to say.
Lahn bit her lip. Unwilling to hear such an answer, she decided to ask again.
"There's no way. You must have something that's still with you and didn't disappear after the Selection Stage," Lahn said, looking closely at Clyde.
Clyde only glanced at her for a moment then returned to his food as if it was far more interesting.
Although actually, Clyde felt a bit surprised because Lahn's prediction was correct.
'She's got a sharp feeling,' thought Clyde. Even so, he still looks unfazed.
"It's possible," Clyde said. "But I can't know for sure. My Character Information has been corrupted and you all know that."
Clyde continued to eat quietly. They couldn't see the lies in Clyde's way of speaking. However, they still couldn't believe it either.
In the end, Lahn stood up first and left the cafeteria. Her steps were fast and rattling on the floor indicating how irritated she was.
But Wayne still sat where he was and looked at Clyde with a reluctant look. "Sorry. Sometimes she is like that."
Clyde just nodded while continuing to chew. He couldn't care less.
"She was tortured so badly when she was still in the place of a Demon King. So she wanted to take revenge on him."
Hearing that, the spoon that was almost touching his mouth stopped.
"A Demon King?" Clyde asked. 'Not just an ordinary Demon or Demon Duchess like Gremory. But a Demon King.'
Wayne nodded. "Yeah. So if there's something that can make her strong fast, Lahn will do it."
Wayne stared at Clyde as if still expecting another answer to come out of Clyde's mouth.
"Yeah. I'm sorry to hear that," Clyde said. Then Clyde continued his meal.
Wayne showed a bitter smile. "Alright. Sorry to interrupt your meal."
Wayne stood up and caught up with Lahn.