Marco’s students erupted into cheers as Bernard returned victorious, his dominant performance lifting their spirits.
"Great job, Bernard," Marco said with an approving smile.
Several of Beck’s students glanced at Bernard as he walked past them, their expressions a mixture of surprise and wariness.
"Thank you, Master," Bernard replied with a respectful nod.
Although the battle had been mostly physical, both Bernard and Natasha walked over to Queena with a healing potion.
With one victory apiece, both masters turned their attention to their final representatives.
"Daniel," Marco said. "Do your best."
"Yes, Master," Daniel replied.
Beck looked toward his final student. "Ronick," he called. "I’m counting on you."
Both of them walked toward the center of the training grounds, quarterstaffs in hand. The spectators gradually fell silent as all eyes turned to the final match.
"Status," Daniel whispered under his breath.
——————
Name: Ronick Daquimo
Age: 20
HP: 3600/3600
Mana: 3800/3800
Description: A determined young man who dreamed of becoming a warrior since childhood. Through relentless training and unwavering discipline, he has dedicated himself to walking the path of righteousness while striving to become the best version of himself.
He recently mastered the Sixth Form of the Earth element.
——————
Both of them stood motionless in a standoff, the wind stirring the dust between their feet as they locked eyes.
"Your name?" Ronick asked, his tone calm.
"Daniel," he replied.
"How about this?" Ronick said, resting his quarterstaff on his shoulder. "Let’s settle the opening with nothing but our staffs. No elemental powers."
Daniel narrowed his eyes. ’Is this some sort of a trick? What is he planning?’
Beck glanced between the two contestants."Ready?"
Ronick raised a hand, signaling he was ready, a smirk spreading across his face. "What? Scared, huh?"
"Fine," Daniel replied, his eyes never leaving Ronick, and tone remained calm as he raised his quarterstaff into a ready stance.
"Start!" Beck shouted.
The two charged at each other and their quarterstaffs collided in a fierce clash, the sharp crack echoing across the training grounds.
*CLACK!*
Daniel had been ready to unleash a lightning-fast counter the moment Ronick resorted to a dirty trick.
To his surprise, Ronick fought fairly.
He made no attempt to manipulate the earth beneath Daniel’s feet or gain an unfair advantage, as though he genuinely intended to honor his own challenge of a staff-only duel.
"You’re strong," Ronick said with a faint smile.
Daniel tightened his grip on his quarterstaff. "You’re not bad yourself."
The spectators watched in silence. Some frowned in confusion, expecting the match to be a flashy exchange of elemental techniques. Others yawned in boredom as the two continued trading nothing but staff strikes.
Meanwhile, Marco, Beck, and Denver observed with their arms crossed, their eyes fixed on the duel with quiet interest.
Blow after blow, Ronick deflected and parried Daniel’s attacks before slipping past his guard and striking his forearm.
*THWACK!*
"Agh!" Daniel grunted, taking a step back.
Ronick smiled. "Come on. I haven’t even started getting serious yet."
Daniel let out a quiet scoff. "It was just a lucky hit."
...
Five minutes passed as the two continued exchanging blows with their quarterstaffs.
By then, both of their arms were covered in long red welts — the kind of raised marks left by repeated strikes from a hard wooden staff.
*SNAP! SNAP!*
Their quarterstaffs collided one final time before splintering apart, broken halves spinning through the air and crashing onto the dirt.
In the very next instant, the earth beneath Ronick’s feet rumbled. A medium-sized rock tore free from the ground, spraying dirt and shattered stone in every direction as it hurtled straight toward Daniel.
Daniel’s eyes widened. He thrust out his hand, releasing a bolt of lightning that struck the rock head-on, shattering it into dozens of fragments and blasting them harmlessly aside.
"You liar! Didn’t we agree to fight with our staffs?" Daniel shouted.
"Yes," Ronick replied, gathering the scattered fragments into a floating sphere of rock beside him. "But our staffs broke. So did our agreement."
The crowd erupted into excited chatter as the two finally clashed their elemental powers. Many spectators were surprised to learn that the pair had agreed to fight with nothing but their quarterstaffs at the start of the match.
Beck watched Ronick with a knowing smile, while Marco and his students frowned, concerned for Daniel.
*SWOOSH🪨~*
*BOOM⚡️*
The rock projectile Ronick launched was shredded apart before it had even crossed half the distance.
At the same time, Daniel lowered his body and circled to the side, trying to create an angle from which to strike his opponent.
’Tch... He’s creating those rocks faster than I can destroy them. I’ll have to get in close.’
But as Daniel closed the distance, layers of stone walls erupted before him, completely blocking his path.
He fired his third form of lightning, blasting the walls apart — but Ronick was nowhere to be seen.
"Your left," Ronick shouted.
A rock shot in from Daniel’s left at blinding speed.
Daniel’s instincts kicked in just in time. He threw himself backward to evade it, but the moment his foot touched the ground, it landed on a loose rock.
His footing gave way.
*Thud!*
Daniel lost his balance and crashed onto the ground.
*Rumble~*
In an instant, layers of stone walls surged toward him from every direction, the same technique Natasha had used to trap Bernard.
Daniel, however, thrust out his hand and unleashed a concentrated bolt of lightning.
*KABOOM!*
The lightning struck the incoming walls head-on before exploding into a cone-shaped burst, tearing through layer after layer of stone.
Chunks of shattered rock blasted outward, several crashing back into Ronick and forcing him to shield his face with his arms.
Daniel seized the opportunity and unleashed another bolt of lightning.
The attack struck Ronick square in the chest, sending him skidding backward several meters as arcs of electricity danced across his body.
"Agh!" Ronick cried out, gritting his teeth as he struggled to steady himself.
"Time to end this," Daniel muttered as he gathered another surge of lightning in his palm before unleashing it.
A thick stone wall erupted from the ground in front of Ronick, shielding him from the attack.
The spectators held their breath, convinced the match was about to end.
However, when Daniel’s Third Form struck the wall—
The lightning vanished the instant it touched the wall, leaving not even the faintest scorch mark.
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