Chapter 42: The Last Three

Ethan recognized the boy in front of him from his previous life.

Gareth Stone.

A B-rank Earth Knight known for always fighting at the front of his party. He had led countless teams against powerful monsters and was famous for being almost impossible to bring down.

Even among B-rank professionals, Gareth’s defensive ability was well known.

Ethan hadn’t expected to meet him here.

Gareth stood firmly in front of him, his entire body covered in thick earth armor.

"I’ve been watching you," Gareth said. "Those attacks of yours are powerful, but they won’t be enough to take me down."

But Ethan wasn’t willing to chat right now.

All fifty Solar Elementals turned toward Gareth.

"Solar Ray."

Their golden-white eyes lit up, and fifty orange-gold rays shot toward Gareth. The rays merged into a single beam before reaching him.

Gareth’s expression changed as he quickly planted his bare feet into the ground and raised his stone shield.

The beam slammed into it.

A bright flash filled the area as cracks spread across the ground beneath Gareth’s feet. The earth broke apart under him, while his shield slowly turned red from the heat.

Gareth gritted his teeth and held it in place until the beam finally faded.

The shield was badly damaged, but Gareth was still standing.

Ethan’s eyes settled on the cracked ground.

’So half the damage is being transferred to the earth.’

Gareth lowered his shield and looked at it.

"That’s some serious firepower."

He raised his eyes toward Ethan.

"If I took that head-on, I wouldn’t be standing."

"My Talent is called Earthbound."

He planted his bare feet firmly into the ground.

"As long as my feet remain in contact with the ground, fifty percent of the damage I receive is transferred to the earth."

Gareth began moving forward but he didn’t rush. Each step was careful as he made sure his bare feet stayed firmly planted against the ground before taking the next one. His shield remained raised, covering most of his body.

Ethan already knew how Gareth fought.

He also knew the weakness of his Rare Talent.

’As long as his feet remain on the ground.’

Ethan looked at the earth beneath Gareth.

"Solar Ray."

All fifty Solar Elementals raised their heads and their golden-white eyes lit up.

This time, the solar beams didn’t target Gareth. Instead, they struck the ground beneath his feet.

The earth exploded as Gareth’s body was lifted off the ground as chunks of broken earth flew in every direction.

"Damn it!"

He reached for the ground with one foot, trying to regain contact.

But before he could land, another volley of solar beams struck the ground beneath him.

The earth shattered again and Gareth was thrown even higher into the air.

Ethan smiled.

’Got you.’

"Solar Ray."

All fifty Solar Elementals fired the solar ray at Gareth.

"Damn it!"

Gareth twisted his body, trying to reach the ground before the beams hit him.

Ethan’s attention remained on Gareth.

A Shadow Wraith hiding in his shadow suddenly detected danger.

Through One Mind, One Legion, Ethan saw a fireball tearing through the air toward him from behind.

Ethan immediately issued a command to a Solar Elemental.

"Solar Dash."

One of the Solar Elementals broke away from the attack on Gareth.

Its body suddenly transformed into pure solar energy, and it shot toward Ethan at incredible speed.

It reached him just before the fireball struck.

The fireball slammed into its body and exploded.

Flames spread across the Solar Elemental’s body, but it remained completely unharmed.

The solar beams tore into Gareth, and the number above the battlefield dropped by one.

Ethan turned toward the direction the attack had come from.

A young woman stood several dozen meters away, a red ring rotating around her body.

Ethan’s eyes landed on the red ring.

’A mana ring?’

His eyes narrowed slightly.

’A Fire Mage.’

Seeing that her attack had failed, the young woman immediately cast several fireballs and sent them toward Ethan.

The Solar Elementals fired at once.

Their solar beams tore through the fireballs and continued straight toward the Fire Mage.

She barely had time to react before the beams struck her.

Ethan looked up at the number above the battlefield.

[10]

Only ten candidates remained.

Back in the monitoring area, the representatives stared at the battlefield.

They had created an artificial sun specifically to restrict Ethan’s Shadow Wraiths.

Yet even after losing this advantage, Ethan had continued eliminating candidates.

The Order Academy representative was just as shocked as the others.

One of the representatives finally spoke.

"How is he still doing this?"

"We all thought those shadows were his main strength."

"Who would have thought he had something like that too?"

Another representative glanced at Roland.

"It seems your little trick didn’t affect him at all."

Roland remained silent.

Another representative looked at the battlefield.

"Only ten remain."

He pointed toward two figures standing across from each other.

"The Arcane Swordsman and the Blind Gunslinger are facing each other."

The representatives turned their attention toward the two candidates.

Back on the battlefield, Ethan continued moving through the remaining candidates.

The Solar Elementals fired their beams whenever they found a target, while the Shadow Wraiths remained hidden in Ethan’s shadow.

One candidate after another was eliminated until only three remained.

Ethan moved toward the area where the sounds of battle were the loudest.

Gunshots rang across the battlefield.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ahead of him, a young man with golden hair fought with a sword while constantly using magic. Flames, lightning, and blades of wind surrounded him as he attacked and defended at the same time.

His opponent was th blind Gunslinger with a black cloth covering his eyes.

Yet every bullet he fired found its target with unmistakable precision.

He switched between his two revolvers and the rifle on his back, firing from different angles while constantly moving around the battlefield. Some bullets even ricocheted off the ground and nearby rocks before striking their targets.

The golden-haired swordsman continued fighting through the barrage, using his magic to block the bullets and counterattack with spells of his own.

Neither of them showed any sign of slowing down.

Ethan recognized the young man with the golden hair immediately.

Lucian.

His expression remained indifferent.

He had already expected to meet him in this assessment. Seeing him here changed nothing.

His gaze shifted to the blind Gunslinger.

Ethan stopped walking as sight of the blind Gunslinger caught him completely off guard.

He knew the young man.

Of all the people Ethan expected to meet after reincarnation, he had never imagined seeing him here.