Child of Destiny

Bang! Bang!

Boom!

In the distance, Nathan and Scar observed the battle between the three troublemakers along with the old lady.

“It looks like you have been training that brat Leonard quite well. He has even mastered the Body Refining Techniques of your Asad Tribe and combined it with the Thousand Beast Method,” said Nathan as he saw Leonard’s extremely tough physique.

“That is only because he has awakened the hereditary memory of his bloodline along with the help of the inheritance left by the Thunder Lord,” replied Scar before turning to Arthur. “On the other hand, your family’s prince seems to have fully awakened an ancient bloodline.”

“It is even purer than yours,” he added as he gave Nathan a sidelong glance.

While they were discussing among themselves, the old lady was paying close attention to another person. Her eyes never left Shin since the time he had joined the battle.

“Applying Rune Mentalism in battle along with a Mentalism Technique that includes five different methods?! There is also that strange swordsmanship, which includes the utilization of multiple sword principles and incorporates Mentalism,” she mumbled while squinting her eyes.

“That kid, what is his relationship with Old Fatty Benn and Old Demon Ryong?” she asked with a hint of solemnness in her tone.

Nathan hesitated for a moment before answering. “He is their student. Grandmaster is that kid’s Mentalism Teacher while Old Master Ryong teaches the kid swordsmanship.”

The old lady did not say anything for quite a while before nodding. “No wonder. Only those two are crude enough to teach such a talent with enough nonsense.”

“Fortunately, the kid is good enough to realize their ideals and produce unexpected results,” she added as he continued to watch Shin. “He is now walking a unique path that is solely meant for him.”

Hearing this, Nathan hesitated for a moment before adding. “Professor Plum also teaches the kid Martial Arts. He is also the direct disciple-…”

Nathan had yet to finish his words when the old lady suddenly turned to him and gave a sharp glare. “That Old Monster is also involved!?”

She then turned her attention back to Shin before frowning deeply. “Then that makes this kid a Dual Practitioner. But why can’t I feel any hint of Martial Arts from this kid aside from the manner he fights?”

“Not even a hint of Internal Qi is present in his body,” she added, doubting Nathan’s words.

“The kid has a peculiar situation that sealed his Martial Arts, which is why such signs are hidden within his body,” replied Nathan.

“Peculiar situation?” mumbled the old lady before smirking. “This kid is getting more and more interesting.”

“He suddenly reminded me of those two brats,” she added, which suddenly made her smile.

She was still unaware of Shin’s real identity, so Nathan did not bother to explain more. It was better to hide Shin’s identity from others and let them make wild guesses while the Springfields would keep quiet and refuse to comment on the issue.

They continued to watch for quite a while before the old lady turned around, planning to leave. “I guess that’s enough for now. These three are good seedlings. You guys are lucky to have such gems.”

“Nurture them well. Not long after, they will be our future,” she added with a caring smile.

Behind, Nathan and Scar gave her a salute, sending her away with their gaze. “Thank you, Elder Divine Light!”

…

Not long after, the trio of Shin, Arthur, and Leonard could be found lying on the ground and unable to move their bodies.

“Tsk! Tsk! I can no longer move my muscles. Leo, get up and bring us home,” said Arthur as he tried his best to regulate his breathing.

“I am too lazy to move now. Maybe later,” said Leonard while catching his breath.

“Heh! Just admit that you are beaten and exhausted! You are supposed to be the toughest out of us three,” mocked Arthur.

“If there is someone who is beaten, then it should be Shin Bro!” refuted Leonard.

Shin was too lazy to reply and focused on regulating his breathing rather than bickering with the other two.

He was too tired to join the two with their little arguments.

Not long after, Arthur suddenly sat up, regaining his energy. He turned to the two and said. “Ah! I just remembered. You guys have entered the upper bracket finals!”

“Not bad! You managed not to lose even without me. Not bad. Not bad at all!” he laughed, seemingly trying to provoke the two into another fight.

The corner of Leonard’s mouth suddenly twitched when he heard that and refuted. “What do you mean by ‘managed not to lose’? We won overwhelmingly! We crush all those guys!”

“We don’t need a lousy knight like you anymore! Shoo~! Shoo~!” he gestured along with a smug look on his face.

“Ha! Says the one who has been killed by those trash from Earners Mercenary Group!” laughed Arthur, along with an annoying hand gesture.

“That’s a 4-vs-1 against Maverick Gods and a Godlike Player! And I have killed three and almost defeated Aiming as well! If only I had more health, then I could crush that guy as well!” snarled Leonard, itching for another round.

He was now worthy of being a Body Refiner of a Warrior’s Tribe. He had managed to regain his strength and energy with just a short amount of rest.

“Nah~! You still fall in the end. If it were me, then I would use some guerrilla tactics and lure them to my pace rather than foolishly using your brute and reckless way of exchanging health for damage!” said Arthur, continuing to make fun of the other.

“Ha! Then try doing something better in the next rounds if you dare! Let’s see how well you are going to fight then,” sneered Leonard, challenging Arthur.

“Ha! Watch me wipe the floor with these trash in the next round,” said Arthur confidently.

He might not have played the game for quite a while, but he was still confident in his skills. He was a professional gamer for a reason!

It was at this moment that Shin joined the conversation. “Unfortunately, you have to wait until the Grand Finals to do that. The battle mode for the next match has already been determined.”

“Eh!? Really? Which mode is it? Don’t tell me that you have chosen that boring regular mode?” asked Arthur curiously.

“It is not like that,” Shin shook his head before continuing. “There is a meeting before the second round of matches starts due to a sudden decision of the two teams pulling out of the tournament, along with the main forces of the other teams.”

“Due to the lack of top combatants continuing in the latter parts of the tournament, the competitive spirit of the United Cup has been lost.”

“We have decided to go with Champion’s Battle if we advance in the upper bracket finals along with the God’s Paradise,” he added.

“Eh!? Just 1-vs-1s? Tsk! That’s even more boring,” complained Arthur.

Shin just ignored it and continued. “Since it will be 1-vs-1 battles, both matches will be held on the same day.”

“If both teams managed to win 1 round each, there will be a tie-breaker match immediately after. The system will randomly choose the map by then.”

Arthur clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and said. “I know about such rules already. You don’t have to tell me about it. This is not my first time encountering such things.”

“So, have you chosen our representative in both matches?” he asked with little interest.

It was Leonard who had replied to him this time. “What do you mean? Since you are already here, do some work! You will be representing us in one of the rounds.”

“Eh!?” Before Arthur could even say anything, Shin had already agreed. “Leo has a point. You will be representing us in the first round.”

Arthur tried to say something before sneering. “Alright. Since I am here, I will show you how a heroic entrance is supposed to be done. This will be a good opportunity for a ‘comeback fight’.”

“What comeback fight? What are you? A retired veteran?” said Leonard mockingly, igniting another round of bickering.

Not long after, the two abruptly stopped, remembering something.

They simultaneously turned to Shin and asked at the same time. “There will be another round, right? Who will be the other one?

Then Athur suddenly added. “Put this guy on the field! Let me see how he will embarrass himself once I win the first round and he loses the other!”

“Huh! Don’t cry later once the opposite happens!” Leonard snarled back.

Shin thought for a moment before answering. “Since it is supposed to be ‘two’ matches held at the same time, let’s see what will happen first before deciding.”

He then paused for a second before continuing. “But I do have someone in mind already.”

“Who!?” asked the two almost at the same time, very curious.

Shin smirked before giving them a mystifying answer. “You will know later.”

“You are not talking about yourself, aren’t you?” asked the two with full suspicion.

Shin chuckled as he confirmed. “It is not me at the very least.”

He then looked at his advanced watch and saw the time. “Speaking of the match. It is already later this night, so you better get ready, Arthur.”

……