With the instructor and the students believing that Geom will be the one who is going to win the competition as he defeated the combat robot in the shortest time until now, the newly enlisted students participated in the competition less spirited, their excitement as dead as a cracked and barren land; some decided against participating knowing full well of their limits and understanding that there is no way for them to win the competition since now, the goal has risen out of their reach.

'He, ugh, not only did he defeat the combat robot, but the fun of the competition has also died. Now no one is trying their best. It's not like I can blame anyone here,' instructor Baldwin thought, sighing and shrugging subtly.

The participants knew their limits best and understood that no matter what they do, they won't be able to best Geom's performance.

For them, it was impossible to defeat the robot within a second.

While all of this was going on, Vincent had been sitting in the corner of the spectator's sitting area, trying to learn the basic hand signs to cast mana infusion before challenging the robot, as Leila sat beside him, staring at his face subtly while blushing and thinking, 'he is handsome that everyone else here, and he is mine, hehe.'

After half an hour, nearly all of the newly enlisted students that wanted to participate had challenged the combat robot to a fight.

"Allen: 2 minutes

"Jared: 3 minutes."

"Amelia— 4 minutes."

Out of the hundreds of students, only ten of them had managed to defeat the robot in less than a minute. Two-third of them managed to overcome the excellent deflecting skills of the robot only after a minute. The remaining students were out of stamina before they could win the fight. They could only regretfully admit the reality that they weren't strong enough to win a fight against the combat robot even when using weapons while walking back to their seats.

"Big brother, I am going to participate. Wish me luck!"

Leila's sweet voice chimed in the ears of Vincent, who has buried all his focus on learning the magic technique he obtained from the library today.

He raised his head, looking at her with a deep smile showing an expression of love, and said, "I am rooting for you. It doesn't matter whether or not you can outperform him. I just want to see the best you got."

"Since you have said, I will do my best."

She nodded amiably, turning around with a smile blossoming on her face and then walking away from the boy who closed the book, stored it in his storage device, and kept on staring at her figure as if she was the entire world for him.

A few seconds later, the instructor saw a short girl with snowy hair, glistening crystal-like eyes, and cute features stepping up to the robot created with a menacing face.

"I can feel him looking at me. Will he like me more if I perform well?" Leila said in her mind as the system started the countdown.

Right when the battle began, Leila's 50 units of magic power dwindled rapidly to activate her abilities.

"Dual ability: Northern Pillar!

The spectators watched with wide eyes as an enormous pillar made out of crystal clear ice glistening under the lights of the room materialized in front of Leila. Immediately after, she used her second ability to push it forward, crashing it towards the puppet.

BOOM!

The ice pillar thrice the size of the robot in both width and height chilled the surroundings as it moved with incredible speed, giving the robot no chance to get out of its way. The resulting impact caused the robot and ice pillar to explode and splinter into large chunks of metallic and icy shrapnel bursting outward.

‹ Contestant name: Leila ›

‹ Time taken to defeat the combat robot: 2.7 seconds ›

The students were blown away by the overwhelming performance of the snow-white beauty, who seems harmless and cute like a newborn cat.

"Amazing!"

"Oh my God! She is beautiful and powerful just like a tantalizing devil!"

"So sexy and cute, I want to marry her!"

"What powerful abilities!"

The students realized that she had used two abilities, one to create the pillar of ice and the other to control it and increase its speed.

Around a minute later, Leila returned to Vincent's smile with a victorious smile.

In a single look, he determined that she was happy because she managed to defeat the puppet, not because she performed outstandingly.

"Did I do well?" She asked after sitting down on the seat beside him and wanting to rest her head on his shoulder but deciding against her heart desire.

Vincent patted her on the head and praised, "You did great!"

After a moment, she asked, "Big brother, when are you going to participate?"

Vincent looked at her in the eyes as his lips thinned into a seductive smile, and he said, "I have been waiting for you to kiss me and wish me well. Won't you?"

Leila knew that avoiding his advances again and again wasn't a good idea, something she shouldn't do as his girlfriend. Of course, she wanted to be intimate with him too.

Her eyes darted from his face to sweep across the room with a scrutinizing gaze in a hurry, and seeing that no one was looking their way right now led her to believe that the probability of them being caught by someone while doing something intimate was second to none. She hurriedly turned towards her boyfriend, leaned forward, and kissed him on the lips subtly. She then said, "Something far better than this kiss is waiting for you if you perform well," in hopes of encouraging him.

The cat has shown its claw that is seductively clawing at my heart, Vincent thought, relishing the lingering warmness of her lips.

Without caring for anything, Vincent held her hand and pushed her into his embrace.

"Big brother!" Leila cried out as redness suffused with her snow-white skin. Feeling as if every eye in the room was staring at them, he buried her face in his chest, embarrassment filling every inch of her body.

She was embarrassed to show the public this display of affection. Isn't something like this done in private, she thought with ruddy ears, seeing which Vincent licked his rosy lips.

"I don't want to break off this hug. So please, can we stay like this for a moment," Vincent said as he took in her sweet scent that warmed his heart and boiled his blood.

Leila shyly nodded, rubbing her head full of snow-white hair in his manly and sturdy chest.

After a moment, he traced his hand across her fluffy hair and held her waist.

"Thanks to you, I feel like I can perform better than him," Vincent said, pointing at Geom, and he continued, "Flower, I hope you have something good prepared for me."

The flower of his heart blushed as he stepped out of the bleachers to enter the limelight.

"Look, there he is!" Damien said, pointing at Vincent, "The person who outperformed everyone in this year's entrance exam held in Cloud Tower City."

"How long do you think it'll take him?" Emerald asked. Staying together, she knew her fiance has a special ability that allows him to gauge the strength of others.

"It should take him a very short time as he is from that race," Damien said with a mysterious smile.

"What race?" Emerald asked with a look of anticipation.

Damien's lips hooked and he teasingly said, "You must marry me first before I can tell you the name of his race."

"Hmph!"

Meanwhile, Vincent could be seen performing complex hand signs with one of his hands. At the same time, he walked towards one of the many robots. Clutched in his right hand was a stainless sword, which he had picked up from the weapon rack.

The three-second countdown started as he stood before the combat robot.

‹ 1 ›

Along with this announcement, he placed his index and middle finger on the blade of the sword and moved it to the sharp edge causing the sword to tremble as a subtle blue glow enclosed it.

While the blade of the sword couldn't penetrate the metallic hulk of the robot before, it could now, as he has infused fifty units of magic power with the sword to increase the sharpness and strength of its blade.

He also used the most powerful and basic form of transcendent-grade combat technique and infused twenty units of battle energy with his legs to increase his overall movement speed.

‹ 2 ›

At this point, after bending his knees, Vincent took a deep breath and activated his blood gear to adorn his flesh with the looks of the crimson ruler. At the same time, he gained a massive boon in his strength, health regeneration, and speed.

‹ 3 ›

At that very moment, Vincent shoots forward like a celestial slaying arrow released from a heavenly bow. He moved so fast that the eyes of the students couldn't keep up with him.

In the split of a second, the sword in his hand was brandished with all of his might, but it was only a moment later—when the students came to see the one who disappeared in their vision already standing behind the robot—that a blue arc of light flashed in the neck region of the combat puppet.

A hot breath bellowed out from Vincent's mouth as the system announced his result.

‹ Contestant name: Vincent Sangue ›

‹ Time taken to defeat the combat robot: 0.77 seconds ›

The result was so shocking that it made everyone say, "WHAT?!", without thinking.

Just then, a cold voice sounded in the ears of everyone present in the room, listening to which a smile that stretches from ear to ear began to form on Damien's face as he wondered just who in hell's name turned him?!

Cling!

To everyone's surprise, the combat robot's neck was cleanly chopped off from its body. It dropped to the ground with a dull thud and stopped after tumbling for a while. At the same time, the normal sword in Vincent's right hand shattered into many pieces.

The students blinked their eyes, looking as if they've just witnessed something impossible.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Impossible!"

"I can't believe what I have witnessed!"

How could be so fast? Did he used transcendental-grade combat technique, Jelo? He surpassed me, huh? Interesting!

The newly enlisted students, instructor Baldwin, and Geom thought with eyes widened like saucers as they looked at Vincent with an expression of utter disbelief and amazement. 

After a moment, Vincent stood straight and looked at Leila with a seductive smile and a look that said, are you prepared to reward me?

Leila lowered her eyes to avoid his intense gaze that was making her heart flutter.

"You have defeated the combat robot in the shortest time," instructor Baldwin said among the shocked mumbling of the crowd, "The period is about to end, and I believe there's no one here that can defeat the combat robot in a time shorter than yours. So, I would like to proclaim you as the winner of this competition."

Baldwin continued,

"Does anyone have any problem with that?"

The students shook their heads, signifying they were okay with the result.

How could they not be when he has outperformed all of them?

"That's great!" The instructor proceeded to pull something out of the storage of his spatial ring. Just then; however, something happened that pulled a break on what he was about to do.

"Wait," a voice sounded in the classroom of weapon training after the doors of the room were flung open, and a red-haired teenager with a graceful face wearing a black robe with silver linings came walking inside, "I hope I am not too late for the competition and can still take part in it," he said to the instructor.