[19th June]
The moment Rey finished his meal, he returned straight to his room.
Not because he was tired.
But because his spirits had suddenly remembered something important during the chaos of the tournament.
The moment the door closed behind him, the atmosphere inside the room shifted.
Rey sat down on the edge of the bed while Aiden, Victor, and Zero materialised before him.
Aiden's face was unusually serious.
That alone was enough to make Rey frown.
"What happened?" Rey asked immediately. "Did another specter lock onto me again?"
Honestly, he still found it strange.
After everything that happened in the tournament…
After exposing his identity…
After injuring Raviel in front of the entire kingdom…
Nobody was watching him now.
That itself felt wrong.
"No," Aiden replied calmly. "This is something else."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You remember that strange sensation you felt during Gravion's match, right?"
Rey paused.
Then his expression slowly changed.
That feeling…
That strange pull.
Like something far away had called out to him for a brief second.
"I remember," Rey said slowly.
"It felt… familiar somehow."
"Like something was trying to reach me."
Victor nodded immediately.
"And that," Aiden continued, "is exactly why we called you here."
His tone turned heavier.
"That sensation is connected to your blood."
"Most likely… your Dragonstorm bloodline."
Rey's eyes sharpened slightly.
"My bloodline?"
"Yes."
Aiden folded his arms.
"At first, I thought it might be related to Shadowthrone."
"But it wasn't."
He glanced briefly toward the silent Veylen sitting near the white gate as usual.
"That force came from outside."
"Far outside your consciousness."
Victor continued where Aiden stopped.
"The signal was extremely faint."
"It disappeared almost instantly."
"But before it vanished, I managed to trace part of its origin."
His grin slowly widened.
"It came from the forest outside the Capital."
"Within roughly a hundred-kilometer radius."
Rey's brows furrowed deeply now.
"The forest…"
Aiden nodded.
"And whatever it is…"
"It's connected to the Dragonstorm lineage."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Rey leaned back slightly while processing everything.
A hidden inheritance?
A bloodline remnant?
A forgotten ruin?
Possibilities rapidly crossed his mind.
Victor suddenly spoke again, this time in a far more serious voice.
"Kid…"
"I'm not completely certain yet."
"But I have a feeling."
His eyes glinted strangely.
"That thing is alive."
Rey's expression stiffened.
"And the pressure I felt from it…"
Victor slowly narrowed his eyes.
"…was beyond anything you can currently comprehend."
The room turned quiet again.
Even Rey felt a chill hearing that.
Because Victor rarely spoke like this.
Usually, the spirit mocked everything.
But right now…
There wasn't even a trace of joking in his voice.
"Hm…" Rey muttered thoughtfully.
Then he sighed.
"So what now?"
"You want me to sneak outside immediately?"
Aiden instantly shook his head.
"Of course not."
"Going during the day would be suicide."
"There are too many active presences outside right now."
"Some of them could kill you before you even realised they noticed you."
His gaze sharpened.
"You'll move at night."
"Your abilities are stronger than."
"And the city's attention will be focused elsewhere."
Rey immediately relaxed after hearing that.
Honestly…
The bigger problem wasn't the danger.
It was Hosric.
If his uncle discovered he sneaked outside right after almost dying—
Rey was certain he would never hear the end of it.
He fell backwards onto the bed tiredly.
"Fine…"
"We'll go tonight."
The moment those words left his mouth, exhaustion crashed into him again like a wave.
His eyes slowly lost focus.
The soreness buried inside his body dragged his consciousness downward.
And within seconds—
He fell asleep.
Just like that.
Completely defenseless.
—
Several minutes later, the head butler quietly entered the room after knocking softly.
The moment he saw Rey sprawled awkwardly across the bed, his expression softened slightly.
"Young Master…"
He sighed helplessly before carefully adjusting Rey properly onto the bed and covering him lightly.
The old butler studied him silently for a moment afterwards.
Truthfully…
Even now, he still felt shocked at the memory of Rey's condition from yesterday.
Those wounds should have crippled him.
Yet now he was walking around almost normally.
Still…
The head butler did not ask questions.
Because in his mind, there was already an answer.
Patriarch Edvarin.
Just like Fenlor before him.
Whatever mysterious methods the old Patriarch possessed…
Rey had most likely received the same treatment.
And that was enough explanation for him.
The butler quietly left the room afterwards and instructed the servants downstairs not to disturb Rey anymore.
Meanwhile—
The other side of the Capital was exploding with excitement.
The Round of Sixteen had officially begun.
By the end of today…
Only four contestants would remain.
The stadium was overflowing with noise as crowds poured inside from every direction.
Excitement.
Betting.
Predictions.
Arguments.
The atmosphere was far more intense than in previous rounds.
Because now—
Every remaining contestant was a monster among monsters.
At exactly nine in the morning, the sixteen finalists gathered on the arena grounds beneath the deafening cheers of the crowd.
A massive screen floated behind the host while contestant panels rapidly rotated across it.
One matchup after another began locking into place.
Gravion's name appeared during the second round.
His opponent was another noble genius who had dominated every match so far with overwhelming momentum.
But compared to Gravion…
His confidence visibly weakened the moment the matchup appeared.
Meanwhile, farther away from the others—
Raviel stood alone.
Silent.
Cold.
Untouchable.
Nobody dared approach him.
Not after yesterday.
His mood was visibly terrible.
The humiliation from Rey's final punch still lingered heavily in his mind.
Worse—
Every single action he attempted afterwards had been forcefully shut down by Duke Ashcroft himself.
No retaliation.
No targeting the Dragonstorm family.
No secret moves.
Nothing.
And Raviel could not disobey.
Not even him.
Because he understood better than anyone how terrifying his father truly was.
So all he could do…
Was swallow his fury silently.
His gaze rose toward the massive screen the moment his contestant number appeared.
Around him, several contestants visibly tensed while waiting for their matchups.
Some prayed.
Some cursed quietly.
Some turned pale.
And when the final pairing locked into place—
Only six faces showed relief.
One showed excitement.
And one…
Fell into complete despair.
A young commoner contestant.
One of the tournament's biggest surprises.
A swordsman who had climbed this far through pure skill and determination alone.
But unfortunately for him—
His opponent…
Was Raviel.
And everyone in the stadium instantly understood one thing.
His journey—
Would most likely end today.
The moment the matchups were finalised, the atmosphere inside the stadium completely changed.
Excitement.
Tension.
Pressure.
The remaining sixteen contestants stood beneath the overwhelming gaze of tens of thousands of spectators.
But among all of them…
One contestant already looked defeated before his match had even begun.
The young commoner standing opposite Raviel.
His face was pale.
His fists trembled slightly.
And deep down…
He already knew the result.
If even Rey Dragonstorm had failed to defeat Raviel—
Then what chance did he have?
None.
Absolutely none.
The confidence that carried him this far had already shattered before the battle even started.
Still, despite the pressure, the tournament moved forward.
The first match began shortly afterwards.
The crowd instantly erupted into cheers as both contestants entered the arena and unleashed everything they had from the very beginning.
Unlike previous rounds, nobody held back anymore.
Every remaining fighter knew the truth.
One mistake now…
Could end their entire future.
The battle dragged on fiercely as techniques and weapons collided repeatedly across the arena.
Neither contestant managed to completely overpower the other.
By the end, victory was decided purely through endurance.
One finally collapsed from exhaustion while the other barely remained standing.
The audience erupted immediately afterwards.
Because this—
This was the level expected from the top sixteen.
Even the noble families watching from above paid close attention now.
Several houses had already begun selecting potential talents to recruit after the tournament ended.
For commoners and lesser nobles…
This competition was more than glory.
It was an opportunity.
A chance to completely change their future.
The second match began soon after.
And the moment Gravion entered the arena—
The atmosphere shifted again.
His appearance remained exactly the same as always.
Long coat.
Calm expression.
Cold eyes.
But one thing was different now.
His spear was no longer wrapped.
For the first time since the tournament began—
The weapon stood fully exposed before everyone.
Its dark metallic surface reflected faintly beneath the stadium lights while strange engravings glimmered across the shaft.
Many spectators immediately realised one thing.
Gravion had finally stopped hiding.
The match started.
And unlike his previous battles—
He moved first.
BOOM!
His figure exploded forward like a cannon shot.
The sudden acceleration alone shocked the audience.
His opponent, a talented saber user, barely managed to react before Gravion's spear already arrived before him.
Clang!
The clash shook the arena.
But from that point onward…
The battle became completely one-sided.
Gravion moved with terrifying precision.
Every strike carried overwhelming pressure.
Every step suppressed his opponent further.
The saber user attempted multiple techniques to regain momentum, but none succeeded.
His defence slowly crumbled apart piece by piece.
Until finally—
CRACK!
His saber shattered directly in front of everyone.
The audience gasped.
The remaining force sent the contestant stumbling backwards violently, while cuts and bruises covered his battered body.
Meanwhile—
Gravion remained untouched.
Not a single scratch.
Not even disorder in his breathing.
It felt less like a battle…
And more like an adult calmly dismantling a child.
The match ended shortly afterwards with Gravion's overwhelming victory.
And just like before—
He left the stage quietly without showing any emotion.
The following battles continued smoothly after that.
Unlike Rey and Raviel's devastating fight, the arena remained mostly intact throughout the day.
Still…
The tension only continued rising.
Eventually—
The fifth match arrived.
And with it…
Raviel stepped into the arena once again.
The entire stadium grew noticeably quieter.
Even before the match began, sweat was already visible on his opponent's face.
Nobody blamed him.
After witnessing what happened yesterday—
Most people could already imagine how horrifying Raviel truly was when enraged.
The crowd waited silently.
Wondering about only one thing.
How badly would this contestant end up injured?
The host raised his hand.
"Begin!"
And instantly—
"I surrender."
The entire stadium froze.
The contestant lowered his weapon immediately without hesitation.
No struggle.
No exchange.
No attempt.
Just complete surrender.
A wave of confusion spread through the audience before quickly turning into understanding.
Because honestly…
Who would willingly fight Raviel after yesterday?
Especially after watching Rey nearly die just to land a single final blow?
The contestant simply chose survival over pride.
Raviel's expression darkened visibly.
He had entered the arena wanting to vent the fury buried inside him.
But now—
Even that chance disappeared.
He scoffed coldly while walking past the surrendered contestant before leaving the arena without another word.
The atmosphere around him remained suffocatingly cold.
Nobody dared approach him.
The tournament continued afterwards until only eight contestants remained.
By then, evening had already begun descending upon the Capital.
The bright sky slowly darkened beneath approaching night, while lights across the massive stadium started illuminating one after another.
After a short break—
The quarterfinal matches officially began.
And the battles only grew fiercer from there.
—
Meanwhile…
Far away from the roaring stadium—
The Valemont mansion had already become quiet.
Hosric and Edvarin returned late in the evening after spending the entire day handling matters related to the tournament.
Hosric did not even bother checking Rey personally this time.
Because, according to every report he received—
That boy had done absolutely nothing troublesome today.
He had eaten.
Taken a bath.
Slept.
Woken up for dinner.
Then slept again.
Like a perfectly obedient patient.
Even the head butler personally confirmed it.
Rey had supposedly remained asleep for nearly the entire day.
Naturally, this relieved Hosric greatly.
At least now, he believed Rey finally understood the seriousness of his injuries.
For once—
That troublesome brat was resting quietly.
But unfortunately for him…
The person sleeping peacefully inside that room—
Was already preparing to sneak out of the Capital in the middle of the night.
And neither Hosric…
Nor anyone else inside the mansion—
Had the slightest idea what kind of secret was beginning to move beneath the sleeping city.
Whether Rey's actions tonight would become nothing more than a small ripple…
Or the beginning of something far larger—
Only time would tell.