Chapter 76: True Talent! David, Forget It!

"Farewell!" Faye said politely, bowing slightly.

"No! Wait! Stop!!" Noah cried out. Trapped within the water cage, he couldn't resist and was forcefully inundated by streams of water.

"Argh!" The level 100 expert let out strange, agonizing screams, clearly in immense pain. The water seemed to have a mana-suppressing effect, rendering Noah unable to use his skills to fight back.

For over three minutes, Noah struggled until his movements gradually ceased.

His face turned deathly pale as he drowned.

After his body disintegrated into light, this expert, who had started his third class advancement quest, reappeared in the spectator seats. Noah then collapsed to the ground, supporting himself with one hand, looking as if he had just escaped from hell.

"Thank you for the match." Faye said, still bowing gracefully on the platform.

The entire arena fell silent.

The main reason was that everyone who had been lamenting Faye's imminent elimination hadn't even finished their sentences when the situation turned around. The reversal was so swift that people couldn't react in time.

It took a few seconds for everyone to snap back to reality. The fourth prince of the Divine Mountain Empire, who had been emotionless and repeatedly agreeing with his elder brother, suddenly shouted excitedly, "Well done! Beautifully executed!"

"Perfect!"

"Defeating the enemy in one move! Truly worthy of being the Holy Maiden of the Blue Water Tribe!"

"For the Divine Mountain Empire to have such talent, it is indeed a blessing for the empire!"

Faye was openly a talent the fourth prince was trying to recruit, but she had been targeted by the eldest prince during this assessment. Initially, the fourth prince thought he had to swallow his anger.

But the situation reversed in an instant! Not only did Faye defeat her opponent, but she also did so with a one-hit kill! What did this mean? The fourth prince vaguely saw that a top-tier talent had officially fallen into his hands!

Countless players and NPCs present also came to their senses, showering her with praise.

"Such powerful strength! Even a level 100 player is no match!"

"The fourth prince has truly found a treasure!"

"With such talent, the Blue Water Tribe could thrive for decades, even centuries!"

Amidst the commotion, Faye showed a slightly annoyed expression.

Sterl sighed slightly, "The foundation of such elite tribes is truly terrifying."

His "Star Insight" ability, a reward from the [Dimensional Visitor], theoretically stemmed from otherworldly power of the highest rank, allowing him to easily detect Faye's exact attributes.

This Holy Maiden of the Blue Water Tribe had an S-grade talent, an A-grade class, and was using a purple-quality skill, [Azure Wave Technique], complemented by the [Mastery: Blue Water Arcane Skill]. With such multiple enhancements, although Faye seemed to be at a disadvantage in terms of level in the previous duel, she could easily crush Noah!

Not to mention that Noah's sneak attack was completely caught by Faye, and she took the opportunity to finish him off.

Seeing this, Sterl felt a bit envious. Faye's class, skills, and mastery were clearly part of a comprehensive system, likely a legacy from the Blue Water Tribe. It could only be said that some players were born with limitless potential, as their tribes would pave the way for them only if they had enough potential.

Players of the Earth Human race were born to be nobodies, with no resources at all...

At this moment, Sterl was deep in thought, unaware that several NPCs were casting sympathetic glances his way.

[Arcane Skill: Star Soul Rotation (No Rank)]

[Effects: 1 Converts experience, gaining an additional 25% bonus]

[2 Increases all attributes by 10%]

[Proficiency: 0/1000 [Phase One]]

Sterl's arcane skill had slightly improved, providing an additional 5% experience bonus and 5% attribute enhancement.

Although it seemed like a small gain, every bit counted. With Sterl going all out, his attributes increased by nearly 10 points in just half a day—a significant improvement!

He then glanced at the ongoing tournament. Despite many players being engrossed in the matches, Sterl was disinterested because there were no top-tier combatants like Faye.

After a short rest, Sterl resumed his training.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but the second round of matches finally concluded. Only 41 players, including Sterl, remained. Those who were left were all strong contenders.

These formidable warriors either crossed their arms over their chests, looked up at the sky, or flexed their muscles, each showcasing their immense strength in their own way and basking in the admiration of the audience below.

As they sat in their seats, several princes of the Divine Mountain Empire sent people to recruit them...

Sterl noticed that while these players eagerly accepted various recruitment offers, they did not mention any hidden tasks during their conversations. This implied that only those who performed exceptionally well in the Empire's first trial could join the fourth prince's faction and receive "hidden tasks."

"It seems this fourth prince has significant issues. Only his faction offers hidden tasks." Sterl thought, unfazed. The bigger the problem, the higher the risk. The higher the risk, the better the rewards!

Sterl hoped the fourth prince's plans were as grand as possible!

Then... Sterl continued his training, ignoring the outside world.

When the third round of matches began, Sterl once again received a bye.

An observant player noticed that Sterl's name was still not displayed on the match board.

"Is it that Earth Human player again? He still doesn't have to compete?"

By now, many eliminated players were shouting excitedly, "Rigged! This is rigged!"

"I don't believe anyone can be this lucky, getting a bye every time!"

"There's definitely something fishy going on! Either he's cheating or bribed the people in charge of drawing match slots."

"We need to make this Earth Human player fight! How can he keep getting byes?"

...

Before the third-round matches even started, both eliminated players and those about to compete were losing their minds.

They were furious!

Those who had been eliminated felt extremely wronged. In their view, they were far superior to this Earth Human trash, yet they had to sit in the audience with far inferior rewards!

Was that fair?