"W-WHAT A SUDDEN AND DRASTIC DEVELOPMENT!! ARTHUR VERMILLION HAS BEEN DEVOURED BY FLAMES!!! SHYE CROWLEY’S DECEPTIVELY HUGE FIREBALL SUDDENLY GREW EVEN LARGER!! WILL THIS FIGHT END AS SOON AS IT BEGAN?! CAN ARTHUR STILL STAND?!" Corey exclaimed in utter shock and disbelief
He thought the battle would be equal in the first few minutes of the match.
Who would’ve thought that the heir of the Vermillion Clan would be eating flames at the start of the match? Now, although everyone could be sure that Arthur was still alive, it was highly likely that he sustained devastating injuries.
Even the higher-ups of the Iron Jin Adventurer Guild gnashed their teeth in frustration.
After all, Arthur could have dodged the fireball, but instead, he opted to slash it in half and show off, resulting in his current dire circumstances.
He had no one to blame but himself!
As everyone waited for the clouds of dust and smoke to settle, Seira realized that there was no movement, making her believe that Arthur was badly wounded.
However, just when she was about to laugh out loud, a huge pillar of flame rose to the skies, roaring majestically as it eventually turned into a huge flaming tornado.
Soon enough, the clouds of dust and smoke finally settled, revealing an unharmed Arthur Vermillion in the center of the stage.
He looked like some kind of God of Flames—more menacing...more intimidating...
His ears grew longer, a pair of red horns emerged on the sides of his forehead, and his hair grew up to knee-length.
Observing the changes in his opponent’s body, Shye narrowed his eyes.
’Heh...This is probably his Ifrit’s Blessing skill...so it also grants him fire resistance on top of considerable attribute boosts huh?’ Shye mused as he used appraisal on Arthur again to check the changes in his body.
The Iron Jin representative’s attributes tremendously increased, however, the temporary boost wasn’t even enough for him to surpass his opponent’s current attributes.
Hence, his transformation did little to shake Shye’s heart.
Naturally, Arthur knew nothing about it as he did not have a system utility skill like appraisal.
Still, somehow, the young Vermillion believed that there was no way his adversary could fight on equal terms with him and that he would merely steamroll Shye no matter how skilled he was in "melee defense".
Not expecting Shye to actually do so as the guy should be trembling in fear right now, Arthur was utterly enraged.
"Bastard!"
Charging forward to personally teach Shye a lesson, Arthur brandished his sword downwards, attempting to chop Shye in half.
Naturally, Shye Crowley the performer "highlighted" the young Vermillion’s power for everyone to see.
Crossing both elemental staffs above his head, Shye blocked the incoming blow, flying backward for a few meters shortly after before "struggling" for a few moments to stabilize his footing.
"STRONG!! THE HEIR OF THE VERMILLION ADVENTURER CLAN MERCILESSLY CORNERS THE ENIGMATIC MAGE!! UNABLE TO USE MANA FOR THE NEXT SIXTY SECONDS, WHAT WOULD SHYE CROWLEY DO?! WILL HE EVEN SURVIVE THAT LONG AGAINST AN EMPOWERED ARTHUR VERMILLION?!"
Hearing Corey’s voice the Arthur crowd cheered wildly. On the other hand, the Shye Crowley supporters had grim—some even dejected—looks on their faces.
Except for Seira, of course, who already knew most of Shye’s secrets.
It would indeed be too difficult for a mage to fight a warrior with physical enhancements head-on without using mana.
Meanwhile, on the stage, Shye looked around. Realizing that the time was right, he smiled.
’Time for a grand reveal!’
"Heh, I admit, it might be a bit too difficult for me to fight you using my subclass. Very well, consider yourself formidable for compelling me to resort to my primary class..." Shye intentionally exclaimed loudly, allowing everyone to hear his voice.
Then, just when everyone’s expressions turned into one of confusion, flashily assumed a different combat stance—that of a dual-wielding warrior.
His elemental staffs then disappeared, replaced by two menacing greatswords: Adamance and Mithra, with the enormous Meido brand emblem in the middle, on full display.
The former roared in flames while the other left expelvoid slash marks in the air, causing the audience’s eyes to almost pop out of their sockets at the sudden, ridiculous change in gear.
However, it didn’t end there.
His mage equipment was then swiftly replaced by his warrior equipment, transforming his appearance from scholarly to valiant and heroic.
"I... I REMEMBER NOW! SO THAT’S WHY I FELT SOMETHING WAS AMISS THIS ENTIRE TIME! INDEED, DURING THE ADVENTURER ACADEMY COMPETITION, SHYE CROWLEY, THE ACE OF COLZEN ACADEMY, MAINLY FOUGHT AS A DUAL-WIELDING WARRIOR!"