It was fast—

blindingly precise.

Both arrows struck their mark ...

piercing the giant’s eyes

with terrifying accuracy.

In less than a second,

the creature was blinded.

It thrashed wildly,

foul blood pouring from its ruined eyes,

its roar shaking the arena as it lashed out blindly.

Yet Chai remained untouched.

He moved with flawless control,

dodging every strike with ease.

At the same time,

he intensified his search.

He knew his time was running out.

His sniper’s gaze swept across the crowd again and again ...

memorizing every face,

every detail,

every subtle difference.

Each time, he relayed more information to Ethan ...

pinpointing the positions of the cursed creatures

one by one.

Until finally ...

there were no more left to find.

’That’s all of them, brother...’

Chai’s voice echoed in Ethan’s mind.

’I don’t think there are any more.’

Twelve.

Twelve creatures hidden among the crowd,

scattered across different sections of the arena.

’Good work, Chai,’ Ethan replied with a faint smile.

’That’s more than enough.’

With his task complete,

Chai finally began to fight seriously.

Mana surged freely through his body ...

forming arrow after arrow,

which he unleashed upon the raging giant.

Each strike hit a vital point with deadly precision.

A single arrow wasn’t enough

to bring down a creature of that size ...

but the relentless barrage turned it into a living pincushion.

Chai’s build focused on agility ...

and mana above all else.

He was incredibly fast,

and possessed reserves far beyond others of his level.

Within minutes—

the giant collapsed.

Dead.

Silence fell over the arena,

followed by stunned disbelief.

"That boy is talented," the mysterious man said,

his strange smile unchanged.

"I’ll admit that much."

Then he turned back to Ethan.

"So... what now?"

"He gave you the locations of all twelve creatures, didn’t he?"

"How do you plan to deal with them?"

Every word he spoke made Ethan frown more deeply.

It was clear ...

this man already knew everything.

The number of cursed creatures.

Their positions.

Everything.

And that realization made Ethan’s effort feel... meaningless.

’This bastard...’

’He really can leave whenever he wants.’

’He’s choosing to stay here.’

The man was a mystery ...

one Ethan was determined to unravel.

"We’ve found them," Ethan said calmly, meeting his gaze.

"All that remains... is to kill them."

The giant said nothing ...

but his interest was unmistakable.

After all, those creatures could phase like ghosts ...

their bodies slipping between states.

How would Ethan deal with that?

That answer would only come

when his turn arrived.

Chai returned shortly after.

Ethan praised him sincerely ...

then the matches continued.

One after another,

the hunters fought again.

Soon, it was Raiden’s turn.

He performed well ..

his strength and physique drawing attention,

especially when he activated Aura Armor.

Though he fell short of the giant’s level,

he still delivered an impressive performance.

"Not bad," the mysterious man commented.

"That one has talent... though inferior to the sniper before him."

Then, slowly ...

he turned his gaze elsewhere.

"But the most talented one here..."

"...is that girl."

He pointed toward Alicia ...

who stood apart from the others,

lost in her own thoughts,

her face clouded with fear and tension.

The mysterious man found himself genuinely surprised by what he was witnessing.

So much so that his serpent-like eyes widened further,

a rare reaction breaking through his composed demeanor.

Unlike Chai and Raiden,

he did not need to see her fight to recognize Alicia’s talent.

And yet—her outward appearance betrayed none of it.

"My friends are impressive, aren’t they?" Ethan said with a faint smile,

a hint of pride coloring his voice as he spoke of his team.

The mysterious man returned the smile,

his expression settling back into its usual calm.

"They are, indeed. But I’m far more curious about what you can do."

And he meant every word.

Because Ethan was the only one he could not fully read—

the only one he could not categorize

as either gifted... or cursed.

The more he looked at him,

the deeper his confusion grew.

What stood before him was chaos in its purest form.

Ethan’s stats were low—almost laughably so—

far too meager for someone who had reached the advanced stage.

Of course, that was the effect of Eventual Greatness,

which suppressed his attributes entirely ...

but the giant knew nothing of that.

And yet, despite that suppression...

he could feel something within the young man.

Something vast.

Something sleeping.

"You’ll see what I’m capable of soon enough."

With those words, Ethan Heart stepped forward,

meeting the eyes of Raiden, Chai...

and even Alicia, exchanging silent meaning with each of them.

The mysterious man understood that the four

had communicated through telepathy during Chai’s match—

but he did not know what had been said.

All he could do now...

was watch.

As Ethan approached the arena,

the weapon attendant signaled for him to choose a weapon.

Ethan laughed in his face—

dismissive, indifferent—

and walked past without a second glance.

The beasts around him watched in confusion.

The moment he stepped onto the arena floor,

his power surged back into him.

Every blessing returned.

At last—

he could use Aura Armor freely again.

"Crow Sage Sight."

Activating his vision ability,

Ethan scanned the arena carefully,

following Chai’s earlier guidance—

and quickly located the cursed creatures.

’To be honest... I could’ve found them myself with Crow Sight.’

’But that would’ve taken time.’

’And time... is everything in a situation like this.’

As Ethan finalized his preparations,

the gate across from him opened—

revealing his opponent.

This one was different.

A four-legged creature emerged, snarling violently—

resembling a werewolf.

Its body was covered in thick black fur,

its claws long, filthy, and razor-sharp.

Its fangs protruded from its jaws,

capable of tearing flesh and crushing bone with ease.

It was a troublesome enemy ...

especially in packs.

But alone?

Ethan saw no reason to fear it.

He stood unarmed ...

his prosthetic Legion Arm appearing to be his only weapon.

But that changed in an instant.

Taking a deep breath,

Ethan raised his human hand ...

a brilliant blue rune igniting within his palm.

"Inventory Release!"

His voice rang out ...

drawing confused looks from the spectators.