Does this weapon have a unique skill? Aster looked at the weapon again.
System: Lazy Inspection
Name: Aegis Fang
Rank: S
Skill: Crab Hook
Effect: When activated, two giant crab claws manifest and swap the positions of the user and the opponent.
This skill might come in handy for catching people off guard.
As Aster was thinking about how to use the skill, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the Artifact Refinement Hall.
Everyone became curious about what had happened and rushed toward the scene. When they arrived, they found Veyl standing in the middle of the crowd.
Aster looked at him.
System: Lazy Inspection
Name: Veyl Seraphine
Class: Divine Vanguard
Level: 22
His class name and level changed. So, he completed his class advancement.
Aster thought. Just then, Veyl spotted him.
"There you are, Mr. Champion!" Veyl said, pointing directly at Aster.
Aster looked around in confusion.
"Why is he pointing at me?"
"Aster!" Veyl shouted. "I have completed my class advancement. Now, I’m challenging you to a duel!"
The students who had gathered around immediately began whispering among themselves. Leoric stepped forward with a furious expression.
"Veyl! Aster isn’t even a student of our college. You can’t challenge him to a duel!"
While Leoric was arguing with Veyl, Aster thought to himself.
Hmm... I needed to test my new weapon and its skill anyway. This might be a good opportunity to try it out. Besides, I can’t just leave him alone with that arrogant attitude of his.
Aster looked at Veyl. "I’ll accept your challenge."
The crowd immediately erupted into another round of murmuring.
Aster continued, "But there’s no benefit for me here. So, how about we make a bet?"
"Bet?" Veyl raised an eyebrow. "What bet?"
"Nothing much. I just made a new weapon with the help of my friend Leoric and some other kind seniors. I have to pay them for their hard work, right?"
Aster smiled. "So, how about this? If I win the duel, you’ll pay them instead of me."
Veyl frowned. "Money is no problem for my family. I accept your bet, but if I win—"
"Wait, wait, wait." Aster interrupted him. "What do you mean by if you win? You’re already fortunate enough to get a chance to duel me. You can’t expect to get something on top of that."
Aster tilted his head. "Are all big-family kids this greedy?"
The students nearby immediately burst out laughing.
Veyl’s face turned red with fury. "Alright! Alright! Then come to the duel arena with me!" Still angry, Veyl turned around and marched toward the duel hall.
Aster and the others followed.
Soon, they arrived at the duel arena.
Aster and Veyl stood face-to-face in the middle of the arena while the students gathered around the edges, eagerly watching.
Aster held Aegis Fang with both hands by its middle handle, resting the other end of the weapon against the ground between his feet.
Veyl suddenly burst out laughing. "Hahaha! This is the weapon you were talking about earlier?"
He pointed at Aegis Fang. "All I see is a weirdly twisted piece of metal. Is it even functional?"
Aster didn’t respond. Instead, he leaned slightly toward his weapon and stood there comfortably, completely relaxed.
Veyl’s expression darkened even further.
"I’m telling you to take this seriously! After my class advancement, both my talent and skills have become much more powerful. You could even die here!"
"Don’t worry about me," Aster replied calmly. "Just try your best."
Veyl gritted his teeth and took his fighting stance. One of the instructors present stepped forward and took the role of referee.
"Begin!"
Veyl instantly jumped backward, creating some distance between them. He gripped his spear with both hands and pointed it directly at Aster. "Radiant Judgment!"
Unlike before, four golden, glowing spears manifested around Aster. Aster noticed them immediately. Veyl pulled his spear downward.
The four manifested spears shot toward Aster at incredible speed.
"Crab Hook!"
Just as the spears were about to hit him, two massive crab claws suddenly manifested around Aster and Veyl.
In the next instant
SWAP!
Aster and Veyl exchanged positions. Veyl’s eyes widened in confusion.
He didn’t even have time to understand what had happened before his own manifested spear pierced into him.
BOOM!
Veyl was sent crashing to the ground. Everyone watching was completely puzzled. Even the instructor acting as the referee couldn’t understand what had just happened.
Before Veyl could get back up, "Palm Strike."
A massive palm-shaped golden light slammed into Veyl and launched him high into the air.
Aster immediately use grapple and palm strike and used it to pull himself upward, instantly reaching Veyl’s height.
He appeared right in front of him. "Palm Strike."
BOOM!
Another palm strike blasted Veyl downward.
Veyl crashed into the arena floor.
Before he could even recover, he opened his eyes and saw dozens of golden palm strikes raining down from above.
"Ascendant Form!"
A brilliant golden light suddenly spread throughout the arena. Veyl’s aura exploded outward, colliding with the descending palm strikes.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The resulting shockwaves tore through the entire duel arena. The commotion was so enormous that it attracted the attention of the principal.
He quickly arrived at the duel arena and watched the battle from above.
After activating his newly enhanced Ascendant Form, now Veyl had armor, and his speed had increased dramatically.
"Radiant Judgment!"
His spear glowed with brilliant golden light as he charged toward Aster at incredible speed. Aster was still suspended in the air after using his grappling hook.
Yet, he remained completely relaxed. Just before Veyl’s spear could hit him
"Crab Hook."
SWAP!
Their positions exchanged once again. Aster appeared behind Veyl, facing the opposite direction. He calmly turned around.
Then, he summoned his Sunbreaking Sword. "Solar Slash." Five blazing solar slashes instantly shot toward Veyl.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The attacks struck him one after another. Veyl crashed into the ground. Aster used his grappling hook and gently pulled himself down, landing safely.
Veyl was covered in wounds. His Ascendant Form disappeared. Yet, his will to fight remained intact.
He gritted his teeth, forced himself back onto his feet, and stared at Aster. "This isn’t over."
Before he could continue, "Enough!" The principal suddenly intervened. "Stop this duel right now!"
Veyl looked toward him. "But, Principal—"
"Shut up!" the principal shouted. He pointed at Veyl.
"Look at yourself, and then look at him! You’re already covered in wounds, while Aster hasn’t even gone all out!"
Veyl stared at Aster. Aster was still standing there casually, leaning against his weapon. Veyl’s face darkened. He lowered his head.
After a moment of silence, he finally admitted,
"I lost."
The students who had witnessed the entire duel stood completely silent. None of them knew how to react. Aster looked toward the principal.
"Good evening, Principal."
He then stored Aegis Fang in his inventory.
He was about to leave when he suddenly stopped and turned back toward Veyl.
"Oh, and don’t forget about our bet."
Veyl looked at him. "I’m not a man who goes back on his word. I’ll keep my promise."
After the duel, Aster met up with Leoric. "That was so cool, Aster!"
Aster scratched his head awkwardly. "Ahaha, it was nothing. But I think I should leave now."
"Alright. See you later."
"Yeah."
Aster waved goodbye and left the college.
The principal watched silently as Aster walked through the gates and disappeared from sight.
Behind him, the healer who had treated everyone before arrived and began healing his injuries.
She glanced toward the principal.
"You’re letting him go?"
The principal sighed.
"What else can I do?"
He looked toward the direction Aster had gone.
"If something happened to him, that Cassius bastard would go on another rampage."