Chapter 300: End of the Manhunt

Drawing in several ragged breaths with visible frustration, Ruvian remained vigilant, keeping a wary eye on the remaining scholars encircling him.

In the meantime, he had already managed to eliminate nine scholars out of sixteen, leaving only seven of them standing.

[Time remaining: (01:00)]

[You don’t have much time left now, Child.]

Ruvian was well aware of that.

Honestly, after they realized just how ridiculously strong he was, they had all suddenly become far more cautious and guarded against him. Because of that, eliminating them had become considerably more difficult.

Now, he was even beginning to wonder whether he could finish off the rest of them within the remaining time.

Especially since the seven scholars still standing were all from the higher classes. Four of them were from Class A, while the remaining three were from Class B.

’The fact that they are not planning to attack is annoying....’

Ruvian inwardly groaned.

Slowly, he tightened his grip around [The Endseeker]. Since none of them seemed willing to make the first move, he decided he would have to force them into action.

Somehow, just as he shifted his foot forward, however, something unexpected happened — two of the scholars suddenly moved at the exact same time, but instead of rushing toward Ruvian, they turned toward the people beside them.

One swung his sword toward the neck of another scholar, while the second fired a [Magic Missile] straight toward his teammate’s chest.

Neither of their targets had expected an attack to come from their own side.

Clang! Boom!

The two attacks struck before either scholar could properly defend themselves, causing their bracelets to react immediately.

Less than a second, translucent barriers burst around both of them, blocking what the artifacts judged as lethal attacks. The sudden flash of mana barriers made everyone nearby freeze for a moment.

"Huh?"

’....’

Even Ruvian stopped in his tracks, his brows rising slightly at the strange sight before him. He had expected many things from these people, but attacking each other in the middle of surrounding him was certainly not one of them.

Before anyone could understand what was happening, one of the two attackers had already turned around.

"Now! Run!!"

A powerful gust of wind suddenly burst from beneath his feet, throwing dirt and dust high into the air. The thick cloud spread across the area and obscured everyone’s vision.

Using that commotion, the two scholars immediately escaped from the area. Their figures quickly disappeared behind the brownish smokescreen.

"What the hell!? Federick!!"

One of the scholars trapped inside the protective barrier slammed his palm against it as his expression twisted in disbelief.

The other scholar inside a barrier looked just as stunned, clearly unable to believe that the other squad had suddenly stabbed him in the back.

Ardyn immediately turned toward the fleeing figures, his expression darkening as he understood what had just happened.

Those two had clearly decided that continuing to fight Ruvian was no longer worth the risk, especially after watching nine scholars fall one after another.

Instead of waiting until Ruvian eliminated them as well, they had chosen to steal whatever points they could from the others and escape while everyone was distracted.

[That... was unexpected.]

’Yeah, but honestly, that’s a smart move to go for.’

He smiled awkwardly as he replied to Morvayne.

"Tch... damn bunch of cowards." Ardyn had barely finished clicking his tongue when the dust in front of him suddenly split apart.

Whoosh!

Ruvian burst through the brown cloud without giving them another second to recover. With two scholars trapped inside their barriers and another two already fleeing, only three opponents remained capable of fighting him.

"He’s coming!" Ardyn shouted.

The spear wielder reacted first, thrusting his weapon. Ruvian shifted his body slightly and let the spearhead pass beside his ribs, then struck the shaft with the side of his katana.

The blow knocked the spear away before it could be pulled back. Ruvian planned on blasting a wind spell at him, but Ardyn was already there.

’Tch...’

His broadsword came down from above with both hands gripping the hilt. Ruvian raised [The Endseeker] and caught the massive blade before it could reach him.

If this was him in the past, he wouldn’t dare to do that. But now, he was different.

The force traveled through Ruvian’s arms, but his knees did not bend even slightly. Instead, Ardyn’s eyes widened when Ruvian suddenly pushed back against his broadsword.

The muscles along Ruvian’s arm tightened as his borrowed strength surged through his body.

Crack!

The ground beneath their feet fractured.

Ardyn gritted his teeth and pushed down with his entire weight, yet his boots slowly scraped backward across the broken ground. His arms began trembling from the pressure coming through his sword.

’What kind of strength is this bastard hiding!? And since when!??’

Ruvian’s eyes narrowed; he saw the scholar with a machete coming. So, he suddenly stopped pushing the clash.

Ardyn’s body lurched forward from his own strength, and Ruvian immediately slipped beneath the broadsword. Gripping his lefthand tightly, he smashed his fist into Ardyn’s ribs.

"Hukk!"

The impact sent him stumbling several steps away.

Then, a second later....

A machete swept toward the back of his neck. Ruvian lowered his head, feeling the blade cut through several strands of his hair.

He spun around while rising, bringing [The Endseeker] upward at the same time. The katana struck the machete from below and forced the scholar’s arm high into the air.

The scholar’s eyes widened.

Ruvian stepped inside his guard and landed a blow to his stomach, resulting in him being knocked out unconscious immediately.

[You have eliminated ’Remire Nunez’!]

[Time remaining: (00:33)]

’Two left.’

Charging at him once again, the spear-wielding guy thrust his weapon relentlessly with everything he had, attempting to land a blow on Ruvian.

Yet Ruvian simply evaded every single thrust without even bothering to parry them with his sword — then, the moment an opening presented itself, he seized the spear shaft with his left hand.

The spear’s relentless assault came to an abrupt halt.

At the same time, Ruvian cast [True Authority], imposing an overwhelming force upon the guy and compelling his entire body to remain rooted in place.

Then, without bothering a glance, Ruvian swung his blade straight toward the guy’s neck.

The barrier activated.

[You have eliminated ’Gregus Cliver’!]

*****

[Ardyn’s POV]

Ardyn coughed a mouthful of blood.

His vision blurred for a moment as the metallic taste spread across his tongue. A deep pain throbbed through his ribs where Ruvian had struck him earlier.

How was he losing? How did he still lose when they had outnumbered him so heavily? Ardyn couldn’t comprehend it. A deep, unsettling fear slowly gripped his heart.

Ruvian Castelor...

He was not someone who belonged in Class E. Someone like that should never have been there in the first place.

He pressed one hand against his side and forced himself to straighten his body.

Then, his bracelet released a quiet sound, warning that his teammates had been eliminated. Ardyn stared at the notification without saying anything.

Swallowing the blood gathering inside his mouth, Ardyn wiped his lips with the back of his hand, only to find Ruvian already closing the distance between them.

Slowly, Ardyn raised his head, staring directly at Ruvian’s face and into those cold, dark blue eyes.

"You... this... this is impossible."

Ruvian replied coldly.

"No, Goldie... it’s possible. For me."

With that, Ruvian swung his fist straight into Ardyn’s face, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

[You have been eliminated!]

*****

[Ruvian’s POV]

[You have eliminated ’Squad 34’!]

[You have eliminated ’Squad 67’!]

[You have eliminated ’Squad 55’!]

[You have received 7,280 Points!]

[You have received +20,000 Plot Points!]

After receiving the notification, Ruvian turned toward the direction where Griffer’s squad was supposed to be. However, they were no longer there.

’I guess... they decided it wasn’t worth the risk.’

Ruvian inhaled deeply, then wore a tired smile.

[Time remaining: (00:22)]

With only twenty-two seconds remaining, Ruvian decided to use the remaining boost of that power to leave the battlefield and find somewhere secluded to recover.

He didn’t know how severe the repercussions of this skill would be, but if they left him weakened or incapacitated afterward, it was better to put some distance between himself and any potential threats first.

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 300: End of the Manhunt]

Plot Points= 52,000 PP

A/N: The next few Chapters will be a bit longer since we are now at the final stage of this arc. I want to try ending this arc around Chapters 320–330. That was the goal, but let’s see how it goes~

Also, I have to resit a paper on 23rd Aug, so the updates next week might be a bit slower than usual. Yeah, I failed one subject, so I gotta retake it and pass if I want to graduate :’)

Anyway, we made it to 300 Chapters! Another milestone, wohoo~!