The battlefield had become almost unrecognizable.
Vines covered the ground.
Cracks stretched across the arena.
Smoke drifted through the air while flames flickered between enormous roots.
Maris moved through the chaos.
One spike shot toward his head.
He tilted sideways.
Another came from behind.
He ducked.
Three more erupted from the ground.
He jumped.
His body twisted through the air as wind carried him past the attacks.
Every movement was precise.
Every step had a purpose.
Fire surrounded one side of his body while wind spiraled around the other.
Sophria watched him from within her Level 3 Greenery armor.
She knew Maris was getting tired.
But she also knew something else.
He wasn’t slowing down.
Sophria raised her hand.
“Then I’ll make it harder.” The ground began shaking.
Maris stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
“What now?” Roots began tearing themselves out of the earth.
Vines twisted together.
The ground split open.
Then— BOOOOOOM!
A gigantic plant creature erupted from beneath the battlefield.
It had six enormous legs.
Four massive arms.
Its entire body was constructed from roots, thick vines, hardened wood, and layers of leaves.
Its green aura illuminated the battlefield.
Sophria stood on its back.
She looked tiny compared to the enormous creature beneath her.
The crowd went silent.
Pinezoku stared.
Then he smirked.
“Now Maris is done for.” Lyberia looked at him.
“You really think so?” Pinezoku crossed his arms.
“Look at that thing.” He pointed toward the golem.
“Even I don’t want to fight that.” Melio glanced at him.
“Then stop talking.” Pinezoku looked offended.
“I was simply analyzing.” Melio answered, “Poorly.” Meanwhile, Foshi couldn’t take his eyes off Sophria.
His expression was one of disbelief.
“She’s really reached Level 3…” He looked at the enormous plant golem.
“I reached Level 3 Water—Tsunami—in two years.” His eyes narrowed.
“And yet this girl…” He shook his head.
“Her potential is insane.” The students around him looked shocked.
“Teacher, you reached Level 3 in two years?” Foshi didn’t answer immediately.
His attention remained on Sophria.
“The training required for this…” He exhaled.
“It must have been unimaginable.” The golem raised one of its enormous arms.
Maris looked upward.
The shadow of the limb covered him.
The arm came crashing down.
BOOM!
Maris vanished.
The fist destroyed the ground where he had been standing.
A second arm swung sideways.
Maris slid underneath it.
A third attack followed.
He jumped.
Wind exploded beneath his feet.
He accelerated.
“Too slow.” He appeared beside one of the golem’s legs.
His fist ignited.
BOOM!
The root armor cracked.
Maris followed with another strike.
Then another.
Wind sharpened around his arm like an invisible blade.
The vines split apart.
The golem staggered.
One leg buckled.
Sophria’s eyes widened.
“He’s targeting the structure…” Maris continued.
He wasn’t trying to overpower the entire creature.
He was dismantling it.
Two legs collapsed.
The golem stumbled.
Pinezoku’s smirk disappeared.
“What?” Maris jumped between its massive arms.
He struck another joint.
The golem’s movement became unstable.
Foshi’s eyes widened.
“He’s analyzing it while fighting.” Then he noticed something else.
The wind around Maris wasn’t behaving normally.
Neither was the fire.
And beneath both— White-blue electricity flickered.
Foshi froze.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
“That…” He stared at Maris.
“That’s the Multi-elemental power.” Melio turned toward him.
“Multi-elemental?” Foshi didn’t respond.
His eyes remained fixed on Maris.
“He’s only showing a glimpse of it.” He clenched his fist.
“Only the Fruing Clan can wield that power.” His expression became increasingly confused.
“How…” He swallowed.
“How is Maris even glimpsing it?” Maris suddenly grabbed his head.
Pain shot through him.
His vision blurred.
The battlefield spun.
His knees weakened.
He thought, “Damn…” The golem’s roar echoed around him.
Maris stumbled.
Then his vision went dark.
For a moment— he collapsed.
The crowd gasped.
“Maris!” Sophria’s eyes widened.
“Maris!” But before anyone could react— Maris’s hand slammed against the ground.
He pushed himself up.
He was breathing heavily.
Sweat ran down his face.
His body was clearly exhausted.
But he stood.
He looked toward Sophria.
“Okay…” He wiped his forehead.
“A little hurt.” He smirked.
“But irrelevant.” Sophria stared at him.
“You don’t have to keep pushing yourself!” Maris shook his head.
“I do.” His aura suddenly exploded.
Fire.
Wind.
Lightning.
All three began moving around him.
White-blue sparks crawled across his arms.
Wind spiraled around his shoulders.
Fire burned around his fists.
The three powers began interacting.
Foshi’s expression became serious.
“No…” Maris lowered his stance.
“Time to end this.” He vanished.
Sophria’s eyes widened.
“He’s fast!” Maris appeared above the golem.
He landed directly on its back.
The creature tried to shake him off.
Maris grabbed one of the vines.
He pulled himself forward.
A massive arm swung toward him.
He ducked.
Then— BOOM!
His fist struck the creature.
Electricity exploded across the plant armor.
The golem shuddered.
Sophria struggled to maintain her balance.
“Maris!” He didn’t stop.
Punch.
Kick.
Spin.
Strike.
Every movement carried a different element.
Wind accelerated his body.
Fire amplified his attacks.
Lightning surged through his limbs.
The golem’s structure began breaking apart.
Sophria tried to reinforce it.
“Greenery!” Vines surged toward Maris.
He released a burst of wind.
The vines were pushed aside.
He jumped.
Flames wrapped around his leg.
He spun through the air.
BOOM!
Another strike.
The golem staggered.
Maris landed.
Lightning gathered around his fist.
The sparks became brighter.
He pulled his arm backward.
“Finish!” He drove his fist forward.
CRACK!
Electricity erupted across the golem’s entire body.
The enormous creature froze.
Its green aura flickered.
Then— the entire structure collapsed.
Not into blood or destruction.
Into hundreds of harmless vines and leaves.
Sophria was thrown from its back.
She landed on the battlefield and rolled to a stop.
Her Greenery armor faded.
The arena became completely silent.
Maris stood in the center.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
His fire aura slowly disappeared.
The electricity faded.
The wind settled.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Foshi raised his hand.
“Winner…” He looked at Maris.
“Maris Fruing.” The crowd erupted.
“MARIS WON!” “HE DEFEATED LEVEL 3!” “WHAT IS THIS GUY?!” Pinezoku stared at the battlefield.
His earlier confidence had completely disappeared.
He thought, “Sophria reached Level 3…” His eyes shifted toward Maris.
“And he still defeated her.” Melio remained silent.
But even he looked impressed.
He thought, “Maris…” Foshi continued staring.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Incredible.” His eyes became slightly glassy.
“Sophria reached Level 3…” He looked at Maris.
“And still couldn’t defeat him.” He lowered his voice.
“His potential…” Foshi paused.
“It may surpass even Manglet Fruing.” The name struck something deep inside him.
His expression changed.
“Maris’s mother…” He looked toward the sky.
“Manglet…” A quiet sadness appeared in his eyes.
“Now only two remain…” “Maris Fruing.” He paused.
“And his sister, Guris.” Foshi smiled faintly.
“But even they…” He shook his head.
“They’re still far from their father’s level.” He chuckled quietly.
“Poor Manglet…” His eyes became glassy.
“I feel like a rookie just watching this.” For a moment, the arena disappeared from Foshi’s mind.
He remembered the old days.
His group.
Mangorak.
Manglet.
The three of them standing together.
Foshi remembered being the weakest among them.
He remembered Mangorak’s overwhelming strength.
He remembered how little importance Mangorak gave him.
Then he remembered Manglet.
She had always treated him differently.
She knew he was the weakest.
Yet she never looked down on him.
Foshi whispered, “You gave me importance even after knowing I was the weakest of the group.” His voice became softer.
“I still miss you, Manglet.” A faint smile appeared.
“Best friend forever.” Memories flashed through his mind.
The cliffs of Fruikler.
The rising sun.
Manglet standing at the edge of a cliff.
Training relentlessly.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Every strike perfected.
Every movement controlled.
Her voice echoed through his memory.
“One power mastered is better than three half-learned.” Foshi’s eyes slowly returned to Maris.
He looked at the fire.
The wind.
The lightning.
His expression became serious.
He thought, “That legacy…” He watched Maris carefully.
“It’s awakening.” But it wasn’t complete.
Not yet.
Maris still lacked control.
His abilities were still unstable.
Yet the glimpse was enough.
Foshi knew what he had witnessed.
Something rare.
Something the Fruing Clan had carried for generations.
And something that could eventually become terrifying.
Meanwhile, Maris walked toward Sophria.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision focused.
Maris stood in front of her.
He offered his hand.
Sophria looked at it.
Then smiled.
She accepted it.
Maris pulled her to her feet.
“That was close.” Sophria smiled tiredly.
“You were stronger.” Maris shook his head.
“No.” He looked at her seriously.
“You’re strong.” Sophria blinked.
“Really?” “Really.” Maris looked toward the destroyed battlefield.
“You reached Level 3.” He clenched his fist.
“I need to train even more.” Sophria smiled.
“You’ll become stronger.” Maris smirked.
“Obviously.” He turned away.
Then glanced back.
“Next time…” His expression became determined.
“I won’t hold back.” Sophria’s eyes widened slightly.
She smiled.
“I’ll remember that.” Around them, the students slowly began leaving the arena.
But nobody was talking about the tournament anymore.
They were talking about Maris.
The boy everyone once called weak.
The boy who had revealed Wind.
Then Lightning.
Then Fire.
And now— a glimpse of something even more mysterious.
Multi-elemental power.
A power belonging to the Fruing Clan.
A power Foshi had not seen awakened like this in years.
The tournament had ended.
But the real story had only begun.
Because somewhere inside Maris Fruing…
the legacy of the Fruing Clan had finally opened its eyes.