Chapter 25
The grand hall, once buzzing with tension, fell into an unnatural stillness. It wasn't the kind of silence that followed a death—it was worse. This silence came from disbelief, from the collective minds of hundreds failing to comprehend what their eyes had just witnessed.
Kai. The undefeated prodigy of the Blue Plane. The pride of the inner generation. The one many believed was a future Grand Elder in the making—defeated.
And not just defeated.
Obliterated.
One attack. One move. One heartbeat.
A single strike from Jayden—the unknown, the so-called weakling who barely stood four stages below his opponent—had destroyed their genius.
A trembling gasp slipped from someone's lips.
"This… this is a joke, right?"
"No, he's… he's not moving."
Then—
"This is not possible!" Elder Damier roared, slamming his fist onto his table with such force that cracks raced outward like lightning bolts. Out of all the elders, he was the most vocal supporter of Kai. He had bet nearly half his fortune on the boy's guaranteed victory. Now, that fortune had vanished in a blink—and so had his pride.
Jayden hadn't just defeated Kai—he had humiliated him.
Around the room, jaws hung open, minds failing to register reality. Except for four individuals: Melphina, who had a slight smile at the corner of her lips; Toph, her ever-silent bodyguard who merely raised a brow; Jake, arms crossed and lips twitching in amusement; and finally, Rictor, who was grinning so wide it looked like his face might split in half.
He had placed a cheeky bet on Jayden—afterall he knew how strong he was.
Now?
Rictor was rich.
"I should've bet more," he whispered to himself, rubbing his fingers together with glee.
But peace was short-lived.
"That's impossible! He must be using a forbidden technique!" a green-haired elder snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at Jayden like a cursed dagger. "There's no way a brat like that has this kind of power!"
"Yes!" another elder chimed in. "He's hiding something! Shamelessly boosting his strength! He dares to deceive the elders and the entire faction!"
More voices joined the accusation, like a wildfire fed by pride and disbelief.
"He must be punished!"
"Disqualify him immediately!"
"FORBIDDEN USER!"
Amidst the chaos, Rictor clenched his fists. His jaw tightened in silent fury. These fools. These shameless hypocrites. They couldn't admit they'd simply lost—to someone they deemed inferior.
Mephina's lips curled as she whispered under her breath, "Shameless morons."
But she couldn't speak louder. Not here. Not when so many high-ranking members watched. Speaking against them in public—even with truth—would be seen as defiance. And defiance had consequences.
And at the center of it all stood the boy responsible—Jayden.
Still.
Silent.
Emotionless.
His blank eyes stared ahead, unfazed by the uproar. Some believed he was frozen in fear—guilty, perhaps. But the truth was far more ridiculous.
Jayden wasn't paying attention.
He was reading a notification on his system.
> Quest Completed: One Shot the One-Shotter
Reward: +500 SP
Jayden's thoughts: Nice. I'll grab a cooler jutsu later.
Once confirmed, he turned on his heel, preparing to leave the stage. He didn't care what the others thought. He had won. That meant one thing—he could finally join the faction peacefully. Finally, some peace.
But then—
"WAIT!"
A thunderous voice boomed through the hall like a divine proclamation. Jayden froze mid-step. His eye twitched ever so slightly—the only sign of emotion he showed.
He recognized that voice.
And he really wished he hadn't heard it.
"There is a way to prove that he is not using forbidden techniques," the Grand Elder Jake declared, his words echoing with authority. "Let him face more opponents. If he's cheating, his energy will crumble within minutes. But if he is not—he will be granted a single wish of his choosing."
The crowd went silent.
Even the doubters had to pause. The Grand Elder's word was law. And if Jayden wasn't lying… then what they had just witnessed was only the beginning.
Jayden's gaze swept across the crowd until it settled on Jake—who, of course, was smirking like a gremlin.
"So?" Jake said casually, hands behind his back. "You gonna prove yourself, or what?"
Then came the chant.
Soft at first. Then louder.
"Prove yourself."
"Prove yourself."
"PROVE YOURSELF!"
Jayden let out the faintest sigh—more annoyed than anything. He turned and walked back to the center of the stage, his footsteps echoing like the ticking of a time bomb.
His face didn't change. His heart didn't race. But one thing was certain in his mind.
I'll use that wish to get the hell out of this faction.
"Okay," he said flatly.
Suddenly, a figure leapt onto the stage.
His aura flared—a 6th stage Blue Plane warrior.
Weaker than Kai but. Bigger. Meaner. And twice as cocky.
He cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Let's see how long you last, freak."
Jayden didn't even blink.
> System Alert: New Quest Received
Quest: The One Shotter
Objective: Defeat all opponents with a single strike.
Reward: New System.
_ _ _ _
Jayden's eyebrow twitched slightly, an almost invisible sign of mild irritation. "Is this system actually serious?" he thought internally. Gaining a new anime system was a dream for any one—but only if luck was on their side. Please don't give me something dumb like A Silent Voice, he thought dryly.
Just as the next opponent charged, his body was engulfed in thick, rugged earth armor, layers upon layers forming a spiked shell. Gasps echoed in the hall.
"He's going full defense?!"
"Is he trying to tank the flame head-on?!"
But Jayden didn't even blink. He simply raised one hand… and snap.
The sound echoed like divine judgment.
A fierce whirlwind of fire erupted from Jayden's fingertips, like the wrath of the Flame Alchemist himself. The fire twisted into a spiral of golden-red heat that vaporized the air around it. The armored boy didn't even get the chance to scream. The earth armor shattered like glass against a hammer, and the boy collapsed, unconscious, smoke rising from his twitching body.
> +100 EXP | +15 SP Gained
Jayden nodded, expressionless. "Not great. But not bad either," he thought.
The crowd erupted like an exploding volcano.
"Did he just—?!"
"In one attack again?!"
"I can't take this anymore, my brain's overheating!"
Before they could recover, a hulking girl stepped onto the stage. Her crimson skin glowed faintly, and each breath she exhaled shimmered with faint trails of fire.
"I'll go next," she growled.
Her name was Velsha, a prodigy known as the Crimson Body. Said to be the only one in the blue plane who could go toe-to-toe with Kai and survive, some even whispered she was stronger, though Kai had always won—barely.
Despite her youth, Velsha's towering presence made her seem more like a battle-hardened warrior than a 14-year-old. The flames flickering across her shoulders, her molten breath, and the heat radiating from her body made even the elders shift uncomfortably in their seats.
"You must think beating Kai makes you invincible," she said, glaring at Jayden. "But let me tell you—Kai lost because of his arrogance. Your flames won't do a thing to me. My body is fire."
Jayden stared at her with that same blank expression. Like a vending machine that didn't even have the decency to respond with a beep.
"Tch. Let's see how cocky you'll be when I knock you out cold."
Begin!
Velsha's body erupted into an inferno, and she sprinted forward, her fists crackling with combustion, the stage groaning under her sheer power—
Snap.
The moment Jayden's fingers snapped again, a blinding flash of red-hot flame erupted. No fancy moves. No poses. Just alchemy-fueled death wrapped in lazy indifference.
Velsha dropped like a sack of coal, her flaming form extinguished in an instant. Her armor had evaporated. The girl many called a 'Fire Goddess in Training' lay unconscious, her breath visible in the silence, barely stirring.
> "What the hell…?"
> "Even Velsha couldn't survive it…"
> "That flame… it's not normal. That's not fire… that's something else."
"Who's next?" Rictor's cocky voice cut through the silence as he stood tall, arms crossed like he was the one knocking everyone out. "Jayden has clearly proven he's not using a forbidden technique. But if anyone still doubts—feel free to get turned into grilled meat."
And so they came. One by one. Proud warriors, visionaries, elementalists, even a transformer who transformed into a six-legged obsidian panther with steel hide.
Each time, Jayden snapped.
Each time, someone dropped.
No dodging. No chasing. Just snap. One move. Done.
A nervous boy stepped up next. His legs trembled as he activated his ability—a cyclone spun around his hair, transforming it into whirling blades like a human chopper.
Jayden yawned slightly. Then, snap.
The boy slammed into the ground mid-spin, reeking of roasted chicken.
> 80+EXP Gained | 40+SP Gained
> System Notification: Congratulations, host! You've reached Level 10! A Silver Chest has been awarded. 250 SP gained.
Jayden blinked. "...That's it?"
He screamed internally. "A silver chest and no gacha ticket? What kind of stingy system is this?! Where's my SSR roulette pull?!"
His sulking was interrupted by a voice that grated his nerves like chalk on crystal.
"He must be hiding his real cultivation plane!" shouted Elder Damier, pointing at Jayden as if he were declaring a war criminal. "No one at that plane can unleash such power!"
The crowd murmured. The atmosphere shifted again.
"Yes, that makes sense."
"No way someone from the sixth stage of the Blue Plane could one-shot so many advanced fighters!"
Jayden raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak.
A calm voice echoed through the hall, quiet yet authoritative.
"Are you saying… that a child is stronger than the Grand Elders?"
All heads turned. It was the Grand Elder, sitting in the center, his long white beard brushing his knees, his gaze sharper than a blade.
Elder Damier froze. "N-No, Grand Elder. That's not what I meant—"
"Then sit."
Damier sat. Silently fuming.
The Grand Elder stroked his beard. "To hide one's cultivation from others… one must be at least two planes above them. Do you believe he has reached the Cyan plane?"
Dead silence. No one dared respond. Because there is no way that a young boy like Jayden could have reached the Cyan plane.It's just not possible.
Jayden looked at the elders seated in their regal chairs and felt…satisfied. No, more than satisfied—he felt vindicated. Their expressions were a mix of confusion, irritation, and reluctant admiration, like nobles forced to clap for a beggar who just solved a puzzle their ancestors had written off as unsolvable.
But the elders were right.
He was hiding his true strength.
Or rather, the Anime System was doing it for him. His cultivation plane (Attack Power) was disguised so effectively that even the most perceptive spiritual eyes couldn't see through it. Blue Plane? Not quite. He was flirting with the borders of the Purple Plane, and as far as the early stages went, he was dangerously close to breaking into a higher plane. Thanks to the system, even cultivators with several planes above him wouldn't be able to sense his real power unless he let them.
Convenient, he thought, letting a smug smirk twitch the corner of his lips.
Then—
SPLASH!
A massive ball of water exploded against his body like a water balloon from hell.
Jayden's head snapped up as water drenched his entire form, soaking him from head to toe. His cloth clung to him like a wet rag, and his hair flopped down over one eye in a way that made him look more like a drowned cat than a warrior.
Ding!
> System Alert: The user has been inflicted with [Water-Soaked State]. Flame Alchemy abilities reduced by 90% for the next 10 minutes.
Jayden's heart sank like a rock in a swamp. "Are you serious…?" he mumbled dryly, despite being anything but dry.
He didn't need to guess who was responsible. Standing just a few meters away, wearing that same smug grin as earlier, was Kael—the arrogant blue-haired bully he'd humiliated in front of the crowd before. Apparently, Kael hadn't forgotten. And he had just proved it—by dousing Jayden's biggest advantage.
"What's the meaning of this?" Jayden asked, his voice as emotionless as ever, water still dripping off his chin.
Kael scoffed. "You've proven you can bully weaklings—kids a year or two below you in age. Congrats. Want a cookie?" He gestured mockingly. "Now how about fighting someone your own size?"
Jayden blinked, unimpressed.
He didn't reply.
Not because he was angry, but because…he really didn't think he could beat Kael right now. Not with Flame Alchemy crippled. And Kael was no joke—5th Stage of the Purple Plane, far above any of the blue-plane chumps he'd one-shotted before.
He opened his mouth to speak, to back out—
And then Rictor's voice boomed out like a drunken god at a casino.
"You're really arrogant for your own good!" Rictor declared, stepping forward, his usual manic grin stretching from ear to ear. "But I like it! I'm betting 600 gold coins on Jayden!"
The crowd gasped.
Even Jayden blinked in disbelief.
Rictor, what the hell are you doing?
All eyes turned to the elder seats as Elder Damier, Kael's proud teacher, smirked coldly and raised his hand. "I bet 200 gold coins on Kael."
One by one, others followed. Some on Kael. Some—more cautiously—on Jayden. They had seen the boy win with a single snap.
Rictor furrowed his brow as the betting pool stabilized. "Tch," he muttered. "Not gonna make as much this time."
Jayden turned to leave the stage.
"I'm not fighting," he said flatly.
The entire arena froze.
"What?!" someone screamed.
"You can't give up now!" one of the elders who had bet on him shouted, practically leaping from his chair. "I bet my wife's dowry money on you!"
"You can't give up!" Rictor shrieked so loud several people covered their ears with spiritual energy barriers. "I bet my life's savings!"
Jayden gave him a calm side glance. "That explains a lot."
The crowd murmured, confused. Jayden didn't look injured. He wasn't bleeding. So why was he backing out?
The truth? He was screwed.
His Flame Alchemy was crippled. Without it, he was just a highly sarcastic guy with a cool system and a great poker face.
"What a coward," Kael sneered. "You only beat kids weaker than you. You're a disgrace. A fraud. A weakling in cool clothing. A soggy firecracker."
Jayden rolled his eyes.
I've been called worse.
Then—Ding!
[Quest: Defeat Kael in a Single Strike to complete the One shotter quest.
Warning: Retreating or admitting defeat will trigger a penalty.]
Jayden froze mid-step, his expression blank—almost serene.
Inside, though?
His soul visibly cracked.
"You've got to be kidding me."
He looked at the system screen in disbelief. Of all times to drop a death wish, you choose now?!
And then—
"BEGIN!" Jake's voice echoed, announcing the start of a fight Jayden hadn't even accepted.
Kael launched like a tsunami.
Water spiraled around his body, creating a vortex that carved the earth beneath him as he charged like a summoned beast. His palm gleamed with aqua energy, ready to crush bones.
Jayden was having a full blown emotional crisis.He muttered under his breath. "How the hell am I supposed to one-shot this guy…"
But the real question gnawed at him like a splinter in his soul—could he even win at all?
To be continued.