Leon''s POV


    As we made our way back to base, a deafening explosion shattered the air.


    "Leon..." Hertrude''s voice trailed off as she looked up, her gaze drawn to the source of the disturbance. Following her line of sight, I beheld a massive mushroom-shaped me rising into the sky, illuminating the area with a brilliant sh. A wave of searing heat and blinding light swept across the ground. It felt like a nuke had just been detonated.


    The devastation of the inferno reached us, engulfing the surrounding area and incinerating everything in its path. Trees crumbled into charred remnants before my eyes, consumed by the relentless power of the magic. I quickly activated Guardian to shield us from the onught. The protective barrier endured the intense heat and the force of the shockwave without faltering.


    Once the wave of destruction had passed, I nced back at the epicenter of the explosion, where a colossal mushroom cloud now loomed overhead.


    "What the heck...?"


    The sheer power of that st could''ve wiped out all the contestants in this game. As I ventured inside the cave, I stumbled upon... a person.


    "Ahhhh!" Hertrude''s scream echoed through the cavern as she too witnessed the scene. Horror painted across her widened eyes.


    One of our supposed allies, who had been uncooperative from the start and remained holed up in the cave, had fallen victim to the explosion. And now, thanks to that catastrophic explosion, he''d met a grim fate. The scorching heat wave from the nuke-like st had seeped into the cave, burning everything in its path.


    Haroldy before us, his skin ckened and his body burnt to a crisp.


    "He''s dead..." I murmured to myself, the evidence of his demise painfully clear.


    "Does that mean... that everyone else is dead, Leon?" Hertrude''s voice quivered with fear.


    "I''m not sure. The Princess and her knight might still be alive thanks to her protective skill. The Knight could be shielded by the Princess''s barrier too. As for Shredica, she''s been on the brink of death before, so maybe she''s somehow managed to survive. I hope," I replied honestly.


    Truth be told, I wasn''t confident that Shredica had made it out of that devastating explosion unscathed, if she even made it out at all. If she did, I could only imagine the extent of her injuries, likely severe enough to eliminate her from the game. I couldn''t help but feel concerned for her...


    "Let''s go find the Princess, Leon!" Hertrude urged, her voice trembling.


    "Alright," I agreed.


    Hertrude and I rushed to the location of the massive mushroom cloud of fire, only to be met with a scene of utter devastation. A colossal crater marked the epicenter of destruction, surrounded by the charred remains of what used to be a lush forest.


    In the midst of the scorched wastnd stood a young man, nked by two figures—Johanne and Princess Myrce. Both of them were badly injured, kneeling on the ground. Despite the protection of her Holy Barrier, they hadn''t been able to withstand the full force of the inferno.


    "Do you finally understand, dear sister? That you dare oppose me?" the young man dered. It was unmistakably the rebellious prince himself, Prince Julius. "If you do, then stop wasting your time and face reality. Leave me be. I don''t want to harm the only family I have left," he continued.


    It seemed that Princess Myrce''s attempt to reason with her brother had failed.


    Suddenly, Julius turned his gaze toward me.


    "Oh, look who''s here," he remarked with a smile. "The prey hase to face the predator himself. Have you spared yourself the agony of running away and epted your fate of being killed?"


    "It''s not like that," I replied with a shrug.


    "Hmm? Why do you look like you haven''t even been injured? Who are you? Oh, I remember now. You''re the weakest student from the academy. The one without any skills," he said with a smirk.


    "Looks like you managed to find shelter from the explosion I caused. Lucky you. But unlucky for you, because you''ve stumbled upon me. You''ll meet your end here. Neither of you will survive this ind, and when that happens, I''ll be dered the winner of this game."


    "Is that so?"


    With a sudden shift in tone, Julius red at me as if my nonchnt attitude infuriated him. "Why are you so calm? Do you think you can defeat me? Ha! You''re pretty confident for someone so pathetic."


    I couldn''t help but grin. "Oh yeah? Then who''s more pathetic? Me, the skillless one, or you, who couldn''t even win over the girl you love?"


    His response was a furious growl. "What the fuck did you just say?"


    "Don''t shy away from the truth. You heard me loud and clear," I retorted.


    "Who told you that? Did you spill the beans, dear sister?!" Julius demanded, his anger palpable.


    Princess Myrce also nced at me, confusion evident in her expression as she wondered how I knew.


    "Don''t worry. The Princess didn''t spill the beans. I just managed to put the pieces together on my own. Even a child could do that," I replied confidently.


    "There''s no fucking way!" Julius eximed, disbelief written all over his face.


    "Believe me, it''s easy to see from the look of heartbreak on your face," I said. In truth, piecing together all the information to understand the full picture wasn''t easy. I had the help of Gabrielle and the Shadows to gather information. But even without their assistance, I could still sense what was going on in Prince Julius''s mind. His rebellion stemmed from a broken heart.


    I couldn''t me him. I had been in his shoes in my past life, consumed by heartbreak to the point where I couldn''t see beyond my own pain. I turned to the streets, seeking sce in fights and casual sex with upperssmen who wants casual sex, anything to escape reality.


    I could see parallels between Julius''s destructive behavior and my own past actions. While I had spiraled into destructive behavior, Julius seemed to be even worse off,pletely consumed by his own turmoil. When I reached that point, even the words of the woman I loved didn''t prate my mind. However, it was my sister who ultimately saved me.


    Julius had a sister too, and she was trying to help him. But it seemed her efforts were in vain. Perhaps it was already toote to pull Julius back from the edge. Moriarty had inflicted such deep wounds that Julius seemed beyond repair. That man might just be the most formidable enemy I''ve ever faced. If I wasn''t careful, I could end up being stabbed in the back without even realizing it.


    I needed to start taking everything seriously from now on.


    "Heh. You sure are full of yourself," Julius sneered. "From the look on your face, it seems you don''t realize what''s about to go down. Do you honestly think you''ll make it out of this alive?" He hissed, a trail of drool escaping from the corner of his mouth. He appeared ready to go berserk.


    With a sudden surge of mana, he gathered energy in his palm. The mana transformed into a swirling vortex of red, drawing in heat until it coalesced into a fiery ball.


    "Die!" he spat, hurling the fireball at me.


    Reacting swiftly, I dashed toward him, channeling mana to form a sword. As the fireball hurtled toward me, I swung my de, cleaving the fiery projectile in half. The split halves continued on their trajectory, exploding in two separate areas as they passed me by.


    "What?!" he eximed in surprise. "What the fuck did you just do?! How the hell is that even possible?!" he babbled, his expression akin to someone who had just seen a ghost.


    Undeterred, Julius began to form another fireball in his palm, this one visibly more powerful than thest due to the sheer amount of mana gathered. discover-MVLeMpYr-novels


    "There''s no way you can survive this!" he dered as he hurled the fireball at me once again.


    It was clear this was trouble. If I split this fireball and it exploded, it would endanger everyone in the vicinity. I couldn''t take that risk. My only option was to absorb the mana from the fireball and make it vanish. Enveloping my hand with Guardian to protect myself from the mes, I dashed forward and caught the fireball in my bare hand. Then, I absorbed the mana until it disappearedpletely.


    "Huh?" Julius was utterly gobsmacked, his eyes widening in disbelief. It was only natural; I had just absorbed a powerful fireball, an act that defied all logic. Even Johanne stood nearby, his jaw hanging agape in shock as he beheld the impossible feat.


    "You know," I began, my voice tinged with pity, "I can''t help but feel sorry for you, Prince Julius. If circumstances had been different, perhaps we could have been friends. I regret that our first encounter had to unfold in this manner."


    My words seemed to prate Julius''s stunned demeanor, dawningprehension slowly etching across his features. The realization dawned not only upon him but also upon Johanne, who gazed at me with newfound respect. They understood now that I wasn''t just another insignificant figure. I was a force to be reckoned with, far beyond their initial assumptions.


    "How dare you!" Julius''s voice trembled with indignation, his eyes aze with fury. "I am a prince! I am Prince Julius Milham! You are supposed to bow before me, you insolent wretch! How dare you regard me with such disdain! You will pay dearly for your insolence!"


    He then began conjuring another fireball, pouring every ounce of mana and energy into its formation. The fiery orb seemed to draw in the heat from the atmosphere and even the oxygen itself, swirling with such intensity that it took on a vibrant purple hue. This wasn''t just any ordinary fireball; it had transformed into something akin to a sma ball, crackling with vtile energy.


    "I''ll kill you!" he roared, hurling the zing sphere at me with ferocious intent.


    But just like before...


    "Huh...? N-No way..."


    I absorbed it.