Chapter 258 Arner, The Child of Thunder... Part-1.


    ??One week ago.


    When Riya had only just begun her training, the team battles ended in the elimination of many teams and individuals that day.


    The team battle''s strict rules gave the weaker teams a significant advantage, which led to the elimination of many stronger teams because they were unable to defend their banners.


    Moreover, any individual who gets eliminated in the team battle phase will also not be able to advance to the individual tournament, even if their team has passed.


    This indicates that only 64 individuals, including those from Team Astra, managed to advance to the individual phase out of all teams.


    The individual phase will be conducted as a knockout tournament.


    This will be a show of real battle prowess, as everyone will be fighting a one-on-one match with the strongest talents of the current generation.


    The 64 individuals who made it to this phase of the tournament all have something unique in them, and none of them is weak. Now it all depends on the matchup.


    The tournament''s individual phase will span six days, with the reward ceremony taking ce on the seventh day.


    …


    Waiting Room No-63.


    Arner, the only dwarf team member who made it to the individual phase, nced at the TV screen with a solemn look on his face.


    Arner was sitting in thisrge room alone, as each of the 64 individuals had their own waiting room.


    Although he is a young dwarf, he already has a long beard and rough skin, which is the iconic look of all dwarfs.


    Arner stared at the TV and prayed for a weaker opponent.


    The TV screen rolled the names of all contestants, and after a few seconds, the roulette stopped at one.


    [Congrattions! Your Match has been fixed!]


    [Arner Steelminer vs. . Rio sh]


    [Timing: 11:00 A.M.]


    [Please get ready and make sure to arrive on time!]


    Seeing the unfamiliar name appear, a doubtful look appeared on Arner''s face.


    He pulled out his smartphone and searched the inte for information about Rio.


    He had also been in the team battle area and hadn''t seen Rio''s feats, so he was totally unaware of Rio''s abilities.


    Still, Rio''s previous battle made him quite famous, so Arner was able to find information on him very quickly.


    *Gasp*


    What the search engine returned as the top result was,


    [Rio sh, the eliminator of two teams! The dark star that shines with immense radiance!]


    Arner searched through all the details that were recorded in the video, and the more he looked, the more dark his expression became.


    In the end, he reached only one conclusion.


    ''I am dead…''


    Arner shook his head and threw away the phone on the bed.


    Hey down on the couch and started to think about what to do next.


    "In the first ce, why the f*ck are they making me fight with a monster who destroyed two teams alone!?"


    ck lines appeared on Arner''s face as he thought about it.


    "Ugh… That guy is being considered an equal to the world-famous monster Link Rex, and I have to fight him!?"


    Arner got up and started to walk around the room in a circle to think of some countermeasures.


    ''That guy has insane speed, and his attacking power is also not weak due to sword intent, thus…. It would be at a disadvantage if the match got dragged on for long…''


    As if he had thought about something, a look of determination appeared in Arner''s eyes.


    "Okay, then… I will settle the match in the very first minute! That''s my only chance of sess…"


    Arner clenched his fist and took his battle hammer before leaving the waiting room.


    ''First, let''s go and cool my mind off with some juice!''


    Arner went downstairs and asked for orange juice in the cafeteria, but it seemed that they were out of juice.


    ''Ugh, do I need to use that 3d printer to make juice now?…''


    Although the 3D printer can indeed print juice, it can''t replicate the taste so well, and it usually doesn''t seem to taste good enough.


    (No, you can''t print a nuke; don''t even think about it! They have ced restrictions on the printer!)


    Arner shook his head and went out of the front gate to get some fresh air.


    He noticed a bench nearby and decided to sit on it.


    Only after sitting on the bench did he notice that someone else was also sitting on the other side of the bench.


    Arner nced at the other party, and his eyes widened in shock.


    The other party''s dark ck hair waved in the slow breeze, and his dead fish-like eyes stared at the horizon with an expressionless face.


    Arner nced at Rio, who was calmly sipping orange juice and enjoying music through his headphones.


    ''D*mn! I didn''t even notice him sitting here till I came so close; this guy is a monster!''


    It''s not that Arner''s perception was weak; it''s just that Rio''s ability to suppress his own presence has always been remarkable.


    Arner himself is at rank ''A-'', and he was still not able to detect Rio, which shows how capable Rio is at stealth.


    Just when Arner was staring at Rio so intently, Rio also noticed Arner''s intense gaze.


    Rio brought out a juice can and handed it over to Arner, seemingly misinterpreting something.


    "No need to stare at my juice; you can have this one instead…"


    After a moment of shock at Rio''s emotionless tone, Arner nodded his head and took the ''juice can'' from Rio''s hand.


    A thought popped into his mind.


    ''Hmm, he is surprisingly a chill guy…''


    *Gulp*


    After taking a sip of the refreshing juice, a smile returned to Arner''s face.


    He nced at Rio and thanked him.


    "By the way, you know we will be fighting each other as opponents an hourter."


    Hearing Arner''s words, Rio nodded his head and replied in his usual emotionless tone.


    "Yeah…. Don''t hold anything back on me; go all out… Maybe luck stays on your side…"


    Arner felt quite uncertain about Rio''s emotionless voice.


    ''Why is this guy''s voice so rough and nk… It''s as if he is an emotionless robot or something… He certainly is a weird guy…''


    Arner shook his head and replied in an uncertain tone.


    "Sigh~ I don''t know if I can win though…"


    As he replied to Arner, Rio continued to stare at the horizon like an emotionless mechanical doll.


    "Well, no one is invincible in the world; I have faced defeat too… In my opinion, you should give it your best anyway; it''s not like we are fighting a death match here…"


    Arner nodded his head in response to Rio''s words.


    "Yeah… if it was a death match, then I would have rather note here in the first ce…"


    Rio abruptly tilted his head and inquired.


    "How high do you think your chances are to win?"


    Arner nced at Rio''s expressionless face for a second before replying in a solemn tone:


    "Well…. I think it''s 1/100…"


    Hearing Arner''s words, a bit of light returned to Rio''s eyes, as if his curiosity was piqued at that moment.


    "I see… So you do have an ability that can help you win against even me?..."


    At Rio''s words, Arner nodded his head, and a proud look appeared on his face.


    "Don''t underestimate me too much; even the mouse knows how to fight back when cornered…"


    Rio nodded his head at Arner''s confident words.


    "I see, you need to show me what you have gotter then… Let''s continue this conversation in the ringter…."


    Before Arner could say anything else, Rio''s figure blurred, and he disappeared from his seat.


    Although Arner had heard about Rio''s fast speed from the videos, seeing it in person still surprised him a lot.


    ''I see… I would need to use that method then…''


    Meeting Rio here was an excellent opportunity.


    Arner got to see Rio''s abilities beforehand, and now he was confident that he wouldn''t lose so easily anymore.


    ''No…. If this n works, I can win this battle!''


    Believing in yourself is the first step to victory. If you can''t even believe in your own victory, then how will you achieve it?


    He has already formed a n in his mind; now all that''s left is to enter the ring and carry out this n before Rio notices it.


    Arner gulped down thest sip of juice from the "juice can" and clenched his fists with great determination.


    ''The hopes and beliefs of my whole race are resting on my shoulders right now; I shouldn''t disappoint them. Even if my n doesn''t work out, I must not tarnish the trust of my kin…''


    With a confident smile on his face, Arner went back to his room.


    ...


    ''Interesting…''


    Rio, who was standing on a nearby building''s rooftop, smiled a bit as he saw Arner''s confident expression.


    A thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Will I get to see something interesting today?... or will it be another disappointment?...''


    Rio nced in the direction of the yground and pondered.


    ''I am looking forward to it…''


    …


    …


    Author''s Notes.


    Yo! It''s your beloved author here! Finally, the individual battles are starting! Grab your popcorn! Get ready for continuous epic matches!!


    Question of the Day


    Do you also feel that Rio is behaving like a bored viin right now?


    1. Yes (He is acting as if the only source of entertainment he has is seeing strong attacks!)


    2. Yeah! (Bro seems like ast boss viin who has lived for many centuries and has be utterly bored…)


    By the way, don''t forget to use those power stones and also leave a review if you like the story. Comment your opinion about the chapter. Your support is my motivation.