Genetic Ascension

1579 Level One Formation

"Sylas Grimblade."

Fowler completely ignored the other two. Whether it was Old Brama or the woman, he didn't care for them in the slightest.

He had always been arrogant, and as far as he was concerned, the only one worth his time was the man who had stolen his Title from him... Whether they were C-tiers or not.

To him, it never mattered what Sylas' Tier was.

Sylas didn't reply. He had never seen a Quicktime Event like this one. It was very odd.

For one, Quicktime Events were meant to be optional for the most part. They were region-locked, but they weren't like Field Dungeons that formed force fields around them. Normally, you should just be able to walk away, and once you left the range, you would be fine.

But Sylas clearly didn't have this option right now. In fact, he was forcefully brought here.

That said... it didn't feel like something Fowler was responsible for either. If it was, he would have never brought Old Brama and the woman in.

The reason they were taken in should be because they were Rune Masters. Whatever this was had been able to sense the presence of Rune Masters and act accordingly.

Interesting.

Sylas' eyes pulsed with a light as the veil over his Runeweaver Eyes was lifted by him by a small percentage. The world around him became an even more blinding shade of white, and the woman's gaze flickered.

She looked over toward Sylas with a hint of surprise in her eyes. But after a moment, she looked away, focusing on what was going to happen. Something told her that this matter wouldn't be so simple.

No matter the situation, her top priority was always her self-preservation. When on Sylas' ship, following his orders dictated that she kept her life. But right now, Sylas had clearly lost perfect control over the situation.

He had seemingly sensed what was happening ahead of time but was still unable to evade it entirely.

[Round One Start]

[Task: Level One Formation]

The area before Sylas flashed, and he watched as a complex formation took shape before him in the shape of a shield.

It was about three-quarters of a meter in diameter and had a slight curve to it like a real shield would. Runes were packed so densely into it that it was hard for Sylas to even look at it too directly.

He had never seen F-tier Runes packed so densely. It was more complex than even the E-grade mesh of the Scorpion Warlord Armor.

It didn't take Sylas long to understand.

This is all a ploy for my Title. The system is easily manipulated under the right circumstances, and they're taking advantage. If they've set up a Quicktime Event I have no choice but to face off against higher tiers in, it's impossible for the system to make it perfectly fair. They're banking on this.

Sylas stared at the F-tier shield for a moment and didn't move.

The woman and Fowler had both already taken action.

Fowler's Runes swarmed as though they were forming hive minds in real time. As for the woman, her methods were no less peculiar-the swarm of nanobots that made up one of her arms had begun to churn as well.

The only one not moving like Sylas was Old Brama. The latter was looking at Sylas as though asking for cues on what to do next.

Sylas only gave him a nod, telling him that he could do as he pleased. It wouldn't make much of a difference.

Seconds turned to minutes, and then as the minutes began to creep upward-

Chi.

Fowler's shield broke apart first.

Soon after, the woman's shield broke apart.

Then, minutes later, Old Brama's shield broke apart.

Sylas' shield began to blink red, but he hadn't made a move at all.

Fowler had finally turned his attention back to the world around him. To his credit, he had been able to focus completely on the task at hand and even beat the woman.

This wasn't a small feat. The woman was a Soul Master, while Fowler was only a Flesh Master of the C-tier. He might be the best of the Sector, but that meant little in the grand scheme of things.

However, there were several important factors to consider.

For one, if Fowler was going to be the one who set this test up, then he would likely choose a method that he was very confident in.

Second, from what Sylas could tell, this Quicktime Event specifically tested one's personal Path of Rune Mastery. Not every Rune Master had one.

Fowler had an incomplete one that he was working on completing, but the woman had never attempted to build one at all. As such, she was at a disadvantage.

The third thing to consider was that the Professor had been busy building a ship to lower B-tier standards, withstanding all of the physical and mental labor of that.

Even so, Fowler's feat was truly something to be proud of considering where he was born.

He didn't feel proud when he saw Sylas' lack of movement, however. He felt that something was wrong.

If Sylas' shield showed signs of unraveling, then he could accept that he had just been slower. But Sylas hadn't even started.

Fowler didn't believe that this was because Sylas was unable to make any headway. He felt that there was only one explanation that made sense.

Sylas had given up.

Fowler's frown deepened. "You don't even have the heart to fight? And you took my Title from me?"

Sylas seemed too lazy to even speak to Fowler.

His shield began to blink with red like a timer was about to go off. It got faster and faster, speeding toward the end rapidly.

Fowler shook his head.

Chi.

The shield turned entirely red and swept over the arena.

Fowler's frown vanished, and he relaxed. Since Sylas' performance was so poor, there

was no need to even start the second round.

Sylas' body shook.

A luminescent gold crown appeared above his head, hovered, and then shattered.

[You have lost your Primus Luminaria Title]

Another crown appeared above Sylas' head, shimmering bright and imposing.

Then, it too shattered.

[You have lost your Dominus Paragon Title]

Fowler looked above his head with a grin that spread wide.

This was what he deserved.