Selena’s unexpected victory against Black left me intrigued. From what I’d seen, Black wasn’t one to back down easily, but this time, he’d made his intentions clear. He had no interest in climbing the rankings further, satisfied with securing the golden pass. By forfeiting, he became the first to leave the tower. Say what you will about him—Black knew his priorities.

As for me, I still had a long road ahead. Depending on whether I reached the finals, I’d be fighting seven or eight matches in total. So far, I’d already faced four opponents, each progressively more challenging. And now, for my fifth match, the brackets had pitted me against Shen—the so-called Spear God.

That night, I meditated in preparation, trying to clear my mind and center my focus. At the same time, I tended to the doll, repairing the damage Geoffrey had inflicted. He’d turned out to be far tougher than I’d anticipated, and the wear on my doll was a testament to how grueling the battle had been. Without the Doll attribute, the repairs were slower and less efficient, but my Puppetry attribute sufficed for now. It would have to.

Still, I couldn’t ignore the looming reality. My usual strategy—hiding under invisibility while the doll did the heavy lifting—wouldn’t work against Shen. Not anymore. My strategy had already been exposed, broadcasted for the whole world to see. Worse, Shen’s martial prowess was leagues ahead of mine, and even the doll’s. Trying to engage him head-on felt like suicide.

But that begged the question—how could I win?

I let my mind wander as I ran my hands over the doll’s repaired joints and reinforced its chains. Attacking Shen directly was tempting, but I couldn’t envision a scenario where I came out on top. I needed a new approach. Something unexpected.

The doll’s chains glinted under the faint light as I tested their tensile strength. Adapt, transform, overcome. That was the mantra I repeated to myself, over and over. Shen may have been the Spear God, but gods could still bleed.

And I intended to prove it.

I made the decision to leave my frilly invisibility cloak behind, handing it over to Selena. She’d find better use for it than I ever could. There was no point holding onto it now; my strategies had already been exposed, and hiding wasn’t going to cut it against Shen.

For the rest of the night, I focused on refining my Homing attribute. It had been a strange skill from the beginning, and the more I used it, the more peculiar its quirks became. For one, it only worked on organics. You’d think something named “homing” would apply to inanimate objects, like missiles. But no—here, it meant something entirely different.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I rummaged through the cabinet in my room until I found an old dictionary. As it turned out, “homing” could also mean the natural instinct of animals to return to a place or territory after traveling far away. It was an odd revelation, but it made a certain kind of sense in this world.

Here, words weren’t just words—they carried profound weight and meaning, often shaping the very foundation of attributes and abilities. It was why this world operated on a unified language system. Even the simplest ‘attribute’ could manifest into the strongest ability if interpreted the right way.

Morning arrived before I knew it. I started my day with bacon and eggs from the vending machine, washed down with some coffee. The meal was nothing special, but it was enough to fuel me.

My loadout for the next fight was ready: Connection, Puppetry, and Homing.

When the time came, I was engulfed by a flash of light and transported to the arena. This time, it was a forest—dense, with towering trees that blocked most of the sunlight. Opposite me stood Shen, spear in hand, his posture poised like a coiled spring. His dark hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and his piercing eyes radiated a quiet intensity that felt like they could cut through stone.

For once, my doll was teleported alongside me, though the aura trapping us both held firm. It was the same warning as before: no starting without the referee’s go-ahead.

A familiar glowing holographic figure appeared between us, the exaggerated bald head of Chairman Bob looming large in the space between.

“Okay! So tense!” Bob’s booming voice echoed through the arena, his tone dripping with excitement. “No need for any hyping… Spear God Shen! VERSUS! King of Favors Reynard!”

I groaned inwardly. King of Favors? Since when did that nickname start making the rounds?

It was too fast…

Shen’s spear came within a hair’s breadth of my neck. The sheer pressure of his aura wrapped around the blade sent chills down my spine. But I wasn’t about to let him have his way.

With a flicker of thought, I activated the Homing attribute linked between me and my doll. Spot A: where I stood. Spot B: where the doll loomed a short distance. My body blurred, the world tilting as I was yanked through the Vector Path I had created. Before Shen’s spear could meet my throat, I swapped places with the doll, putting me safely behind it and out of reach while my puppet moved into action.

Shen didn’t miss a beat. His sharp eyes caught the sudden shift, and he pivoted smoothly, destroying the Soul Mark I had left behind with a precise stomp. But in doing so, he hadn’t accounted for the trap I had laid. The doll, now positioned a heartbeat away, swung its chains.

Unlike before, the chains weren’t just manifestations of aura—they were reinforced with solid metal, their heavy links clanging ominously. I’d managed to snag the material from the Vending Machine’s bizarre inventory system. It wasn’t the most orthodox way to source gear, but it worked wonders.

Shen shifted his spear to deflect the incoming attack. But this time, he wasn’t fast enough. One of the chains wrapped around his ankle, its cold, metallic grip biting into his flesh. His foot faltered, his legendary fluid movement disrupted.

I grinned. Before Shen could tear the chains away, I activated the Soul Chains embedded in the mark he had just destroyed beneath his foot. Shadowy blue tendrils of energy erupted from the ground, coiling tightly around him.

Shen’s calm facade cracked ever so slightly as he struggled against the bindings.

He twisted his spear, preparing to cut through the chains in one decisive move. But the doll was already advancing, fists wrapped in those same gleaming chains, ready to deliver a crushing blow.

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Shen struggled against the doll’s chains, his spear still gripped tightly as he tried to regain control. But this time, I had the upper hand. Each link of the chains wrapped around him shimmered with the Homing attribute, creating a seamless trajectory. I wasn’t just binding him—I was constructing the framework for something far more devastating.

Two glowing rails of aura stretched out, parallel and crackling with energy, framing Shen perfectly in the center. The doll stood poised at one end as my aura coursed through its frame, arcing like untamed lightning.

It was ingenuity in motion.

I smirked and extended my hand. "Take flight."

Names had power in this world, and I wasn’t shy about giving my creations their due. I let the words ring with conviction.

"Soul Gear: Abscond."

The chains shivered as the doll was pulled taut between the rails, its body glowing faintly with the blue arcs of aura that surged through it. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Then, in a burst of light and a deafening crack, the doll was launched forward like a streaking projectile.

The rails stabilized its trajectory, the Homing attribute ensuring that its flight remained unwavering. Its legs outstretched, feet pointed like twin spears, the doll shot toward Shen with the ferocity of a plasma discharge.

The air warped and sizzled around it as it closed the distance, an unstoppable force barreling down on the so-called Spear God. Shen’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, a rare break in his stoic composure.

And then, the impact came.

There was a reason Shen bore the title of Spear God, a testament to his unmatched mastery. Even at his young age, his genius was legendary.

Within the first millisecond, the Soul Chains binding his foot were obliterated, their shimmering links falling apart like brittle glass under his precise strike.

In the next millisecond, he moved.

His spear, enveloped in an aura of red and orange hues, swung with unparalleled grace, parrying my doll with what should have been impossible precision. The collision of our powers crackled through the air, the forest around us trembling under the sheer force of it.

Despite the parry, the doll wasn’t unscathed—it tumbled behind him, an inert heap momentarily stripped of its menace. Shen's stance wavered, his aura flickering unevenly as he struggled to maintain his footing.

I couldn't let this chance slip away.

I activated the newly available Vector Path, using the Soul Mark I left behind as my anchor. My body blurred into motion, seamlessly traversing the path between me and my doll. Shen was perfectly positioned, his front was exposed, thanks to the too eahvy momentum he had to endure.

With a burst of speed, my right foot connected squarely with his throat, the impact reverberating through both our bodies.

But I wasn’t done.

I mentally commanded the doll, directing it to home in on me. It responded immediately, surging forward with mechanical precision. Its knee collided with Shen’s back with a sickening crunch, the sound of splintering bones echoing in the tense air.

Shen gasped, blood spurting from his mouth in wet, gurgling coughs. His eyes, wild and bloodshot, glared at me with a mix of fury and grudging respect.

"Enough," he growled, his aura exploding outward in a desperate bid to reclaim the upper hand.

I retreated just in time, tracing back the Vector Path to my original position. I leapt backwards in great distance as I homed back t the Soul Mark I left. The force of his aura blast sent the doll flying once more, its limp form crashing against a tree like a discarded marionette.

Shen steadied himself, his breathing ragged, blood staining the corners of his lips. Despite his injuries, he remained defiant.

“Huff… huff… You’ve proven yourself a terrible opponent, King of Favors…”

His voice was strained, but the weight behind his words was unmistakable. For all his arrogance, Shen was acknowledging me—not just as a rival but as an equal in this deadly match.

There was yet another reason why Shen was called the Spear God.

His special ability, fittingly named Spear God, epitomized his essence as a Fighter-type. It granted him exponential growth in strength, precision, and speed the longer he wielded a spear. And Shen had been wielding one since he was a mere toddler—a truth so absurd it defied belief, yet his skill left no room for doubt.

Now, Shen stood before me, entering a low, predatory stance with his spear outstretched. His aura shimmered and shifted, transforming into fiery hues of red and orange, streaked with a cold, unnerving blue.

Shen’s voice cut through the tension, sharp and resolute:

“It is my turn.”

In an instant, his aura seemed to vanish, not because it was gone but because his speed had reached such a height that my perception could no longer keep up.

He moved like a phantom.

“Heavenly Spear.”

The name of his technique rang out, and time seemed to slow as the tip of his spear closed in on me. It was an attack too fast, too precise, too deadly to evade by ordinary means.

But I wasn’t unprepared.

With a thought, I activated the Soul Chains I had sneakily attached to his weapon during our brief clash—when my foot connected with his throat earlier. It had been the smallest window of opportunity, but it was enough.

The chains materialized in a flash, coiling around the spear like a predator pouncing on its prey. Shen’s movements faltered as the chains wound tighter, binding his hand, wrist, and elbow in an unrelenting grip.

He staggered mid-attack, the unstoppable force momentarily arrested.

I seized the opportunity and leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the lethal trajectory of his spear. Shen, unable to maintain his momentum, tumbled forward, his stance disrupted as the chains continued to constrict.

My heart raced, my breaths coming shallow and quick. Even in his current state, Shen exuded an aura of danger, his presence like a storm barely held in check.

But for now, I had gained the upper hand.

I hadn’t stopped training since I began my tests here. Every match, every maneuver, every strategy honed my edge. I accumulated my cards, sharpening them, stacking them in my favor. Loss was always a shadow in my mind—a dread I carried like a second skin.

But now, in this moment, that shadow had lifted.

Was it arrogance born of newfound strength? Or the enlightenment that came with recognizing my own worth? I couldn’t tell, but for the first time in my life, I felt like losing was no longer an option.

Shen growled as he destroyed the remnants of my Soul Chain, the effort throwing his rhythm into disarray. He charged at me again, spear poised, his movements slightly slower and less precise than before. The chain had disrupted him and thrown off his tempo.

I smirked, my voice calm and confident. “Soul Castling.”

In an instant, my vision flickered, and I was gone from where I stood. When I reappeared, my doll stood in my place, as if taking my role on the battlefield. This technique was a culmination of combining my Homing attribute with the principles of Soul Link and Soul Mark. The result? The ability to switch places with my doll at will.

Of course, it wasn’t without its limits—using Soul Link this way meant I could only manage one connection at a time. But the advantage it granted was well worth the constraints.

Shen’s spear thrust forward, only to meet the much faster reflexes of my doll. The spear missed its mark entirely.

Meanwhile, I retreated deeper into the forest, taking cover in the dense foliage. This wasn’t cowardice; this was strategy. I’d observed Shen closely—his movements, his techniques, and the punishment he’d endured in this fight. He was formidable, but no one was invincible.

He had to be running on fumes by now.

A war of attrition was my game, not his. This was my checkmate.

The forest grew eerily silent, save for the rustle of leaves and the heavy, labored breathing of Shen. His aura, once a brilliant conflagration of red, orange, and blue, had dimmed significantly. His movements were sluggish, his once-precise strikes faltering. Each clash with my doll drained him further, each misstep sealing his fate.

Shen staggered, his spear hanging loosely in his grip. My doll capitalized on the opening, its aura burning fiercely as it lunged forward. I had meticulously equalized Shen’s aura with the doll’s, ensuring it could penetrate his defenses.

With one final strike, my doll’s fist tore clean through Shen’s chest, shattering the last of his resistance. Shen’s eyes widened before his body slumped to the ground.

Chairman Bob’s voice thundered over the battlefield, the holographic image of his bald head reappearing with dramatic flair.

Bob announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have our victor! Reynard Bright advances to the semi-finals!”

This was how I claimed victory in my fifth match, survived the Final 8, and secured my place in the semi-finals.