Ethan stood over the two fallen guards, breathing hard, the silence in the room now deafening save for the hurried whispers of the remaining bidders evacuating. He looked directly at the stunned auctioneer and the few remaining guards.

"I said: Where is the woman you took away?"

"Easy there, Mr. Blake."

A new figure appeared from the shadows behind the podium. This was Ross Bailey. Unlike the rougher Axhel, Ross was a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed mustache and long hair tied back in a queue, giving him the refined air of an old-world gentleman.

Ethan turned and faced Ross. "Hand over Samantha, or I will have to demolish this entire place," Ethan said, his voice laced with venom.

Ross smiled easily. "I suppose Axhel screwed up again. Let me guess: the young woman is also an acquaintance of yours, and you came looking for her, correct?"

Ethan looked around. Everyone had been swiftly evacuated; only about six or seven guards and Ross remained in the gallery.

From the floor, faint crunching sounds could be heard. The two guards Ethan had struck were stirring. With sickening sounds of bones resetting, they slowly got to their feet, their bodies grotesquely realigning.

"Tch..." Ethan scoffed under his breath.

Seeing that Ethan was completely unsurprised, Ross smiled wider. "It seems you are familiar with our Genetic Soldiers. They are quite useful. Though I don't think even two hundred of them would be enough to handle you, Sir Knight."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused by the title.

Ross looked him over intently. "There's no need to hide it. I can see the marks on your body, and the way you dispatched my guards. Although the last Mage Knight I met was a long time ago, they are quite scarce these days."

Ethan felt a jolt of confusion. The System immediately clarified:

[They noticed your lightning ability. I told you not to use it, and they mistook your hardened body for a Knight's body technique... What idiots, comparing their junk to a technique like ours!]

Ethan felt slightly calmer now that he had an explanation. "If you know who I am," Ethan said, his voice leveling out, "why not just release my friends and avoid having to spill blood here?"

"I apologize, Mr. Blake, but those are company orders," Ross replied, shaking his head regretfully. "We cannot sell merchandise to acquaintances. Therefore, your bid is nullified, and we certainly do not sell defective merchandise."

Exasperated, Ethan launched himself forward. He utilized his core technique, [Dao Martial Technique of the Fist], combined with [Basic Elemental Control (Lightning)]. His fists, crackling with electrical energy, moved at maximum speed. The punch resonated like a clap of thunder, but an instant before impact, a translucent, bubble-shaped energy shield shimmered into existence, protecting Ross. Ross simply watched Ethan, his smile never fading.

"You are quite strong, I must admit, young Blake," Ross said, completely unfazed. "But if that is all you have, you had better withdraw."

Ethan quickly retreated a few steps, now assessing the situation. The difference in power between them seemed relatively high.

"I've never set my stats or invested any points in the System," Ethan thought, mentally addressing the System. "How many points do I have, and how can I distribute them?"

The System responded instantly in his mind:

[You currently hold 6,823 Lux and $982.7 million.]

[Your current statistics are:]

[STR: 3.0]

[DEX: 3.5]

[VIT: 3.0]

[WIS: 5]

[INT: 5]

[LUC: 3]

[Charm: 5]

[You can invest 1 Lux point for 1 Stat point up to a maximum value of 10. However, from a value of 11 to 20, each point will cost 100 Lux points. From 21 to 30, each point will cost 10,000 Lux points.]

[Analyzing your style: You need STR to hit harder, DEX to move agilely, and VIT to survive prolonged conflict. WIS and INT amplify your magical damage. LUC boosts your critical hit chance. Charm can subtly degrade your enemies' evasion capabilities. You need to be an all-rounder.]

Ethan felt the logic in this assessment but cursed the necessity of either changing his entire fighting style or spending an infinite number of points. "How was Amethyst?" he demanded. "Distribute them the same way!"

[He leveled all primary combat stats equally.]

"Do it! Level all my points equally!"

The System processed the current stats and the available Lux (6,823 Lux):

[STR: 19]

[DEX: 19]

[VIT: 19]

[WIS: 19]

[INT: 19]

[LUC: 19]

[Charm: 19]

[Lux Remaining: 6,823 - 6,343 = 480 Lux]

A wave of overwhelming power crashed through Ethan's body. Every muscle fiber screamed with amplified strength, his mind felt sharper, and his awareness of the room increased exponentially. The air around him shimmered as the raw energy threatened to escape his control.

Ross, still smiling behind his shield, noticed the shift in Ethan's aura. His smile faltered slightly, replaced by a look of surprised assessment. "Did you finally make your choice, young Knight? I hope you brought more than a $500 million bid this time."

Ethan didn't answer with words. With his maximized [STR: 19] and amplified [DEX 19.0], he moved faster than the eye could track. He launched a rapid sequence of strikes, his fist techniques amplified by his boosted [WIS 19.0] and INT [19.0].

A single punch, now crackling with intense blue lightning, hit the translucent bubble shield. The sound was deafening, like a massive stone bell splitting.

Ross's confident smile vanished. Cracks spider-webbed across the shield instantly, and the bubble groaned under the sheer, brutal force.

"Impossible!" Ross exclaimed, bracing himself as his shield buckled inward. "The power output increased twentyfold in an instant!"

Ethan didn't pause. He followed up with a vicious kick that snapped out faster than a viper. The kick smashed against the weakened shield, and with a brilliant flash of light, the translucent barrier shattered into crystalline dust.

Ross was forced to throw his arms up to block the next strike, realizing too late he had severely underestimated the "young Knight."

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