The matches after Devon's and the second year were mostly boring to watch, after all, no other dark horse arose, and everything went as the crowd thought.

Well, until another first year took the stage.

Flint Ardent...or rather, the firey hobbit as Ascended Dawn had dubbed him and as the entire first year combat students knew him.

Why?

Well, because he was like a small fiery ball of anger whenever they spared.... especially when he was put against people who were rumored to have gotten admission in the academy due to influence,

Family or not.

Though the reason for this was unknown, there were rumors going around among the students.

Apparently, Flint valued strength over everything else, even as the child of a noble family, and he despised anyone who treated power as something inherited rather than earned.

Hence, the reason he was being so vicious in his spar against Nox when he thought some tricks might have been pulled to get him into the academy.

Flint was also one that couldn't be reasoned with, if you wanted to get him to listen, you had to pummel him fist until he could barely move.

Which was why the moment his name appeared on the hologram, a noticeable shift ran through the first years in the arena.

[Flint Ardent, First Year.]

A few murmurs rippled through the stands, very different from the ones Devon had received.

"Oh, it's that kid." "The Ardent first year?" "He's small but vicious." "Didn't he hospitalize a student in a spar last month?"

On the arena floor, Flint stepped out from the tunnel with none of the flair Devon had shown earlier.

He neither waved nor looked at the crowd.

He didn't even glance at the VIP section where his family was definitely sitting, but they were used to this attitude from him.

Flint rolled his neck, cracked his knuckles, and stopped at the center of the arena, waiting for his opponent.

He didn't have to wait long as the announcer soon called out to his opponent who, again, was a second year just like Devon's.

But unlike Devon's opponent, this one wasn't much of an importance for Flint to even remember his name, so he just continued looking without an expression on his face.

"Where're your parents kid?" The second year, not knowing any better thought to mock the first year's height as a taunting tactic, "are you lost?"

Flint looked with a frown but said nothing, the announcer hadn't given him permission to do anything just yet, so he had to remain calm.

Seeing that he had no reaction, the Second year chose to continue his taunt.

"C'mon," he said with a grin, spreading his arms slightly. "you don't even look old enough to participate in this, did you wander away from your parents?"

This got a chuckle out of the crowd and a twitch of Flint's fingers holding his solar tech, the same staff he had fought Nox with.

In the waiting room, Devon dragged a hand down his face as he watched the idiot continue taunting Flint.

"Well," he muttered, "now he ain't walking out of there in one piece."

"Hmm?" The third year female student turned to him in curiosity before asking, "what do you mean?"

"You see," Devon started, "Flint don't play bout his height." he continued, shaking his head. "That's like… rule number one of things you don't joke about."

The third year blinked. "Seriously? That's it?"

Devon glanced at her like she'd missed the point entirely.

"Nah, that's just the spark. Dude already fights like he got somethin' to prove. You poke him like that?" He chuckled softly, "yeah… somebody's boutta get carried out."

Back in the arena, the second year was still grinning, clearly pleased with himself.

"Aww, look at you," he said, crouching slightly as if talking to a child. "You gonna cry, or you gonna—"

"Combatants," the announcer's voice cut in, mercifully neutral. "Prepare."

Flint's grip tightened around his staff, there was an inferno of anger raging behind his eyes as he planned how to deliver the maximum amount of pain possible while also embarrassing this third year.

"Three."

The second year rolled his shoulders, activating his solar tech with confidence, this first year seemed easy enough to handle... unlike the previous one.

"Two."

Flint lowered his stance, feet spreading apart, staff angled behind him.

"One!"

The moment those words reached the ears of the crowd, they heard a small boom and with it, Flint had disappeared.

"Get rea—" was the last thing the second year managed to say before he felt a heavy force slam into his side.

His body bent in an awkward angle as the force was fully absorbed into it before he was launched in the opposite direction.

The second year slammed into the barrier, creating a small crack on it, before his body rolled down the arena floor... unconscious.

Flint didn't even wait for the referee to make the call before he dismissed his solar Tech, placed both hands in his pant's pocket and then walked off the stage,

Leaving everyone stunned and completely speechless.

"…winner," the announcer finally said after his brain rebooted when he saw the kid walking away, a hint of disbelief in his voice, "Flint Ardent, first year."

After his announcement, the crowd burst out in a wave of chaotic and confused chatter.

"What the hell was that?" "One hit… just one?" "That barrier cracked—did you see that?!"

First years shot to their feet, some cheering, others staring with wide eyes.

Even the second and third years weren't laughing anymore, their earlier confidence replaced with tight expressions and murmurs.

In the VIP section, several noble heads leaned forward, the Ardent family wasn't a major one, so producing a talent such as this was surprising.

The Ardent family's seats remained quiet.

They didn't cheer.

Didn't clap.

If anything, they looked… resigned.

Well, Flint's father and step mother anyway, his step brothers, twins, look scared, almost as if they had personally experienced what that student just did.

Which they had.

It was when they thought him to be an easy bullying target and they thought his height was the first place to start.

They had learnt the hard way to never mention or call attention to his height, hence why they had been scared for that second year.

"Big brother's terrifying," one of the twins said.

"He is."

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