Upgrade

While the crowd burst into laughter, Vincent noticed Elric Baelius, who was chuckling at his decision as he walked to a corner. The other students quickly made way for him. He settled into the corner, his gaze fixed on the ongoing battles across the various platforms.

Elric Baelius seemed unchallenged, securing his position for the final stage with ease. The other top contenders were either resting or still fighting. Apart from the original nine contenders, there was only one new face — a student who had taken Greg's previous spot. Otherwise, nothing had changed.

As time passed, the top students defending their stages earned their second victories, though not all of them emerged unscathed. Ana Blackwings, Sara Chen, and Dmitri Volkov bore visible signs of battle.

Meanwhile, Greg remained fuming, his glare fixed in Vincent's direction. No one dared to challenge the grotesque-looking man, despite him still retaining the strength of a Tier 2 warrior. However, Vincent knew that Greg's temporary surge in power wouldn't last long.

He may make it to the finals, Vincent mused, but once his power is drained, he'll be vulnerable…

Shaking away those thoughts, Vincent turned his attention to his accumulated experience points.

Exp: 700,000/1,000,000

"What should I do with this?" he thought, uncertain about which path to take.

Deciding he needed more time to think, Vincent took out a few Origin Crystals to replenish his energy. This would be the first time he'd use them for this purpose, and he was curious about the outcome. He started consuming the crystals and was immediately surprised by the result.

+1 Origin Energy

Talent Activated!

+10,000 Origin Energy!

In an instant, his Origin Energy was restored to its full capacity.

"Wow, it can do that too?" he marveled at the unexpected boost.

Now, with his energy fully restored, Vincent contemplated his next move. He had three potential upgrades in mind, each requiring a significant amount of experience points.

Basic Origin Meditation — focused solely on cultivating mental attributes.

Basic Origin Movement Speed — improved agility and speed through the consumption of Origin Energy.

Basic Offensive and Defensive Martial Techniques — a set of basic combat fundamentals learned in school.

The first two were solid long-term investments, but Vincent believed that upgrading his combat skills would offer immediate benefits in the upcoming battles. With that in mind, he made his choice.

Without hesitation, Vincent selected the Basic Offensive and Defensive Martial Techniques, which cost 50,000 experience points.

Upgrade Complete!

Name: Balanced Origin Stance

Quality: Common

Effect:

Offensive: Enhances basic strikes and kicks, increasing power by 15%.

Defensive: Increases block efficiency by 10%, reducing incoming damage.

Special: Grants a 5% chance to deflect an enemy's attack, dealing half of the original damage back to the attacker.

Consumption: 50 Origin Energy per minute of continuous use.

Pleased with the improvement, Vincent realized he still had enough experience points to further enhance the technique. He spent another 100,000 experience points, upgrading the skill again.

Upgrade Complete!

Name: Flowing Origin Technique

Quality: Uncommon

Effect:

Offensive: Increases attack power by 25% and adds fluidity to combos. Grants a 10% chance to deliver an additional strike after a successful hit.

Defensive: Reduces incoming damage by 15% when blocking. A small parry window allows Vincent to reflect 20% of the damage back at the attacker if timed correctly.

Special: Unlocks the ability to redirect force, staggering the enemy upon blocking an attack and creating an opening for a counterattack.

Consumption: 45 Origin Energy per minute.

Satisfied with the technique's evolution, Vincent decided not to push further. He feared higher upgrades might consume too much Origin Energy, potentially limiting his combat ability.

With a significant amount of experience points still available, he turned his attention to his movement speed. To Vincent, speed equaled power, and he believed this upgrade would be equally valuable in the short term. Another 50,000 experience points were consumed.

Upgrade Complete!

Name: Swift Origin Step

Quality: Common

Effect: Consumes 90 Origin Energy to instantly move 7 meters. Movement speed is temporarily increased by 20%, and precision improves, allowing for agile direction changes mid-step.

Consumption: Reduces with proficiency; at max proficiency, consumption decreases to 75 Origin Energy.

Encouraged by the result, Vincent upgraded the skill once more.

Upgrade Complete!

Name: Blink of Origin

Quality: Uncommon

Effect: Consumes 85 Origin Energy to instantly move 12 meters in any direction. Grants a brief moment of heightened perception, allowing precise movement through obstacles or rough terrain. Movement speed temporarily increases by 30%.

Consumption: At max proficiency, consumption can drop to 65 Origin Energy.

"Nice! I still have experience points left," Vincent thought, "I should improve my proficiency next."

Over the next few minutes, he invested 150,000 experience points into each of his newly upgraded techniques, raising their proficiency from Novice to Adept.

Feeling the surge of newfound power, Vincent stood up and stretched. He needed to test these upgraded abilities and secure his spot in the finals. After all, he had his eye on the grand prize.

Without overthinking, he picked the nearest stage and jumped up.

Vianne, as the active and enthusiastic host, immediately announced, "Vincent Magnus is on the move! He seems eager to get his third victory to secure his spot in the finals!" 

The 10th stage was held by Michael Archons, who was visibly exhausted after a hard-fought second victory. The moment he saw Vincent land on his platform, his expression darkened. He cursed his luck, having hoped to avoid a confrontation with the dark horse of the competition.

"Vincent Magnus… Can you give me a break and let me keep my spot?" Michael asked, desperation evident in his voice.

Vincent remained silent, his face betraying no emotion. On the neighboring platform, Loy Mesins overheard Michael's plea and couldn't help but laugh nervously, imagining Vincent might target him next.

"Are you really going to beg like that, Michael? You're an Origin Warrior! Where's your warrior spirit?" Loy taunted.

Frustrated, Michael retorted, "Warrior spirit? My foot! If you're so brave, why don't you challenge him instead?!"