Nameless King

"This guy beat Zeta? Unbelievable, if she were in Third Chronicle, even I would have had a hard time. Her grabs are a real problem for anyone." Artur said.

"I agree. He beat her with brute force, just took advantage of the moment, and punched her to one point until she fell over. I hope his punch didn't get any weaker."

"Ready?" The aide asked.

"Yes."

Wain sighed and clenched his fist. His muscles tensed to the limit, and a crackling sound was heard from the skin holding back that power. Wain raised his fist, stepped forward, and struck exactly in the center of the slab.

Tremble.

A loud clang spread out, and the ground trembled slightly.

The participants turned around and saw two numbers on the slab.

"Ninety-one tons!" The helper exclaimed.

"What?!"

"Again?!"

"Two in a row hit ninety-one tons! Is that possible?"

Everyone was surprised, but Wain was not happy. He couldn't beat Ern's score, and he was still ten tons away from the record.

"One more time."

"Are you sure? Your result is one of the best. The plates are stronger than steel, you might hurt your arm if you keep hitting with that much force." The aide asked. He didn't understand what Wain was trying to accomplish, but he couldn't forbid him to continue. Wain had two more tries.

"Yes."

The assistant nodded and refreshed the meter.

Wain struck again, and the ground trembled slightly. He applied all the strength he had.

"Ninety-one tons!" The assistant said.

"What, again? How is that possible?"

"Huh, this guy is an Elf and has fantastic physical strength."

"I hope I don't have to fight him in stage two..."

"Fuck!" Wain got angry and kicked the ground, shattering the stone floor into splinters. He was angry because he couldn't even improve on his previous score.

"You have one last try left. Do you want to continue?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, but are you sure?" The assistant asked, looking at Wain's right hand. It trembled, and the knuckles of his finger were covered in blood. The aide was sure that Wain couldn't even reach ninety tons in this condition.

'Damn, I can barely feel my hand, these slabs are actually very hard.' Wain also realized that he definitely couldn't break the record in this condition.

'Hey, don't be stupid, just use everything you've got.' Suddenly the voice of the Cursed Swordsman sounded in Wain's head.

'What?'

The swordsman didn't answer Wain, but he figured it out after a second.

"Can you hear me?" The aide asked.

"Yes, I will continue."

"Okay, that's your business." The deputy shrugged his shoulders.

Wain braced himself for the punch and got into a stance.

"Hey, what's he doing?" Someone in the third row shouted.

He was about to strike, not with his right hand, but with his left. Most people had a weaker left hand, and Wain was no exception since he was right-handed, but somehow, after the Cursed Swordsman's words, he felt a rush of strength.

Wain sighed and struck from bottom to top of the slab.

The ground trembled, and a loud, piercing ringing deafened the participants close by.

Everyone looked at the slab, and their eyes went wide from what they saw.

"One hundred tons!" An aide exclaimed.

"That's the same as the record!"

"Ah, he was unlucky. If he had hit a little harder, he would have broken the record."

"But, doesn't that mean he renewed his position and became the new record holder?"

A debate ensued among the contestants. Some thought Wain's result was a new record, even if it didn't surpass the last one, others disagreed.

"Silence!" Artur said loudly and walked over to the stove, "I understand your interest, and luckily we have a way to find out if he broke the record or not."

"Actually, the last record was not 100 tons, but 100.1 tons. I didn't think it would ever happen, but you can see a more accurate value on the plates." Artur said and touched the slab.

Suddenly the number lit up and changed slightly. Next to 100, the number 3 appeared.

"The final result is 100.3 tons, and that's a new record. Congratulations!" Artur exclaimed.

"Only two hundred kilos more..."

"Yes, but it's still more than the previous record!"

"Damn, how cool is that!"

"Man, I see you weren't going to feel sorry for yourself." Artur said, pointing to Wain's left hand.

Even though he had only used his left hand once, blood was dripping from it, and the skin on his knuckles was peeled off as if Wain had taken dozens of blows against a sturdy tree trunk.

"Yeah... Looks like I put myself out there, it was a surprise even to me." Wain muttered.

"Come on, you need medical attention. Keep up the challenge! There's not much time left before the auction starts!"

"Yes!" The aides said, and the ordeal continued.

Wain nodded and followed Artur.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

"Wonderful. You've managed to surprise me for the second time today." Ern said, clapping his hands, "But, I didn't expect you to be able to beat the record, much less with your left hand. Maybe you're left-handed?"

"No, like many people, my left hand is weaker. I don't fully understand how it happened myself."

"Huh, does it matter? You broke the record, I suggest we celebrate after the auction."

"Sure, I hope my hands are healed by then."

"Don't worry." Artur said, and the ring on his finger glowed, a small jar of white ointment appeared in his hand, "Here, this should help. I use this ointment myself after training."

Wain nodded and covered his wounds with the ointment. He stepped aside to the observation deck and watched the other competitors closely. After he broke the record, many tried to replicate his success, but only a few could hit harder than eighty tons.

"Is something wrong?" Ern asked, "You look puzzled."

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just not sure about something." Artur shook his head and opened his palm. There was a small ice crystal on it, which he discreetly removed when he touched the stove.

"He certainly didn't use any skills, then what is it?"