The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse
Chapter 302: Ch: 301 Tournament Starts - Part 3

Chapter 302: Ch: 301 Tournament Starts - Part 3

After fifteen minutes of wandering around the chaotic tournament grounds, Orion had had enough.

He trudged closer to Madam Verta, his expression dark with irritation.

"Where exactly are we heading?" he asked, voice clipped. "And when are we actually going to find this finish line?"

Madam Verta didn’t even spare him a glance.

She kept walking beside Ethan, her conversation directed solely at him, pretending Orion and Zara didn’t exist.

Orion ground his teeth together, his patience wearing thin.

Zara gave him a pointed look, silently encouraging him to do something.

With a resigned sigh, Orion flicked his fingers and summoned a transparent barrier right in Madam Verta’s path.

Madam Verta, too absorbed in fawning over Ethan, crashed into it with a loud thud.

She stumbled back, rubbing her forehead and glaring at the barrier like it had personally offended her.

"Would you mind answering my question now?"

Orion asked coolly.

Madam Verta’s nostrils flared.

"Stop rushing me! I am doing my best under very stressful circumstances!"

She snapped.

"Then do your ’best’ faster. Because right now, you’re just wasting our time."

Orion shot back.

Madam Verta turned to Ethan, clearly expecting him to scold Orion on her behalf. She pouted dramatically, hands clasped over her heart.

"Ethan, aren’t you going to say something? I’m being treated so roughly. Someone as precious as me doesn’t deserve this."

Ethan, who hadn’t been paying attention to her for the past several minutes, didn’t even look her way.

He simply kept walking, his gaze sharp and distant.

Seeing her attempt at gaining sympathy fail, Madam Verta finally sighed and fell quiet. It was clear that nobody here was on her side.

Still, she stubbornly refused to give up.

Just as she closed her eyes to refocus, a sharp jolt ran through her mind.

A flash—an image of a large monster bursting out of the woods, fangs bared and claws gleaming.

Her eyes snapped open and she threw out her arm.

"Everyone, get ready! We’re about to be attacked!"

Before anyone could react further, the ground trembled.

A giant beast, covered in twisted bark and stone, crashed down from the trees nearby, sending a shockwave through the ground.

It let out a deafening roar that made the air itself tremble.

Zara instinctively reached for her weapon. Orion’s eyes narrowed, energy crackling at his fingertips.

Madam Verta quickly tried to recall the creature’s weak points from her vision. She opened her mouth to warn them—

—but Ethan was already moving.

In a blur of motion, he surged forward.

The monster didn’t even have time to react.

With a sharp, calculated blow, Ethan shattered its core, and the beast crumbled into dust, collapsing into a pile of lifeless debris at his feet.

Madam Verta froze, mouth still open, her warning dying on her lips.

She closed it awkwardly a second later and watched Ethan with wide eyes. Incredible, she thought, awe building in her chest.

She cleared her throat delicately and tried to step closer to Ethan.

"That was amazing, Ethan. You handled that creature like it was nothing. Truly, your power is—"

She said, voice dripping with admiration.

"Where to next?"

Ethan interrupted flatly, not even sparing her a glance.

Madam Verta blinked.

For a moment, she thought she had misheard him.

She had praised him. She had acknowledged his strength. Surely, he would at least smile or give her some kind of recognition?

But no.

He stood there, waiting, cold and distant.

A crack formed in her forced smile, but she quickly covered it with a laugh.

"Of course. Of course. I’ll lead the way."

She turned around quickly to hide the flicker of frustration crossing her face.

As they resumed their walk, Zara leaned over to Orion and whispered.

"I don’t think Ethan’s going to fall for her tricks."

"Good. She’s exhausting. At least now she will stop pissing me off."

Orion muttered.

Still, Madam Verta pushed onward, leading them deeper into the forested arena.

Even if Ethan wasn’t giving her the attention she craved, she was determined.

She would make herself indispensable.

She would prove that Ethan needed her, that without her guidance, he would lose his way.

All she needed was the right opportunity.

And she was willing to wait as long as it took.

The group moved swiftly toward the distant shimmer of the finish line.

Madam Verta, sticking close to Ethan’s side, remained unusually tense. Her eyes darted around as she muttered predictions under her breath, warning them every few steps.

"There’s an ambush up ahead—no, wait, false alarm. Just... stay alert."

She said quickly, after noticing nothing happened.

Orion shot her a skeptical glance, but Zara kept her gaze focused on the path.

Ethan didn’t react, as usual, his mind locked onto the finish line. It was right there—so close they could almost touch it.

Madam Verta, however, froze.

A sharp pang of dread clawed up her spine.

’If Ethan crosses first... something bad will happen.’

She didn’t know why she felt it so strongly, but her instincts were screaming at her now.

Without thinking further, she stumbled forward and threw herself onto the ground, letting out a dramatic yelp.

Ethan halted mid-step. Orion and Zara stopped beside him, startled by the sudden fall.

Madam Verta clutched her ankle, pretending to be hurt.

"Agh... I-I think I twisted something...!"

Ethan hesitated.

His every instinct told him to ignore her. But caution, and the sliver of humanity he refused to stamp out, made him falter.

He stepped toward her.

Orion cursed under his breath but bent down to help too, while Zara warily scanned the surroundings.

That slight pause was all it took.

From the corner of his eye, Ethan spotted someone—a cloaked figure—darting toward the finish line.

His body tensed. Without another word, he bolted forward, determined to outrun the stranger. But just as he surged ahead, a strange force seized his legs.

A jolt, sharp and invisible, forced him to stumble.

He turned sharply, seeing Madam Verta’s fingers moving subtly, her eyes glowing faintly.

She had used her powers—on him.

"—!"

Ethan gritted his teeth, fighting against the invisible pull, but it was too late.

The cloaked figure crossed the finish line. A loud chime echoed across the field.

[ Congratulations! First Place Achieved! ]

Cheers and shocked gasps erupted from distant competitors.

Ethan stood frozen, fury radiating from him.

Madam Verta, seeing the crisis averted, smiled faintly and allowed Orion and Zara to pull her to her feet.

She coughed lightly, her hand over her mouth, wearing an expression that was a careful mix of apology and smugness.

"Well, it’s fine. Your loss doesn’t matter, Ethan. You’ll have more chances to make up for it."

She said lightly, her smile sweet, but the patronizing tone cut deep.

Zara stared at her in disbelief. Orion looked ready to explode.

Ethan, however, didn’t say anything at first.

He moved toward her slowly, almost calmly.

Madam Verta tilted her head, confused by his silence.

"Ethan, don’t be so emotional. Think about it again once you’ve calmed down—"

She said with a small chuckle.

Ethan grabbed her by the throat before she could finish.

Her feet left the ground as he lifted her effortlessly.

She choked, clawing at his hand, shock flashing across her face.

Ethan’s eyes were blank, terrifyingly empty.

His grip was steady, uncaring of her struggles.

"If you ever show your face in front of me again, I’ll kill you. Slowly."

Ethan said quietly,

Madam Verta’s mind reeled. She tried to summon her powers, but Ethan’s energy crushed hers completely. She couldn’t even muster a defense.

She thought he was just angry. She thought he was bluffing. But now, staring into his merciless gaze, she knew—he meant it.

This wasn’t a moment of temper.

This was a promise.

Zara and Orion didn’t intervene. They simply stood back and watched.

After a long, tense moment, Ethan let go.

Madam Verta crumpled to the ground, gasping and coughing violently, her hands trembling.

Ethan didn’t spare her another glance. He turned on his heel and started walking toward the next checkpoint.

Zara and Orion followed without hesitation, leaving the disgraced oracle behind.

Madam Verta stayed on her knees, staring at Ethan’s retreating back, her expression twisted with a mix of anger, fear, and something darker.

’He’s serious. He really doesn’t need me.’

She thought bitterly.

The realization stung more than she wanted to admit.

Still coughing, she slowly got to her feet. Her pride wouldn’t let her collapse here, not like this.

As she watched Ethan vanish into the crowd, Madam Verta made a silent vow.

’If you don’t need me now, Ethan... then one day, you will.’

One way or another. Madam Verta was sure of this, and she stepped into the finished line. She felt a sense of fear enveloping her as she did, but she did not know why.

She felt as if a pair of eyes were looking at her from afar and judging her, but she was not one to back down either.

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