Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!

During Wendy and Nyx's fight, Nyx had used a skill called [Holy Speed!], which greatly enhanced her agility and made her a formidable opponent. Currently, Nox didn't possess many skills in his arsenal, only Shadow Oblivion and Phantom Cloak. Both were offensive skills, but Nox needed something to complement his battle style.

As a close-range fighter, Nox needed to be fast and agile to take out his enemies and escape if they proved too strong. A speed-related skill would have allowed him to get away unscathed when he encountered Goliath, even increasing his fighting chance slightly.

Nox hated that he couldn't keep up with Goliath's speed. It reminded him of Hendrix, who was also fast. Subconsciously, to eliminate this weakness, he had been searching for a good target with a speed-related skill.

Fortunately, during the fight with Wendy, Nyx had used Holy Speed! Nox knew he couldn't miss this chance to get rid of his weakness.

[Target: Nyx, Holy Speed - Successfully copied Skill]

[Holy Speed (Intermediate): Increases user's movement speed by 20% for 10 seconds. Cost: 10 MP to activate, plus -1 MP per second activated. Cooldown: 1 minute]

[10x upgrade detected new skill]

[Upgrading Holy Speed x10!]

[Ding! You've Awakened Divine Velocity!]

[Divine Velocity (Ultimate Skill): Increases user's movement speed by 200% for up to 1 minute. While in this state, they gain a +20 increase in Agility, can move through solid objects, and leave behind a holy trail that deals damage to enemies. MP Cost: 20 MP to activate, plus -10 MP per second activated. Cooldown: 5 minutes]

[Do you wish to keep this skill or bestow it to a pet?]

"I'm sorry, I have to take this one. I promise to give you guys suitable skills in the future," Nox thought. He felt bad for not giving his beasts enough skills but promised to upgrade them in the future and turn them into war machines on any battlefield.

***

Present.

Since the fighting platform was considered a solid object, Nox easily freed himself from Earth Ripple's grasp and appeared behind Wendy, placing his dagger, which he had recalled, at her neck.

His speed was so frightening that even Nathan hadn't noticed it, making it seem like he had teleported. The only person who had clearly seen what happened was Aina. Like Nathan, she also thought Eve had gifted Nox a powerful skill. A speed skill that could mislead people into thinking it was teleportation was certainly expensive.

Aina knew Nox didn't have such money, so her only guess was the Necromancer Eve.

Still, she found the skill very similar to the Holy Speed that Wendy had used a few moments ago. But because the skill had been upgraded 10 times, this was just a fleeting thought.

Slowly, the crowd's shock subsided, and Wendy stiffly raised her hand to surrender. If this had been a real fight, a simple hand movement could have cost her life. Though embarrassing, it was the only thing she could do in this situation.

The referee shortly announced Nox as the undisputed winner of the mock tournament, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

"You... how old are you again?" Wendy asked, putting her sword away.

Nox tilted his head in confusion. Wasn't his age a known fact? "Five. Why'd you ask?"

"Nothing. See you around, then," Wendy hurriedly replied as she descended from the fighting platform.

"Monsters, both of them are monsters. Is it because of their mother's race?" she muttered to herself. Nox only heard incomprehensible gibberish.

After bowing one final time, Nox stepped down from the platform. With his outstanding performance, every single trace of doubt was cleared from the spectators' minds. They now had new hope that, with Nox and others' presence, they had a chance of winning this tournament if he continued at this pace.

For fifth place, the losers of the quarter-finals battled, and surprisingly, Rab won, becoming the number five representative in the tournament.

Soon, the official results for the tournament were out.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and panda!" the commentator announced in a booming voice. "And that's a wrap, folks! The mock tournament has come to a close, and we have our top five representatives! Please give a round of applause to our winners!"

"In first place, the young prodigy, Nox Aegis Cromwell! This five-year-old sensation has left us all speechless with his incredible skills and speed. Will he be the one to lead our team to victory in the real tournament?"

"In second place, the skilled Wendy Chai! This talented warrior has proven herself to be a force to be reckoned with. And rounding out our top five, we have Chris Cole, Nyx Cromwell, and Rab Damian! These talented kids have shown us what they're capable of, and we can't wait to see what they do next."

Immediately after the commentator finished, the five fighters bowed low, and the crowd gave a standing ovation to the outstanding children. They were truly proud of them; their performance had made their blood boil, and they wished they could participate in the tournament themselves.

There were low and high moments: friends facing each other, surprising underdogs nearly defeating the dark horse of the competition, but above all, the name that couldn't leave the spectators' lips was Nox's.

With his display, the boy would certainly become a powerhouse in the future. The citizens were glad they had watched him fight and would tell their children about the legend of Nox Aegis Cromwell... the anomaly.

***

Just like the Cromwell Barony, the other towns had also completed their mock tournaments. News about Nox's performance had already reached everyone's ears in the western region. It was even rumored that, after Hendrix, he was the second most likely person to win the tournament.

This made the others double their efforts to prove everyone wrong.

In Landon Barony, the tournament had just ended, and Jared had claimed the top spot for himself. He was all smiles as he clenched his fist.

"This is my sure ticket to seeing you again... I mean to punching that bastard's face... totally not to see that Nyx girl," Jared thought, flashing an unconvincing smile as he stared at the crowd chanting his name.

In the Armstrong Duchy...

"It seems the kid is also working on himself," Hendrix thought, his gaze sweeping over the brutally beaten bodies of his elder siblings groaning on the ground. "But that won't be enough to catch up with me."

***

Four years later...