Chapter 206: Exponential Power Surge, Instant Kill of a Legend!
Until...
"Aargh!!!"
The low-tier legend collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony, and then turned into a pile of ashes.
A gentle breeze blew, scattering the ashes and leaving behind a charred patch of grass.
And then... nothing was left!
Everything had vanished!
Everyone\'s actions and expressions were stiff, struggling to comprehend the scene before them.
Among the onlookers, one legend, seemingly a guildmate of Sarius, numbly opened his guild panel, revealing an expression of utter shock.
"Dead??!!"
He swallowed hard.
He chose to display the panel.
In the guild members list, it clearly showed [Sarius (Deceased)].
"Really dead??"
"Holy crap! Are you kidding me!?"
"Are you trying to fool us with a fake image??"
The other legends initially reacted with playful disbelief, until they noticed the one who displayed the image wasn\'t laughing. His face was pale and filled with genuine fear, causing the others to gradually stop laughing.
"Is this real?" someone murmured.
Everyone else shivered, staring at the spot where Sarius had perished. Only charred grass and wood remained.
Instantly, the legends felt a chill down their spines.
"Really? He\'s dead?"
"A newcomer to the Hall of Valor, with a single move... no, not even a move... just a snap of his fingers, killed Sarius??"
"He didn\'t even seem to use his full power, yet he burned Sarius alive... how strong must he be?"
The legends present were drenched in cold sweat, goosebumps covering their skin.
They too had a habit of extorting newcomers.
If the lucky newcomer who got the Valhalla residential rights was in their team instead of Sarius\'s, it would be them lying dead.
As the legends stood there, stiff and silent, the newcomers they led began to realize something...
They looked towards Sterl, their expressions growing increasingly blank.
Initially, none of them thought the bullying legend would be killed by a single flame.
Some even believed the flame was a skill Sarius had cast to intimidate the newcomer he was threatening.
When Sarius fell, the players sensed something was off, but they never imagined he would actually die. They were simply bewildered, unsure of what had happened.
Now, with the legends\' discussions, the newcomers finally confirmed—
The legend named Sarius was truly gone!
Admiration, fear, and shock—these were the emotions reflected in the eyes of those watching Sterl.
Unlike the legends, the new players who witnessed Sterl\'s decisive action felt a surge of exhilaration and a deep sense of longing. This was the kind of heroism they aspired to—being able to stand tall and proud!
Why should these legends, who merely joined the Hall of Valor before them and trained using its resources, have the right to extort and bully them? They should be like that mighty figure...
Anyone who dares to extort us? Kill them all!
The newcomers around Sterl shared similar thoughts.
Those who had previously witnessed Sterl defeat Willis were even more astounded!
This "David" was truly formidable!
He hadn\'t even used his full strength before. To him, killing low-tier legends was as easy as killing dogs! Perhaps his strength had increased even further during the trials.
However, amidst their shock, both the present legends and the newcomers who joined at the same time as Sterl felt that something was amiss.
It wasn\'t until Sterl himself casually oriented himself using the mini-map and started walking towards his residence in Valhalla that someone screamed in realization:
"Wait a minute! How could he attack like that?"
"He killed someone? Why isn\'t the Hall of Valor punishing him?"
"Who exactly is he…?" One by one, the cries of the legends got caught in their throats, too frightened to continue!
They had thought of an extremely terrifying possibility!
The Hall of Valor strictly prohibited private duels, whether it was lower-ranked challenging higher-ranked or higher-ranked bullying lower-ranked individuals.
Yet this newcomer had seemingly ignored the rules and struck out?
That\'s impossible!
Theoretically, only those of Glorious rank or above had such privileges—to kill those of lower status!
But such privileges couldn\'t possibly be granted to a freshly initiated player!
He couldn\'t possibly be Glorious, could he? That would be absurd!
A newly initiated player, no matter how powerful, wouldn\'t have had the time to challenge and inherit the Glorious rank. Even 250-level legends were still trying to comprehend the Law Power, and it wasn\'t something one could just stumble upon!
Now, there were only two possibilities.
First, this person could somehow ignore the Hall of Valor\'s rules or had found a loophole in them.
This was nearly impossible.
Even if this newcomer could ignore the Hall of Valor\'s rules, he would know that once this got out, the will of the Hall of Valor itself wouldn\'t spare him!
That newcomer would have to kill everyone around to keep it a secret!
But he didn\'t do that.
So, the answer could only be one thing.
He truly held a rank above Glorious!
Theoretically, such a status was only achievable by a level 250 legend. However, if this newcomer had an incredibly deep background, possibly even being the most favored illegitimate child of some deity, it wasn\'t entirely impossible.
A deity could forcibly order a Glorious rank to challenge him and then commit suicide, passing on their status.
The legends were instantly terrified!
They watched Sterl\'s diminishing silhouette, trembling like leaves in the wind!
Sheer strength alone wasn\'t terrifying, as a group of legends working together could certainly overpower the newcomer.
What was truly terrifying was the possibility that a deity stood behind him! How could they possibly afford to offend such a being?
Moreover, it wouldn\'t be just any minor deity. In the Hall of Valor, a level 250 Glorious was worth more than a demigod outside!
The potential of the former was simply too immense!
A minor deity would never sacrifice a Glorious rank demigod just to pass on their status to a descendant!
It wasn\'t a matter of cost; only a fool would make such a decision.
In other words...
The legends were scared out of their wits. They might have offended a deity who held significant influence even within the Hall of Valor!
Sarius had been quite friendly with them, sharing a common interest in robbing newcomers!
At this moment, several legends among the group felt their legs give out, dropping to one knee.
"We\'re doomed."
"It\'s over!"
...
Eventually, someone panicked and shouted, "I need to find out who that newcomer really is."
"I have some treasures. Maybe I can buy my life."
"Don\'t waste time. Let\'s go gather information now."
...
Within seconds, the legends had all bolted, leaving only a group of bewildered newcomers staring at each other, unsure of what to do.
Sterl, on the other hand, was oblivious to the chaos he had caused with his casual attack.
After all, these legendary players had no idea that the rewards for the Ultimate Trial included status elevation. Some of them hadn\'t even heard of the Ultimate Trial.
As for Sterl, he was in quite a good mood.
"With this wave of class awakening and upgrades, my combat power has truly transformed!"
He squinted slightly, recalling his previous battles with Octavius and even Willis, where he had to exert some effort.
After all, those legends had fully developed their legendary arcane skills, enhancing their attributes. Sterl didn\'t have much of an advantage in stats and had to rely on some overpowered skills to make up for it.
Now, with Sterl\'s base attributes and various enhancements, he could easily surpass legendary-level players!
Additionally, with the spell effects boosted by the Arcane Soul, the legendary player named Sarius couldn\'t even react before being instantly killed by Ignition Flame!
"My current combat strength allows me to kill ordinary legends in a single strike if I have the initiative. Even without it, I can defeat them within a few moves."
Sterl nodded, feeling that his invincible self had returned!
Following the values on his mini-map, Sterl soon arrived at an incredibly peculiar area—a towering mountain range. Below, lush green grasslands teemed with life, while the midsection was covered in snow and winds, with various energies faintly surging.
At the mountain\'s peak, Sterl could sense a vast Divine Power surging!
"Is that the dwelling of a deity?"
He paused, taking a deep breath.
Soon after, Sterl felt the rich natural essence of the world pouring into his body, making his meridians stretch comfortably.
"This is indeed a great place," Sterl marveled, spending about half an hour running to the base of the mountain. There, an NPC greeted him and escorted him to his residence.
The journey was uneventful.
Finally, when Sterl saw his accommodations, he was stunned.
According to Faye\'s private message, residences in the Hall of Valor were typically small villas, quite comfortable to live in.
However, Sterl was given an extensive pastoral estate, including a jewel-like small lake, a vast farmland, and a complex of dozens of buildings.
Using Star Insight, Sterl saw that the fruits and grains growing in the farmland each had special properties.
For example, consuming them could slightly increase experience, permanently enhance life force, stamina, or endurance limits.
The Hall of Valor was truly extraordinary!