"For the first match of the second round..."

    "Alaric Silversword and..."

    Lucas announced the first matchup and the crowd immediately cheered in excitement.

    In a strength-centric nation like the Astanian Empire, everyone loved to watch the Knights fight.

    It was like a tradition to them.

    The imperial family even established a battle coliseum where the most powerful Knights in the kingdom fought in a formal match to decide who was the strongest. That was how the Astanian Dragon Leaderboard was created- a list that ranks the most powerful in the empire.

    Other than the glory of having their names etched on the leaderboard, the rankers also annually receive generous rewards from the imperial family to keep them motivated. The higher their rank, the more generous their rewards will be.

    For these reasons, many aspiring warriors from all over the empire wished to one day see their names on the leaderboard. That was how special the Astanian Dragon Leaderboard was.

    At this moment...

    "If you want to rest, I can give you a few minutes. I don''t want to fight an exhausted opponent."

    Alaric stared at his opponent in surprise. He didn''t expect to hear these words from him.

    This guy is a true Knight.

    Alaric stared at him deeply.

    Knights like him are always the first ones to die on the battlefield.

    Alaric respected their discipline and their strict mentality. He was just like them in his past life, but he started changing when he experienced the cruelty of war.

    "I''m fine. We can start our fight now."

    Alaric unsheathed his swords to reveal his intentions.

    Seeing this, his opponent no longer hesitated and took out his weapon, a sword with average length.

    In their first clash, Alaric could tell that this guy was much better than his first opponent. He was more versatile and quicker to react.

    This guy should be on the same level as Aldrin...

    Alaric thought to himself.

    He didn''t let the battle drag on and ended it in less than ten moves.

    Alaric''s victory no longer came as a surprise considering how he had won his first match.

    More and more people cheered for him. Even those who were skeptical about his skills no longer doubted him.

    Should I increase my endurance with my remaining stat points?

    Anthony was an opponent who couldn''t be defeated with his swordsmanship alone. It wasn''t that his swordsmanship was weak, but it was because his strength was still lacking to display the true power of his swordsmanship.

    After some thought, Alaric no longer hesitated. He used his remaining stat points to increase his endurance.

    Alaric Silversword [Knight] EXP: 31/500

    Potential: B

    Traits: Horseback Riding (C), Swordsmanship (SSS), Close Combat (D), Archery (F), Hunting (E), Tracking (F)

    Strength: 38

    Stamina: 28

    Agility: 35

    Vitality: 27

    Endurance: 42

    Mana: 13

    Battle Points: 460

    Stat Points: 0

    (Requirements for next advancement: 500 EXP, 100 in all attributes, and 5000 Battle Points)

    With that, he had used up all the stat points he had saved up, but Alaric couldn''t care less.

    After increasing his endurance, he had a feeling that his muscles and bones had become more durable.

    In the next moment, Alaric no longer evaded Anthony''s halberd. He faced the veteran Knight head-on and began a fierce clash with him.

    What is going on? How is he able to block my halberd now?

    Anthony was stunned by the sudden improvement in Alaric''s defense.

    Earlier, he was still overwhelming Alaric with his halberd, but in the next instant, Alaric could already block his attacks.

    Meanwhile, Alaric could also sense the huge change.

    His arms no longer felt like they were tearing apart every time their weapons clashed. He could now withstand the powerful blow of Anthony''s halberd!

    I can win this!