350: Is the difference in quality really that huge?

Zhong Huai lazily straightened up a bit from his chair. He glanced at the Strategist beside him, whose expression clearly showed no concern for the battle situation.

He leaned over, lowering his already soft voice.

"What, thinking about your childhood friend again?"

Wen Yan's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

This matter was the most private corner of his heart. He never expected this senior, who usually seemed carefree and unconcerned about everything, to know about it.

Even what he was thinking at this moment was crystal clear.

This Commander of Fangs was far more reliable than he appeared.

Wen Yan didn't deny it, just nodded lightly.

Yes.

I remembered.

That was a partner who grew up with him since childhood.

They climbed trees together, skipped classes together, got beaten together, and fantasized together about awakening powerful professions and becoming elites.

They were the best of friends and the strongest of rivals.

Until the day of the awakening ceremony.

He, Wen Yan, awakened the Epic Rank profession [Tactical Master].

While his childhood friend awakened the purple Top-grade Profession [Heavy Armor Swordsman].

Epic and Top-grade.

Just one rank apart.

At the time, he thought it meant nothing. The gap in talent could be completely bridged by hard work.

He even patted the other's shoulder, confidently saying they would continue to be rivals for life.

But the story that followed completely deviated from his expectations.

He entered the best high school, the best university, and gained access to the top resources and mentors.

While his childhood friend, despite exhausting all efforts, could only get into an ordinary Professionals university.

He joined Fangs, became a Strategist, with a limitless future.

While his childhood friend, after repeated mission failures and team ostracism, gradually faded into obscurity.

The distance between them was mercilessly widened, growing larger and larger, until it became an insurmountable chasm.

Wen Yan stubbornly believed it was an attitude problem.

That his childhood friend, after the initial setbacks, lost the will to fight and became self-pitying.

If he had worked a little harder, pushed a little more, the outcome would never have been like that.

But now... after witnessing the terrifying power of Zhao Tianyang and Lin Yao, these two Mythic Rank professions, he truly felt how utterly despairing that absolute crushing by talent could be.

When he first awakened, forget launching such an attack... even diluted tenfold, he might not have been able to do it.

Between Epic Rank and Mythic Rank lies an unbridgeable gap.

Then... what about between Top-grade and Epic Rank?

That seemingly one-rank gap, could it also be an unbridgeable chasm that effort cannot overcome?

Perhaps his childhood friend never put in less effort than he did.

Maybe even more, much more.

But no matter how he chased, how he burned himself out, he could only watch his own back grow farther and farther away.

That sense of powerlessness, that despair of being sentenced to death by talent, was the final straw that broke him.

The last time they met was at a class reunion.

After several rounds of drinks, his childhood friend, eyes red, grabbed his collar and questioned him.

"Wen Yan, do you think I'm just trash? Do you think I didn't try? Why... why were you born with everything!"

And how did he answer?

He just coldly pushed the other's hand away.

"Everything I have, I earned myself. Instead of complaining here, you should spend more time at the training ground."

Looking back now, those words were so arrogant, so hurtful.

Just like that, they went their separate ways, never contacting each other again.

Wen Yan felt a mix of emotions, an indescribable bitterness stuck in his chest.

"Zzzzt..."

At that moment, a crackle of electricity pulled him back from his complex emotions to reality.

The blacked-out screen flickered back to life with a faint glow.

The backup power connected, and the image finally stabilized.

The alarm in the monitoring room still blared sharply, but no one paid it any mind. Everyone's gaze was glued to the relit screen.

The Duel Arena was in complete disarray.

The elemental hell formed by hundreds of forbidden spells had dissipated. But the traces it left were shocking.

The hard white floor was completely torn open, revealing the charred, twisted metal structure beneath. The air was filled with the pungent smell of ozone, a byproduct of high-concentration energy dissipation. The energy readings in the entire space remained at a dangerous red peak.

The Duel Arena's energy barrier flickered frantically at an unprecedented frequency, clearly overloaded to its limit.

The battle had ended.

That world-destroying strike didn't determine a winner.

More accurately, the Duel Arena itself couldn't withstand it. Most of the attack energy was forcibly absorbed and neutralized by the overloaded defense barrier, abruptly ending the duel.

On the screen, three figures stood again, separated by a hundred meters.

On Zhao Tianyang's massive Asura Body, the electric light had faded, but countless marks from elemental burns and frost covered him, looking quite disheveled.

On the other side, Lin Yao and her hundred-plus clones reappeared. Their robes or leather armor showed some damage, clearly not unscathed from the earlier energy clash.

As for Lin Yu, standing between the two, the Rock Shield on the surface of his black battle armor had long since shattered, and the exposed armor itself was covered in fine cracks.

A three-way standoff, with none able to gain the upper hand.

A staff member hurried to Chen Jing's side, reporting something in a low voice. Chen Jing's face turned pale, then flushed, finally settling into deep regret and apology.

He didn't step forward personally, just waved the staff member away to handle the aftermath. He then quickly walked to Zhong Huai's side, his posture extremely deferential.

"Officer Zhong! I'm truly sorry! This... this is entirely our mistake! We never expected the energy impact to be so strong. The specifications of Arena One were still a bit low."

"We've prepared the highest-spec S-Class Duel Arena at the Organization. How about... having them change locations and..."

"Enough."

Zhong Huai lazily cut him off, stood up from his chair, stretched, his joints cracking with a series of pops.

"No need."

He didn't even glance at the screen again, as if that earth-shattering battle had completely concluded in his eyes.

"But... the battle hasn't been decided yet." Chen Jing grew anxious.

In his view, this was the most exciting part, with all three sides revealing their trump cards, and the real clash of titans about to begin. Stopping now was a tremendous regret.

Zhong Huai glanced at him, his gaze ordinary yet instantly silencing Chen Jing.

"Indeed, it's undecided, but my objective has been achieved."