My Life Changed with the Unlimited System

Bamba's voice cut through the rising noise in the dome.

"You may use your elemental powers."

That changed everything.

Some of the Vanguards straightened up at once, while others tensed. Elemental use wasn't always allowed in sparring matches, especially not when there was a clear difference in rank.

Maria's opponent froze for a second. He hadn't even begun to attack because of the disparity in their ranks. Now, Bamba had made the sparring harder.

"You're serious?" he said, turning toward Bamba. "She's a Four-Star. I'm still at Three."

Bamba didn't even blink. "Then quickly rank up."

A few chuckles rippled through the ranks, but they died fast. The look Bamba gave was enough to remind everyone that he wasn't joking.

After Bamba said those words, the entire atmosphere of the dome shifted.

It was no longer a training space.

The moment elemental powers were allowed, the training ground turned into something else, chaotic, alive, unpredictable.

It wasn't just about strength now. It was about control, focus, and awareness.

It was no different than the warzones of the Ascendants.

And that was exactly what Bamba wanted.

Because on higher-ranked missions, Nemesis operatives were often dropped right in the middle of faction conflicts. Sometimes between two sides, sometimes more.

They were neutral by function, but not immune to the chaos. In those kinds of missions, you couldn't rely on clean duels or structured fights.

Everything became messy.

Wild powers clashing across the battlefield. Orders breaking down. Friendly fire. Backline shifts. And no time to process any of it.

That was what Bamba wanted them to feel now, before the real thing came.

"Eyes forward!" he snapped. "Stay alert with your surroundings! Don't get hit by others' wild attacks! That's part of the lesson."

Maria didn't look away. She was already locked in, both feet spread, arms relaxed at her sides. Water curled along her forearms in delicate spirals, moving with a life of its own.

Her opponent exhaled sharply, then stepped in.

With a flick of his hand, wind gathered at his back.

He dashed forward without warning.

His style wasn't elegant, just fast. Blindingly so. His steps blurred as he cut across the circle in a jagged arc, aiming to strike from her side with a quick burst of wind compressed into a slicing blade.

Maria didn't flinch.

Her water surged and thickened into a rotating disc on her left side. The wind struck it head-on and splashed out in a harmless spray.

He twisted his wrist, tried again from another angle.

Maria stepped back once. Her right hand lifted. A stream of water followed her movement and lashed toward his feet.

He jumped, spinning midair with a gust to lift him, then launched a sharp burst of wind from above.

But Maria had already moved.

Her feet glided across a thin layer of water coating the floor, her motion silent, effortless. The burst slammed into the floor behind her, exploding in a sharp crack, but she was already circling.

This time she attacked.

Water swirled into the shape of a whip and snapped forward, aimed at his shoulder. He blocked with a burst of wind, but it only slowed the strike. The whip hit with a smack and pushed him off-balance.

He grunted. Landed rough. His boots slipped.

Maria didn't give him time.

She followed up with a stream of water that twisted mid-air, turning into something between a lance and a spear. Her aim was low, meant to trip, not kill.

He rolled away and shouted, "You think just because you've got cleaner control—!"

Maria's next attack stopped him mid-sentence.

A wall of water rose in front of her, not crashing down, not speeding forward. The wall just stood firm. And from behind it, her voice came, quiet and flat.

"Your wind's too loud. I can feel your direction before you move."

"Bullshit! Don't talk as if you know everything."

Then the wall surged forward like a wave, knocking his footing from under him.

He skidded across the ground and barely managed to twist himself upright. He looked up just in time to see Maria walking forward, calm and quiet, not a drop of panic in her eyes.

He gathered one more gust at his palm, trying to compress it to its sharpest edge. His hands shook slightly from exertion.

Maria raised one hand.

The water around her froze mid-air. Five thin spears hanging like crystal threads, glinting faintly under the arena lights.

She didn't throw them. She released just one of them.

It shot forward and shattered just in front of his chest, on purpose. A warning.

His eyes widened.

Then another. This one stopped inches from his throat.

He froze.

She stopped walking.

Bamba raised his hand. "That's enough."

Right after, there was complete silence in the training ground. Even the other fights around them slowed. Some had stopped entirely just to watch.

"Winner, Maria. Vanguard 17."

Maria lowered her hand. The water dissipated, falling in soft droplets around her boots. She turned and walked back to her place in line.

Her opponent stayed on one knee, breathing hard, defeated but not hurt.

Punished, but not broken. At least for now.

And the rest of the Vanguards?

They were starting to understand something.

It wasn't just her Ascendant rank that made Maria dangerous.

It was how she never let the fight get messy.

She made everything clean. Every attack of hers was controlled and precise. And in a world that thrived on chaos… that kind of power was terrifying.

Ethan watched Maria return to her spot in line, her expression unreadable, her steps steady. Not a single strand of hair out of place. Not a single motion wasted.

He couldn't stop himself from wondering.

'How are they this strong?'

Maria and the red-haired guy known as Red. Even the others whose names he didn't know yet. They all carried something he couldn't quite describe, like they had walked through fire before coming here.

He wondered who these people were and how they awakened. If they were part of the Great, Grand, or Supreme Families, why did they choose to serve here?

If they were really a part of those families, weren't they supposed to fight for seats like Lena, growing and leading factions like her?

Aren't they supposed to be fighting over seats in the capital? Or leading factions somewhere else?

"Winner, Red. Vanguard 22."

Bamba's voice rang out again, loud and clear.

Ethan turned just in time to catch the last few seconds of Red's match. His opponent was flat on her back, coughing as smoke rose from the floor around her. Red stood over her, chest rising and falling, flames flickering softly along his arms. He wasn't smiling, but he looked satisfied.

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. That wasn't just raw power.

Red had control.

His flames didn't explode wildly. They followed his fists, danced along his kicks, wrapped around his movements like a second skin. For someone at Higher Three-Star, he fought like he had spent years refining every move.

Ethan muttered to himself without thinking, "Everyone here is too strong."

Bamba smiled as he heard that. 'That's good. He's not blinded by his gift.'

He glanced around the dome again.

Maria's precision. Red's aggression. Even the others who hadn't fought yet held themselves with focus, discipline, and sharpness.

He couldn't help but wonder.

'Was it really that I was strong back in Anterra? Or… was it the sword?'

The Flame Dragon Sword had given him a boost in his strength. He swung his sword without mastery but he was able to unleash power far above what he should've had.

He remembered how he'd crushed the soldiers, taken down Duran, Harran, and even scared Qiren into fleeing.

But now…

He looked around at these Vanguards.

Their power didn't come from weapons like the Flame Dragon Sword. It came from themselves. From years of pain, training, and survival.

'Were the people I fought in Anterra simply lacking in physical strength?

Did they rely too much on magic?' Ethan wondered. 'Was I just a glitch in their system?'

He didn't know the answer. But what he did know was this, if he wanted to stand out here, the sword wouldn't be enough.

He needed more. Much more.

Everyone here has the potential to become a better host for the Unlimited System if the system were bestowed upon them. Each person here can achieve the same feat as he did back in Anterra.

Bamba began calling out the results, one match at a time.

"Winner, Rowan. Vanguard 05."

"Winner, Lee, Vanguard 12."

"Winner, Hasnul, Vanguard 29."

One by one, the fights came to an end.

Those who won stood on one side of the dome. The losers gathered on the other side. No one complained. No one argued. They all knew the rules. They had been warned from the start.

Ethan stood quietly, eyes scanning both groups.

Maria was among the winners. So was Red. And more than a few others looked like they had been through wars of their own.

He took a breath, steadying himself.

Then came the pause.

Everyone turned toward the center of the dome.

Ethan was the only one who hadn't fought yet.

Bamba stood waiting.

Someone from the loser's group snorted. "Just go ahead and join us, Cole. No shame in it. You're up against an Instructor."

A few laughed. Others just watched, curious.

Ethan didn't respond.

He stepped forward without a word.

That was when Bamba raised his voice again.

"For this match," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "I will lower my power level to Middle Four-Star. That matches the evaluation report for Vanguard 31."

The room fell quiet.

All the teasing stopped.

A few eyes widened.

Even Red blinked. Maria's expression shifted slightly.

Someone whispered, "Middle Four-Star? That's… already stronger than most of us."