I Can Level Up Infinitely

The crowd was still cheering, their excitement lingering after witnessing Manik’s performance.

"It’s incredibly difficult to change the top five rankings," a middle-aged man said as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, Father," a young female hunter beside him replied. "In the past three years, Sheila has been the only one to change the rankings."

"Hmm..." The man nodded. "They’re all exceptional craftsmen. But once the competition is over, most of them focus only on fulfilling orders instead of giving it their all." He let out a quiet sigh. "As a result, we’re the ones who suffer in the dungeons.

I just wish there were a weaponsmith who cared about the lives of hunters instead of treating forging as nothing more than a business.

After all, we hunters may also work for money, but we care about people, too. We want to protect those who can’t fight. But what about our safety? Every second inside a dungeon is a gamble with our lives."

The young woman remained silent, but she shared the same belief.

At that moment, the S-Class hunter announced the second-to-last contestant for the first test.

"Sheila Hermosa."

The murmurs instantly died down. Silence spread across the area.

A young woman slowly walked forward and stopped before the bronze slab. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties.

Young.

Beautiful.

And the second-ranked weaponsmith in all of Delvan.

Without realizing it, everyone held their breath.

’Will she finally defeat Julius this time?’ The same question echoed through countless minds.

Meanwhile, Leon and the young woman wheeled the trolley back into her shop. After securely locking away the finished weapons, they made their way toward the stage.

The girl pointed at the woman standing before the bronze slab. "That’s Sheila Hermosa," she said. "The second-ranked weaponsmith in Delvan, and the pride of Ghost Blades."

"Oh!" Leon merely uttered a word before turning his attention toward Sheila, curious to see what her weapon was capable of.

Sheila unsheathed a rapier.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary rapier, but the aura emanating from it was anything but ordinary.

She didn’t even raise it.

Instead, she simply placed the blade against the bronze slab and pressed down, almost as if she were slicing a birthday cake.

Schlk!

The thin blade sank all the way to the bottom without the slightest resistance.

Leon raised an eyebrow. ’Not bad. But it’s still only a Normal-grade weapon. Nothing extraordinary.’ He could tell its grade with a single glance.

But the crowd? They almost felt like they were about to go mad from excitement.

Sheila moved toward the refined iron slab. Just like before, she placed the rapier against it and pressed down.

Schlk!

The blade sliced through effortlessly.

The third slab, high-carbon steel, couldn’t stop it either.

Then Sheila finally stopped before the fourth slab.

Titanium alloy.

’Can she cut all the way through?’ The same question appeared in countless minds.

So far, twenty-one inches was the best result anyone had achieved against the titanium alloy slab today.

Sheila raised her rapier. Then she slashed.

Puchi!

The blade sank deeper and deeper.

Five inches!

Ten inches!

Twenty inches!

Thirty inches!

All the way through.

For a brief moment, silence engulfed the entire floor.

Then...

The crowd exploded.

"She did it!"

"Is she actually going to take first place this time?"

"Damn! She’s incredible!"

Countless people stared at Sheila in amazement, especially the male hunters whose eyes were filled with admiration.

On the stage, Sheila merely gave a small smile before calmly walking toward the fifth and final slab.

Tungsten alloy.

Without hesitation, she took her stance. Her fingers tightened around the hilt. This slab was no joke, and she knew it very well. She focused her mind and then...

Slash!

Schlk!

The rapier buried itself six inches into the tungsten alloy before finally stopping.

The cheers grew even louder.

Sheila withdrew her sword, bowed slightly toward the crowd with a graceful smile, and returned to her position.

Even then, the excited murmurs showed no signs of dying down.

Six inches.

It was the first time anyone had managed to cut six inches into the tungsten alloy slab.

How could the crowd possibly remain calm?

Many hunters were already staring eagerly at the rapier in Sheila’s hand, imagining just how much stronger they could become if they managed to get their hands on such a weapon.

The S-class hunter’s booming voice echoed throughout the first floor once again.

"Alright, folks! We’re down to our final weaponsmith. Let’s see if he can hold onto the number one spot, or if Sheila will finally take the crown from him this time!"

Julius stepped forward, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

The first three slabs posed no challenge to him. Even against the fourth slab, although he had to take a proper stance before swinging his sword, he still managed to cut all the way through.

Then, he stopped before the fifth and final slab.

The tungsten alloy slab.

The entire crowd watched with anticipation.

Would Julius defeat Sheila once again?

Or, for the first time in five years, was someone finally going to replace him as Delvan’s number one weaponsmith?

Julius tightened his grip around his weapon.

It was a massive black greatsword.

Standing before the tungsten alloy slab, he slowly raised it above his head. His expression turned serious as he focused all his strength into the coming strike.

Leon watched with interest, curious to see just how far the sword could go.

The girl standing beside him was also staring at Julius with admiration. ’If only my shop had a weaponsmith like him...’

Finally...

Julius swung.

Whoosh!

A violent whistle tore through the air as the massive black blade crashed into the tungsten alloy slab.

Schlk!

One inch!

Two inches!

Three inches!

And then...

The blade stopped.

For a split second, the entire first floor fell silent.

Then chaos erupted.

"What?!"

"Only three inches?!"

"Sheila won!"

The crowd exploded into shouts of disbelief and cheers.

Those supporting Sheila erupted into wild cheers, while Julius’s supporters stared at the stage in disappointment.

As for Julius himself...

His expression was a sight to behold.

He had lost.

After holding the number one position for five long years, he had actually lost to Sheila.

A brilliant smile blossomed across Sheila’s face.

But just as the cheers and excited discussions reached their peak...

Screeeech!

A sleek black limousine came to an abrupt stop outside Hunter’s Arsenal.

The door opened.

A middle-aged man dressed in an expensive suit calmly stepped out.

Two younger men in business suits followed closely behind him.

They were none other than Mr. Donovan, Marcus, and the Young Master.

Marcus’s gaze swept across the massive crowd.

Then his eyes suddenly stopped.

He had spotted a familiar face.

The girl standing beside Leon.

A cold smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"There she is. Elena."