In the waiting room at the center of Pentarium, there was a measuring device to check the rankings of the participants. The names of 150 young magicians and the number of tokens they had were accurately described there.
The bottom-most players naturally only had one token and werenât in the waiting room. Fortunately for them, no one was interested in the participants at the bottom.
âHey, look at thatâŚ!â
âWhat is it? Oh, the number one rank? Of course, it is⌠Huh?â
ââŚSurely there wasnât an error in the tool?â
âIt was installed today, so what error could there be?â
âIf this is true, how many times has she fought?â
The audience murmured in disbelief after seeing the leaderboards.
It was the last round, so the outline of the winner was revealed in the rankings. Participants satisfied with their ranking gave up on any more fights. This was because their rankings could lower if they challenged or received a challenge from someone else.
For that reason, previous Pupil Tournaments the final token count had been somewhere in the range of 30 to 40 tokens. There had been no big difference between the token counts of the winner and the other challengers.
However, what did the top of the leaderboard look like now?
[1st Place: No. 13 Sylvia â 95 tokens
2nd Place: No. 7 Pogani Wolgast â 21 tokens
3rd Place: No. 31 Robert Diane â 18 tokens]
The number of tokens possessed by the person in 1st place surpassed the previous record by nearly double, causing the audience to let out cries of admiration.
â9-95 tokensâŚ?!â
â2nd place is only 21 tokens⌠Doesnât it mean that other people didnât have time to collect the tokens?â
âThat is the Blue Tower Masterâs disciple.â
As the disciple of the famous Blue Tower Master Blundell, she was considered as the favourite to win the competition.
However, nobody had thought she would reach 1st place with such a ridiculous record. It was a contest where young magicians participated, but it wasnât easy to establish such an overwhelming record.
The people who saw the leaderboard naturally looked at the silver-haired girl sitting in a corner of the waiting room. If it wasnât for the huge mass of muscles sitting next to her, she wouldâve been buried by those who wanted to speak to her.
The mass of muscles, Blundell, spoke in a somewhat rough voice, âAh, young people these days have no spirit!â
He was lamenting the fact that there had been no challengers for a few days. Blundell had tried to give a good experience to his disciple, but the other participants had turned on their tails as soon as her strength had been revealed.
Did they want to become magicians who had to live with failure because they were afraid of defeat? Blundell couldnât understand the concept of ârun away.â
âIt is a chance to compete safely with a superior magician. A lucky opportunity like this is hard to come by!â
The magicians in the area stirred uncomfortably every time Blundellâs eyebrows twitched, and the sparks flying around him were almost as strong as the Red Tower Master. Their anxiety grew as he grabbed his staffâno, the club on his back.
However, before his temper could explodeâŚ
âGood morning, Tower Master,â someone entered the waiting room and spoke directly to Blundell, despite the heavy atmosphere.
âUmâŚ?â Blundellâs seemed unmoved, but his expression changed as soon as he saw the owner of the voice. His expression was one which wondered why this person had spoken to him. âVinceâs disciple⌠Yes, arenât you Theodore?â
âYes, thatâs right,â Theo replied calmly.
He had experienced the presence of the Blue Tower Master once before, so he could tolerate it more easily now. In any case, Theo hadnât come here to confront the Blue Tower Master. Theo didnât lose his respectful attitude as he looked at Sylvia sitting next to Blundell. Sylviaâs dream-like beauty still remained, but Theo noticed a change.
ââŚI donât feel like I am unable to win, unlike before. Does it mean I should try it now?â
Unlike when Theo faced the hobgoblin chief, he wasnât feeling a strong sense of tension at this moment. There was only a cold chill on the back of his neck. It was obvious that she wasnât an easy opponent, but she wouldnât be as difficult as before.
Blundell realized the meaning of that subtle gaze and stared at Theo thoughtfully.
âHoh, have you reached the 4th Circle? Congratulations.â
âThank you.â
âYou wouldnât have looked for me just to hear these words⌠PerhapsâŚ?â
As Vince had said, the old man was quick to notice. Blundell laughed and moved his massive body away the moment he noticed Theoâs purpose. Theo was now able to meet Sylvia, who had been hidden by Blundell.
Her eyes were emotionless, like she had already forgotten his existence. However, that didnât matter.
âNumber 13, Sylvia. I challenge you to a fight in the Pupil Tournament,â Theoâs voice resonated throughout the somewhat silent waiting room.
Some people laughed at his reckless challenge, while others were pleased they could see a funny sight. Sylvia just stared at him blankly and parted her pink lips, ââŚMe?â
Instead of answering, Theo held out the tokens he had. The five tokens made a rattling sound. They were shabby compared to Sylviaâs 95 tokens. However, the tournamentâs 1st ranked participant couldnât refuse a challenge. It was a rule to give everyone a chance to ascend to the top, making it a perfect opportunity for Theo.
Finally, Sylvia rose from her seat.  ââŚOkay, I also wanted to reach 100 tokens.â
She accepted Theoâs challenge.
KukukungâŚ
The moment the two people agreed, the main hall of Pentarium was opened.
There was two hours left until the end of the tournament, so the match with Sylvia would be the last one. The magic tool recognized that this was the 1st ranked finalâs fight and opened up the main hall.
âOh? The main hall is open!â
âDoes this mean the final is starting?â
âThat reminds me, the Blue Tower Masterâs disciple is participating this yearâŚâ
âThe time spent here is worth it.â
The people who noticed the opening of the main hall gradually began to gather in Pentarium. They all wanted to see the final match. People were interested in boisterous events, and so the crowds swept in.
They came to see the disciple of the Blue Tower Master. As all sorts of spectators were gathering, the two competitors entered the main hall.
* Â Â Â Â * Â Â Â Â *
âNo, why are there so many peopleâŚ?â Theo was half-stricken as he looked at the crowd behind the transparent barrier.
When he fought Philip, there had been barely anyone in the crowd. However, this was the main hall and Sylviaâs fame had increased, gathering an audience of more than 1,000 people. Theoâs stomach hurt since it was the first time he had seen something like this.
Fortunately, the voices of the audience members didnât reach his ears.
âTheodore Miller? Have you ever heard of him?â
âNo, I donât know it.â
âI heard that he came with a magician called VinceâŚâ
âVince Haidel? Fire Killer Vince?!â
âBut a few days ago, he was only at the 3rd Circle. It might end up being more boring that I thought.â
There were doubts and curiosities. A few rare people remembered Vinceâs old nickname, but there was no one who thought that Theodore could win.
They noticed Sylviaâs abilities had already surpassed the magic towerâs Average rank and didnât think that another genius like her would appear in the Pupil Tournament. After all, geniuses were called geniuses because they were rare.
However, Vince, sitting next to Blundell, thought differently as he looked down at his disciple.
ââŚThis is a fight that can surely be won. Win the fight that canât be won. Isnât that the motto of the magic towers?â
âYou remembered.â
âThe Red Tower Master, she always said those words.â
Then Blundell said, âYou think that he is a rival to Sylvia. That child called Theodore, will he be able to win?â
âWell, it isnât a story that should be told with my mouth,â Vince replied, indicating that Blundell should see with his own eyes.
The match started shortly after that.
Peng~
As a ball of light rose between the two people, Theo pulled up his magic power at full speed.
He had watched Sylviaâs fights several times and noticed one thingâshe deployed magic unusually fast. It took 5~10 seconds for her to activate 4th Circle magic, and 3rd Circle magic was invoked with just a word.
âIf she takes the initiative, then it will be hard to take it back. It may be unreasonable, but I have to act first!â
Even if they started their spells at the same time, Theo would be half a beat slower than Sylvia. However, Theo had a means of storing magic in advance.
âMemorize. Two Slots Open. Double Blaze Shell.â
âBlow forward, strong winds!â
Two fireballs were created in the air, and an additional magic was used at the same time.
Among the four attributes, fire was the best at causing damage, while the wind enhanced one of its weaknessesâspeed. Due to the physical repulsion, the compressed fireballs, called Blaze Shell, accelerated.
âGale Force!â
If this was a battle, Theo wouldâve used all his slots for the first attack. However, he couldnât use all his cards in a tournament match where he had to hit the opponent three times. Therefore, this was the best combination.
The combined power of Blaze Shell and Gale Force, which had both destructive power and speed, couldnât be stopped with any simple defense magic!
âGo!â
With the wind blowing at its back, the fireballs rushed forward like wild beasts. As a ghastly heat filled the air, Sylviaâs silver hair caught his eyes. Sylvia moved forward with her brutish staff and scattered a blue magic power. Theo didnât know what defensive magic it was, but it wouldnât be able to completely block any damage.
With that conviction, the two fireballs shot forward.
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Kwaaaaang!
It was a bombardment fierce enough to close the mouths of the audience members feeling doubtful about Theodore.
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