Chapter 11 – Round Two Conclusion

On the dawn of the second day of round two, the masked numbers entered a meeting room.

"We are drawing too much attention to ourselves." Number Seven warned.

"I don't understand. We haven't done interviews or spoken a single word." Number Two sighed.

"For today, let's just win quickly and not put on any shows." Number Four suggested.

"It's not like we were putting on a show last round, but I guess you're right." Number Five agreed.

At the beginning of each day, a short ceremony with all the participants took place. In the stadium, spectators with festive number masks supported the masked numbers and cheered wildly as they entered the stadium.

"Welcome once again to another wonderful day of the Dungeon Selection Tournament!" Jasper announced.

"Let's begin!"

***

Ironically, the masked numbers faced more institutional mages, and as according to plan, they expertly dispatched the Pyrite mob they faced within minutes.

"Number Two, we love you!" The audience chanted.

"Number Three, we love thee!"

"Number Seven, this must be Heaven!"

Although they ended their matches quickly, the frenzy for the masked numbers continued, much to their disdain.

***

It was time for Aventi's match. Facing her was a sage from a former beast country. Aventi was a private person and didn't want the whole world to see her true fighting style. This was not uncommon. It was quite a taboo to share your trump cards and personal skills with others. For that reason, Aventi trained separate skills specifically for the tournament.

Facing the raging lizardman in front of her, she sighed. Her strategy for the tournament was rooted in a skill she invented: Sage's Mirror

The concept was simple: by mirroring her opponent with magic, she would mimic their abilities equally even without their training. It was an advanced magical concept rooted in the theoretical branch of the Seven Paths, Authority Magic. This path has the highest risk and reward of the seven branches of magic, and usually, there was a catch. The catch for Sage's Mirror is that for it to work, Aventi has to hold a hand-held mirror. If the mirror breaks, the skill ends.

In the case with the berserker lizardman in front of her, her mirror could be broken as they clashed. Despite the risks, Aventi and the berserker clashed and violently punched at each other. It was the opposite style Aventi would use if left alone.

"Tynak, my home, was destroyed by Lavilin. Mount Hevel is our sacred mountain, and he defiled it!" The lizardman yelled.

Samcyra pointed and laughed.

"Look guys, Aventi is trying to fight like me," Samcyra put her arm around Gileon while laughing. Gileon's face went red, and Stern and Clico laughed with Samcyra.

Omira on the other hand, stared intensely at Aventi.

"Wow, she's so powerful. Why won't she fight me like that?" Omira pouted to David and Cheptah. The two adventurers looked at each other snickering.

Meanwhile, Aventi and the bruiser continued to beat each other up relentlessly. Ooo's and ahh's were heard from the crowd at the two went at each other for over ten minutes.

"That's it! I've had enough of this." Aventi raged at the humiliation. Fist fighting was for the uncivilized. Jumping backwards, Aventi put the mirror away and summoned her floating artifact, Noosphere. Spiritual aura filled the space, and the lizardman stood there confused. What was with this change of style?

Noosphere spurred a spiritual fog around the colosseum, making it hard to make out what was happening.

"What's going on? I can't see anything," spectators complained. Three minutes later, the smoke cleared, and the lizardman was on the ground, unable to move.

"Winner! Wandering Sage Aventi!"

"What? How?" People complained, but Clico and his party knew Aventi well. Why she hadn't used her fog to hide from the beginning was beyond them. She went through so much trouble to create a theoretical and complex skill involving a mirror only to throw it away the moment a berserker appeared. Regardless, Aventi didn't really face much trouble.

Clico on the other hand, was facing a dark horse. Dressed in a full mechanical void suit designed to keep out void energy, a powerful sage from Phanec named '11' brutally beatdown their first opponent, a S Rank Sage. Clearly outmatched, Clico was at a loss. As he walked through the tunnel towards the match, a man stopped Clico. He was hooded, and his facial features couldn't be seen clearly.

"Who are you?" Clico asked cautiously. There wasn't supposed to be anyone down here.

"I'm just here to give you some friendly advice. Take off 11's mask, and you'll win the match." Then the hooded man walked away as fast as he came.

"Wait, how did you get down here?" Clico called out, but the man didn't turn around. Without time to mull it over, Clico was ushered by the guards through the arena gates.

The crowd associated '11' with the masked numbers as their leader. Because 11 dressed differently however, some questioned the relation. 11 didn't speak and shot out metallic looking blasts of aura. Unable to keep up, Clico was overwhelmed and fell to the ground instantly.

"Give up now, or I'll beat you until you do!" The distorted female mechanical voice of 11 threatened.

"I have no chance of winning," Clico thought. In terms of aura level, 11 was at the peak of the Sage Realm and was close to breaking through. 11 was more comparable to Omira than she was to Clico.

"I have to take off her mask." Clico decided to trust the hooded stranger; he had no other options. Charging his aura, Clico used all he had at once, jumping at 11 at an unfathomable speed. He had no power behind his attack. All he could do was subtly rip off her mask, revealing a beautiful young woman with green eyes. Ferociously, the woman smashed Clico away, incapacitating him.

"Winner! Phanec Sa-!"

"Wait!" A commanding voice yelled from a VIP box.

"Huh?" Jasper exclaimed confused. No outside influence could interfere with the matches according to the rules.

Descending from the VIP section, a pressuring presence covered the stadium. Phanec King Augustus, a high Royalty Realm existence appeared. Ziphe watched from his own VIP box but didn't interfere.

"Princess Emerald, you were forbidden from entering this tournament. As the heir to the throne, you will take over Phanec the moment I enter the dungeon!" Augustus lectured.

"Father, I have to enter this tournament and stop Lavilin. He took one of the Destiny Seals. If Purgatory is opened, Phanec will be destroyed!" Emerald, otherwise known as 11, fought back defiantly against her father.

"Enough!" Augustus's power could be felt in the crowd. His aura was suffocating.

"Under the orders of Phanec, you are disqualified from this competition." Augustus declared.

"Can.. Can he do that?" Ruby whispered to Jasper, but the microphone still picked it up.

"Umm, we've just received words from the higher ups, and apparently, 11's registration must be disqualified under the authority of the High Mage Council. A Queen of a country is not allowed to enter the Dungeon Party Selection under the Selection's official rules. Because Augustus is relinquishing his throne when he enters Hell, Emerald, otherwise known as 11, cannot enter the tournament." Ruby confirmed.

"Winner! Wandering Sage Clico?" Jasper said confused.

Emerald fell to the ground in disbelief, and Clico's consciousness left him.

***

Inside Grand Councilman Ziphe's VIP room, the hooded person entered.

"Great match huh?" The hooded man teased.

"I would've never let Princess Emerald sneak into the tournament if she entered under a non-numbered name." Ziphe scolded.

"Sometimes, I have to put in some variables to spice it up." Said the mysterious man with a grin.

"Why didn't you tell me 11 wasn't related to you, 21?" Ziphe stared at 21 angrily.

"Who says she isn't?" The prophet teased.

***

Back on stage, things had settled down. Clico was back with his friends in the stands, and the tournament continued. His condition was abysmal but not bad enough to be hospitalized. The tournament favorites slaughtered their opponents once again. Job and Dregey annihilated institutional Princes from the Four Powers while the Shades wiped out famous adventurers.

Anaxmai, the famous adventurer was callous in his fights. Facing a mercenary in his second round, Anaxmai ended the battle within a second, the same as his first battle. Wandering Sages Mo and Do beat up some Phanec institutional mages in their second round.

The last match of the day was finally upon them: David versus Goliath.

Goliath, an ex-criminal and notorious ex-general from Phanec, was a S Rank Sage. David was over a realm weaker. Bets were in, and over 95% of them were on Goliath.

Facing Goliath, David trembled.

"You're in the party with Omira the Shade?" Goliath asked David. Towering over David, Goliath was a rare half-giant, standing at over nine feet tall.

"Yes sir I am." David squeaked out.

"Then you should understand. I will face her in the next rounds, and as her number one fan, I will beat you, her own teammate mercilessly, like she would."

David was confused.

"A Mortal facing a Sage? Pathetic." Goliath roared. Aventi rolled her eyes in the stands. These cheap Murdoc impressions were getting old.

Goliath snatched up David barehanded and threw him across the field. David's chances of winning weren't looking good. On the ground, he struggled to get onto his feet.

"Get up!" People cheered.

"You can do it!" Others yelled. Although the bets weren't on David, the crowd wanted to root for the underdog in the heat of the moment.

With great difficulty, David stood up, trembling. Goliath laughed but admired the effort.

"At least you have guts!" He winked at the camera and swung his club at David, flinging him once again across the stadium. Crumpled on the floor, David twitched.

"Don't give up!" People were on their feet cheering David on.

"Never give up!" A familiar voice yelled. It was Omira.

Getting on all fours, David struggled to move. Goliath watched with intrigue but wanted to keep his cosplay.

"Let's end this charade!" Goliath smashed down on David. Instantly, doctors burst onto the field and began chanting healing magic.

"Winner! Adventurer Goliath!"

***

David was rushed to the Pyrite Colosseum infirmary in critical condition. Omira watched as they carted him off the field.

"I will avenge you." Omira vowed. Clico and Aventi looked at each other and both got up. They had to make sure David was okay. Skipping out on the ending ceremony, Clico's party checked in on David, who lost to Goliath.

"I'll be okay guys." David coughed out. The mental weight was more painful than the physical injuries. At this moment, David's party all had legitimate chances of joining the Great Dungeon Party as part of the final 64, but David's chances were slim to none. Theoretically, he could join, but that was only if a bunch of people were disqualified or got cold feet. The sad reality of Hell and the tournament were that more failures and disappointments were sure to come.

***

At the ending ceremony, the announcers were finishing their daily banter.

"Thank you everyone for tuning in for the second day of the second round of the Dungeon Selection Tournament! Tune in next week for the third round with the final 64!"

"Great announcing Jasper!"

"Thank you, Ruby! And thank you again to everyone who came out and watched in person. See you next week."