Ch. 30 Introduction

"Kai. A fourth-level Knight. My weapon is a spear, and my attribute is wind." A caramel-haired young man introduced himself with a friendly, yet reserved smile.

"Zak. Fourth-level Assassin." A violet-haired boy came next.

Wait… isn't this the guy who had challenged her when she first started school?

Gwen couldn't help but recall the memory. At the time, Zak had been brimming with confidence. Now, he glanced at her briefly before looking away, his eyes narrowed as if still processing the loss. He had admitted defeat and, ever since, had trained harder than ever. Yet, no matter how much he trained, he still couldn't fathom how he had lost that match.

Though he tried to mask it, Zak couldn't help feeling conflicted. Part of him was frustrated to be on the same team as Gwen, a team that now seemed filled with unreliable members. But at the same time, he was intrigued. What kind of magic did Gwen possess? How had she managed to defeat him without even moving?

"Hello, everyone," a sweet, melodic voice cut through the tension. "My name is Raylee. I'm a healer and support specialist. Though I'm still level three, my support magic can increase both attack power and defense by fifteen percent."

Fifteen percent? The group stared at the blonde-haired girl, wide-eyed. At level three, she should be nowhere near capable of such a feat. A level-five Priest could manage it, but Raylee was still relatively inexperienced. How could she do this?

She gave a soft, almost apologetic smile. "Don't admire me too much. Although my magic is at a level-five standard, I can only maintain it for ten minutes, and I can only activate it once every twelve hours."

"Ten minutes and once every twelve hours? That's more than enough," Heidi interjected, her eyes gleaming with approval. "We have level four and five Hunters on the team. Don't forget, I'm a peak level-four mage. Our chances of winning just went up."

The supervising teacher noticed how Heidi deliberately skipped mentioning Clayton and Gwen when speaking about the team's strengths. Clayton was the captain, but none of them acknowledged him as such. And as for Gwen? Well, she was just an afterthought in their eyes.

It seems the captain himself doesn't mind their indifference. The teacher thought, observing the interactions.

Kai, noticing the tension, spoke up again, trying to smooth things over. "Don't forget Clayton and Miss Gwyneth. They are members of our team as well."

"Ah, right." Heidi turned to Clayton with a curious expression. "Clayton, is there anything you want to say?"

As the vice-captain, Heidi's tone had been laced with an air of superiority, almost belittling Clayton's abilities. She thought it would be more appropriate for someone like Kai or even Cain to take charge instead of this 'useless' Knight. To her, Clayton's position was almost laughable. Cain, Zak, and Raylee shared her sentiments, though they were better at hiding their disdain. They wanted to see how Clayton would handle the team dynamics.

"Nothing," Clayton said lazily. "You can do the leading and strategizing. I'll hide behind and protect my darling."

Gwen wanted to scream, 'You're the one who needs protecting!' But she held her tongue, not wanting to make things worse.

"Then, I'll do as I see fit." Heidi gave the supervising teacher a look as if to tell that the team introductions were over, signaling the end of the awkward exchange.

The teacher sighed deeply. He couldn't understand why the school dean had accepted bribes from Lady Knight to allow Clayton to become the captain. Why should the useless boy enter the competition in the first place?

"Alright, let me explain the tournament system," the supervising teacher continued. "The first round is the elimination round, a team battle. Lose, and you're out. You won't be able to participate in the next round."

"We can win." Heidi's voice was confident, but she was careful not to involve the weakest members in her assessment. "We have level four and five Hunters. With Raylee's support magic, our odds are looking better than I originally thought."

The supervising teacher nodded, though he could see that there was an unspoken tension between the members of the team. Some, like Heidi, seemed to have already written off Clayton and Gwen.

"The second round isn't an elimination round, but it's an individual, one-on-one competition. We need to provide a list of names in advance, and once the battle starts, we can't change it. The goal is to defeat as many opponents as possible. The team that eliminates all seven members of the opposing team wins."

Heidi raised an eyebrow, the strategy already forming in her mind. "We need to get the order right. Cain, you go first."

"Even though I'm not the strongest offensively, my defense is solid. I'll wear the opponent down before striking." Cain said, his tone confident. The teacher nodded in agreement.

"Next, Zak, Heidi, and Kai," the supervising teacher continued. "If Kai fails to defeat the enemy team, we should―" surrender. That was what he wanted to say, but Kai beat him to it.

"Let Clayton and Gwyneth as the team's anchors."

Everyone stared at Kai, incredulous. What was he saying? Clayton and Gwen as the anchors of the team?

"By the way, Clayton," the teacher asked, shifting the conversation, "What's your special ability? Surely, the school dean had a good reason to make you captain."

Clayton was about to say, 'I don't have any special abilities,' but before he could, his best friend Kai chimed in.

"He has a god-level beast mount. A Light Dragon."

"LIGHT DRAGON?!"

Gwen's jaw dropped. The legendary Light Dragon, the strongest mount among all other beasts. How could Clayton possibly have one? It was only a myth, or so everyone thought.

Clayton glanced at Kai, feeling betrayed.

"Is that true? How do you have a Light Dragon? Isn't it only available to knights of level five and above?" Cain asked full of curiosity.

"Heh, well…" Clayton laughed awkwardly, trying to dodge the question. "My mother bought it from a summoner."

It was a lie he had told so many times. Kai, in his excitement, had let the secret slip, and now Clayton's carefully guarded lie was exposed. If only Kai hadn't coincidentally caught him summoning Light two years ago, no one would know his secret.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Kai continued with a grin. "As long as we have the Light Dragon, our team is invincible."

But the supervising teacher had a final word. "Wait a minute." He hesitated, his voice uncertain. "The organizers know that some knights under level five buy beasts from summoners. There's a rule. Beasts above level five are prohibited from appearing in the arena."

The team fell silent, the weight of the revelation sinking in. Once again, they had hit a dead end.

Seeing the gloom settle over the team, the teacher looked at Gwen, who had been quiet throughout. "And you? What special abilities do you have?"

Gwen hesitated for a moment, then spoke calmly, "I'm a fifth-level mage. My skills are illusion and gold."

Her words hung in the air like a heavy silence. The teacher blinked, struggling to understand. Illusion magic and gold attribute? How did such abilities come from a low-level mage?