The tension in the professor's lounge was palpable.
Despite the evidence in front of them, the academy staff refused to believe that Nico Vale—an unknown transfer student—had legitimately cleared the first round of the tournament in record time.
"He must have cheated."
Professor Aldric said, his hands clenched into fists. His disbelief was shared by the others, who murmured in agreement.
"There's no way. Even our best students haven't reached the exit yet, and they've been training for years"
Professor Callum added, shaking his head.
Elara, still watching Liam through the viewing crystal, frowned.
"There's no proof of foul play."
"That's because our monitoring system failed. Which is exactly why we need to stop the tournament and recheck the entire arena. If there's a flaw in the system, then we need to find it before we embarrass ourselves further."
Dain snapped.