73rd

"In a few minutes." General Maru grinned and jabbed a thumb at the bracket. "We've been pulling favors, moving mana stones, and paying your way through the qualifiers. We got you BYE after BYE so you'd skip the early riffraff. Straight to the real games."

"You… paid off the tournament committee?" Damien stared at them.

"Not bribed. Supported. With very generous military funding," said General Liang philosophically with an air of ancient wisdom made more pronounced with the stroking of his very long white beard. "A young man of your caliber should be seen. Properly."

Damien sighed internally.

"You guys had a lot of confidence that I would join. What if I had refused?" he asked. "I've already settled my money problem."

The three generals looked at each other.

Then Riki cracked his knuckles. "We'll enter you in the doubles tournament instead. With Fatty."

Damien's eye twitched.