ACADEMY TOURNAMENT

Amelia looked at the strange man in front of her. She gave him a small but sweet smile.

"You did something to me just now, didn't you?"

Amelia leaned in close to the man's lips. She waited for his answer.

"Hey, you didn't swallow your tongue, did you?"

Amelia let out a small, sweet giggle.

****

What did I do wrong? Isn't the effect of this ability supposed to be hidden? No, what should I say? My breathing became irregular and my heart was beating very fast. What should I do? God, help me.

I spoke in a low but audible voice.

"Y-you're too close."

Hearing my answer, Amelia took a step back.

"That's enough. Now tell me what you did. If you don't answer, bad things might happen."

She spoke threateningly while smiling. I have to answer. I don't want our relationship to start off badly.

"I just used my ability."

"Ability?"

"Yes. I can see the statistics of the person I choose. I was just curious about how strong they were."

Amelia gave me a serious look.

"You chose the wrong person for that. Never use this ability against people without their permission. I'm forgiving you this once."

Amelia walked away without even looking back.

"Where did I go wrong? I just..."

'SIGH'

The only thing I can do is study the lessons I'm lacking in. The tournament starts tomorrow. It's expected to last 1 or 2 weeks. At least I need to be healthy and at full strength.

I started walking toward the library with light and heavy steps. I stopped just as I was about to take the first step.

"Wait, if I couldn't see his stats, that means he's much stronger than me. How can I catch up to him? I have to be much stronger than him to protect him. I have to move forward." Jin hurried toward his room with quick, hurried steps. There was only one thought in his mind: 'Move forward, move forward, and rise.'

With these thoughts, he ran toward his room. Many people looked at him when they saw him and whispered among themselves, but Jin didn't care. He entered his room and closed all the windows. He took the rubies out of the dimensional bag one by one and began to absorb them. One after another, system notifications sounded.

[RUBY ABSORBED]

[RUBY ASSIMILATED].

.

.

[FULL POINT REACHED. CONGRATULATIONS, YOUR FIRST CLASS PROMOTION MISSION IS ACTIVATED.]

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PROMOTION MISSION

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MISSION: Defeat someone equal to or stronger than you.

Duration: 1 week

Reward: Promotion to the next stage

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Jin looked at the screen one last time and left his room to practice the first move of his sword technique. He had to get stronger. He began walking with determination.

****

Hundreds of people had gathered in a large coliseum. The spectators cheered from their seats. A man stood in the middle of a large, empty field filled with sand. He took a small device in his hand.

"Welcome everyone to this year's first tournament."

After the speaker finished, the spectators cheered. Among the spectators were students, teachers, representatives seeking clan members, and many other types of people.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Christopher Kane. It is an honor for me to be your host this year. The tournament is expected to last two weeks, and the duels will be individual. Each year, participants can fight against their peers. There is no doubt that the top 10 winners will be amazing."

The cheers echoed through the colosseum once more.

"First, we will watch the duels of the fourth graders. Let's see what the warriors of the future have to show us. To save time, the fights will be held in groups of four until there are 16 people left. Let's see who is in the first group."

Christopher looked at the papers in his hand and looked at the audience.

"Alright, the first group will be a bit exciting. Arthur Krover, heir to the Krover clan, and his opponent, Luna Williams. Next, our two duelists are Aurora Adam and Grace Smith.

The third candidates..."

Christopher mentioned eight names. Each began fighting their opponent at a designated point.

Arthur and Luna faced each other, nodded, and began fighting. Luna took a few steps back and activated her ice spell. The air grew colder. Luna sent ice from the ground toward Arthur's feet, aiming to slow him down. Arthur calmly dodged the ice and pointed his spear at Luna. A blue aura shot out from the tip of the spear and flew toward Luna at high speed. Luna built an ice wall in front of her to dodge the attack and looked around for Arthur.

"Kriiisshh!"

Before Arthur's spear could hit Luna, she quickly created a shield of ice between herself and Arthur. The ice shattered, and Luna sent ice from the ground toward Arthur's foot. The ice stopped Arthur's foot and pinned him to the spot. Luna took advantage of this opportunity and sent many ice arrows and spears toward Arthur.

Wizards were at a disadvantage at close range. Luna knew this well and tried to keep a constant distance between herself and her opponent. Arthur stopped all attacks without changing his expression and converted his mana into heat to melt the ice on his foot. Arthur broke free of the restriction and appeared to Luna's right, delivering a powerful blow. Luna was knocked back several meters by the blow. Arthur reappeared next to Luna and brought his spear close to her neck.

"I give up."

Luna's pleasant but helpless voice rang out. Arthur withdrew his spear and left the arena.

Amidst the cheers of the spectators, the others had also finished their battles. Christopher reappeared.

"Wow, the fourth-year students didn't disappoint us. Our next candidates..."

The fourth-year students' event lasted for three days. Since they were all talented and determined, the matches went on for a long time. Christopher stepped into the arena and spoke excitedly.

"We should thank all the 4th graders for putting on an amazing show. I would like to announce the top 10.

1-Arthur Krover

2-Verma Everhart

3-Elizabeth Vornak

4-Ken Adam

5-Jin Karsan.

.

.

The host Christopher read out all the names one by one.

"We thank the 4th graders again, and next up is the 3rd graders' duel. They are all confident and excited. Without keeping them or you waiting any longer, the next duels will begin."

A person with short blue hair, green eyes, and a noble appearance stepped forward into the colosseum. He was Ethan Ashford, considered the best of the 3rd graders. He entered the arena with a long rapier in his hand.

"ETHAN!"

"ETHAN"

The spectators cheered enthusiastically. Ethan scanned the arena with his eyes, searching for someone. His eyes lit up, and he made a heart sign with his hands toward where he was looking.

"Your brother will win this match for you, brother."

Many people turned their eyes to where Ethan was looking. She had green hair that covered one eye and reached down to her back. She wore a white, long tunic. Her face was filled with seriousness. The men paid more attention to her. There was desire in the men's gazes, but the green-haired girl didn't care even if she felt it and waved at her brother. Ethan felt those glances and glared angrily at those looking at his sister. Most of them acted as if they were doing something and averted their gaze. Only one person looked at him not with desire but with longing. That person stood up and left the colosseum. Ethan didn't care and turned to look at his opponent.

****

Jin ignored the voices of the people and left the colosseum. He had been training since the tournament began. He needed more training to reach mastery level. The only reason he was here was to see what was going on and to see Amelia. He got what he wanted and was now leaving. Yesterday, he sold some of the fuel he had and managed to find a sword suitable for his level. He had 100 coins with him, which he planned to use to rent a room for individual training. He wasn't doing this just for the tournament. He needed to be stronger for what would happen a few days after the tournament. He put his hand in his pocket and walked away from the long, empty corridor.

****

The tournament lasted for a week, and the final duel between the second-year students was taking place. Only a few matches remained. The sound of swords could be heard throughout the long coliseum. It was a battle between two sword masters.

One of them was a boy who constantly launched swift attacks. He was Sam, the younger brother of Den from the Council of Elders. Sam resembled his older brother greatly. The only difference between them was that Sam had two eyes of different colors. One was blue, and the other was red. This feature was very striking and drew everyone's attention to him. Sam looked at his calm and well-defended classmate in front of him. Both of them had made it to the semifinals.

Her black hair was cut into a neat bob that ended at ear level. Her thick hair reflected the light, giving it a dark sheen, and with every movement, it flowed smoothly, highlighting her facial features. Her straight, well-groomed bangs ended in a neat line just above her forehead. Her large, attentive dark brown eyes were slightly almond-shaped. Her thick, prominent eyelashes added depth to her gaze. Her skin was porcelain-like, fair, and smooth, contrasting sharply with her black hair. Her thin eyebrows gave her face a serious yet curious expression. She had a small, straight nose and lips that were slightly full and naturally pink. She wore a simple necklace around her neck and delicate small earrings in her ears. She was dressed in a thin fabric that highlighted the contours of her body. Her name was Elena, and she was talented.

Sam was in love with the beautiful girl in front of him, but he never had the courage to say it. He didn't want to hurt her, but he wanted to win the match for his brother. He made a difficult decision in this dilemma. The speed of his sword's attacks increased significantly, and it became sharper. Elena noticed this, but there was nothing she could do. She was barely defending herself, and now her opponent was moving even faster.

A few minutes later, Elena was lying on the ground, and the match was over. After congratulating each other, Elena left the colosseum with a sad expression. Sam, who had been watching her leave, couldn't take it anymore and ran after her. There was still time for the final match. No risk, no reward. With that thought, he finally grabbed Elena's hand and stopped her.

Elena was surprised by this development and spoke with astonishment.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"I just want to say what's on my mind. Even if I regret it, not saying it is killing me. I've gathered all my courage and here I am. Just listen to me until I finish. Two years. For two years, I've felt something for you. I wanted to say it, but I couldn't muster the courage, and all this time I could only look at you from afar. You know, you're very beautiful."

Elena, who was listening to Sam, felt her face slowly turning red.

"I'm not that handsome. Just your gaze alone made my heart race and made me fall in love with you again. I'm not worthy of you, but will you at least give me a chance to try?"

A silence fell in the empty corridor. No one spoke. Elena took a deep breath and looked at Sam in front of her.

"Even though it's nice to hear these things, they're too much for me. The reason I'm here is to help my family have a better future. I don't want to fill my mind with empty and trivial matters. I'm sorry."

Sam had been listening the whole time, and gradually the sparkle in his eyes faded.

"I understand."

Saying these words, Sam left and returned to the colosseum. The only thought in his mind was 'unnecessary.'

Elena watched Sam leave and couldn't utter a single word. Tears came to her eyes, and after wiping them away with her hand, she left without looking back.