"And as such, I, Draconis VII, commence the start of the tournament!"
At the end of the emperor's speech, the entire crowd stood up and applauded in appreciation.
Zaroth, looking around, stood as well—but he didn't clap.
Shifting his gaze to his companions, he noticed that they weren't clapping either.
*****
"Ah, that was exhausting!" Zack spoke as he stretched his body.
"I agree. Do you know what this c—"
"No, you are not going to drink tonight," Lily immediately cut off Roran, sensing what he was about to say.
Zaroth would have joined in the conversation until a message piqued his interest.
"Huh. It seems my fight is tomorrow," he remarked.
"So soon?" Zack replied, shifting his gaze to Zaroth.
"Considering how many people are going to participate in the first round, it'll take at least a few weeks to finish," Roran explained.
"Yes, so you can consider yourself lucky that you'll get it done sooner rather than later," Lily added.
With a sigh, Zaroth nodded. "Well, I'd better head back. I want to prepare for the match."
"You better not lose," Zack said, patting him on the back.
Zaroth scoffed. "There's no way I'm going to lose."
*****
Back at his apartment, Zaroth sat cross-legged on the floor.
'First, let's check my mana core,' he thought.
A moment later, he found himself in the vast expanse of his soul, with his mana core floating at its center and countless sparks connected to it.
He began counting them one by one.
He had been focusing on strengthening his mana core for some time, and it seemed his efforts were paying off. He now had about two thousand sparks connected to his core.
'It's not much, but it should suffice,' he thought as he extended his arm forward.
A second later, a menacing fireball appeared in his hand. With a command, he shot it through the window to avoid damaging his apartment.
"My skill have also become stronger," he muttered.
In addition to his magic, he had made significant progress with wielding a spear and planned to use it in the upcoming match.
"And lastly…" he said, beginning to strip down, which made Luna, who had been watching silently, whistle.
"One, two, three…" Zaroth began testing his maximum strength.
By the end of his workout, he had completed 200 squats, 100 push-ups, and 36 pull-ups.
'I'm as prepared as I can be,' he thought as he stood in the hot shower, letting the water wash away the sweat.
His battle was scheduled for 16:00 the following day.
Zaroth was technically expected to attend the academy during the hours he wasn't participating in the tournament, but he decided it would be smarter to skip the entire day to conserve his strength for the match.
So, he messaged Elysia.
-----
Zaroth: My first match is tomorrow. I am skipping the academy that day.
Elysia: Do whatever you think is best.
-----
Zaroth raised an eyebrow in confusion. He expected that it would be harder to get a day off, but it seemed that he didn't have to worry about that.
Wanting to be in shape when the moment came, he got to bed earlier than usual.
*****
"So this is it," he muttered under his breath.
He had followed the directions on the map he had in his bracelet and arrived at a smaller arena. While it was true that it was smaller than the grand one, it wasn't anything to scoff at.
"Hello, name?" the receptionist asked him.
After confirming his identity, he was escorted to the place where the duel was supposed to take place.
"Let's see my luck," he muttered. He didn't know who his opponent was going to be.
It could be the strongest among the fourth-year students or the weakest of the first years.
There was no way to know.
Zaroth shifted his gaze to an overweight man who sat at a desk overseeing the duel with a paper and a pen in hand.
He, of course, knew the real reason for this tournament.
The emperor was planning to weed out the strong students from the weak ones and would probably force them to fight in the upcoming war with the Crimson Sun Empire.
Zaroth's plan was simple, he would try to use as little of his abilities as possible and only reveal them if the need arose.
He had chosen the spear for the match. If that wasn't enough to overwhelm his opponent, he would use fireball. If that also wasn't enough, he would finally summon Silverfang.
But, of course, not many people knew that he was a Beast Master, so it was best to keep that information hidden for as long as possible.
Having made up his plan, he waited patiently. Soon after, a short boy carrying a bow came from the other side.
'Is that supposed to be my opponent?' he asked himself, looking at the timid boy who was barely able to hold the bow. He couldn't help but smile inwardly.
'It seems that I got lucky, and my first opponent is weak.'
But his mood was soon soured as a second person came in. This one was a bit taller than the boy and had two curved swords on his back.
'Of course, only the best were allowed to enter the tournament. There is no way that the timid one was able to qualify,' Zaroth thought.
"I will cheer you on!" the timid boy spoke.
"Eh, how lucky I am to have a brother like you," the taller man spoke as he patted the timid one on the head.
Suddenly, the overweight man stood up and began to speak.
"Hello, I am the observer of this match. I presume you know the rules, but in short, you fight until your opponent surrenders or stops moving. Don't worry, we have a healer close by in case of emergencies."
Zaroth gripped his spear tighter, getting into position, while the man unsheathed his two curved swords, preparing to attack.
"And without further ado, the fight shall begin," the observer raised his hand, and the two men charged at each other.
The tournament had officially begun.