Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Not bad
Then Temi’s name was called. She stepped into the arena.
Her opponent was a young woman with a water affinity.
The moment they faced each other, Temi smiled.
The other girl raised one hand.
Water gathered around her fingers.
Temi’s flames appeared.
The crowd became louder.
Fire against water.
The referee gave the signal.
The water cultivator struck first.
A stream of water shot toward Temi.
Temi moved.
The water smashed into the ground.
Steam rose.
Temi closed the distance.
Fire wrapped around her fist.
Her opponent raised a wall of water.
Temi punched through it.
Steam exploded between them.
The water cultivator coughed and retreated.
Temi followed.
A fireball flew.
The girl dodged.
Another.
She dodged again.
Temi rushed her.
The girl created a wave.
Temi jumped.
The wave passed underneath her.
She landed.
Her fist struck the girl’s barrier.
The water shield buckled.
Temi attacked again.
And again.
The shield broke.
The girl staggered backward.
Temi’s flames flickered around her hands.
She didn’t give her time to recover.
She swept one leg forward.
The girl fell.
Temi stopped her flame-covered fist inches from her face.
Silence fell over the arena.
The referee raised his hand. "Victory!"
Temi straightened.
Her opponent exhaled shakily.
Temi offered her a hand. "You’re strong."
The girl stared at the hand. Then accepted it. "You’re terrifying."
Temi laughed."I get that a lot."
Outside the arena, Tolu smiled.
Akin whistled.
Ore shook her head. "She really doesn’t know how to hold back."
---
The first round continued. One by one, names disappeared from the board.
The four remained.
They weren’t undefeated because of overwhelming power.
They weren’t crushing everyone they encountered.
They were simply fighting better than they had two months ago.
Their movements were cleaner.
Their spells were more controlled.
Their breathing was better.
They understood positioning.
They knew when to attack.
They knew when to retreat.
And more importantly, they knew each other’s habits.
By the time the quarterfinal brackets were posted, the four of them were still standing.
They gathered around the board.
Akin stared at it. "We actually made it."
Ore smiled. "Don’t celebrate yet."
Temi cracked her knuckles. "Why not?"
Tolu looked at the names. "Because now we’re fighting people who survived too."
They all fell silent.
Around them, other competitors were studying the same board.
Some looked nervous.
Some looked excited.
Some looked confident.
And among the spectators watching from a quieter section of the stands sat a young man.
He appeared almost completely uninterested.
He was dressed well, but not extravagantly.
His posture was relaxed.
One arm rested across the back of his seat.
His expression carried the faint amusement of someone watching something entertaining rather than important.
Yet his eyes had remained on the same person for several minutes.
Tolu.
The young man had noticed him during the earlier matches.
Not because his spells were particularly impressive.
They weren’t.
But because something didn’t make sense.
The boy kept fighting.
Kept casting.
Kept moving.
And yet he didn’t seem to be running out of energy.
The young man narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Interesting."
He leaned back again.
Then his carefree expression returned.
For now, he simply watched.
There would be time to investigate later.
The next matches were about to begin.
The tournament had become more difficult with every round.
By the time the quarterfinals arrived, the careless excitement of the first day had disappeared from the arena.
The remaining contestants were no longer ordinary Novices who had entered simply hoping to earn a few silver coins.
These were the ones who had survived.
Some had trained under experienced cultivators.
Some belonged to minor families.
Some had spent years practicing with weapons.
And a few had clearly been preparing for this competition for much longer than Tolu and his friends had.
Tolu stood behind the barrier, watching the previous quarterfinalist leave the arena.
The young man was bleeding from his forehead.
His opponent had barely managed to remain standing.
Tolu exhaled slowly. "Looks like things are getting serious."
Akin rolled his shoulders. "They were serious before."
"You know what I mean."
Temi cracked her fingers. "I hope mine is strong."
Ore looked at her."Why?"
Temi smiled. "Because I want to see how much stronger I’ve become."
Akin laughed. "You’re going to find out."
A voice from the announcer’s platform echoed across the arena.
"Next match!"
Tolu looked toward the entrance.
"Tolu of the independent adventurer group!"
The crowd responded with scattered cheers.
His name had begun to become familiar.
Tolu stepped into the arena.
His opponent followed shortly afterward.
The young man was carrying a spear.
Unlike Tolu’s previous opponents, there was no nervousness in his expression.
He looked calm.
Confident.
Experienced.
The two stood opposite each other.
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
The spear moved first.
Tolu barely saw the first thrust.
He twisted his body.
The spearhead passed his cheek.
Tolu immediately raised his hand.
The earth beneath his opponent’s feet erupted. "Earth Spike!"
The spear wielder jumped.
The spike missed.
But Tolu wasn’t surprised.
He already knew it wouldn’t be enough.
He stepped backward.
The spear came again.
Tolu raised an earth wall.
The weapon smashed through the first layer.
Tolu created another.
The second wall cracked.
A third appeared.
The spear finally stopped.
Tolu released the spell.
The wall collapsed.
The other Novice emerged from the dust.
He charged.
Tolu’s eyes narrowed.
Too fast.
He jumped backward.
The spear swept across the space where his legs had been.
Tolu landed.
His opponent spun.
Another thrust.
Tolu tilted his head.
The spear passed beside him.
He drove his palm toward the ground.
Earth erupted.
The spear wielder leapt again.
Tolu immediately formed a stone projectile.
Stone Grip.
A small stone rose from the dirt.
Earth Spike.
The stone stretched into a sharp point.
Tolu compressed it.
The projectile became smaller.
Denser.
The young man’s eyes widened.
Tolu flicked his fingers.
Earth Shoot!
The stone shot forward.
The spear wielder twisted his body.
The projectile passed his shoulder.
It struck the arena wall.
CRACK!
A chunk of stone broke away.
The crowd reacted.
Tolu’s opponent glanced at the damaged wall.
Then back at him.
"That was fast."
Tolu smiled.
"Thanks."
The man charged again.
Tolu’s smile disappeared.
The spear came from the side.
Tolu blocked with an earth barrier.
The spear pierced it.
Tolu stepped backward.
The weapon continued forward.
Tolu raised another barrier.
Pierced.
Another.
Pierced.
Tolu’s feet dug into the dirt.
The spear finally stopped.
The opponent pushed.
Tolu gritted his teeth.
Then he released the barrier.
The sudden lack of resistance caused the spear wielder to stumble forward.
Tolu stepped aside.
His fist struck the man’s ribs.
The impact wasn’t enough to knock him down.
But it disrupted his balance.
Tolu swept his leg.
The man stumbled.
Tolu raised his hand.
An earth spike appeared beneath the man’s foot.
He jumped.
Tolu expected it.
The second spike appeared where he was going to land.
The man twisted in midair.
But there was nowhere left to go.
The spike forced him toward the boundary.
He landed outside the arena.
The referee raised his hand.
"Victory!"
The crowd erupted.
Tolu exhaled.
He hadn’t overwhelmed his opponent.
He had simply controlled the fight.
He walked back toward his friends.
Akin smiled. "Not bad."
Tolu grinned.
"Not bad?"
"You still have a lot to improve."
Tolu shook his head.
"I’ll beat you one day. Mark my words. "
Akin laughed.
"Keep dreaming. But I welcome.the challenge."
---
The tournament continued.
Ore’s quarterfinal came next.
Her opponent was another ranged fighter.
A young man carrying a short bow.
The moment they entered the arena, both understood what the other intended to do.
Distance.
Movement.
Timing.
The referee gave the signal.
Both bows came up.
Two arrows flew.
They crossed in the middle.
Ore moved.
Her opponent moved.
Another arrow.
Then another.
The arena filled with the sharp sound of bowstrings.
Neither fighter could afford to stand still.
Ore ducked.
An arrow passed over her head.
She rolled.
Another arrow struck the ground beside her.
She rose and fired.
Her opponent blocked with his bow.
Ore immediately fired again.
The arrow struck his forearm guard.
He winced.
She moved left.
He followed.
She moved right.
He anticipated her.
Ore smiled.
Good.
He was learning her rhythm.
So she changed it.
She stopped.
Her opponent fired.
Ore waited until the last possible moment.
Then stepped aside.
The arrow passed her.
She fired.
The arrow struck the ground beside his foot.
He looked down.
Ore fired again.
This time, the arrow struck the ground beside his other foot.
He realized what she was doing.
She wasn’t trying to hit him.
She was forcing him into a smaller area.
Another arrow.
He stepped left.
Another.
Right.
Another.
He couldn’t retreat anymore.
Ore drew her bowstring.
The man looked at her.
Then slowly lowered his weapon.
"I surrender."
The referee raised his hand.
"Victory!"
Ore lowered her bow.
The crowd applauded.
She walked out
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