The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Perhaps her silent prayers had worked, because Sean really didn’t show up.

The group waited and waited. By the time it was nearly nine in the morning and Black Rose Castle had already opened its gates to let people in, there was still no sign of Sean.

"What is he doing?!" Elise stomped her foot anxiously. "If he doesn’t get here soon, it’ll be too late."

The rules of the Table of Truth were very strict. The entry window was only half an hour long. Once that half hour was up, you couldn’t get in even if you had connections. After all, no matter how powerful your background was, could it be greater than Her Highness the Saintess?

Besides, punctuality itself was a fundamental quality that an outstanding Mage should possess.

"No, we can’t wait any longer." Tony glanced at his watch and said, "If we keep waiting, we won’t be able to get in either."

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, but on the surface, she said with annoyance, "That guy is so unreliable. He promised to be on time and then just stood us up."

"Don’t forget we still have to take the preliminary test," Johnson said.

Elise sighed. "Fine, let’s go."

She wanted to keep waiting for Sean. She knew she wouldn’t pass the preliminary test; she was just tagging along to join in on the excitement. For her, it was the participation that counted, so getting in wasn’t that important. But she couldn’t delay everyone else because of it, so she had no choice but to hurry the group toward Black Rose Castle.

When they arrived at Black Rose Castle, a long line that seemed to stretch on endlessly was already formed outside.

The bad news was that the line was truly long, with at least a thousand people in it.

The good news was that they could still get in line, which meant they weren’t late. They had managed to catch the last train, so to speak.

When it was Teacher Tony and the others’ turn, the Guard in charge of verifying the Wizards’ identities glanced at them and said, "One at a time. You first."

There was a statue in the castle’s garden.

This was the so-called "preliminary test."

A Wizard would touch the statue. If it emitted a faint glow, they passed the test and were qualified to participate in the real Table of Truth competition. If not, they failed and could turn left, enter the door, and take a seat in the audience.

"I was wondering why Mr. Blake’s statue was so hard to find. So it’s here..."

Kave mumbled under his breath.

As soon as Kave saw the statue’s indistinct face, he knew it was the statue from the Hall of Truth.

It was just like that painting. Take it out to go fishing, and you were guaranteed a catch every time.

"Hurry up. There are people waiting behind you," the Guard urged.

"Okay, okay." Kave quickly reached out to touch the statue.

Fortunately, a faint layer of light soon appeared on the statue’s surface. Although it was very dim, it was just enough to be considered a pass.

The Guard handed Kave a pass. "Hold on to this. It’s your admission ticket. Find your assigned seat."

The Table of Truth had no limit on the number of participants. As long as you could gain the statue’s approval, there was room for any number of people.

After all, the table was "made to order," and Diana didn’t want to miss out on any talent due to unnecessary restrictions.

Unfortunately, even so, the number of Wizards who ultimately earned a seat at the table was still very limited.

False Heaven had hundreds of thousands of Wizards, but only a meager one or two thousand passed the preliminary test.

As expected, the Eleanor Sisters were both filtered out.

The men, on the other hand, fared better, all of them qualifying for the Table of Truth.

And so, the group split in two. One went left, the other right, as if standing at a fork in the road after graduation, each heading toward a different future.

As they parted ways, Kave smugly waved the pencil case in his hand at Elise.

’Who’s the bad student now, huh?’

Elise was so mad she could feel her teeth itch, wishing she could go up and give that guy a couple of punches.

Soon, the main gates of Black Rose Castle closed.

With a resounding BOOM from the closing gates, the long-awaited Table of Truth officially began.

Tony, Kave, and the others followed the signs down a long corridor. Upon entering the arena, they discovered that the venue for the Table of Truth was a temporary conversion of the original training grounds. A vast open space had been arranged into a circle, surrounded by tiered audience seats that rose progressively higher, much like an ancient coliseum.

Like warriors about to engage in combat, they emerged one by one from various passages, making their appearance before countless spectators. The moment they entered, they were engulfed by a tidal wave of thunderous cheers.

"Go, Koels! I’m putting my money on you!"

"Denas, crush them!"

"You’re the one true Knight!"

Listening to these shouts, anyone who didn’t know better would think they were about to have a real brawl.

It even made Tony a little nervous.

’So many people...’

Gazing at the sea of people in all directions, Tony subconsciously clenched his fists. To be honest, he had never been part of such a massive event before. This was...

Amazing!

In the span of just a few breaths, the nervousness in Tony’s eyes was replaced by a rush of adrenaline-fueled excitement.

Being watched by hundreds of thousands of Wizards, the pressure was undoubtedly immense.

But at the same time, this was also a rare opportunity.

As long as he performed well, he could make a name for himself in a single stroke.

One had to understand, the circle of "Holy Sanctuary Remnants" like them was small to begin with. They couldn’t possibly dream of getting recognition from the Church Court—it was merciful enough that the Church Court didn’t just kill them. Furthermore, False Heaven was the largest surviving bastion of the Holy Sanctuary. So, for them, this place was "the whole world." Achieving success in False Heaven was equivalent to becoming famous everywhere, or even bringing honor to one’s ancestors.

After all, their ancestors had all been students of the Holy Sanctuary. Seeing their descendants doing so well from Heaven, they would surely be very happy.

It was just a shame that Sean wasn’t here.

Tony was still trying to spot Sean, but he couldn’t find him anywhere.

’Coward. Just wait and see how I’m going to mock you when I get back, hmph!’

Tony naturally assumed Sean was scared. Whether of him or of the massive crowd, it was all fear in the end. While it showed a certain self-awareness, it didn’t change the fact that he’d chickened out at the last minute. On a battlefield, he’d be a deserter, and that was a beheading offense. While Tony couldn’t actually behead Sean, he could give him a haircut!

He decided that from now on, when he did Sean’s hair, the price would be super-doubled!

...Oh, wait.

After today, he would be a Rose Knight, personally invited and granted his Investiture by Her Highness the Saintess. What time would he have to cut other people’s hair?

He was going to make Sean cut his hair!

At this moment, Tony was still full of confidence.

The reason was simple: he was the most outstanding student in this year’s truth classes.

There hadn’t been many newcomers in False Heaven in recent years. His opponents, aside from his "classmates" who were already practically his defeated foes, were almost all Wizards who had participated in the Table of Truth last year. If they weren’t chosen by Her Highness the Saintess last year, what made them think they’d be chosen this year?

Many people say that success is 1% Talent and 99% perspiration. At first glance, it seems effort outweighs Talent, but they don’t realize that without that 1%, even with 99% effort, you’ll always be a hair’s breadth away from true success.

Effort determines your floor, while Talent determines your ceiling.

Tony had a small, immature idea.

’I’m going to challenge every single one of these people!’

He wasn’t pretending anymore. He was laying his cards on the table.

He wasn’t targeting Sean. He was targeting everyone.

Everyone here was just a stepping stone for him!

He would climb, step by step, to the very top!

Kave and the other two: "?"

"He’s gone crazy."

"He’s gotten so arrogant!"

"Why don’t you open your eyes and see what your opponents look like?"

What they looked like wasn’t actually important. What was important was their age.

Among the thousand or so people ultimately participating in the Table of Truth, many were ancient old-timers.

There were even a few bona fide Grand Mages.

To say they participated in the Table of Truth last year was an understatement... Forget last year; it could have been the year before, or ten years before. Perhaps they had started studying the Truth Technique before Tony and the others were even born.

"What’s there to be afraid of?" Tony huffed. "It’s like the sayings go: ’The sea of learning is boundless, hard work is the boat,’ and ’The new waves of the river push the old ones on’!"

Ryan asked, confused, "Are those two sayings connected?"

Tony: "Never mind that!"

"All you need to know is that today, I’m going to make everyone look at the word ’newcomer’ in a new light!"

’So what if they’re Grand Mages?’

’This isn’t a fistfight.’

’Just watch how I cut down all these old fogeys at the Table of Truth!’

While they were talking, a sudden cry of surprise erupted from the audience.

"Look, Her Highness the Saintess has arrived!"

...

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