As the participants made their way towards the stage, Kyle locked eyes with one of them. It was Rudolph from the Western Continent.
"Hey, isn't that guy one of Kanye's goons?" Kyle said with utter detest in his eyes.
Rudolph was skinny and pale with sunken eyes.
"What's up with that guy?" a man asked.
"He's like a zombie," another added.
"Is he sick?"
Murmurs and whispers spread through the crowd, but Rudolph didn't seem to care.
"Kurk vs. Rudolph—begin!" Mark announced.
Immediately, green balls of liquid appeared, hovering above the stage.
"What the hell!?" Kurk blurted out.
And just like raindrops, the green liquid began to fall all over the stage.
"Rudolph completely takes control of this match! Will it be one-sided, or will Kurk be able to come back one way or the other?" Mark announced.
"How is someone so frail-looking so strong?" a man lamented.
"My guts were right—always bet on the weird one," another man cheered gleefully.
Kurk was immobile. He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach, and started throwing up.
"Poison, huh? So you're a poison mage," Kurk said.
"Yes, I am," Rudolph replied calmly as he walked towards Kurk, who lay on the ground. "Do you forfeit?" he asked, forming a ball of poison above his palm.
"Your mistake was underestimating me," Kurk said as he activated the Brawler skill Rampage.
A red hue erupted from his body as he forced himself back onto his feet.
"Why not give up? A good amount of my poison is still in your system—you're bound to lo—"
BOOM!!
Rudolph's body was sent crashing into the wall, blood gushing from his mouth.
"This damn bastard," Rudolph cursed, forming spheres of poison around him before launching them at Kurk.
It didn't make a difference—Kurk flinched, then rushed Rudolph, who barely managed to evade.
"Seems I have to get serious," Rudolph muttered as he formed tiny projectiles of poison rotating at immense speed. He shot them at Kurk, and this time they cut his skin.
However, this only enraged Kurk further. He immediately closed the distance and punched Rudolph square in the face once more.
Rudolph lay on the ground, struggling to stand, a smug look on his face.
"Preparations are complete," he said, pointing upward—revealing a massive sphere of poison hovering above them.
"Seems like Rudolph has finally cornered Kurk… or will Kurk be able to turn this around?" Mark announced.
Kurk rushed toward Rudolph in an attempt to end the match with a final punch. But the sphere exploded, covering Kurk in poison. He collapsed to the ground, his fist just a few meters short of Rudolph's face.
"That must have been too close for comfort! But our winner, from the Western Continent, is Rudolph!!" Mark announced.
"He's stronger than he looks," Kyle said.
"Agreed," Ling replied.
It pains me to admit, but as I am now, I can't pull off moves of that magnitude even with my staff… whereas he did them without one, Amy thought.
"That kid, Rudolph… he's quite an impressive mage," Finn said.
"His mythical force is one of the largest, and he has impeccable control too. He's a genius—unlike any of your mages," Owen added with a cocky smile.
"The next match will occur between the Eastern and Southern Continents!" Mark announced, reading from the display on the screen. "Representing the Eastern Continent, Chris Hamilton! And for the Southern Continent, Amy Summerfield! Will our contestants put up a good show? Let's find out!"