As the recruitment tournament was about to begin, more and more people entered Combat Arena No. 1.
They had avoided the initial rush, leaving space for those who needed it, and then strolled in leisurely.
"After watching so many high-level matches, it's a nice change of pace to watch the rookies peck at each other.
"
"I wonder how many first-years will join the club this year? Last year was a total disaster.
"
"This year is clearly different. Look at the clubs over there, they're already gearing up to snatch people!"
"That's them for you, always scouting people half a year in advance."
"It's called seizing the initiative! Would there be any good prospects left by the next school year?"
"True that!"
...
Spectators would never outnumber the doers.
The various clubs were already on high alert!
To show off their own club's superiority, every club interested in recruiting held up signs filled with slogans, holding them high as if afraid the promising first-years wouldn't see them.
But amidst this pile of large signs, the long-established Literature Club merely held up a small sign, and upside down at that!
"It's just a formality, don't mind it."
Only two members of the Literature Club were in charge of recruitment.
One was Winnie Skadi, who had once been invited by the Grand Princess to dance at the Halloween ball.
The other was Emma's dance partner from the Halloween ball—a third-year senior named Helena Tracy!
Winnie wore black-rimmed glasses, had shoulder-length black hair and delicate features. She was quiet and intelligent, a serious bookworm who was never without a book in her hand.
Helena, on the other hand, was more dashing and stubborn, often arguing with Emma over literary matters.
Of course, the more they argued, the closer they became.
The Literature Club's main targets for this trip were Sara and Emma.
One from Magic House, one from Knight House.
The two of them were each responsible for one target.
Helena was clearly full of confidence, her tone suggesting that as soon as she opened her mouth, Emma would join the Literature Club even if she had to beg.
Winnie, however, was rather troubled, as she didn't know Sara at all.
But she had to complete the task given by the club president!
...
The two arrived near Arena No. 1 and happened to see a girl with brown hair ascending the contestant platform.
"She's over there!"
Helena called out and quickened her pace.
When she reached Arena No. 1, she was suddenly shocked to find that Emma's opponent was a familiar third-year student!
"Isn't that Angelia? Why is she at the Dueling Club's recruitment tournament?"
Helena looked utterly astonished, her whole demeanor souring.
Winnie, following close behind, thought for a moment and said, "Let me see, I think she mentioned last semester that the books she wants to read are getting more and more expensive..."
Helena slapped her thigh and complained, "If you can't afford books, just say so! We could have just bought them for you when the club updated its library, right?"
Winnie replied, "She doesn't like to share books with others."
Helena: "Women are so finicky!"
Winnie: "..."
Helena: "Forget it, forget it. I'm quite curious about her strength, but Emma is probably in for a rough time."
Winnie: "No pain, no gain."
...
The St. Marian school uniforms were mostly identical in style, the difference lying in the school crest on the chest.
Besides the different crest designs for each house, the stripes below the crest also varied by year.
The first-year uniform had only one star, the second-year had two, and so on. Naturally, the third-year uniform had three stars.
So as soon as Angelia appeared, everyone could tell at a glance that she was a third-year student!
"A first-year versus a third-year?"
Gasps of surprise arose one after another.
More people gathered around.
The first-year students from Knight House couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for Emma.
Emma was their representative, their pride. If she lost in the first round, it would be no laughing matter.
Many were even counting on cheering for Emma at the outdoor dueling arena once she made it into the rookie tournament.
If she were to be unexpectedly eliminated, it would be incredibly awkward.
They would probably be dominated by Noble House for the rest of the semester.
Thus, when Emma stepped onto the red contestant platform, she suddenly heard unified cheers from below.
She was slightly taken aback, then felt a flush of embarrassment. The apprehension she had felt towards the third-year student suddenly vanished.
"Come on, Emma, you have to do your best!"
Patting her own cheeks, Emma's gaze sharpened.
No matter who the opponent was, she just had to give it her all!
...
"Tsk, this kid has a great mentality."
Professor Fox, at the judges' table, rubbed his eyes, somewhat surprised.
"Emma Metis, you could call her a grand-disciple of the Sage of Mysteries."
Professor Jones made no effort to hide her pride.
Although the speed with which Emma adjusted her mindset had also surprised her, she couldn't let that show, of course.
At the beginning of the school year, Emma's mentality shouldn't have been this stable.
What had changed her?
...
Outside the arena.
Diana couldn't help but ask, "Can she win?"
"I don't know." Dark shook his head. "It depends on her opponent."
If it were a poor student like Scott, Emma would definitely have a chance.
But if it were a top student like Senior Betty, it would be a long shot!
He also hadn't expected Emma to encounter a third-year in her very first match; that should have been a low-probability event.
But the current situation served as a warning to him.
Perhaps his opponent would also be an upperclassman.
"It'd be great if that were the case!"
He looked forward to it.
...
Dark looked up slightly.
The contestants on the platforms were communicating with each other through amplification devices.
Emma gave a very polite greeting.
Angelia simply replied, "Let's make this quick."
Emma was taken aback. "Uh..."
Angelia seemed to realize her words were inappropriate and added, "We'll talk next time."
Emma: "Next time?"
"BEEP—"
The referee blew the whistle.
The exchange was over, and the match entered its preparation countdown.
Draw cards!
...
Watching a match from the sidelines was a completely different experience from being on the contestant platform.
Dark was fully focused.
Huge projections of both players' dueling tables had already fully materialized in front of the platforms.
[Preparation Phase][30s]
These words appeared at the top of the dueling table.
And in the upper left corner, the current magic power value of the Magic Orb was displayed simultaneously—2000!
The Magic Orb's Life Barrier had five levels, with corresponding magic power values of 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, and 16000.
This competition used the rookie tournament rules, so the Magic Orb deployed a level-two Life Barrier.
"The changes in the rules are subtle, but their impact on the match is enormous. I wonder if Emma can adapt."
Dark's gaze shifted to the card slot in the lower right corner of the dueling table.
A full stack of Magic Guide Cards, which had already been 'auto-shuffled', rested in the slot.
Next.
The duelists would have 30 seconds to draw cards and think about their strategy.
Watched from the audience's perspective.
Emma drew her cards faster than Angelia, but Angelia was clearly more composed.
The 30 seconds of thinking time passed in a flash.
A soft 'tick' sounded from the dueling table, and the words at the top instantly changed to:
[Battle Phase][30s]
The duel entered the first round!
Both duelists began summoning their Magic Guide Spirits without hesitation.
Emma's Normal Summon was already very proficient, arguably the best among the first-years.
However, Angelia was clearly faster than her!
In a mere 3-second limit, Angelia had summoned her first Magic Guide Spirit!
"Magic Guide Summon!"
With a somewhat indifferent voice, a book emitting a faint white light flew from her hand.
It opened at the spine, its pages flapping like wings as it swooped towards Emma's red Magic Orb like a hawk!
Its speed was astounding!
Emma's expression changed drastically, and her summoning incantation almost broke.
A 30x20 field was nothing in the face of true speed.
By the time Emma summoned her [Golden Beast], Angelia's [Bookworm] had already taken a sharp peck at the red Magic Orb!
[2000→1900]
But the Magic Orb's power value only dropped by 100 points!
...
"So it's just a one-star Magic Guide Spirit with only speed!"
The first-year students of Knight House let out a huge sigh of relief.
The speed and momentum of that Bookworm had almost made them think Emma was about to be defeated in a single blow!
"Whoa! Lucy, give me a hand."
Susan leaned on Lucy's shoulder, feeling her legs go weak.
If the spectators were like this, one could only imagine how the contestants on the field felt.
Emma couldn't help but feel tense, the sound of her own heartbeat pounding against her eardrums.
After pecking the red Magic Orb, the Bookworm quickly flew back to the blue summoning area.
Only then did the Golden Beast land heavily, protecting the red Magic Orb.
But before Emma could relax, Angelia's Bookworm suddenly wriggled. Its form blurred for a moment, and when it became clear again, it had split into two books!
And on the blue contestant platform, Angelia had already raised a Magic Guide Spirit card from her hand high and begun chanting the incantation for a Sacrifice Summon!
It was then that someone suddenly noticed.
The projected [Bookworm] Magic Guide Card was not one-star, but two-star!
...
"It's actually a two-star Magic Guide Spirit!"
Dark, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
The face of a Magic Guide Card could reveal a great deal of information.
Card name, level, race, attribute, magic power, attack, and defense...
Besides skill information, most of the basic information was directly indicated.
Angelia's [Bookworm] had a whopping 1000 magic power, reaching the peak of the two-star tier, while its attack and defense were both 100.
Judging from its performance just now, its extreme speed was another hidden advantage.
But its 100 attack and defense were weaknesses—yet it seemed to be enough to trigger some mechanism?
Dark had a feeling that the peck the Bookworm took from the Magic Orb was definitely significant!
It was very likely that peck that allowed it to trigger its 'split' ability!
And the Bookworm it split into might have lower stats, but it was clearly also a two-star Magic Guide Spirit.
In just a few seconds at the start of the match, Angelia had created two two-star spirits!
With two two-star Magic Guide Spirits, she could, of course, use a Sacrifice Summon to directly summon a four-star Magic Guide Spirit!
...
[Card Name: Bookworm]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ★★]
[Race: Fairy]
[Attribute: Fairy]
[Magic Power: 1000]
[Attack: 100]
[Defense: 100]
[Special Moves: Bug Sap, Infinite Library]
...
Moreover, Angelia's use of the Sacrifice Summon was also extremely proficient, her summoning speed even faster than Emma's Normal Summon!
Seeing the Sacrifice Summoning circle already appearing in the blue summoning area, even the Dueling Club's President William was shocked.
"Why would a student of this caliber wait until the second semester of her third year to join the Dueling Club?"
"Aren't those school points, which are practically free for the taking, appealing enough?"
"As expected, the thoughts of a genius are beyond the comprehension of a mortal like me."
Inia shot him another glare.
She also hadn't expected a shark to suddenly appear in the recruitment tournament.
But this time, Emma could only blame her own bad luck.
Originally, although they had pulled some strings at the advising professors' request, they had only moved those few first-years to Arena No. 1. The rest of the matchups were still random.
She could only hope the poor first-year wouldn't lose all her spirit after getting thrashed by an upperclassman.
...
By the time Angelia summoned her four-star Magic Guide Spirit, the cooldown for Emma's Normal Summon was just ending. She had only a lone Golden Beast on her field.
With 1000 magic power, 1300 attack, and 1500 defense, the Golden Beast was considered top-tier among three-star Magic Guide Spirits.
However, facing a four-star Magic Guide Spirit that was a whole tier above, it was no match at all!
Emma had many ways to strengthen her Golden Beast, but she couldn't use them due to her slower summoning speed.
By the time she managed to summon her second Magic Guide Spirit, the Golden Beast had already been crushed by Angelia's four-star spirit!
Even the red Magic Orb had fallen into the hands of that four-star Magic Guide Spirit!
As a result, her second Magic Guide Spirit could only watch helplessly as the opponent completely shattered the Magic Orb's Life Barrier!
This duel, from start to finish, didn't even last a single round!
In just thirty short seconds, it was all over.
Emma was, after all, the pride of the first-year Knight House, yet in front of this third-year senior, she was completely powerless.
Her defeat not only sent her own spirits plummeting but also extinguished the initial excitement of the other first-years.
St. Marian had a strong competitive atmosphere.
There was competition between houses, between years, and between clubs.
Students would sometimes be hostile to each other, and at other times, they would unite against a common foe.
While the first-years were dead silent, the three judges at the judges' table had already begun to score.
The scoring was out of ten.
Each judge had two signs in front of them, one red and one blue.
For the sake of speed, the judges didn't need to give comments, just the scores.
Professor Jones sighed softly and raised her two signs.
"Blue Team · Angelia, 10 points!"
"Red Team · Emma, 5 points."
Professor Fox glanced at her and also raised his signs.
"Blue Team, 9 points."
"Red Team, 3 points."
The other fifth-year judge was under immense pressure next to the two advising professors, but he still braced himself and completed the scoring task.
"Blue Team, 10 points."
"Red Team, 6 points."
________________________________________
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