February 5, 2023, Early Evening
Drumbeats echoed. In the field that last night was filled with over five hundred people, now only less than a hundred participants remained standing.
The night wind blew some dry bamboo leaves on the ground or leaves still clinging to their stalks. The half-moon illuminated the clear night sky, free of cloud wisps.
The bright light from red lanterns illuminated the field, half of which was surrounded by bamboo trees. The other half was the academy building. Outside the field's boundary wall, various Chinese-architectured buildings were integrated, surrounding it.
Jianying, An, Lang Zen, and Luxia stood on the podium, ready to welcome the participants who would advance to the second round of the Zhan Dou tournament.
"First of all, I congratulate all of you who have made it this far. Out of 583 participants, you 97 individuals, whether with companions or not, who have brought the flag yesterday, are people with talent to set foot here.
"You are here for different purposes. Seeking knowledge, power, experience, wealth, position, or relationships.
"This magic academy might seem excessive in choosing its students. Nevertheless, I guarantee it. Those who graduate from this magic academy are assured to become the best and strongest Hunters. Because those who graduate from here are diamonds that we have polished into gems that shine brighter than before."
Lang Zen spoke firmly to every ear in the field. His authoritative voice echoed without any amplification. Like a warlord giving commands to his troops. Making faces unable to turn away from his loud words.
The participants whispered. Although not as noisy as last night. But the sound of whispers, like the buzzing of bees, was still audible.
"I heard that those who make it into the top ten in this tournament have a great chance of becoming five-star Hunters after graduating from here. That's why I'm here," said a confident swordsman.
"Heh, I don't care about anything here. I just want to get stronger quickly and return to my country to prove to that damn father that I am stronger than him."
Amon clapped his hands together, one hand clenched. He was already wearing his usual clothes. Large white trousers, with a gold belt, and bare-chested with his country's characteristic necklace adorning his neck.
"Becoming a five-star Hunter after graduating? Does that mean I can learn how to create reality marbles here?" Reza thought to himself after hearing the words of Lang Zen, the academy chancellor. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt and ordinary black trousers.
"Experience..." Elizabeth fell silent. She wore a dress whose skirt was now slightly shorter to allow her to move more easily. She wore white stockings as a precaution.
"Uh... Actually, I'm clearly going to lose this round like last year. Should I just give up?"
Mei Mei, wearing a white Chinese robe, shook her head while sighing in confusion. Her task yesterday to accompany Sizhu had been fulfilled; the last two rounds, held with a duel elimination system, Mei Mei did not have to participate in. Because the last two rounds depended on Sizhu successfully winning and advancing to the final round. She couldn't support him directly from the arena.
"Power..." Sizhu was indeed aiming for that. That's why he now stood in the field wearing black Chinese robe Mei Mei had bought for him. In his hand, he tightly gripped a wooden staff with Chinese characters carved into one end.
"It seems we will be opponents this time, green-eyed child. What a pity."
A gray-haired young man dressed like a monk, with the characteristic jingle of his xizhang staff, approached Sizhu.
"Gui?" Sizhu was a little surprised to see him. What happened when he chased the hooded man? Did he manage to catch up and defeat him?
Before Sizhu could open his mouth to ask, Jianying on the podium spoke loudly.
"The second round of the tournament is an elimination duel. A simple duel where the winner will advance to tomorrow night's final and the loser will go home.
"There are five separate arenas provided. In the center of the Hunter Agency headquarters. In the mountain forest. Beneath the small town. Inside the magic academy colosseum. And finally, underground.
"Everyone will be randomly selected for where they will duel and who their opponent will be until half remain before the final. Please take the tokens available on the table."
The people on the field immediately picked up the numbered, inverted tokens lying on the long table below the podium. There were just under a hundred tokens with different keywords and numbers. However, the number matched the participants so that the five arenas would be equally filled or slightly less.
The five keywords were the initial words of the places they got. Headquarters meant the center of the Hunter headquarters. Forest meant the mountain forest behind the magic academy. Town meant the small town below the academy. School meant the coliseum building within the magic academy. Underground meant underground, where Hunters train.
The number on the other side of the token was the order in which participants would duel. Starting from the lowest, of course.
"There are five-star Hunters guarding there. They will witness your duels and explain the duel rules further. You may leave here after taking your token and deciding to go to the arena or surrender."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The rhythmic sound of sword tips clashing came from Lang Zen. He concluded the opening of the second round of Zhan Dou that night.
"Those who expect us will have their expectations met tonight. Those who disappoint us will return home with honor from here. Young people, fight until your last drop of blood."
"And finally, Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn."
Lang Zen smiled, bowing to the young people holding tokens and beginning to walk out of the field.
***
Sizhu got a token with the word School and the number 20. That meant he would be the last duelist.
The magic academy colosseum was a place commonly used for student combat exams. The combat system usually simulated Witch hunts in the field, or strengthened the basic mastery of magic and martial arts.
For students here, fighting must use magic techniques; without magic techniques, humans are nothing more than ordinary humans. They are weak and easily injured.
Nevertheless, ten years ago, in a place that glorified magic above all else, a genius child with no magical talent was able to defeat all the top ranks of the academy. He was a monster who only used ordinary weapons, yet could defeat a hundred students who had even mastered high-level magic.
Sizhu sat in an empty seat in the colosseum. The arena, like a gladiator's field, as large as a circular football field, was visible from above. Many academy students, even citizens from the small town below the academy, or uniformed Hunters, also sat. They wanted to witness the Zhan Dou tournament duels, which were always exciting every year.
"The top ten from last year are already senior students this year, aren't they? Last year they were quite talented. There's even a rumor that someone among them can already use reality marbles."
"Are you serious? If you train as a Hunter for a hundred years, a reality marble isn't something that can be created in one year. I don't believe that rumor is true."
"What about this year? I heard there were over a hundred had died during the first round yesterday. Several senior students who were supervisors also died in the mountains. I heard whispers from the three-star Hunters that one participant did that."
"How is that possible? How strong is that person to be able to kill so many people in the mountains and our senior students, most of whom can already master high-level magic? Is that participant actually someone as strong as a five-star Hunter? It's crazy if he's just joining the tournament for fun."
"Who knows? We might see him in the arena tonight."
Many people were talking to each other, eagerly awaiting the start of the duel tournament. On the edge of the arena, Sizhu could see a transparent wall separating audience from the arena. The transparent wall was similar to the giant dome surrounding Qincheng. The difference was that it was a little thicker. Like bulletproof glass.
Two people in Hunter uniforms walked then stopped in the middle of the arena. One of them was burly and carried a large sword, in fact, calling it a sword felt a bit unfitting. It was too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. Indeed, it was a heap of raw iron. Sticking in his back.
The other had the face of a middle-aged man, like an angry uncle. His expression was serious and there were many wrinkles beside his eyes and cheeks.
"Ahem. The second round of the Zhan Dou Tournament will begin tonight. My name is Laohu Xin. A five-star Hunter, holder of the Tiger Shengxiao seat."
"Liu Xingsheng, a five-star Hunter, holder of the Monkey Shengxiao seat," the man beside him said briefly.
"We will explain the simple rules of this duel. Until one of you is deemed unable to continue fighting, the one who remains will be the winner. There is no time limit. There are no restrictions in the duel, you can do anything in the arena including killing your opponent."
The five-star Hunters in the five arenas stated the same rules.
The audience began to whisper. Most of them whispered that this year's rules were very different from last year's. Yesterday, participants would wear specially designed bracelets to know the condition of the duelist. Inside there was a numerical indicator where the more injured the participant, the numerical indicator in the bracelet would decrease from one hundred to zero. And if the bracelet showed zero, the duelist would lose even if they were still strong enough to fight.
This applied to the other four arenas.
"Fight to the end, huh? Sounds interesting." Amon in the Hunter headquarters.
"No restrictions? Something must be happening in here." Reza in the mountain forest.
"This duel... Did they do it like this last year?" Elizabeth in the small town.
"Ugh, I should just give up!" Mei Mei complained in underground. Moreover, she was the first participant to duel.
"Hm, they seem to have noticed, huh." Someone wearing a monk's robe with gray hair in the magic academy coliseum smirked.
"Unexpected! The first round last night was too easy. This time they're serious about choosing the winner, huh?" Imara, a honey-skinned woman, smiled enthusiastically. Her heart pounded, eager to fight in the arena in the small town.
"Haha! This is how a duel should be!" Baldur, a large man with a large axe on his shoulder, opened his mouth enthusiastically in the Hunter headquarters.
"..." The girl in miko outfit said nothing. She raised her fan, ready to step into the arena in the mountain forest at any moment.
"Killing. An easy way to win." The bald man with a thin aura smiled faintly upon hearing the stated rules. He was underground.
A short, dark pink-haired boy chews gum while busy playing with his gadget. He's earned a place at school.
Sizhu tightened his grip. "Whatever happens, I will be the winner tonight."
The five-star Hunters guarding the five different arenas said together.
"Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn."
***