Mark was on his way to the Astra Football Pavilion, as they had decided to meet before the tournament to practice the tactics and formations they agreed on.

  He had managed to fully recover physically but had regained about three-quarters of his mana reserves—still more than sufficient, as he would be playing goalie. This decision was influenced partly by his reduced mana and partly because his coordination wasn't naturally suited for intricate soccer moves.

  But he made up for it with his superior game sense and intelligence, which made him a great defensive player, and in this case, a goalkeeper.

  As Mark approached the pavilion, he couldn't help but admire its distinctive design, constructed vertically and towering impressively high instead of sprawling outward. Horizontal expansion was impractical in the Sephirs—not because their levitation technology couldn't handle additional mass, but rather because obtaining and adapting the required materials was exceedingly complicated. Procuring these resources from the perilous grounds below posed significant challenges, involving complex logistics and substantial risks from unknown threats lurking in the wilderness beneath the cities.

  He entered the facility, always awed by its sophisticated internal design: eight towering floors, each featuring enclosed multimodal courts configurable for various sports with minimal effort. Matches would be played on the main ground-floor stadium, which featured specialized barriers preventing balls from escaping the court at dangerous velocities, protecting spectators through a mana-infused shielding glass.

  Today, Mark headed directly to the sixth floor, where they had agreed to warm up. Upon arrival, he found Lyra, Raven, Daniel, Aria, Felix, and Mia already engaging in light practice.

  “Perfect timing, Mark!” Felix called out cheerfully. “We’re about to move onto shooting drills.”

  “Great,” Mark replied with a smile, feeling relaxed by his teammates' familiar energy. “Let's start with non-mana shots, since we haven’t suited up yet.”

  Felix nodded, positioning himself alongside Mia for their standard passing and shooting drills. Felix started with a crisp pass to Mia, who gracefully controlled the ball before returning it neatly, setting Felix up for a precise shot. His strike was powerful but controlled, skimming just inside the goalpost.

  "Nice shot!" Mark encouraged, quickly retrieving the ball and tossing it back to the line.

  Next was Raven and Daniel’s turn. Daniel took the ball with characteristic energy, weaving quickly away from Raven before laying off a swift aerial center to her. Raven, as if already expecting it, shot a volley that whizzed precisely into the upper corner of the net.

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  “Show-off,” Daniel teased with a grin.

  “You always make it easy for me. ” Raven shot back with a playful smirk, earning an eye-roll from Daniel.

  Lyra and Aria took their positions next. Aria elegantly received Lyra’s careful pass, turning gracefully and launching a controlled shot that dipped just beneath Mark's outstretched hand. Mark laughed, acknowledging her skill with a mock sigh.

  “You’re making me look bad already, Aria!” he joked, repositioning himself for the next attempt.

  They continued rotating, each teammate’s distinct style emerging clearly as they moved seamlessly between drills. Mark appreciated this moment—seeing the unity, friendship, and competitive spirit that would surely carry them through the tournament.

  The team finished their warm-up drills, gathered their gear, and headed downstairs to the ground-floor stadium.

  Upon arrival, they noticed the other teams already lining up at the registration desks. Organizers confirmed each player's identity and provided them with their customized mana suits, tailored to each player's individual mana capacity.

  An enthusiastic announcer welcomed participants and spectators, his voice booming through the speakers:

  "Welcome everyone to the prestigious Astra University Cup! Before we begin, allow me to explain this year's tournament structure and essential rules.

  "We have sixteen teams competing, divided evenly into four groups. Each team will face every other team in their group. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the knockout quarterfinals.

  "Matches in the group stage will consist of two halves, each lasting fifteen minutes, with each team permitted one timeout per half. In the knockout stages, the matches will extend to two halves of twenty minutes each, again with one timeout available per team per half. Teams must field exactly five active players during matches, with up to five substitutes allowed. Substitutions can be made without limits but must occur at the halfway line.

  "Every player has been equipped with a specialized mana suit. These suits are calibrated to automatically limit your mana output precisely to twenty percent of your total reserves. Remember, strategic mana management, skillful teamwork, and precise execution will be crucial to securing victory.

  "As for abilities, please pay close attention:

  "Fouls will be called if there's direct physical contact with another player instead of the ball. Area-of-effect abilities may be used exclusively for crowd control or terrain alteration, as long as they don't cause direct harm to opposing players. Additionally, terrain-altering abilities must be temporary, lasting no more than five seconds, and not permanently damage the field. Additionally, after using such an ability, a cooldown period of twice the duration of the effect is mandatory before it can be used again; referees will monitor this closely.

  "Dangerous techniques or excessive force are strictly forbidden. Players demonstrating ill intent will have their abilities immediately neutralized by the mana suits, enforced by referee oversight. Furthermore, players who receive a yellow card will see their mana output restricted further, limited to ten percent of their reserves for the remainder of that match.

  "To ensure fairness and safety, all matches will be closely supervised through advanced video surveillance and mana-tracking technology.

  "With that said, teams, suit up and prepare yourselves—it's time to begin the Astra University Cup!"