"Marvelous skill," Lev remarked once the bald man left. "One of my future teammates is an aura mage, right?"

  Sherron nodded, looking at the arena being restored to its original state. "Was your Wisdom supposed to be that high?"

  "Yes?" Lev replied, confused. "It's at 525 currently."

  That caused her to frown and look at him. Lev overrode her.

  "No, I am not neglecting my other attributes. It's just that I put all my points from the dungeoneer title into it."

  "You still are, but you do you. Just make sure to keep the future in mind."

  Lev nodded slowly. "A lot of pain in store for me but at least I am not intentionally crippling myself."

  "How is sacrificing your body not crippling yourself?" Sherron asked, having an inkling about his thought process already if her resigned eyes were any indication.

  "Can't heal death because that's what lack of big mana reserves will cause."

  The next two rounds passed in silence before Lev remembered something.

  "Hey, I wanted to ask," he looked at Sherron. "How often do waves form randomly inside the outer wall?"

  "Away from the population centers?" Sherron questioned, to which Lev nodded. "Pretty much never."

  She had understood the deeper meaning the moment Lev asked the question. Everyone else except Isabella had, who just looked confused.

  "Just my luck, then," Lev muttered, eyes on the round ongoing below. Aryan was currently battling a lightning mage.

  The rogue ran circles around her without a problem. Two deep cuts were already visible on her arms from where Aryan had snuck in two ranged attacks, but the round was already set in stone.

  Before landing even a single attack, the mage ran out of mana.

  A few hours later, the first thirty-two matches came to an end.

  ****

  I can face Viktor, Sabrina, Nina, Elias, Isabella, Aryan, and a few of the strongest in the next round, Lev thought to himself and got out of bed. The suns had risen a few hours ago, and the matches were going to start soon.

  Soon enough, Lev was back in the gold waiting room. Thirty-two participants remained, and only time would tell who he would face.

  He didn't have to wait for long before an attendant entered the waiting room.

  "Hunter Lev," she called out. Without a word, Lev got up and followed. Waiting for him at the arena entrance was… Viktor.

  "I had a hunch," Viktor sighed and shook his head.

  Lev gave him a raised brow. "Giving up already?"

  "Not really, but let's be realistic. You can easily take me out in a few of your lances, which you can also fire multiple at once. Not the brightest prospects waiting for me in the arena."

  "Don't worry," Lev waved him off. "I'm going to focus on melee."

  Viktor laughed. "I'm not sure if that is how I prefer to be defeated by a barrier mage but alright. Let's go."

  While they both took their positions after being handed a bracelet, the commentator was managing the still-arriving crowds.

  "Please check your seat numbers before sitting on any of them. Those who refuse to vacate someone else's seat will be thrown out without question."

  Lev smiled to himself. Managing crowds seemed like a pain, regardless of what planet he was on. As he watched, a small argument broke out near the top rows. It lasted all of five seconds before two scary Master folks dragged everyone involved outside.

  "NOW THEN! PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO OUR FIRST COMPETITORS OF THE DAY, LEV AND VIKTOR LAMPART!"

  The roar of approval from the crowd was a touch higher than the first day, and it made sense. Regardless of how easy things were for Lev, the tournament was both unique and monumental for everyone else.

  "THIRTY-TWO COMPETITORS REMAIN, LADIES AND GENTS. THRICE, THEY WILL FACE EACH OTHER TODAY, LEAVING US WITH THE SEMIFINALE AND FINALE TOMORROW!"

  Excuse me, what? Lev looked at the commentator visible high above, then at the royal booth. The remaining matches were to be spread over a week, no?

  Judging by the confused whispers and turning heads, the people were just as confused as he was. The commentator tried to clear some of the confusion.

  "Changes were made to the schedule yesterday due to technical difficulties. Rest assured, the tournament will go on unimpeded."

  That does not explain anything, Lev squinted at the commentator's booth before shrugging. Management knew what they were doing, and if they needed to end this quickly, Lev was inclined to believe that they had some good reason.

  He had an inkling about the cause anyway. It would be prudent to win now. Whatever rewards Drakys had promised, Lev might get a chance to practice them soon.

  Two more minutes passed before everyone was seated, and the arena was quiet. The commentator dragged the silence for a bit longer before starting.

  "NOW THAT EVERYTHING IS IN PLACE, LET US FOCUS ON THE MATCH AT HAND. ON THE LEFT, WE HAVE LEV, ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING MAGES OF THE GENERATION!

  OPPOSING HIM, WE HAVE VIKTOR, A STALWART WARRIOR WHO NOT ONLY SHOWED AN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE DURING THE HUNT, BUT IS ALSO THE VANGUARD OF A RADIANT TEAM!"

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The praises went on for a bit longer before the match started. Both of them stared each other down, one holding Stargazer in a crouched stance and the other in a forward shield and axe stance.

  "3"

  "2"

  "1"

  "BEGIN!"

  Lev jumped back, easily covering an impressive three meters in that leap as the armor formed around him. Viktor didn't spare an instant and threw his axe at him.

  Barrier armor finished covering him in the nick of time, letting Lev just barely fly out of the way. The thrown weapon crashed behind him in an explosion of sand and stone. A second later, it glowed with power before it flew back into Viktor's waiting hand.

  That is such a cool enchantment, Lev thought with his mouth slightly ajar as the enhancement formation finished carving on the armor.

  He could've interfered with the weapon recall but what would've been the fun in that?

  Earth mana imbued Stargazer in large amounts, instantly increasing its weight severalfold while decreasing its sharpness. Lev didn't need that for the fight.

  The competitors rushed forward at the same time. Stargazer rose to block the descending axe and was thrown back from the sheer impact. Viktor's shield followed, and Lev's earth mana imbued punch met its charge.

  Perhaps testing his limits was not wise during a tournament. Lev was learning that as his arm almost cracked from the dumb move, requiring him to waste a lot of mana on healing the damaged limb.

  It was bad enough that Viktor just stopped and stared at him, dumbfounded. He shook his head before crouching slightly, ready to clash again whenever Lev was.

  Lesson learnt, Lev grinned and rolled his shoulders. If one avenue of testing the limits failed, he just had to change his approach.

  Lightning imbued his armor as Lev sprinted directly at his opponent, Stargazer primed to skewer. Viktor didn't take any chances, flaring his own body enhancement at full strength and stepping forward.

  Shield was swung to bash away the glaive, and Viktor had to immediately change his focus when earth mana solidified into a crescent attack. Both swift and extremely heavy, the slash reached the shield in a blink with a revebrating gong, launching the unprepared Viktor across the arena.

  Keeping a tight grip on his weapons, the nimble warrior immediately rolled away after landing. Several lightning arrows impacted where he was a moment before, and Lev could see the moment he got truly serious.

  His eyes widened when the axe was thrown again, this time with far more speed and strength. Quickly darting out of the way, he had just turned to his opponent when a thick, black shield hit him head-on.

  Stargazer flew out of his hands as he saw stars. Disoriented, Lev controlled his flight and flew up to create distance.

  Four barrier shields formed where he could feel Viktor's mana through his mana perception, just in time to block another throw. Two of them shattered to block that weapon, and Lev couldn't do anything before it flew back into a waiting hand.

  Damn, I wasn't expecting him to be that strong. Can't take this lightly anymore.

  Both of the hunters stared at each other for a few seconds before Lev flew down. The healing mana and its associated costs kept coming back to his mind. The fight with Lillia had shown him just how taxing utilizing his armor at full strength was on his body, but he couldn't see another way.

  Lev stopped holding back, channeling a large, continuous stream of lightning mana into his armor and a similar amount of earth mana into Stargazer. Viktor was on him the moment he took a stance, swinging his axe in a predictable swing to test Lev's new strength.

  Stargazer clashed with the axe far faster than even Lev expected, releasing a small cloud of lightning on impact. Viktor jerked back, slightly stunned, and Lev didn't miss the opening.

  Kicking the shield slightly farther away, Lev sent another small chunk of lightning into the metal shield before bringing Stargazer in for an overhead swing. Viktor side-stepped and tried to retaliate, only for a barrier shield to block the path of his axe before he could even move it.

  Not giving up the opportunity, Lev launched an earth slash point blank, almost taking his opponent out of the fight. Viktor's shield moved to block it in the nick of time, opening him up to a straight thrust from Stargazer.

  Metal creaked under the glaive's force, amplified further by its vastly increased weight. Viktor staggered from the loud impact, still holding tightly onto his tools, and struck back like lightning.

  A kick with the might of a landslide landed on Lev's midsection, making him double over despite wearing two pieces for protection. Shields formed, arrayed in front of him, yet the approaching shield bash shattered them with laughable ease before hitting Lev straight-on.

  Barrier armor shattered before it impacted Lev's arms, crossed at the last moment, breaking the bones in both of them and catapulting him. Grunting in pain, Lev hastily reformed his armor and flew up, dodging the thrown axe and reassessing the situation.

  Both arms broken and four ribs cracked…. dude hits like a fucking truck.

  "Fine, you win on this front." Lev snorted before letting loose for the first time.

  Above him, arrows came into being. First a few, then a dozen. Before long, nearly a hundred projectiles were flying over the arena, suspended by a single hunter's will.

  Fire mana constantly filled them up, infusing them until they each could kill a level 150 monster. The casual display of might silenced all the spectators, before they all erupted in a cacophony of approval and excitement.

  "Do you surrender?"

  Viktor didn't reply and instantly backtracked, creating distance between them. Maybe he hoped a larger time to react to the arrows would help him, but he was sorely mistaken.

  The first wave blanketed the arena in a blanket of fire, searing a large portion of the sand into glass. Viktor remained standing despite that, hiding behind his shield and minimizing the damage. Both the extremities of his armor and much of his shield was charred black, but the man continued to stand defiant.

  Could've at least made this easier for me, Lev sighed and formed lances instead, filling them with a fifth of his mana. Like comets, each of them descended in a huge blast. Viktor was taken out after just the second attack.

  All the while, the crowd cheered at the top of their lungs.

  Ignoring the boisterous commentary, Lev quickly made his way out of the arena. Viktor was in the entrance hallway, being healed by someone he didn't know, out of sight of the spectators.

  "You alright?" Lev asked when Viktor noticed him.

  "Yeah…" the injured man breathed out. "The physical damage will heal quickly, but the bruised pride will take a while."

  Lev slowed his walk, trying not to show any negative reaction at that. He didn't succeed.

  "Don't give me that look," Viktor said with a somewhat forced smirk before it eased into a genuine smile. "Believe it or not, I'm more happy than anything that you're so strong. The loss was guaranteed when we decided to register knowing you were participating."

  Lev tilted his head a little. "I'm getting mixed signals."

  "What I'm saying is..." Viktor took a deep breath to center his thoughts. "I don't particularly mind being humbled like this. Elias, however, will be different. His head has been getting bigger and bigger since the Monster Hunt, so make sure to knock him down a peg or three. Can't have an overconfident leader, even if it will hurt his pride far more than mine."

  Several times, Lev opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Eventually, he decided on a single question.

  "Should I make it quick?"

  "Opposite," Viktor replied. "I know you could've done far more in melee if it wasn't so demanding on your body. This is an extremely selfish request, but if you can, bear the pain and defeat him up close."

  The meaning of the request wasn't lost on Lev. If he, a barrier mage, defeated that talented and capable swordsman in close range, it would be an unheard of achievement. Not only that, Elias would also hopefully take it for the better.

  He really ought to, otherwise, Lev might end up ruining the relationship between Elias and Viktor.

  "… I don't think this is a good idea," Lev eventually voiced, not liking the sound of the request even a little bit. Yet, he was willing to do it if it meant indirectly keeping his friends alive for longer. Elias' decisions would affect his entire team, and the results of overconfidence didn't need to be mentioned.

  Friends, huh?

  "Let me deal with the fallout if it doesn't go well." Viktor somberly glanced at him. "We both know it's for the best."

  Lev was about to reply when an attendant entered the hallway. Knowing what she was here for, Lev and Viktor shared a meaningful nod before the former made his way to the royal booth.