[Registration received. Payment processing... Confirmed. Welcome to the Novice Summoner Tournament, Alex Carter. The participant draw will occur in 1 week. You will receive notification if selected.]
Done. No turning back now.
He spent the following week preparing. Maya was annoyed by his decision to go solo, but agreed to train with him anyway—"so you don't die embarrassingly in the first round."
The training sessions were brutal. Maya's team held nothing back, and Alex constantly had to pretend to struggle more than he actually was. Exhausting in ways that real combat wasn't.
Raven showed up one night, teaching him dirty techniques:
"In a tournament, acting is half the battle," she'd said, demonstrating how to fake being more injured than he was. "Make them underestimate, then strike."
Viktor provided him with intelligence on likely competitors:
"The Celestial Academy will send their best. Marcus Steele will definitely participate—chance to showcase his dragon on a national stage. Expect at least 40 students from there."
Emily sent him a message:
"I heard you signed up. Just... be careful, okay? I know you think you can handle it alone. But you don't have to."
Alex didn't respond. He didn't know what to say.
---
Finally, a week later, the notification arrived:
[NOVICE SUMMONER TOURNAMENT - DRAW COMPLETE]
Congratulations! You have been selected as one of the 128 participants.
Your participant number: 127
The opening ceremony is in 2 weeks. Brackets will be announced then.
Full participant list attached.
Alex opened the attachment, scanning names:
NOTABLE PARTICIPANTS:
#001 - Marcus Steele (Celestial Academy, Silver Classification, Golden Dragon S-Rank)
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
#012 - Emily Chen (Celestial Academy, Iron Classification, Lunar Unicorn B-Rank)
#023 - Maya Park (Silver Classification, Nine-Tailed Fox A-Rank - since when was she A-Rank?)
#034-#076 - Various Celestial Academy students
#089 - The Reaper (Gold Classification, Companion: Unknown, Origin: Unknown)
...
#127 - Alex Carter (Iron Classification, Skeleton E-Rank)
"The Reaper," Alex murmured. Gold Classification but no information. Not even companion type listed.
He searched the name. Nothing. No guild history, no academy record, no social media presence.
A ghost.
---
A message from Viktor:
"List is out. 43 Celestial Academy students. 12 Silver-ranked summoners. 5 Gold-ranked. The rest Iron/Bronze. You're the lowest ranked. Use it. No one will take you seriously until it's too late."
Wise advice.
One last message vibrated. Unknown number:
"Saw your name on the list, Carter. Interesting. Let's see if that pathetic skeleton can survive past the first round. I'll bet 10,000 crowns you can't. - Vance"
The instructor who had expelled him. Of course he'd be paying attention.
Alex looked at Grim, who had shrunk to 80 centimeters and was sitting on the windowsill.
"Two weeks," he said. "Two weeks to prepare for the biggest exposure we've ever had. Against 127 other summoners, including the asshole who expelled me."
Grim turned his skull toward Alex. The red lights pulsed.
Ready. We'll be. Ready.
"I hope you're right."
---
[TWO WEEKS LATER - CENTRAL CITY GRAND ARENA]
The Grand Arena was exactly as impressive as its name suggested. Capacity for 50,000 spectators, broadcast towers for national coverage, architecture blending ancient magic with modern engineering.
Alex stood in the participant waiting room, surrounded by 127 other summoners. The energy was electric—nervousness, excitement, confidence, fear, all mixed together.
Marcus Steele was at the center of the Celestial Academy group, laughing with his friends, his dragon (shrunk to dog-size) coiled around his shoulders like a fashion accessory.
Emily was in a corner, her unicorn glowing softly. She saw Alex, raised a hand in a small wave. He nodded back.
Maya and her team were huddled near the exit, reviewing strategies.
And in the farthest corner, alone, stood a figure in black armor with a hooded cloak. Their companion wasn't visible—probably in spirit form.
An announcer entered the room: "Participants! The opening ceremony begins in 5 minutes! Please proceed to the arena entrance!"
The crowd began to move. Alex hung back, letting others go first.
As he waited, his system vibrated with an alert:
[Tournament detected]
[Multiple high-level summoners present]
[Potential souls: Massive (not collectible during tournament - killing prohibited)]
[True objective: Gain access to Fallen Citadel]
[Probability of success: 23%]
[Recommendation: Proceed with extreme caution]
Twenty-three percent. Not great.
But Alex had survived worse odds.
He stepped out into the bright light of the arena. The crowd roared—50,000 voices merging into a wave of sound that hit like a physical force.
In the stands, he spotted familiar faces:
· Holloway (Guild Director), seated in a VIP box
· Valeria Kane (Paladin), in the Temple section, watching him with an inscrutable expression
· Viktor (Circle), disguised among the regular crowd
· Even Raven, sitting in the upper rafters with her spectral raven
And in the highest honor box, a figure that made Alex's blood run cold:
Director Magnus. His former academy director. The man who had signed his expulsion.
He was staring directly at Alex.
The announcer took the microphone, voice amplified to fill the stadium:
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE NOVICE SUMMONER TOURNAMENT!"
Crowd roar.
"128 COMPETITORS! 3 WEEKS OF BATTLE! ONE CHAMPION!"
More roaring.
"The bracket draw will be revealed NOW!"
A massive screen above the arena lit up, showing the single-elimination bracket structure.
Alex found his name: #127 - Alex Carter
First round against: #002 - Daniel Cross (Celestial Academy, Battle Wolf D-Rank)
Not the worst matchup. Not the best.
But what really captured Alex's attention was the other side of the bracket.
If both of them won every fight:
· Quarterfinals: Alex vs The Reaper
· Semifinals: Alex vs Maya Park
· Finals: Alex vs Marcus Steele
The path to the prize ran through everyone he knew.
The announcer continued: "Battles begin TOMORROW! Prepare yourselves, competitors! And may the best summoners win!"
The crowd roared its approval.
As participants dispersed, Alex felt eyes on him. He turned.
Marcus was staring at him, a predatory smile on his face.
When their eyes met, Marcus made a throat-slitting gesture.
Clear message: You're going to die.
Alex held his gaze, not blinking.
Then he smiled—small, cold, the kind of smile Raven would have approved of.
And returned the gesture.
Marcus's smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
Good. Let him worry.
As Alex left the arena, he looked at Grim.
"Tomorrow it begins," he said quietly. "Everything leads to this."
Grim grew to a meter and a half, red lights blazing with intensity.
Ready. We are. Ready.
"Yeah," Alex said. "I guess we are."
