"BEGIN!"

Quinn leapt off the largest platform with ease right before a translucent shield shimmered into existence. A roar of applause ensued, marking the beginning of the much anticipated combat tournament.

Of the three platforms, the one in the center was the largest. This was where the fight between Stephanie and Jennifer would take place—and likely where most of the interesting match-ups would occur today.

Yet after ten seconds, none of the first-years had made a move on either of the platforms. There almost seemed to be a reluctance to make the first move, something that didn't seem to sit well with the crowd.

But before they could make any complaints, the brown-haired Stephanie surged into action. Surprisingly, she didn't cast a spell—instead opting to rush forward with superhuman speed.

"So fast!"

The girl arrived quickly. She dipped her head low, placing a hand upon the ground before sending a chopping kick towards Jennifer's legs, intending to catch her opponent off guard.

A small yet robust shield appeared moments later in front of an orange magic circle, barely materializing in time before the blow landed. But it was too weak to bear the brunt of the force, shattering upon impact.

Jennifer's expression morphed into shock and pain as a dull thud echoed within the arena. The blow landed on her thigh, kicking her legs out from under her with force.

She cried out in pain as her body fell to the ground with a thud.

Stephanie stood above the girl with a determined expression, her fist already in the process of slamming down towards her unprotected face with heartless precision.

"I give up!" Jen squealed, shielding her face with her hands.

The girl braced for impact, her eyes squeezed shut in fear, yet after a few moments there was no impact. As the girl opened her eyes, she saw Steph standing above her with an impassive expression.

Without a word, the girl turned on her heel and walked away.

"Winner, Stephanie Harrosh." Quin called with glee.

The dominating performance was met with murmurs of shock and confusion throughout the crowd—even among the first-years who had been watching on. Melody was probably the most surprised, after all she had predicted Jennifer would win in the exchange.

Before they could discuss it, Michael could hear some of the visitors in the crowd discuss the fight.

"What spell was that? I didn't even see a magic circle."

"Wasn't it a martial arts technique?"

Michael frowned, his mind wandering. It wasn't just these nobles who seemed shocked at the display of skill from Stephanie, which likely meant they didn't know about the combat technique Quinn taught them.

It was only then that Michael's mind suddenly put the pieces together.

Quinn said that she had worked on the technique with Professor Max… Does that mean its still just an experimental magic? Is that what the headmaster meant when he said there would be surprises?

As his mind moved to this point, he suddenly realized why Quinn had dedicated a full semester to teaching them this.

"They wanted to showcase this technique at the tournament…" he mumbled, feeling a little incredulous. To think they would be the lab rats for such a large scale experiment.

However, he could only laugh it off. While it was difficult to master, the technique was extremely useful and effective, especially when paired with combat magic. After all, Michael and the others were able to take down a tier two ferocious boar with just these techniques alone.

But the shock of the situation quickly subsided as he remembered how outmatched Jennifer had been. In class, her and Stephanie had shown similar strength, yet the former had been utterly defeated in a matter of moments—despite setting up an aegis shield.

Michael's eyes moved to Darcy nearby and studied his expression. If the guy was upset about his sister losing so miserably, he didn't let it show. In fact, he seemed bored as he watched the other two matches take place on the platforms below.

"I really didn't expect that…" Rudy stated, sounding a little more interested than before.

"Yeah, since when had Steph gotten that good?" Melody added with confusion.

Rudy shrugged, "She's a commoner like me, so this is a good opportunity for her to gain attention from the noble houses. I wouldn't be surprised if she had trained like crazy in secret for this moment."

Michael raised an eyebrow, secretly impressed with his friend's sound logic. The guy often appeared lazy and carefree—if not just outright dumb sometimes. But times like this was a reminder that the guy was definitely smarter than he appeared.

"What is surprising is her brother's reaction." Michael commented, gesturing towards Darcy nearby in a hushed tone.

Both his friends looked over at once, causing the object of their attention to raise an eyebrow at them.

Michael facepalmed, "You idiots…"

Didn't they know how to be subtle?

"Oi Darcy, what's up with your sister? How did she lose so quickly?" Rudy's loud voice drew the eyes of the students and some surrounding spectators.

Eh… Rudy what the hell man?

Darcy shot them a disdainful look, "That's what happens when you're weak—you lose to other weaklings."

After saying his piece, the black-haired teen paid them no more attention, his eyes lazily gazing back towards the other two fights down below. Yet a scowl appeared on his face a moment later, clearly not impressed with the displays.

"Well, you heard it right from the horse's mouth." Rudy shrugged, appearing unaffected by the man's harsh words towards his twin sister.

"That bastard… Does he have no heart?" Melody spat with annoyance.

A somber mood fell over them and Michael turned his attention back to the platform's below. The fights weren't nearly as flashy as the first one, but they didn't take too long to end.

Unlike Stephanie who had employed the combat technique, Amaya and Blake were able to overwhelm their opponents with spells. Between magic missiles and other simple tier one spells, they secured the victory without too much difficulty.

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