Finally, the Wizard Saint tournament starts after a grand opening on the previous day. There are 243 participants in this tournament, a rather high number. They've passed background checks by Magic Council to make sure that they are not criminals.
Originally, there are more than a thousand people who registered. But most of them didn't have good records of finishing difficult jobs. Many of them also have bad reputations even though they aren't criminals, so the Magic Council disqualify them.
But 243 is still a high number for this tournament and the number of matches will be high. They use a knock-out system in this tournament but it will take too long if all 243 people fight individually. So they need to reduce the number before the knock-out matches start.
The first round will be a battle royale with the participants being divided into 8 groups. They will select 4 people who survive the battle royal of each group. Then, they will get 32 people who will compete in knock-out matches.
5 groups are composed of 30 participants each, while the other 3 groups are composed of 31 participants. The first group will start their battle royale at 8 AM. Each group's battle royale has a time limit of an hour and there will be an hour break from 12 AM to 1 PM.
The participants in each group are chosen randomly. Well, it's not fully random because Ben & Jura did something in the group division. They aren't cheating though, they just make sure that those from the same guilds won't be in the same group.
There are some participants who came from the same guilds. They might work together if they are in the same group. So Ben & Jura tamper the group division to separate those people so the match will be fairer.
They also choose the participants for each group right before the group match started so the participants won't know who they'll fight against. The same method will also be applied in the knock-out matches.
This method will prevent the participants from learning about their opponents before their matches. Being able to defeat unknown opponents will show their quality as Mages. Well, if they are determined, they still can learn all participants' power & weaknesses.
Then at 8 AM, the first group finally start their battle royale match. 30 people who are spread all over the arena immediately make their move. The audience yells excitedly and some support their favorite participants.
When the match starts, most participants immediately use their magic. Many kinds of spells are being cast all over the arena. Seeing so many spells activated at the same time makes the audience get even more excited.
Some participants target the ones closest to them, some attack the ones that they know or have grudge against, while some just retreat and do nothing but watch. These guys want to save their energy and wait for the number of participants to reduce.
Ben & Jura are standing on a special platform right beside the arena. They need to stay there and keep their guards up to prevent accidents. Mira, Bella, and Lyon's group also join them on the platform to have a better look at the match.
"Sigh, it's quite disappointing that I can't participate in this tournament because those from the same guilds with Wizard Saints aren't allowed to join," says Lyon.
"Even if you can join it, do you have the confidence to get the Wizard Saint position?" asks Ben.
"No, I am not strong enough to challenge for that position. There is still a big gap in strength between me and the Wizard Saints. I know Jura-san's strength really well and I am nowhere near that level now. But still, joining this tournament will give me a lot of experience," says Lyon.
"Well, there are many strong Mages who compete here. Some faces are quite famous and there are even some that we never heard of," says Mira.
"That's what makes this tournament more interesting. Unknown people, unknown magic, unknown result," says Lyon.
Just like what Lyon said, there are some unknown factors in this tournament. Those unknowns don't just pique Lyon's interest, but almost all Mages here. Ben isn't an exception and maybe he is the most excited one among everyone here.
'As I thought, creating this tournament is the right call. There are many types of Magic that I've never seen before. I know them because I've read them in books. But this is the first time I see them being used. There are even some that I've never even heard of,' thinks Ben while grinning excitedly.
Ben looks at every Magic that is used in this battle royale. AI Chip records everything and analyzes all the magic that gets used. Just the first battle royale group has given AI Chip a lot of data that can't be found from books only.
'Great, if we can collect this much data just from the first match, then the whole tournament will give us much more, I can't even imagine that. We will be able to strengthen all my spells & even the others' spells a lot,' thinks Ben while grinning excitedly.
Ben keeps watching the match and some people stand out from the others. There are 7 people that show superior power over the rest. These 7 really become the ones who stand the last.
But only 4 people in each group can pass this round so they need to fight. It has just been half an hour, there are still 30 minutes left. They fight again and 18 minutes later, the first group's battle royale finishes with 3 men and a woman as the ones who pass.
Ben & Jura check and repair the arena before the next match start. There isn't much damage so they can finish fast. 12 minutes later, at 10 AM, the 2nd group finally starts their battle royale.
This group also has many interesting people who use interesting Magic. Even some who use common magic have unique & unusual styles. The same magic can be really different because of the users' different interpretations, understanding, & ways of utilizing it.
These differences cause the magic's power to be different for each user of the same magic. Magic power capacities also affect the power but those factors also have big effects.
The example is how Lyon & Gray use their Ice-Make magic. They use the same magic but they have different styles which make their usage & power to be different.
Some participants also use the same magic but the way they use it is very different. Ben asks AI Chip to analyze all of those and compare them. He doesn't use them but the data will be useful to develop his magic.
The battle royale matches keep going until 5 PM and 32 participants have passed. Everyone who watched today's matches is very pleased. All the matches are quite intense and they could see many kinds of magic.
Well, many people are displeased though. They are those who lost and their friends. But this is a competition. Winning and losing are something that will surely happen. They lost because they are weaker than their opponents, that's it.
However, they still get valuable experiences even though they lost. They need to get stronger if they want to win next year. Those who are truly strong will never give up just because of a loss.
Well, some idiots can't accept defeat and making a ruckus. Ben & Jura give them some 'care' and everything end 'peacefully'. With their help, no big problem happens again and the tournament continues the next day.
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