It was a new day for the people of Veluriyam City. The glittering rays of light from the sun cast a warm glow on the people and the buildings of the city. The atmosphere was buoyant despite the day just breaking. The people seemed to be in good moods and many could be seen flocking toward the First Dawn Academy's gates.
Today was the second day of the tournament, but unlike the previous day, it was the true beginning of the event. The qualifiers had been concluded, with one hundred and sixty students from both the First and Second Dawn Academy selected for the tournament, although the former took more slots than the latter.
. . .
"Welcome everyone, to the second day of this prestigious event hosted by my First Dawn Academy and the Second Dawn Academy of the Great Dawn kingdom." Fogre kicked off the start of the event with a simple greeting.
"Today is the official start of the tournament and I have no intention to waste your time so I will describe the format."
On the main stage stood one hundred and sixty students, including Asher, who were now being addressed by Fogre.
'It's supposed to be a promotional test but somehow, we've become entertainers.' Asher couldn't help but think.
"All one hundred and sixty students would be divided into sixteen groups of ten students. Each group would hold a league battle where a participant is required to battle everyone on in the group. At the end of it all, the top two students of each group, which is a total of thirty-two students, would advance to the next round. They would then face each other, one match per student, and cut their numbers down to sixteen. And then again to eight, then to four, and finally two to decide the winner." Fogre explained.
The format of the tournament wasn't anything confusing and was quite simple to understand. Sixteen groups with ten students each would have a group tournament to decide the best two who would then proceed to the next stage. The thirty-two students that come out on top would be divided into two groups of sixteen and one student from each group would face another student from the opposite group. At the end of it all, only sixteen students would come out on top, resulting in a Round of 16 battle which would then lead to the quarter-finals, semifinals, and eventually the finals, which would mark the end of it all.
But before that, the students had to go through this 'mini-tournament'.
Although it sounded simple, it was the opposite. Each group would have ten students, which meant that a student would have to face nine opponents. If the matches were spaced apart each twenty-four hours, this wouldn't be an issue as each student would have enough time to recover to peak form after each battle, but the tournament was supposed to be concluded within a week or two. In other words, chances are that they would have more than one match up in a day.
"Just like the qualifiers, you will be awarded points to help in judging your performance. Each battle is expected to last a maximum of ten minutes and each student would have an average of three matches a day. There would be at least a one-hour intermittent break before the next fight. You can consider this as the time to recuperate before your next fight."
After a short pause, Fogre spoke again
"In the event you win an opponent within the given time, you score a point. If you fail to do so, tie-breakers would be introduced."
The news of having to participate in three battles a day shocked the students, but some of them had already prepared for it. What this group did find interesting was the concept of tie-breakers for a battle that failed to conclude within the allotted time.
After waiting a while for the students to digest the news, Fogre continued.
"The tie-breakers include the degree of injury sustained and delivered, the current state of both parties which goes beyond physical state, and skill usage and proficiency. Each of these criteria would grant one progress point and at the end of the calculation, the student with the most progress points in a drawn-out battle would be announced as the winner."
"The act of judging would be carried out by the First Dawn Academy's grading panel under the lead of Zero and One." Fogre added.
Having the grading panel judge tie-breakers was the right move by the organizers since they were impartial and consisted of a mix of Great Dawn indigenes and Purple Sun sacred land mages.
'Not a bad idea.' Asher nodded, both at the decision to utilize the grading panel and also at the format of the tournament.
Although the mini-tournament seemed unfair since students who suffer grievous injuries in either of their first two matches would have to miss out on the third, it was the fastest and most efficient method to get things done.
In the case of grievous injuries, as long as one could afford it, using a potion would get rid of them or suppress them. There was also a one-hour break before each fight. This was roughly enough time for the students to meet with the academy's healers and get in better shape before their next battle.
"With that well said, we shall begin."
Fogre clapped his hands and a large screen appeared just above him but facing the students. There were sixteen groups on the screen with which each group having ten students.
With no need for further explanation, the one hundred and sixty students began browsing for their names, the group they were in and their number in the group.
Group D: Asher Arnhaunt No. 7, ...
Asher soon located his name and was stunned to find out that none of the top elite students were in the same group as he was. There were some branch members of duke families and the like, with two direct descendants; one of a Duke and the other of a Marquis, but they were nothing special in Asher's eyes.
'I guess this would be a walk in the park then.'