In fact, he almost brushed it aside as he watched Kayden's rank increase in shock. It had barely been six months since his last progress, this level of improvement was on par with that of a wealthy noble.
'Damn, the day I labeled him talentless. Maybe this is one of the biggest mistakes of my life.' The old man only congratulated Kayden, but inside he was stunned. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to talk to the boy, as Kayden rushed out as soon as he showed signs of life.
On the same day, Kayden went after Shang to try to sell his stone through unofficial channels that the blonde had access to. The boy asked for a hundred gold coins or a lightning element core.
At this time, Kayden also discovered that the beast he had faced was in the eighth realm, according to Shang, and this made the boy have a small moment of ecstasy. He had leveled up against a magical beast.
This was surreal. At this time, the boy also asked Shang for help to heal his back. As it was something outside the club, the boy had to pay 20 gold coins alone.
If he hadn't found himself as a fighter, he would become a healer and enjoy a life worthy of kings and queens just by doing weekly odd jobs.
After fulfilling all his duties, Kayden returned home. He still needed to stabilize his base fully, and even more so with the recent fight, he had a lot of things to think about.
Quickly, the day of the municipal championship arrived. During this period, Kayden only improved his base and trained with his team. He didn't want to do anything risky during this period.
Once again, he was in the cafeteria with the other students, waiting to go in the government cars to the tournament. At that moment, he took the opportunity to ask Astolfo some questions.
"Did you have to make a quality jump from sixth rank to seventh?" His question caught Astolfo by surprise for a few seconds.
"Yes, this is when we have to compact the mana. I managed to compress it three times." The boy gave an arrogant smile. Kayden had also been researching and knew that the number of compressions directly reflected the magician's strength.
Compression of two times was the minimum to pass the rank, three times was for someone talented, four was for true geniuses, and above that there was nothing documented.
Kayden was certain that if he had done the compression from the beginning, he could have achieved a fourfold increase. His strength would have a ridiculous leap in performance. He would probably be able to beat Astolfo even with the difference in levels between them.
It didn't take long and the same vehicles from the last championship came to pick them up. This time, his team had the right to go ahead. Being first place, they would receive the first applause from the public.
As soon as they arrived at the huge stadium, a crowd of people welcomed them with screams and applause. This time, Kayden's name was the same height as Astolfo's. The last fight between the two attracted attention.
A few seconds later, they sat in the large room designated for their school. Every possible perk was offered to them and Kayden, logically, denied nothing. He ate and drank the best while waiting for the mayor.
A few minutes later, the mayor floated in the center of the stadium.
Author's Note: Maybe this is a bit rushed in terms of missing details until he gets to the event, but I was too lazy to write useless word count stuff, lol.
"Welcome everyone to our advanced championship. The government asked us to do this because…" The man paused dramatically. "This year, the top 10 teams will advance to the state championship." His sentence took everyone by surprise and drew screams of joy from the crowd.
Many schools now had a chance to enter the best. Five more spots was a lot and everyone was dying to go to the next level of this championship, mainly because of college recruiting.
If they stood out enough, they could be called up without even having to take the test.
"So I hope everyone does their best. We will start soon. Good luck to everyone."
A few minutes later, an official came to guide Kayden's team into one of the bubbles. As soon as they arrived, they found the other team already ready.
Their opponents were another completely unbalanced team, with three knights and two magic swordsmen. Kayden smiled. This shouldn't be a difficult match if they are all average.
"There is only one rule: do not use help from third parties. Other than that, everything is valid. You have five minutes to prepare, but pre-made spells are not allowed." The judge gave instructions for the confrontation.
Kayden's team already had a tactic ready. It boiled down to... well, the three supported Astolfo and Kayden as best they could, both with support magic and the boy was part of the attack.
"Start." The judge's voice started the fight. As soon as it started, the five opponents came rushing at Kayden's team without even thinking twice.
"Speed", with Kayden's command, the two girls cast spells on him and Astolfo. "Wall of flames," his other command was to Klaus, who began throwing a thick, wall-like layer of fire.
Running towards his opponents together with Astolfo, Kayden only needed to exchange a glance with his friend to know what they were going to do. Piercing the wall of fire that separated him from his enemies, the boy blasted a pop flash directly at his opponents.
The surprise factor caused them to be caught off guard and practically blind for a short period. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Astolfo ran towards the nearest opponent.
Kayden did the same in the other direction and, casting a concentrated lightning spell at his opponent and Astolfo's, the boy smiled. As soon as the knight in front of him regained his vision, he saw Kayden bringing his katana down on his neck without mercy.
The boy even tried to dodge, but unfortunately, his body was paralyzed. This situation guaranteed him withdrawal from the tournament. Astolfo's opponent was also subsequently withdrawn.
Two opponents were easily removed from the match without even being able to react. Just one small slip on their part cost them the advantage of the match.
"Back off," Kayden ordered. Klaus unleashed a barrage of spells to stop any of those remaining from getting closer. Even though they received the shock of two members being eliminated, they were still quick to react.
"Strength", Kayden asked and was answered by an earth spell that joined his body and Astolfo's. Now the fight would be simple, it was just a matter of finishing your opponents.
"I'll take the two on the right", Astolfo, with his tendency to show off, soon chose his opponents. Kayden didn't care and just let the boy do whatever he wanted.
Five minutes later, Kayden's team was announced the winner by the judge. This match was ridiculously easy. Kayden didn't even have to use transcendence. Just his natural body was already superior to most of his opponents.
Furthermore, his battle experience had reached a level that most teenagers could not even dream of coming close to. And even adults wouldn't have fought so close to death as many times as he did.
An officer came again to take them to the VIP area of their school. His team was the first to return and received many compliments from the director. They had won the match with frightening ease.