Tatsuki found himself left alone, his thoughts filled with impatience. The other children had gone outside hours ago, and he couldn't help but wonder why he was stuck here, suffering through the boredom that gnawed at him.
Suddenly, an announcement echoed through the room, pulling Tatsuki out of his reverie. The announcement called his name urgently, signaling the start of his trial.
Tatsuki grinned with excitement, muttering to himself, "Alright, it's showtime."
As he stepped onto the stage, the announcer addressed the spectators, introducing Tatsuki. However, there was a moment of confusion in the crowd when they learned his classification: "He is a level-bronze 1st grade, and he's a... Huh... a type-brute mage."
The audience couldn't hide their murmurs of surprise and skepticism. They whispered among themselves, "A brute mage, and only 1st grade? Is he out of his mind? Young ones are always so reckless."
Meanwhile, Bao Chi, who had been standing with other competitors, observed the situation and thought, "I see, so my brother decided not to reveal himself as a type defective. Well, it's not like he has to; he fits both the description of a magical mage and a brute mage after all."
As Tatsuki approached the trial stage, the announcer took him aside, whispering a word of caution. "Hey, brat, if you're planning to run away during the trial, don't even attempt it. Spectators don't appreciate such behavior, and you'll only end up embarrassing yourself."
Tatsuki responded with a confident smile, "Are you married, Mr...?"
The announcer, baffled, replied, "Huh...? No, I'm not. Why do you ask?"
Tatsuki struck an arrogant posture and retorted, "Humph, of course, you're not married. Who would marry a coward like you?" He couldn't help but smirk.
The announcer's face reddened with anger, and he warned, "What did you say, you cheeky little brat? Do you want me to bury you before your trial even begins?"
Tatsuki maintained his composure, still smiling. "I said I'd like to fight a 3rd-tier magic beast. Any would do."
The announcer burst into laughter, unable to contain himself, "Brat, you must be joking! Hahahaha."
Tatsuki's frustration boiled over as he shouted, "Huh..? Do I look like I'm here for nonsense? What kind of announcer can't even do his job properly? Why are you even here?"
The three judges, seated at the front of the grand dome, exchanged puzzled glances. They couldn't fathom why a low-level participant was causing such a delay. One of the judges, growing impatient, rose from his seat and questioned the announcer, "Mr. Announcer, what's happening over there? Why haven't you started his trial?"
The announcer, still nervous, stammered, "Lord, this brat wants us to summon a 3rd-tier magic beast for his trial. He must be mentally ill."
The first judge was astounded. He scrutinized Tatsuki before speaking, "Child, are you here to throw your life away? You must understand the significance of this trial, right?" He burst into laughter.
Tatsuki raised an eyebrow but remained composed. He replied, "There are no rules forbidding me from doing so. I'd like to begin my trial."
The first judge's patience wore thin, and he raised his voice in anger, "Brat, there's no way you can handle a 3rd-tier magic beast at your current level. Even silver-graded youngsters before you weren't as audacious as you. How dare you come here and waste everyone's time? Go home."
Tatsuki's last nerve was pushed, and he lost his composure. He retorted, "Oh, shut up, baldy. I'll be the one to decide that, not you. Didn't your wife leave you for someone else because you have more hair below than on your head?"
The first judge crouched down and began to mope while muttering to himself, "He called me baldy... I'm baldy, he said."
The second judge and third judge couldn't help but console him. Suddenly, the second judge shouted at Tatsuki, "You have no manners, you unruly beast! Should you speak to your elders like this? Why don't you watch that filthy mouth of yours?"
Tatsuki, annoyed, retorted, "You listen too, baldy. The only reason your wife hasn't left you is because you have a big and handsome florist in your garden. So you better watch out for that falling hair instead of what I do with my mouth before someone else has the taste of your wife's mouth."
The second judge followed the lead of the first judge and began to mope along with him, muttering, "He called me baldy too. This child is horrible."
Tatsuki looked around, shaking his head sideways, and commented, "Geez, these people are way too sensitive."
Suddenly, the third judge turned towards the announcer and shouted, "Mr. announcer, fulfill this beast's death wish. Let him see what happens to those who choose not to listen to their elders."
The announcer smirked and replied, "Yes, sir. I wouldn't like anything more."
Preparations for the summoning of a 3rd-tier magic beast began.
Suddenly, Tatsuki shouted, "Stop right there, you fools."
The announcer couldn't help but think, "Aha, I knew he wouldn't go through with it. All that big talk, and now he's feeling the weight of his words."
The announcer asked, "What happened, brat? Did the fear of death grip your frail heart? If so, let me tell you, it's too late to back down now. I'll make sure to push you in front of the beast myself."
Tatsuki replied with a sense of pity, "How the hell did a coward like you even manage to become an announcer? Seeing such a crowd, shouldn't you be pissing your pants right now?"
The announcer, angered, retorted, "You still wish to pretend at the death's door, huh? But you can't run away now. I'd like to see how you'll survive this."
Tatsuki confidently stated, "Sure, you coward. But before that, tell these summoners to create a beast field and conjure a barrier while they're at it."
The announcer was extremely shocked, and he couldn't help but let out a surprised "What."
The summoning of magic beasts was a profession exclusive to magical mages with sub-attributes in summoning, allowing them to summon these creatures and form contracts with them. Early on, prodigious summoners discovered a way to combine the mana of fellow summoners to increase the odds of summoning higher-tier magic beasts. This practice eventually became common in various mage trials.
Additionally, the concept of the "beast field" was introduced, which was considered a natural environment or home for magic beasts. These fields had the unique ability to exponentially boost the strength of the magic beasts within them, and the type of magic field determined the kinds of magic beasts present.
The spectators in the crowd, hearing these terms, went wild and started chanting in unison, "Summon... summon... summon..."
The first judge contemplated the situation, thinking, "This brat has truly lost his senses, and he's only hastening his own demise. But the crowd is ecstatic, hearing all these grand words. I've never seen a more energetic crowd than this. Now, we must seize this opportunity."
The first judge shouted, "Mr. announcer, give the brat what he wanted..."
The spectators continued to stomp their legs and slap their thighs, creating a thunderous noise that resonated throughout the dome. The chant showed no signs of stopping.
Tatsuki raised both of his hands to show his appreciation for the crowd, but their response was unexpected. The spectators started shouting in unison, "Die... die... die... die... Summon, summon, summon, die, die, die..."
With a playful expression on his face, Tatsuki yelled toward the crowd, "That's what you people are pumped about...?"
The spectators responded enthusiastically, "Yes... yes... yes..."
Tatsuki, baffled, retorted, "Just how shameless are you people..?"
The spectators didn't hesitate and instantly replied, "Very... very... very... very..."
Tatsuki thought to himself, "These people are way too honest."
He sighed and let out a final shout, "Well, is my prey ready yet?"
From a bit of a distance, a man with a well-rounded belly and a body adorned in expensive-looking clothing, along with a swollen face, muttered to himself.
The man sniffed the air and said, "Oh, I smell a fortune here..."
Suddenly, the man stood up and shouted, "Oh dear spectators, I have an announcement of my own to make..."
The second judge looked towards the man and instantly used his amplified mana-imbued voice to command the whole crowd to settle down. The man proceeded with his announcement.
"I'm the head of the Merchant Association of Aurus City, and it pleases me to tell you all that I have taken a liking to this trial."
The spectators couldn't help but mutter among themselves, "Huh... why is the rich and high-ranking merchant head here? What does he mean by he has taken a liking to it?"
The merchant, with joy in his voice, shouted, "So now I announce that a gamble on this trial shall be made. Those who wish to make a fortune, empty your pockets, where the stakes are the life of this child."
Sudden silence engulfed the entire place, which marked the beginning of something new.
The spectators started going crazy again, and the loud noise continued. The excitement was palpable.
In a matter of seconds, a betting table was brought forth, and all sorts of gamblers emerged, throwing copper, silver, and gold onto the table.
A few minutes later, the merchant sighed in frustration, "This is a predicament. There is no one who wishes to place a bet on this child's survival. The odds have become 1:35 at this point."
Bao Chi, from the competitors' area, couldn't hold back and shouted, "I will wager on him... 100 gold coins on this crazy beast's survival," winking towards Tatsuki.
The spectators were shocked and murmured among themselves, "Huh..? Is he out of his mind? Betting that much... Is he betting all his family's riches? This kid must be a lunatic."
The merchant, smiling, chuckled, "Ho ho ho, seeing such a hot-blooded youth always manages to rile up my blood. This boy has lit a fire inside me. I shall follow his lead and believe in the young one. So, I, the head of the Merchant Association, bet 1000 gold coins on the survival of this beast child."
Tatsuki quickly turned towards the announcer and asked, "Hey, is all of this even allowed? And remind me to settle things with that globe-looking merchant later on; he sure has a big mouth."
The announcer replied arrogantly, "Humph, what does a child know? This is one of the main sources of our income since 20% of the winner's money is donated to our facilities for holding such a grand trial."
Tatsuki sighed and said, "My life is gambled every time... Well, the crafty merchant sure knows how to work up a crowd. But look at Bao gambling on my life. However, we'll be rich after this, so I'll let this one pass."
The first judge chuckled and said, "Haha, this can't be helped now. There's no way of stopping him; the beast will surely die."
The second judge joined in, adding, "Fortune is with us, and we will benefit heavily from this."
The summoners finally conjured a barrier, and inside it, a mana field was being established. Gigantic mana orbs were brought out for the crowd to see, all prepared to witness this battle of life and death.
The announcer turned to Tatsuki and warned, "Brat, have you said your prayers? Once the trial begins, you have to charge inside the barrier, and unless you win, which is impossible, you can never return. Hahahahahaha."
Tatsuki, wearing a confident smile, replied, "You shouldn't look down on people so much, or you might not live long enough to regret it."