The St. Marian Open-air Dueling Arena was constructed largely like the Roman Colosseum.
But beneath its magnificent exterior, mysteries lay hidden.
The colossal audience seating, capable of holding tens of thousands, did not actually exist within the academy. Instead, through a special mechanism, it was distributed across various regions of the kingdom.
In an era lacking entertainment, duel competitions were exceptionally prevalent, which also gave rise to a variety of new industries.
And while St. Marian's dueling tournament was not the most authoritative, it was the most popular!
Every weekend, thousands upon thousands of spectators would enter audience seats in various locations to watch the students' spectacular duels through near-realistic Magic Guide Projections.
At this moment, at the St. Marian Dueling Branch located in the Royal Capital, carriages were stopping one after another at the entrance.
After a full week of busyness, watching a wonderful duel at the arena was considered a reward for oneself.
But the atmosphere today seemed somewhat different?
Old John had just walked out from the corner when he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
He was forty-six this year and still a bachelor, but in this era, just surviving was good enough.
Moreover, he had recently found a way to get rich. If he could use this to make a fortune, maybe he could truly find a partner?
He glanced at the entrance.
The rise of the competitive industry was always accompanied by various kinds of betting.
But he didn't participate in betting; he was just a seller of small notebooks—notebooks recording player information.
At this time every year, newcomers would join, so he came on time to collect intelligence in order to compile new notebooks.
But this atmosphere today...
John couldn't help but shrink back into the corner, fear in his heart.
The family crests on those carriages were simply too frightening!
Not only were there crests of Great Nobles, but there were also Royal Emblems!
"My God, what is the situation?"
Old John was so scared his legs went soft.
"Could it be that there are members of the Royal Family among today's newcomers?"
He shivered twice and hurriedly retreated.
He couldn't watch any longer.
If he were noticed by the Royal Guards, he wouldn't be able to explain himself even if he was innocent.
He decided to wait half an hour before entering the venue.
...
Inside one of the Royal Carriages.
[Sage of Beasts] Claire Kite was narrowing her eyes, stroking the back of a fat cat named "Galileo," seeming to recall a certain tactile sensation.
And beside her, [Valkyrie] Alvit St. Demon was conversing intimately with Eldest Princess Eliza.
Ever since the Eldest Princess had attended St. Marian's Halloween party, Alvit would often seek her out for chats. Later, after Claire returned, she latched onto Claire as well.
She was always worried that her son would be bullied in the academy, or wondered if he was eating well and dressing warmly.
Without his mother by his side, would he be lonely?
Even though both Eliza and Claire told her there was absolutely no need to worry, she still couldn't set her mind at ease.
"It's been almost half a year since I saw my baby; I wonder if he's lost weight?"
Alvit gazed into the distance, full of worry.
Eldest Princess Eliza comforted her, "Duchess, you will be able to see him very soon."
Alvit: "But can my baby really pass the Dueling Club's assessment in his first year?"
Eliza's tone revealed helplessness: "He is a recipient of the Red Star."
Alvit: "Really?"
Eliza couldn't help but lean back against the chair and look up at the sky.
Such a normally intelligent person, how did she become like this?
A few minutes later.
They stepped down from the carriage.
Almost simultaneously, First Prince Charles also stepped down from another Royal Carriage. Accompanying him was the Archbishop of the Holy Church—a haggard-looking old man.
The two sides exchanged a glance from afar. The First Prince let out a cold snort, then led the Archbishop into the venue from the other side.
They were here to see the "Hero."
...
St. Marian.
Dark walked into the Open-air Dueling Arena with the crowd, observing the venue's facilities with great interest.
This was his first time entering this place. The dueling grounds of the Open-air Dueling Arena were obviously larger than those of the indoor venues; every field started at 120x80.
And the size of the field would inevitably cause changes in techniques and tactics.
In short, the superficial rhythm would slow down.
But the internal confrontation would intensify instead.
He turned his head to look at the audience seats.
It was not yet eight o'clock, so the connection between the audience seats and the dueling grounds had not been opened.
Seeing it now, the audience seats were empty, making the entire massive venue appear quite deserted.
As for the students who wanted to watch the battles, they were in the special seats internally.
That was a ring-shaped belt between the audience seats and the dueling grounds, which would not be projected to the branch venues across the kingdom along with the dueling grounds.
"Then I'll head over first."
Rose raised the [Bear and Cat] sign and waved it, then walked towards the ring-shaped belt.
Dark and Diana showed their Player Cards to the staff, then entered the internal player tunnel.
"Which match are you in?" Dark asked.
Diana shook her Sorting Card, narrowed her eyes, and said, "The fourth match."
Dark: "If it's ten minutes per match, that's the 8:30 slot. Do you have a chance of winning?"
Diana thought for a moment: "A little, but really only a little, okay?"
Dark laughed, "Then just do your best."
Diana worried, "But what if I do my best and still can't win?"
Dark: "Then win it back next time."
Diana: "True!"
She immediately laughed.
...
Gradually.
The ring-shaped belt filled with people.
Not only were all the first-year students present, but quite a few high school students had come as well, along with some professors.
Although the Rookie Tournament couldn't compare to the major tournaments in terms of spectacle, the unique vigor of newcomers could add a lot of color to the duels.
Professor Jones and Professor Fox sat side by side; this time, they weren't bickering.
Beside them, Professor Silf and Professor Lily were also there.
However, one was there to observe as the Vice Principal, while the other was purely there to find amusement.
A bit further away, Professor Ryan Hacks and Professor Medea Bartholomew were also present.
Eight o'clock sharp.
A phenomenon similar to spatial distortion appeared in the audience seats. Immediately after, spectators appeared in the seats one by one—they hadn't truly arrived, but were merely existences similar to projections.
Dark, located in the player waiting room, looked through the window toward the ring-shaped belt, wanting to find Senior Pandora's figure. Then, he unexpectedly saw Alvit in the audience seats!
Alvit sat in the front row. To her left was the Eldest Princess, and to her right was Claire; her smooth golden hair was extremely conspicuous.
If she just sat there, she was the model of gentleness and demureness.
However, the current Alvit was full of worry.
Probably because the bell for eight o'clock had already rung, yet she still hadn't been able to see her precious son's face.
Dark couldn't help but hesitate, "Why did they come?"
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