Diana's victory acted like a shot of adrenaline, igniting the entire venue.
Before the match, no one expected this first-year girl to successfully challenge a higher-level opponent. After all, her opponent wasn't a rookie just joining the Dueling Club either. There was indeed a technical barrier between the first and second years. Her victory exceeded everyone's expectations!
But that was exactly what made dueling so charming. It was just a pity that the Magic Spheres in the Rookie Tournament had too little Mana, leaving people wanting more.
As the referee announced Diana's victory, thunderous applause erupted from the ring-shaped belt and the audience seats! Rose waved her sign desperately; she hadn't been this excited since the start of the semester. The students of the Noble House in the first year also took the lead in applauding, acting as if they were the ones who had won.
But the most excited person had to be Viscount Greatbear in the audience seats!
"Awooo!"
Viscount Greatbear stood up abruptly, letting out an excited roar like a giant bear! He never imagined his clumsy daughter could achieve such results in just half a semester. This was simply a miracle!
Although he had vowed confidently before, he was actually very worried that Diana's performance would be inferior to Doron's, which would have been embarrassing and a loss of face. But now, he discovered that his daughter might very well possess the talent to lead a new era!
"Could it be that my daughter is the type who hides great wisdom behind a foolish appearance? Is her usual clumsiness just the innocent expression of her naive period?"
Even the Viscountess couldn't help thinking this, quietly wiping the corner of her eye.
"This is the daughter of the Greatbear family? She actually won!"
First Prince Charles had originally been watching with boredom, but he was suddenly startled awake. Doron's duel earlier had truly bored him, even giving him the idea that "this is the level of first-years." If not to observe the future "Hero," he wouldn't have wanted to waste time here at all.
However, the daughter of the Greatbear family surprised him.
"But why is it a female again?"
In recent years, with the rise of the Valkyrie as a benchmark for women, the entire social structure of the kingdom had undergone major changes. The status of women had gradually strengthened, and a large number of self-reliant talents had emerged one after another. This situation even gave Eliza the confidence to contend with him for power!
The First Prince was a staunch supporter of the traditional aristocratic system, which was how he gained the firm support of some old nobles; he disliked this gradually changing social phenomenon very much.
On the other side.
Eldest Princess Eliza and the others appreciated Diana very much. Especially Alvit, who learned that Diana was one of Dark's little friends; she found the child pleasing to the eye no matter how she looked at her. This was probably a case of loving the house and its crow.
However, after a while, Alvit began to mutter about why her son hadn't appeared yet. St. Marian was too inhumane on this point; they didn't even distribute a schedule!
Wilson on the commentary platform was embarrassed for a long time, but finally congratulated Diana on her victory, then quickly adjusted his mood and fast-forwarded to the next match.
The two contestants for the fifth match were already in position at the tunnel entrance; it was also a match between a first-year and a second-year. After the exciting duel between Diana and Frank, the audience had extra expectations for this match. Wilson also became more energetic in his commentary.
Diana stood blankly on the player platform for a long time. The deafening applause and cheers made her feel like she was in a dream.
"I really won, huh!"
It wasn't until her father's roar came that she suddenly woke up, then a smile bloomed bit by bit. She waved her hand vigorously toward the player waiting room, toward Rose in the ring-shaped belt, and toward her parents in the audience seats.
Excitement!
It wasn't until the referee began to urge her that she reluctantly recalled her Magic Guide Spirits, carefully put her deck back into her card pouch, and then skipped down the stage.
As for Frank on the opposite side, he could afford the cost of 50 credits.
"Bang!"
He slammed the table hard. Frank indicated that he would remember this! He would probably still be mixing in the Rookie Tournament for another half year, so there would be plenty of chances to meet Diana again!
While Dark felt happy for Diana's victory, he didn't forget to continue paying attention to the players in the fifth match.
The first-year contestant this time was Justin Wayne from the Knight House, a classmate who was quite popular in the Knight House but not very familiar to him. Justin Wayne's deck seemed to be a standard Knight series, ranging from Human Knights, Orc Knights, Goblin Wolf Riders... to Mechanical Cavalry; it was basically composed of this type of Magic Guide Spirit.
His strength was not weak, ranking among the forefront of the first-year students. Among the seven first-year duelists, he was probably in the middle. Before seeing a specific battle, Dark couldn't determine the outcome. After all, first-year students were in a period of high-speed growth. Just like Diana, having a 4-star Magic Guide Spirit completed a stage-crossing leap.
Speaking of Diana, Diana arrived. She walked with light steps back to the player waiting room, wanting to get Dark's praise.
"How was it? My [Bear Cub], surprised?"
Diana pulled out [Bear Cub] and waved it in front of Dark.
Dark couldn't help but chuckle lightly, "Very good. This should be an Orange Card, right?"
Diana immediately nodded, "The first one! Refined using your Christmas gift!"
Dark took the opportunity to ask his question: "Is [Bear Cub]'s [Bear Cub Special Attack Unit] an Ultimate Move that can summon companions?"
Diana glanced left and right, then said sneakily, "It's like this. For every extra bear cub, the Special Attack Unit's attack increases by 100 points, and the attack range doubles."
Dark was instantly shocked: "Is there a limit?"
Diana shook her head, "I don't know."
Some Ultimate Move information required research and experimentation to be fully analyzed. [Bear Cub]'s [Bear Cub Special Attack Unit] definitely had a capacity limit, but this limit was likely related to factors like [Bear Cub]'s leadership. If one could find a way to break through this limit and form a Special Attack Unit of one hundred little bears, then the attack intensity of this move would be terrifyingly unprecedented!
But this certainly wouldn't be easy.
Dark exclaimed, "That's amazing!"
Diana touched her head and giggled, "Just average."
For a moment, the atmosphere was warm.
Dark turned to watch the match with Diana. Having completed her task, Diana was much more relaxed and could chat about a few viewpoints with him. Although her brain wasn't very sharp, under the influence of the adults in her family, she actually had relatively good tactical cultivation. Dark actually found it somewhat useful during the chat.
And on the field.
That Justin Wayne actually used a strange Magic Card that allowed three knights to form a triangular formation, thereby drastically increasing the overall attack and defense of the three knights, actually gaining an advantage for a short time! Unfortunately, his opponent wasn't a pushover either. He quickly found an opportunity to kill one of the knights, breaking the formation, and then attacked with the momentum, forming a crush and finally achieving victory.
Justin Wayne's performance was very dazzling, but unfortunately, he didn't succeed in challenging a higher level like Diana. That second-year senior breathed a fierce sigh of relief the moment he won; his pressure was actually quite high. After all, he couldn't let the second year lose face.
The following sixth to eighth matches were all duels between second-year students. Among them, the duel between the two second-years in the eighth match was very intense and wonderful, igniting the whole venue again. Dark watched very seriously, feeling that he had learned a lot.
When the ninth match began, he took a slight breath and started preparing to go on stage. His match was the tenth, just the next one.
But just as he wanted to step away from the window, he suddenly noticed that one of the two players entering the stage was actually the third-year Senior Sister Angelia! And her opponent was only a second-year senior.
Although Senior Sister Angelia somewhat lacked dueling experience, she was truly powerful. Dark still had fresh memories of that bitter battle.
"Is she here with a gunny sack to rake in cash?"
And sure enough.
The ninth match became Angelia's solo show! When Dark felt that the situation was set, he told Diana and walked into the player tunnel.
It was just past 9:30, almost the same as the estimated time on the duel notice. He walked through the long underground passage and arrived at the Red Side player tunnel entrance, handing his Player Card to the staff member guarding the entrance.
"First year's Dark Demon?" This third-year young lady couldn't help asking.
Dark nodded: "It's me."
The young lady couldn't help chuckling: "I remember you. Angelia lost to you in the recruitment tournament!"
Dark smiled: "Senior, I really hope you can remember me for other reasons."
"Alright." The young lady handed the Player Card back to him, but didn't withdraw her fair hand. "Let's get to know each other. I am a third-year student of Fool's House, Angelia's classmate, Demi Charlotte."
Dark reached out and shook her hand: "Hello, Senior Charlotte."
Demi then withdrew her hand and said, "Alright, later when Angelia passes through here, you have to pretend not to know me."
"This..."
Dark was a bit confused; we aren't familiar to begin with! Diana is still cuter and easier to understand.
While waiting, Dark leaned against the wall to continue watching the match.
A minute later, he suddenly noticed someone walking out from the player tunnel on the opposite side.
"That must be Elsie Kevin."
Dark recalled the memories in his mind. He hadn't specifically paid attention to the upper-year students, so he didn't know much about this senior who was also from the Noble House. But this didn't prevent him from having met him in the common room.
Elsie Kevin was only thirteen years old. In terms of looks, he wasn't ugly, just having some minor puberty issues sprouting on his face. His behavior was always rigid, and when he appeared in the common room, he usually had three or four companions. And he had always been the central figure in his small group. It was evident that his reputation among the second-year students of the Noble House was quite decent.
Dark observed carefully for a while, suddenly remembering something, and turned to ask Senior Charlotte, "Senior, do you know him?"
Demi Charlotte glanced at Kevin on the opposite side and said casually, "The winner of the previous 'Crimson Star', you don't know him? That shouldn't be. I remember you are this year's 'Crimson Star'..."
"Ah, this!"
Dark looked away slightly. No wonder Senior Pandora was somewhat familiar with his name. It meant that this Senior Kevin had received the trophy at the Halloween party the year before last!
Although winning first place in the year during the Halloween event didn't actually mean he was the strongest at that time, it undoubtedly affirmed his strength. The current Elsie Kevin would probably not be easier to deal with than Senior Sister Angelia.
"I feel like I'm getting fired up!"
Dark's eyes shone, his spirit and energy clearly different. From the indifferent attitude when the assignment was released, to the slight interest last night, to the desire to win this morning... and now full of fighting spirit. Dark's psychology had undergone several progressive processes. He felt his condition was good.
And at this very moment, Elsie Kevin was also observing this side.
He was actually in the process of the Promotion Tournament. Originally, he didn't want to wade into these muddy waters. To advance from the Rookie Tournament to the Main Tournament, one needed to accumulate 100 points and then win three consecutive matches in the Promotion Tournament. Winning a match gained 10 points, losing one deducted 10 points.
Kevin wanted to enter the Main Tournament this semester to hone himself, so he had applied for promotion last week. He had already won one match and needed two more. He wanted to secure these two matches steadily and didn't want any complications.
But sometimes, some things were hard to refuse. After all, Kevin had joined the Noble History Research Society and had gained great benefits from it. Reasonably and emotionally, he could only obey the President's wishes.
"Then let's participate."
He thought so at the time. Anyway, the opponent was just a first-year student. Although this first-year student seemed a bit overpowered, he himself belonged to the top tier among second-year students, so he had some confidence.
The noble arrogance engraved in his bones made him feel he wouldn't be inferior to anyone. Both were from the Noble House, and he had studied for one more year; there was no reason to lose.
The gazes of both sides collided slightly in the air but didn't spark any fire. Instead, the referee's whistle appeared. The duel between Senior Sister Angelia and that second-year senior finally ended.
Angelia, coming down from the Red Side player platform, unexpectedly saw Dark at the tunnel entrance. She stopped to say hello, feeling very regretful: "Bad luck, didn't run into you."
Dark blinked: "150 credits in hand, huh."
Angelia smiled again: "Yes, another book in hand."
Then she continued forward, leaving only a wisp of fragrance light as green bamboo.
Dark was a bit confused: "What book costs 150 credits? A limited signed collector's edition?"
Demi Charlotte laughed: "In that antique bookshop opened by a goblin on Traveler Street, sometimes there are auctions for rare copies. You can also go and try your luck."
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