"I'm starting to think this guy's just flexing his collection," Traveler Aether muttered, glancing at the other three competitors.
This contest host was no saint.
"I'm Aether, a Traveler from beyond. Anyone know what this 'Sage's Might' is about?" he asked.
The others, all dressed in Inazuma style, looked as clueless as him.
"Not too clear on it," one said. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Traveler Aether, I'm Yureisai."
Yureisai joining wasn't a shock. He sniffed out anything with a hint of elegance like a bloodhound.
What he didn't expect, and desperately wanted to roast, was making it this far on his great youkai strength and centuries of experience.
"Dottore," another said.
Dottore, using some shady connections, had snagged an Inazuman's spot. Disguised, he dominated the "Sage's Erudition," taking first in flora and mineral identification, second in monsters, and first overall.
"I'm Banjiao Shichisei Tarou. Call me Shichisei Tarou," the last one said, grinning.
Shichisei Tarou, Banjiao Nisei's son, was in his thirties. A Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade operative, he inherited some of his father's talent. With solid training, his life energy was a respectable LV60+.
He usually ran errands for Reisen Riou.
But he was just a mortal prodigy. Compared to the other three, his raw talent fell short.
Effort and education set your floor, but talent capped your ceiling.
Past LV50+, effort and education barely mattered. Talent was everything under equal conditions.
Geniuses like Kombumaru soared in life energy, even boosting it with herbs in old age when talent waned.
Less gifted folks, like Asase Hibiki, saw their levels crawl and stall.
Still, Shichisei Tarou wasn't cowed. He'd clawed his way through the cutthroat Brigade to earn Reisen's errand-boy gig—not just because his dad was Nisei.
Running Reisen's errands meant his skills, cunning, and mindset had Reisen's stamp of approval.
And anyone Reisen approved wasn't some goody-two-shoes.
Shichisei Tarou's nickname was the Brigade's Jackal—sly, ruthless, yet strong. Unlike his brawn-focused dad, he excelled in strategy.
His Jackal title sat atop a pile of human and monster corpses.
"I knew this guy's got a twisted streak," Yureisai fumed, clutching the "Sage's Might" rules.
"Uncle Yureisai, isn't it obvious?" said Banjiao Yanji, handing out the rules. "If you can't turn wisdom into strength, it's just clutter, not wisdom."
"Makes sense," Dottore said, stroking his chin. "But he's probably wrestling with the same issue—knowledge piling up without becoming wisdom."
"You've got the rules. I'm out," Yanji said, leaving.
…
The Sage's Might: A four-way melee in a temporary domain, showcasing combat wisdom.
Elimination style, crowning first, second, and third.
Hidden rule: Combat smarts count as wisdom.
…
Dottore saw through the rules instantly. Aether and Yureisai caught the hidden rule too. Shichisei Tarou, knowing Reisen's quirks and leaning on experience, guessed it.
The moment they entered the domain, Dottore bolted for a corner.
In pure combat, the scholar who hadn't cashed in his knowledge was the weakest.
At LV50, Dottore had dabbled in human enhancement tech but held back on himself, fearing organ swaps would mess with his hormones and cloud his thinking.
His life energy, decent but pitiful here, made retreat his first move.
Doing the impossible wasn't wise.
Aether and Yureisai clashed immediately.
Two moves in, Yureisai surrendered.
Aether eyed Shichisei Tarou's smug grin, then glanced at Dottore, hunkered in the corner, up to something.
Without a word, Aether charged Shichisei Tarou.
Shichisei Tarou wasn't fazed.
"Diamond, Immovable!" Two golden lights flared around him.
"Rock Erosion, Void Suppression!" Gray-yellow lights glowed on Aether.
"Curse-user!" Aether pegged Shichisei Tarou's style.
"Nope, I'm an onmyoji. My master's Yushin Seinosuke," Shichisei Tarou corrected.
Unlike casual Yin-Yang Dorm students, he was Yushin's direct disciple, accepted with a formal letter.
"Shikigami Summon!" Shichisei Tarou called two samurai.
Both LV60+. Even Aether felt the pressure.
"Seven Stars Eternal!" His secret technique.
Seven light points appeared behind him, boosting the samurai to LV70+.
Aether knew he couldn't stall. He rushed Shichisei Tarou's main body.
Clang! His edgeless sword bounced off.
"Barrier!" Before Aether could react, dizziness hit, and he blacked out.
"Mist poison—nice choice," Shichisei Tarou said, eyeing Dottore in the corner.
"Just a simple sedative," Dottore said calmly. It was a competition, not a deathmatch. He knew his limits, especially on Reisen's turf.
"Doesn't work on me," Shichisei Tarou said.
Layered barriers glowed around him, screaming safety.