Only one member of the fourth team remained for the first phase to end, so Enrico left it to Caelan to eliminate the last opponent, hoping he would evolve to the third circle. But it seemed harder than the others — even though the fight itself was not that difficult to finish.
'This is really strange... System, can't you show me more about him beyond these stats?'
[Permission denied.]
It wasn't exactly strange that he was taking time — for normal people, that delay was expected — but surprisingly, Caelan had good potential, even if it was one of the lowest among his companions.
'Serenya gathered two subordinates with decent potential. Not as incredible as the others, but still good. The only one among the three who doesn't have much potential… is me.'
He could understand that kind of delay among regular mages, since improving even one percent in a day was difficult unless your circle was only one below.
'I'll have to observe him a few more times.'
"I did it! I won!"
As the opponent vanished, Block A was announced as completed, and they were teleported out a few seconds later — while the other fights in the remaining blocks were still ongoing.
"Looks like Block C finished first."
"Makes sense, considering Victoria was in it."
At the gathering point, Enrico and his team saw Victoria's group looking completely calm. The second team that passed from Block C, however, was from another continent. Elian tilted his head, recognizing the symbol on one of the girls' chests.
"That's the other team from… what was that continent's name again?"
"I think it was Amun's? The guy our leader humiliated."
"Yeah, that's him. Looks like this team's all girls."
While Serenya looked smug after her subordinates' comments, Yumeha rolled her eyes — sure, Serenya had won, but she'd still been wounded.
"I think her name's Lamia del Solvarra… Sorry to say it, but that continent sure has some weird names."
"Caelan, even if that's true, you should keep quiet about it."
"If you're saying that, it means you agree with me, right, Enrico?"
"Absolutely."
Turning his head, Enrico narrowed his eyes as he saw the team that had advanced alongside them from the first phase. This drew his team's attention too. Walking toward them, what seemed to be their leader — wearing a plain mask with no facial details — extended his hand.
"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Jester. It's nice to meet the team that advanced with us."
"Hello, my name is Enrico. I hope you're not a jerk."
Enrico's words as he shook Jester's hand shocked everyone, who stared at him like he was an idiot for saying something so random.
"Sorry about that — it's just that you defeated someone I wanted to fight."
"That's quite interesting, Enrico… I hope we meet in combat next time."
"Me too. Maybe you can teach me a few interesting moves."
As Jester walked away, Enrico waved with a cheerful smile. Jester glanced back, a strange grin spreading beneath his mask. Caelan grabbed Enrico by the shoulders, eyes wide.
"Enrico, how can you talk like that when you don't even know the guy?"
"I don't know… I just have a feeling I'm going to hate him."
"You know, sometimes I really think you're weird."
It wasn't just the way he talked to Jester — Enrico was actually planning to speak with Director Hao about keeping an eye on the man, to find out if he could be trusted in the future. After all, Jester seemed to have immense potential.
'That guy somehow reached the third circle in a single day — when he was still twenty percent away from completing it. If I can figure out how he did it…'
There was no way Enrico wouldn't be suspicious of him — his sudden appearance was far too suspicious. If he were a reincarnator, Enrico could understand him using some otherworldly technique to evolve. But if he were a native change in this world, Enrico would have to discover how he did it — so he could do the same.
'Either way, both options make him a threat… so I'll stay on guard.'
Finishing his thoughts, he looked toward Block B, where Elaris's team was fighting, as Roberto arrived to speak with him and Lira appeared with her team after finishing her own battle in Block D.
"Rising Slash!"
Holding his sword, Kai made a massive cut that split the ground while his opponent tried to block with a stone barrier. Spinning his sword in hand, Kai gathered light and launched a diagonal strike that sliced the defense clean in half.
"Ascending Tide!"
A wave of water engulfed his enemy, dragging him backward and battering him until it smashed into a mountain, leaving a crater.
"Their level doesn't even come close to Enrico's… When are we going to have our rematch? No, Kai — Enrico put you in another team for a reason, so be patient."
Looking in another direction, he saw Valença defeat her opponent with a blazing lightning strike, completely eliminating him. That attack must have been terrifying to endure.
"I feel sorry for anyone who angers her."
Then again, Valença was calm most of the time — the only thing that could truly anger her was someone trying to harm Enrico. Not that Kai could blame her; he'd do the same. Approaching Valença, he glanced toward Rina, who was cleaning her nails.
"Looks like Rina finished her battle first."
"She's strong, so that makes sense."
They stopped talking and turned to where Elaris was fighting. If you looked closely, those three had once shared a rivalry — in the original story, Valença and Rina competed for Kai's attention while he remained oblivious. But now, all three shared one thought as they grew bored of their opponents.
'I want to see Enrico.'
Elaris, with ice-covered claws, slashed her opponent's face into five ribbons, eliminating him quickly. She had been hoping to find an opponent strong enough to test one of Enrico's ideas, but it seemed it wouldn't happen here.
'Looks like Liang's fight is taking a while.'
Liang was having some difficulty with his opponent, but it was obvious who had already won. So they simply waited until the fight ended five minutes later — and then the final announcement came.
"With the last team eliminated, the phase ends here. Prepare yourselves, for Phase Two begins soon!"
"It's over? Does that mean we were the last ones?"
"Seems like it…"
"Damn it, I should've been faster."