Only one member of the fourth team remained, meaning the first phase was about to come to an end. Therefore, Enrico let Caelan handle the elimination of the final opponent. He wanted to see whether Caelan could evolve to the Third Circle during the battle, but apparently, it was proving more difficult than it had been for the others. Even as the fight dragged on, Caelan still hadn't managed to achieve that goal.
'This is really strange... System, can't you show me more information about him besides these stats?'
[Unfortunately, not at my current level.]
Actually, it wasn't strange that Caelan was taking so long. For an ordinary mage, reaching the next Circle could take quite some time. What made the situation different was that Caelan had good potential, even though he was one of the least talented among his companions.
'Serenya has gathered two subordinates with good potential. They're not as impressive as the main characters, but they're still good. I'm the only one among the three who doesn't have that kind of potential.'
Enrico understood that this evolution could take a while. After all, for an ordinary mage, increasing their progress by even one percent in a single day was already difficult, unless they were in the Zero or First Circle.
'I need to keep an eye on him more often.'
"I did it! I won!"
As soon as the opponent disappeared, Block A was announced as having ended. A few seconds later, the participants were teleported out of the battlefield, while the battles in the other blocks were still ongoing.
"Looks like Block C finished first."
"That makes sense, considering Victoria was there."
At the location where the participants had gathered, Enrico and his team noticed that Victoria's group seemed quite relaxed. The second team to advance from Block C belonged to another continent. Elian tilted his head to the side when he recognized the symbol on one of the girls' chests.
"That's the other team from that continent... What was its name again?"
Caelan thought for a moment.
"I think it was Amun? The guy our leader humiliated."
"Yes, that's the one. It looks like that team is made up entirely of girls."
While Serenya displayed a certain arrogance at her subordinates' words, Yumeha simply watched her with narrowed eyes. After all, she might have won, but she had still been injured during the battle.
Caelan continued talking with Elian, interested in the teams from the other continent.
"I think her name is Lamia del Solvarra... Sorry to say this, but that continent sure has some strange names."
Enrico looked in their direction, amused.
"Caelan, even if that's true, you should keep quiet about it."
"If you say that, then you agree with me, don't you, Enrico?"
"Absolutely!"
Enrico turned his head and narrowed his eyes when he noticed the team that had advanced alongside his own during the first phase. His reaction caught his companions' attention, and without wasting any time, he walked toward them.
Ícaro was standing right behind the person who now seemed to be the team's leader. The young man wore a mask with no details on its face, except for a small tear beneath his left eye. He extended his hand to greet Enrico.
"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Jester. It's a pleasure to meet the team that advanced alongside us."
"Hello, my name is Enrico. I hope you're not an asshole."
Enrico's words, spoken as he shook Jester's hand, surprised everyone around them. His companions looked at him as though he were a complete idiot for saying something so nonsensical during their very first meeting.
"Sorry for saying that. It's just that you defeated someone I wanted to fight."
Behind the mask, Jester's eyes seemed to show a certain amusement.
"That's quite interesting, Enrico... Unfortunately, I have to go, but I hope to meet you in battle next time."
Enrico seemed to become friendlier after hearing his words.
"Me too. Maybe you can teach me a few interesting moves."
Watching him walk away, Enrico waved with an excited smile. Jester, in turn, glanced back as he continued walking, letting out a strange smile.
Caelan grabbed Enrico by the shoulders, wearing an astonished expression.
"Enrico, how can you talk like that to someone you don't even know?"
"I don't know... I have a feeling I'm going to hate that guy."
Caelan was incredulous at his friend's words before letting out a sigh.
"You know, sometimes I think you're really weird."
Actually, it wasn't just about the way Enrico had spoken to Jester. He also intended to talk to Director Hao and ask him to have someone keep the man under surveillance until they could determine whether he was trustworthy enough to be allowed to remain around them in the future. After all, that individual seemed to possess considerable potential.
Enrico's eyes briefly passed over Ícaro, allowing him to observe the boy's new stats. Then, he turned his attention back to Jester.
'This guy somehow made Ícaro reach the Third Circle in just one day, even though he still had twenty percent left to complete his previous Circle. If I can figure out how he did it...'
Enrico couldn't help but be suspicious of him after such a questionable appearance. If he were a reincarnated person, Enrico could understand that he was using some technique from another world to evolve. But if he were someone from this world who had appeared as a change in the story, then Enrico would need to discover how he had achieved that result so he could do the same.
'Regardless of which of these two possibilities is true, he could still pose a threat. Therefore, I'll keep my guard up.'
After finishing his thoughts, Enrico looked back toward Block B, where Elaris's team was still fighting. At that moment, Seraphina approached to talk to him, while Lira also appeared with her team, since the battle in Block D had ended.
In the forest where Elaris's team was, another battle was taking place. This time, they were facing a different team from the one they had fought earlier.
"Crescent Slash!"
Holding his sword, Kai delivered a wide swing that opened a massive fissure in the ground.
His opponent tried to defend himself by raising a stone barrier, but while he was still dealing with the first attack, Kai spun the sword in his hand and concentrated his Light Magic. Then, he unleashed a diagonal slash that pierced through his opponent's defense, splitting the barrier in half.
"Rising Tide!"
A massive wave of water appeared and swallowed his enemy, dragging him backward while continuously dealing damage. The wave only stopped when it slammed him against a mountain, creating a small crater at the spot.
"Their level doesn't even come close to Enrico's... When will we have our rematch?"
Kai let out a small snort and shook his head, trying to push those thoughts out of his mind.
'No, Kai. Enrico placed you on a different team for exactly this reason. So be patient.'
Looking in another direction, Kai saw Valença defeat her opponent with an incandescent lightning bolt, eliminating him completely. That attack must have been quite terrifying for anyone on the receiving end.
"I feel sorry for anyone who makes her angry."
Actually, Valença was quite calm. There was probably only one thing that could make her lose her temper: someone trying to hurt Enrico in some way. Not that Kai could judge her, since he would do exactly the same thing.
Approaching Valença, he looked toward Rina, who was calmly cleaning her nails.
"Looks like Rina finished her battle first."
"She's strong, so that makes sense."
The two stopped talking and turned their attention toward where Elaris was fighting. In the original story, those three had a relationship marked by rivalry. Valença and Rina competed for Kai's attention, while he didn't even realize what was happening.
Now, however, all three shared practically the same thought as they faced opponents who couldn't offer them any real challenge.
'I want to see Enrico.'
Elaris, with her hand covered by an ice claw, charged at her opponent and slashed his face five times, eliminating him quickly. She was trying to find someone strong enough to put Enrico's idea into practice, but so far, she hadn't succeeded.
'Looks like Liam's fight is going to take a while.'
Liam was having some difficulty against his opponent. Even so, it was easy to tell who would emerge victorious from that battle. Therefore, the others simply remained watching until the fight was over.
Five minutes later, the battle finally came to an end, with Liam reaching the Third Circle. Exhausted, the boy lay down on the ground, barely able to catch his breath, when he heard the announcement.
"With the last team eliminated, this phase has come to an end! Get ready, because the second phase will begin soon!"
Liam looked at his companions in surprise.
"It's over? Does that mean we were the last ones?"
Elaris heard the announcement and let out a sigh. The fight against Mei had taken quite a while, even with the advantage her team had over their opponents. That rank had managed to give them quite a bit of trouble, especially alongside Meilin, who had started using different strategies after realizing she wouldn't be able to defeat Elaris's team quickly.
"Looks like it..."
When Elaris and Liam looked behind them, they found their three companions wearing tense smiles.
"Damn it! We should have been faster."