"Ring one: Participant 17 vs Participant 89. Both participants should appear in the ring as quickly as possible lest they be disqualified."
Two people strode quietly to the first ring. An official was waiting for them inside the ring.
The transparent barrier was lowered, and both participants stood face-to-face with each other. The voice continued to announce different fights, and soon all the rings were filled up.
Vale snickered in his mind as he watched everything unfold. A selection process like this was anything but fair.
Since a person's opponent was decided by looking, it was very possible to lose your chance only because your opponent was too strong. But by now Vale had already realised that this was more about entertaining the audience than an actual exam.
Still, he had no intention of failing. He watched the matches closely as there was a chance he might have to fight one of them.
According to the voice, a total of 101 participants were present. The individual with the number 101 was given an automatic pass. Many people didn't think this was fair, but there was nothing they could do about it.
The fights were supposed to last for fifteen minutes, and if there was still no winner, the person who landed the most hits would be announced the victor.
With a loud resounding gong, the fights officially began.
Vale watched but couldn't find anyone worth noting. There were a few powerful people but they all lacked real experience. The best he saw was a bulky body mage who ended the fight in three minutes and left his opponent unable to move.
But Vale didn't have anything to fear; he had been a body mage in his past life, so his knowledge of them was unmatched in the entire Druti.
Another fight that caught his attention was one between a giant man who wielded a great sword and a petite girl with a small wand.
Surprisingly, the man had resigned immediately the fight started. And the most absurd thing was that everyone gave him a respectful look.
Perhaps the girl was secretly overpowered, Vale thought.
Immediately after that fight ended, another was announced for the same ring. Surprisingly, it was Jack who walked up to the stage.
His opponent, however, made Vale's face drop. It was a girl: fair skin and short brown hair. From her shoes, Vale could tell she was a speed adept.
Speed adepts were a scarce class, and Vale wouldn't even have known they existed if it hadn't been for an extensive journal on different types of classes he once read. They specialised in using electrical charges to increase their reaction time and overall speed.
The gold-plated shoes that the lady wore were a must for any speed adept, as they stopped them from burning their feet and enabled them to break momentum easily.
Someone like her was a walking disaster in a matchup like this: all she needed to do was hit her opponent a few times and dodge his attacks. Immediately the time ran out, she would be announced as the winner.
From the looks of it, Jack didn't stand much of a chance—and everyone seemed to know that
"Who's that random fighting Ariella?"
"I don't know, but he's definitely an unlucky guy."
"To fight someone like her in your first match, he probably has some bad Karma."
"Tch, if it hadn't been for Aster, she definitely would have been Druti's number one star for this year."
Everyone seemed to think the same thing and even Vale felt it was over, but it wouldn't hurt to watch the match. With a loud gunshot, the match started.
Before Jack could even swing the sword in his hands, a punch landed on his face, then another one to his chest.
He was immediately pushed back as he wiped a drop of blood from his lips.
His expression turned serious as he tried to find his opponent but all he was met with was another punch to the gut.
A sigh escaped Vale's lips. Even he couldn't keep up with Ariella's movements.
Her figure blurred every time she moved and before you knew it, she had already landed a hit. In the next minute, Jack was hit in almost every part of his body.
Everyone was focused on their match as the young man they had expected to be unable to move stood up once again.
Jack looked at Ariella, who was slowly walking around him, and said, "I'll only need two phases for you."
But before anyone could wonder what he meant by that, Ariella started moving. This time Vale watched intently. He was shocked to realise that what really gave her such an immense advantage, apart from her speed, was her footwork.
It made her frame blur and predicting her attacks became almost impossible. That was why even though Jack attempted to dodge by moving to the side, the punch still connected.
"Give up man, she's clearly holding back," someone in the audience shouted.
They didn't want to see him get beaten up anymore. Others soon joined in advising Jack to give up saying that he was just unlucky and should accept fate.
But Jack had no plans to do that; he got up and, with a smile on his face, said, "Phase one complete."
Ariella frowned, but she still attacked. But this time, instead of hitting his face as she had expected, Jack had caught her fist.
Everyone went silent as they watched the beat-up boy catch Ariella's fist.
Even though she was surprised, she had no intentions of losing. Twisting her body, she sent out a powerful kick that connected with his ribs and sent him tumbling.
Even though no one thought he had a chance of winning, the fact that he had caught her fist surprised everyone.
The fight continued, but this time it seemed more even as Jack was able to intercept most of her attacks. He was still getting a beating but it wasn't as bad as before.
He seems to be adapting, Vale thought.
The fight had gotten really tense, and the moment it hit the ten-minute mark, Ariella started attacking with all her might.
After a full-powered blow to the chest, Jack started coughing blood. Everyone sighed; the match was clearly over. They knew he didn't have a chance but he had put up a good fight.
Just as the referee was about to announce the end of the battle Jack stopped him. And with great difficulty, he got up.
"Phase Two complete," he said with a smile, like an unchangeable verdict of his victory.