Victor's "Molten Champion" rampaged through the ruins. With every snap of its massive, crimson scorpion pincers, it seared a row of molten holes into the armor of the Alchemy Puppets. The crystal at the tip of its scorpion tail fired lasers, expertly targeting their weak points.
On the projection screens, Victor Iron Flame's name steadily climbed, and he soon broke into the top ten on the leaderboard.
"Way to go, Victor! Take out those old dogs!"
"Just what you'd expect from the Tieyan Family's genius! The Molten Champion's firepower is insane!"
In the spectator stands, the junior apprentices, who had never seen such a spectacle, erupted in cheers. The atmosphere was electric.
For the first hour of the competition, the rules forbade participants from attacking one another.
The various Alchemy Puppets scattered around the arena, regardless of their strength, were worth only one point each when destroyed.
This turned the first hour into a pure "point-grinding" phase.
