David's first battle ended in defeat, leaving him deeply dejected. After leaving the contestants' backstage area, he kept his head lowered and said nothing.
After Angel analyzed the reasons for his defeat, David felt a little better.
He had always thought he had lost because of carelessness. But after hearing Angel's words, he understood that even if he had not been careless, he likely would not have been able to withstand the Piper's attack.
Tricks that manipulated mental power were far too rare among apprentices. David had some potions for repairing mental injuries, but he had no means of resisting mental intrusion. Even if he had been prepared against the Piper, he probably still would have lost in the end.
In other words, although David's opponent was currently unknown, judging by his strength, he was absolutely a dark horse in the New Star Tournament.
Losing to a dark horse seemed understandable. Thinking of it that way, David felt much more relieved.
"Ah, I can only accept it. This loss doesn't matter; I still have another chance," David said. As long as he won the next match, he would not be eliminated.
"Actually, even if you lose, it's fine. Your goal was only to enter the Endless Corridor, and you already qualify now," Angel said. Serum had a good mindset now. He tried his best to win whenever he could, but if he felt he might lose, he conceded early. His goal had already been achieved, and competing with those promising seeds for the rankings was still somewhat unrealistic.
David sighed upon hearing that, then said bitterly, "That was what I thought at first too, but Mentor Liana gave me a death order. She said I had to at least enter the top fifty of the New Star Tournament contestant rankings,