Completely Clueless

After the first two rounds of eliminations, the original twenty-three contestants from eight schools had been reduced to just four for the final round.

Quite a few school leaders were puzzled by the so-called third round of the Potions Championship.

Previous Potions Championships had only ever had two rounds. The first was meant to select the top few contestants, while the second tested their overall abilities.

Whoever scored the highest won the championship.

But this year's Potions Championship had changed. Not only had a third round been added, but the champion would now be determined by the combined scores from all three rounds.

Not long ago, when everyone learned what the third round would entail, they understood why the rules had been changed.

The contestants had to list the ingredients needed to brew their potion for the third round within half an hour. This meant those who had prepared in advance held a greater advantage.

As for the claim that it allowed contestants to showcase their talents, that was merely a more palatable excuse. Everyone understood the real reason.

This round gave Gai Bernard an enormous advantage. That bastard had probably begun preparing months ago, hadn't he?

And who knew whether there would be other traps in the third round?

The hidden trap in the second round had already caught most of the contestants off guard. Gai Bernard would undoubtedly have been able to open a huge scoring gap over the other contestants with the first two rounds, and with a third round he had prepared for in advance, he could have won the Potions Championship by an overwhelming margin.

Calling him a preordained champion would not have been an exaggeration.

Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with changes. How could President Bernard, after making so many preparations, have expected