Grade Tournament

Spring turned to autumn, and winter arrived once again.

In the blink of an eye, the end of the second semester had arrived.

At this time every year, each grade holds a tournament, with generous rewards for the top three finishers.

The first-place prize for the first year is two hundred gold coins, and as the grade level increases, the prize money rises accordingly.

Such competitions usually come with many restrictions, and given how stifling they are, Jonathan originally had no interest in them.

But since there was prize money to be won, he reluctantly signed up to participate.

Abraham no longer had his work as an assassin, and with his disability, most guard positions wouldn't hire him; as for ordinary labor, the pay was extremely low.

He would likely earn only a few dozen gold coins a year.

His previous savings would eventually run dry.

He felt he had to be self-reliant and could not be a burden to Abraham.

The news of Jonathan participating in the grade tournament quickly spread throughout the entire academy.

Everyone knew Jonathan had high talent, but his true strength remained to be seen in actual combat, so students from the lower grades to the upper grades, and even teaching assistants and mentors, were curious to see what level Jonathan's strength had reached after more than half a year of cultivation.

Jonathan was very low-key in his daily life, and even the teaching assistant who instructed him did not know his true strength.

Soon, the grade tournament officially began.

The competition grounds for each grade were in different locations, consisting of a stone platform fifty meters long and wide, and fifty centimeters high.

Once someone admits defeat or falls off the platform, they are considered to have lost.

Furthermore, both sides in the match are forbidden from using lethal force; violators will have their magic crippled and be expelled from the academy.

The first-year students all felt that Jonathan would take first place, but there were some who were unconvinced.

Masai was one such person.

He had originally wanted to find his cousin from the same clan to help him deal with Jonathan, but his cousin had a level head and refused outright.

Attacking a student valued by the academy, even if it only resulted in an injury, would not end well for him, let alone the fact that his cousin was in the third year; bullying a junior like that would only lead to even harsher punishment.

This time, after looking at the tournament bracket, Masai sought out several people who were slated to face Jonathan and possessed outstanding talent, promising them a large sum of money.

Only one person agreed, the student with the second-highest talent in the first year.

He felt that his own strength had reached that of a level two mage and that he shouldn't be inferior to Jonathan, and since there were plenty of gold coins to be earned, he agreed directly.

However, by the time they met, it was already the semi-finals.

Because of the large number of participants, the grade tournament lasts for nearly a month.

Now, it was nearing its end.

This match was between the first and second most talented students of the incoming class, and many upperclassmen came to watch directly.

In the previous matches, Jonathan had only used level one Dark Magic and level one Earth Magic from start to finish, winning with ease.

"This Sailona is the second most talented student of this intake, possessing both wind and fire elements, with top-tier elemental affinity and super-tier mental power. I heard he has already reached the level of a level two mage. I imagine we will finally see some of Jonathan's true ability in this match."

In their view, even if Sailona had become a level two mage, he would not be Jonathan's opponent.

"The match begins!"

Following the referee's shout, Sailona immediately cast an Extreme Speed Magic on himself and rapidly closed in on Jonathan.

While closing the distance, he quickly gathered fire elements, preparing to cast fire magic.

"Fireball!"

Four or five fireballs, each the size of a fist, condensed out of thin air and shot toward him.

Sailona's plan was obvious: he wanted to get close to Jonathan and then release his magic, hoping to make it impossible for him to dodge and throw him into a panic at close range.

"Shadow Shield!"

Jonathan remained calm and unhurried, the shield forming just as the Fireball reached him.

Thump, thump, thump~

The four or five fireballs slammed into the Shadow Shield, but it only developed cracks and showed no signs of shattering.

"A level two Dark Magic, Shadow Shield. So he really has reached the level of a level two mage. Looking at how he cast it, he is already quite proficient."

The people around them began to discuss it one after another.

Seeing this, Sailona narrowed his eyes and quickly moved away.

"Jonathan, as fellow mages, let's see how you catch up to my speed. Even if you attack me, I can easily dodge it. I am always in an invincible position."

To this, Jonathan merely gave a disdainful smile.

"Shadow Mist!"

A thick, black fog began to spread from his side, quickly covering the entire arena.

"As expected of a genius with 64 times the mental power. I fear only someone like him could cast such a wide-ranging Shadow Mist while only a level two mage."

Shadow Mist is simply a spell to obscure vision; its higher-tier version is Shadow Poison Mist, which not only has a larger range but also hides toxins within the fog, making it very easy to be poisoned if one is not fully protected.

However, this was a fifth-tier Dark Magic.

After the Shadow Mist was cast, Sailona did not dare to move around recklessly, because if he ran blindly, there was a high chance he would rush off the arena himself.

He felt that within the mist, it was impossible for Jonathan to discover him.

But after the guidance from Xue Yan during this period, Jonathan's Assassination Art had already improved significantly.

Both concealing his own aura and sensing the auras of others had reached the level expected of a fourth or fifth-grade assassin.

Therefore, he could easily determine Sailona's position and then approached him step by step.

Jonathan grabbed Sailona by the shoulder, and though Sailona tried to break free, he found it impossible to do so.

Then, a massive force struck him, and his entire body was tossed high into the air, falling directly outside the arena.

Sailona was completely dazed, and so was everyone else.

Jonathan did not care about any of this; after winning the match, he dispelled the Shadow Mist and left immediately.

The referee, slow to react, finally announced Jonathan as the winner.

In the eyes of the crowd, Jonathan became increasingly mysterious.

The championship match on the second day held no suspense; it belonged to Jonathan.

On the evening of his victory, the others in dormitory 2023 celebrated for Jonathan.

Jonathan said, "Is this really necessary? It's just the top rank of the grade."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Collette said, "Look at this, he's being too much. Since you won first place, this meal is rightfully on you."

Jonathan looked at the other two, and their eyes were also filled with anticipation, so he sighed and said, "Fine, you guys pick the place, it's my treat!"

"However, don't go too hard on me; my measly two hundred gold coins can't withstand the spending of you two young masters."

Collette chuckled, "That depends on my mood."

Everyone laughed, and they headed out immediately.

On this trip to the restaurant, no one came to cause trouble; instead, students from the second and third years came to show goodwill toward Jonathan.

In their eyes, Jonathan was perhaps already no weaker than them.

To have such strength after only being enrolled for a little over a semester naturally made them feel a sense of awe.

Talent is just talent; only strength can make people truly convinced.

"Jonathan, after this grade tournament, you're going to be famous again. How long do you plan on staying in the first year?"

"A few days, I suppose. I'll apply for the third-year assessment then."

"Third year?!"

The three of them spoke in unison, then sighed helplessly, "If we're talking about freaks, it has to be you!"