First Day

Nora headed to the Champion Mage Challenge full of excitement. She rarely followed Magic Duelists and had no idea what made their duels worth watching, but she was eager to find out.

According to The Alliance Must-See Events, the Champion Mage Challenge was a grand gathering for Magic Duelists from across the Alliance.

The winner earned the right to advance directly to the Third Order. That made every other ranking meaningless. Only the Champion Mage mattered.

Spectators could expect clever strategies, formidable physiques, masterful use of combat magic, and quick thinking in the face of the unexpected.

Nora could hardly wait. She was already imagining how spectacular the duels would be.

Perhaps one duelist would have perfected the balance between casting shields and attack spells, raising a shield just before every incoming strike while keeping up an unbroken assault.

Their opponent might excel at reshaping the battlefield, transforming it beyond recognition and exploiting every advantage the new terrain offered.

The fight would be perilous, its outcome uncertain until the very last moment. Everyone would be too tense to speak.

In the end, the terrain-shaping duelist would win by a hair. The victor would make a graceful exit to thunderous cheers, while the loser would leave in regret. That was the Magic Duel Nora wanted to see.

Surely the Champion Mage Challenge had to be like that. How else could it have such a reputation?

She even suspected the tournament would multiply the crowds in Number Three Floating City.

If Fran had not demanded strict enforcement of the rules before the tournament, the reality would have fallen somewhat short of Nora's fantasy—but not by much.

After all, the hundred Magic Duelists in the arena had been selected from across the Alliance. They had earned their places through points won in match