At the end of a street in Number Three Floating City stood a rather large Magic-Essence Communication Device.
Few people gathered around it. They all wore gray-black robes, as though they didn't want anyone to recognize their faces.
They dressed this way because the Black Market was nearby. Though no rule required it, everyone heading there wore a gray-black robe to hide their identity.
It was the tenth day of the Group Stage. The screen showed Fran facing the last opponent in her group. If she won, she would make history again, bringing an undefeated Group Stage record back into the public eye.
The people gathered here had all bet on the match through the Black Market. Its odds were better, but it required larger wagers.
Everyone present had staked at least five gold coins. The odds now stood at 1:11, much lower than before.
That was because Fran had quickly repeated her performance from the Preliminaries over the course of the Group Stage.
Her opponents had figured out that her Greater Fireball could break through the protection of one Shield Spell Ring. Now everyone wore two.
They had kept probing her fighting style, too. Yesterday, a mage had managed to last five spell rounds against Fran—a full fifteen seconds.
That had forced her to reveal quite a few formidable abilities, including uncanny accuracy. She could strike a fast-moving target high in the air with a single shot.
She also had powerful close-range skills. When a Sword Chant School mage rushed her, she could quickly cast a spell to open up distance, then end the match with a barrage of magic.
And she had potent control spells. When an opponent desperately stalled to strengthen their defenses before attacking, she used Heart of Quicksand to trap them, shield and all, leaving