Duel Begins, First Battle Lost

Soon, a large open space was cleared beside the Rune Magic Array trapping Solomon's Flower.

Dago had already learned that the other two major wizard factions competing with Valentin's group for it were Thorns of Pain and Blackroot Thorn.

Both sides had somewhat more people than Valentin's side. In a duel, they would naturally have more flexibility in arranging and selecting their fighters.

Dago now understood why Valentin and the other wizards had become colder toward him after their discussion. They probably thought he was dragging them down.

As he pondered this, the wizards for the first duel had already entered the field. It had nothing to do with them.

The two contestants came from Thorns of Pain and Blackroot Thorn respectively.

Both were male wizards at the Late First-Ring level. One specialized in fire magic, while the other specialized in water magic.

Water and fire were incompatible. The moment they entered the field, they activated their Soul Imprints. Golden fireballs and torrents of water collided continuously in the arena, releasing wave after wave of scalding steam where fire and water met.

The battle lasted for a while before the water wizard from Blackroot Thorn emerged victorious.

The difference in strength between the two had not actually been great. However, the water wizard had unexpectedly possessed a formidable close-combat method as well. That was very characteristic of Blackroot Thorn, whose members practiced close-range spells.

The moment they left the field, both wizards quickly pulled out restorative potions and poured them down their throats, looking thoroughly spent.

The second match was once again Thorns of Pain, but this time their opponent was a wizard from Dago's side.

A young woman with fair skin, a tall figure, and a ponytail stepped out from Thorns of Pain. Her expression carried a hint of