Chapter 141: End of the First Round

Chapter 141: The Conclusion of the First Round

Levi retrieved a shard of the shattered carapace, its inner surface etched with magical runes.

He cast his gaze toward the hermit crab beast crawling out from the thick veil of smoke.

The corners of his mouth upturned, betraying a faint smile.

He had seen right through the true nature of the beast.

It was no genuine magical beast at all, but rather a magical golem deployed upon the shore by the Mages' Association.

It was small wonder, then, that these creatures possessed such staggering magic resistance.

They were, in truth, specialized golems crafted by the Association.

Designed specifically to sift out those mages who lacked sufficient strength.

Only those capable of besting a magical golem were deemed worthy to advance to the grounds of the second round.

The entire affair was an elaborate arrangement by the Mages' Association.

Whish!

A gust of wind swept past, dispersing the gunpowder smoke and leaving the cracked-shelled hermit crab golem motionless where it stood.

A moment later, the creature withdrew into its carapace and burrowed deep into the earth.

Levi understood that this signified his passage.

Stepping across the sandy beach, he made his way toward the forest.

To damage the shell of the hermit crab golem meant he had earned the right to proceed to the second round.

Crack, crack, crack!

A sudden, biting chill assailed Levi's senses.

Turning his head, he beheld a golem beast completely encased in frost, transformed into an ice sculpture.

A solitary figure walked toward the forest with calm, unhurried composure.

Levi's heart stirred. "It's that ice mage who froze the sea to cross it."

"To freeze a golem beast so effortlessly, their strength must surely have reached the second rank."

Boom!

The frost shattered, yet the golem beast that broke free from the ice did not resume its assault; instead, it burrowed into the ground, awaiting the next challenger.

One after another, contestants defeated the golem beasts upon the shore and entered the forest.

"Hey, you're incredibly fast!"

Xiong Er raised his arm, calling out a greeting to Levi.

Levi smiled in return. "You were faster than me."

"Hardly, it was just luck. I happened to land not far from the island,"

Xiong Er replied with a simple, honest laugh.

Leaving the shoreline behind, they stepped onto the grassy expanse of the forest.

Beside Levi's ear, the chime of successful passage resounded.

"Congratulations, contestant, on passing the first round. You may exit the island secret realm at any time. The second round will commence tomorrow."

Levi was in no rush to depart; he stood at the forest's edge, observing the crowd.

He watched the varying methods of the different mages and how they chose to contend with their foes.

Thud!

A dull sound echoed, prompting Levi to look over.

Xiong Er's path had been barred by a wall of air.

He pressed his hand against the invisible barrier before him and remarked, "Blocked off. It seems we can't head over to take a look in advance."

Levi walked over as well, discovering a massive barrier erected right before them.

After lingering at the forest boundary to watch the battles a while longer, Levi remembered that Gu Ze and Rota were still waiting for him.

With that, he withdrew from the island secret realm.

Levi returned to the spectator stands.

Seeing him return, Gu Ze said with a note of regret, "Where did you go just now? You missed a spectacular scene."

Levi took his seat and inquired, "What was so spectacular?"

Gu Ze replied, "The brilliant methods the mages of every element used to cross the sea."

"Now the first round has entered its second stage. The mages capable of crossing the sea have essentially reached the shore. They only need to defeat a single beast to enter the second round."

Fearing Levi might not understand the situation, Gu Ze explained it to him in detail.

Rota, however, asked with some bewilderment, "How did the Mages' Association manage to make those beasts so obedient?"

Levi smiled faintly and murmured, "Perhaps those aren't real beasts. It's quite possible they are merely magical golems."

Hearing this, both Gu Ze and Rota froze for a moment.

The two lowered their heads in contemplation, and Gu Ze nodded in agreement. "It is entirely possible."

Levi looked down; the arena rings displayed scenes from within the island secret realm.

The forest and volcanic regions of the secret realm were shrouded beneath dark clouds, not yet open and thus unavailable for viewing.

The audience could only witness the events unfolding upon the ocean and the shoreline. Levi noticed a fair number of mages still struggling in the water, making slow progress toward the island.

Suddenly, his gaze flickered slightly as he spotted Lilith entering the forest.

Lilith did not engage the golem beasts in combat; she transformed directly into a shadow, slipping into the woods.

Only when she exited the island secret realm did she finally reveal her form.

Gu Ze watched the display below and noted, "Wilder has reached the beach."

Rota sighed with emotion. "That was truly no easy feat."

Wilder dragged himself out of the sea, spitting out a mouthful of saltwater with a look of utter revulsion.

Last time, at the Kovada Mine, he had been transported into an underground river after utilizing a random teleportation scroll.

He had drifted along the subterranean currents until he reached a lake, where his tracks were finally discovered and he was rescued.

Ever since that day, he harbored an indescribable dread of water.

Because of this, he had deliberately mastered an underwater breathing spell.

He never anticipated that it would happen to come in handy during the competition.

A tortoise-like golem beast crawled toward Wilder.

Wilder's expression turned grim, and he unleashed the entirety of his pent-up fury upon the beast.

As a ring mage, his spellcasting was exceedingly swift.

The moment the tortoise puppet magical beast drew near, a multitude of sharp stone pillars surged violently from the subterranean depths.

Thud, thud, thud!

The tortoise beast was thrust upward and upended, left sprawling helplessly on its back, entirely unable to right itself.

Clang, clang, clatter!

Wilder assaulted the creature for a spell, but upon realizing he could do nothing against the incomparably resilient shell, he abandoned his assault on the tortoise beast.

Bypassing the overturned reptile as it spun futilely on the ground, he advanced toward the forest.

Gu Ze, witnessing Wilder enter the woodlands, spoke with delight, "Mage Wilder has also advanced to the second round."

"This time, our Maple Leaf City surely won't finish in dead last!"

Rota shook his head and replied, "It is hard to say; though Mage Wilder is a second-tier Ring Mage, it is precisely because of his status as a Ring Mage that his advantage in the exchange competition is far from substantial."

Ring Mages ascended in rank far more readily than traditional mages.

In the exchange competitions of yesteryear, second-tier Ring Mages under the age of twenty-five were by no means a rarity.

Yet, it was almost invariably the traditional mages who ultimately claimed the championship.

Gu Ze turned his gaze toward Levi, uttering with a sense of relief, "It is quite fortunate you did not participate this time, otherwise I fear you would have been eliminated right at the outset."

"The first round is exceedingly unkind to a fire-element mage such as yourself."

Levi was rendered speechless, thinking to himself: Could you not possess a fraction more confidence in me?

At present, he could only nod in agreement, saying, "Indeed, it is fortunate I did not participate."

More than half of the mages had been eliminated by the ocean, while a small portion were barred just before the beach, unable to set foot within the forest.

There were also some mages who managed to overtake their peers within the coastal zone.

The competition persisted until midday, when the thirty individuals advancing to the second round were finally established.

The moment the thirtieth person stepped into the forested region.

Every mage within the island secret realm heard the announcement marking the end of the match.

Those mages still locked in combat or struggling to swim all raised their heads to stare blankly at the sky, unable to believe it had concluded so swiftly.

The sun had not even begun its descent toward the horizon.

Then, the crowd was forcibly teleported out of the island secret realm.

The Mage Association published the roster of contestants for the second round.

Simultaneously, they announced the regulations for the second stage, allowing everyone to prepare themselves in advance.

"For the second round of competition, each individual is permitted the use of a single first-tier magical artifact."

"The second round shall take place within the forested zone, where all contestants must survive for seven days within the island secret realm, during which time the use of spatial items is strictly prohibited; save for your chosen magical artifact and clothing, no sustenance of any kind may be brought into the tournament grounds."

"The Mage Association has concealed magical cards throughout the forest, and upon the expiration of the seven days, the ten individuals possessing the greatest number of magical cards shall advance to the third and final round."

"Contestants, please make your necessary preparations."

Hearing this, Levi knitted his brows in a frown.

A span of seven days; how was he to conceal this from Gu Ze and Rota?

Walking along the path back to the hostel, Levi pondered the dilemma.

He possessed one expedient, which was to cast the spell of phantom shapeshifting upon his shadow servant, allowing the servant to take his place.

Yet, doing so would deprive him of the shadow servant's assistance.

The loss would far outweigh the gain.