Chapter 390: Rules

Chapter 390: The Rules

"Levi!"

Eris waved his hand, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Hearing the call, Levi turned his head to look back.

Eris called out loudly, "Hurry on over, the exchange match is about to begin. We still have to rush to the arena."

"Oh, right, I see," Levi replied.

He glanced at Erika, pointed at Eris not far away, and said, "I have to go participate in the match. Farewell."

Erika smiled faintly and said, "Perhaps we will cross paths again. When the time comes, let me witness your true strength."

"If the opportunity arises, I wouldn't mind,"

Levi let out a soft laugh, turning to depart.

Walking up to Eris, the latter glanced at Erika's retreating figure and asked curiously, "Who was that? Do you know her?"

Levi shook his head and said, "Not well. Just a bio-alchemist I met moments ago."

"A bio-alchemist?" Eris was somewhat surprised as well.

He seemed to possess very little understanding of that particular profession.

"From the looks of it, she should be representing the Alchemy Tower in the exchange match," Eris surmised.

Levi nodded. "Most likely."

"Let's go, we need to hurry to the arena."

Levi and Eris walked toward the tournament grounds.

The venue for the competition was situated within an independent, secret spatial realm.

It was a massive spatial pocket prepared specifically by the Spatial Tower for this grand event.

Levi asked, "What is the format of the competition? A free-for-all, survival, or an arena tournament?"

Eris replied, "All of them."

"All of them?" A look of doubt surfaced on Levi's face.

Eris smiled and explained, "Our venue this time is an island earmarked by the Spatial Tower within the Endless Sea. The island is teeming with a vast number of ancient, ferocious beasts and is fraught with peril, which serves as a test of the contestants' survival capabilities."

"Then there is the method of determining victory. The island contains twenty-five independent spatial arenas. Contestants must locate an arena, occupy it until the match concludes, and the final rankings will be calculated based on the number of arenas each Mage Tower managed to occupy."

"A spatial arena only permits a battle between two individuals, and a duel can last for a maximum of one hour."

"The defeated party is barred from re-entering the same spatial arena for twelve hours."

Hearing this, Levi smiled and remarked, "Heh, that really is rather interesting."

Eris nodded in agreement. "Indeed, far more engaging than the straightforward arena battles of previous years."

"The ones who steal the spotlight first might not necessarily win in the end; it requires strategy and tactics to secure victory."

Levi mused, "If that's the case, wouldn't everyone be reluctant to occupy an arena early on?"

"Wouldn't it suffice to simply go on the final day, or even at the very last moment?" Levi voiced his confusion.

Eris countered, "Not quite, because there is another rule in the tournament. After occupying an arena and becoming the defender, one can earn points based on the duration of the defense. Points can be used to unlock certain special effects and magical items."

"Oh? There is such a rule?" Levi expressed some astonishment.

"Looking at it this way, the struggle for the arenas will likely be far more intense than imagined."

"It mostly depends on whether the special effects and magical items provided by the Spatial Tower are powerful enough."

Levi conversed as they walked along.

Eris noted, "Based on the experience of past exchange matches, any items that appear in the competition will undoubtedly exert a critical influence on the final outcome."

Levi nodded and inquired, "Then what should we do?"

He surveyed their surroundings and asked, "Should we discuss a tactic with everyone first?"

Eris shook his head. "If you or I step forward, it's unlikely anyone would defer to us. We still need some of the more renowned students to stand up."

"You and I shouldn't overthink things. In any case, just doing our own duty will suffice."

"Mm, I understand." Levi nodded.

Once everyone learned of the rules, they realized the competition was not something that could be won until the end solely through individual strength.

Following a collective discussion, the group ultimately elected Elfa as their temporary commander. Elfa's strength was recognized by everyone, and he was a member of a prestigious, well-known family within the empire.

The crowd generally respected his authority.

Elfa stepped onto a boulder and casually tossed out a small fireball.

Boom!

The sound of the explosion drew everyone's attention.

Elfa spoke up, "Everyone gather round, let us discuss our tactics."

"There are twenty-five arenas in total within the secret realm, which means each Mage Tower must occupy at least five arenas to break even."

"Therefore, we will first divide into six teams."

"Five teams will go to occupy the vacant arenas, defend them, maximize our point accumulation, and exchange them for crucial match items."

"The remaining team, led by me, will go to assault and seize the arenas of the other Mage Towers. Even if we cannot occupy them, we must disrupt their rhythm and prevent them from easily and securely holding an arena for a long duration."

Someone raised a hand and objected, "If we divide into six teams, won't the number of people per team be too few?"

"That's right, the Violet-class members participating in this exchange match only number thirteen in total. Dividing into six teams means only two people per team."

Elfa replied calmly, "No need to worry, the number of participants from the other Mage Towers is roughly the same. The one with the most is the Summoning Tower, they have sixteen people competing."

"In terms of numbers, the Element Tower is not at a disadvantage. The Phantasm Tower has even fewer participants, with only eight people competing."

"According to the information I currently possess, the Spatial Tower has ten participants, and the Alchemy Tower has fifteen."

"Our Element Tower's numbers are neither too high nor too low, right in the middle."

"A team of two is sufficient."

Hearing that the participant counts of the other Mage Towers were also low, the crowd harbored no further doubts.

Levi and Eris exchanged a glance, and Levi asked, "Shall we pair up?"

Eris nodded. "Sounds good."

Before long, the mages who were familiar with each other formed teams of their own accord.

Levi glanced toward the side.

The mages from the other Mage Towers had all arrived at their positions.

The attire of each Mage Tower was somewhat distinct.

The Element Tower mages primarily wore robes colored after their respective elements.

The Spatial Tower mages were clad in silver mage robes.

The Summoning Tower mages wore robes of natural hues.

The Alchemy Tower mages donned robes of gold or white.

The Phantom Spirit Tower mages possessed the most peculiar robes, their colors ever-shifting like dreams and illusions.

Staring too long would make one feel slightly dizzy and disoriented.

The color of the mage robes had already transformed into a form of attack.

"Hello everyone, welcome to the Spatial Tower for this year's exchange tournament..."

Li Wei heard the voice and turned his head to look.

The leading representatives from the five pinnacle mage towers appeared on the high platform.

The elder from the Spatial Tower was speaking.

Since the Spatial Tower was hosting this tournament, the Spatial Tower elder also stood in the center as the main organizer.

"Alright, enough with the pleasantries, please everyone enter the competition venue."

"The rules will be announced once you enter the arena."

Rip!

The space before everyone's eyes tore open, then stabilized after a moment, transforming into a slowly rotating vortex.

This was the entrance.

Everyone entered one by one.

(End of Chapter)