Varian looked on nervously as the first match began.
He wasn't worried about the two boys that climbed onto the stage, but about the safety mechanisms.
'I hope there's no malfunction or she'll be in danger.'
Of course, the chances of such a thing happening were close to nill. But still, Varian was worried.
{First match! Neil vs Dasl}
Neil was a fire awakener while Dasl was a body awakener.
As third-year students, they were both at the peak of level 1 and on the verge of reaching level 2.
Still, they were only level 1s.
So…
"Fireball!"
"Illusory Cicada Steps!"
Neil's hands lit up with fireballs and he shot them at Dasl.
Dasl on the other hand moved erratically and avoided the fireballs.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
The white stage now had burnt marks but was otherwise fine.
"Super fireball!" Neil raised his arms and started accumulating his mana. A huge fireball began to form over his head.
Dasl kicked the ground and in an instant, covered the distance between them. Then, he punched Neil with all his strength.
"Mountain shattering fist!"
Neil hurriedly sidestepped to the side and threw the incomplete fireball.
Boom!
Dasl swirled in the last moment and managed to dodge it, but not without taking a burn on his back.
Since the combat uniform was a small grade treasure, it was intact. But it didn't reduce the damage he suffered in any way.
Thus, blood from his burnt injury dyed Dasl's shirt red.
"Arghhh!" Dasl was at an incredibly close distance to Neil. As a body awakener, the position was in his favor.
If he just punched now, Neil wouldn't be able to dodge.
But.
"It hurts!" Dasl was overwhelmed by the pain.
He grew up like a flower in the greenhouse and never experienced such pain. So, when he finally did, it hindered him greatly.
"Fuck y—" When he finally regained his senses and raised his fist out of revenge, a fireball slapped him in the chest and sent him flying.
"Arghh! It hurts!"
{Neil wins!}
"Wonderful, right?"
"Neil, right? He is awesome!"
"His fire mana must be abundant. And more importantly, he was clever enough to change his tactics according to the situation!"
"…"
Varian rolled his eyes at the enthusiastic talk around him.
'Seriously?' He leaned back in his chair and eyed the two guys who just fought. 'They're both amateurs!'
Squinting his eyes at the winner, he shook his head.
'Neil wasted too much fire mana. That super fireball was totally unnecessary and makes him vulnerable during a life and death battle. Does he think his enemy will actually give him a chance to finish off his spell?'
Then, he turned to the wailing loser.
'This guy…he's the kind I despise the most. He must be from a rich family to grow up that pampered.
The stage isn't too large. So, as a body awakener, he could've taken advantage of his superior senses and physical stats.
The moment Neil aims toward him, he should dodge and close the distance through erratic steps.
Then, feint an attack to let Neil misfire his super ball before punching Neil in the chest and knocking him off.'
Varian's combat experience was too vast that the fights that every high schooler cheered for became a child's play in his eyes.
But.
Looking at his hands, Varian smiled wryly. 'I have the experience, but I have no power.'
{Next match, Sia vs Rose!}
Varian's back straightened and his gaze intensified.
Sia and a girl with red hair walked onto the stage. From the way golden sparks emitted from her fingertips, Rose was a lightning awakener.
'You can do it, Sia!'
{Fight!}
"Lightnin—" Rose raised her hand to summon a lightning bolt, but she paused abruptly like her mind went blank.
Shuaa!
The air was ripped as a whip coiled around her neck.
"Wha—" When she came back to her senses, she was one snap away from a broken neck!
{Sia wins!}
"Yes!" Varian exclaimed, but it wasn't just him, hundreds of voices in the stadium said the same.
She had a huge following in the school. There was even a (Sia Club}.
Now the simps began to earnestly simp.
One by one, placards shone.
<<Sia is an angel!>>
<<Sia—the winner of this championship>>
<<Sia is unstoppable!>>
They praised her relentlessly. Her fan club…was really a bit crazy.
But at least, the placards they brought were awesome.
Varian looked at his own placard. Compared to the fancy and shiny ones, it was made of wood and looked very shabby.
He felt a bit discontent, but still, he raised his placard.
When she won the first match, he was holding up the placard.
When she won the second match with light injuries, the placard still stood.
Then the third, then the fourth and even when the final match was done, the placard was still held up.
Unlike others, Varian was no awakener.
Yet, he held it up from morning till evening.
The people around him that noticed this freaked out.
They thought he was a level 1, but even for a level 1, this wasn't an easy task.
After the final match, Sia held her injured arm and walked to the platform.
{The selected three are Vinar, Mackey, and Sia!}
The host announced and the audience cheered.
Sia's gaze wandered to the audience.
<<Love you, Sia!>>
<<Marry me, Goddess!>>
<<I inherited hundreds of millions of CP, marry me!>>
There were all kinds of confessions.
<<You are the best, Sia>>
<<Champion Sia!>>
<<Unstoppable>>
There were all kinds of praises.
<<You cheater>>
<<Did you bribe the principal? You only got easy opponents!>>
<<You vixen! You got nothing except for that face and body!>>
There were all kinds of accusations.
Sia's eyes were weary and she was tired.
But she kept looking.
'Where.'
Her eyes moved eagerly.
'In this vast crowd.'
Her gaze burned in anticipation.
'Are you?'
She finally paused on a shabby wooden placard.
'Found you!'
His words were neither a confession nor praise, surely not an accusation.
It was a prayer.
<<Sia, please stay safe.>>
Sia smiled brightly.
Her heart melted.