Disqualified

The competition is divided into three stages. The first stage requires you to demonstrate your combative abilities. The King will choose names at random to fight against each other. Your skill with weaponry and tactics, as well as your stamina and endurance, will be put to the test in the second stage. The last one, according to Imelda, is where things typically become nasty. We can utilize any weapon we have at our disposal. And the last one standing will be named the winner.

The King is presently seated in the northern section of the Arena, and the eight of us are arranged in a line in front of him. Alexander was sitting to his right and the director was to his left as he was seated. As I observed Alexander, he appears to be helping the king choose who will face whom.

I closed my eyes firmly, trying to keep my hatred at bay.

"Milla Bryson of Rendyl, and Hugo Fortden of Fortden Barony." The King announced.

As the first trainees are announced, the audience applauds in excitement.

"Liam Tyren of the Tyren Marquisate, and Randen Elfire from the commoner's village."

"Fyrell Daven of Daven Barony, and Nory Antehein of the commoner's village."

"Nicholas Avenier of Frenp County, and Ryner Daven of Daven Barony." 

The director stood up and gave directions. "Thank you very much, King Frederrin. The rules are simple: no weapons. You can only use your hands and feet. The length of your battle will be determined by the King and the army's General. Remember, if you do not stop when you hear the signal, you will be disqualified or worse, expelled from the training camp," he added. "We will proceed in the same order, following the same sets of competitors as the King announced. Milla and Hugo, please proceed to the center."

We sat on the seat that had been set up for us, observing Milla and Hugo. A gunshot was heard from the outside, signaling the start of the battle.

Hugo stands about 6 feet 1 inch in height, while Milla stands about 5 feet 9. With Hugo's physique, Milla may struggle to show off her powerful blows.

The audience erupted as Milla charged toward Hugo. She tried punching him, but he wouldn't budge. He has the physique of a combat tanker. He's the camp's big guy.

"You know, I was wondering why they let Milla join," Liam stated as he leaned in closer. She's only a few days old here in the camp."

"I was wondering the same thing, but I suppose it's because of what she can do." Look at how strong those punches are. Hugo's defense will crumble any minute now," I predicted.

"I had the same thought. I've heard she's on par with Imelda in hand-to-hand combat."

"She is. I was present when Imelda struggled a little due to her blows. "She's from Rendlyn, therefore her using her mana gives her a great advantage when it comes to power," I stated as I watched Milla move.

"Isn't it somewhat unfair? We are all aware of the power mana possesses, and they still permitted her to use it, though." A little annoyed, Liam said.

"Take your complaint to the Director." "He's the one who chose us to be here," I remarked humorously. He playfully smacks my shoulder and continues watching the match in front of us.

"Milla's not from here so she doesn't know that Hugo can't use his energy in combats," Liam said.

"I guess she realized it now," I replied as I saw Milla use her mana to deliver a solid hit that sent Hugo flying in front of the elevated stage.

The entire arena was filled with the audience's loud cheers. A gunshot was heard once more, signaling that the battle was already over.

Hugo stumbled as he tried to stand. Liam and I extended a hand to help him rest on the bench. While Milla sat on the opposite side of our bench, not interacting with us as usual.

Liam, on the other hand, flexed his neck a little bit. Randen, his opponent, was already making his way to the arena's core when I saw him. I wished him luck and mentioned that Randen wasn't an easy opponent. He gave a thumbs-up before he went to the center.

When we heard the signal, Liam began attacking Randen, but Randen managed to land the opening blow. I noticed Liam take a deep breath and quickly regain his stance. He uses his agility to avoid Randen and manages to immobilize him for a brief moment, allowing him to land a kick to the chest. Randen begins to use his energy. Liam should tread cautiously.

Randen's grip can break his bones with that kind of power. Randen's hard-as-a-metal skin made Liam's attacks futile. Liam needs to wait a few minutes until his opponent runs out of energy, supposing he can fight until then. He already has blood on his lips so he must come up with a strategy to win.

I was already on the edge of my seat when I noticed him concentrating on his feet. Liam won in the blink of an eye. He's much faster than before. The audience was stunned for a while, but when they realized that Liam turned the tide, they roared once again. The signal was not heard, indicating that the fight was still ongoing. My brow furrowed; they'd both already played their trump cards, so this would be challenging for them both.

When we heard the gunshot, Liam was about to attack Randen. I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath.

I got to my feet and met Randen halfway. I assisted him in taking his seat, and a medic arrived immediately to clean his wound. I tapped his shoulder and told him I'd look into Liam's situation; he whispered his thanks.

I noticed Liam slowly making his way across the bench. I quickly assist him. "I was relieved that I wasn't the one who had to deal with Randen," I explained.

"Look how swollen my fist is," he exclaimed, pointing to his fist. "I want to do that too, you know, harden my own skin," I chuckled, then helped him sit and rest. He was also attended to by a medic immediately.

Each of us can develop a specific skill that we can put to use with our own energy. Randen's ability was by far the most impressive out of every skill that I saw. Concentrating a certain amount of energy on a specific area of the body is tricky. I don't have that kind of extraordinary ability. Imelda mentioned that my energy level is below average, which is why I can only transfer energy to a weapon, which all of us can do.

Two female trainees are now facing off. I have no idea who they are, so I watch them as they demonstrate their abilities. Fyrelle, the woman with blonde hair and a petite frame, struggles as Nory's hair crackles with energy. I squint my eyes to get a better view of what's going on with her hair. Fyrelle continues to leap away from her, flinching as nervousness overtakes her. She stumbled while leaping, and Nory attacked Fyrelle quickly. A gunshot was heard, but Nory continued to lunge at her. The next thing I knew, Nory was being grabbed by both hands by Imelda and Mr. Hans.

"Nory Antehein violated the rule, so she is disqualified from the tournament," said the Director. "After the event, further punishment will be given."