Chapter 9 – Round One Conclusion

Compared to the first day, the second day was not very exciting. Most of the fights on the second day were boring to general audiences. The reason was simple: the institutional mages from the Four Powers were involved in nearly every match. Anyone who wasn't a mage associated with Pyrite, Galeon, Agate, or Phanec was favored to win. Crowds yawned and moaned at the horde of Pyrite Mages taking the stage. If there were less institutional mages, their factions might be more popular, but their copy paste motivations grew tiresome.

"For Pyrite, I shall conquer the Dungeon!"

"Lavilin destroyed our country, I won't forgive him."

"The Shades killed my friends, and I will take revenge!"

Interview after interview, the Pyrite Faction spoke like a broken record. Repeating themselves over and over again, they fought anyone and everyone like mindless NPCs with the same voice lines. Omira, a huge fan of video games, made fun of them every so often.

"Look, look Aventi! There's another one, hahaha! That's got to be the fiftieth Pyrite Mage today!"

"Hmm, you're right for a change," Aventi watched the open field. "These battles are just Pyrite mage versus Pyrite mage, or a Pyrite mage versus an Agate or Galeon mage. How dull."

Everything changed on day two for the masked individuals. Because they weren't institutional mages, Numbers one through seven, excluding Number Three who fought the previous day, were fan favorites.

"Beat up that lame Pyrite bum!" Shouted Omira along with some of the other spectators. The colosseum could fit hundreds of thousands of people, and both days, it was sold out. Because the first day's fights were so much better in quality and not repetitive, the Numbers' mysterious personas were favored over the horde of institutional mages.

Each of the numbers fought similarly. With mechanical weapons, they pounded the Pyrite wizards and sages extensively.

"Winner! 'Number Two'!"

"Winner! 'Number Six'!"

"Winner! 'Number One'!"

Although the cloaked people were literally genderless numbers, they were more compelling to the audience than the Pyrite Faction. Public sentiment had to be low for the Pyrite Mages for androgynous numbers to be cheered for. Ironically, at the end of the second day, the numbers became fan favorites.

"Let's go number seven! He's so powerful!" One guy cheered.

"Number Two, woo hoo!" Cheered another.

And with their unexpected fame, the 'Masked Numbers' all went to the second round, and the second day ended.

***

Concluding the final day of the first round were more dark horses. Not many matches remained, but every one of them was compelling to watch. Hyped spectators raved for a day with fewer Pyrite mages.

"Our next fight will be between Wandering Sage Jing and a former slave, Moti!" Jasper, one of the announcers, spoke into the microphone.

"How crazy is that, Jasper? Someone with no background is now facing a Wandering Sage from the Wizard's Association. Just how did she become this strong?

"I don't know Ruby, but this is sure to be a great battle!"

Moti entered the arena shyly. Dressed in a patched-up outfit, she faced Jing.

"I.. I can't lose here." Moti tried to look determined in front of Jing.

"For them to place you against a Sage like me, I can only assume your true strength. I will give you a fair match." Jing responded to her while bowing.

Wielding a sword and donning an ancient robe, Jing looked like a samurai from a forgotten era. He attacked her, but she didn't dodge at all. Losing her arm, she fell to the ground.

"Why didn't she dodge?" Stern stood up confused alongside Omira.

"Well look at that." Gileon pointed to Moti. On the battlefield, Moti stood back up, and her arm regrew spontaneously. Aventi instantly understood the situation; she had a rare physique.

Not all people are born equally in Ryko. Physiques and bloodlines could give strange and unique powers at random. Physiques are physical boons or banes associated with the vessel of an individual. Some, like Moti, were born with an inherent advantage in combat and life in general while others, like Clico, were born with less than fortunate physiques.

Born with the Auraless Physique, Clico had absolutely zero aura capacity or ability to gain any more aura through the use of his vessel. The consequences of the Auraless Physique were quite catastrophic. Any natural ability or aura was non-existent, and Clico had to become strong through a different magical path, which turned him into a runic expert.

Uncommon physiques were rare and categorized the same way as artifacts by the same rank and realm system as aura. Although Moti's aura realm was in all likelihood at the F Rank Mortal realm, her physique was exceptional, at the Sage Realm at least. Uncommon or rare physiques appeared in less than five percent of the total world population, so seeing the untrained Moti stand toe to toe with Jing was inspiring to the common folk. Because of their rarity, physique holders are highly sought after, and most are recruited by top countries and organizations. Even if Moti lost this fight, her future was bright.

Like Aventi, Clico recognized the physique ability right away. Moti had the extremely rare Regeneration Physique, which gave the possessor the inhuman ability to regenerate their body at frightening speeds. It was lesser known to the public, but academics like Aventi, Clico, and David all knew of it. With the Regeneration Physique, Moti didn't need any training or aura to make it this far. Even against high end Sages, she would regenerate without trouble. The problem with Moti was that she had no offensive capability but a rock-solid defense.

"How inconvenient…" Muttered Jing. Violently, Jing chopped off two arms in his second assault.

"Argh," cried out Moti. "I won't give in. Just like in the Voidlands, I won't give up!" She yelled. Her passion and determination instantly got the crowd riled up.

"You can do it!" People cheered.

A messy situation like this was perhaps why they placed Moti against Jing. As an established mage, Jing was exceptional in experience and aura, but all Moti had was luck and grit. It was an amazing physique after all. Someone who trained for decades had to use strategy to beat a prodigy. Moti would surely be favored by the audience as an underdog.

Unless Jing went all out, overcoming the Regeneration Physique would be difficult. Jing knew the physique in front of him and its fatal weakness: it couldn't nullify the pain that would typically kill a normal person. To defeat the poor slave girl, he would have to defeat her painfully and repeatedly until the pain was too much to bear. Torturing an underdog would ruin his reputation to the masses. The Council's 'fair' matchmaking process was truly brutal!

Placing his sword into the rough ground, Jing wanted to try to talk his way out of this mess.

"Miss Moti, your potential is outstanding. With real training, your raw talent will surely surpass 90 plus percent of mages. There is no doubt in my mind that with your determination, you could ascend to the Royalty Realm, or even higher!

Yet, right now, you have to understand that with your experience, your presence in the Great Dungeon Party would hinder the party as a whole. How can the higher ups watch over you in such a dangerous environment?" Jing pleaded with her.

"I'm sorry mister Jing, but this is my only chance! If I can't join the Great Dungeon Party, I will have to go back to my master… I can make a difference in the world with my gift, and I'll work hard enough not to be a burden!" Her zeal was unwavering.

Sighing deeply, Jing walked back and picked his sword back up; he would have to do this the hard way.

"I apologize in advance miss Moti. I won't hold back."

"It's okay, don't go easy on me." Moti smiled back with melancholy.

"One Thousand Cuts!" Jing chanted his skill. Associating specific skills with a phrase helped some people perform them more accurately, and for a martial arts expert like Jing, it was not uncommon. Chanting helped visualize the aural pathways associated with performing feats. Expertly, Jing sliced thousands of skin-deep cuts times onto Moti's body, ripping apart her already sketchy outfit.

"Woah, woah, woah, put some clothes back on…" Omira covered her eyes but peeped through her fingers. The martial skill tore through Moti's clothes and body viciously. Some started to condemn Jing as a pervert, but the smarter people knew his goal was not her clothes but to scratch every inch of her body with his skill.

Falling to the ground in pain and embarrassment, Moti gasped for air as the thousand cuts skill continued. Mercilessly, Jing cut Moti, and as each cut regenerated, another cut took its place. His sword moved so fast, only the afterimages of the sword could be seen by the spectators. Jing felt bad for Moti, but he knew she would live a luxurious life after displaying her physique. The High Mage Council would never let a talent like this go, even if her previous master was a tycoon or King.

"I… Won't give…" Moti tried to speak, but the pain was unbearable. Before she could finish her sentence, she passed out from the pain.

"W…W…winner! Wandering Sage Jing!" Jasper announced. However, the audience did not cheer. Some even booed after the initial silence ended. A tournament villain had been born.

After Moti was taken off the colosseum ground, the battles resumed as normal. The Beast Lords, the Kings and Queens of the fallen beasts' kingdoms, took the stage. Werewolf King Hamon wiped the floor with an advanced Pyrite elite, and then Orc Lord Rubeus beat down an adventurer's guild veteran. From a better's standpoint, there were only a couple of upsets during the first round, but for the most part, conservative betters had taken the spoils.

At the end of the final day, the announcers were arguing.

"Take that Jasper. I knew rooting for the conventional candidates would put me ahead!"

"Don't get too full of yourself Ruby. I know the Dungeon Shades, Samson, Ahab, and Omira can go all the way!"

"What do you think of the Masked Seven, Jasper? Are they hiding their true powers?"

"Hmm, good question Jasper. The fair matchups thus far have led me to believe that the next few rounds will be close as well. I think those seven are likely to be in the Mortal and Sage realms because their competitors were at those realms."

"Nice analysis Ruby! If the matchups remain even until the later rounds, the Great Dungeon Party will end up with a diverse cast of Mortals, Sages, and Kings. Do you think that's a good idea for a dangerous place like Hell? Shouldn't the party be just Kings and Sages?"

"Realistically, the resources needed to sustain a party of the Royalty Realm would be more extravagant than a more balanced party, don't you think?

I find the controlled matchups ingenious Jasper. By forcing each realm to show its most competent candidates, us audience members will stay confident that the Great Dungeon Party is picking people based on their skills and not just their aura realm. All the while, the fifty spots from the selection will be balanced for sustainability."

"You're right! Take that poor girl Moti for example. Although her aura realm was low, her unique ability made her a great candidate for the Great Dungeon Party. It's a shame she was bullied by that vile wandering sage!"

"You've got that right Jasper! Anyone willing to strip a lady down bare on worldwide television should be barred from the Selection. Besides Lavilin, I don't know anyone else with a worse reputation at the moment." Ruby was right. Wandering Sage Jing's display of mercilessness was universally shamed. Experts knew his actions were strategically correct, but nonetheless, his view in the public eye was less than desirable.

"I wouldn't want to be him right now; that's for sure Ruby. Anyways, thank you to everyone tuning in on the final day of the first round of the Dungeon Selection Tournament. Next week, we will begin the second round where 128 strong competitors will clash it out to see who will be apart of the Great Dungeon Party.

Thank you for tuning in. I am Jasper, and this is Ruby, and we'll see you soon."