I arrived at the event together with the three girls and Baron Camux. We were given a special VIP room just for us. It had a privileged view and every comfort. Looking at the massive arena in the middle, divided into many sections, brought back old memories. It was here where I fought my first tournament, where I became champion and met both Bush and Arisa. A spark of nostalgia flickered in my heart.

"Feeling nostalgic?" Arisa stood by my side, looking straight into my eyes. "Years ago, we met here. I still remember you gave me a beating without even trying much." She let out a dry laugh and tapped my shoulder with her fist. "Don't you dare lose a single match." Her smile lit up again.

"Don't worry, I don't have the slightest intention of losing. At most, I'll drag a fight out a bit if the opponent is interesting." If I went all out, I could finish the match in seconds, but that's not a good idea. Revealing my full strength now would be a mistake.

"We all want to see you win." Marga spoke from behind us, making both of us turn to look at her. "But if you lose, you'll owe us a favor… maybe I'll even cheer for your opponent." Her mischievous smile made us laugh. Obviously, she'd never really do that—she only said it to provoke me.

"I don't need to owe you a favor to do anything you ask. If you need something, just say it." They are far too special to me—if they needed anything or ran into problems, I'd help them without hesitation.

"You don't understand a lady's heart, Maki. There are things we can't easily ask for." Sol, who had been talking with her father, approached us. Camux had already gone off to visit some friends in other VIP boxes, leaving the four of us alone. "By the way, your card is glowing—it's time for you to go."

I looked at the card they'd given me when I arrived. It showed which platform I was supposed to fight on and in how much time. When it glowed white, it meant I had 15 minutes to head there; it turned red once only 5 minutes remained. It even had other functions I hadn't explored yet. "You're right—it's time. I'll be back soon." They all wished me good luck, and I left the box.

Since I was in a privileged area, I could walk without running into too many people. After going down a set of stairs, I arrived at a large gate. Once I stepped through, the atmosphere changed completely. The noise of people talking and laughing, hurried footsteps all around. I saw plenty of faces full of confidence, others clearly nervous, and some simply indifferent.

I walked a bit further until reaching the platform gate. There, I saw my first opponent of the day: a huge guy with a sword as big as himself. He had to be close to 1.85 meters tall, with tanned skin, black eyes, and black hair. He gave me a quick look from head to toe, then dismissed me as if I were nothing more than a mosquito, turning back to look at the arena where the referee stood.

I can't deny his attitude irritated me. A simple greeting would have been enough, and I'd have been patient with him. But instead, he brushed me off. That deserved a lesson. The referee called us forward to get ready, and we slowly made our way into the arena.

They handed each of us a protective collar. As I put mine on and activated it, the referee explained the rules. They hadn't changed since my first tournament: the device takes on the real damage, leaving you to feel only a fraction of the pain. Once it accumulates enough, another shield activates to signal the end of the match.

The rude guy didn't even listen. He just stared at his sword, never once glancing at me again. "Ready? Begin!" the referee shouted.

Still irritated, I decided to let him make the first move—just to teach him some manners. He wrapped his body in a layer of Imra, flames erupting from his sword. His massive body charged at me with surprising speed. I didn't move an inch. His eyes showed a flicker of confusion, but he didn't hesitate. When he swung his sword downward, I activated Warlike Architecture.

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Covering my arms and legs to endure the impact, I didn't care that my ice affinity was weaker against fire. My mana control was leagues ahead, and death mana would slowly consume his magic upon contact. I raised my arm and caught his sword barehanded.

His eyes widened in shock, seeing me hold back his strike like it was nothing. He tried to pull his sword free, but I reinforced my grip with mana and Imra, locking it in place. As he struggled, he swung a kick at my left side.

I created a Joyeuse in my left hand and slashed his thigh. Pain twisted his face. He should be grateful I held back—using only ice mana, not lightning or death. Pulling his sword toward me, I suddenly let go, dragging him forward, and cut him twice across the chest in a sharp X.

I saw his mana shield flicker. "You need to learn not to underestimate your opponents." I conjured two powerful spheres, one of ice and one of lightning—both Version 4, but without death mana. I was already walking toward the exit when I launched them.

He managed to block the one above me with his sword, but he hadn't noticed the second one forming behind him. That one struck his head squarely, and his shield triggered. By the time all this happened, I was already at the edge of the arena, handing back the collar to the referee, who looked stunned before declaring me the winner. Through my Personal World, I saw the guy collapse on all fours, slamming his fist against the ground in frustration. Hopefully, he learned his lesson.

"You're such a bully." Marga was the first to greet me when I returned to the box. She was laughing, even as she accused me.

"Poor guy. He never even got a chance to fight back." Sol genuinely looked a little sad for him.

"That was a strong start. Now your opponents will take you seriously." Arisa, on the other hand, was delighted.

"He deserved it. He looked down on me and treated me like an insect." I shrugged, showing zero regret. When I explained how he had treated me before the match, the girls actually got angry—angry enough that they almost stormed down to put him in his place. I had to stop them. If three nobles of their status had confronted him, his life would've been ruined, far worse than a simple defeat.

"Relax, he already got what he deserved. If he learns from it, that's up to him." They still looked upset, so I pulled out some chocolates I'd made myself last night at Sol's house. They loved them, so much so they hadn't stopped asking for more since this morning. That calmed them down.

Luckily, my next two matches came quickly—within four hours. Both opponents were more respectful. One girl gave me a polite bow, which I returned, and the other shook my hand. I went easier on them, letting them last about a minute each.

The girl was a mage, so I fought her at range only, using defensive and offensive constructs. It was fun limiting myself like that, until she was eventually overwhelmed. The boy was a dagger-user, quick and agile, but his mana control and strike power were weak. His flurry of blows couldn't budge me an inch. One misstep, and my cuts ended it.

I wouldn't call them weak—just average Emerald ranks. Thinking back to my first tournament, I decided to start rating them again. If Arisa is a 100, Sol would be a 94, and Marga a 91. The arrogant guy from before might deserve a 76, while the other two would be around 71 each. Against the three girls, none of them would stand a chance in normal conditions.

As for me? I couldn't even give myself a score with such a wide gap between us.

"Let's go back to Arisa's house. I want to be comfortable." Marga was already bored of the event—she had only come to see me fight.

"We could watch some more or try some food before heading back." Arisa wanted to stroll a bit.

"At least let's stay a while. We're nobles—if we leave too early, people will talk." Sol was thinking about appearances.

All three of them stared at me, waiting for my decision. Their eyes pressured me into choosing, but why did they always love putting me in these situations? Personally, I wasn't interested in watching more matches like Marga. Like Arisa, I wanted to try some food, and like Sol, I didn't want to be gossiped about either.

After some thought, I decided we'd eat something light before going back. I didn't care if nobles whispered behind our backs—I was hungry after going up and down all those stairs. Honestly, I also wanted a good shower and some rest. My body still felt tired from training nonstop.

The three agreed without complaint, and so ended the first day of the tournament—without any surprises. Things would surely get more interesting once the elimination rounds began.

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