Theo’s body stiffened for a fraction of a second.

Then he slowly relaxed.

"...Dad."

His father’s grip tightened slightly.

’’Thank you.’’

"It’s fine," Theo responded quietly.

His father pulled back slightly, looking at him.

’’It’s not,’’ he said. "You shouldn’t have had to—"

’’Well, I did,’’ Theo cut him off.

He shook his head slightly.

"This happened because of me too," he said. "So it’s only right."

His father stared at him for a moment longer.

Then nodded slowly.

"...Still. Thank you."

Theo didn’t respond.

Yet, his gaze never left his parents.

’Never will I let something happen to them again,’ he thought firmly.

After a short while, he made his way to his room.

Closing the door behind him, he sat down cross-legged on his bed.

His eyes closed, and small mana threads immediately began racing toward his core’s walls.

Time passed quietly.

Outside, the last traces of sunlight disappeared completely as night finally set in.

Finally, Theo’s eyes snapped open again.

’Only two to three more days,’ he thought. ’Then I’ll break through.’

The next day arrived quickly.

Theo jumped out of bed early and immediately got dressed.

’A lot on the program today,’ he thought, smiling.

If everything went right, he’d be fighting four matches today, beginning with the top 64 and ending with the top 8 battles.

Theo stepped out of the apartment not long after.

He quickly met up with Owen and Iris, before they all made their way back to the arena.

The three of them walked side by side through the busy streets.

Even this early in the morning, the atmosphere around the arena was already lively.

Groups of spectators gathered near the entrances, their conversations filled with excitement and speculation.

"Top 64 already..." Owen muttered, stretching his arms. "Now it actually starts to get interesting."

Just then, a blue-haired girl passed in front of him.

She stuck her tongue out as she entered the participants’ entrance before them.

Owen immediately clenched his fist, ready to chase after her.

’’Save it,’’ Theo said, chuckling softly.

Clicking his tongue once, Owen forced himself to relax.

’’I’ll fix that overconfidence from her soon enough.’’

They entered the participants’ entrance right after the blue-haired girl, the noise from the arena washing over them immediately.

’Seems to be even busier than yesterday.’

Unbeknownst to Theo, videos of his challenge had spread all over news broadcasts and social media, practically making him a star overnight.

Many people had built up grudges with the Whitmores over the years.

Upon seeing someone finally standing up against them and winning, they couldn’t help but wish to see more.

The three of them continued forward, only coming to a halt in front of several large display screens.

Names flickered across the screen, calling two people to the arena already.

Finally, it updated to a large-scale overview.

’Top 64,’ he thought, his eyes moving across the board. ’There’s my name.’

His gaze shifted to the name underneath it and paused.

’...oh?’

’Ryan Judas?’

He remembered that name faintly, having seen one of his matches the day before.

’If I’m right, he has a small, but lean figure and uses the shadow element.’

And from what he could remember, the guy was quite good with it too.

Just then, Owen leaned in slightly.

"Who’ve you got?" he asked.

Theo nodded toward the screen.

"That one."

Owen followed his gaze, squinting slightly.

"...Who is that?"

Theo fell silent for a moment before shrugging.

"Don’t remember exactly."

Owen grinned, knocking his elbow against Theo’s arm.

’’Guess we aren’t so different in that aspect after all.’’

Having seen their opponents and fighting times, the three of them went back to their assigned seats.

They watched fight after fight, as their own slowly drew closer.

This time, it was far more interesting to watch as those without skill had long been filtered out.

Finally, it was Iris’s turn.

She took care of her fight easily once again.

Her opponent, a student using the ice element, was defeated within two minutes.

Only a few turns later, it was Owen’s turn.

’’Watch this,’’ he said, grinning.

He swung his sledgehammer over his shoulder confidently.

Theo leaned back slightly, watching him disappear toward the participation area.

It didn’t take long before he stepped out on the stage.

The crowd reacted immediately, cheers rising from all sides.

’Seems like he did make quite the impact yesterday,’ Theo thought, smiling faintly.

Owen didn’t waste a second.

The moment the start signal was given—

He charged forward.

His opponent, a sword user, barely had time to react before the ground behind him cracked.

Dark earth spikes shot up in an instant.

The man glanced around, finding himself completely boxed in.

Finally, his hand lit up in a pale green light, pushing him off the ground.

’’Too late!’’ Owen shouted, grinning wildly.

He swung his sledgehammer down with all his might.

BOOM!

’’Argh!’’

The impact knocked the man’s sword away, breaking his fingers in the process.

A mechanical voice immediately rang out.

’’The match is over!’’

The crowd remained silent for a moment, completely stunned.

The entire fight had only taken a few seconds...

’’Winner, Owen Wilson!’’

Finally, they erupted into cheers.

Owen grinned, lifting his hammer onto his shoulder as he walked off the field.

Back in the stands, he returned with a smug expression.

"Told you," he said, glancing at Theo.

Theo gave a small nod.

’’Good job.’’

Time passed quickly after that.

Until finally, it was Theo’s turn.

As the doors shifted open, his gaze drifted to the arena.

’Ryan Judas,’ he thought. ’Let’s see what you’ve got.’

He stepped forward, the noise of the crowd surrounding him once more.

But...

The opposite side was empty.

Theo reached the center of the arena and frowned.

Seconds passed by as murmurs spread through the crowd.

Then—

The announcer’s voice rang out.

’’Due to a no-show...’’

He paused for a moment.

’’The match is awarded to Theo Lane.’’

The crowd glanced at each other in confusion.

Some cursed Ryan out, calling him a coward among other things.

Others only found it logical.

Theo’s frown deepened.

’...Didn’t show up?’

That didn’t feel right.

The uneasy feeling in his chest spiked, forcing him to grab his chest.

Just then, the announcer’s voice rang out again.

’’If participant Theo Lane allows it, he may fight the first opponent of the top 32.’’