My Joker System: From Low Mana Trash to the Mightiest Wizard!-Chapter 141: Closing Ceremony

"H-He did it, he really did it..."

Korvus slumped in his chair, breaking his portrayed image of a composed deputy for a moment before catching himself and correcting his posture.

Isolde, on the other hand, did a better job.

She wore a modest smile, nodding at those who congratulated her and offering the customary replies.

Inwardly, the headmistress’ heart raced wildly.

While this unexpected and initially ignored student lacked the raw firepower, he got everything else decently down, which was somewhat insane given his tender age.

His cunning, decisiveness, and willpower were significantly ahead of his age, at the very least.

A majority of the VIPs in the luxurious Gaora Hall sipped on their wines, donning sincere smiles.

However, there were naturally a number who faked it, mainly those from the aristocracy who believed that if they kept allowing commoners to rise, the value of their status would depreciate.

...Hal ascended the winners’ podium with a giddy heart.

Everything still felt somewhat surreal, especially whenever he looked back on his life at Poporo Village.

He had most probably escaped poverty with this victory.

Now, he just has to share the comfortable life with his mother.

Scanning his eyes around, he realized that the podium meant for the top eight was mostly empty.

Only he, Pierro, and Kairo were present.

The others either left early or were in a bad condition.

Felix, for one, suffered the same fate as Fernan, the dark horse of the Fidomar Clan he ruined, though his clan was way richer and had more ways to ensure he would be able to continue wizardry.

The empire would also not let someone specializing in void magic with a 120% elemental boost be ruined.

This wasn’t new, though, so the avid watchers of the Arcana Primis Cup explained to the newer ones that the closing ceremony had always been like this.

That most of those who ended up in the shadows of other geniuses found it hard to show themselves in public on the same day.

Realizing that everything was ready, Akari began calling the names of all the winners, starting with the four who ended their run in the quarterfinals.

She then briefly gave the crowd a recap of each winner’s background and achievements, handing them iron medals and the promised rewards for a top-eight finish.

Pierro and Donner were then called as the top four finishers, though only the former was present to personally receive his rewards.

The other was wreaking havoc back at his hotel room as the realization of defeat and the loss of fifteen gold coins sank in.

The runner-up, Felix, was still being treated, so his rewards would be delivered to him later.

Finally, when it was Hal’s turn, the crowd erupted in the loudest cheers and applause.

Their minds had finally processed the sheer difficulty of the feat he had pulled off, one that required wits, mastery, an unwavering heart, and laser-sharp focus.

Even those who had lost money betting against him applauded, at the very least.

Soon, the ceremony concluded.

Hal walked off with the champion’s promised rewards of:

10 B-Ranked Arcane Cores

20 Prime-Grade Mana Training Tonics

20 High-Grade Health Potions

20 High-Grade Mana Potions

50 Gold Coins

1 Unique-Tier spellbook voucher, redeemable at the Imperial Library in the Capital

A one-year validity, unlimited free meal card

A lifetime fitness center membership card

Three rare-tier, mastercraft-grade artifacts, each of a different type, claimable at the Capital’s Imperial Treasury Office

And, of course, a wide, triumphant smile on his face.

The aristocracy would normally make a move on such an excellent commoner, either by enticing them to their side or, if they could not, by eliminating them so that other factions could not have them either.

But how could they do so when a former Magna and a former Legion Marshal were with him?

Deputy Headmaster Korvus and Headmistress Isolde were notorious among the aristocracy for being protective, especially with the most talented of their students.

This was why many leaders of the aristocratic circle hated them to the core, believing that the two were the biggest reason why more and more aristocratic families were rising.

But of course, no one would dare show it, much less say it outright.

Hal, however, wasn’t planning on going with them back to the academy, and he honestly told them the reason.

He still pretended to go with them after claiming his winnings of 8 gold coins from BetYourLife, though.

It would be better not to give the filthy aristocrats any chances, even if only on the surface.

He only parted with Korvus and Isolde in a safe location, after the latter cast an appearance-altering spell on him, making him look like an average middle-aged man.

’Would Loki recognize me like this?’ Hal mused as he headed back to the hotel to fetch his companion and check out.

**

*

A week had passed since the conclusion of the much-anticipated rookie wizard tournament.

The hype had mostly died down in other places, but not at the Grand Magic Academy.

Today, banners were lined up along the sides of the vast red-brick path leading to the academy’s main gate, and classes were postponed.

The Arcana Primis convoy was returning, and everyone was waiting for the arrival of their hometown heroes.

Although the Grand Magic Academy had a solid reputation for raising great seedlings and had produced a significant number of Magnas throughout its history, it rarely won the Arcana Primis Cup.

Their strongest representatives always seemed to fall short in the quarterfinals or semifinals.

The resources available to the personal disciples of former Magnas and the young masters of affluent aristocratic families were simply too difficult to contend with for academy students, who had to claw their way to the top before being granted the resources they needed, though still not to the golden extent the young masters enjoyed.

Arriving at the gates, the academy students who had participated disembarked from the Manatech Jeepneys, lining up in the order of the final rank they had achieved in the Arcana Primis Cup.

Leading the group was the renowned Vyse Vandralis.

Sadly, the crowd could only be disappointed.

Vyse wasn’t who they wanted to see.

The students had all watched replays of Hal’s battles by now, and naturally, the one-star wastrel had become a celebrity.

They were simply amazed by how strong Hal truly was, and absurd theories about who he really was and why he had hidden his true strength helped people cope with the regret of having disdained him in the past.

Many were now among his most devoted supporters.

Unfortunately, the champion and the other freshman who had made it to the top sixteen were not with the convoy...

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