As the battle began, Alen focused intently on his opponent. He didn’t immediately lunge forward to attack.

Kuzan held a long spear in his hands, indicating he wasn’t an opponent who wanted to attempt extreme close-quarters combat right away.

Alen gripped his sword tightly. He had grabbed a standard steel sword from the arena’s armory; anyone participating in the tournament was required to use standard-issue weapons or their own normal gear to prevent anyone from exploiting high-tier magical artifacts.

Alen watched Kuzan, who was standing completely still, clearly waiting for Alen to make the first move.

’Sigh... I guess I have to go first,’ Alen thought.

He imbued a small amount of mana into his legs and rushed forward with blinding speed. Concentrating dense mana into his blade, he slashed his sword horizontally.

Seeing the incoming attack, Kuzan didn’t hesitate. He thrust his spear forward, coating the shaft in raw mana to parry the strike.

*CLANG!*

As the sword and spear clashed, a massive wave of air pressure swept out, blowing the loose soil beneath their feet away.

The audience cheered loudly at the explosive start.

Alen didn’t stop. He dug his heels into the dirt, pushed past the spear, and launched a direct thrust toward his opponent’s neck. But Kuzan wasn’t unprepared. He slid his spear down the length of Alen’s blade and struck Alen’s hand hard with the blunt end.

The heavy impact of the mana-imbued spear launched Alen’s body sideways.

’Tch!... Spear users are annoying,’ Alen grumbled internally, catching his balance.

’At this rate, I can’t win if I can’t get closer to him. It seems I have to use my skills.’

Alen skipped backward, creating distance. He pointed his sword forward.

[Nexus Elemental Art: Sound Type - Silent Slash!]

An invisible, high-frequency sound wave shot directly toward Kuzan.

As it neared him, Kuzan suddenly felt a violent, piercing ring inside his head. Blood immediately started to leak from his ears. He stumbled, feeling extremely disoriented and confused about what had just hit him.

Alen smirked. The attack had worked perfectly. It wasn’t just a physical slash of wind; he had imbued the strike with his Sound magic. As the attack reached Kuzan’s ears, the frequency doubled, vibrating violently to cause internal damage without making a single audible noise.

"You... I will show you!" Kuzan roared, wiping the blood from his ear.

[Rising Spear Art - Shower of Thunder!]

Kuzan launched his spear high into the air. The weapon suddenly changed direction mid-flight, its speed increasing exponentially as it shot directly toward Alen. Golden thunder crackled around the shaft. As the power intensified, the spear turned into a streak of blinding light, duplicating itself until a shower of lightning-infused spears rained down on the arena.

Alen stared at the incoming barrage. There was no way he could block an attack with such massive area coverage.

He flooded his legs with a massive amount of mana and dashed sideways with explosive speed just as the spears slammed squarely into the spot where he had been standing.

*BOOOOOOOOM!*

A deafening blast echoed through the arena as debris flew everywhere and a thick cloud of dust covered the battlefield.

Kuzan stood calmly. He knew there was no way his opponent stood a chance against his ultimate attack. He had likely already won.

Just as Kuzan was getting ready to celebrate his victory, the sudden, distinct sound of sprinting footsteps echoed from the dust cloud to his left.

He quickly spun around, swinging his summoned spear with all his strength and pouring a massive amount of mana into the blow.

[Rising Spear Art: Shaking Ground!]

The heavy attack landed squarely on the empty dirt where the sound had come from. The ground cracked and cratered, sending debris flying.

But it hit nothing.

Suddenly, a terrifying chill ran down Kuzan’s spine. The cold steel of a blade was resting gently against the back of his neck.

He froze. Alen was standing calmly right behind him.

"How?..." Kuzan whispered in shock.

Alen just smiled. He had used a simple trick. By manipulating his Sound magic, he had projected the fake sound of his footsteps a few meters away to serve as a distraction. While Kuzan attacked the phantom noise, Alen had silently slipped directly behind him. It was a perfect use of his new technique.

"Just think of it as a little magic trick," Alen replied softly.

As the dust finally cleared, the referee and the audience saw the battlefield clearly. Kuzan was frozen, and Alen’s sword was resting against his throat.

<It seems the first match is over in less than three minutes!>

the announcer’s voice boomed.

<And the winner of the first match is... Alen!>

The crowd erupted into cheers for the first victor of the tournament. However, many in the stands felt deeply conflicted and confused about how he had actually won. Almost all of them were completely unaware of the existence of the Sound element; only a select few high-ranking Awakener, and Kuzan himself, understood what had really happened.

As the match officially ended, Alen didn’t linger. He lowered his sword, turned his back, and started to leave the arena. The audience cheered loudly, many of them swooning over his striking, handsome appearance.

As Alen walked back down the dark corridor toward the waiting room, the referee immediately announced the next event.

<Let’s decide the next match!>

The massive holographic screen flickered back to life above the center of the stadium. Two columns appeared on the display.

The first column began to spin rapidly, names flashing in a blur. Slowly, it ground to a halt, revealing the selected participant.

<First Opponent: Sia!> 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The second column started to spin rapidly as well before slowing down and locking onto a name.

<Second Opponent: L!>

A murmur rippled through the audience as they stared at the unusually short, mysterious name on the screen.

<Both participants, please make your way to the battlefield!>

A few seconds later, a girl stepped out from the opposite corridor. She held a finely crafted magic wand in her hand, clearly indicating that she was a Mage.

Just as she stepped onto the dirt field, the second opponent emerged from the other corridor.

He wore a dark black cloak that completely hid his face and body. He held a standard steel sword in his hand, identical to the one Alen had just used. He walked forward with a calm, measured pace and stood directly opposite her.

The referee looked at both of them and gestured, asking if they were ready.

Both of them nodded silently.

<Since both opponents are ready, let’s start the match without delay!>

<The battle between the mysterious fellow ’L’ and one of Asterion Academy’s finest mages, ’Sia’, begins now!>