Chapter 59: Brilliant Fae

Round two of the interclass competition proceeded smoothly, with constant cheers and exclamations from the spectating students. There was a stark contrast in the students' performance compared to the intraclass competition the month prior. Not only had their combat awareness improved, but more students with combat-oriented innate talents integrated them into their combat system. Furthermore, the students had shed the hesitation that came with inexperience and let their confidence and boldness shine through.

At this point, half of the scheduled matches for round two were completed. After the most recent combatants exited the arena, Teacher Linus announced the next match.

"In the next match, we have Egor Helden versus Frans Vaughan!"

When Ain heard the names for the next match, he curiously looked towards the two students who walked onto the arena. Frans Vaughan was the creator of the "Red Oak Elite" group chat. Since he created the group, there was an intuitive expectation for him to be superior in terms of talent and ability. Furthermore, just like Ain, Frans didn't use his own picture in his group profile.

Among the two students who appeared on the arena, one of the teenagers had short black hair while the other possessed blonde, mid-length curtains hanging loosely. Ain looked between the two students and pondered, 'Which one is Frans?' He became aware that although the participants were introduced, Teacher Linus' introduction didn't really differentiate the two students.

Ain wasn't bothered too much and turned towards Hugo, his source of local news and gossip. "Which one is Frans?"

"Frans? He's the blonde one," Hugo replied without looking.

"As expected," Ain nodded. He already had a weird suspicion. Handsome, blonde hair, and blue eyes fit his mental image of an elite. But honestly, his primary reason for believing so was his temperament.

As Frans walked onto the arena, his posture was neat and steady. He carried a faint smile and a steady gaze, unbothered by the invisible pressure from the spectators, especially with the teachers, the two vice principals, and Principal Green present. Whether or not this was his natural disposition, his demeanor was befitting a member of an elite family like the Vaughan Family.

Although his opponent attempted to suppress it, there were obvious hints of nervousness in his gaze and movements. His temperament was unbefitting of an elite family. His intuition could've been incorrect, but Ain preferred to believe his first instinct in such situations.

This interlude didn't take long, and the match began. With bursts of light, the two summoned their spirit pets. In front of the black-haired student, a large centipede manifested. It eerily tapped the ground with its numerous black legs, emitting an unsettling sound, sending shivers down some of the spectators' spines. Its bright red body was 1.5 meters long and 30 centimeters wide. It bent its body halfway, perpendicular to the ground, and stood up straight, glaring at its opponent.

Seeing this scene, Ain stared with interest. This was a Scorching Centipede, a fire-attribute spirit pet. This was the first time he had seen such a large insect-type spirit pet. The insect-type spirit beasts he encountered in the Duskfield Forest weren't worth mentioning.

Beside him, Hugo's eyes also lit up. But his reason was different as he stated, "Ace would love to eat such a huge bug."

Ain chuckled at his friend's comment and continued observing the match. Just as the Scorching Centipede appeared, Frans' spirit pet did so simultaneously.

Instead of appearing on the ground, the bright light flashed beside Frans' shoulder as a small figure appeared from within. As soon as the glimmering light dissipated and the spirit pet's figure was revealed, most of the spectators were stunned. Ain also looked at the scene and was similarly in awe.

"What spirit pet is that?"

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"Wow, it's so beautiful!"

"Amazing, this student contracted a Brilliant Fae!"

The last exclamation came from a teacher. What appeared floating beside Frans was not a bird or even a ghost like Nox that could fly, but a fish. That's right, it was a radiant white fish, with long, beautiful ribbon-like fins swaying beside it. There was a tiny white horn on its head, giving off a faint luster. The spirit pet exuded a brilliant and sacred aura, unlike any spirit pet Ain had seen before and instantly overhauled his understanding of spirit pets.

In this world of wonders, spirit beasts can be found in various forms and shapes, defying mortal logic. Even before becoming a spirit tamer, Ain had learned about how mystifying and outlandish some spirit beasts could be, but he had never personally witnessed them. To him, Nox was the most bizarre spirit pet he had met.

Witnessing something was a vastly different experience compared to hearing tales about them. Seeing a beautiful flying fish, radiating a sacred and pure aura, blurred some of the unconscious boundaries in Ain's mind, truly expanding his horizons and elevating his thoughts. The impact was far greater than the mechanical spirit pets. Mechanical spirit pets were easier to fathom since his life was surrounded by technology and machines. A mechanical spirit pet didn't seem as fantastical.

For some reason, Ain couldn't help but experience a sense of déjà vu, as if he was rediscovering the fables of this world. Excitement suddenly bubbled up within him, prompting him to explore the world around him. But this feeling only lasted for a second before Ain suppressed it. He didn't plan to discard these thoughts but tuck them away for when the opportunity arose in the future.

As Ain's mood changed for a brief moment, Frans' opponent recovered from his awe and commenced the battle. After regaining his focus, Ain continued observing the battle, as there was always something new for him to learn.

Almost all of the students that made it past the preliminary round were also in the top ten of their respective class's intraclass competition. As such, the battles were definitely not boring.

That being the case, Frans lived up to his status and defeated his opponent with relative ease. He methodically synergized with his spirit pet as they used spells and skills in tandem. Observing the battle, Ain gathered some precious data about Frans' repertoire of spells and skills. Interestingly, he also found that the Brilliant Fae was a rare light-attribute spirit pet; the first one he had encountered. It could swim in the air as if it was a pond and moved with unexpected agility.

"Huh, a light-attribute fish… Ace will probably love it," Hugo jokingly commented again, thinking back to his spirit pet's favorite foods. Ain was brought out of his thoughts by this and smiled.

The matches continued, and Hugo's match also passed. Ace, his Grand Eagle, had long reached Beginner Rank-1, fully displaying the advantage of a flying spirit pet against his peers. Ain had once predicted that Hugo's innate talent, Sensory Enhancement, could provide substantial assistance to a spirit tamer's training, which was proven to be true. Among the sensory boosts provided by his innate talent, the boost to his spirit energy perception was the most crucial. Like most students, Hugo struggled in the beginning, as spirit energy was a new concept to him.

But as time passed and he familiarized himself with spirit energy control, as well as spells, Hugo's advantage was finally displayed. In terms of his training as a spirit tamer, he was amongst the top ten in the class. So, although the flight advantage was still prominent, it ceased to be the determining factor in his battles.

After more than three hours had elapsed, it was finally Ain's turn. His opponent was a girl from the "Red Oak Elite" group chat. As a genius in her class, she was unlike the opponents Ain faced in the intraclass competition, who despaired at being matched against him. Ain was already at Intermediate Rank-1, and so was Nox, while both his opponent and her spirit pet were at Beginner Rank-1.

The outcome was as expected, and it ended with Ain's victory. He didn't use Possession and relied on Spirit Blast, Shield, and Nox's Malicious Gaze to incapacitate the opponent's spirit pet. She could only surrender in the end.

Due to the large distance between the arena and the seats, it was impossible for the students to sense the combatants' ranks. Only the teachers possessed this ability.

Ain didn't know any specific techniques to mask his spirit energy, but he deliberately suppressed his power and lowered the spirit energy in his attacks, matching his abilities from when he was at Beginner Rank-1. Unless the battle came down to close combat, the participants usually kept a reasonable distance. With the weak perception of a Rank-1 Spirit Tamer, Ain could mask his rank from his opponent with these few tricks. There were more rounds up ahead, so it was reasonable for him to hide some cards.

Of course, this applied the other way around as well. When he was in the spectator seats, he couldn't sense the combatants' ranks either. So far, he was unaware if anyone else had reached Intermediate Rank-1 like him.

Ain could actually summon Nox, allowing it to sense the surrounding students and gain a better understanding of their ranks, but he saw no need to do so.

The matches continued for another hour before temporary curtains were drawn on the competition. Ain returned home, skipping his spirit master and AMD studies, and completed the rest of his daily training routine.