The Scar was aptly named for many reasons.

One for the scars it left on all who came seeking glory. The other was plain to see.

Walking through the entranceway, I nodded to the ogre, who opened the door. I had no idea when they had transitioned away from purely ogre security. Budget cuts during the war was the only reason I could think of.

The jagged stalactites were holding onto the mismatched ceiling, threatening to fall at any second to the vast crowd below.

I had never seen the Scar in its heyday. It was awe-inspiring. The rows of stone, once predominately empty, now were filled with people.

What had been for me a refuge for the impoverished and infirm was nowhere to be seen. Here was a place of wealth and luxury. They were betting away more than most common folk would make in their entire life, in a few seconds. Here would be a great place to begin my journey.

Sammy grabbed my arm as we got to the railing overlooking the arena proper. I had no idea a ganglord who ruled the streets in my past life was such a scaredy-cat.

"How did you know how to get here? We have to leave."

The fight had obviously spooked him. We came at a bad time for a first-time arrival, I must admit. The battles between Alpha beasts were terrifying for High mages, nevermind people who had never seen a monster before. Suddenly coming within meters of a creature that could rip most of the city apart if let loose wasn't the most calming experience.

I looked for my seat. It was filled by a fat man chewing on a feast. I felt unbridled rage fill me, but that would be for another time. The place I had sat through every speculative bet. Each time thinking this was going to be the moment, my life would change. I learned a lot about mage battles in my time here.

I also learned that I was terrible at gambling and a real bad luck charm for whoever I bet on.

That was in the past. Something I didn't have to worry about now. This time I was going to make my own luck.

"Sammy, I am going to go register for the battles. When you see me come onto the arena, bet all the money you have on you on me."

It took him a few seconds to move his focus from the giant beasts doing battle below us.

"What are you talking about? There is no way you can go out there."

I couldn't see his face behind the mask. If I could, I might have slapped him.

"I'm a big boy now, Sammy, you don't have to protect me anymore. Just make sure you place that bet. It will be the start of something great."

I left him behind before he could shout out any more complaints—all moans evaporating behind me as I entered the heart of the noise.

The walk down to the registration box was much the same as always. It was only this time I wouldn't be registering to bet.

I would be going for a much bigger prize.

I didn't recognize the man behind the desk. The silence charms blocking out all the noise as I passed through them.

"Hello Sir, How can I help you?"

Why had the guys who had run the desk before always been so mean to me? This man was simply a delight.

"I would like to register for the apprentice mage battles."

His handsome face twisted.

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"Sorry, my friend, we only have one spot left in the matches for today. That is against the reigning champion. You would have very little chance against him"

I would see about that.

"What his name?"

"He goes by the moniker Blue Piercer."

That did surprise me. By the time I had gotten into the Scar scene, Blue Piercer had become a legend. He had become a High Mage and left the Scar undefeated, never to be seen again. Most said he died in the war effort. I figured he had gone off to another job. There were much better ways to make money when you reached beyond the basic mage ranks after all.

"Sign me up."

His eyes looked at me with sympathy as he began writing with his quill.

He motioned to a waiting room to the side.

"Head to room 4, the apprentice mage matchups will be soon. You shouldn't have to wait too long."

I had never been to the competitor side of the waiting area. Finding room four hadn't been difficult, though.

There were only five rooms in the waiting area anyway.

The room shook as I went through the door. The fight between the alphas must have come to its conclusion.

All the people in the room looked up at me as I entered. All with various smirks adorning their faces. It was customary for a fighter to have a mask that showed off their mouth—made for a better show.

They knew who I was fighting. Everyone else was accounted for. My opponent didn't even look up as I arrived—his simple blue mask hiding all his face.

He had always been about simplicity and speed. He would eventually become an Ice mage when he awakened his elemental attunement. That would not be for a while, though. At the moment, all he had was a proficiency for magic bullets to his name.

I would have to practice every type magic when I advanced. In basic magic, however, I was confident I was the foremost expert in the world.

I waited in silence as well. There were screens in the corners of the room showing the arena and the fights. I had little interest in that at the moment.

I was focused on making as much progress as I could before the match. I was solidifying my core. I sent my mana circling in the most optimum way before a battle. It was one of the few things most contemporary sages agreed on.

Focusing on your mind allowed for far greater power than any other part of your body. The alarms soon rang in the chamber around us. It was our turn to perform.

We were a low-level event. All the apprentice mage fights were on at the same time within the arena. The champion's match being in the center of it all.

The arena was silent as we came out onto the gravel. The shielding dome blocked out all sound, but it also blocked any visuals of the crowd. For us, it was like we were fighting alone in a cave.

Everybody was directed to their positions within the arena. It was a quantity over quality approach for this one. That was great for the people in charge. It was allowing them to create packages for the gamblers that would pay back hundreds of times if all the fights went the way they expected. It was a trendy choice amongst the gamblers.

Blue was directly across from me in the small space designated for our match. His eyes were glaring. He had his game face on. Too bad that would be for nothing.

The horn signaled the start of the match. A bullet broke apart violently against the shield I summoned.

I returned three of my own. I was summoning mage hands along with the bullets. They snuck up on Blue from all angles. Ready to take him down. His shots took them out equally as quickly.

He had to keep circulating the small zone.

His bullets were quickly becoming more lethal, however. As he was pressed, he began making use of the tactics that had got him his name.

His bullets began to spin. He was ripping through quite a few of my shields before I changed the design to stop it. He continually switched his bullets as he pressed the advantage he got.

I slowly moved back, nearly reaching the limit for our zone.

The explosion of magic underneath him took him by complete surprise. It wasn't strong enough to do any lasting damage, but it would give me more than enough time to take him out of the running.

Which I did. A simple mage hand took the advantage and began pulling him off balance, allowing a bullet to bypass any shields he had around his person. Sending him to the ground and securing the victory.

I had won.

A titanic presence of my previous life. Someone who I would have given anything to switch places with was lying down in defeat in front of me.

The Blue piercer, someone who had reigned in this arena from the time he had first started. Someone who had risen through the ranks through careful planning and preparation.

Last time it had worked. He never faced any opponents he wasn't ready for.

This time around, he hadn't been so lucky.

I would have to take on the mantle of undefeated. Heavy as the crown may be. Along with all the rewards that might come with it. It would be a great responsibility, I was sure.

Now I just had to hope that Sammy remembered to bet on me. Future rewards wouldn't help me all that much to get into the academy.