Hell.

The only word that could describe the events that transcend against the class of Cedrick Jenkins was hell.

It all began when Red returned to the training ground after his trial. With the time being so short, his livelihood and grades at stake, he was determined to achieve what the head wanted even if someone were to die. Flames were igniting in his eyes as he was towards the class as a man with a mission.

As he stepped into the class, something was amiss.

His student was already seated and waiting patiently for him. Their expressions were serious and attentive compared to previously when they would goof off whenever they could.

Zenith, one of the older students, spoke out.

"What's our training for today, Sir!"

"..."

What the hell just happened was what went through Red's mind in a flash. Did Zenithe just speak with respect? Red got extremely confused, but something was still not right. Looking around the class. It seemed that Zenith was not the only one. Imaginary flames can be seen in all of the student's eyes, as they were more motivated than usual.

"Before I start today's training, there's something I would need to ask before we proceed. Who plans to participate in the festival's tournament?"

Red closed his eyes, expecting none of the students to raise their hands. Why? Because the tournament itself is a double-edged sword that might affect the student's growth and career path.

Basically,

Doing well = Good prospect

Doing bad = Bad impression

It all boils down to the student's decision, and there are rumours that some of the alumni of Elderwinn were not able to get a job due to their poor performance being showcased at the festival. Since then, the students who were not confident did not participate.

Red opened his eyes, and sure enough, no one raised their hand. What do you expect? Doing badly in the tournament is the same as getting exiled in Mundi magicae.

As Red's mind wandered off to wonderland, a small voice could be heard from the back of the group of students.

"...c.. Can I be stronger?" Desmond stood from his ground, clenching his fist, and stared straight at Red's eyes, compared to how he usually tries to avert eye contact.

"Only if you can survive the training I have planned. Finish your training with me, and in a month, you will be undeniably strong." Red proclaimed while still keeping eye contact.

Upon hearing the declaration from Red, Desmond stood up from where he was sitting and bowed his head.

"Please, train me, sir! I want to change! I want to be strong as a member of the Adhira family! Most importantly, I want to be strong so that my sister will acknowledge me!"

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Desmond shouted at the top of his lung while continuing to keep his head lowered. Slowly, emerging from the ground, one by one, all the students started standing up and bowed as well, keeping their heads lowered at 90 degrees.

What the heck is this?

Red thought to himself while trying to understand the situation. A simple yes would be enough. Isn't this embarrassing?

In the end, it seems that all of Red's students chose to participate in the combat competition, which brings us to the present day.

[Contestant #76 eliminated]

The screen tries to follow the image of the students battling it out, but the contestants were knocked out before the image could even capture them making a move.

The contestants were dropping at a frightening speed. No one was safe in the forest. The host and the audience were equally confused as to what just happened.

Finally, the camera picked up two of the contestants that were in combat. On one hand, was a Green-robed mage, Alan Wake, who was known for his wind magic like Zenith, on the other side was a White-robe mage.

Irene, who was amongst the audience, noticed who it was. It was Shirley Durkins, one of the Trio white robe mages.

"Sorry, but let's get this over with," Alan spoke without batting an eye at Shirley. To him, she looked just like prey while he was the hunter.

Wielding a large staff that was at least the same size as him, he started chanting magic spells while placing his hand above the magic crystal that was crafted in the staff.

"[Wind Cu___]"

*Bang*

A loud bang, followed by the sound of a crystal shattering, echoed through the forest.

Slowly, the body of Alan Wake starts illuminating blue light, as it carried his unconscious body out of the forest.

[Contestant #13 eliminated]

The scenario played out similarly to the law of nature. Like a hedgehog being hunted by a panther, sometimes the hunter turned out to be the one being hunted down.

Without betting an eye, using her robe, she concealed her weapon and left without anyone noticing her.

Irene, who saw the whole thing, had a mouth dangling.

"What just happened?"

Before she could comprehend what happened, the screen showed another one of Red's students fighting against another Green-robed mage.

This time, it was Eve Orean. The student tried keeping a long distance and started spamming all the spells that were in his arsenal. However, Eve ignored everything and ran straight for the mage, coming in close contact with him. Without wasting a single second, she grabbed the clothes of the mage with her right hand and the sleeve with her left hand. She yanked it towards her, breaking his balance. In a split second, she connected her arm against the mage's arm, lifting him with her back and ultimately slamming him to the ground

[Ippon-Seoi-Nage]

*THUMP*

The impact of the throw was so good that the ground cracked the moment the body landed on the floor.

[Contestant #299 eliminated]

The audience was quiet. Most of them were waiting for a magic duel among the contestants, but this was new to them. Somehow, the frail-looking girl was able to throw someone at least 1.5 times bigger than her. Best of all, the crystal cracked after only one attack.

Professor Edmund, who watched the whole thing, covered his mouth with his hand to avoid people catching him smiling while headmaster Matthew gave a hearty laugh at how the events turned out.

Over 30 minutes passed and the total number of people left was 176 out of 300, which was one of the fastest timing recorded.

Furthermore, the numbers continued dropping at a constant rate yet none of Red's students was amongst the contestants who failed.

For another 30 minutes, the number had dropped further to at least 107. Just 7 more people and the first round would be cleared.

Then, the screen reflected another match between the students. This time, it was between two pretty well-known people.

Rodric Madele, the green-robe mage representative, vs Zenith Vind, the wild boy.

"Zenith. Just rush as you always have and Let's get this over with." Rodric spoke in a low tone voice as he wiggles his wrist and neck to prepare for a quick fight.

Zenith on the other hand was quiet compared to how he was normally.

Calm and silent. These are the words that will never describe Zenith, yet he stood there accepting those words that doesn't suit his nature.

There was an obvious size between Zenith and Rodric. Zenith had a lean body built, standing tall at around 1.75m, whereas Rodric was a lot bigger.

With a height of at least 1.93m, his body is shredded and ripped. He had a great physique to the point where his abs and biceps could still be seen through his shirt.

"Hoh. This is new. You're not coming hm? In that case, how about I come for you."

Rodric revealed a magic crystal that was located in his glove. He stomps on the ground, forcing a barrage of stone walls to ascend in Zenith's direction. Zenith noticed it and broke away to avoid those attacks. However, Rodricnalready predicted where he was landing, was already one step ahead, stationed himself and charging his fist with Mana.

As Zenith flew right into Rodric, Rodric unleashed the magical power stored in the glove by punching with his fist, maximising the full power against Zenith. He was hoping that this would end the fight in one shot due to it being troublesome to deal with Zenith later on. The punch connected and something was sent flying a huge distance away.

As his punch connected, it also caused the surroundings to be filled with dust and smoke due to the sudden release of energy that demolished the surrounding area.

As he pulls back his fist, the smoke clears out. But Zenith was still there.

"Wha___?!"

Before Rodric could react, in a flash, Zenith suddenly shift his body to the right side and walked away.

Rodric who felt something on his chin, but thought nothing much of it, tried to launch another attack at Zenith. He tried putting strength in his legs and fists but something was wrong.

Why was everything side-way instead of straight?

He could move neither his hands nor legs. Additionally, his body was leaning against a wall.

A wall? Rodric realised something. It wasn't the wall he was leaning against but the floor he was leaning on.

The immovable fortress known as Rodric was struck down and demolished.

[Contestant #7 eliminated.]

As the announcement sounded off. The siren wailed loudly.

The first round is over.