The next day, Sero mentally prepared himself for the second round of the tournament. As he went downstairs, he found Amaya waiting in the lobby in her usual liaison attire. Behind her were a swarm of reporters and important-looking individuals that Sero assumed were here to recruit him.

"How's the first night in your new place?" She asked when she noticed him.

"Not bad." Sero shrugged. Truthfully, it was nice, but it felt rather empty with just him occupying the enormous room.

"I've got some semi-good news," Amaya smiled reassuringly as they prepared to dive into the crowd. "Your deposit was approved, so it'll hit your account sometime today. Your dad will be able to undergo surgery."

Sero felt his whole body feel much lighter. He knew that it wasn't a guarantee, but at least now they had a chance. "Thanks, Amaya. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"No problem. I do have to mention; I talked with your dad's doctor, and the earliest they can do the surgery is tomorrow."

Sero stared at her for a moment.

"You... went that far just for me?"

Amaya raised an eyebrow at his surprised reaction. "I told you, I'm here to help. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be using it for anything else important. I can spare a few coins for your dad's sake."

"No, I just... thanks."

The duo ventured out, with Amaya doing her best to keep the crowd at bay. Sero could barely register a single word from anyone as they struggled to push through.

"Sero Kassel! How was it that you were able to reach A-rank so quickly in under a month?"

"Mr. Kassel, please think about joining the Chrome Dome guild!"

"Can you provide further explanations about your Scholar class?"

"There is news that you seem to have bad luck with women!"

"Fucking hell..." Sero muttered to himself as he clung to Amaya in the sea of people. "I forgot there were downsides to fame."

----------------------------------------

Finally, they were able to break free from the crowd after Amaya distracted them long enough for Sero to use his Shadow Sneak.

As they drove to the stadium, Sero set aside his thoughts of his father for the moment, focusing on who his next opponent would be. He desperately hoped it wouldn’t be Elena or Liam; Raul or Kanna would also be a match he didn’t particularly want to have. As for the other 11 participants, Sero briefly scanned the updated roster for more information.

There wasn't anyone of interest, at least, none that Sero thought was a threat. After what he had been through in the match against Sal, he was pretty confident about his abilities now.

The pair pulled into the competitors' parking lot, where Amaya accompanied Sero to the arena entrance once more. They stopped in front of the familiar door, and Sero took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself for the match ahead. Amaya patted him on the back. "Good luck," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Thanks." Sero entered the entrance, walking down the corridor towards the waiting area and locker rooms. When he got there, he found the room empty, save for a couple of officials who directed him towards the exit. Another official acted as an escort for him as they traversed the corridors to the new waiting area.

As Sero walked, he noticed that the atmosphere seemed different. There was an electricity in the air, a sense of anticipation and excitement that hadn't been there before. He wondered if it was because of the second round. Or maybe it was because of him.

After a while, the official finally led them to a small room with three doors. On the left seemed to open to the main arena where the audience was. Up ahead was the exit to outside, but the man gestured to the door on the right. Sero nodded his thanks and headed in, trodding up the stairs to a black door embellished with swirling golden patterns.

"Oh. Wow."

The new waiting area was much nicer than the one from yesterday. Leather couches were neatly arranged in rows, with sleek black matte tables in between. Three wide-screen televisions hung on the full-length windows, displaying advertisements and upcoming matches. Below, the arena seemed larger, with spectators filing into the bleachers. To the left, a small kitchenette was tucked away in one corner, complete with a refrigerator, a microwave, and a coffee machine. An elongated table was littered with refreshments and snacks. To the right were four doors; the locker doors were on the far ends of the side, whereas the two doors in the center probably led to what Sero assumed was the arena itself.

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"Hey, Sero!"

Sero shifted his gaze and saw Raul and Kanna, who were seated near the refreshments wearing the same outfits as yesterday. The Rage Fist grinned and waved him over. "You're looking good. Feeling confident, eh?"

"More or less," Sero shrugged as he joined them. "I'm just hoping I don't face off against you guys or the S-ranks."

"Hey," Raul frowned. "I'm an S-rank, too."

"You know what I meant." Sero leaned back in his chair, glancing at other participants. There were supposed to be 16 of them today. As his gaze raked over the other Ascendants, he noted that Liam and Elena weren't there yet. He figured that they would probably show up later like yesterday.

The participants slowly trickled in as the start of the tournament drew closer. True to Sero's prediction, Elena was one of the last to arrive, followed by Liam. Both of them sat in the center of the room, the seats near them empty. Although their presence quelled the noise in the room again, it wasn't as silent as yesterday. Sero sensed that it might be due to the Ascendants' growing confidence in their abilities after the first round.

"Attention, participants," The man from before with the scar underneath his eye addressed the room. "Just as it was yesterday, we will begin to call your names in about 10 minutes. The centermost doors to my left will directly lead you to the arena. Please make any preparations beforehand and good luck."

"Wished they actually told us who we'd be facing before they announced it." Sero grumbled to himself after the official finished.

"Ah, but then where's the fun in that?" Raul's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Knowing who you're up against ahead of time would result in a boring match."

"How...?" Sero stared at Raul.

"Anyways," Kanna leaned forward. "You probably don't know this because it's your first tournament, but the second round will be organized more carefully. Both contestants will be matched up according to how similar they are in strength and abilities."

The remaining minutes ticked by slowly as the participants continued to chat and stretch. Sero found himself nodding in agreement with Kanna, feeling slightly more at ease now that he knew the matchups were going to be fairer. He glanced at the other Ascendants again and noticed that some of them seemed to be studying their opponents more closely, trying to gather any useful information they could.

"The matches will begin soon. All participants, please standby." The official with the scar announced to the room. Sero took a deep breath, calming his nerves. His phone buzzed, and he glanced down to see a text from Nala. Expecting a random photo, he was surprised to see that it was a selfie of her, Amaya, and his father.

"What the fuck?" Sero muttered to himself. Though he was glad that his friends were keeping his father company, it was a little weird that they seemed friendly enough to take a photo together.

"Sero Kassel, Anya Laskin, please come forward."

For a moment, Sero froze in place. He was going first?

The woman named Anya stood up, walking to the center doors. She was dressed in a sleeveless black bodysuit, accentuated with gold trims with her light brown hair tied in a ponytail. A pair of black gloves and boots completed her outfit. Sero followed suit, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. As he took his place behind the doors, he took a moment to study Anya, noting her confident stance and her sharp features. She looked to be around his age, but there was something about her that seemed more experienced.

Anya simply nodded at him before she entered the right door, Sero taking the left.

"Hi there!"

Kit grinned at him as the door shut behind him. Dressed in the same uniform as the officials, Sero was only mildly surprised to see her there.

"Are you the only one here to escort me or did you use your Cat Paradox to make this happen?"

Kit immediately pouted, as if his reaction wasn't what she was hoping for. "Why? Are you disappointed that it's only me?"

"No, just wondering," Sero shook his head, slightly relieved that it was only Kit. "I didn't expect to go first, so seeing a familiar face is comforting. I'm not even gonna ask how you managed to make this happen."

The Paradox stuck her tongue out playfully before she turned on her heel and walked ahead.

"So," Kit began as Sero caught up. "I have a hunch that you might be wondering why you're the first match of the day."

"That's... right."

"Well," Kit gave him a smirk. "Obviously, it's because of your performance from yesterday. The organizers of the tournament decided to have you get the crowd going first and then end with Elena and Liam's matches. Honestly, it's a good marketing strat, since the tournament was losing attention towards the end of day."

Sero frowned. "I didn't know that."

"I figured you didn't. That's why I'm telling you now. I'm also letting you know to do your best in this match. You know anything about your opponent?"

Sero shook his head. "Other than she’s an A-rank Courtmancer, which is a hybrid advancement of the Mage and Summoner, no, I don’t."

"Hmm." Kit was silent for a moment. "That’s all you really need to know, then. You’ll find her skills very interesting to copy."

Sero realized he was salivating and wiped his mouth. "Is that so? Can you tell me more about them?"

The Paradox giggled. "That’s something you need to find out for yourself."

"Gee, thanks for the help."

Kit playfully punched his arm. "Hey, it’s no fun if I told you everything. Plus, it’ll give the audience quite a show if you went in blind." She grinned, her mismatched eyes sparkling mischievously. "Your teacher also told me to tell you ‘good job’. Well, he didn’t exactly use those words, but I knew what he was trying to say regardless."

There was a sense of pride rising in Sero as a small grin bloomed across his face. Even though he hadn’t heard it from Enzo directly, it was still a nice feeling to know his mentor knew of his match against Sal.

"He also said ‘don’t get a big head’ or something like that."

"Right." It definitely was something Enzo would say after complimenting Sero.

The pair reached the arena entrance, Kit turning back to Sero with an encouraging smile.

"Do your best, my little bookworm!"

Sero grunted his thanks and pushed the doors open.