Zeke approached the two girls, forcing his face to take on a friendly expression as he did so. He was considering how best to handle the situation at hand. He came to a stop a few steps away from them. Their quivering lips, a clear sign that they felt unsafe in his presence.

Zeke cast his gaze upon the young woman he had encountered in the earlier stage of the tournament. He attempted to ease the palpable tension in the air.

"It's good to see you again," he said, adopting a non-threatening tone. The girl's complexion paled at his words, and she tightened her grip on her companion's arm. It was the other young woman who responded. Even so, her voice was trembling.

"What are your intentions towards us?"

Zeke sighed, feeling the frustration mounting within him. He shook his head at the absurdity of the situation. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke with a measured tone. He had given up on the idea of acting overly friendly.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I believe it would be easiest for all parties involved if you were to surrender. It's obvious that your cores are depleted, based on the fact that you're not attempting to flee."

Zeke could tell that the bolder of the two girls wanted to interject. He held up his hand to forestall any argument.

"Even if you were operating at full capacity, you would have no chance against any two members of my team."

This shut the girls up. They had nothing to retort with. His straightforward demeanor seemed to work a lot better in easing the girl's fear. Zeke seized the opportunity as the girls remained silent. He noted the subtle shift in their body language as they grew more at ease in his presence. He sought to build on this momentum.

"You've both done exceptionally well to make it this far in the tournament!" Zeke said, catching their attention.

"At this point, only the most skilled remain. Even Erik, one of the strongest Fire Mages in our grade, has been disqualified. Just look at him over there."

Zeke gestured to where Erik was being supported by a staff member. His wounds were too severe to allow him to walk unaided. The sight elicited a glimmer of pride in the girls' eyes, and Zeke saw a chance to make his case.

"However, herein lies the conundrum. Even now, after two hours of fighting, there is still no end in sight. It is likely that the other groups are in some sort of stalemate. That means that the remaining groups probably won't clash. Not for as long as there are still stragglers running around."

Zeke paused, confident that the girls could deduce the implications of his words. This was his sincere perspective, and he was not trying to manipulate them in any manner. Now, it was merely a matter of time to see if they would choose to heed his well-intentioned advice.

The girls acknowledged Zeke's words with a nod. They walked a few steps away to discuss their options. Zeke could hear them exchanging hushed whispers. They would glance in his direction or at his team occasionally. Zeke was confident that they posed no danger to him or his team. He remained patient as he awaited their decision. He had noticed earlier the slight cracks in both of their cores. This was a sign of overexertion.

After only a minute, the girls returned. They appeared more at ease. It seemed they had come to a satisfactory conclusion. The first girl, who had spoken earlier, stepped forward. She slightly inclined her head and spoke on behalf of the duo.

"Thanks, Ezekiel, for taking the time to speak with us. You even provided your insight. I really appreciated your honesty. Both of us are aware that you didn't have to extend us this courtesy. We have decided to withdraw from the tournament and accept our current ranking." She said before adding in a playful tone.

"After all, there's no glory in ending up like Samuel."

Zeke felt a tinge of embarrassment as the memory of his bout with Samuel was brought up. He had acted with excessive force in that altercation. Not everybody was aware of their history, and it painted him in a brutal light. Even so, he held no regret for his actions, as it was driven by personal animosity.

However, he didn't get the chance to address the comment. The two girls simultaneously declared their surrender. Their voices echoed in the mist, and soon enough, an official emerged from the haze to escort them away.

The moment the man appeared, the last bit of tension left the girls' bodies. Zeke observed as their once trembling steps transformed into carefree strides. Before they disappeared into the fog, they even offered him a cheerful wave. Zeke grinned back at them. He was happy with how it had turned out. He returned to his own team with a smile on his face.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Zeke noticed that Lena appeared to be in better condition. Most of her wounds appeared to have stopped bleeding. Her complexion had also regained some color.

He lightly placed his hand on her shoulder to gain her attention. There was an immediate reaction. The girl flinched back, causing Zeke to withdraw his hand in confusion. He observed her carefully. Her eyes were darting around as she instinctively created distance between them.

Zeke recognized what was going on. Lena, in her wounded and exhausted state, was wary of a potential betrayal. This was, after all, the perfect time to get rid of a strong competitor. Zeke had to be careful in how he addressed this. He took a deliberate step backward and raised his hands above his head with open palms, hoping to calm her.

"You don't have to fear any backstabbing within our team," he said in a reassuring tone.

"If anyone were to attempt it, I would take immediate action against them. Regardless of who it may be. Winning this competition is important, yes, but not at every cost."

After listening to his words, Lena studied Zeke's eyes for a moment. Soon, a smile returned to her face, and she relaxed her posture.

"It's no wonder you and Leo get along so well," she noted. "You two share similar personalities. It's the main reason I even teamed up with him."

Lena strode past him. In passing, she playfully bumped Zeke's hip as she joined the rest of the team. He watched her without saying a word. He was stunned by the comparison. Her words were probably meant as a compliment, but he didn't see himself as similar to Leo. The other boy had a lighthearted approach to most things. That was unless they involved combat, in which case he was all business.

Zeke didn't think he was like that. Nonetheless, he decided to take the comparison as a compliment. He respected Leo and considered him a stand-up guy.

Zeke also rejoined the team. He noticed that Leo was also looking much better. The four of them held a short strategy meeting. They agreed to return to the center of the mist and wait for the team to fully recover. If no further attackers appeared, they would venture out and assess the situation.

Half an hour later, the team was back at full strength. Lena and Leo had recovered as much as they could without a healer's assistance. During that time, there were no more groups that wandered into the mist. Zeke was confident that there would be no further intrusions either. As planned, the team ventured out of the swamp. It was time to get a clear understanding of the situation outside their protected area.

Upon leaving the swamp, Zeke quickly located one of the remaining teams. In the center of a pond stood a group of four Water Mages, who were using some sort of spell to stay afloat on the surface. He recognized them as the Wellenreiter siblings. Zeke was surprised to see them. He wondered how they could still be competing with their level of strength.

Upon closer inspection, it became immediately clear how they had remained in the competition. Their position was incredibly difficult to attack for enemy teams. At least without an equal number of Water Mages on their side.

Lena scoffed as she followed Zeke's gaze toward the four figures. They were now also looking in their direction. Zeke could hear her mumble something about cowards and toads, as the team started their migration.

They moved towards the center of the arena. There, they expected to encounter more competitors. Zeke spotted a group of six on top of the tallest hill, he recognized all of them. The team was composed of four Earth Mages and two Fire Mages.

They had positioned themselves defensively. The Earth Mages were probably tasked with keeping any approaching enemies at bay. Meanwhile, the Fire Mages would launch powerful attacks from behind their protective barrier. This strategic position was undoubtedly difficult to attack with only Zeke's team. He was sure that many other competitors would also avoid it.

Zeke and his team arrived at the center of the arena and were greeted by the sight of two other groups. They were seemingly confronting each other. Despite the hostile looks they were exchanging, no one had yet resorted to violence.

Curious to learn more, Zeke and his team approached the groups. They stopped at a safe distance to indicate their peaceful intentions. In response, the two other groups shifted their positions to form a triangle with Zeke's team. The atmosphere was tense as the members of all three teams cautiously sized each other up.

Finally, a girl who appeared to be the leader of one of the five-member teams broke the silence. She addressed Lena in a voice that was both friendly and tense.

"Lena," the girl greeted with a smile. "I didn't think you were still around. Haven't seen you at all since the fighting started."

Lena returned the smile. She was clearly familiar with the girl.

"Hey Rona," she responded. "I am not surprised that our groups haven't met earlier, we had ourselves a good thing going in the swamp."

Rona's eyes widened in surprise at Lena's words. She let out a hearty laugh.

"You were in the swamp? No wonder we never saw you! We started calling it the 'Man-Eater Swamp'. Peter here swore he heard the sound of a monster roaring from within. We thought it was a trap to make the arena more interesting."

Zeke noticed Peter standing behind Rona. This was someone he hadn't seen since the day of the evaluation. The boy he met back then had transformed into a confident man with gentle eyes. Zeke only recognized him as the same person after Rona mentioned his name. As Peter cast his gaze over the gathering, he sent Zeke a friendly nod of recognition.

However, the harmonious atmosphere was disrupted soon after. The aggressive tone of a young man cut into the conversation.

"Are you all just going to stand around and chat?" he barked, "I didn't come here to waste time."

The young man appeared to be the leader of the other team. His harsh tone drew the attention of everyone present. Zeke was familiar with the other boy.

Roland had always struck him as a bit of an oddity. The boy was an Earth Mage, but his fiery temper stood out from the rest of his kind. If Zeke wasn't able to see his core, he would have sworn him to be a Fire Mage based on his behavior.

The young man's impatience was evident. Without any ceremony, he inserted himself into the conversation. When he spoke, his words were tinged with annoyance.

"Let's focus on the task at hand," he barked. "We are trying to find a solution to this persistent problem. I am not here for idle chit-chat."