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Soon enough, it was Damian's turn on the stage, and his opponent was the Rank 28th student.
Unlike Asher's fight, Damian's duel lasted a good 28 seconds.
Damian was a Shield User, so in a duel, he was naturally at a disadvantage. However, instead of being defensive, Damian was extremely aggressive, which threw his opponent off.
After the fight went on for a bit less than half a minute, the opponent made a mistake by trying to use a feint attack. Damian noticed a gap in his footwork, providing an opportunity for him.
'His son is quite good as well,' Alfred thought as he watched the match.
Damian's ability to react to any fighting style was so impressive that Alfred could discern where he had learned it.
David Seymour was a great fighter himself and one of the few Hunters who fought barehanded and didn't use any weapons.
"It's a pity he's using a shield," Alfred said.
"It's their choice; we can only guide them," Farnus replied.
World Academy was structured in a way that encouraged students to pursue what was best for them and where their talents lay.
However, there were a few anomalies like Damian and Asher, who didn't choose what was best for them for various reasons.
After Damian's match, two students from the second year were called, and the tournament continued.
Recruiters were also scouting among the first and second years, wanting to evaluate these students early on.
A guild needed talented hunters.
Even the Abyss Guild would have been limited if there were no good hunters besides Nathan and Arthur.
New talent was always needed, especially since hunters were at risk of dying if a mishap occurred.
Venturing into dungeons was perilous, as there were instances when a single mistake by a hunter caused the entire team to perish.
This was why, at World Academy, students were exposed to dangers like monsters and taught by the best instructors in the world how to react in such situations.
However, the matches that most guild representatives were keenly watching were those of the third and fourth years.
The names of several students were already highlighted on their lists. Most of these guilds, except the top ones, planned to offer these students contracts, which the students could later decide upon.
While some students pursued the top guilds for their renown, others did not. Due to the nature of these elite guilds, more missions and greater danger were inevitable.
Many students would graduate and later join the Mage Association, while others might join one of the two other associations.
This tournament held different significance for different people.
People like Jayden and Reece were competing for the First Rank, for the pride of their elite families, just like other children from the Elite Families.
"I will go now," Amelia announced as she stood up."Is it your turn?" Livia inquired.
"Yes, my match should start in 15 minutes," Amelia responded.
All students were required to report 15 minutes prior to their matches.
"I'll be back soon," Amelia said, giving Livia's head a gentle pat.
Amelia was eager to conclude her match swiftly, show the twins around World Academy, and spend quality time with Livia. Without further ado, she left the room, leaving Asher and the twins behind.
Livia and Lucas sat together, intently watching the next match that lasted a full 2 minutes before a winner was declared.
Near the stage, the commentator glanced at his list, prepping himself to announce the next contenders.
At that moment, Damian had made his way back to the room where Asher was seated, and he too turned his attention to the stage.
"Next match is between Rank 467, Garmen Smith, and Rank 501, Vin Hargrave," the commentator declared as the two students made their entrance.
"That's Vin Hargrave?" Damian observed, focusing on the young man who was stepping onto the stage.
He remembered bumping into this guy outside the Great Library, but he hadn't thought that this guy would be Vin Hargrave.
"You know him?" Asher asked Damian.
Asher already knew about Vin, but he was curious about Damian's reaction.
"I bumped into him outside the Great Library. I thought he was just some average Third Year. I didn't realize he was from the Hargrave Family," Damian replied.
"I see," Asher said, glancing towards the stage.
Vin Hargrave was the son of the current family head of the Hargrave Family, and he was expected to be the heir.
However, he couldn't become the heir for one reason: his weakness.
It was rare for children in elite families to be in the mid ranks since they had access to vast resources from an early age.
Yet, Vin Hargrave was one such individual. Despite being in his Third Year, he was only a C Rank Hunter, not skilled in combat.
"It seems our dear Young Master's turn," some Third Year students laughed as they watched Vin.
They wouldn't dare mock him to his face due to his status. Still, many students resented that someone like him was born into the esteemed Hargrave Family.
To them, Vin was squandering the resources available to him, and their disdain had a basis.
Vin wasn't just an average guy striving to be strong but held back by his limited talent.
It was true that Vin didn't possess the talent that individuals like Asher, Kevin, and other rankers had, but he wasn't weak either.
The reason he wasn't named the heir and Jayden took that position was primarily due to Vin's deep passion for research and studies.
He held the Rank 1 position in theory during his Third Year and also served as the President of the Research Club, which he managed for his own personal research projects.
Currently, two individuals observed Vin, each harboring differing opinions of him.One was Jayden Hargrave, who viewed Vin as nothing more than an obstacle he wished to eliminate.
The other was Asher.
Vin assessed his adversary, positioning himself on the stage.
While his opponent wielded a sword, Vin was a mage.
"Start!" The referee signaled the beginning of the battle, and Vin's opponent lunged forward with his blade.
"Wind Barrier," Vin whispered, conjuring a barrier composed of wind in his opponent's path.
"Windspin," he invoked another spell without missing a beat, and blades of wind swirled around him.
His opponent acted swiftly, raising his aura — for he too was a C Rank Hunter — and deflected the wind blades with his sword.
This forced him to retreat a couple of steps, during which Vin swiftly invoked another spell.
"Fallen Embers," he murmured, causing tiny yet intensely hot embers to manifest throughout the stage.
"Do you think this will stop me?" Vin's opponent attempted to mock him, but Vin remained unfazed.
The spell he had employed was a Tier 2 Spell, meant merely to divert his opponent's attention. Yet, that wasn't his ultimate objective.
Vin didn't have the massive mana pool like some other people so he used his knowledge instead.
Vin took out his Dagger, as chanted another spell that made fire burn around the dagger and he threw it at his opponent.
Clang!
His opponent easily swung his sword to deflect that dagger but on the moment of contact, the fire bursted out covering the field of view and making him squint his eyes.
Vin took advantage of this opening, and chanted a powerful Tier 2 spell.
"Windstorm," Vin muttered as the air around his opponent started to collect itself, and it fueled the embers that were all around the stage.
Due to the combination of these two spells, a huge firestorm was made and his opponent was engulfed in it.
"Wind Blade!" Vin did another spell which struck his opponent, and he was forced to use his sword to defend from the Wind Blade.
"The Winner is Vin Hargrave!" The referee announced as the Mages around the stage immediately stopped the firestorm.
And the opponent was on his knees and he used a lot of his aura to defend against Vin's spell.
The crowd cheered for Vin, who was taking heavy breaths as he barely had any mana left after using so many spell in succession.
Vin had a small smile on his face, as he left the stage but someone's face didn't look good right now.
"Useless," Jayden muttered.
"How the hell that guy lost with the artifacts we gave him?" One of Jayden's friends muttered.
"Do better next time," Jayden said as his mana pressure took over the room.
"Y-Yes, I will make sure this doesn't happen again." One of them replied immediately.
They didn't wanted to anger Jayden, so it was better for them to admit their mistakes and correct them.
"He used a good tactic," Damian said.
"For a guy on Rank 500, he was quite decent," Damian spoke.