"Sister! Sister! You’re incredible!"?

  As soon as Miko stepped out of the Contestant Waiting Room, Mirei scampered over and latched onto her side. Gazing up at her with starry-eyed admiration, his face lit up with pure awe.?

  "Hahaha, piece of cake~!"?

  Miko patted Mirei’s head, unconsciously tilting her chin up a little with quiet pride.?

  "Miko, well done."?

  Hulim strolled over to join them, her tone calm as always.?

  "It was nothing. Even though the competitors are getting stronger after each elimination round, I can still hold my own for now."?

  At this stage, every remaining contestant was at least Grade C—and quite a few were seasoned veterans of that rank.?

  Yet Miko hadn’t even unleashed her full strength. She’d won her last match using nothing but non-attribute magic.?

  For a thirteen-year-old to pull off such a feat, there were scarce few in the entire world who could compare.?

  "Beautiful work. That roundhouse kick had my old spark!"?

  Bars, arms folded firmly across his chest, strode over and commented with a solemn nod.?

  Miko’s secret tournament entry hadn’t stayed hidden from Bars for long. While he’d been irritated by her impulsive decision, the Royal Martial Arts Festival was open to anyone who met the criteria. So after a brief grumble, he’d let her proceed—though not without a stern warning:?

  'If you don’t make it to the Round of 32, you’ll regret it when we get home!'?

  That threat had lingered like a cloud in Miko’s mind ever since.?

  Hearing Bars’ condescending praise, she immediately pouted and muttered loud enough for him to hear:?

  "......'Your old spark'? So quick to take credit. If you’d been this strong at thirteen, the White Cat Clan would’ve seized the First Seat ages ago. All talk and no action~!"?

  "Huh?! What was that, you little rascal?!"?

  Bars had caught every word—and Miko had made sure he did.?

  Veins throbbed on his forehead as he clenched his fists, a "kind" smile stretching across his face:?

  "Getting bold, are we? Want to go a few rounds with your old man?!"?

  "Uh——!"?

  "Haha... Just a joke......"?

  Miko backed down at once. Bars might bluff about other things, but when he offered to "go a few rounds," he meant business. One wrong move, and a fist would come crashing down on her in an instant.?

  "Oh, right! Hulim, your match is starting soon, isn’t it? Let’s hurry!"?

  Sensing danger, Miko grabbed Hulim’s hand and bolted.?

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  "Sister, wait for me!"?

  Mirei scurried after them as fast as his little legs could carry him.?

  "That girl......"?

  Bars sighed and lowered his raised fist, trudging along behind them at a leisurely pace.?

  ......?

  As the number of contestants dwindled in the preliminary rounds, matches grew more frequent. Standout warriors began to emerge, and eager spectators compiled a Top 100 Rankings to highlight the strongest competitors.?

  Once released, the rankings spread like wildfire throughout the Grand Arena—and soon across the entire city of Helinks.?

  Naturally, the list wasn’t set in stone. The tournament’s unpredictability meant new powerhouses constantly crashed the rankings, while some ranked fighters were eliminated after unlucky run-ins with stronger opponents.?

  Yet no matter how the list shifted, the universally recognized top contender never changed......?

  "Boguna Sind’s match is starting! Hurry up—we’ll miss seats if we’re late!"?

  As Hulim’s group passed an arena after her latest win, the buzz of the crowd pulled them in.?

  "Boguna?"?

  Bars stopped in his tracks, his interest piqued.?

  "He’s the number one on this year’s Top 100 Rankings. Word is, he’s the runaway favorite to win the whole tournament."?

  "Come on, let’s go watch."?

  Without another word, he headed straight for the arena.?

  "Sister, who is Boguna?"?

  Mirei asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.?

  "Well, I don’t know too much. He’s a top prodigy who rose out of nowhere in the Golden Lion Beastman Clan in recent years. He’s the favorite because his strength blows everyone else out of the water—he’s already Grade B. If no other Grade B warriors show up, the championship is his for the taking."?

  "Why is Grade B such a big deal? Is it really that hard to reach?"?

  "Uh......"?

  Miko was stuck for words, unsure how to explain it simply.?

  "Hey, you three! Keep up!"?

  "Ah, coming!"?

  Miko quickly dragged Mirei along, leaving his question hanging in the air.?

  "Grade B......"?

  Hulim, though, knew exactly the answer to Mirei’s question.?

  For both humans and beastmen—who typically lived about a century—anyone who reached Grade B before the age of 24 was universally hailed as a top-tier prodigy.?

  While Grade C and B warriors might seem common at first glance, the graduation requirements of Manacos Magic Academy told a different story. For an academy that gathered the world’s brightest minds to set Grade C as a graduation benchmark, it was clear that even reaching Grade C was no trivial feat.?

  Most students at Manacos graduated around adulthood—and they were the cream of the crop.?

  If even these prodigies barely hit Grade C by the time they came of age, ordinary people stood no chance.?

  What’s more, Grade B was infinitely harder to achieve than Grade C. The time and effort required to climb from Grade C to B often exceeded the total time spent mastering magic from the very beginning up to Grade C!?

  Even by Manacos’ lofty standards, most prodigies couldn’t reach Grade B before turning thirty. For countless others...... it was a lifelong impossibility.?

  For Boguna to hit Grade B before 24, being called a top prodigy was nothing short of well-deserved.?

  "Let’s go assess his skills. I wonder if there are other Grade B fighters hiding in the ranks......"?

  ......?

  Inside a small arena,?

  the stands were packed beyond capacity. An arena built to hold a thousand people was crammed with four or five times its intended capacity—and more spectators were still squeezing their way in.?

  "So many people! I can’t see a thing!"?

  Mirei jumped up and down frantically, but the sea of bodies in front of him blocked his view entirely.?

  "Enough of that. Hop on my shoulders."?

  Bars lifted Mirei up in one swift motion and perched him on his shoulders.?

  "Oh~! Now I can see!"?

  Mirei cheered, his excitement bubbling over.?

  "Good. Now watch quietly—and stop pulling my ears!"?

  "Um...... Sorry."?

  "He’s here——!"?

  A roar erupted from the crowd.?

  In an instant, every pair of eyes in the arena locked onto the field below.?

  A towering Golden Lion Beastman, arms folded across his broad chest, strode into the arena with a confident, purposeful gait.?

  "Boguna!"?

  "Boguna!"?

  "Boguna......"?

  The crowd chanted his name, their voices thundering through the venue.?

  Boguna himself merely scanned the stands with a cold gaze, then came to a stop—no extra flair, no dramatic gestures.?

  His arrogant demeanor didn’t go unnoticed by his opponent.?

  He knew he was outmatched. But to concede defeat in the face of such blatant contempt? It stung too much to bear!?

  At the very least...... he wanted to trade a few blows, to show the crowd what he was made of. If he could force Boguna to use his full strength, he might even earn himself a little fame in the process.