Finally, the Wizard Saint tournament began after a grand opening the previous day. There were 243 participants, a rather high number. They passed background checks by the Magic Council to make sure that they are not criminals.
Originally, over a thousand people registered. But most of them didn't have a good record of finishing difficult jobs. Many of them also had a bad reputation even though they weren't criminals, so the Magic Council disqualified them.
But 243 was still a high number for this tournament and the number of matches will be high. They will use a knock out system in this tournament but it will take too long if all 243 people fought individually. So they need to reduce the number before the knock out matches start.
The first round will be a battle royal with the participants being divided into 8 groups. They will select 4 people who survive the battle royal of each group. Then, they will get 32 people who will compete in knock out matches.
There will be 5 groups of 30 participants, while the other 3 groups will consist of 31 participants. The first group will start their battle royal at 8am. Each group's battle royal would last for a hour and there will be a 1 hour break from 12pm to 1pm.
The participants in each group are chosen at random. Well, it's not completely at random because Ben and Jura did something during the group division. They aren't cheating though, they just wanted to make sure people from the same guild weren't in the same group.
There were several participants who came from the same guild. They might work together if they're in the same group. So Ben and Jura tamper with the group division to separate those people and make the matches fair.
They also choose the participants for each group right before the group match started so the participants won't know who they're facing. The same method will also be applied in the knock out matches.
This method will prevent the participants from finding out about their opponents before their matches. Being able to defeat unknown opponents will display their qualities as mages. Well, if they are determined, they can still learn about the other participants powers and weaknesses.
Then at 8am, the first group started their battle royal. 30 people who were spread out all over the arena immediately made their move. The audience yelled in excitement and some support their favorite participants.
When the match started, most participants immediately used their magic. Many kinds of spells are being cast all over the arena. Seeing so many spells activated at the same time made the audience even more excited.
Some participants target the ones closest to them, some attack the ones that they know or have a grudge against, while some just retreat and do nothing but watch. These guys want to save their energy and wait for the number of participants to shrink.
Ben and Jura are standing on a special platform right beside the arena. They need to stay there and keep their guard up to prevent accidents. Mira, Bella and Lyon's group joined them on the platform to have a better look at the match.
"It's disappointing that I can't compete in this tournament because those from the same guild as a Wizard Saint aren't allowed to participate." Lyon sighed.
"Even if you could join it, do you have the confidence to get the Wizard Saint position?" Ben asked.
"No, I am not strong enough to challenge anyone for that position. There is still a big gap in strength between me and the Wizard Saints. I know Jura-san's strength really well and I am nowhere near that level now. But still, joining this tournament will give me a lot of experience." Lyon said.
"Well, there are many strong mages who compete here. Some faces are quite famous and there are even some that we never even heard of." Mira added.
"That's what makes this tournament more interesting. Unknown people, unknown magic, unknown results." Lyon said.
There were indeed some unknown factors in this tournament. These unknowns didn't just pique Lyon's interest, but the interest of all the mages here. Ben wasn't an exception and maybe he was the most excited person here.
'As I thought, coming up with this tournament was the right call. There are a lot of magic types I haven't seen before. I know about them because I've read about them in books. But this is the first time I've seen them being used. There are even some I've never heard of.' Ben thought, grinning with excitement.
Ben looked at the magic that is used in this battle royal. A.I Chip recorded everything and analyzed all the magic that was used. The first group in the battle royal gave A.I Chip a lot of data that can't be found in books alone.
'Great, if we can collect this much data from the first match alone, then the whole tournament will give us much more, I can't even imagine that. We will be able to strengthen all my spells and even the other's spells a lot.' Ben thought as he grinned with excitement.
Ben continued watching the match and some people stood out from the others. There were 7 people that showed superior power to the rest. These 7 were the last ones standing.
But only 4 people from each group can pass this round so they need to fight. It had only been a half hour, so there were still 30 minutes left. They fight again and 18 minutes later, the first group's battle royal finished with 3 men and a woman who passed.
Ben and Jura check and repair the arena before the next match started. There wasn't a lot of damage so they can finish repairs quickly. 12 minutes later, at 10am, the 2nd group finally started their battle royal.
This group also had interesting people who use interesting magic. Even some people who used common magic have unique and unusual styles. The same magic can be really different because of the user's different interpretations, understanding and ways of utilizing it.
These differences cause the magic's power to be different for each user of the same magic. Magic power capacities also affect the power but those factors also have big effects.
An example is how Lyon and Gray use their Ice-Make Magic. They use the same magic but they have different styles which make their usage and power different.
Some participants also use the same magic but the way they use it is different. Ben asked A.I Chip to analyze and compare them. He doesn't use them but the data will be useful to further develop his magic.
The battle royal matches continue until 5pm and 32 participants passed. Everyone that watched today's matches were pleased. All the matches were intense and they could see a variety of magic types.
Well, a number of people were displeased. They are those who lost and their friends. But this is a competition. Winning and losing is something that's bound to happen. They lost because they were weaker than their opponents, nothing more.
However, they still gained valuable experience even though they lost. They need to get stronger if they want to win next year. Those who are truly strong will never give up just because of a loss.
Well, some idiots weren't willing to accept defeat and caused a ruckus. Ben and Jura gave them some 'care' and everything ended 'peacefully'. With their help, there was no further trouble and the tournament continued the next day.