The Greatest Sinner

With an icy stare and a calm face, Fien rushed toward Dirk. They were both wounded: Fien could no longer use her left arm, while Dirk had great difficulty moving.

The wound that the root had left was not serious itself, but the tremendous strain to which he had subjected his leg during the jump made himself felt. If he did something like that again, he would suffer a serious fracture and then he would definitely lose.

Both Fien and Dirk had three spells of different Types of Magic. Evan also had the same, because it was logical. As you don't know what Class you have, so it's better to prepare for all outcomes at once rather than betting it all on one.

But, this choice also has its disadvantages. First, you have to fight as if you are both "Creator", "Amplifier" and "Summoner" at once. You can't concentrate on just one type of magic.

Secondly, your weapons also have to fit all Classes. For example, "Amplifier" will never fight in close combat with a staff or a wand. In general, this choice makes a beginner magician an all-rounder, but it also prevents him from concentrating on only one type of magic.

Fien still had one spell she hadn't used yet, and that's "Wind Cutter". Fien couldn't find the right moment to use it, since she was well aware that Dirk's hammer would easily take a hit. But, now, she had no choice but to get close and try to finish things off with one blow.

Dirk could hold out for a long time, but if Fien got another hit, she would definitely lose. You can't fight when you have two arms broken.

Whoosh.

In a second, Fien got to her opponent. Dirk prepared to block the attacks that were already coming at him.

Swing. Swing. Swing.

Fien swung her rapier several times swiftly and inflicted several shallow wounds on Dirk. Dirk tried to block the attacks, but he was no good at it. He knew that sooner or later he would get too many wounds and wouldn't even be able to hold the hammer in his hands.

Swing.

Dirk swung the hammer and brought it down on Fien. The girl reacted instantly and jumped back.

<Now!> Fien thought to herself and swung her blade in the air.

Whoosh.

A crescent-shaped wind blade instantly formed in the air and headed straight for Dirk. The young man hadn't expected it, there was no way he could dodge it, but he could defend himself.

His "Warp" spun, and instantly a stone bayonet appeared in front of him. He intended to defend himself with it against the "Wind Cutter" coming at him, and he succeeded.

Bam.

The wind blade slammed into the block of stone and shattered it, but on impact the blade dissipated and Dirk was safe.

Fien should have attacked, but she did nothing. The girl just stood there looking at her opponent with a calm face.

Bam.

Suddenly the massive hammer rumbled to the ground just as one of Dirk's hands did.

It was all about the fact that during her diligent training Fien had made some progress, namely that her "Awareness" in "Wind Cutter" had reached the "Beginner" stage.

As the "Awareness" grows, not only does the magician become more experienced, but the spell itself strengthens.

"Wind Cutter" didn't become more powerful, larger, or faster, it underwent other changes. There were two blades instead of one, but the second was close to the first, so it was almost invisible.

The first blade pierced the stone bayonet and the second hit the exact target, cutting off Dirk's arm.

The young man was in pain, but he did not scream. Dirk clenched his teeth and held the bleeding wound. Fortunately, he didn't have to endure such agony for long.

"I give up!"

Whoosh.

Immediately after Dirk's words, a man in a white mantle appeared beside him. He was one of the "Summoners" of the Erden Family, who was supposed to treat all the participants.

He easily loosened the dead grip of Dirk's hand, threw the hammer aside, and returned the severed limb to its place.

The man put his palm to the wound, and the next moment his palm glowed brightly with a pleasant light. After a few seconds, he canceled his spell and moved to the lad's leg. When he was done with Dirk, the man moved toward Fien.

He did the same with her. A glowing palm went over every millimeter of her shattered arm, and then the man was gone in an instant.

It took him less than a minute to heal such terrible wounds. Fien and Dirk felt just fine. They felt no discomfort, and there was no trace of pain. The only mention of their wounds was their clothes torn in some places.

Whoosh.

As soon as the man in the white mantle withdrew, a girl in a black suit appeared next to Fien and she held Fien's hand high up.

"The winner of the first round is Fien Vierdag!" The girl said loudly, then instantly disappeared.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

At the same moment, applause erupted from the stands. Lots of people clapped in recognition of Fien's victory.

This fight was the very first and opened the tournament, and as one would expect, it turned out to be a worthy one. Each of the contestants skillfully used their spells and came up with unusual plans as they went along.

Fien looked around and saw Marcel, who was clapping his hands with a satisfied smile. The girl headed for the exit.

As Fien passed by, Evan said with a slight smile: "Not bad, this guy really is a tough nut to crack."

Unlike the other spectators, Evan didn't have any enthusiasm on his face. In his opinion, the fight was quite interesting, but both Fien and Dirk had made many mistakes. He couldn't call their duel terrific or incredible.

Fien replied, "I hope you don't lose before you meet me."

Evan remained silent. He didn't return to the hall because he wanted to watch the other contestants fight until it was his turn. He hadn't had the chance to see so many magicians fight each other before, even if they were beginners.

The next round was supposed to start immediately after the first one, without any delays. But if the spectators and participants were ready, the arena wasn`t ready at all.

Fien and Dirk hadn't ruined it much, but the numerous ditches, cracks, and places from roots and stone bayonets needed to be cleaned up.

"Oh...interesting." Slowly Evan said as he watched three brown magic circles appear in the center of the arena.

Three Earth Golems emerged from them in turn, each heading toward the damaged areas of the arena.

The golems were summoned by one of the "Summoners" responsible for repairing the arena.

When the golems got close to the cracks or trenches, their body parts would simply turn into the ground, thereby filling the voids.

<The golems... they're just perfect helpers> Evan thought to himself as he watched the golems at work.

A few minutes later, the arena was cleaned up and the golems were gone. Immediately after that, the second round began and Fane announced the names of the contestants.