Chapter 160: The Hundred-Person Melee Has Escalated into a Battle Royale
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: The Hundred-Person Melee Has Escalated into a Battle Royale
With the two spells enchanted onto my bracers and my current physical stats, those few contestants naturally couldn't escape. After all, the arena had its boundaries.
Besides, it wasn't as if I only knew close-quarters combat. Melee was just one way I utilized the Fireball Spell; at its core, the Fireball Spell was still a long-range offensive tool.
"How?! How can a Fireball Spell turn like that?"
The girl I was targeting had thought she’d dodged my Fireball Spell, only to turn around and slam right into another one that had looped back around.
Moments later, under the referee's intervention, she was hoisted up by one hand, voicing her profound bewilderment.
Clearly, the referee had judged that the contestant couldn't withstand the hit in her current state. And that was the truth—if not for the intervention, she would have been lucky to escape with only severe disfigurement.
Without any protection, even an ordinary Fireball Spell could kill a normal person. That was the standard power of a one-point consumption spellbook.
As for the other contestants I had locked onto, they were still trying to launch counter-spells. A hastily fired fireball struck my back, but it was deflected by my protection spell.
"I was a bit careless. Nice sneak attack, but do you only have a Fireball spellbook?"
By the time I closed the distance and stood before her, she had already begun casting her next spell. But she was clearly too late. I reached out, thrusting my hand through the ritual circle to grab the magic wand she was pointing at me.
Snap—
Her wand snapped instantly, and the spell shattered along with it. I flicked the elemental energy from the spell off my hand, trailing a few flickering shadows of energy-condensed runes. Those were vital structures of the ritual, now reduced to fragments.
"My wand!"
"As a contestant, your strength is subpar. Which class are you from?" I asked instinctively.
"What? I... I... I withdraw! I forfeit! Waaaah..."
"Eh?"
I watched her burst into tears just because I broke her wand, feeling utterly speechless. Her mental fortitude was incredibly weak.
However, she did exit the arena on her own, not even needing the referee's help.
It seemed there was a reason she had lost the first round. Being targeted by me in the resurrection match must have put her under immense pressure, especially since this was being broadcast live.
To fall here after carrying the expectations and blessings of her entire class...
But... what did that have to do with me?
I had simply eliminated a contestant who deserved to be eliminated. For all I knew, she might be someone unworthy of sympathy, or perhaps just a temporary class monitor sent out to take the fall.
Still, I was curious how she became a class monitor in the first place. Being a monitor usually meant receiving a larger share of class resources. Or was this what "normal" resource allocation looked like?
Only one Fireball spellbook, and a total mana source count barely reaching double digits.
If she had just pleaded with her counselor or joined a more reliable club, it wouldn't have come to this.
At that moment, I quickly shifted my focus. This was a melee, and after taking those few out, I felt like I was becoming a target for everyone else.
After the first simple clash of the groups, the total number of nearly two hundred contestants had been slashed by almost half.
Contestants like the one I just faced were completely filtered out in the first wave.
Interestingly, most of those remaining seemed to have transformation spells. It truly was the most cost-effective spell at this stage.
The counselors of each class weren't fools. When sponsoring students, they naturally used the most efficient spellbooks to ensure the greatest return on investment.
As their gazes drifted toward me, intentionally or otherwise, I silently cast my Illusion Clone spell.
They were wary of me, constantly watching me—so why wouldn't I want to eliminate them too?
They probably didn't realize that by looking at me, they might already be falling under the influence of my Illusion Clone.
Some might know, of course. I knew there had been commentary during the first match, and my Illusion Clone technique had likely been exposed. Contestants who liked to gather pre-match intelligence wouldn't have overlooked such a move.
But as long as I didn't activate it, they wouldn't react so quickly.
Even if they did realize it, they didn't necessarily have the means to quickly dispel the illusion.
* * *
The Live Broadcast Perspective:
As the former commentator for Arena No. 1 and the current commentator for the No. 1 perspective, the fact that she hadn't called the second half of the first match was a lingering regret.
Even though she had started a private stream afterward, the results hadn't been as satisfying.
Now that she was back in the commentator's seat, she was determined to give it her all!
"As we can see, the number of people on the field has plummeted to fewer than a hundred. This elimination rate is simply breathtaking!"
"However, we can also see many familiar faces among those being knocked out—contestants who underperformed in the first round of the tournament."
"Oh! The first highlight of the melee has appeared! No. 14 Contestant has once again displayed her specialty of tearing through spell rituals with her bare hands, and she even snapped her opponent's wand!"
"The opposing contestant burst into tears from the pressure and voluntarily withdrew. Let's hope this doesn't leave her with too much psychological trauma."
"But the current situation doesn't look favorable for No. 14. It seems the terrifying strength she showed in the first round has put everyone under immense pressure. Yet, No. 14 seems unfazed—she's even starting to conjure fireballs!"
"The fireballs No. 14 is conjuring are actually orbiting her body without exploding! This move looks a bit familiar. It seems there's more to this spellbook than meets the eye."
"As the fireballs multiply, the pressure No. 14 exerts on the crowd grows. This puts the others in a difficult position. If they ignore her, they'll be completely crushed later. But trying to interrupt her now might be a suicide mission... Wait! Someone is charging in!"
"It's No. 96 Contestant! While everyone else was hesitating, she was the only one to make a swift, resolute choice! Let's see... Eh? The direction she's charging in seems a bit off. Is... is she attacking thin air?!"
"Oh my! She was sent packing by No. 14 so quickly! Tsk... it looks like she fell for No. 14's Illusion Clone. Everything seems to be under No. 14's control."
* * *
Once the first person to charge was dealt with in that manner, many others realized what was happening with my Illusion Clone.
Of course, there were those who hadn't been paying attention and didn't understand what it meant, simply assuming I had used some spell to control her.
Even so, many people became guarded, even paranoid, wondering if the person in front of them was a clone.
But they weren't the type to just sit and wait for death. While they might get manhandled in close combat, long-range was relatively safer. They could use it to test if I was a clone. After all, with so many of them, I would have to pay a price to deal with everyone at once.
Besides, they had more than just spellbooks. They had alchemy items, potions, and other tools.
Even among potions, there were offensive types: volatile mixtures, poisons, knock-out gases, corrosive agents, and so on. They were all terrifyingly effective.
And alchemy items were no less powerful than the spellbooks they currently mastered.
In fact... some were even easier to use than spellbooks.
At that moment, I truly felt what it was like to be besieged. The drain on my energy shield had become my biggest expense. Fortunately, I had plenty of mana sources now.
This was the first time I’d experienced such a "wealthy" battle. I was even tempted to test the power of that spellbook that cost a hundred points.
But that would be a bit too reckless, so I kept the thought as just a thought.
At this stage, even in a landslide victory, one should be conservative. If I lost the match because I got cocky and careless, I’d regret it for the rest of my life!
A barrage of attacks surged toward me like a tide. Once they built up momentum, the rhythm of the fight would fall into their hands. With long-range harassment and the transformation-focused contestants closing in to kill, the pressure was starting to feel a bit tricky.
It even made me wonder if I should learn some close-quarters martial arts.
But I quickly crushed that thought. Because... rather than brawling with them, I found I much preferred the brute-force suppression of magic!
Especially when a Fireball Spell struck them from an angle they couldn't possibly imagine—that sense of achievement was incomparable to the hot-blooded thrill of a fistfight.
However, it seemed that ordinary fireballs could no longer deal lethal damage to those using transformation spells.
So, what about a modified one?
There was no need for anything overly flashy. I just needed to increase the mana conversion efficiency. Even if it was still a fireball that consumed one point of mana, its power became terrifying.
I hadn't researched other spellbooks much, but I had thoroughly mastered the Fireball Spell. These two matches, in particular, had been incredibly beneficial.
The mana conversion efficiency within a spellbook, to some extent, had an exponential relationship with damage. The higher the efficiency, the more terrifying the damage increase.
But this increase wasn't limitless. That’s why I said the relationship showed a "partial" exponential growth trend.
This meant every spellbook had its limit. No matter how much I modified it, a Fireball spellbook couldn't produce a spell capable of destroying stars.
The result of infinitely stacking mana would simply be the destruction of the spellbook itself.
Perhaps a spellbook could do what I deemed impossible, but I didn't have access to that level of modification technology. For now, I couldn't break that limit.
Compared to obsessing over the Fireball Spell, it was more cost-effective to switch to a spellbook with a higher ceiling for modification.
BOOM—!
As the first modified Fireball Spell erupted with a terrifying roar in the arena, the very nature of the match changed.
It was as if the melee had evolved into a battle royale.
* * *
"I was wondering why No. 14 Contestant had been performing so modestly until now. She has finally bared her fangs! That casual strike—a fireball with an explosion more terrifying than an Explosive Flame Spell—is like a harbinger of death! It eliminated three contestants the moment it appeared!"
"Thank goodness the referee was quick. Aside from one who was a bit over-shocked, the other two just seemed purely terrified."
"Just imagine such a terrifying spell exploding right in front of you. How horrifying would that be?!"
"What should the remaining contestants do now? Submit to fate and play out the final battle royale to see who survives, or unite to fight for that slim chance of victory?"
"Given the trend, uniting seems like the only choice. But they might just get wiped out in one go. After all, the explosion from this morning's elimination round is still fresh in everyone's minds."
"The crowd is in a stir! The groups that were just starting to unite are scattering? What's going on?"
"It's the Illusion Clone! Such a massive area of Illusion Clones! When did she start casting this? This spell, which has zero offensive capability, has become the final straw that broke their alliance!"
"It's hard to imagine how many clones are interfering with the contestants' judgment. There's even infighting in the crowd... no, that's not right. They were rivals to begin with, so 'infighting' isn't the right word."
"It seems the deterrent No. 14 brought us almost made us forget this is a melee. The number of people on the field is dropping drastically. According to the Ley Line Data, there are only 56 people left, and that number is still falling at an alarming rate!"
* * *
The commentator felt like she couldn't stop talking. From the moment the melee began, every second was a climax.
Usually, a melee was hard to call, especially with the perspective issues. Frequent camera cuts were bad for the audience's experience.
But now, with such a one-sided situation, the commentary had actually become easy.
This was a rare sight. Usually, this kind of "smurfing" only happened during major upsets.
"Calling No. 14 the 'Explosive Witch' is truly fitting!"
The commentary continued, and I continued to experiment. The arena was a place where one could cast spells without restraint, even more convenient than the laboratory.
A landslide victory wouldn't improve my combat skills. If I didn't even gain new insights into magic, this battle would be a failure for me.
The first elimination match made me realize the importance of spell diversity. From this second match, I naturally had to gain something as well.
Fighting purely to show off or act cool had no meaning beyond increasing my fame. Besides, I wasn't the type who enjoyed fighting. If I had to fight, I preferred the suppression of absolute strength.
In addition to the Fireball Spell, I occasionally mixed in other spells for variety. After all, my two hundred-plus mana sources were enough for me to squander like this.
"We can see No. 14 Contestant using spells she's never used before. It seems she really was hiding her strength! Wind Blade, Torrent Spell, Falling Thunder Spell! Although they all seem to be common one-point mana spells like the Fireball Spell, their power doesn't seem to exceed our expectations. It appears No. 14 is still most proficient with the Fireball Spell series."
"The numbers have decreased further. It looks like this melee is nearing its end. Finally, let's see which unlucky souls currently on the field will miss out on the next round."
At that moment, I felt a surge of enlightenment. My understanding of spellbooks reached a deeper level. Precisely because I was facing a battle full of unexpected situations, I had needs I would never have thought of normally. With needs came difficulties and problems to solve.
With problems, everything had a clear direction. Although this match seemed like a landslide, I had used the opportunity to thoroughly master the Fireball spellbook.
But in the next step, I hit a bottleneck. And that hard bottleneck was my own knowledge reserve.
This brought me back to the book on runes that Teacher Ji Niang had given me.
The path I could take relying on talent alone had reached its end. Next was the professional field.
To put it bluntly, I was just a freshman. Like a child who had just started making small inventions, I had a gifted hands-on ability and could modify various things. But talent wasn't omnipotent. Without the support of theory and knowledge, I couldn't go any further.
This was the predicament I faced in the arena—the growing problems had exceeded my personal understanding. I needed time to settle down and accumulate a foundation.
I even needed to integrate the fields I was proficient in with the knowledge from books. This was far from being as simple as just saying it.
Once I understood this, I didn't even have the heart to continue bullying the "newbies." I just wanted to end this farce quickly.
But as my Fireball Spell sped toward a contestant who hadn't managed to run away, a large hand reached out and crushed my modified Fireball Spell until it was extinguished!
I looked up and saw the owner of that hand: the referee.
"Alright, the match is over! Everyone, stop attacking!"
The referee glanced at me and signaled, then loudly announced the end of the match. The girl who had almost been blown up by my Fireball Spell looked like she had just walked back from the gates of hell. She collapsed onto the ground, her tense nerves finally giving way.
With the referees' official announcement, the light screen above the arena displayed the end of the match.
The photos and names of the remaining contestants began to appear on the screen.
But at that moment, the stands were filled with loud shouts of "Explosive Witch" and "Yang Yuehan." This was enough to show the audience's recognition of the title and their affirmation of me.
Outside the arena, many girls burst into tears from the overwhelming pressure.
After all, they were just young women who had recently come of age. Facing such pressure and being crushed by a terrifying opponent, it was inevitable that many would have emotional breakdowns.
They represented the glory of their entire class. With so many people in a class, public opinion was a fearsome thing. Even if the class offered only comfort, it would only sting and make them afraid to face the reality that followed.
Not to mention the pressure if someone were to blame them.
I, on the other hand, was in a calm state of mind, simply feeling that this match had finally come to a close.
I reached into my storage leg ring and rummaged around, finally pulling out the book Ji Niang had given me: Analysis of 300 Common Runes. It seemed Teacher Ji Niang must have planned this, right?
If I wanted to go deeper, I really needed to understand exactly what runes were. I needed to analyze the fundamental internal structure of a spellbook from the most basic level.
With the end of the brief afternoon melee, the 18 advancing contestants were finally decided. Today's freshman competition had come to a close.
Tomorrow morning, it would be a battle between two hundred people!
And that would be the most important battle, because it would determine the top one hundred spots!
There would be no more resurrection matches.
The top one hundred would be listed on the Freshman Top 100 List!
Regardless of the specific rank, making it onto the Freshman Top 100 List was a mark of glory!
The matches after that would gradually refine the rankings.
Furthermore, the ranking would affect the final rewards. The higher the rank bracket, the more rewards one would receive!
One could say that after this resurrection match, the two hundred selected contestants had already secured their rewards. Those ranked beyond two hundred would only receive consolation prizes.
As the contestants exited, teachers soon came forward to summarize the day and organize the audience's orderly departure.
As a contestant, I could go straight back to the rest area or even back to the dormitory.
I naturally wouldn't stay here. I needed a quiet place to dig into the book Ji Niang had given me. I believed that once I mastered these basic runes, my understanding of spellbooks would reach a whole new level!
This was much more meaningful than blindly exploring the various structures of a spellbook. It seemed Teacher Ji Niang had been quite indulgent with me before, letting me mess around like that.
Research loathed disorganized tinkering. Although I had mastered the Fireball spellbook that way, in Ji Niang's eyes, it probably looked like a caveman making inventions—purely based on guesswork.
After leaving the rest area, I saw a crowd already gathered. I had deliberately stayed in the rest area to read the preface, so why hadn't these spectators gone home yet? Why were they blocking the way?
Seeing me appear, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Hehe, looks like they're specifically waiting for you."
"Good luck, Explosive Witch."
A few girls passing by me spoke with a friendly, familiar smile.
I could only respond awkwardly. I’d have to be an idiot to walk through there. Was being mobbed by so many people supposed to be fun?
I didn't have time to waste with them. I looked at the open-air area of the arena, confirmed there were no invisible barriers, and pulled out my flying broom to slip away from above.
"Hey! That Xiao Han is getting away!"
"Where? Where?!"
"Holy crap, a flying broom!"
"Forget it, I'm going too! Flying broom, activate!"
Once I had slipped out, I breathed a sigh of relief. Being surrounded by so many people felt terrible. Were those senior sisters really that bored?
If I were a senior student, I wouldn't have much interest in coming to watch a freshman competition in person. So, the senior sisters who did come were likely not easy to deal with.
As I was trying to get my bearings from above, a figure suddenly approached me, also riding a broom.
"Excuse me, are you the Explosive Witch, Miss Yang Yuehan? I haven't mistaken you, have I?"
"Eh? You are...!" I was nearly startled by the sudden appearance.
It felt like riding a bike normally, only for someone to suddenly pull up alongside you and ask if you were so-and-so. Who could stand that?
"I'm a reporter from the Witch Academy News Agency. May I interview you?"
"Huh?"
I was stunned for a good while. The academy really had all sorts of clubs—even such a weird one existed. I was clearly running away to avoid people like her!
How did she still manage to catch up?!