Clap! Clap! Clap!
Instructor Seiya slowly walked toward the two; the sound of his hands clasping reached every student's ears. Meanwhile, after healing Zane, Ms. Luna moved to check on Sergeant Rhode on the floor. With the protection of the ward, he suffered no injuries, only a slightly painful, if not embarrassing, beating.
"What a beautiful display of what a mage should be like," Instructor Seiya stated. "There is a common saying in the Astral Cosmos: do not fight a well-prepared mage. And this fight perfectly demonstrates that. During the battle, our winner scouted out the environment, checking how it could be used to his advantage.
"Once he had the data at hand, he created a plan that perfectly utilized his findings and the resources available to him. The last step was to execute everything."
Instructor Seiya turned to Zane, "What would have happened had you discovered the floor wasn't slippery?"
"I would have targeted his face."
"Why didn't you use this tactic instead?"
"It wasn't safe enough. Once the water hit his face, he might be disoriented long enough for the magic bullets to hold, or the situation might turn the same way as his battle against Ms. Keesha. I didn't want to take the risk, so I chose the method with the higher chance of incapacitating him."
Instructor Seiya nodded; he patted Zane on the shoulder while turning to once again face the crowd: "From now on, this is how I want you to approach any fights. Think of all the spells and skills you have; think about your enemy's abilities; think about your and your opponent's weaknesses; assess the environment and whether it's beneficial or harmful; and finally, use everything to create a winning strategy."
He paused to give the students a moment to register his words. "On account of this brilliant display, I will reward Zane an additional 20 points on top of the 50 for the championship."
A smile crept on Zane's face. Now he not only had enough points to exchange for a magic crystal, but there would also be some extras left. Suddenly, the pain of having almost destroyed his brain was worth it. "I need to pay more attention to the subsequent class tournaments," he thought. The possibility of evolving the title was enticing enough, but the possibility of additional points made each tournament even more crucial.
"Come here," Instructor Seiya summoned Keesha from the stadium before turning to face Sergeant Rhode. "As the second-place winner, you will receive 30 points."
"Thank you, sir."
"I'm also going to give you a piece of advice: don't be so rigid. As you saw, magic can be used or applied in creative ways. He took a simple spell designed to create drinkable water and turned it into the key to his victory. You have access to more spells than he does, so think about how you can better use them to deal with any situation."
"I will, sir."
Instructor Seiya nodded before shifting his attention, "As the third place, you will receive 20 points."
"I appreciate it," Keesha nodded.
"My advice to you is not to rely too much on your innate talent. As you saw, Zane used mental channeling to acquire a similar ability. You can use and develop this aspect of yourself, but do not make it your only advantage."
"I understand."
"As for you, the champion," Instructor Seiya stated. "This is not the time to be complacent. In terms of magical skill, your only advantage over them is your mental channeling, which, in its current state, does not provide too much of an edge.
"Not to mention, I'm currently banning the use of arcane focus, enchanted items, and magic scrolls, but that won't be the case in the future. The magical path requires considerable wealth, meaning that someone's background does matter. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"
"I do," Zane nodded.
"Good, now, for the rest of you," Instructor Seiya turned to the crowd. "Do not be discouraged by this singular defeat. This tournament is the first of many, meaning you have plenty of opportunities to redeem yourself. Your magical journey has just begun, and the differences between your peers are still insignificant. If you put in the effort, any one of you can still stand on this podium."
"As the instructor said, I cannot be complacent," Zane thought. His victory today was not overwhelming; on the contrary, he had to rely on his ability to overcome the odds. In the future, many people — especially those with the advantage of resources — might catch up to and surpass him.
Instructor Seiya nodded after seeing the students' shining eyes full of hope and determination, "A lot has happened today, so we will end class early today. However, there is one more thing. Ms. LeBlanc, please come forward."
Evelyn walked to the arena, and for a moment, she thought there would be a prize for the 4th place.
"All four of you are now in the Elite Class," Instructor Seiya announced. "As a member of the elite class, you will have a few privileges, but in return, I expect to see you every day at 9 PM —starting today — in Training Room 1-C. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
Instructor Seiya motioned toward Ms. Luna, who then proceeded to register while explaining the benefits of the Elite Class. Meanwhile, the instructor addressed the students.
"The Elite Class only has 10 spots. If you meet the requirements, you can join; only the top 10 students can join. However, if you fail to meet my standards, I will also kick you out. The list will be announced every two weeks, on Monday, by email. Alright, you are now dismissed."
Zane had a smile at the corner of his mouth as he walked down the stadium, but it froze when he noticed someone filming him. "How can I forget about that? This is the 21st century, everybody has a phone and posts their experience online," he thought. It was virtually impossible to continue hiding himself. Once Departure Day arrives, these people will post the previous tournament on Facebook and YouTube, revealing everyone's status as recruits. But that's not even the worst part.
"There is so much data on the internet, so these videos might not gain traction, but the real issue is Sergeant Rhode. The salary of a Sergeant is not enough to buy spells, meaning he must have the support of the US military. So, even if no one recognized me from the video, that bastard will probably write a report on his experience, which includes me."
"Why don't you look happy? You just won and even entered the Elite Class," Tom Nguyen asked, his eyes not hiding his envy. Evans — who remained a few feet of distance — nodded in agreement.
"Do you guys think the internet is a liability?" Zane asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Many people record things and post them on the web, like this tournament. I imagined this would become even more common after this mandatory schooling ended. Once the invasion starts, the internet will become a good source of information gathering for the Demon Race."
"I think you're overthinking. The Demon Race — as a high civilization — should have mastered Divination as a means to gather information," Tom Nguyen stated.
"That's true, but we can protect ourselves through Anti-Divination Spells and other methods. But the internet? We have no control over that."
"Well, it's not like we are going to be fighting on Earth. Most of our battles will happen during those shifts, so unless we purposely reveal ourselves, there shouldn't be much information about our abilities online," Evans nodded.
"No, people can still record in the shifts and post it afterward," Tom Nguyen shook his head.
"Do you see my point?" Zane added. "I've read that Anti-Divination is not absolute; it's no different than a magical battle, with one side trying to gather information and the other trying to block them. But if the Demon Race can gather enough data from the web, they will have an advantage in this area."
"You make a good point, but what can we do?" Evans asked. "We can't ask people not to take video of us or order them not to publish it online. You can pursue legal actions, but as you know, once something is on the internet, it's there forever."
"Do you think there is a Divination Spell that can block cameras and other recording devices?" Zane suddenly asked. However, the other shrugged since they didn't know.
"There is."
Zane's body suddenly moved on instinct as he swiftly turned around and punched the source of the sound. However, the person easily blocked his attack.
"I-Instructor — since when were you here?" Zane asked.
Instructor Seiya calmly let go of his hand, "The 2-ring Divination spell, Anti-Voyeurism, can put a filter over most recordings. The 4-ring spell, Information Blackout, can erase all your data from the web."
"Oh, thank you for the information," Zane nodded.
Instructor Seiya nodded before walking away with Ms. Luna, who also nodded to them.
"That was scary," Tom Nguyen commented.
"I second that," Evans added while giving Zane a strange glance.
"Do you guys think it's possible to train our perception to be passive?" Zane asked; he did not like the feeling of someone suddenly popping next to him.
"You ask too many questions," Tom Nguyen complained.
"And you don't ask enough."