After fighting three more duels, Vlad finally reached the 52nd rank. He had not even stepped down from the stage when the referee told him, "Once a participant is eliminated, they cannot challenge other participants anymore. They have to wait for the tournament next month."
With a calm tone, he continued, looking at Vlad with slight awe, "You have reached the 52nd rank from unranked in a single day. Defeating the last opponent will allow you to enter the central arena. However, if you lose, you will have to wait for the tournament next month to rise in rank again. Also, you are free to stop here. Since all the opponents below your rank are already defeated, you cannot be challenged. It is up to you whether you challenge the last opponent of the preliminaries right now or tomorrow."
