A few days passed in, and all the All-Stars members recovered from their wounds, and each one was given resources to improve. They were also offered an Armor set or Weapon of their choice. The strength of each member had increased explosively.
The day they finally arrived when all the guilds of the Academy gathered in the field. They were all wearing the jerseys of their Guild rather than the Academy uniform. More than eight hundred students gathered on the ground, looking at each other.
The popular Guilds gained the attention of others. Only two guilds were well-known from the first year: Mineva and All-Stars. The entry of the All-Stars gained attention; they were in the limelight in the past week.
Some respected them, while others were jealous of their popularity. Many even claimed that the Dungeon they raided was more accessible because they couldn't believe they could clear a B-dungeon.
"Attention Everyone!" A loud voice was heard by everyone; they stopped chattering and focused on the speaker.
"Welcome all the participants for this time's Guild Championship. We had a survey before the competition from you guys in which we asked you multiple questions. We have taken your suggestion and banned using the Book of Contracts. The Contract Beasts give an unfair advantage to already strong seniors."
This shocked every senior student; this had never happened before. Little did they know it was just the start. The first- and second-year students were all happy, as this benefited them.
"The use of Mana circuits and Mana hearts is also not permitted. The students in the third year could also not use weapons above Rare Grade. We know even with these, it is not fair, but we can't nerf them any further as it will kill the intention of the competition. Try again next time if you think it is unfair."
This ban made many third-year students almost cry. Mana Circuit and Mana Heart were the things that differentiated them from the other students with similar levels. Every Beast Tamer had to create a Mana Circuit or Mana Heart when they reached Elite Stage Level 10 to advance further; this process made reaching the Epic Stage so hard that only one out of every hundred Elite Stage Level 10 players reached it.
Reaching the Elite Stage alone took multiple years. The students in this Academy were all talented, and for them, it was not hard to build their Mana Circuit and Mana Heart to some degree. It was not complete, but even an incomplete one was powerful enough to make them strong enough to face multiple opponents of their level and win.
Rishi was also surprised; he had recently learned that to advance further. He will need to build a Mana circuit. The fighters had to build it, while the Mages had to Build a mana heart. The Mana Circuit increased physical stats, reflexes, and Mana circulation, while the Mana Heart boosted Mana, Mana regeneration, and Mana Control.
Rishi wanted them, which delayed his advancement to the Epic Stage for a long time. He thought about it all the time, asking if it was worth it. There was also an option to build a half-mana Circuit and a half-mana heart; battle mages generally used this.
After thinking for some time, he decided that he should go all in and build them both, even if it slowed his progress temporarily in the long term.
"To motivate you guys, we have also increased the rewards for the first-year students. There is a separate ranking based on the performance of your Guild. If you can secure the top three positions, you will be rewarded separately."
The first-year students clapped and cheered; this was an excellent decision, as they had to fight among themselves. Multiple first-year guilds started looking at the All-Stars, as this was the strongest Guild. Even Mineva was observing them. Rishi turned his head, and his eyes met the leader of Mineva; he had not seen her for some months.
He noticed that her temperament had changed. She had not physically changed like him, but her presence was stronger now. He smiled at her, only to see her looking at the stage again with a serious expression.
He didn't know what to say; she turns too serious in competitions. He decided to talk to her later, after the end of this term. She would be in this mood till the end of the annual exam.
"The Championship is divided into three parts. As we have more guilds, we will make the first round Brutal. Each Guild will face an Elite Stage Level 10 Boss Monster and defeat him in under five minutes. If your Guild cannot accomplish it, then I think you should try next year."
"The second round will be the Combat round, where all Guilds will be divided into ten groups. The top two teams of each group will enter the next round."
"Round three will be a survival plus battle Royale game. Each Guild must eliminate their opponent and survive till the end to win this round."
"Now, let's not waste time any further and start. I will say the number and the guilds with those number tokens would enter. Ten guilds would start at a time."
The professor then waited for the commentator to explain everything to the online viewers before starting round one. He randomly chose ten Guilds that had to enter the portal. This Dungeon was unique because it could test ten teams at once. The competition started.
At first, most of the Guilds failed, especially the first-year guilds; they were not strong and experienced enough to clear this round. Most second-year guilds also struggled, while most third-year guilds were able to pass this round.
As time passed, some Mineva entered, and they shocked everyone when they cleared the round in two minutes. This became a record that no other first-year guild was able to break. Finally, the turn of the All-Stars came.
They entered through a portal and appeared inside the Dungeon. The monster they were facing was a giant bear with a metallic body. Lalit first swore at the Bear and defended his hits; others attacked him, and it took them one minute to eliminate their opponent.
If they tried, they could have finished it in five seconds, but it was wise to save their strength to surprise their opponents later, especially since the main objective of their Guild was to target the Dare Dragons Guild.
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