Cornflower Witch

Chapter 30 Unexpected Ranking
The competitions continued, and the most outstanding trainees quickly emerged.

Iona is in first place with three wins in the shortest time, followed by Baron, who was lucky in the draw and did not encounter any strong opponents. Although Mike also has three wins, his first match against Ray was too difficult and consumed a lot of energy.

Although Sorin suffered a defeat, he managed to advance to the second round with two wins.

"The champion should be one of these four." Viscount Xue Feng stroked his short mustache and had a maid bring him some cool tea.

Near the mountains and grasslands, the people of southern Legas prefer cooled tea to piping hot tea.

"Besides Iona, who is a no-brainer, who does Maester Hyde think deserves second place?"

“I never guess in advance,” Maester Hyde said with a smile and a shake of his head.

"However, I think Mick and Thorin are the best."

“Haha, indeed, those two are more hardworking than Barron.” Viscount Xue Feng nodded in agreement.

“However, my nephew Baron has also prepared an extra trump card today.” He seemed to know something.

As the two were talking, a new round of competition began. After the first round of elimination, a total of 5 people entered the second round: Iona, Baron, Tos, Mike, and Thorin.

At the rest area, Hilti helped Komia sit down next to Karen, allowing the two of them to lean back in their chairs and watch the remaining matches.

"If it weren't for Thorin being so difficult, I would be in the second round by now," Komia said, somewhat unconvinced.

"Alright, be a little more well-behaved now." Sylvia patted Komia's head reassuringly.

While the Illusionary Eye is powerful, Komia's current strength means she can only use it twice a day at most. Moreover, Thorin is not an unprepared ordinary person; he was already on high alert during the match. Komia's defeat of him was extremely taxing, and she won't have the strength to use the Illusionary Eye again when facing other opponents.

"Karen, are you feeling any better?" Hiltiya brought over some water and fed it to her classmate who was having difficulty moving.

"I'm feeling better." Karen's face had been pale, but she was much better now.

The three sat on a bench watching the battle from the platform.

Currently, Barron is defending his title while Mick is challenging him, and the two are locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

After several rounds of combat, Baron was somewhat exhausted. He was only at the first stage of his breathing technique, while Mick relied on the second stage of his breathing technique, which clearly gave him a significant advantage in endurance.

Barron, panting, gripped his sword with both hands, his eyes fixed on Mick, and slowly circled the stage, avoiding a direct confrontation.

"How did this guy become so strong?" he thought to himself, then glanced at Thorin below the stage and at the blond figure.

He couldn't wait any longer; if he dragged it out any longer, he might not have another chance. Baron loosened his wrist, took one hand off the hilt of his sword, and reached for his collar.

That is……

In the rest area, Hilti saw an invisible light spreading from Baron's chest, the ripples and sensations just like what she had seen in Linden Village.

Sure enough, after being affected by the ripples, Mick's expression changed drastically as he seized the opportunity to advance. His breathing technique, which had been running rapidly, was instantly suppressed. It felt as if an invisible hammer had struck his chest and then squeezed his blood vessels.

His movements faltered, but Baron didn't stop. Seizing this rare opportunity, he knocked Mick's weapon away with his sword, then slashed back, striking Mick's shoulder and cutting into the inner layer of his leather armor. In pain and with his movements distorted, Mick fell backward and crashed to the ground. He then tried to move his body to avoid the attack, but Baron didn't give him that time. Instead, he stepped on Mick's shoulder and pressed his sword against Mick's neck.

"Just admit defeat," he said breathlessly, a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Pah." Mick spat and turned his face away.

"Barron wins." The referee quickly announced the result, and applause erupted from the audience. Most ordinary people were completely unaware of the trick Barron used; only a few noticed the deception.

"Boring." Iona shook her head and turned her face away with some disdain.

After defeating Mike, only three people remained blocking Baron's path to first place. Tos, also a nobleman, had a good relationship with Baron and knew that he was much weaker than him, so he was not in a hurry to step up. Iona also sat below without moving, somewhat disdainful of fighting Baron.

"So, is it my turn?" Thorin picked up his sword and slowly walked towards the platform.

The two started fighting on the first day of school and became sworn enemies. One was the leader of the noble students, and the other was the leader of the commoner students. During their time studying at Hyde College, they were constantly competing and comparing themselves to each other.

In the course on secret history, Baron was far superior to Thorin because of his better foundation. Thorin, on the other hand, had been training with his father since childhood and was better than Baron in terms of physique and combat skills. However, overall, the gap between the two was not large. Maester Hyde was happy to see this healthy competition and did not stop or interfere.

As noon approached, the light became somewhat dazzling. Thorin adjusted his breathing, focusing his mind on the competition that was about to begin.

He was still suffering from some aftereffects from being forced into a coma by Komia's 'Illusionary Eye', and his head was still a little dizzy.

Although he wasn't at his best, Baron's early use of his trump card made him realize that he wasn't completely unprepared, so the two were now even.

"Barren vs. Thorin, begin!" the referee announced loudly.

Instead of attacking right away, the two moved cautiously around the table, probing each other and occasionally making a feint to catch the other off guard.

Baron wanted to make a good impression on Iona, so he had to defeat Thorin, and he was very careful. Thorin also hoped to get a ranking so that he could gain the appreciation of Viscount Schefeng and make a name for himself in Scorched Stone. He was not as well-off as these noble children, and if he could not seize this rare opportunity, he might be buried in obscurity.

After several attempts, both of their patience and focus were almost exhausted. Once again, Thorin feigned an attack, but Baron did not react quickly. This time, Thorin turned his footwork and launched a real surprise attack. He used his 'Power Burst' ability almost during the sprint, which made him extremely fast. Baron did not have time to activate his trump card before Thorin got close.

The rapidly swinging blade swung in the largest arc, and after a full acceleration and exertion of force, it spun back and cleaved downwards, the powerful force directly smashing away Baron's parried blade and then striking his arm.

With a slight cracking sound, Baron's arm broke and fell onto his face. Then, his body involuntarily bent his knees and broke the wooden board.

After one move, Thorin was nearly exhausted, while Baron clutched his arms and knees, groaning in pain on the stage, his face contorted.

Upon seeing this scene, many of the observing ladies gasped softly, and then the referee announced the verdict.

Thorin wins!

The subsequent competitions ended quickly.

Although Thorin defeated Baron, his condition was worse. He was sore all over and unable to use his breathing techniques, which allowed Toth to easily defeat him.

Finally, Tos faced Iona. He also admired this blonde noblewoman, but since Baron had ranked ahead of him before, he felt he couldn't compete and didn't show it.

Today, Baron suffered a crushing defeat and humiliated himself. His recovery period is uncertain, but as the second-best student among the noble students of the same year, he immediately sensed an opportunity. He walked up to the platform with a fresh red thorn rose in his mouth.

When faced with Iona's blade, he did not retaliate at all, but instead offered her the rose to express his admiration.

Such a romantic gesture drew applause from the ladies and socialites in the stands, but unfortunately, Iona was not moved and turned away from the arena.

The final results are: first place - Iona, second place - Tos, and third place - Thorin.

Thorin was still honorable despite his defeat. Many people at the scene saw his strength and potential, and some rich young ladies even secretly fell in love with him.

(End of this chapter)