Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 60: The Ranking Match Begins (Please continue reading)

At this moment, as Professor Ivan, the black-robed wizard, entered the arena with four third-level wizard apprentices, the chatter in the arena gradually subsided.

A level three wizard apprentice calmly walked onto the arena, cast an amplification spell, and said: "A total of thirty-one freshmen have qualified for the ranking competition through the annual assessment. Now, we will draw lots in pairs to determine the top four."

The semifinals are played in an elimination format; if you lose, you're eliminated.

After the top four, a round-robin format will be used to determine the rankings of first, second, third, and fourth place.

Now, freshmen whose names are called, please come forward in order to draw a number.

After everyone had drawn their cards, a freshman named Gerald Regan was so excited he almost jumped up!

It turns out he was extremely lucky; he actually got a bye this time.

Since there were a total of 31 people, and they were going to compete in pairs, one person would indeed get a bye. Unexpectedly, he was so lucky, which made the other contestants extremely envious!

After all the contestants had drawn their lots, the third-level wizard apprentice said, "The ranking rules are as follows: contestants are prohibited from using any potions, witchcraft items, alchemical products, or contracted creatures during the competition, but witchcraft mediums are not included."

After each match, the winner can collect a vitality potion to restore physical and mental strength.

The knockout stage has now officially begun, number one versus number two!

A relatively unknown freshman named Conrad Sloan drew number one and unexpectedly encountered William, who drew number two, right at the start of the game.

Upon stepping onto the stage and seeing that William was opposite him, he immediately raised his hand and shouted, "I abstain!"

Since most of the freshmen knew William's strength, they weren't too bothered when Conrad withdrew directly.

But the many senior students and second-level wizard apprentices in the audience immediately booed, and some even shouted "Trash!"

Immediately, this awkward situation made Conrad's face turn as red as a pig's liver, almost dripping blood, and he walked off the stage sheepishly.

Several senior students in the stands couldn't stand this kind of retreat without a fight, and some of them started cursing on the spot.

"What a coward! He doesn't even have the courage to fight someone strong! I really don't know what the school would do with this kind of trash!" A tall, senior student said with a look of disdain.

"Yeah, write down the names of these people, put them on the blacklist, and never team up with them for future missions!" someone chimed in.

"That's right. Even if they don't stab you in the back, they'd probably flee the moment they encounter a strong enemy."

"."

"Next match, number three versus number four!"

Matches come one after another. The most exciting matches are those where the teams are evenly matched. Matches with a large skill gap tend to end quickly and are less entertaining.

"Next match, number 11 versus number 12!"

It was time for Ophelia, the green-haired girl whom Richard had been paying close attention to, to take the stage.

As the green-haired girl stepped onto the stage, the crowd below began to focus their attention on this hot favorite.

This time, the green-haired girl Ophelia's opponent is a boy named Dahl Lutz, who is said to be well-rounded in all aspects, possessing the physical qualities of a near-knight at the peak, and not weak wizarding aptitude. He also seems to have recently learned level zero witchcraft.

"Ophelia, I know I may not be your match, but I will fight to the very end!" Dahl said solemnly.

He had previously watched Ophelia's battle during the second round, and her fluid and graceful fighting rhythm was something he couldn't even begin to match.

He barely made it through the second round, and the gap between him and Ophelia was enormous!

However, it was impossible to get him to give up immediately. Even for the honor of the Lutz family, he could not retreat without a fight.

Ophelia glanced at Dar with her beautiful eyes and said, "Childish!"

His voice was cold and detached, and then he fell silent.

The battle then began!

Ophelia immediately gained the upper hand by firing two precise crossbow bolts in quick succession at the start, and then gently tossed out a seed of an unknown plant.

As he chanted the incantation, the seed instantly took root, sprouted, and grew rapidly!

"Damn it!" Dahl, who had just dodged, saw that the situation was bad and immediately rushed over, trying to interrupt Ophelia's spellcasting.

Unfortunately, it was too late!

Dahl had only gone halfway when Ophelia finished casting her spell.

The plant had grown to over 2.5 meters tall, with a huge opening at the top, like a clam shell, opening and closing, but with sharp barbs along the edges!

A large number of roots have grown from the bottom, resembling a millipede, and they move extremely fast!

"Giant Beast-Trapping Plant!" Many second-level wizard apprentices in the stands had already shouted out the official name of the seed, Ophelia.

"This girl is quite strong. She should be a rare student with dual talent in both Shadow and Nature types. The Giant Beast-Trapping Plant itself leans more towards Shadow than Nature!"

"That's right! Super Growth is originally a level 0 nature-based spell, but the growth rate applied to a seed should not be this fast! It must be the girl's problem; what she's using is probably not ordinary Super Growth!" A level 2 wizard apprentice pondered for a moment before adding.

"It's not super-fast growth, it should be a mutation of the Shadow type. Look at the top of the Giant Beast-Trapping Plant, the barbs are blackish-purple, and there is blackish-green slime dripping from the opening and closing part. This Giant Beast-Trapping Plant has definitely mutated."

"And look at the speed at which she casts the spell. She's probably at least at the proficient level for the Mutant Growth spell!" Another second-level wizard apprentice next to her shook his head and said.

"Is this still a first-level wizard apprentice? I feel like he's even better than me!" a second-level wizard apprentice said, somewhat embarrassed.

"."

The giant trolley plant blocked Dahl's path. Upon seeing the monster, Dahl remained calm and began to slash with his sword. However, the dark green sap sprayed from the opening and closing parts of the giant trolley plant seemed to have a strong corrosive and foul odor. Dahl dared not take it head-on and immediately began to dodge and weave!

Just then, a crossbow bolt struck Dahl’s ankle, causing him to stumble!

The giant tusk plant seized the opportunity, using its huge opening at the top to clamp down heavily and trap Dahl. Then, with a powerful swing, it flung Dahl more than ten meters away, sending him flying off the stage.

Dahl fell heavily off the field, writhing in pain and unable to move for a moment, thus losing the match!

Richard could tell at a glance that the green-haired girl had clearly held back; if they were truly facing an enemy, she would have let the giant raptor swallow Dal like a loaf of bread.

Before long, Dahl's body will be completely dissolved by the highly corrosive digestive fluid inside the giant beast-trapping plant!

"Next match, number 17 versus number 18!"

Richard is number eighteen!

Richard's opponent this time is number seventeen, named Tver Fontaine, who is said to have been a genius with near-superior wizarding aptitude during the entrance aptitude test.

"Richard, don't think that just because you're a skilled archer you can beat me. Let me tell you, I've mastered the level zero sorcery Dark Element Shield, which is the bane of your archery skills," Tver said eloquently.

(End of this chapter)