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nHeadmaster Jean, the esteemed Headmaster of the Vermont Academy, held a significant role in this year’s competition.

nHis presence at the Roaring Summit extended beyond being a mere chaperone for the students participating in the Twelve Academies Competition. He had a deeper purpose – to ensure Vale’s safety even after he conquered the Ascension Tower, or at least that was his fervent hope.

nHaving consulted with the Dark Seers within their Faction, Jean had received confirmation that their Academy would achieve something remarkable in this highly anticipated competition.

nHe firmly believed that Vale possessed the potential to ascend to the highest floor of the Tower and claim the coveted item waiting there. He couldn’t think of anything else since there wasn’t anything special in this place aside from the Tower.

nAnyway, Jean understood that once Vale cleared the Tower, he could not protect the special item he would receive.

nIf necessary, Jean was prepared to relieve Vale of the burden and personally safeguard it. Yes, he was planning to protect it and give up Vale’s shadow in exchange.

nYet, amidst the anticipation, Jean couldn’t ignore the lingering tensions that existed between their Dark Arts Faction and other factions, particularly the Holy Arts, Elemental Arts, and Knights Factions.

nWhile their connections had improved with the other factions, he knew that those rival factions still harbored aspirations that could potentially threaten their standing.

n“At least it wasn’t as dire as the competitions in previous years…” Jean thought to himself, recalling past instances when their faction faced more severe challenges from the other Arcane Factions.

nHe took solace in the relative calmness of the current situation, though he remained vigilant.

nDuring the second night, as his students slumbered, Jean continued his patrol, ensuring their safety and guarding against any potential ambushes from jealous factions.

nIt was during this watchful endeavor that his attention was drawn to Vale, who somehow bore a mark from a high-level Tracing Spell.

n“Mhmm? What’s going on here? Vale was marked… And I’m sure this is a spell of considerable power from the Holy Arts Faction…” Jean murmured, slightly taken aback by the revelation.

n“It doesn’t appear dangerous, but I can’t believe they have already set their sights on him.”

nJean sighed in frustration.

nWith a determined resolve, Jean pulled a piece of Vale’s shadow from his palm and gently blew on it.

nIn that moment, the mark on Vale’s body dissipated, removed by the Headmaster’s intervention.

nHe decided not to think too much of this as he could tell that the Holy Arts Faction wouldn’t dare to really attack him and that Tracing Mark was the only thing they could do.

nAs he continued on his patrol, a peculiar sensation enveloped Jean, causing him to perceive a subtle disturbance within the summit.

nIt felt as though a clandestine ritual was taking place, yet he struggled to pinpoint its exact origin.

n“I don’t have a good feeling about this…” Headmaster Jean muttered, his instincts warning him of potential danger in the upcoming days in the Roaring Summit.

nIt wasn’t just Jean who had sensed something off. All high-level Arcanists were able to perceive that a ‘storm’ that would disturb their peace was coming… Whether it was from nature or man-made, they weren’t sure.

n***

nOn the third day of the Twelve Academies Competition, the highly anticipated Clash of Champions, a duel tournament exclusively for fourth-year students, was finally set to commence.

nThis marked a significant departure from previous competitions, which had only allowed sixth-year students to participate. The inclusion of fourth-year students in this event added an extra layer of excitement and anticipation.

nThe tournament followed a relatively simple yet somewhat unfair structure that hinged on luck.

nIt all began with the assignment of numbers to the twelve participating students. Each student would randomly draw a number, which would dictate their matchup in the duels. This random pairing system meant that the matchups were largely unpredictable and could potentially pit strong competitors against each other in the early stages.

nAfter the initial pairings were determined, the students would engage in their duels, with only six emerging victorious.

nThese six winners would then advance to the next round, where they would once again be randomly paired against each other. This additional element of chance ensured that the matchups remained unpredictable throughout the tournament.

nEventually, the final three winners would emerge from these subsequent duels. These top three students would then engage in a battle royale, fighting against each other to determine the first, second, and third-place rankings in the competition.

nAt the very least, this thrilling climax to find out the rankings added an extra layer of intensity and excitement to the Clash of Champions, as the remaining contenders would fight fiercely for the coveted top positions.

nIn short, the participants would only need to win a couple of times to get to the top three.

n“Hehehe… Vale, I think they would pair you to fight Ceres… Holy Arts versus Dark Arts… They probably think you would be easily defeated.” Philip muttered.

n“I don’t think they can influence the matchup that heavily…” Luna muttered.

n“Heh… Don’t underestimate them… I’m sure that this rule was implemented for her sake. The previous duel tournaments weren’t like this.” Maya interjected.

n“Ahem… I’m sure Vale would be happy if they really matched him up with Ceres… Is that right, Vale?” Crystal added.

nVale simply smiled at their reaction as he realized that his friends had enormous trust in him.

n“Matching up against Holy Arts might be tricky, but I don’t think I would lose unless…” Vale didn’t finish his words as his eyes focused on the stage they were using… 𝒃𝙖.

nSomething feels odd about it.

nFurthermore, he also felt something off around the city after they went out to have breakfast.

nWell, the city was still lively, and there were still plenty of peddlers. However, Vale could feel a gloomy atmosphere starting to cover the Roaring Summit.

n‘Am I overthinking this?’ Vale thought as an ominous sensation crept over him…

n𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮

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