Maun was at a disadvantage for only a moment. After adjusting to the change of pace, the boy quickly matched up to the dance with equal aggression, unwilling to become the passive party in the fight. Though he did not overturn the battle in a snap, he gradually matched up in strides and confidently countered Black Flame's advances. His adaptability and resourcefulness was astounding—and I could tell he was even further improving in the fight against the other party.

Finding himself pushed back yet again, the frustration of Black Flame was palpable even with the mask on. I could tell he was struggling to maintain his calm and his pace. There was hesitation in his movements while Maun moved in on him, biting down on his defenses piece-by-piece. He was now a perfect echo of how I had been under him.

The rising schadenfreude inside me bade a smile to come to my lips. It felt good to see the one who made me suffer to suffer. If I had a bucket of popcorn right now, I would be chewing nonstop. Unfortunately, I could not bring snacks into the arena—even if I could, it wasn't like I could eat with the mask on. I brought drinks a while ago, and it was hard to drink them while fumbling with the obstacle on my face. Thankfully, the straw allowed me to sip through the little hole on the mouth.

Sighing, I leaned back a little, feeling some of the worries leave me. It seemed Maun was not in any disadvantage despite Black Flame's prestigious roots. I was very amazed, even a little irked, at how capable the boy was. It made me wonder just what his limits were—if he had any at all.

"It seems I was worried for nothing," I muttered.

When a roar of flames lit the stage, I clamped my mouth shut and instantly took back what I said.

Maun narrowly avoided the fire. He stepped to the side, the end of his clothes which fluttered after him was singed. He immediately snuffed out the flames to prevent it from catching onto him, then rushed at Black Flame for a counter.

Black Flame thought that he'd caught his opponent off-guarded. Ironically enough, the flames he used at Maun blocked his line of sight. Maun used this opportunity to close the distance between them and planted a kick at Black Flame's abdomen.

"What a reversal of a reversal! Silent Dragon countered so decisively!"

Had that been me, I would be too stunned to plan a response. Maun recovered so smoothly it felt as if he'd been there before.

Or he might've.

"Ha!" I put my hand on my chin. "Seems he didn't expect the tides to go against him so quickly, especially after he finally summoned his element to level the playing field further."

It must be humiliating.

I zoned out some thirty minutes into the battle. At this time, both boys were already very tired. Maun had trained his endurance and had only recently healed from his injuries. I was worried he would not be able to handle it, but then I remembered his recovery ability was very high. Even so, I could tell this high-intensity exchange was starting to take toll on him. Black Flame, who was in no better condition, was obviously not willing to go down without making Maun bleed. Even when his steps forward were blocked and he was shoved back each time, he did not relent at all.

The tenacity of the other kid was impressive. If he exerted that much effort towards me in the fight we had the other day, I wondered if I would have lasted so long. Recalling how I couldn't use my element against him, I started to doubt about my arrogant promise upon leaving the stage during our fight.

I sighed, feeling embarrassed. "I shouldn't have said that," I whispered.

But then...it didn't necessarily mean this tournament, right? I would have plenty of chances to do that!

But that would be pathetic...Whatever.

Some fifteen minutes further, Maun's aggression skyrocketed. The air around him dropped cold and I flinched at the ferocity he pulled at Black Flame. Stunned by the sudden shift in his demeanor, I grasped at my knees and leaned forward. I was worried this would be like before...and that Maun would be unable to control himself and do something irreconcilable.

When he decisively cut through Black Flame's defenses and finally struck him with a critical attack, my breath bated. His heels landed on a particularly sensitive place—the back of Black Flame's ear. With the way Black Flame staggered and landed on the ground following that attack, I could tell the chances of him getting back up to resume the fight was extremely low.

I bit my lip and watched as the overseeing monk climbed into the arena to give the boy a count.

The ten seconds began to pass.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!"

I looked over to Maun, watching out for any signs of unnecessary aggression. The monk also took his previous behavior into account and was much stricter with blocking him this time. Thankfully, there was no sign of him losing control...save for that sudden burst of murderous intent.

"Seven! Six!"

I counted down with everyone for the last seconds. I did not even notice that I started to shake in anticipation. My heart even stuttered a few times.

Black Flame stirred.

"Five! Four!"

I cursed when I saw him move. "Don't get up, don't get up," I whispered.

But the guy was stubborn. He pushed at his elbows and forced his feet under himself.

"Three!"

"Stay down!" I yelled. "Damn it!"

It wasn't just me. Everyone else were screaming with excitement.

"Two!"

I bit my lip as Black Flame staggered—but he couldn't get up on time.

"One!"

When Black Flame was flagged out, the entire arena applauded. Everyone screamed Silent Dragon's name and the announcer's overly enthusiastic voice rode the waves of voices that flew in. Even I had shot up from my seat and screamed. The burst of excitement that coursed through me when that last second was shaved off the count made me tremble.

"Silent Dragon! Silent Dragon is this year's champion!"

"That's right, he is!" I yelled.

That little bastard actually did it! He was so arrogant and confident! But he actually did it!

The medic rushed forward the soonest the victor was announced. They focused mainly on the struggling Black Flame who remained on the floor after those ten seconds. He'd not given up on getting to his feet, though. With the assistance of the healers, he was pulled upright, and he gave Maun a long stare.

I didn't know what was going through his mind just then. However, in the end, he merely gave a nod before accompanying the medical team into the dugout to have his injuries looked at. Maun reluctantly nodded back. I could tell with how he leaned towards my direction that he wanted to go back with everybody else, but he was pinned in place—bathing in the cheers as well as the announcer's boundless praises for a while. I could tell that he was not used to so much attention and was then starting to feel extremely uncomfortable.

Maun was such a shy soul.

This being said, he was very embarrassed all the way into the night, being showered with the joy from the mistresses, Eren, and I as we once more gathered around the fire. His flushed face became even more flushed when Mistress Kora said he would be throwing a party for everyone and the whole camp actually joined in on the fun.

That night, we were all in celebratory mood. Mistress Veronika and Kora cooked up three pots worth of food and had everyone take part in the feast.

To my surprise, we even had visitors.

"Ehem," someone coughed.

We looked over to find the masters, Sen, the Abbot, and Myrrh, alongside a couple more unfamiliar yet familiar faces. I was sure I had seen these folks around, but I hadn't really talked to them much since...what exactly were we going to speak of?

"Congratulations," the Abbot said. "We've already confirmed all five disciples who will be entering our tutelage. I believe, Veronika, that we've got two of yours."

I could not help glancing over to Eren—I wish I could be more subtle, but the reaction had been knee-jerk at best. Although she tried to maintain her cheerful smile, it quickly lost its strength and she looked down in disappointment. I wanted to console her, but I knew I have already said everything that I could say to comfort the girl. I could only settle with grasping her hand to show my reassurance. She didn't reject my reaching out, even clenching the fingers that I have wound around hers.

Her road would be diverging from ours, sooner than I had expected it would, but that was better than it being the end of the road. I could only hope we would continue to meet as we went on.

"Maun, Evy, come forward," Veronika said.

We stepped forward like we were told. Eren let my hand go and retreated to Mistress Kora's side. Kora, in turn, smoothed back Eren's hair and smiled reassuringly at her, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"We came because we wish to formally accept you into discipleship. Now, formalities will be settled once we rank you, but you can now acknowledge a master to guide you throughout the journey," the Abbot declared.

Maun and I nodded.

"The masters here with me will be introducing themselves, and frankly they are all very interested in taking you in, young champion," the Abbot said, looking at Maun with a smile.

Maun's cheeks flared once more. I laughed quietly.

"You've got the privilege to choose any master you like as part of your prize," he told him. "But it is important to observe compatibility with your talents."

Maun nodded.

"Now, as for Evyionne...I believe we had arrangements," the Abbot said, looking at me.

I nodded again in reply, remembering the conversations we had during the preliminaries.

"This disciple wishes to acknowledge the Abbot as master," I declared resolutely, bowing to him.

He smiled at me. "This master will be honored. We will settle formalities once the tournament ends." He then turned to Maun. "For now, I recommend you acquaint yourself with the masters and their specialties, also hear them out for what they have to say first and then make your choice by the time we settle your ranks."

I rose from the bow and looked over as Maun nodded once more. If capable of it, he would have answered some other way, but we all knew he could not talk.

I looked behind the Abbot to see the group of monks that accompanied him. To be honest, I expected this crowd to be a more rambunctious lot, especially with Master Sen and Myrrh's personalities that, more or less, did not really fit the name and profession they supposedly had. However, right now, they were very calm and collected—like they were these aloof crowd of enlightened beings that could not be bothered with trifling human affairs.

I guess...they were trying to put on an admirable front against a potential recruit. And I would understand why. Maun was such a good seedling and, from what I understood, these masters wanted nothing more than a competent disciple who they could groom, pass their knowledge to, and be surpassed by someday. Maun ticked all those boxes—he was even such a blank canvas too.

Maun would definitely be preferred over Black Flame, who had already established his basics and styles with his family's. There would not be much room for teaching Black Flame compared to my little companion right here.

"Evyionne, would you walk with me, child?" the Abbot inquired.

I shot a glance at my mistresses before nodding.