Nine people were gathered in a VIP room which overlooked the arena.
They were believed to be the nine strongest members of the young generation and were also known as the Four Kings and the Five Overlords.
Naturally, all nine of them were vying to become the Champion to let their prestige spread far and wide. Although not all of them were head over heels with the blue-haired beauty who was hailed as the Princess of Barbatos Academy, becoming her fiance would allow them to form connections with her father, who was one of the handful of Saints in the Eastern Region of Solais.
"That skinny teenager wearing a bamboo hat in Arena 4 wasn't half bad," a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes said with a smile. He had sharp features, which made it hard to say whether he was good looking or not.
Although a smile was on his face, an intimidating presence leaked out of his body, which could make any Apostle below Grade C shudder.
"What about the Summoner?" a black-haired teenager asked. "What do you think about him?"
"Him? I don't think he is a big deal. Even though his Rock Golem is strong, I can easily knock him out without any problem."
Nero, who was part of this group of prodigies nodded his head in agreement. Although the creatures under a Summoner's control were strong, all of them would disappear the moment their Master was taken out.
"There were other interesting individuals in the other arena as well," a green-haired boy with pointy ears said with a smirk on his face. "It seems like this year's tournament won't be as boring as I originally thought it would be."
"Still, I didn't see Iris' step-brother's name in the list of participants," a young man with gray hair, who was around two-meters tall, said as he crossed his arms over his chest. His muscles were bulging on his body, making him look like the Barbarian he really was. "I was hoping to see him fight so I could laugh at him when he gets eliminated."
"That Half-Elf?" the green-haired teenager snorted. "Pathetic half-bloods who only rely on our Elven ancestry to look a little bit decent, but that doesn't change the fact that they are born defective. According to an insider, Alicia might have made arrangements to register him in the tournament under a different name."
"Oh? So, he's wearing a disguise?" the gray-haired barbarian asked. "Hmph! He must be afraid to show his face. I'm sure that he didn't want to look pathetic in front of Iris."
The blonde-haired young man with sharp features shifted his attention to Nero, who was looking at a list of names that he had acquired not long ago.
"Nero, do you have any news as to that Half-Elf's identity?" the blonde-haired teenager asked. "Why don't you share the information you have with the rest of us? I'm sure that you already have your suspicions, right?"
Nero raised his head as he glanced at the Prince of the strongest kingdom that supported Barbatos Academy. In his eyes, this Prince was his greatest rival in the tournament, so had made every effort to know more about his fighting style and habits.
"I have some names in mind, but they number over a hundred," Nero replied. "I believe that he's wearing some kind of disguise. I don't mind sharing the list with all of you, but you have to promise that once you find him, you will share the news with everyone."
"Hmph! No matter what kind of disguise he wears, his pathetic self will show up the moment he faces someone stronger than him." the Barbarian scoffed. "Still, it will help narrow down the suspects if we have a list in our hands."
Nero already knew that his peers had influential backgrounds, compared to him who was born as a commoner. This was why he would sometimes feel inferior when he was around them.
"Let me look at that list," the green-haired teenager said. "I will create copies for everyone."
Nero nodded as he handed the list of names of those he thought to be suspicious contestants in the tournament that the Half-Elf might have used to hide his identity.
The Elf boy chanted as he held the scroll in his hand. A moment later, several scrolls appeared in the air and flew in the direction of the other people inside the room.
The Elf then returned the scroll to Nero as he took his own copy so he could read the names written on it.
"As expected of you, Nero," the blonde-haired teenager said. "This list is quite comprehensive. How about we divide these people among ourselves to make the task of identifying him easier?"
"I have no objections."
"I agree with this proposal."
"This will save us a lot of time."
"Good thing I have one of my family's artifacts with me. This should help me find out if that bastard Lux is hiding among these names."
The nine teenagers glanced at each other before deciding which of the contestants would be assigned to them.
While this was happening, Lux was resting inside his room and absorbing the Beast Cores in his storage ring. Although he knew that he would end up using most of the cores in his possession, he decided to upgrade his Special Body Constitution once.
Due to their battle earlier, he was able to get a rough estimate of the average strength of the contestants that he would be meeting in the next round of the Qualifying Matches. Although he believed that he could fight them without problems, he decided to upgrade his Body Constitution to give him an edge in the next set of matches that he would be participating in.
Just as he was about to absorb another Beast Core, the Half-Elf glanced at the wall of his room. Immediately, he hid the Beast Core back inside his storage ring as he looked on the wall with anticipation.
A moment later the wall parted, revealing the mature beauty, Alicia, who was smiling at him.
"You surprised me earlier," Alicia said as she walked towards the Half-Elf who was seated on the couch. "Now I know why you decided to join the tournament."
"Haha, I was just lucky that my opponents are weak," Lux replied. "Did you visit me just to congratulate me, Alicia?"
"Of course not," Alicia stated. "I am not that free. I only came here to give you this."
Alicia handed Lux a scroll, and the Half-Elf accepted it with a confused look on his face. However, his confusion disappeared as soon as she saw the information that was written on the scroll.
Lux read the scroll quietly, While Alicia sat on the couch beside him. The mature beauty allowed the Half-Elf to digest the information that she had given him for his next match in the tournament.
"This is indeed very helpful," Lux said in a grateful voice. "Thank you, Alicia."
"No need to thank me," Alicia commented. "Do you have any questions? About your opponents tomorrow? I listed all of their skills and special abilities that they have used during the tournament. With this, you will be able to prepare for your next match, and see the people who you need to be wary of."
Lux stayed silent for a minute as he once again looked at the names on the scroll before shifting his gaze to the alluring woman beside him.
"In your opinion, who is the biggest threat on this list?" Lux asked with a serious expression on his face.
Alicia pondered for a bit before pointing at two names in the list.
"Rol Mordosk," Alicia said. "He is the younger brother of one of the Four Kings among the young generation. He is a Barbarian, and some say that his strength is almost equal to the strength of his brother. If possible, do not have a direct confrontation with him in the early stages."
Alicia's finger then moved to the second name in the list.
"Gerhart Cenele," Alicia stated. "The Headmaster sent an invitation to him to enroll at Barbatos Academy because of his amazing control over the element of wind. During the Qualifying matches, he created a hurricane that almost eliminated all the participants in Arena 2. He is a force to be reckoned with, so you should be on your guard against him."
"There are a few more notable contestants on this list, but none of them are as dangerous as these two young men. Just like your earlier battle, this will be another Royal Rumble and only twenty participants will remain. As long as you play your cards right, you can easily be one of those who will proceed to the next round."
Lux nodded his head in understanding before thanking Alicia for sharing her thoughts on the matter. After seeing the information inside the scroll, he knew that the woman who had taken good care of him and Iris in Barbatos Academy was doing her best to help Lux in any way that she could.
"Although tomorrow is going to be a very busy day, I'll come and see you again if I have the time," Alicia said as she walked towards the part of the wall that was left open. "Goodluck in your next matches."
"Thank you," Lux replied. "I will do my best."
Alicia gave Lux a smile before walking back through the passage. A moment later, the wall sealed itself shut, returning to its previous state.
Lux didn't initially know that the room that was reserved for him had a secret passage known only to Alicia. In the end, he could only admire the secretary's thoroughness in her effort to help him.
"I'm glad that Alicia is on my side," Lux muttered as he shifted his attention back to the scroll in his hands. "Rol Mordosk, Gerhart Cenele... I wonder how I will fare against these two."
Lux read over the information that was written on the scroll one more time, and committed it into his memory. Since Alicia had made an effort to pass the scroll to him, the least he could do was return the favor by winning the second round of the tournament.
'I wonder if Nero and his gang are already looking for my whereabouts,' Lux mused after placing the scroll inside his storage ring. 'Well, goodluck to them. Let this little game of hide and seek commence!'
Lux chuckled as he took a Beast Core out of his storage ring. For now, he would just focus on upgrading his Special Body Constitution to prepare for his match tomorrow. Whether his identity would be exposed or not, he planned to just leave it to Fate.
The only thing that mattered to him was passing the final Qualifying Round in order to have the opportunity to fight the strongest members of the young generation. That way, he would be able to measure just how much he had improved ever since he had the opportunity to enter the wonderful, yet dangerous world of Elysium.
