Unedited chapter. It will be edited soon.

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His smooth but decisive movement ensured that none of the spells and explosives hit him. But, of course, no one saw this.

All the explosions created a smoke screen that prevented anyone from seeing through it, so he could only guide himself based on how the spells fell and quickly managed to reach a different point in the arena and prepared several additional spells, taking the time he had to formulate a better plan in case this failed.

But just then, the barrel of a firearm emerged from the smoke near him and was suddenly in front of him. He didn't have time to react...

Laura's words hit him before his body could react.

"This is why you can't catch up to those three. You're a great wizard, with a lot of magical power, but you don't understand magic or know how to use it to your real advantage. That's why you'll never make it to the top four."

Suddenly, the rifle barrel was pressed against her head, making Nova tremble with fear.

One shot from that thing would surely kill her.

At this distance, there would be no trace of his head left.

The barrel quickly moved down, and when it was level with his shoulder, Laura pulled the trigger.

BANG*

A thunderous sound hit him, and Nova fell to the ground shortly after, his right shoulder completely pierced by the shot.

That shot had filled him with fear, so he fainted immediately and had no chance of getting back up in the short term.

Laura's victory was written in the books, and she advanced to the semifinals.

Among the top four.

Now she would face Mark.

One of the toughest opponents she had ever faced. And she wanted to win.

If she managed to do so, she could at least ensure that the name of the teacher who had been looking after her for so many years would be added to the wall of honor.

So, after staring intently at Mark, she stepped down from the arena.

"That girl is really powerful," Robert Neville said suddenly, although he wasn't the only one surprised by her strength.

Everyone was, even Hardrial. He hadn't expected her to be so good.

"I know she'll put up a good fight now," he thought and smiled.

The conversations around the arena were filled with shock, and Laura's beauty, as well as her strength, were etched into the memories of everyone present. Those delicate but deadly movements... they were shocking.

But the tournament didn't stop.

The first match of the semifinals was Louis against the second of the three stars, also a wizard, whose name was Frank. One of the most prominent wizards of the current generation, but if anyone could ask someone, "What makes him stand out?" They could only say that he has a lot of magical power.

He is a fire magician, like almost all magicians, few of whom diversify into several types of magic at once. In terms of strength, Louis was very disappointed.

For the second-ranked magician, beating him was easier than beating the third-ranked magician. Beyond his mine magic, a special magic that few could take advantage of, he had nothing impressive about him.

And even though his mine magic was powerful, he faced a Louis who didn't want to waste any time. His footwork and physical power were on full display, proving that he was not only a powerful weapon master with level 3 magic, but also had a lot of physical strength, something unusual for mages.

Although the fight was boring and quick for Louis, he learned one thing he hadn't realized until now.

Although level 100 mages technically have 100 points in strength stats, the strength of those guys isn't as high as that because they don't have a body trained to take advantage of that strength.

Furthermore, since you normally need a tool to get the most out of your stats, it is more difficult for a mage to make the most of their strength, so they can generally only use 30-40% of their total strength.

Now, he remembers being able to use a good percentage of his strength from the start, perhaps because he could change his destined path whenever he wanted and had the money.

But knowing this made him want to try the other paths again. Because he had to help his uncle gain control of the local Lockward Family, he had strayed a bit from the idea of enjoying this world more, so perhaps he would have to return to those ways once again, soon.

Having finished the fight much faster than he expected, he sat back down.

"He made it to the finals with frightening ease," said Robert Priestley from his seat.

He was the most surprised and also felt a little bitter. He was one fight away from losing an absurd amount of money.

"Haha..." Robert Neville didn't know how to feel. This boy would likely be the one to face his son, if his son could beat that dangerous woman. Seeing this superiority against someone who could give his son a run for his money was complicated.

Miss Evergreen, who had been silent all this time, smiled at Priestley. "Looks like you're going to lose your bet against him," she said with a hint of mockery.

Robert Priestley frowned slightly and sighed.

Robert Neville and several other people turned to look at him. "Did you bet with him?"

"A little," he replied angrily.

"Hahaha, what did you bet?" Robert asked.

"Only 100 billion." He replied casually, although he was clearly angry.

"1-100 billion?" Several people practically fell off their chairs in shock.

Even Neville was stunned.

"Yes, 100 billion. I originally told him to bet 50 billion, but he wanted it to be 100 billion. Apparently, I was too hasty in betting it."

Even though he was angry and felt cheated, he sat calmly in his seat. It was a fairly large amount, but it was nothing he couldn't easily afford.

Even if it were five times that amount, he would have no problem. He was one of the richest men in the empire for a reason.

But Robert Neville and the other nobles couldn't afford such amounts on a bet.

The Nevilles had a lot of money, that's obvious. They are renowned nobles and control entire territories, so naturally they have a lot of money. But 100 billion on a bet?

Not even in their wildest dreams could they do that. It would cause major logistical problems within the clan and, above all, create internal crises.

In fact, in this empire, not even that powerful man who controlled almost half of the empire's wealth could do it, and not because he didn't have it, but because most of that man's money is tied up in his companies and investments.

In his lands and productions.

In this empire, perhaps only Robert Priestley could make such a large bet. He is the only one with such large coffers full of money in the entire empire, after all. In addition, he controls a large part of the means of production, mines, and banks.

Well, even Miss Evergreen, who was put in charge of one of the most prominent Castles of our time, sees Rebecca's bets as excessive, thinking she could invest that money better. Not to mention a bet of 100 billion...

But the most shocked by this was Hardrial.

Hearing that his student was betting 100 billion on a mere whim...

"Does he have that much money? No wonder he gave me that amount so easily before," he thought.

Although he could wonder where he got the money, he wasn't going to. He was more than sure that Louis was a member of the Lockward Family. There was nothing to wonder about.

"Well, luckily he's on our side. If he ever reaches the highest heights, I hope he won't forget me," Robert Priestley joked to ease the surprise.

In the process, he looked at Rebecca to give her a nod.

She looked back at him, confused. What did he mean?

He made several more gestures, causing her to frown and snort before looking away.

She knew what her father meant, so she simply decided to ignore him completely.

Robert Priestley started laughing for no reason, which attracted the attention of several people.

Maybe he was going crazy. It would make sense. If anyone here were to lose 100 billion, they would go crazy too.

Because Louis's fight ended so quickly, Laura didn't get much rest, but she climbed into the arena as soon as she was asked to.

"Miss Laura, it's a pleasure to face you." Mark greeted her with a smile.

"Maybe I should say the same thing, but the truth is, I would have liked you to fight Louis. I'd be more confident about beating Frank," she said with a wry smile.

"Haha, don't say that, Miss Laura. I'm sure you'll surprise me in this fight. Young Lord Louis is waiting for us at the end, so I'm a little anxious to face him, aren't you? Or have you faced him before?"

"I want to face him too. So I'll do my best in this fight so I can do that."

"That's the spirit," Mark replied and immediately took out his scepter. "I hope you'll excuse me, but I won't hold back."

"It would be an insult to me if you did," Laura laughed.

The referee then shouted, "Begin!"