After Tim's defeat, Lasazar's prediction that the freshmen wouldn't be able to last even a minute against the second years proved to be true.

One by one, ten of the most promising new mages entered the arena and quickly found themselves on the defensive against a wide range of spells, from elemental magics like those Drusilla demonstrated to more esoteric ones capable of breaking shields or even altering the very rules of reality, like the kind Willow used.

Nick was eager to team up with one of the increasingly smug second years, but unfortunately, his name was called after they had all been paired, so he'd have to wait until the next round to put them in place.

"Nicholas Crowley vs Rupert Stone"

Rupert was one of his classmates, but Nick could honestly admit he had never paid much attention to him. He seemed like a decent guy, with average reserves for their class, and an interest in more complex charm work than most, but unfortunately for him, he was facing an impossible hurdle.

Given his gloomy expression, he seemed to know it.

Though he was tempted to let his opponent show off a little, just to avoid humiliating him completely, Nick also remembered Lasazar's lessons and knew that willingly allowing himself to be hit by any spell he could avoid was an idiotic mistake.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed, earning a displeased grunt from the other.

"Begin!"

Wind howled, and Rupert was sent flying out of the arena, caught by the wards before he could break his neck.

Silence lingered for a moment as everyone processed what had just happened, before Lasazar called for the next group.

"Bellamy von Alluria vs Terence of Kraft"

Settling back in his seat next to Tim, Nick paid close attention to what was happening in the ring, carefully ignoring the stares he was getting and the shuffling form of Rupert, who sat at the edge of their group.

If I am number one, and Eona is number two, then Bellamy is number three. His reserves are very well developed, and he's shown to be quite talented, easily picking up most basic spells we've been shown over the past three weeks. If he actually applied himself, he might even challenge Eona, though I'd still bet on her for sheer grit alone.

Terence, on the other hand, was a young man from a village north of Alluria, one of the few commoners who had managed to pass without tutors of any kind, and from the sheer amount of determination emanating from him, he seemed set on putting up a better showing than Rupert had.

When the start was called, Terence began by thrusting his hand forward, "[Cacophony!]"

A horrible screech echoed through the arena, and the wards appeared for a moment, shielding the spectators from potential hearing damage.

Bellamy wasn't so lucky, on the other hand, and staggered back, woozily trying to stay upright.

Having gained the advantage, Terence appeared determined to end the fight as quickly as possible.

"[Slippery Floors]" he shouted, gesturing broadly with his right hand. Suddenly, a section of the arena floor shimmered with an iridescent sheen, and Bellamy, who had been struggling to stay upright despite his damaged eardrums, suddenly found himself losing his footing.

His feet slipped out from under him, and he tumbled down, saved from anything more than a painful fall only because of his relatively high physical stats.

Clearly, Terence saw his opportunity to put a nail in his victory, so he started waving his hands as wisps of mana gathered before him.

That, Nick suspected, was another sonic spell, one with enough punch to put Bellamy down for good.

It was a surprising turn of events, but maybe this would benefit the Duke's distant nephew. He was a little too laid back, only doing the bare minimum to learn a spell, and never practicing beyond that.

Still, something about the calm enveloping his presence in the ether told Nick it wasn't quite over yet.

"Ah, man. I really have to, don't I?" Bellamy whispered to himself, though Nick easily caught it.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Leaning forward, he tried to catch a glimpse of what was about to happen.

Just as Terence was completing his spell, which took several seconds and thus could only be used as a finishing shot, mana flooded into the ground, bypassing the slippery effect laid upon it without even slowing, and filling every crack and crevice.

"It's over," Nick murmured.

Tim shrugged beside him, casting a conflicted look at the arena. "He didn't even try. I don't understand why he didn't just forfeit if he was going to let Terence slap him around."

"No, Bellamy is going to win," Nick explained, and his words were proven correct soon after, as the ground underneath Terence buckled, and a massive hand, easily the size of a thunderhoof, burst out of it, grabbing hold of the teenager and squeezing.

"Aargh," Terence roared in anger and pain, but he seemed not to be finished yet, because he quickly took the spell he'd been crafting and unleashed it against the stone hand.

In a typical duel, that would have been very foolish, since sound wouldn't distinguish between friend and foe, and he was much squishier than the stone construct, but with the Tower wards protecting him from lasting harm, he could afford to take the risk.

Unfortunately for him, his magic did little more than create a few cracks in the rock, which sealed up right away, and he was left hanging high in the air, supported only by the very thing he'd tried to destroy.

"Winner, Bellamy!" Master Lasazar called once it was clear Terence couldn't do anything before the hand pressed him into a paste.

Bellamy, on the other hand, groaned from his position on the ground. He hadn't moved an inch since he slipped, yet he managed to turn the duel in just one move.

"I guess he's not a high noble for nothing," Tim muttered in bitter surprise, eyeing the lazy teenager who was just now picking himself up with wariness.

It's easy to forget he's related to the Duke, given how laid-back he is, but that should only reveal how dangerous he can be when he chooses to be. I doubt someone with those connections has received anything but the best instruction from the moment he was born.

The remaining duels that followed were much more subdued, and before long, the second round was about to start.

"Wonderful showing, yes! I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did. Even if you lost, I think all of you learned something, and watching the victors of the first round battle it out should be even more interesting!" Lasazar cheerfully told them, tapping a foot on the ground and causing the pit to ripple.

Where there had been a landscape broken from the furious dueling that had just taken place, now only a smooth surface remained.

That is very similar to [Minor Elemental Manipulation], but much faster and more efficient. Intermediate? No, maybe even Advanced. I guess he's not a Prestige mage for nothing.

"The upcoming eight duels will feature some really interesting matchups. Without further delay, let's kick off the second round!"

Behind him, his struggling apprentice quickly flicked his wand, triggering another round of fireworks.

As they faded, a string of flaming letters appeared that said, "Nicholas Crowley vs Drusilla Boer."

Given there were eleven second years and only five first years left, it was almost guaranteed that Nick would face one of them in the second round, but he hadn't expected it to be a familiar face.

Still, he didn't hesitate and jumped down into the arena, "Hello there."

"Good morning to you, Lord Nick. Isn't it just a wonderful time for a little exercise?" Drusilla replied with a predatory smile.

The girl had seen him fight Tim in the training grounds, so he doubted he could overpower her completely without using much more power than a simple duel required. Still, he had no intention of letting her get any hits in, much less win.

"Begin!" Lasazar called, cutting off the banter before it could get started.

Though he was a cheerful man, he seemed to despise anything that could be seen as detrimental to magical combat. I'd love to see him go all out. Maybe I will ask him to give me a demonstration once I've learned the anti-demon magic I need.

In his mind, his victory was all but assured. The only other participant with more mana than he had was the blonde noble who had been talking with the heiresses earlier, but after seeing him fight, Nick hadn't seen anything truly threatening.

His flow of mana was fast and controlled, and his spells, few though they had been against the poor girl he faced, weren't anything out of the ordinary. A fireball and a couple of spells to put her asleep aren't enough to impress me these days.

A bolt of pure electricity arched into the sky and slammed into him, but Nick didn't bother moving away.

If Drusilla thought she could use his elements against him, she was in for a surprise.

The moment the lightning came within ten feet of him, he wrenched it out of her control with a grunt of exertion, surprised at how much effort it had taken.

He ignored her cry of surprise and instead shaped the writhing mass of power into something more threatening. Feeding it through an interesting spellform he'd read about recently and using [Parsimonia] to the fullest, Nick formed a lasso of pure electricity that slipped into his hand without even zapping his skin.

With a grin, he swung.

Drusilla wasn't foolish enough to take the hit, so she stepped back several paces with a [Push], then created a solid shield around herself.

Unfortunately for her, she hadn't anticipated the difference between the brief, yet intense, release of power from a single bolt and the continuous flow of a construct like the whip.

The glowing rope wrapped around the blue barrier and tightened, draining more and more power out of her.

Desperate to keep the lasso away, Drusilla stomped her foot with a scream, releasing the shield's power in a burst.

That should have been enough to disrupt most haphazardly made constructs, as they had been taught in introductory charms, but Nick wasn't the kind of mage to ever bring anything but his best.

The whip magic might have been new, but he had spent many hours practicing it after realizing how useful it could be, especially against opponents who trusted their shields enough to stay still and couldn't hope to win by pitting their mana reserves against his.

The lasso didn't even flicker, simply winding around her limbs and binding her tight, releasing just enough electricity to make her twitch.

"Winner, Nicholas Crowley!" Lasazar called, a broad grin splitting his face. The sheer giddiness he radiated told Nick that the man wasn't quite as nice as he liked to portray himself as, but then again, all-powerful mages were allowed their quirks.

There we go. I've been waiting for one of those for a while.

There hadn't been much experimenting to be done, not while Archmage Tholm was keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't burn out. And honestly, he was too busy reading all the magic theory he could get his hands on.

So, this level had been slow to arrive, but now that he was past playing catch-up with theory, he could fully dedicate himself to expanding his arsenal.

It was a good thing he'd have at least three more lab rats to play with before the day was over.

As Nick moved back to his spot on the bleachers, he couldn't help but glance at his next opponent as she walked past him.

He just hoped Eona wouldn't let him down.