The Throne of Runes had three phases, each with its own style of competition. The first consisted of a battle for the flag, held on a gigantic battlefield. The location was divided into five zones, each bringing together six of the thirty participating teams. At the end, only the two teams that managed to keep their flags protected in each zone would advance to the second phase.
This meant that only ten teams would remain, totaling fifty students qualified for the next stage.
The teams began gathering in the battle arena, entering one after another. During this period, some changes had taken place among the participants. The main one was Elowyn's entry into the top fifteen, after defeating Roberto and reaching the Third Circle.
'From what I heard, she reached the Third Circle a few weeks after me. I'm at an advantage.'
Elaris had also worked very hard during that period. Without a doubt, she deserved to be among those who had managed to reach the Third Circle ahead of schedule. In addition, other changes had occurred, with some students moving up to Class S while others lost their positions.
[It makes sense, after all, everyone wants to surpass you.]
'It's good to know I'm doing my job properly.'
Enrico was being transported by carriage to the location where the thirty participants in the competition would gather. In case there were any last-minute changes, he would be able to find out everything right there.
When he stepped down from the carriage, he found his teacher, Virelle, waiting beside Angela. The two approached as soon as they saw him.
"I hope you slept well, Enrico."
"Of course I slept well. Today is an important day."
Enrico smiled when he saw them.
[What a shameless liar! At most, you slept one extra hour.]
'That's enough for me to rest completely.'
To prevent the girls from discovering his nighttime activities, Enrico pretended to sleep beside them. After confirming that they were all truly asleep, he carefully left the room without making a sound. Only after finishing his training did he finally get some real sleep.
"Do you know if there have been any changes, Teacher?"
Virelle had a paper in her hands containing information about the participants. It wasn't data about their abilities, but rather a list indicating who had entered or left the top fifteen on that continent.
"Yes, there have been. From what I heard, a boy named Nicholas defeated his academy companion, Ramon Dino."
So Nicholas had taken first place at Sentinel Academy. In a way, Enrico wasn't surprised. After all, that young man was a reincarnated individual who seemed to have been quite powerful before arriving in that world.
"I see. Even so, he probably chose Ramon as one of his teammates, so that shouldn't change much."
Virelle agreed with him.
"You're right. Still, I hope you take care around them, my discip... I mean, student."
It was clear that Virelle had almost called him her disciple in front of other people, but she still couldn't do so officially. At least not until Enrico defeated Victoria.
Beside her, Angela looked at her lady with pity.
'My lady must be hurting inside, but she can rest assured. I'm certain the Young Master will succeed.'
After reaching the room where all the participants would gather, Enrico said goodbye to the two with a confident nod. Virelle and Angela returned the gesture.
"The Young Master really is confident."
"Of course. I wouldn't expect anything less from the person who will become my official disciple."
"That's right, Miss."
Enrico wasn't the only one showing confidence. His teacher and his maid were also absolutely certain that he would become the best student at Astrong Academy.
Virelle watched him enter the place with an almost gentle smile.
'You'll succeed, my disciple... I'm certain of it.'
Enrico crossed a corridor and, after passing through a door, entered a second room. Noticing that he was the first to arrive, he looked around.
"These young people... Why are they taking so long?"
[Perhaps it's because you arrived half an hour before their carriages even showed up?]
'That's just a detail. If they want to win, they should arrive at least an hour early.'
[I don't think that's how it works.]
Walking toward the center of the room, Enrico chose one of the chairs at the front and sat down. Since there was still plenty of time before the others arrived, he decided to take a thirty-minute nap.
'Hey, Nartheis, are you there? I'm sure you can hear me... All right, if you're not here, maybe the original is. Original Enrico, are you there?'
During that brief rest, he tried to establish contact with two of the three beings that seemed to be inside him, as he did from time to time. However, once again, he received no response.
'What happened? Does he only take over my body whenever he wants? Fine, then know that it won't be so easy to get my body next time!'
[It depends. If you let him, it'll be easy.]
'I wasn't asking the nosy one. If I wanted your opinion, I would have called the System.'
The friendly argument between the two was becoming increasingly heated. When Enrico finally won, he began thinking about the third presence inside him. As far as he knew, it remained completely unknown. It was as if it were hiding itself entirely, at least that's what the System had told him.
"Looks like someone arrived first... Damn it, I wanted to be the first. Where did I go wrong?"
Five minutes before the others arrived, Nicholas appeared in the room. Noticing that someone was already there, he showed a slight disappointment at failing to arrive first.
Apparently, he really had taken Ramon's place with considerable confidence. Enrico waved at him in a friendly manner.
"Congratulations on reaching first place at Sentinel."
"You knew? It seems you've been keeping a close eye on the rankings... By the way, you seem intelligent. Could you explain why we have to fight so hard to get into the top thirty when all we have to do is wait to be chosen by one of them?"
Nicholas seemed to have developed a greater curiosity about that world during this period. At first, to be honest, he hadn't shown much interest in the place where he had been reincarnated. However, after realizing how vast that world was and how powerful its inhabitants could be, his curiosity had increased. After all, in his previous life, he had been recognized as the strongest in his own world.
[I'm surprised this guy jumped right into things without knowing practically anything... He seemed intelligent.]
'He is intelligent. He simply did exactly what you said: jumped right in.'
Enrico calmly began explaining the situation to Nicholas.
"The reason is simple: those who are chosen don't receive the same rewards as the top thirty."
The students chosen by the academies would receive money and recognition throughout the competition, with the rewards increasing with each phase they reached. However, the top thirty would receive much more than that, as well as special benefits.
"Even if we only participate in the first phase, we'll receive more money and recognition than those who were chosen. In addition, we'll have access to the library's second level, which will give us advantages in our studies."
"The second level?"
Nicholas's curiosity seemed to be growing.
"Yes. It's only accessible to the best students. We'll also have the opportunity to climb the Magic Tower, which is hidden somewhere and constantly changes its location."
"That sounds interesting. Very interesting. And all we have to do is reach the first phase to get all that?"
"Yes."
Nicholas adopted a confident expression, showing just how interested he was in the rewards. It was exactly the kind of reaction one would expect from someone with a personality similar to that of a protagonist.
"Now, whoever reaches the second phase will be recognized as a Junior Mage. This title is normally granted only to second-year students when they reach the middle of the following year."
"What do we get from that?"
"We can go out on missions more frequently, enter dungeons suitable for our level, and earn our own money."
Judging by Nicholas's reaction, he finally seemed satisfied with having made it into the top thirty. Enrico continued explaining.
"The third phase is different. Only the winner will receive the final prize, while the others will have some of their rewards increased. For example, someone who reaches the third phase will be able to take home copies of up to three books from the Magic Tower."
"So it's an increase in the rewards."
"Exactly. Another advantage is that you'll receive the Junior Mage VIP badge. With it, you'll be able to become an Official Mage just four months after receiving the Junior Mage title, provided you demonstrate sufficient potential."
The rewards were even better than Nicholas had imagined. In fact, they were already quite generous from the beginning, so it wasn't difficult to understand why he wanted to go as far as possible.
"And whoever wins?"
"Well, the winner will have the opportunity to receive teachings from a madman."
Nicholas tilted his head, looking confused.
"A madman?"
Enrico chuckled before continuing.
"The strongest man in this world will teach the winner for an entire week. Furthermore, if he likes you, he may make you his official disciple."
Nicholas's eyes widened in surprise. That reward immediately caught his interest, especially because, in his previous world, he had been known as the strongest even at the moment of his death.
Before he could ask any more questions, the two noticed several people beginning to enter the room. They were the other participants in the competition.
However, what really caught their attention was the curiosity about who the representatives of the academies from the other continents would be.