Chapter 1551 Shalem's Expectations <TOC> Chapter 1553 A Chess Move
Translator: SumTLMan
The Novastar Competition is divided into three phases. The initial phase is the qualifying round, where participants ascend Sky Tower to reach the 30th floor of Infinite Battle Tower and accumulate 100 points to advance.
The second phase is the one currently underway, which can be called the main event or alternatively, the knockout round.
The third phase is, of course, the final round that determines the rankings.
Now, the main event has entered its most intense stage, with more than fifty matches happening daily. At peak times, it even approaches one hundred matches. Given the multitude of events, the challenge for spectators is deciding which matches to watch.
Generally, competitors will watch matches featuring potential future opponents, while spectators choose based on personal preferences or the fame of the participants.
However, there are exceptions, such as the match today: “Wisp VS Book of the Sage.”
When spectators were buying tickets, they noticed that as soon as this match was displayed on the public screen, ticket sales soared, catapulting the number of prospective viewers to second place among ten concurrently running matches.
It’s worth noting that the most popular match currently underway features two potential rising stars.
For this particular match, although Wisp possesses significant strength and has shown promising performance in recent competitions, she’s still relatively new to the scene. Even if she possesses the potential of a rising star, her fame still falls short.
As for “Book of the Sage,” it’s even more puzzling because he has almost no reputation.
Why would so many people go to watch such a match?
Although the reason is unknown, many followed the trend and bought tickets. It wasn’t until they arrived at the venue and waited that they discovered the reason: sitting on the judges’ panel was a wizard with golden hair and blue eyes, capturing everyone’s attention.
It was none other than Angel, who is known for his Super Dimensional title.
Angel’s popularity has been soaring, leading to a surge in ticket sales for the upcoming event.
“Did you hear? Your followers are so enamored with you that they’re buying tickets blindly. But some of the bandwagon fans, after finding out the tickets were for your event, are now starting to question the level of excitement it will offer,” said a burly man as he sidled up to Angel. “Aren’t you concerned?”
“Concerned about what?” Angel looked puzzled at the man beside him.
This man is ‘Mad Bear’ Sabo, a disciple of Midora and also a judge for the upcoming event. Apart from special guest judges, Sabo is a rare wizard level judge.
“Like your popularity plummeting? People might expect a thrilling showdown, only to be met with a yawn-inducing match,” Sabo probed.
Angel retorted, “I’m not a wizard from Torch Institute who needs applause and spotlight to find motivation for my work. In fact, I’d prefer if no one showed up.”
After a pause, Angel added, “Besides, who’s to say the event won’t be exciting?”
Originally, Sabo was going to continue teasing Angel, but as soon as the latter mentioned the event, his attention was piqued. “Really? You’re looking forward to this match?”
As he spoke, Sabo picked up a stack of data, a leaderboard of contestants assembled by the regular judges. Unlike public rankings, these internal notes included specific critiques and insights.
Sabo said, “This young girl named Yuridia has impressive skills and the potential to be a supernova. However, from the initial qualifiers, it’s clear that she conceded all her losses willingly, as if hiding some secret. Some speculate she might be avoiding someone.”
“As for Shalem, he’s probably the reason you’re attending the match, right? I heard you both joined the Savage Grottoes together. He appears to have the Sage Body and is fairly competent among second level apprentices. However, his capabilities are an entire level lower than Yuridia’s. Given his past combat experience, the likelihood of him winning is less than 20%.”
“Would you really find such a lopsided match interesting?”
Angel didn’t deny Sabo’s statement: “I do believe there’s a significant disparity in strength. But a one-sided battle doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not captivating.”
“Are you referring to John’s Comeback?” Sabo inquired.
John’s Comeback is a widely popular novel in the Southern Region. In it, a young man named John faces insurmountable obstacles or formidable adversaries. During these moments, he engages in a lengthy inner monologue, fanning the flames of his fighting spirit. Mysteriously, solutions emerge when he confronts the challenges anew.
Over time, “John’s Comeback” has evolved into a sarcastic phrase, describing individuals who get hot-headed and overly optimistic about turning the tables.
Angel, however, only smiled without offering a response, leaving Sabo in suspense.
Whether or not John could make a comeback, Angel wasn’t certain. But if Shalem chose that path, Angel felt that the match might still have something to offer in terms of excitement.
…
As the countdown on the display screen entered its final ten seconds, the audience grew quiet.
Whether they came specifically to support Angel or just jumped on the bandwagon, everyone’s eyes were glued to the competition. Even those who believed the match might not be worth watching were focused.
And in reality, that seemed to be the case.
Right from the beginning, Shalem almost stumbled off the platform.
Due to the presence of a countdown at the start, both competitors could gauge the time precisely. This allowed them to construct models for their initial gambits in their Mental Space in advance.
Generally speaking, this first gambit could reveal the competitor’s attitude.
Because there’s ample time to prepare, the first gambit usually carries considerable power. Those who choose to attack are generally confident in their own abilities. Meanwhile, those who opt for defense are either apprentices of the defensive spell or consider themselves to be in a relatively weaker position.
Yuridia chose to go on the offensive, while Shalem opted for defense. This showed that Shalem was aware that he might be at a disadvantage and was preparing for a conservative approach.
Yuridia muttered the word “hope” under her breath, but what emanated from her hands was “despair.”
Dark Attack. A third level spell, whose attack power might be lacking, but once its spell model is properly constructed, its casting speed is unparalleled among spells of its kind!
The speed was evident right from the beginning.
Shalem had actually pre-constructed his spell as well, releasing it instantly during the countdown, almost equivalent to a spell in a Spell Position. However, his Black Shield was still forming in front of him when Yuridia’s Dark Attack already reached him. This showed that although both spells were instant-casts comparable to a Spell Position, the speed of Dark Attack exceeded that of Black Shield’s formation.
Caught off guard, Shalem was hit by the Dark Attack.
While the Dark Attack didn’t cause much damage to Shalem, its force was continuous. Shalem was like a target struck by an arrow, propelled out of the ring by the Dark Attack.
Just as Shalem was about to fall out of the ring and hit the ground, a strikingly beautiful man in a white tunic appeared. He looked as elegant as an angel in a cathedral, suddenly emerging from the book in Shalem’s hand. With pure white wings flapping, he enveloped Shalem and took him out of the Dark Attack’s range.
Finally, amid a flurry of white feathers, he held Shalem, who was on the brink of falling, and returned to the arena.
The audience was dumbfounded. They had no idea where this winged man had come from. Some even wondered if Shalem was cheating.
However, among the audience were those with keen eyesight. They quickly determined that this winged figure was not a real person but a Book Spirit.
Just like magical pets, if they exclusively belong to the contestant, they are allowed in the arena.
Moreover, they turned their gaze to the panel of judges, and all the judges remained unfazed, demonstrating an air of nonchalance. This suggests that this winged being must indeed be following the established norms.
This is indeed surprising; spirits like this are quite rare, especially one that seems to have emerged straight out of a book.
Could the title “Book of the Sage” refer to the book he’s holding in his hand?
Also, he hails from the Savage Grottoes; could he possibly be related to the reportedly most erudite elder in the Southern Region’s Wizarding World?
If he is indeed related to this scholarly elder, then this contestant may genuinely hold promise and warrant anticipation.
Chapter 1551 Shalem's Expectations <TOC> Chapter 1553 A Chess Move