-FUUSSH!

Omar Noel, Rank-B girl, and flute guy were teleported to the stadium. They also met with some students who tried to steal their tokens, though they quickly defeated them.

The audience cheered for them. Even if they lost to Ace Academy, they were worthy of the admiration of millions of people.

However, it didn’t seem like they were happy at all. How can they when all their plans have failed? It was not difficult for them to pass this round. For them, this round was about defeating Ace Academy, which they have marvelously failed to achieve.

Unlike other students of Arcane Academy, they knew that the responsibility of failing would fall on their shoulders.

Professor Frey left with Omar Noel and the other two. She was clearly angry and looked furious at them. They silently followed her.

Before leaving they didn’t forget to give me a hateful glare.

( WOW! Such hatred! )

I just smiled and waved my hands.

Professor Frey gnashed her teeth and clenched her hand. She wants nothing more than to snap the neck of Zero. She had severely underestimated him.

Their plans would not have failed if Zero was not there.

“Let’s go!”_.

They just left the place. I also reverted back to watching the big screen. Slowly students were being teleported into the stadium. Only a few minutes were left before the round ended.

Everything was chaotic at the last minute of the tournament. Students were fighting each other more ruthlessly than ever while those with enough tokens were hurrying to the portal.

Even powerful Rank-D + students were sometimes beaten by groups of Rank-E + students. Even some Rank-C students who were working alone were struggling to reach the portal with all those students attacking.

Desperate people are really dangerous!

Within minutes, the time was up and those who did not have enough tokens were disqualified, and those who did have enough tokens qualified for the next round.

Like one of the professors thought, Ace Academy had the majority of qualified candidates for the next round. Only three students from Ace Academy failed to advance to the next round.

“The details for the next round will be announced three days from today! I hope you all use this time to prepare yourself for a tougher challenge.”

With this, the first day of the tournament came to an end. The audience left the place one by one. They were talking excitedly with their friends.

They were satisfied with what they saw. The new generation of students with unbelievable powers. Whether it was Zero and Hiro who were in the first year or Omar Noel and Lisanna, they were satisfied with watching them fight.

I felt more at ease after they were gone. I could feel their gazes throughout the time I was here. It would have been unbearable if I didn’t already have lots of experience with such situations.

We were given three days of preparation. While we do not know what type of competition the next round will be, these three days can be used to recuperate if you are injured. In addition, you can get weapons and armor if they were broken in today’s competition.

In addition, it was to give students a chance to rest their minds. Nobody wants to continue fighting three days straight. It would exhaust one’s mind, especially if one had fought with people like Hiro and Omar Noel.

( Alright! Time to leave! )

Just when I was about to leave the place,

“Zero, where are you going?”

Misha asked.

For a moment I was confused by what Misha said, then I remembered.

( Oh Shit! I almost forgot! )

My parents have told me to meet them after the tournament. Since they were with Misha’s parents, Misha also knew about that. She was also asked by her parents to meet them along with Zero.

I almost left without meeting them. I would have to listen to mom’s endless lecture if I had forgotten. Thankfully Misha was still here.

“Thanks!”

I raised my thumb and said to Misha.

???

Misha, who didn’t know what Zero was thinking, was confused by Zero’s gesture. She didn’t know why Zero was giving her a thumbs up.

******

“Zero really shocked us. He has grown a lot stronger. Looks like Shadow Genesis will flourish with such an heir!”

Deigo said to his friend.

“Haha… I don’t know about that. We will have to see whether he wants to become the guildmaster or not.”

Warren replied.

He didn’t want to shackle Zero’s future path. If he decides to become the guildmaster of Shadow Genesis, he was more than welcome but even if he wants to join other guilds he was okay with it.

Warren understands that with his son’s talent, he could easily enter a Platinum-graded guild and would be treated well there. The Authority would have been interested in nurturing such a young and talented boy.

Therefore, Warren didn’t really expect Zero to become the guildmaster of Shadow Genesis. Shadow Genesis was after all a small guild that didn’t fit his son’s talent.

“Your daughter has also gotten a lot stronger. She advanced to the next round which is an incredible feat for the first year.”

Warren said.

When comparing talents, Misha looked inferior to Zero but she was in her own right, very talented. There are not many who are qualified to participate in this tournament as first-year students, not to mention the number of first-year students who made it past the first round.

“Haha… I am also blessed to have such a talented daughter!”

Diego was proud of her daughter.

Misha had performed beyond their expectations. They knew that their daughter was learning well at Ace Academy. Diego felt immense happiness watching his daughter all grown up.

“It looks like we both are very blessed!”

Warren was very happy today. His son has made him incredibly proud. His son became famous and made a mark in this tournament.

But more than the fame, he was happy knowing that Zero was strong enough to protect himself.

With him dealing with guild work, he knows exactly how dangerous the world has become. Even with Rank-A strength, there were lots of dangerous things in this world that could instantly take their life.

With Zero showcasing Rank-B power, Warren knew that his son would become at least Rank-S or maybe even Rank-SS in the future. He believed that with that strength his son would not be in danger.

The two women in their family were also happily chatting with each other. Although the topic of their discussion was different from their husbands’.

“Zero has turned into such a dashing man. He is both talented and handsome. I bet countless girls are chasing him.”

Misha’s mother said.

She didn’t see Zero for a year or so. She was busy during the party to celebrate Warren’s rank up and missed meeting Zero. This was her first time seeing Zero after he entered high school.

“I can say the same about your daughter. Misha must be getting a love letter every day.”

Zero’s mother replied.

As Zero’s mother, she felt it was her duty to find a good wife for her son. The daughters of her friend were the prime candidate considering how close they were. Though she was fine if her son brought another girl.

They chatted with each other while waiting for their child to come.

“Mom, Dad!”

“Son!”

They ran towards him and hugged him.

Zero’s parents were relieved to see that Zero was fine. Even when they had seen him do incredible things in the tournament, they were worried that he might be pushing himself too much.

Zero also felt relieved seeing his parents. With how often he found himself in trouble, the only time he let down his guard was in front of his parents.

Only in front of his parents, he was a son!