Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 173: 173-We Have Our First Winner

Read chapter 173 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Merlin and the others watched silently through the tv screens in the waiting room as cheers resounded through the Open field. Carlos and Lena walked onto the large ceramic ring, each wearing a different kind of expression. Merlin wouldn’t fault Carlos for still being anxious, as the crowd present was a rather great one, but if there was any time for the boy to set his mind straight, now was it. Anything less than full focus would result in him losing. Instructor Park Minjee stood in the center of the stage, serving as the only thing keeping Carlos and Lena apart. She turned to the crowd and riled them up, and everyone cheered. Then she went ahead to explain how each fight would pan out, which wasn’t anything the contenders didn’t already know. Each fight would be on a fifteen minute timer. To win, one has to make their opponent give up, or have to exhaust them. Caution was advised with the type of spells that were cast, and if she was alerted to a fight going out of hand, she was allowed to step in and put an end to it, making the fight null. If the fight pans out for the full fifteen minutes without anyone giving up or being unable to continue, then it would be declared as a draw. There was basically no difference between a draw and a null in that they both didn’t add any points to the participants. The only difference between them was that one required the fight to be stopped at any time, while the other was when the time ran out. And, honestly, Merlin was kind of concerned about the ‘null’ thing. Especially concerning Park Yuri. He had a nasty feeling at the back of his neck that once she tried to use Solar Flare, the fight would be called to a close. He glanced at her, but her attention was fully focused on the tv screen, a cup of coffee in her hand as she crossed her legs and leaned back in her seat. She didn’t seem bothered. He shouldn’t be too. “And now, let the second stage of the tournament begin!” Instructor Park Minjee vanished from the stage as soon as she made that announcement. Instantly, Carlos’s Grimoire flipped open and took flight. He dipped a hand into his pocket, obviously reaching for his lighter, and readied himself. Lena was the same. Her Grimoire was hovering overhead now, but her flat gaze didn’t give any hint as to what she intended. Carlos waited for a few seconds. The girl didn’t do anything but keep staring. She said nothing either. Carlos clenched his jaw and decided he would be the first to attack. Mana flowed to life beneath the surface of his skin. His Grimoire flipped three pages over, and his palms opened up like holes were drilled into them. The crowd gasped at the sight, but immediately fell silent after as they were more entranced by what spell would come out and not the process it took. Just like with Carlos’s display while he was still in the waiting room, light green petroleum shot out of his palms like a fountain. However, they didn’t fall to the ground and continued to rise up towards the sky where they coalesced to form a cloud. Merlin instantly had a notion as to what spell the boy was casting based on what he had told them. Petroleum Cloud. Bit by bit the cloud grew in size, until it spread all the way over to Lena, where she stood, still nonchalant in her approach. Carlos frowned. “Aren’t you going to defend yourself?” he asked. She didn’t reply. He gritted his teeth. “Don’t let her get to you,” Chima muttered. Merlin agreed with his roommate. It was most likely her tactic to make him feel like she underestimated him and force him to act rashly to prove a point. He shouldn’t let her influence his decisions, keep a leveled mind, and fight her like he would at any other time. Victory was greater than proving a point. Achieving both was the better of the options though. Carlos clicked his tongue and exposed his lighter. Lena’s expression shifted then. Merlin noticed it. Immediately Carlos flicked the lighter on and lit up the strand of mana that connected the petroleum to him. Fir