After Eldrin took off, his silhouette swallowed by the crowd, Liam looked at Elira. "Well, shall we?"
Elira smiled, the weight of their mission pressing on her but not dimming her enthusiasm. "Yes, master. I am ready."
They approached the gates of the arena and walked past the guards.
For a while Liam was nervous. He wondered if the disguise would truly hold up or not. He even had a stinking suspicion that the elf had abandoned them for this very reason.
But he did not care. No one would be able to touch them even if they managed to sense him.
And thankfully, the guards had no idea. Liam walked past them and the few guards did not even flinch. They were around Level 500 while he was…
Liam smiled. These past few weeks have been extremely rewarding. It was not just Elira who had gained a few levels. He had also gained quite a bit of stats and some levels.
The forbidden area or rather this entire world felt like a training ground for someone like Liam who had come from a newly awakened world. The mana density and the elemental essence density was off the charts.
The elven ancestor's soul fragment had warned Liam that gaining rapid enlightenment was not good for progress and that he shouldn't be using external aids such as the S-Ranked herb too often.
However… this time, without using any aids…
After sending off Elira to the participants' gathering, Liam walked into the arena's huge spectator area, filled with elves displaying all manner of luxurious and enchanted attire.
It was a big space and it seemed that quite a big crowd was assembled for the event. All the elves also looked extremely invested in the event as many were engaged in loud and heavy discussions.
A few seconds later Liam understood why. There seemed to be some sort of betting going on.
It was a common enough practice in various forms of competition, but given the magical prowess of those involved, it was evident that these bets went beyond mere money or valuables. Magical artifacts and rare ingredients were openly being discussed as wagers.
Liam had a feeling that he would gain a lot if he ended up placing bets but he did not want to stand out just yet. While all of this might be valuable, what he needed the most was access to the system shop.
Liam walked around and found a seat that gave him a clear view of the arena while also letting him blend into the crowd.
"...I wager fifty vials of Starlight Essence that young Eilish will clear the first three rounds effortlessly."
"You underestimate Sariel's progeny. If Aria steps in, it won't be a cakewalk for anyone."
"You speak as if we're not aware of the Prism Shard that was recently acquired by the Arannis family. Whoever wields that in battle would be unstoppable!"
The names and magical objects being discussed meant little to Liam, but he filed away the information for future reference.
If anything, the discussion affirmed his suspicion that the resources available to the elves were vast and mysterious, probably things that he had never heard of.
His thoughts were interrupted by the loud, magical chime that signaled the start of the event. The announcer's voice, amplified by a spell, filled the arena as the first duel was about to begin.
The first round was between two elves dressed in mage robes and the moment the fight started, one blasted the other off with a blinding lightning attack.
The two opponents were so mismatched that the fight ended in just a single attack with the other elf flying off the arena stage and falling down with a loud thump for the entire arena to hear.
The crowd immediately reacted with a combination of gasps and cheers, clearly entertained by the dramatic start.
The second fight also began in a similar fashion, with a strong lightning attack opening, and the stage buzzing with electricity. It looked like most of the elves in this area were attuned to the lightning element.
But the second fight did not end that quickly. The defeated elf recovered, retaliating with a chain of magical barriers and counter-attacks that shifted the arena's environment—turning the ground to ice, then water, then a field of thorny vines in a matter of seconds.
This elf had a lot more attacks up his sleeve but Liam could see that none of the non-lightning element attacks had a whoomp behind them, implying that the elf did not have a strong affinity for them.
In fact, even in the subsequent fights, not many elves possessed a high affinity for multiple elements.
Just because of the rank of their world, Liam assumed that they would be more attuned but that did not seem to be the case. Although every single elf who came down to participate was at least level 300.
As more rounds went by, a pattern emerged. Most matches were lopsided, with one competitor overpowering the other through superior skill, magical artifacts, or some mysterious edge. But a few were nail-biters, showcasing intricate spellwork and strategic brilliance.
Finally, the announcer's magically amplified voice bellowed, "Next up, Elira and Sariel."
"Wasn't this Sariel one of the more famous participants?" Liam leaned forward in his seat as he watched the two contenders step onto the platform. He had heard the name Sariel several times in the past couple of hours.
And just like he suspected, once the elf showed up on the arena stage, many people started discussing him.
"Is that a new participant? Woah, that girl looks stunning! But too bad, she is up against Sariel!"
"It's a no-brainer. Sariel is going to win this time! He was, after all, the last time recruitment tournament's runner-up. I doubt anyone here is strong enough to win against him!"
"Yes. Yes. Such bad luck for that girl. Sariel is definitely going to become a royal guard this time and better luck next time for her."
"What a pity! Such a pretty elf!"