My Joker System: From Low Mana Trash to the Mightiest Wizard!
Chapter 115: Pathetic Pleas

Chapter 115: Pathetic Pleas

"W-Wait, referee."

Korren’s mind was clouded by utter denial.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew what he was doing was stupid—but he couldn’t stop himself.

He would go crazy otherwise.

"Yes, Competitor Korren?" frowned the referee.

Korren couldn’t speak for a second before managing: "P-Please reset the match. As you can see, his spell didn’t even damage me. I’m fine, look."

The fake, defeated bastard then began to hop in place repeatedly, showing that he was perfectly fine.

Hal was already descending the stage at this moment, so the attention of some people in the crowd inevitably shifted to Korren.

"Oh, look! Competitor Korren is saying something to the referee!"

Meanwhile, inside the luxurious hall, Deputy Headmaster Korvus trembled.

He hadn’t noticed Korren’s actions yet, as he was in utter disbelief at what he just witnessed.

Unlike those outside, almost everyone inside the hall was adept in the ways of wizardry.

They knew Hal just used the Blink spell.

While it wasn’t particularly uncommon, it wasn’t until the second year of study or later that one could even attempt to learn the spatial repositioning spell.

It was a necessary spell to have in one’s arsenal, so everyone would eventually have to attempt to comprehend it.

Learning times, however, have always varied depending on individual comprehension.

One thing was for certain, though...

If one’s basic knowledge of mana and magic was still insufficient, the skill would remain unlearnable, no matter how high their mana affinity or how much their mana-bound artifact boosted their spatial magic.

This only meant that Hal’s basic wizardry knowledge was enough and that his comprehension was exceptionally high for him to have learned it in his first year.

"Hahahaha! The deputy headmaster is truly too crafty and secretive! So that’s why you kept his status hidden, huh? Is this Hal Fennec your trump card? I still don’t believe Felix and Donner would lose to him, though! Hahaha!"

Headmistress Isolde, on the other hand, knew things weren’t so simple.

She knew her older deputy well.

Based on Korvus’ reactions, he, too, didn’t know that Hal was this competent.

’Hohoh, did we luck out again?’ she mused.

**

At the main stage...

"Like I said, Competitor Korren, we have rules to follow. Touching the wall or the ground outside the stage means disqualification. There is no valid reason to reset the match," the referee sighed, slightly weary of repeating himself to the young man.

"P-Please, sir referee! I... I don’t believe I’m weaker than him in combat! The crowd doesn’t want the battle to end with mere tricks either! Referee, I beg you to reconsider!" Korren bowed, making things even more difficult.

"Aihh..."

Watching his fake friend’s embarrassing appeal made Hal shake his head.

While he couldn’t care less about Korren, he did still somewhat care about Aunty Linda, who was a close friend of his mom.

The poor aunt wouldn’t want to see her son humiliating himself in front of a crowd.

"Korren, shut up and accept your loss like a man," Hal said in a cold, slightly reprimanding tone.

Korren suddenly froze at his words, slowly turning and shooting a murderous glare his way.

"You think just because you won with some cheap trick, you’re qualified to talk down to me?! How about you accept my proposal like a man instead?!"

Hal wanted to put an end to the farce and was about to accept, if only to force the fake to acknowledge his defeat, when, suddenly, a blue orb hovered a few meters above the ground between them.

"Korren Neidisch, will you stop your disgraceful antics, or do I have to kick you out of the academy first?"

Korren naturally froze, recognizing the voice.

It was Deputy Headmaster Korvus.

For a few moments, the fake could only stare at the ground in frustration, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails began to dig into his skin.

Korren could only drop the matter.

After all, while he hated Hal to the core, he didn’t want to throw away his chance of bringing his mother out of the sticks over this matter.

"We’re not done, you hear me?!"

With those cringe-worthy parting words, Korren left, leaving Hal sneering in disgust.

He couldn’t believe he had once been friends with such a pathetic individual.

"Wow!" Akari’s adorable, feminine, and vibrant voice suddenly rang out from the main stage, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.

"What a spicy turn of events! It seems that Competitor Hal and Competitor Korren have some history. That said, there are always winners and losers, and the loser this time is undoubtedly Competitor Korren!"

Hal was somewhat flabbergasted by the host’s words.

Wouldn’t most people announce the winner instead?!

Why the hell did she go out of her way to pick on Korren?

"With this, the top thirty-two has been decided, and the mysterious Competitor Hal has proven to be quite the force. Will anyone be able to stop him in his tracks tomorrow, or will he continue his rampage as one of the more dangerous dark horses? We’ll find out soon enough! For now, I wish everyone a pleasant evening, and I hope to see you all again tomorrow!"

With a graceful bow, Akari descended, and just like that, day one of the Arcana Primis Cup came to a close.

Hal took a deep breath.

He was advancing as expected, but the battles would only get harder from here, as he would be facing the cream of the crop among his generation tomorrow.

Then there was Ennya.

While Hal had no problem fighting her, achieving victory would be a real challenge, as the midget’s flames were utterly horrifying.

Well, when it comes down to it, I’ll have to be ruthless against her... he mused.

Ennya wouldn’t be discarded simply for losing this time. There was no one else with a five-hundred-percent boost in elemental magic like her, even if the emperor turned the entire empire upside down.

There should be no problem—except for the midget sulking.

Felix Dargon and the others, however...

’Oh well, I’ll probably be able to think of a solution tomorrow, anyway. I’ll rest for now...’