The title of being the fortieth person to reach the Third Circle before adulthood was not merely an honorary title, nor a collection of beautiful words shouted amid the cheers of the crowd, only to be forgotten once the excitement faded.
It was proof.
Real, undeniable proof...
Proof that one belonged to the absolute elite of their generation across the entire continent.
Reaching the Third Circle at such a young age was not an achievement just anyone could accomplish, not even among those who had been hailed as geniuses since childhood.
It was an accomplishment powerful enough to elevate one's name, granting its bearer a special standing among their peers.
And such an honor did not belong to the individual alone.
It extended to their family as well.
That was why, for several moments, silence descended upon the audience.
It was not ordinary silence.
It was the silence of astonishment.
The silence of people who had just witnessed, with their own eyes, the emergence of a talent that might one day carry a name impossible to forget.
Perhaps, if that talent continued along the same path...
That name might even be carved into the annals of history.
Some among the spectators could not conceal their shock.
Others...
felt an entirely different emotion.
Their apprehension toward the Dainhart Family had deepened.
Aren was not merely another genius who had emerged from its ranks.
He was the third genius produced by the Dainhart Family on the continental stage.
Three geniuses.
Three names capable of attracting attention from across the entire continent.
And that alone was enough to make the name Dainhart carry even greater weight.
Even greater prestige.
Even greater fear.
Down on the battlefield, the other nine qualifiers stared at Aren.
Their expressions differed.
Their thoughts differed.
Their emotions differed.
But the shock in their eyes was the same.
That boy they had regarded as a coward...
The one who had spent most of the battle lingering at the edges of the arena, avoiding direct confrontation...
The one some of them had assumed had, at best, reached the lower Second Circle...
That very same person had just defeated five opponents at once.
And what was even more astonishing—
At the moment when the pressure had reached its peak, he had broken beyond the limits of the upper Second Circle and unleashed a Third Circle spell.
They could no longer look at him the same way.
The image they had formed of him had been shattered completely.
Some of the qualifiers felt envy.
It was difficult to accept that someone they had believed to be weaker than themselves had suddenly revealed such overwhelming strength.
Others, however, felt something entirely different stir within their hearts.
If Aren had managed to reach such a level...
Then why couldn't they?
And for some...
There was only despair.
They had realized that the gap between themselves and someone like Aren might be far greater than they had ever imagined.
Yet despite the different emotions that surged through the hearts of the nine qualifiers, they all arrived at the same conclusion.
Never judge someone by appearances.
Someone who appeared weak...
Someone who seemed harmless...
Could, in truth, be the most dangerous person in the entire arena.
Meanwhile, Leo continued watching Aren from above in silence.
He was nowhere near as surprised as the others.
He had seen what happened through a far more discerning lens.
After several moments of silence, Leo finally spoke.
"Although he managed to use Storm Severer, his control over the spell and the amount of mana he poured into it were severely disproportionate."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Most likely, he won't be able to use that same spell again anytime soon."
Leo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"And although he succeeded in unleashing a Third Circle spell... it would be difficult to call him a true Third Circle mage."
His words were simple.
But they revealed the enormous difference between what the audience saw...
and what Leo saw.
Reaching a certain level of power in a moment of extreme desperation did not necessarily mean possessing the ability to wield that power consistently.
There was a difference between being capable of producing a single overwhelming burst...
and truly standing upon that level.
At that moment—
Aren raised his head.
His eyes turned toward Leo.
Their gazes met.
Aren stared at him for several seconds.
It was a long gaze...
Calm.
Quiet.
Deep.
He said nothing.
He did not need to.
There was something within that gaze alone, something that seemed to carry a meaning that required no words.
Leo, however, said nothing either.
After a few moments, Aren finally looked away.
At the same time, the family steward stepped forward and began announcing the names of the qualifiers.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Esteemed guests!"
His voice echoed throughout the arena.
"There are ten qualifiers from the first round."
He then began announcing their names.
"Seron... Kailyn... Aren... Thairan... and so on."
One name after another rang throughout the arena until the complete list of ten qualifiers had been announced.
The steward then continued,
"After a brief thirty-minute intermission, the matches of the direct lineage will begin."
Leo's eyes lifted slightly.
Finally...
The time had come.
Then he thought to himself,
I'm starting to get bored of merely watching.
The previous round had not been bad.
On the contrary, there had been several moments worth watching.
But Leo had been waiting for something else.
Something more significant.
Something he knew he would eventually have to face himself.
The thirty minutes passed quickly.
Far too quickly.
It felt as though they had lasted no more than a few moments.
And when the intermission ended, the atmosphere within the arena began to change once more.
Members of the Dainhart Family's direct lineage stepped onto the battlefield.
This time, the eyes of the audience were different.
They were no longer focused on the branch lineage.
They were now fixed upon the direct descendants of the family.
The children who carried the closest blood of the Dainhart Family.
Those who had been under the watchful eyes of both the family members and their distinguished guests from the very beginning.
The family steward stepped into the center of the arena and announced in a clear voice,
"As for the matches of the direct lineage, they will consist of individual battles. The purpose is to select the five strongest participants among them."
He raised one hand toward the arena.
"Those whose names are called, step into the arena."
He paused for a moment.
Then announced,
"First... Valerian Dainhart versus Eldran Dainhart."
As soon as their names were called, two young men stepped forward.
They entered the arena beneath the expectant gazes of the crowd.
The level of attention was noticeably greater this time.
Everyone wanted to witness the true strength of the direct descendants of the Dainhart Family.
Even the distinguished guests watched the battlefield with increased interest.
The atmosphere gradually grew heavier.
Valerian stood at one end of the arena.
Across from him stood Eldran.
For several moments, silence reigned.
Then the judge raised his hand.
"Prepare yourselves."
Both men settled into position.
Then—
"Begin!"
The instant the judge announced the start of the match, Valerian moved.
He did not charge directly toward his opponent.
Instead, he immediately moved to the side, maintaining a safe distance while simultaneously beginning to unleash a series of First Circle spells.
Successive fireballs shot toward Eldran.
But Eldran did not retreat.
He raised one hand, and a protective spell appeared around his body, wrapping itself around him like a magical shield.
The incoming attacks crashed against it one after another.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Flames scattered across the arena.
But Valerian did not stop.
He cast his spells...
then moved.
He attacked...
then retreated before giving his opponent an opportunity to counterattack.
Leo watched the battle with interest.
His eyes were not merely following the destructive power of the spells.
He was watching the way they were cast.
The speed at which they were formed.
The amount of mana being consumed.
The decisions Valerian made while moving.
After several moments, Leo spoke calmly.
"Judging by the quality of Valerian's spell control, the speed at which he casts them, and the way he quickly retreats before giving his opponent an opportunity to counterattack..."
He paused briefly.
"At least in terms of magic, I'd place him around the middle level of the Second Circle."
His gaze shifted toward Eldran.
"As for Eldran..."
Leo paused.
"He's not bad."
A moment of silence.
"But he doesn't surpass Valerian when it comes to making sound decisions, nor in the quality of his spell usage."
The battle continued in much the same manner.
A full minute passed.
Valerian maintained his distance.
Eldran continued defending while searching for an opportunity to counterattack.
But eventually...
Eldran decided to end the battle.
He began preparing a stronger spell.
Mana surged around his body.
A more intricate magical circle gradually took shape.
It was a mid-level Second Circle spell.
The time required to cast it began to stretch longer and longer.
One second...
Then another...
And at that precise moment—
Something shot rapidly toward his foot.
Eldran's eyes widened.
Before he could understand what was happening...
Something rocky wrapped itself around his leg.
Valerian had used a medium-range stone binding spell.
"What—?!"
Valerian gave him no time to react.
The instant the binding succeeded, he unleashed a barrage of First Circle spells.
A succession of fireballs shot toward Eldran without pause.
One...
Then another...
Then another.
Eldran was unable to evade them.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Flames engulfed his position.
The battle ended within moments.
Leo watched without any change in expression.
Then he spoke.
"It was unwise for Eldran to use a high-level spell when he lacked the ability to shorten its casting time."
His gaze remained fixed upon the arena.
"Valerian simply exploited that opening."
The battle had never been solely about strength.
It was about who could identify their opponent's weakness first...
and who could exploit it before the other person even realized what had happened.
Leo looked toward the arena.
"From the very beginning, I could clearly see a difference in skill between the direct lineage and the branch lineage..."
He paused.
"Whether in the victor or the defeated."
A moment later, the family steward stepped forward and announced in a clear voice,
"The winner of this match... Valerian Dainhart!"
A wave of cheers rose from the stands.
But there was little time for celebration.
The next match was already approaching.
The family steward raised his voice once more.
"And now... the second match will be between..."
He paused.
Then announced,
"Dion Dainhart... versus Aurelius Dainhart!"
The instant Leo heard those two names, his gaze changed.
The faint boredom that had accompanied him throughout the previous minutes disappeared.
His eyes sharpened.
His posture straightened slightly.
This time...
He was no longer watching merely for entertainment.
Because there was something here that he knew he could not avoid.
Something that had been irritating him for some time...
And now, at last—
It was beginning to approach him.