Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

Chapter 75: The Quarterfinals

The group let out a cheer, and together they made their way to the cafeteria.

Once inside, Kyle ordered enough food to satisfy not only himself, but the appetites of his so-called friends.

The trays were piled high with a mix of roasted meats, savory stews, and fresh bread. Riya snatched up her plate first, beaming at the spread.

"You're the best, Kyle. See? This is why we keep you around," she teased.

Zack took his food with a grin, leaning in to whisper dramatically, "He's secretly loaded. That's why."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to this."

They all sat around one of the large tables, the chatter and clatter of cutlery filling the space as they dug into their meals.

The mood lightened even further as they recounted their fights, each of them eager to one-up the other with their stories.

"Did you see how close that last punch was?" Zack said, pointing a fork at Kyle. "I swear, if I'd been even a second slower, I'd be eating through a straw right now."

"You mean if your opponent had been any faster," Kyle shot back, earning a round of laughter.

Orion, between bites, raised an eyebrow at Zack. "As a matter of fact, the academy medics are more than capable enough to heal your presumed fracture. You were never in any real danger."

Zack shook his head and chuckled. "Man, you take the fun out of everything."

Riya leaned back in her chair, stretching lazily.

"Well, I'm just glad we made it this far. Tomorrow's going to be insane, but right now? This food is all I care about."

Lora, sitting quietly beside them, smiled as she nibbled on her food.

"It's nice to have a moment to breathe. Tomorrow will be tough, but we'll figure it out."

After a while, their plates were empty, and the group's laughter had turned to contented silence.

One by one, they began to rise, muttering about heading back to their rooms.

"Well," Kyle said, standing up with a stretch. "This has been fun, but this is where I call it a night."

The group waved goodbye as they headed toward their houes.

Kyle smiled as he watched them go before turning to the cafeteria counter to buy the extra food for Void.

He grabbed a hefty amount for Void, not skimping on anything.

'Void's gonna need all the energy he can get to keep cultivating,' he thought, knowing his little dragon was growing stronger by the day.

Kyle let his thoughts wander as he walked towards his house with the food in a bag.

He wondered how Void was doing back in his room. 'Probably sleeping,' Kyle mused, then quickly corrected himself.

'Nah, knowing him, he's probably cultivating right now. I shouldn't underestimate that little guy.'

The memory of Void's long cultivation session that had seen him level up twice was still fresh in his mind.

He soon reached home after a while, upon opening the door to his room, his suspicions were confirmed.

The food he had left for Void earlier was completely gone, not even a crumb remaining.

But Void sat still in the corner of the room, a serious, almost regal expression on his face. The tiny dragon was completely absorbed in his cultivation, the air around him humming with mana.

Kyle placed the food down softly, careful not to disturb Void's focus. He couldn't help but chuckle. 'Still going, huh? Guess I'll leave you to it, then.'

Kyle quickly freshened up before setting up his Rune-making equipment on the desk.

He pulled out a few blank cut up runic papers and began to work, etching symbols with precision.

He did that for a long time, before eventually drifting off to sleep.

When morning came, Kyle opened his eyes and immediately checked on Void.

As expected, the little dragon was still deep in cultivation, his food from last night untouched.

Kyle rubbed his eyes, surprised. "You're something else, aren't you?" he muttered to himself. He stretched before heading to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

After freshening up, Kyle took some to cultivate, completing his daily quest as a result.

Immediately he was through with his short cultivation session, Kyle glanced over at Void one last time.

"Make sure to eat something, alright? You can't cultivate on an empty stomach forever."

His remainder failed to leave an impact, as Void remained fixed to the spot—cultivating.

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Kyle knew better than to bother. He knew Void well enough to handle the food when he gets hungry.

Kyle left the house to the coliseum, stopping by the cafeteria to grab a quick, light breakfast.

Upon entering the coliseum, he noticed the distinct change in atmosphere from the earlier days of the competion.

There were fewer competitors now, and the crowd had grown larger, made up mostly of those who had already been disqualified along with spectators eager to see the final battles.

More and more people kept filing in as time passed.

Kyle found his place among the other contestants just as Instructor Dan stepped forward to address the group.

With his usual warm smile, he swept his gaze across the remaining fighters.

"Congratulations, all of you," he told them once again.

"You've made it this far, which is no small feat. The battles you've fought have tested your skills as well as your endurance, which have proven you worthy to stand here as the last eight."

He paused for a while before continuing. "Today, only two will remain standing. The rest of you will have given it your all, but only the strongest and the most prepared, will make it to the finals."

Dan clapped his hands together, signaling the start of the day's events.

"Without wasting time. May the quarter-finals begin! Good luck to you all."

Without further ado, the first group of matches were called, and the day was to begin in earnest.

The crowd that had gathered erupted into cheers as the matches were called to begin.

With that, Kyle, Zack, and Terra stepped into thier arena.