The Transmigrated Author

Chapter 58: Round Of 32 Knockout Stages (2)

[Pinnacle Academy Stadium 1 - Arena A: Student Section Seating]

The massive combined stage was an exciting site for all the students within the academy. In the stands, students shook for optimal viewing spots. In the middle of the first-year section, a small group buzzed with conversation.

"Dude, those cheating rumours about Sergio..." Jan scratched his head, a worried expression replacing his usual easygoing attitude. "Do you think they're true?"

Bazz grinned, an impish look in his eye. "Sergio? Topped one of the nastiest brackets in the prelims. Full of those ranked snobs, too. Don't think a cheater could finesse a run like that. If nothing else, the dude is strong."

"But what about his match against Rel?" Jan's worry wasn't unfounded. Rel, with all his skill, was still mediocre from what Jan had seen from him and an unknown quantity.

"Did you see any of his earlier matches, Bazz?"

"Nah, was stuck in my bracket," Bazz shrugged, then yelped and ducked out of the way as Jan flicked him on the forehead. "Ouch! Hey, what was that for?"

"Don't say 'stuck,'" Jan scolded. "Sounds like you made a lazy exit. What was your record like, anyway?"

Bazz rubbed the offended spot, but he was unable to suppress a slightly boastful grin. "Eighteen and two, my friend! Tough loss to Louise, then it was back-to-back-to-back wins...enough to sneak in, thankfully."

Suddenly, three newcomers plopped down on the seats beside them.

"Honestly, Rel versus Sergio seems like a good matchup to watch," she scoffed. "I bet this will end quickly, one way or another."

Jan, ever easygoing, grinned a greeting. "Hey, Lyra! Hey, Camila, Val."

The three girls waved at Jan but Bazz barely spared a glance, focused on the pre-match tension below. continuing, "I think this match could be close. Sergio for the long haul, but that crossbow guy might pull a trick or two early on. Who knows." He paused, then pointed towards the arena. "Besides, that Rel dude had it easy – undefeated in his own bracket, right?"

Jan shrugged. "You'd think so, but I think Rel's been pulling his punches until now. I'm sure of it!"

Both Bazz and Camila scoffed nearly simultaneously.

"No way," Camila retorted. "His bracket was full of no-names. It's called being efficient, not hiding anything."

Bazz chimed in, "Exactly! I tried snooping for replays, but no one was filming the bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. Too busy gawking at the big names throwing around fancy magic..."

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ACHOO! Ah, I swear there's something in the air...

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Even with the prior day's matches under my belt, the size of this space was imposing. Tens of Thousands of seats circled around me, filled with chattering students, faculty, reporters, and countless pairs of eyes now scrutinizing me.

A chill of unease came down my spine. It felt like the entire academy was watching me... I glanced at my competition, trying to see any advantage – there was only Sergio Vex and... I stopped short.

There were many eyes from what I could see in the stands. Especially that all the guild leaders from the top 10 were watching.

Looks like Gerrard from afar is looking at me with some discontent. Sorry I guess...

Before I could look around at any more special characters, a booming voice echoed over the arena speakers. The crowd hushed instantly...

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Authors Notes:

- The way the early parts of the tournament works is that the 20 students in each group compete for wins which is worth three points, draws 1 point and a loss which is 0 points. The top 2 of each group will advance and the third place of each group will compete in an extra match to earn their spots for the Knockout stages. The 10 students with the most wins out of the 20 advance to the knockouts.

For a clear visual this is what it would look like:

Group A winners:

[Jan - 1] <- Advances to the next stage

[Lyra - 2] <- Advances to the next stage

[Brandon - 3] <- Has to play an extra game for the qualified

***

[Knockout stage qualifiers Standings]

[Name 1 - 10 wins - 0 losses]

[Name 2 - 8 wins - 2 losses] <- Faster winning time

[Name 3 - 8 wins - 2 losses]

[Name 4 - 7 wins - 3 losses]

[Name 5 - 5 wins - 5 losses]

etc...