Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn! 109 Round One: Fight! 2

The most common ways of defining cultivation speed and the future potential a combatant had was by their grade of talent.

Based on what he had heard, a talented individual who could stand out among ten thousand people was often called a grade 1 talent. Anything lower or anyone slower was not even in the radar to be considered talented or gifted; instead they would just be considered a normal or mundane cultivator, a plebeian who would quickly fall behind their peers and remain at a low level for their entire lives.

Grade 1 talents would have no difficulties breaking through from the Normal-level to become a teenage Adept by the age of 15 years old and advance to Elite at 19 then Master before turning 30. They would then be able to at least reach the Grandmaster realm by their late 40s.

However, the defining difference separating these grade 1 talents from the next level above was the great difficulty they would have in advancing to the World-class realm. This was not to say that they COULD NOT break through to that level; no. It was more the fact that either an exceptionally large investment of resources was needed or an exceedingly rare epiphany of the secrets of the universe - or they might reach the World-class level, but only at the end of their lifespans and longevity!

Often such an investment was not considered worth it, both by the factions these practitioners belonged to as well as the practitioners themselves who would likely rather invest the time and resources into accelerating their next generation's growth!

Nonetheless, these people would already be considered significant talents, for many normal practitioners would never exceed the Master level in their entire lifetime. These individuals would make up the ranks of key captains, lieutenants or right-hand men of sects and organisations.

Some examples of people who were in this category could be heavyweight combatants such as Sand Crab Byrus, Blacksword Susano and the other Lords of the Four Paths of the Underworld were likely somewhere in this category; though there was also a large range of capabilities, with Byrus probably falling at the upper end of the spectrum and nearly entering the ranks of a grade 2 talent.

In comparison, a grade 2 talent was classified based on a youth being able to enter the Adept realm at 14, Elite at 16 and become a Master by the age of 21 years old.

As they also advanced quicker and received the extensions to their lifespan, grade 2 talents had quite a large assurance of reaching the World-class realm and then advancing to the Legendary realm. They would be able to cross into the World-class realm by the age of 50 and possibly become a Legend before the end of their lives in their later years, forming a resonance with the concepts and laws of the heavens, the earth, the void or the universe. This would then become their specialisation formed in the very core of their being; the soul-imprint that defined a Legend's identity.

This also meant that there was a huge divide between grade 2 talents and grade 1 talents; a grade 2 talent would likely achieve the Legendary level by the tail end of their lives, whilst a grade 1 talent might forever be found languishing in the Grandmaster realm. This meant there would eventually be a full 2 large realms gap between the two grades of talent!

Per Seline's inference and observations, she surmised that some of the warriors who fit such a definition of talent would be Gaius Trene, Yusof Jamal, Sefir Roth Estreya, Vignis Jamal and the other superior talented scions of the Noble Houses.

These were talents who could lead their generation, albeit not as the apex existence but as one who could distinguish themselves at a regional level and make a mark even at a national stage - though they would still not be at the top of the food chain.

Above even that grade of talent were the grade 3 talents, geniuses who would be recognised as such even when they were compared to tens or hundreds of millions of others; elites among the elites who could already achieve the Master-level at the shockingly young age of 18! They would have easily surpassed the Adept level at the tender age of 13 and leapt into the Elite realm before 15 summers had passed in their lives.

They would then advance steadily to become a mighty World-class combatant, a powerhouse in their own right by their mid-30s... Then emerge as a legend even before their years of practice even hit a half-century!

As for progression past the Legendary-realm, it would depend very much on the individual whether they could ascend to the peak before they exhausted their longevity... It would depend on whether they could recraft, merge, combine or extend their soul imprint(s) into the core of their souls and spirits and be reborn as a Mythical powerhouse!

Per Seline's estimation, General Weres was one such talent who, despite starting out without cultivation resources or guidance, had still entered the Legendary realm by the age of 50. Some other examples were the Dukes of the Kingdom, Stars Boa himself and also Natalie Sarouneh, Lina Sarouneh and perhaps even Demon Maid Sharon who was already world class in her 30s!

It needed to be said though that the various rulers who could warrant being named as a "King" such as King Vishnu, ruler of the Kingdom of the Sands or King Ganon, liege of the beastmen tribes were likely a half-tier above even these peak grade 3 talents!

When placed into the pecking order like this, Alayna de Caldis was also somewhere in this grade of talent, though she was already faster than others as a Master-realm expert while merely 17 years old! As such, Seline found it difficult to place her in the grading system; as it was likely that she was at the threshold between being a grade 3 talent and being crowned as a fabled grade 4 talent - something that even King Vishnu himself had not been able to achieve in his lifetime!

Even as his lightning-quick mind and 10 times faster thinking speed allowed Lars to sift through and recap this information within mere seconds, the phenomenally talented mage who far exceeded all these talent classifications as a Legend at the age of 23 decided to relax the seals on his body.

As he did so, he quietly reined in the mild fluctuations of power emitted from his mana core and gradually advanced his Mage cultivation all the way from the beginner Adept level to peak Adept, then up to the borderline just before beginner Elite level.

At the same time as he relaxed the constraints on his magical capabilities and allowed his mana to flow once more, he also examined his physique and body's state of being. As he concentrated on the inner workings of his body, he could sense that his blood energy had advanced considerably in just the past 3 days; a curiosity that he had discussed at length with Kizorik and Velzash.

In the end, the only theories that the three of them could propose were either that he was just a f***ing genius at everything (only Lars supported this theory) or that it had something to do with the seed of hunger... Though an envious Velzash had openly admitted that he had never experienced such growth in his time hosting the seed of hunger.

'Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that... You're a f***ing vegetarian?!?' Kizorik had quipped aggressively, leading to a war of words and useless slapping between the little fairy-like demon and the sharp-tongued penguin who had once idolised Velzash...

Based on Lars' senses and a scan of his physique, he estimated himself to be around the peak Adept level as well; his minotaur bloodline's growth had apparently been stimulated by his greatly expanded appetite to improve a full 2 minor realms in just 3 days!

With this, Lars nodded to himself and was satisfied as he stood in a group with the other contestants as they waited for the drawing of lots to begin. Based on his estimate, his dual cultivation as a mage and warrior at the borderline of the Adept and Elite realm would be more than enough to beat all his opponents. After all, he WAS in truth a pseudo-Mythical powerhouse who had been acknowledged by the concepts of Insight and Greed... And he merely needed just a hair's breadth more comprehension into the laws of space and time to expand his soul-imprints to a grand total of four!

Four, along with what he felt was slowly become another seed of a concept still taking form in his soul - perhaps it would be aligned with Kizorik's yet-to-be-awakened moniker, Devouring...?

And if with all he had at his disposal, he still couldn't beat the here Elite level opponents... Then he wouldn't even know where to hide face!

Finally, if push came to shove and he were backed into a corner...

Lars grinned wryly.

'Nothing wrong with "luckily" breaking through to the next realm in a "moment of crisis", eh?'

His mental quip was met by a penguin shaking its head in exasperation. The penguin and Velzash had finally come to a truce, deciding that they two as allies should not be bickering among themselves. Instead, they should be putting on a united front to face their common enemy, Lars!

'...Ahem, kiddo, I do want to ask you something...'

Lars looked away, pretending that he was suddenly very interested in Mr White's long and monotonous recap of the rules. He knew that whenever Kizorik started to be all polite and stuff, it wasn't likely for there to be something good to look forward to... Hence he ignored Kizorik who still asked his question anyway...

'How *DID* you manage to enter the Legendary realm...? I never see you practising, meditating or cultivating...!'

Another gentle voice interjected with his opinion, though despite his sweet tone, his words were brutally cutting.

'Why do you even ask? a sluggard knows not the meaning of the word "training"! I bet he's actually an old monster just pretending to be young for kicks! Like right now, right, right??? A 23 year old fart bullying a bunch of kids, how valiant and charming! My hero! Oh, oh, can I have your autograph, please? Bah! And after all, who has ever heard of a 23-year-old Legend?!? Not even I myself in my heyday could have achieved that!'

Lars sighed solemnly, looking heavy-hearted and sad when recalling his past. The other contestants gave him a knowing look and smiled slightly, sighing too as they thought he was getting fed-up of the dreary speech about the rules just like they were getting tired.

'...Someday I'll tell you...' Lars spoke with a sense of melancholy.

'...But for being so mean towards me... No more snacks for you two!! Forget getting anything from the stalls here! No way! Impossible! Not for an entire... 4 hours!!!' Of course, Lars didn't tell them that in truth, he would be tied up with the matches for 4 hours anyway so it made no difference...

'!!!!!!!!!! I-I... I demand to see a lawyer!! Officer!! That's the man!!! Arrest this pervert and scammer!!!'

'Y-you can't d-do that! That, thats t-too cruel!!! Inhumane!!! Monstrous!!! It's a violation of human... I mean, a violation of demon rights!!! The integrity of the Geneva Accord is being threatened!!'

Lars chuckled as he saw his cute little friends reactions. were all demons this cute...? And he zoned them out as he saw that the proceedings were finally finishing. He returned his thoughts to the tournament drawing of lots to determine his first round match.

"...And the top 2 seeded contestants Lars and Darius will be split to opposite halves of the bracket. Alright, with the briefing complete, let us proceed to the matchups! Mitsui, would you be so kind as to draw the first two pairs of names for round 1 matches 1 and 2?"

Lars and the other contestants looked on with rapt attention - more so the others though, who were each praying not to have to face Lars in the first round!

Mitsui fished around in a bag of grey stone balls, each imprinted with a contestants name and participant ID. He then drew out two stones and handed them over to Mr White to announce the first draw.

"...Number 777, Lars! Number 313, Sai Kana!"

"LARS LARS LARS LARS!!!"

"Show Sai Kana who's boss!"

"Yeah!!! We believe in you, Lars!!!"

Cheers arose from the spectating crowds as they were roused with excitement - they would get to see the number 1 seed and the greatest young talent in the very first match; what a thriller it should be! Or at least they hoped it would be, as long as it was not too big a stomp against the unknown Sai Kana.

Lars coughed in embarrassment upon hearing the crowds and blushed slightly, then he stepped forward to the nearby Arena 1 and took his place.

His opponent showed great confidence, neither hesitating nor eliciting any signs of apprehension at facing the strongest opponent he could have drawn.

And as the two contestants took their stances at opposite ends of the ring, Lars smiled warmly at Sai and bowed slightly.

"Good luck, have fun."

Sai Kana looked startled, almost as if he had expected Lars to be a stuck up and arrogant youth. but he quickly returned the smile and bowed too, saying, "Thank you, and good luck to you too!..."

Mr White, upon seeing the two of them ready and waiting to get into action, lifted up one hand and then chopped it down quickly and roared out, signalling the two fighters to begin their battle!

"Round one; FIGHT!"

And Lars was struck straight in his smiling face, sent flying to the edge of the ring!

Chapter end