They were all looking at Miho's schedule.

"Let's go," Leo said, tapping the screen once before locking it. "Since no one has challenged us yet, we should cheer Miho on… and also take the chance to see this Tavian fight."

With that, Leo called Brok, and the group set off toward the Academy. The Academy was also running an official stream, but it cost 10 AC per hour to watch a stream of 1 ring. Because of that, many preferred to go to the arena itself, where a 50 AC pass granted access for the entire day—though prices varied depending on the arena.

Crowds had already flooded into their chosen arenas, each person chasing the matches they were most interested in. There were a total of 40 arenas—10 arenas spread across 4 directions. Each arena housed 5 rings, meaning 200 matches could run simultaneously. If a match averaged around 10 minutes, a single ring could host roughly 54 matches in 9 hours, amounting to 10800 matches across all arenas in a single day.

Of course, some matches ended in a single minute, while others dragged on for half an hour. Even then, there was more than enough time and space for battles to be held. Because an arena normally operated only 2 rings at any given time. The remaining 3 were kept in reserve in case a battle dragged on longer than expected, or a student was delayed and another scheduled match needed to begin immediately.

Additionally, different brackets were assigned to specific arenas, allowing spectators to choose which ones to attend. The arenas with the heaviest traffic were always those hosting higher brackets. Especially battles ranked 11 to 50—these were scheduled during evening hours, from 6 PM to 9 PM, ensuring that low-stakes and high-stakes matches didn't overlap and spectators didn't miss the most exciting fights.

There was even an 11th stadium, reserved exclusively for battles involving the top 10 students and other special occasions. Since their power tended to be destructive on a large scale, they were given a much wider area and heavily reinforced ground.

One might ask who the spectators were, given that only students resided within the Academy. But that wasn't true at all. There were plenty of common people as well—residents of cities developed from territories left behind by graduate students. Some graduates had even settled permanently within their territories. In that sense, academies were essentially kingdoms on a grand scale.

Many people also travelled from inner and core cities to watch the battles, arriving via air rides or teleportation arrays.

So the crowd was always there.

All in all, the competitions were extremely coordinated and well structured, allowing them to proceed smoothly without disruption.

Leo and the others took front-row seats just as the opening ceremony began. The sky lit up as students and beasts unleashed a dazzling array of skills upward—flames, light, wind, and elemental bursts colliding like fireworks against the open air.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a male host's amplified voice boomed across Arena 3, echoing off the stone walls. "Today, we begin a new year, while also marking the completion of the Quincentennial year of the Beast Calendar! Let us cheer for humanity's survival in this beast-ridden world—and wish for a future of prosperity and growth!"

The crowd roared in response.

"But tell me!" the host continued, his voice rising with fervor. "Who carries the responsibility of humanity's future? Of course, it is our youth! And today, we shall witness the vigour of that youth—brimming with energy and ambition! Now, we officially mark the beginning of the Fresher Competition! Let us hope they are strong enough to face the adversities that await them in the future!"

As his speech ended, deep drumbeats thundered through the loudspeakers. The ground trembled, stone plates shifting as two platforms rose from below like massive hydraulic presses. Two students emerged atop them, standing tall as the platforms locked into place.

Pretty futuristic, Leo mused silently.

He glanced around the stadium. Massive speakers were embedded along the upper walls of the Roman-style stadium structure, paired with towering lights meant for night battles. Though the arena floor appeared rough and rocky, Leo was certain it could be reshaped into any terrain in moments, given the terraforming abilities at the Academy's disposal.

A massive display board hovered above, showing students' names and ranks. Leo couldn't help but think that ranks like 5601 or 5890 didn't look particularly promising—especially since those students possessed life-type talents.

Still, knowing that the current 1st rank holder was also a life-type talent, Leo found himself intrigued by the battle.

Then, the 2nd ring activated as well, and 2 more students emerged.

Korrin – 1090

Kai – 1181

Leo raised an eyebrow.

Looks like if one ring gets a boring match, the others will compensate with something interesting.

As if to confirm his thoughts, the 2 life-type students from the 5th bracket began clashing with melee weapons, steel ringing sharply as they exchanged blows. Meanwhile, the other pair immediately opened with magic, elemental energy surging through the air.

Unsurprisingly, the spectators' attention gravitated toward the magic-heavy fight. It was obvious even from the streaming numbers on their phones—the 2nd-bracket match had far more viewers. Even with nearly 4 to 5 arenas running 10 matches simultaneously, the total viewership exceeded 50 million. Interesting matches pulled close to 10 million views, while even unremarkable ones still gathered between 100K and 500K viewers.

And this was only the beginning of the competition. The numbers would only climb higher.

Looks like I underestimated how many humans are still alive… Leo thought.

Most of these viewers came from inner and core cities. Bordering regions and outskirts rarely had access to phones—many people there didn't even know competitions or smartphones existed, living lives much like Leo and Lily once had.

Leo turned toward Lily. Just as he expected, her eyes sparkled with excitement as she watched the arena. Being part of something like this was entirely new for her. Smiling faintly, Leo raised his arm, draped it across her shoulder, and gently pulled her closer. Without hesitation, she relaxed against him, resting comfortably as her gaze never left the fights.

Miho noticed them and cast a sneaky glance toward Leon.

He was completely absorbed in the match, arms folded, his expression stern and unmoving. A hint of dejection flickered across Miho's face. She hesitated, then slowly turned her head back toward the arena and continued watching.

In the next hour, it would be her match.

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