Return of the Runebound Professor Chapter 887: Bird's the Word

The melee rounds, although progressing at a snail's pace, eventually drew to a close.

Noah occupied his time within the chamber alongside Lee, Fist, and Brayden. It was during this period they discovered the rope's remarkable ability to summon additional sustenance, a feature that proved incredibly beneficial. Nine more melee rounds followed Noah's bout. He observed some of these contests, yet found their progression failed to capture his sustained interest for long. His personal objectives diverged significantly from what the spectators sought.

Once he had diligently scrutinized the assembled groups within his designated arena for any familiar faces, the necessity of closely monitoring the remaining combatants vanished. The truly formidable mages were not yet exerting their full capabilities. Attempting to meticulously catalog everything he witnessed at this juncture would prove overwhelmingly daunting.

Noah suppressed an audible sigh. His fingers twitched, drumming a restless rhythm against the table surface. The concluding round of the melee stage had finished mere minutes prior, and still, no communication had been received from Baun. A profound silence enveloped the arena. This stillness wasn't due to a lack of sound; the excited throngs of spectators persisted. Noah, however, was unable to perceive their cheers due to the magical interference that isolated the audience areas from the observation rooms.

“What is taking so long?” Noah inquired, his patience wearing thin. “Why the delay?”

“Patience, young one,” Fist advised with a hearty, albeit gruff, laugh. “This tournament is an event of immense scale. Numerous arenas are operational besides the one we currently occupy. They are likely concluding a few supplementary rounds to ensure all proceedings advance in perfect synchrony. There's truly nothing to fret about. You successfully advanced, after all. Had you not, you certainly wouldn't be standing here amongst us.”

“Concerns about that never crossed my mind,” Noah responded, his attention somewhat elsewhere.

“Such unwavering confidence?” Fist raised an eyebrow in amusement. “You arrived at what is arguably the most significant tournament in Obsidia without even a flicker of doubt regarding potential defeat? Any participant can falter. Even in preliminary stages like these, the outcome is never guaranteed. A precisely executed maneuver can overcome even a seasoned mage if fortune so favors the moment. Surely, you must harbor some satisfaction in reaching this stage.”

A sharp rap on the door startled Noah profoundly, jolting him from his thoughts as much as from his skin. His gaze snapped towards the entrance as Lee swung it open, intercepting a waiter who was bringing a tray piled high with an assortment of meats and delectable pies. She skillfully maneuvered the laden tray into the room, securing the door behind her with a nudge of her foot, then nonchalantly approached the table, setting it down with a resounding thud.

“My apologies,” Lee offered with a sheepish grin. She promptly seized a croissant, generously filled with chocolate and nearly the size of her head, and consumed the entire confection in a single, surprisingly swift motion. “I completely forgot about that order.”

“You did, did you?” Fist inquired, a hint of disbelief in her tone. “That’s quite remarkable.”

“Is it?” Lee asked, simultaneously reaching for a whole honey-glazed ham from the platter with one hand. Taking a substantial bite, she then extended her free hand towards the rope dangling by her side, giving it a decisive tug. “Why do you say that?”

“No particular reason,” Fist replied, regarding the rope with a cautious eye as it ascended back towards the ceiling, having apparently triggered another service request. “Where does it all go? If I consumed as voraciously as you do, I suspect my body would simply inflate and burst like an overstretched balloon.”

“That is because your constitution is frail,” Lee stated matter-of-factly. She delivered a reassuring pat to Fist's shoulder before extending the remaining portion of her ham toward the other woman. “However, with diligent practice, you too can attain greater strength.”

Fist regarded Lee with a prolonged stare. Then, a robust bark of laughter erupted from her. “You certainly don't shy away from speaking your mind, do you?”

Lee reclaimed her ham. To hesitate in accepting an offered delicacy for more than a few seconds was tantamount to outright refusal, and she held a strong aversion to wasting food. The ham swiftly disappeared down her throat. “No, I do not.”

“I didn’t imagine you would, either,” Noah chimed in. “You seem considerably more talkative than I initially anticipated.”

Fist simply grunted in response. “I have journeyed alongside Mordred and Ace for such an extended duration that little remains to be said between us. Moreover, their responses invariably mirror their initial statements. There is scant purpose in engaging in dialogue when the conversation has already been exhausted.”

“A valid point,” Brayden conceded. His gaze remained fixed upon the arena floor below. Of all individuals present in the room, he appeared to be harboring the most palpable stress. “But have you, by chance, had any conversation with Mordred yet? He should have had ample opportunity to gather intelligence regarding our prospective opponents in the tournament. Is there any information we can access now?”

“He believes it would be more prudent to allow additional time for him to refine the gathered intelligence into a more digestible and useful format,” Fist disclosed after a brief pause. “There are a considerable number of cultivators currently exhibiting formidable strength. We're not talking about a small contingent, either – hundreds. The initial melee rounds primarily serve to weed out the weakest and the unfortunate. It’s highly probable that at least one more elimination phase will occur before the genuinely challenging confrontations commence. He is quite confident that you should navigate these stages without significant difficulty.”

The reasoning presented was sufficiently logical. Noah preferred not to contemplate the sheer volume of participants in the grand tournament. However, he possessed absolutely no indication of how much longer it would be until the subsequent rounds commenced, let alone the timeframe before Mordred deemed it appropriate to disseminate the intelligence he had meticulously collected.

“Isn’t there anything else he can tell us?” Brayden inquired, his foot rhythmically tapping the ground as his gaze remained fixed on the arena below. Baun had remained silent since his initial pronouncement. Noah, glancing around, subtly noted that the crowd present seemed somewhat diminished compared to earlier.

“He’s only highlighted a few of the most compelling individuals,” Fist responded after another brief silence. “It’s to save everyone time. Mordred doesn’t deem it worthwhile to delve deeper without more substantial information. However, he believes the leading mages are likely to advance further, hence his willingness to share their details now.”

“That works for me,” Noah chimed in. It seemed like a fair proposition. He couldn't possibly expect Mordred to individually name and describe every single mage that caught his eye, and Noah certainly had more pressing matters to attend to than compiling an extensive list.

“Especially any mages who truly distinguish themselves,” Brayden added, clearing his throat into his fist. “In any significant way. Particularly the unusual ones. The extremely peculiar ones.”

“Why did you phrase it like that?” Lee questioned, her mouth full of food.

Fist’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s an astute question, Lee. Mordred is also keen to understand the answer. He mentioned one mage who completely caught him off guard, and it wasn't solely due to her powers. She was, in fact, one of the most bizarre mages he had ever encountered. Does that resonate with anything you recall?”

Brayden exhaled softly. Then, the corners of his mouth began to curve upwards. “Ah. She made it through in one piece. Excellent. I was confident she would, but confirmation is always reassuring.”

“How can you possibly have confirmation of anything?” Lee asked, her brow creased in confusion. “Fist hasn’t divulged any specific details yet.”

“She’s already revealed more than enough,” Brayden stated. He then turned his attention to Fist. “This peculiar mage you mentioned—did she, at any point during the confrontation, begin to undress?”

Fist fell silent for a moment, her eyes suddenly widening.

“Before the fight even commenced? Are you suggesting you’re acquainted with her?”

“We journeyed together for a couple of months before parting ways shortly before our arrival at Aqua Terra. She had certain techniques she wished to practice in solitude,” Brayden explained, a bark of laughter escaping him as he shook his head. “But that’s quite a lengthy tale. So, yes. You could say I know her. There’s genuinely only one mage in all of Obsidia who would resort to stripping during a battle. It appears Mordred has identified Bird.”