The Golem Mage Chapter 1079: Another Format.

By the following day, all four teams that had advanced to the semi-finals were waiting for the organizers to announce the match structure and the final pairings.

From within the locker room, the thunderous roar of the spectators could be heard as the crowd anticipated the day’s events. While the team waited, the Dean arrived, joined by Miss Selene, who had come to offer them her encouragement.

Having been the one to initially scout this team, she was filled with pride witnessing their progress; they had certainly evolved far beyond the expectations she had set when she first assembled them.

After the group welcomed her and she exchanged brief pleasantries with Alec, the Dean stood forward to speak.

“The opposing team has been finalized,” the Dean announced.

This declaration instantly drew everyone’s undivided attention toward him.

“We have been matched against the Bloodline Academy, and the format for this encounter is officially set: it will be a Rune-Point Domination Match.”

He paused momentarily before elaborating.

“The arena’s enchantment system will utilize an artifact called a Creation Stone.”

“While it is labeled a Creation Stone, its purpose extends beyond mere terrain manipulation; it will generate a duplicate astral body for each of you. These astral constructs will be deployed onto the field in place of your physical forms.”

“The most critical aspect of this system is that every participant is granted three lives throughout the competition.”

A look of relief spread across the faces of the team members as they waited for further instruction.

Conversely, the more Alec processed the details, the more uneasy he grew. Based on his history, tournament rules rarely favored their side, and his intuition hinted that this setup might be a trap.

“By three lives,” the Dean continued, “I mean that if you are defeated during the fray, you will be able to reincarnate and return to battle. Since only your astral body is at risk, your physical self will remain unharmed by whatever wounds you receive during the match.”

“Be warned, however, that each death will result in profound exhaustion once the match concludes. It is a mere side effect of the astral link, nothing of great concern.”

Listening to this, the team appeared satisfied. They fully understood that the ability to reincarnate three times provided a massive tactical advantage.

They accepted that such an edge would inevitably come with a minor cost, and since the only consequence was temporary fatigue, it seemed like a hollow drawback.

“Five Rune Points will be distributed throughout the arena,” the Dean explained.

“Your objective is to occupy and hold them. The more Rune Points your squad dominates, the faster your total score will accumulate.”

He took a brief pause before adding the final restriction.

“There is only one constraint: all summons are strictly prohibited.”

The moment these words left the Dean’s lips, the team understood the true intention behind this new format. Even a simple-minded mage could see that this rule was specifically crafted to sabotage them, as they were the only remaining team known for utilizing specialized summoning magic.

Alec, however, merely chuckled. It was clear to him that the deployment of his Titan in the previous match had intimidated the higher-ups enough to force them into creating rules designed to neutralize his greatest advantage.

He suspected that King Charles of the Northern Kingdom, along with his inner circle of mages, had likely conspired with the judges to dictate these terms.

What baffled Alec was why they hadn't opted to pit his team against the School of Silent Night, which was widely considered the most dangerous group currently in the tournament.

He had actually been eager for that potential confrontation.

The fact that their captain, Takeda, was responsible for leaving Lucas and Beatrice in such dire condition still gnawed at his patience.

Though he understood that Takeda had merely done what was required to secure a victory, Alec could not easily discard the underlying resentment.

Regardless, because that desired clash wasn’t happening today, he forced his focus toward their assigned opponent: the Bloodline Academy.

Upon closer inspection, he realized just how precarious their position truly was.

For one, Alec was familiar with this combat style. Even though his teammates seemed a bit puzzled, he had encountered similar mechanics in the games he played back on Earth—titles like Call of Duty or Mech Arena—where the core objective involved capturing strategic zones.

However, this iteration carried a sting; the rules stipulated that a player had to remain within a rune circle for ten uninterrupted seconds to successfully claim it.

Once claimed, the point would generate one score per second for that team.

Victory was locked behind the constant maintenance of these points, with a threshold of 500 points needed to win.

Alec couldn't shake the feeling that the game was rigged against them; had he been free to summon his golems, securing those points would have been trivial.

Furthermore, Beatrice’s puppets were also restricted under the summoning ban, severely limiting her combat effectiveness as well.

He shook his head, acknowledging the cold calculation behind the rulebook. The organizers clearly assumed the rest of Alec’s team wouldn't be a threat on their own, especially against the notoriously balanced Bloodline Academy.

There was another potential path to victory: total elimination of the opposing team, should the point-based struggle fail to decide the outcome.

But even that avenue had been partially sealed by the three-life reincarnation mechanic.

His teammates had initially cheered for having multiple lives, failing to see that it made a knockout victory much harder to achieve.

Alec simply offered a wry smile.

He found a twisted satisfaction in knowing he had rattled his enemies enough that they had to rewrite the rules just to keep him in check. Honestly, he relished the challenge.

If anything, this only strengthened his resolve to dismantle their carefully constructed rules in a way they would never anticipate.

After all, nothing brought him more joy than shattering the confidence of those who were certain he could not emerge victorious.