Arwin falls to his knees, struggling to stay upright. He gasps, doubting the strength of the child in front of him. Arwin feels that Zorka's level is beneath his own, yet Zorka manages attacks that almost conquer him."You're impressive, Zorka. If it weren't for the competition, we could have been close friends," Arwin says with a sly smile.Zorka gives a disgusted look, refusing to be friends with someone aiming to exploit the competition."Disgusting!" Zorka exclaims."I've never been interested in being close to you, especially in this competition. I knew what kind of person you are from the beginning, Arwin!"This time Zorka attacks first, creating a rune with ice magic."Agkístri!"The heavy rain suddenly slows down, turning each drop into sharp ice thorns. Zorka's spell transforms raindrops into ice thorns created from his magic rune.Then, the ice thorns, originally directed towards the ground, change course towards Arwin."Attack!" with a single command, the ice thorns strike

Momentarily caught off guard, a beast grabbed Zorka's leg, slamming his body forcefully onto the ground. The impact scattered the earth, leaving imprints of Zorka's body on the surface."Argh. Cough, cough," Zorka coughed, spitting fresh blood.Another ape raised its hand, ready to strike Zorka with a powerful blow.Bam!Luckily, Zorka swiftly dodged the ape beastmaster's punch. His eyes widened, seeing the sizable hole left in the ground from the strike."Oh no, if I took that hit, my body would have shattered into pieces!" exclaimed Zorka in his thoughts.Despite this, Zorka couldn't relax in his fight against Erlan, especially with the beastmasters now closing in on him. Moreover, Erlan seemed to be casting magic.The rune beneath Erlan's feet glowed a dark red, containing elements of fire."kaftós meteōrítēs!" Erlan directed his magic towards Zorka as his target.A shadow of a rune identical to the one beneath Erlan's feet appeared floating above Zorka's head. It was quite close,

The news didn't escape the attention of the five individuals from Hexonia. They were all shocked to hear about the infiltration and murders in the competition in Prabhutpura."The perpetrator is named Erlan. He used happy flying powder. He was defeated by a 10-year-old boy who, according to the old man Daralam, is said to possess energy with six basic elements," Zephyra explained, relaying the news she received from her subordinates."I'm puzzled about the security in Prabhutpura. How could a disqualified participant re-enter the competition?" Aurelius interjected."It turns out that despite the competition being held there for hundreds of years, this is the first time there's been a murder. Could it be that the tight security of the kingdom has slackened?" Seraphina listened to Aurelius and Zephyra's conversation. In her mind, she shared Aurelius's sentiment. There shouldn't have been any infiltration or murder, especially with the perpetrator using illegal substances to boost his po

It was a hot day when Zorka decided to leave the Parvati kingdom in Prabhutpura. Earlier, Daralam had apologized for the incident that led to the competition being halted."Thousands of apologies to you, Zorka. The competition is halted until the second round. Oh, yes. I see you got the rare artifact we scattered in Kathina Forest. Just take it, as it might come in handy for you in the future." Daralam placed his right hand across his chest, slightly bowing."Also, accept this! Just a little for your journey."A small pouch containing silver and copper coins was given to Zorka. Initially, Zorka wanted to refuse, but Azurks whispered that he might need it, so he took the pouch and thanked Daralam."Take care out there, Boy. Keep honing your skills. You might become someone above anyone else."Zorka nodded. Then he walked towards the exit of the Parvati kingdom."Where are we heading this time, Azurks?" Zorka asked.Azurks didn't answer, floating beside Zorka in a size resembling a cat.

A week has passed in the dimensional space. Zorka's small body is showing improvements in his magical powers' foundation. He's growing, muscles forming over the bones once visible beneath his skin.Zorka's inherently handsome face is now more distinct. His blue eyes are clear and sharp. He's accustomed to intense physical training alongside honing his magical abilities.Azurks brings Zorka outside, leading him to a bustling market. The ten-year-old wonders, "Why are we in the market?" communicating telepathically to avoid looking crazy talking to the invisible Azurks."We're shopping, of course. Still got money?" Azurks asks."Some left. What are we buying? We still have plenty of the food we got a while back." Zorka walks through the market aisles, curious."Heh, kid. Look at your clothes now. Your top's torn, and your pants are too short. Even your spare outfit is in bad shape. Didn't notice your body's grown fast compared to before?" <