Though Valyr knew he was already catching some of the crowd''s attention by the time the second round ended, that attention immediately skyrocketed the moment he went all out against his opponent in the third round.

    "A monstrous talent!" screamed an old man in a red robe as he stood up, his eyes gleaming as he focused more of his attention on the five suns Valyr conjured. "He''s definitely a monstrous talent in the making!"

    "Throughout the three decades I''ve served as the head of the Blazing Arcanist Alliance, never have I seen someone so loved by the concept of flames!"

    "P-Please calm yourself, Guild Leader," replied the young man by his side, his face a deep cherry red from the secondhand embarrassment he felt. "C-Can''t you see how many people are looking at you right now?"

    In response to that question, it was only then did the old man take a look at his surroundings, eventually realizing what kind of situation he''d gotten himself into.

    Letting out a slightly awkward chuckle as he nodded at the people looking at him in apology, the old man quickly sat himself down, his face now the same shade of red as the young man beside him.

    "I may have spoken out of turn, but my thoughts still remain the same," muttered the old man after some time, committing every bit of Valyr''s overkill of an attack to his memory.

    "He might just be the person the Blazing Arcanist Alliance needs to bring forth a new era for the alliance."

    "...Haah." Knowing that the old man could not be dissuaded after becoming firm in his decision, the young man could only let out a sigh in response.

    "...I''ll try to send an invitation to him when the opportunity arises."

    Of course, the attention Valyr''s attack received was not only limited to a single group.

    "...Do we have any information on him?" At a spot directly opposite from the spot where the people from the Blazing Arcanist Alliance sat, a middle-aged man with a well-kept beard watched Valyr with interest.

    "I''ll contact our information network," replied the woman by his side, bringing up a screen in front of her before sending a plethora of messages to various people.

    "...We were able to compile a basic level of information on him, sir. Would you like to impart the information to you."

    "Go." The middle-aged man nodded, his eyes slightly widening in response to Valyr''s bombardment making contact with the ground.

    "The man''s name is Ataraxia." Nodding back at the answer, the woman quickly laid out all of the information she got to him. "He''s currently at the peak of Rank 2 and he''s classified by the system as a Player."

    "His class is unknown, but from the skills he''s shown thus far, it could be assumed that he has a magic-related class that''s at least Epic grade or higher."

    "Aside from that, it''s also assumed that he has a mana circuit skill that''s at least Rare grade or higher, as well as another skill that increases the potency of his magic. The latter is considered to be at least Legendary grade or higher."

    "...Is that so?" Taking a bit of time to process the information given to him, the middle-aged man eventually nodded in understanding the moment Valyr was declared the winner of his stage.

    Then, as if he''d practiced such movements thousands of times before, he proceeded to take out a card from his pocket before giving it to the woman beside him. "Find an opportunity to give this card to him."

    "You are permitted to use any means available at your disposal."

    "As long as you are successful, the Dark Monarch shall promote you to Storm-level."

    "...Understood." Receiving the card with both hands, the woman soon dissipated into a puff of smoke, causing some of the people around them to look at the man with both surprise and panic in their eyes.

    "Doppel," replied the man, giving Valyr a kind smile. "Neil Doppel."

    "You do notice that you''ve become famous throughout these past couple of rounds, right?"

    "Not really." Valyr awkwardly chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "I know that I''ve gotten more attention, but I have no clue how far it extends."

    "Far greater than you''d think." As those words left his mouth, Neil went ahead and gave Valyr a gray business card.

    "As an acting representative of the Grand Arcanist Alliance, I, Neil Doppel, would like to formally invite you to the Tower of the Sages after this tournament is over."

    Hearing the name ''Tower of the Sages'' leave his opponent''s mouth, Valyr briefly looked at the man with slightly widened eyes before eventually nodding in return.

    "...I''ll keep that in mind."

    As the man faintly grinned in response to his reply, the two proceeded to return to their previous positions, allowing the arbiter to tell them to activate all of their buff skills before the battle.

    "Ready?" asked the arbiter after that, to which the two nodded back at the man in response.

    Nodding at the two in return, the arbiter took a step back and gave the two free reign over their stage.

    "Fight!"

    "[Arcane Authority: Partial Sky]."

    Whoosh!

    Having learned to take the initiative whenever possible after the third round of battles, Valyr hastily boosted his offensive capabilities as he sent a trio of large fireballs heading Neil''s way.

    "...[Orb of Apyrhan]."

    Having each sun head towards the man from three out of four possible sides, the young man felt confident that it wouldn''t be long until his opponent admitted defeat against him.

    Yet, just as the three suns were about to hit the man, Neil looked back at Valyr before giving him a slightly teasing smile.

    "Quite the interesting concept..."

    "But it''s not something I can''t replicate."

    At first, the young man did not understand what his opponent meant by those words.

    However, when he saw a trio of similar-looking suns appear before the man, it was there that the pieces finally clicked into place.

    "..."

    "[Orb of Apyrhan]."