The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　"The first contestant to appear is number thirty-one!"

　Ms. Marilyn suddenly raised her voice, and the projection of contestant number thirty-one appeared in the air.

　The audience cheered with delight.

　The audience, who supported the contestant, cheered and applauded, calling out his name.

　Only contestant number 31, who was in the lounge, didn't seem so happy.

　Dak looked up and glanced in that direction.

　The candidate ranked thirty-first in the preliminary round was a bishop of the Holy Church, who was about forty years old.

　Mages in this age group reach their peak in terms of knowledge and magical power. However, their physical abilities will inevitably begin to decline.

　Unless he engages in regular training or takes potions to enhance or maintain his abilities. This Holy Bishop appears to be of that type.

　He wasn't particularly strong, but his arms were thick, with muscles bulging like rocks, and his hair had completely fallen out, revealing a bald head under his white hat.

　Records show that this bishop was once known as a "battle priest" in his youth, belonging to the type with a very strong personality. However, as he grew older, although he continued to train his physique, his mind became more settled, and after becoming a bishop, he was widely known for his charity and benevolence.

　"Is Benson the first one to appear?" Professor Harvey asked. Dark asked curiously, "Professor, do you know him?"

　Professor Harvey chuckled and said, "When I met him, he only came up to my knees."

　Dark said, "We have a good relationship."

　Professor Harvey immediately shook his head: "I broke his teacher's leg."

　Dark: "Ah"

　Professor Harvey added, "It's alright, it was reconnected afterward." Darke: "Oh."

　In short, a Holy Bishop who can be remembered by the Master of the Dead must be extraordinary.

　"..." In the short while, Ms. Marilyn on the stage had drawn the second number.

　The first group of players for this World Cup qualifier has been officially announced.

　Darke could clearly see that Bishop Benson breathed a slight sigh of relief.

　Because his opponent was the 108th ranked player – the dwarf Yashi, known as "Yashi's Hammer"!

　Ranked 31st vs. Ranked 108th.

　Anyone who can recognize the size of numbers knows who has a better chance of winning.

　It's normal that Bishop Benson felt relaxed.

　But in a single-elimination tournament, anything can happen.

　It's not a good habit to underestimate an opponent just because they ranked low in the preliminary rounds.

Chapter 1537 World Cup Qualifiers (1/2)

　Dark casually remarked, "Ranked 108th in the preliminary rounds, Ashe is a dwarf. Her preferred decks are 'Heavy Hammer' and 'Metal Miner,' primarily Steel-based with Ground-based secondary. The 'Heavy Hammer' deck leans towards high-damage output, while the 'Metal Miner' deck focuses more on maneuvering and late-game strategy. Analysis suggests that these two decks can actually be combined into one, complementing each other's weaknesses and offering a balanced offense and defense." Professor Harvey added, "Benson's teacher possesses a very special sealing technique. If he can master his teacher's essence, he should be able to incorporate it into his magic cards."

　The two did not comment much on the two contestants who were about to appear. They only exchanged a few casual words after learning their names, and then fell silent again.

　On the stage, Ms. Marilyn had already begun drawing numbers for the second and third groups of contestants.

　Soon, all three sets of numbers were drawn.

　They did not draw any of the top ten contestants from the preliminary rounds, nor did they draw any contestants from St. Mary's Academy.

　However, among the third group of contestants, Emily Grantham from the "Twin Paladins" was drawn.

　This was the contestant Dark was most familiar with among the three groups. Emily's opponent was a very high-ranking sea creature, and Dark couldn't help but feel a little worried for her.

　However, once all three sets of numbers have been drawn, the first round of duels in the preliminary rounds will begin soon. If you are confident that you can survive the first round, it is still very necessary to watch the duels of the other contestants carefully.

　There's no time to worry about others at this point. The pace of the qualifiers is extremely fast.

　The preliminary rounds lasted only two days, with a total of sixty-four duels each day, making the time extremely tight.

　As announced by the host.

　The referees, commentators, guests, and players all took to the field one after another.

　Located in the very center of the dueling arena, where the main stage used to be, a square platform has been raised from the ground, creating a grand spectacle.

　The platform is six meters high, one hundred meters wide, and one hundred and forty meters long, with a dueling arena measuring eighty by one hundred and twenty meters inside.

　Once the contestants enter the arena, all eight barrier pillars at the four corners and along the four sides of the platform will activate, creating a completely transparent defensive barrier.

　Commentators, guests, and referees will all board a small platform floating in the air to watch, host, and commentate on the duel from outside the barrier.

　There are two commentators, one guest, and four referees, positioned in four directions.

　This morning's commentators came from the human kingdom and the elven kingdom, while the guest was from the orc kingdom, making it a perfect example of zzq's style.

　But it wasn't until the guest appeared that Dark was extremely surprised to discover that it was actually the twenty-second son of "Lionheart," the lion prince who had once led the War Totem Academy to participate in the Academy Championship—Grace Leon!

　"Isn't that Grace?" Shrek exclaimed in surprise. Dark said, "It seems so."

　Shrek said, "I originally thought he was punished after returning to the Orc Kingdom, but I didn't see him in the preliminary rounds, but I did see him in the qualifiers... although he was in the guest seat."

　Dark looked at Grace Leon, who was dressed in an air of nobility, from afar, and couldn't figure her out.

　Is Grace appearing as a guest to represent the orc race, or is she working as an individual to earn money after being banished by Lionheart?

　The same event can be interpreted in two completely different ways. At this point, to find out the truth, the only options besides asking Grace herself are to observe the "Lionheart's" reaction.

　Dark couldn't help but glance towards the stands. The qualifiers.

　Leaders from various countries were also present.

　They had seats in the very front row of the stands.

　You'll need to sit and watch at least the first few duels in the morning. After that, you can stay if you wish.

　If you prefer, you can return to the hidden box and watch the match from the air-to-air room.

　After all, these are extraordinary times, and their personal safety needs to be taken into consideration.

　Especially those within the Holy Church.

　They had just made a huge sacrifice not long ago, and the whereabouts of Inquisitor McCarthy are still unknown.

　The person who caused all of this is now openly participating in the second stage of the competition, and is currently in the players' lounge.

　But they can do nothing.

　As a member of the Holy Church, I haven't experienced this feeling of extreme frustration for a very, very long time.

　His Holiness the Pope wished he could personally step into the arena and deliver a crushing blow to Sloan on the dueling stage!

　But now, he can only leave this task to the players on the field.

　...

　"The Lich" Sloan had put his mask back on. He sat quietly and discreetly in the corner of the lounge.

　Although the Holy Church's contestants would occasionally glance in that direction, they were all hesitant and dared not make any rash moves.

　Under these circumstances, the only way to deal with him is probably on the dueling stage!

　The Holy Church's contestants were all waiting for that moment.

　8:45.

　everything's ready.

　The first battle of the World Cup qualifiers has officially begun!

　Bishop Benson from the Holy Church and Ash from the Dwarf Kingdom engaged in a thrilling duel under the spotlight, setting the stage for the day's preliminary rounds.

　The two commentators, one from the human kingdom and the other from the elven kingdom, began to speak fluently and eloquently after a short period of getting to know each other.

　Although Grace, as a guest, is a woman of few words, she always manages to get straight to the point.

　The essential.

　All three demonstrated exceptional individual skills and magical prowess. Clearly, the competition in this match wasn't confined to the stage, but also extended to the commentary booth!

　The human commentator was handsome and insightful, while the elven commentator shattered the stereotype of elves as arrogant and aloof.

　The lion prince also displayed an elegance and composure that seemed completely out of place with the label of "savage".

　on the stage.

　After two rounds of fierce fighting, Bishop Benson suddenly switched from offense to defense, while Ashi used a field card to transform the field beneath his feet into an environment filled with mines, then burrowed into a mine and disappeared completely.

　Suddenly, only one person remained on the dueling arena in the audience's view. Benson almost immediately began summoning a flying magical spirit, then rode it into the air.

　Ashi suddenly emerged from beneath his feet, hurling a massive iron hammer that exploded upon contact with his magical spirit.

　Benson was thrown into the air by the shockwave of the explosion, his health plummeting. But he managed to regain his footing mid-air, floating there and continuing his summoning.

　In the preliminary rounds, players must use the third-tier "Life Card," with each player having 8000 life points.

　This allowed Benson to survive, avoiding defeat in a sneak attack. One was in the air, the other hidden underground.

　They seemed to be divided into two sides on the Chu-Han border, and for a moment neither side could make a move.

　In reality, the brief stalemate was simply due to both sides summoning high-level magical spirits.

　Ashe wanted to summon the most powerful magical spirit to end the match. Benson, on the other hand, wanted to summon a magical spirit with enough destructive power to crush the dwarves inside the mine!

　The duel continued until the very end.

　Both players summoned their strongest, fourth-tier magical spirits.

　The dwarf contestant's performance completely overturned people's impression that dwarves only had brute force and no brains. The magical spirit he eventually summoned actually had a full twelve stars.

　however.

　That twelve-star magical spirit was sealed for three seconds by the "Holy Seal" that Benson summoned at the end.

　In those brief three seconds, Benson, riding his magical spirit, launched a powerful attack and directly defeated the dwarf contestant, securing the first duel victory since the start of the preliminaries!

　"Victory ultimately belongs to the Holy Church!"

　Pope Sith, seeing the bishop raising his hand and shouting, suddenly felt a great sense of relief.

　He felt much more energetic.

　Meanwhile, the Christian believers in the audience cheered wildly at this moment.

　A melody like a hymn happened to fill the duel arena. A large number of "Gods" who had gathered there for the two days of preliminary rounds rushed toward the two contestants.

　The ratio of "divine cause" distributed is approximately 2:8.

　Although the dwarf Ashe lost, he still gained some recognition from the "gods".

　Benson, having received more divine inspiration, seemed to be bathed in hymns, hearing the call of "holiness," and his entire being... especially his bald head without his hat, radiated a sacred white light...

　There was no review or debriefing.

　Only highlights edited on-site by the director were projected repeatedly in the air. There were no interviews with the winners or losers.

　The loser left quietly, while the winner simply enjoyed the cheers of the audience. The commotion sparked by this first duel lingered for a long time.

　Ms. Marilyn, on the stage, had begun drawing the next group of contestants. According to the competition rules, of the three groups of contestants drawn by the host before the competition began, the first group would go first, while the second and third groups would prepare.

　Once the first group's duel is over, a fourth group will be drawn up to continue the preparation. This way, there are always two reserve groups, allowing for flexible adjustments.

　In other words.

　Each group of contestants after the first two groups will have two battles to prepare for.

　But there are only two sessions.

　This poses a tremendous test to the duelists' intelligence gathering and adaptability.

　The match continued.

　While communicating with the magical spirits, Dark also watched each duel attentively.

　After the second group of duels came to an end, it was finally time for the third group of duels.

　The third duel featured Emily Grantham from the "Twin Paladins" and Haqian from the Sea Clan.

　Although there are many subhuman races among the sea creatures.

　However, their non-human racial characteristics are usually more pronounced than those of the orcs on land.