Heir of Synthesis: The World Mage

Right behind the Law Elders, Priam saw five figures wearing the insignia of the sect’s regular Elders. The moment he noticed them, he caught the subtle glances all five of them were directing at him.

Priam let out a quiet sigh, feeling a little more relieved.

Whoever was in charge of everything probably wanted to screw him over, but those other Elders were clearly there to keep the situation under control. At the very least, the Law Elders wouldn’t be able to openly break the rules just to target him.

One of the Law Elders stepped forward. He was a tall old man with a long white beard.

He swept an indifferent gaze across all the disciples.

”Today officially marks the beginning of the first faction competition. I don’t need to explain how important it is. We’re changing locations.”

As soon as he finished speaking, all five faction leaders felt their badges grow warm for a brief moment.

The next instant, the space around them distorted, and they were teleported to a new location.

They found themselves in the middle of an open desert.

The sand was white, and the blazing sun hung overhead. The area wasn’t very large, perhaps only three to four hundred meters across, forming a massive circle.

In every direction, small reddish spheres floated about three meters above the ground.

To the north of the battlefield stood a tall peak.

At its summit were all those responsible for overseeing the competition.

From there, they could easily observe every disciple.

Behind them, an enormous ancient bell floated in midair.

At that moment, the Law Elder addressed the crowd.

”I’ll explain the rules. Listen carefully!”

His booming voice echoed throughout the battlefield, imposing complete silence.

”First of all, the entrance test wasn’t meaningless. Each faction’s ranking in that test will directly affect the final results of this first competition. Priam’s faction, having placed first, begins this competition with an overwhelming advantage of 100 points. Second place starts with 30, third with 25, fourth with 15, and fifth with only 5 points.”

”The points awarded in today’s competition will follow that exact same scale. At the end of the competition, the points earned today will be added to your entrance test points to determine the final rankings. In other words, if Priam’s faction finishes in second place today, while the faction that placed second in the entrance test wins this competition, both factions will end up tied at 130 points. However, since the entrance test serves as the tiebreaker, the overall victory would still belong to Priam.”

The members of Priam’s faction smiled confidently, excited by the enormous starting bonus.

Meanwhile, the expressions of the other factions became visibly tense.

The old man waited a few seconds, allowing the weight of that information to sink in before continuing.

”Now pay close attention to the competition itself. The moment the bell rings, the match will begin. It’s a quick and simple contest. You’ll have exactly ten minutes before it ends.”

”Do you see those small floating spheres around the battlefield? They’re inscription barriers. You’ll need to strike them with enough force to break them open and reveal what’s inside: a small flag.”

”There are one hundred flags scattered throughout the battlefield. The objective is simple: collect as many as possible. Stealing, looting, and direct combat are all completely permitted. The only thing that matters is which faction possesses the most flags when the final bell rings.”

”However, there is one crucial condition. Each faction must choose a single flag bearer. When time runs out, only the flags stored inside that person’s container will count.”

”Any flag that remains in the hands of another faction member for more than thirty seconds will automatically lose its value and be invalidated.”

”Lastly, as you should already know, killing fellow sect members is strictly forbidden. Seriously injuring someone or leaving them half dead is still acceptable depending on the circumstances, but anyone who directly causes another disciple’s death will face the harshest punishment possible. Keep that in mind.”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone saw five large containers equipped with shoulder straps appear, floating above the factions.

They slowly descended to the center of each group.

Priam picked up his faction’s container and remained silent for a moment, thinking.

The flag bearer didn’t necessarily have to be the strongest person, but rather someone observant and capable of protecting themselves. The goal was for that person to never even be touched by the enemy. It was the perfect role for a commander, who naturally stayed behind the front lines.

”Dandara, you’re carrying this.”

She nodded solemnly.

”I’ll do my best, Boss.”

A minute later, all five factions had chosen their respective flag bearers.

At that moment, the figure atop the peak spoke again.

”This may look like nothing more than a game, but I want to remind all of you that this competition will affect your future... and the fate of your entire faction. Whether you’ll be trampled by others or earn a privileged position will all depend on what happens here today.”

”When the competition ends, the rankings will determine your priority when choosing missions, along with many other privileges. Those who reach the top now will grow several times faster. Those who finish at the bottom will end up in a situation that’s almost impossible to recover from.”

”So, during this first competition, give it everything you’ve got to collect as many flags as possible. Move quickly, stick to your strategies, and protect your flag bearer!”

”Good luck to all of you. We’ll begin in sixty seconds!”

As soon as he finished speaking, every faction member turned toward their respective Super Genius.

It was time to decide on a strategy.

Priam turned toward the three members of the Ylisse Clan and saw the excitement shining in their eyes.

It wasn’t surprising.

They had realized it too. This competition was the perfect opportunity for them to shine. They had been incredibly lucky this time, since the match would last only a very short time.

Priam already knew the new abilities they had recently acquired.

So he didn’t need long to think.

”The three of you will operate separately from the main force. Shione, you’re the fastest. The moment the bell rings, Lumiere will destroy all the barriers on the left side, and you’ll rush around collecting as many flags as possible.”

”Lumiere, you’ll handle long-range attacks, while Flaris stays by your side to protect you. Don’t waste your energy firing nonstop. Only destroy the barriers near Shione. As for the rest of the time... you both already know what to do.”

The three of them nodded, understanding perfectly.

”As for everyone else, form a triangle around Dandara and protect her in the center. The rest of us will advance together, collecting flags safely.”

It was a simple and straightforward strategy, but every soldier immediately understood what he intended.

Most likely, the other factions would send around two-thirds of their members to compete for the flags.

Priam’s faction didn’t need to be that aggressive.

They just had to play it safe and secure a decent ranking.

If they finished in second place, Priam would still be the overall winner.

Even third place would still give him a good chance of taking first overall.

Even finishing fourth would most likely still leave him in second place overall.

That alone would already be an excellent result.

But...

Those soldiers were completely mistaken.

Priam never entered a game planning to be average.

Only the members of the Ylisse Clan knew the true hidden potential they possessed.

**DONG!**

At that exact moment, the enormous bell echoed across the battlefield.

”The competition has begun!”