"Let's draw lots!"
On the island, Makarov took out a box he had prepared in advance.
A total of 110 wizards are participating in the competition, so there are 55 pairs of slips of paper prepared. The wizards who draw slips with the same numbers are opponents in the first round.
Everyone took turns to draw lots, including George.
"Number 23."
George quickly scanned the audience after seeing the number on the slip of paper, and soon found the wizard who drew the same number as him.
"It's George! My luck is too bad!"
Upon learning that his opponent was George, the wizard let out a wail of despair.
In addition to the wizard who drew George, those who drew Laxus, Elza, Thunder God Army, Natsu and others also groaned.
Because everyone was well aware of the strength of their opponents, they knew there was no chance they could win.
"Everyone, please follow the field numbers I've divided and enter your respective fields for the competition."
After the lottery ended, Mira held a microphone and said from the air.
Mira Jean is one of the few magicians who did not participate in the competition, so she became the host of this grand tournament.
The flat surface of the top of the mountain cut out by George was quite large, so Mira Jean used her magic pen to draw out 55 arenas, allowing everyone to compete on their own platforms simultaneously.
So now everyone just needs to find their respective arena based on the number on the slip of paper they drew and the battle can commence.
This match was proposed by George on the spot, with little preparation, so there wasn't much complex content.
When it is completed next year, it will naturally not be as casual as it is today.
Actually, it doesn't matter much. Since everyone is a magician from the same guild, we all know and are familiar with each other. Although it's called a competition, it's just a way to exchange techniques with each other.
Many magicians have a clear idea of their own abilities and know that it's impossible to win the championship, and even the chance of making it into the top ten is slim.
Except for a few, everyone has a good attitude.
That exception naturally includes Lucy, as she was very eager to make it into the top ten and win the prize money to pay for her rent. She was so nervous during the lottery that her hands trembled, fearing she would draw George or Laxus, which would result in a first-round elimination.
"First round preliminary match, begin!"
Each competitor took their respective places on the arenas according to the numbers, cheered on by the dense crowd of spectators along the shore, as well as Mira Jean's voice coming from her microphone. The competition began.
"Swoon!"
A flash of lightning, and George appeared behind the opponent's magician, casting a daze spell to knock him unconscious.
With his current level of magic, with the aid of his wand, he can easily subdue S-class magicians and those below with a simple daze spell.
After dealing with his own opponent, George heard a thunder strike from the neighboring arena.
Turning his head, he saw that it was Laxus disorienting his opponent with lightning.
Likewise, similar things were happening on several arenas as well. Laxus, Elza, Natsu, Gray, and others also had their opponents dealt with in just one move.
That's the gap in strength.
The battles on other arenas also ended quickly.
For normal magicians, as long as they are hit by their opponents' magic a few times, the battle is likely to end.
Only those like Natsu who have near-dragon physiology can withstand various magical attacks and still stand up to continue fighting.
The first round preliminary match ended in less than ten minutes.
"Take a 30-minute break, then proceed to the second round of drawing!"
After the preliminary match was over, Mira Jean announced.
The 30-minute break is certainly to let everyone recover their magic and physical strength. Not all magicians are like George who can knock out their opponents in one move, and there's little consumption.
Most magicians have exerted their utmost effort in the recent battle to win, and naturally need a little rest.
"The second round drawing begins."
Half an hour later, the winners of the first round, fifty-five people in total, came forward again to draw lots. The losers of the first round, fifty-five people in total, became the cheering and supportive audience around them.
This round consists of twenty-seven pairs, with one byes.
"I'm number 28, I got a bye, that's amazing!"
Lucy, upon seeing her drawn number, jumped up and down excitedly in place.
For her, drawing a bye in this round meant directly advancing to the third round, and if she won that round, she would advance to the top 14, which was very close to the prize money.
"Dazed!"
Another second move, as those magicians who were not fast enough to dodge George's daze spell could easily be defeated in one hit.
Because he always used the wand to hover behind the opponent's head and cast the daze spell.
"Change clothes·Emperor's Armor!"
After dealing with his opponent, he heard a chorus of exclamations from the arena near the center position. His lips curved slightly, and he flew over to that side.
"Poor Natsu."
It turned out that there was a strong-against-strong match in this round of drawing, as Natsu and Elza had drawn the same number.
There's no help for it; the lottery is random, and even if he had drawn Laxus in the first round, it was a possibility.
So, in this match, the champion is indeed worthy of the title, but for the others, it's not just about strength; luck also plays a role.
Like in this round, one of them will have to stop here, and George speculated that it was most likely Natsu.
Because Natsu is the type who can supercharge when facing enemies but can only maintain his original strength when facing friends.
Especially when facing Elza, who has beaten him up since he was little and has almost caused him to develop a mental shadow, the strength he can exert is even weaker.
It's just that his luck isn't good, and it doesn't mean he can only be strong in the second round.
As expected, after a full 20 minutes of fierce battle, Natsu was defeated by Elza.
But this exciting battle also brought the atmosphere of the competition to a climax.
Another 30 minutes of rest passed, and the third round drawing began.
This round has only fourteen arenas, with twenty-eight competitors. The rest are all bystanders on the sidelines.
Among them, quite a few magicians with strong abilities encountered each other early on and became the focus of attention for the spectators.
For instance, Ibaru with her Petrifying Eye is facing off against Alfuman Strauss who can now receive the power of the Beasts King after the Battle of the Ominous Forest.
The ice-style magician Gray is facing off against Bikusoro, one of the Thunder God Army.
George's close friend Ribi is facing off against Gajeel, who attempted to attack her but failed.
And George is facing off against Zubia, a S-class magician who was once one of the dark wizards.
"Even if it's George, I won't give up. Zubia will show Master Gray a more dazzling Zubia!"
She first met Gray and fell in love with him at first sight, and even went crazy to pursue him and joined the guild.
In the face of George, she showed no sign of backing down and directly entered her water form where physical attacks are ineffective.
Even though she was present at the Battle of the Ominous Forest and the Tower of Eternity, she was well aware of George's strength and knew she couldn't beat him.
"Water Binding!"
A torrent of water surged from George's feet, completely enveloping him.
