"Oh, is it starting?" Cedric hummed as he glanced at the livestream.
He dropped what he'd previously done, since it wasn't that important anyway, and sat on the nearby couch to watch the regional tournament.
The system windows were playing the livestream, so he really didn't need to stay still to watch it. In fact, he didn't need to watch the livestream at all; he could just expand his sensory field and know everything that's happening within the continent, but he did it this way anyway. The screen was divided into four, displaying the events in the tournament in each region at the same time.
Others may not be able to pay even attention throughout all four, but not Cedric; to him, this was as simple as breathing.
"Let's see if there are any promising talents here." Cedric hummed to himself as he continued watching.
He listened to the casters' long-winded opening speech and zoned out for a bit. His attention only returned once the first event of the tournament started.
For the thousands of participants in both the Superhuman and Planar Traveler Brackets, their first test is race.
Yes, a race.
A long and challenging race track was prepared for them. It's divided into five sections; each checkpoint has a certain obstacle that the participants need to solve in order to pass through it. The obstacles aren't static; they depend on the participant's aptitude and were deliberately created to put pressure on them.
Actually, calling this race is a bit deceiving...
The final results of each participant in this regional tournament won't count the speed at which they completed each test. This logical ruse is used to put more pressure on the participants, forcing them to display their skills for everyone to see.
That's the entire point of this event, after all. And obviously, Cedric could see through this ruse.
"Oh! Look at this!" Cedric chuckled as he saw some familiar faces on the livestream.
"Isabella Frostwind and Garrick Stoneheart. Haven't seen them in a while."
Yes, Cedric could still remember these two. They were his batchmates in the Starlight Royal Academy, but once the war for supremacy started, he never had the chance to see them in person again.
Of course, they weren't the only familiar faces he saw. He also saw a few of his batchmates, seniors, and juniors from the academy as well. Seeing these familiar faces really takes him back to the good old days.
Another impressive kid Cedric discovered was a young man named Christopher Miles, who prefers to be called Chris since it's easier to say.
Chris, like Rachel, is a 15-year-old Tier 7 superhuman, but he's at Level 9, unlike Rachel, who's at Level 8.
The young man's class template was called Spear Saint, an epic rarity class, and his overall aptitude ranking was S-rank. Just from these alone, any organization would welcome him with open arms and pour resources into him. But Chris actually places a lot of importance on his freedom.
His usual excuse to refuse invitations from several organizations is that he's still young and naive and that he wants to explore and experience the world a bit more before making any commitments. Backed by his fairly impressive background, it renders those who wanted to poach him helpless.
Chris comes from a military background. His father is an Army officer who's had 20 years of tenure, and his mother was a military nurse, a head nurse at that. Their family isn't lacking in terms of money, authority, or resources, allowing Chris to somewhat remain unfettered in his youthful days.
Chris was gifted and talented. At his tender age, he already comprehended the initial structure of his spelling intent. He just needs more experience and tempering before it eventually blooms into real intent. Yet despite being a fierce warrior, Chris was fairly timid, according to the system's judgment.
The next one he discovered was another young man named Rupert Lockheart, a 17-year-old Tier 9 Level 1 superhuman.
Rupert's class template is called Moonlight Sorcerer, a peak Epic class template. This class allows him to effortlessly weave the majesty of the night into his spells. He could conjure moonlight crystal shards that home to his targets, release a starry cloud that confuses his enemies or renders them immobile, and use spells that harness the power of moonlight and starlight.
Like Rachel, Rupert comes from a civilian background but was orphaned at the tender age of 8, something that Cedric sympathizes with. But because he was lucky enough to receive this epic class template, he was taken by Headmistress Lissandra of the Starlight Royal Academy as her disciple and has been learning under her for close to three years now.
Also, just like Chris, Rupert's aptitude was S-rank, allowing him to breeze through the Tiers and Levels of the Superhuman Realm.
Rupert could've been a planar traveler now if it weren't for Lissandra's behest. She doesn't want him to blitz through the tiers without solidifying his foundations first. As his teacher, she naturally wants her disciple to eventually surpass her achievements; that's why she asked him to slow down his progress and hone his skills as a sorcerer for now.
According to the system's remarks, Lissandra wasn't holding anything back for this disciple of hers. She's mobilizing all the resources she's accumulated so far; originally, this was meant for her, but now she's using them to pave the way for her disciple. It could be said that she's treating Rupert as the son she never had.
She did, after all, pay a personal visit to the graves of her student's parents and promised that she would raise him well on their behalf. Unbeknownst to her, she got their approval when she did this.
There's obvious more kids that's worth his attention. But just by looking at these three, Cedric couldn't help but feel that all of his efforts and sacrifices were worth it.
"There really is a bright future ahead of us."