Unlike ordinary animals, creatures that have evolved individually under magical conditions possess magic.
And under the influence of magic, a creature's original flaws might not necessarily remain flaws. For example, when Luck dealt with the Magic Beast Great Serpent, the usual method of striking its 'seven-inch' vital spot was completely ineffective.
Its thick body, covered in heavy scales, was not easy to control... Furthermore, Bai En clearly saw Luck smash a lightning orb, overflowing with electricity, directly onto the Great Serpent's seven-inch spot, but it had no effect whatsoever.
Moreover, if Luck had lingered there for even a moment longer, he would have been struck by the Great Serpent's flame-wreathed tail. Even if he didn't die, several of his bones would have been broken.
After a series of attempts, Luck finally focused on the serpent's eyes. Using the long boots formed by his lightning armament, he first created distance with a jump, then unleashed his full speed, leaping up and striking down.
Like a lightning spear shot forth, it carried the momentum to pierce through everything.
The lightning spear landed directly on the Magic Beast Great Serpent's face. Blood splattered like a flower, and Luck's two lightning-armored arms plunged straight into the Great Serpent's eyes.
The pain made the Great Serpent thrash wildly, emitting a sharp hiss from its mouth.
Luck was flung away by the immense force. The maddened Great Serpent thrashed its body, scattering flames that indiscriminately covered everything around it, and the rising inferno caused the surrounding temperature to soar.
The moment the giant serpent thrashed its body, Luck seized the opening and attacked its exposed lower half with a Swift Thunder Collapse Orb. It was a spot that had never been attacked before and was not covered by heavy scales.
Just like that, surging lightning flashed at the bottom of the Magic Beast Great Serpent. Blue lightning raised a spray of blood as it pierced through, and Luck ran the Great Serpent through.
After the first battle ended, the Clown disappeared with Luck for a period. When he returned, he held a glass container filled with a green liquid.
That was the healing fluid that could be used to treat Asta's arm.
The second round of combat featured Magna, who also took the initiative. Among the remaining three magic beasts, he chose the sharp-beaked bird with wings.
'Although it can fly, my magic can strike from a distance, so that's nothing to fear. The only thing I need to confirm is to find a magic beast with low defense... After all, with my magic and spell power, it's hard to break the defense of a magic beast like the Great Serpent, which has outstanding defenses.'
'The giant crocodile that breathes ice and is covered in scales looks very difficult to deal with. Between that mud-like magic beast and this sharp-beaked bird, it's clear the bird has lower defense. Its soft, flexible feathers should even be ignitable with my Flame Magic.'
With this thought, Magna chose the sharp-beaked bird. After entering combat, he immediately felt something was wrong. Its seemingly very soft feathers instantly stood up and became incredibly sharp.
Moreover... the sharp-beaked bird didn't seem to fly. Its magic was steel, and its hard wings made it impossible for Magna to break through. His 'Explosive Killer Shotgun Magic Orb,' struck from various angles with a baseball bat, was easily deflected.
It was like that time Captain Yami and he went to a pub, thinking they'd met a novice, only to lose so badly they didn't even have their pants left.
After some self-pitying persistence, Magna loudly declared his surrender.
The third round saw Fragil enter. She chose the crimson mud-like creature. The elemental advantage of her magic made this battle exceptionally easy, a feeling completely opposite to Magna's fight.
Elemental advantage is an important factor influencing a Mage's combat. If two individuals of similar strength have an elemental advantage, the Mage with the superior elemental magic will easily win.
This is like how Patry, the Light Magic Mage, who was demonically corrupted and whose power surged in the manga, was clearly strong but was defeated in one move after encountering Nozel, the captain of the Silver Eagle Knights.
If there is a certain gap in strength between the two sides, the one with an elemental advantage but relatively weaker magic might not necessarily lose... In the fourth battle, only Bai En and the unchosen Magic Beast Giant Crocodile remained.
Before disappearing with Fragil, the giant serpent whose body was pierced, the unharmed sharp-beaked bird, and the ice-sealed crimson mud, which had fought Luck and the others, were all recalled into the black iron gate.
Inside the relatively empty circular platform, the Giant Crocodile and Bai En stared at each other. The Giant Crocodile opened its gaping maw, and the cold breath it exhaled caused a thick layer of frost to appear on Bai En's head.
It laughed playfully, showing no regard for the little fellow before it.
Bai En, wiping the frost from his head and preparing to retaliate, saw the Clown and Fragil reappear. He stopped his counterattack. The Giant Crocodile also changed from its arrogant demeanor to a docile one, gently touching the Clown with its head.
'A bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong. I'll chop you up later and stew you!'
Bai En stared nakedly at the Giant Crocodile, who seemed unaware that it had already been targeted as food, still fawning docilely.
His gaze shifted to Fragil. A pair of clover-like silver earrings appeared on her otherwise empty ears. Her fair skin, combined with the exquisite accessories, highlighted the girl's beauty.
Magic emanated from the earrings, indicating they were not merely ornaments but appeared to be magic tools.
The Clown lazily prepared to continue watching the upcoming battle. His interest wasn't very high; he had already roughly understood Bai En's strength in the previous battles and knew dealing with the Giant Crocodile wouldn't be much of a problem.
A battle with a foregone conclusion naturally wouldn't generate much enthusiasm.
He sincerely hoped that Bai En would proudly step out now and declare that he would challenge the Giant Crocodile without using magic. That would make the battle interesting, and he might even become slightly intrigued.
Rubbing the smooth silver seed in his hand, 'I can't give you away... It seems you'll disappear with me...'
A faint light flickered on the silver seed.
"Can you give me a sword?"
Bai En's sudden question made the Clown pause, then a smile quickly spread across his lips.
"Of course."
A black sword with gilded patterns appeared as the Clown waved his hand. "It's not some sharp magic tool, just an ordinary sword. Its sharpness and toughness are decent... But if you want to win using only this sword, it won't be easy."
Bai En nodded, clearly understanding the Clown's meaning. "My swordsmanship is also quite good."
"I also exercise regularly."
"If... we were to purely compete in physical fitness, I probably wouldn't lose to anyone except those two muscular bastards from the Black Bulls Squad."
"Moreover... I have a premonition that I will break through my limits here."
"Break through your limits?"
Before the Clown could finish speaking, Bai En had already taken a step forward. The ground beneath his feet cracked with fine lines under the immense explosive force.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form, Striking Tide."
As his magic increased and culinary tools multiplied, the Water Breathing sword forms, unused for a long time, now shone with extraordinary brilliance...