The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Anna's ability to reach the round of 16 with just her throwing knives speaks volumes.

"Please," Baal said calmly.

Chapter 292 Miss Anna's Guilty Feelings

The throwing knives forged by Wiener comprise a set of twelve.

However, adhering to the principle of leaving room for maneuver and not revealing all her cards, Anna kept three cards unreported.

Anyway, if she encounters an opponent who can catch all nine of her throwing knives, having a few more won't make a difference, so she might as well save them as insurance for the future.

So far in the knockout stage, no one has been able to force Anna to throw a fourth knife.

“Then I’ll make the first move,” Anna reminded her.

Baal nodded slightly, held the battle axe across his chest, and said no more.

"Whoosh!" Anna flashed, and the throwing knife in her hand was instantly thrown out.

The gust of wind carried by the flying knife struck Baal even faster than the sound itself.

However, Baal simply shook his battle axe and knocked the throwing knife away.

He used the axe head as a shield, and with minimal movement, he blocked Anna's first attempt.

Since it was just a friendly match, Anna wouldn't specifically target her opponent's vital points.

The first strike usually targets the opponent's weapon or dominant hand.

No one had ever imagined that this tiny throwing knife could carry such astonishing potential energy.

In the round of 64 to 32, Anna knocked her opponent's weapon away with a single slash.

Anna wasn't surprised that Baal could defend against the attack, but she didn't expect him to do it so easily.

"Whizzing!"

Immediately following were two throwing knives, one in front and one behind, aimed at Baal.

Anna may look delicate, but the throwing knife she throws can send a burly man like Baal staggering backward.

"The shopkeeper has incredible strength," Baal exclaimed after catching two more throwing knives. "If I hadn't switched to this new axe, I probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it."

His statement was not an exaggeration at all.

In her match to advance to the round of 16, Anna shattered her opponent's weapon with two strikes, forcing him to concede defeat.

"Hehe, the weapons that come out of my shop are naturally of good quality."

If you directly compliment Anna on her social skills and beauty, she will only be polite on the surface, but she won't be moved at all.

After all, this is something that everyone already knows.

But if you praise Anna's things, she will be delighted and very pleased.

Nearly half of the weapons used by the 64 finalists in the knockout stage came from her family's blind boxes.

Its appearance in a battle against griffins is more effective than any advertisement.

While chatting, Anna's hands didn't stop. She leaned down and, as if by magic, two throwing knives appeared in each hand. Four silver arcs sliced ​​through the air and rushed towards Baal.

Baal, who had previously been somewhat carefree, finally dared not be overconfident in the face of such a large number of throwing knives.

He activated the magnetic attraction ability of the Magnetic Shadow Battle Axe, wielding it with great force, and a powerful magnetic field fluctuation interfered with the throwing knife that Anna had fired.

"Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!"

No matter how tricky the angles of the four throwing knives were, they ultimately could not resist the magnetic attraction of the battle axe and were firmly attached to the axe surface, unable to move.

"..."

This scene was clearly unexpected for Anna, so much so that she forgot to throw the last two throwing knives she had switched to.

"You knew all along, didn't you?"

Despite having a way to completely counter the throwing knife, the opponent still gave her a chance to strike, creating a scene where both sides were exchanging blows. Although this gave the audience plenty of face, Anna felt like a clown.

"Not entirely. It was only after I got my hands on it that I realized this battle axe had such an effect, which was pointed out to me by Venere."

Barr sold Vina without hesitation.

Anna nodded, then raised her hand to the referee, indicating, "I concede."

-----------------

"Anna's throwing skills are still relatively rusty, basically at the level of a child throwing stones."

"It works well against average players, but against a player like Bal who has extensive combat experience, its effectiveness is limited."

Samif, as a professional, offered her own insights.

Her voice spread throughout the audience via the communication technology, but it didn't seem to resonate with many people.

"Does this person even know anything? Why keep commenting like this? Can't we just let Miss Jessica speak?"

"Even Anna made it to the top 16, and she still says she's not familiar with it. What about those who didn't make it to the top 16? Shouldn't they just want to bang their heads against a wall and die?"

"Exactly! Anna was clearly holding back, deliberately avoiding her opponent's vitals. Otherwise, who could dodge that flying knife?"

"In my opinion, it's because the opponent's synergy is too bad. Baal's axe clearly counters the effectiveness of throwing knives."

Samif, sitting in the commentary booth, did not hear the discussions below the stage and continued to perform her duties as a commentator.

"Although the way throwing knives generate force is completely different from that of bows and arrows, they also have some similarities."

"The contestants in front of me basically only thought about dodging after the throwing knife left their hands, so naturally it was too late."

“Bahl did this very well. He appeared relaxed, but he was actually keeping his attention on Anna’s wrist the whole time, predicting the trajectory of the throwing knife based solely on her posture and movements.”

"If Anna can better conceal her shooting motion in the future, the outcome might be very different."

Ultimately, a throwing knife must be used unexpectedly to unleash its maximum power.

Judging from Anna's performance today, her strength was more evident in her throwing bricks.

But Miss Anna didn't care about any of that. She came to the competition with a playful attitude, and getting this far was already an unexpected surprise.

If I had to pinpoint any complaints, it would be—

[You knew perfectly well that the axe was magnetic and could neutralize throwing knives, yet you wouldn't tell me. Were you doing this on purpose?!]

While checking the quarterfinals roster using her student card, Wiener suddenly received a message from Anna.

The series of exclamation marks at the end showed that she was really angry.

Don't you even check the items you sell yourself?

Wiener's reply infuriated Anna, who had just accepted her elimination.

Her fingertips trembled as she was about to type out a string of rather strong words, but then more news about Wiener came one after another.

I didn't specifically remind you because I thought someone as smart as you wouldn't be so careless.

Besides, didn't I already give you the solution? Remember that pouch?

Upon hearing this, Anna quickly took out the pouch that she had been carrying close to her body ever since she received it.

What's wrong with that cyst?

I already told you it's meant to be used with throwing knives!

[The pouch contains some magnetic powder; if you place the throwing knife inside for a period of time, it will impart an extra layer of magnetism to the blade.]

This way, the throwing knife will be protected from external magnetic fields. Don't tell me you haven't used it since you got it.

Anna's gaze fell on the pouch she had stuffed with spices, and she felt inexplicably guilty.

Chapter 293 One Encounter with Felix, a Lifetime of Misfortune

VIP reception room.

Everyone focused on the screen, witnessing Bale easily securing the last spot in the quarterfinals.

Then the space inside the room fluctuated, a tiny crack quietly opened, and Jessica's figure stepped out from the crack.

"Teacher, everything is ready, and we can start drawing lots at any time."

Jessica reminded her teacher.

Tilisa nodded slightly, then extended an invitation to the other two representatives, "Would you two like to come with me?"

“Okay.” Alandri nodded in agreement and then stood up first.

He maintained a composed demeanor throughout, without arguing with Rogurd.

"Thank you for your help, Jessica."

Rogurd glanced at the Silver Wolf Captain once more.

Despite being an orphan picked up from who-knows-where, he was able to awaken a rare spatial emblem, even surpassing Di Mili, the strongest genius in the kingdom's royal family in a century, forcing him to seek off-field methods to prevent him from participating in the competition.

He originally thought that it would be rare to find someone as outstanding as Tissa in the world.

However, the disciples she trained already showed some resemblance to Tilissa in her youth.

Is there really such a continuous stream of talented people at St. Freya Academy?

"No trouble at all. I should thank Lord Rogurd for his help, which saved me from having to participate in a boring competition."

Jessica smiled, but her words carried a subtle barb.

"Hahaha, you're welcome. I'm glad I could help Jessica."

Rogurd laughed heartily, a laugh that seemed to come from the heart, utterly sincere.

Alandri, who was standing nearby, witnessed this scene and couldn't help but secretly despise the old fox's hypocrisy and pretentiousness, cursing him for his shamelessness.

-----------------

"Alright, dear viewers, now please welcome Duke Alandre, Earl Rogurd, and Earl Fadvi to draw the order of appearance for the eight finalists."

Jessica stepped back into the ring and snapped her fingers, causing a spatial rift three meters high and five meters long to slowly open.

Tilissa led two representatives out slowly through the gap, then waved to the audience below the stage.

Before the portal Jessica summoned disappeared, a smaller spatial rift opened, revealing Faldwig, who had been waiting in the audience.

"So you actually know how to come over?" Rogurd whispered.

He had assumed that a barbarian like Fadvi, who knew nothing about magic, would just jump onto the arena from some obscure corner.

Unexpectedly, the other party was only one step behind the three people picked up and dropped off by Jessica.

"My wife brought me here, aren't you envious?"

Fadevi then proceeded to boast about his wife to him.

"..."

In Rogurd's eyes, Fadvi was now even more detestable than Bjarne Randley.

-----------------

The quarterfinal matchups will still be determined by drawing lots, based on the players' previous group assignments. The only difference is the order in which the four groups of players will appear.

“Lady Tilisa, please go first,” Alandri said modestly.

Tilissa readily accepted, stepped forward without hesitation, and reached into the box to take out a numbered ball.

The number on the ball is "four".

"The first pair to take the stage are our players Felix and Doni."

Jessica immediately took over the conversation, announcing in a clear voice.

Rogurd then drew the second numbered ball, his eyes scanning it; the number on it was "three".

“River and Barr, please begin preparing now,” Jessica continued.

Arlandelli, who was beaten to the punch, had to choose one of the remaining two balls.