Level 1 Strongest Sage 1

“Hey! We’re gonna start the preliminaries soon, alright.”

A dark-skinned, muscular man called out to Halt and his group.

"Oh, Johann!"

Johann, a B-rank adventurer, was the judge for the match between Halt's clan, Familia, and the team assembled by Anna. He was the examiner who handled Halt's group advancement to E-rank.

"Long time no see, Halt. I've heard about your activities from the Guild Master."

"It’s been a while. Are you the judge for our match, Johann?"

"Yep. Since the Adventurers' Guild Federation is hosting the 'Ultimate Clan Battle,' adventurers like me who handle rank-up exams are often called in to judge."

"You're gonna win this whole thing anyway. Just make sure to set up a magic barrier like last time so you don't destroy everything around you when you go all out."

Johann leaned in closer to Halt and whispered.

During the rank-up exam, Johann had witnessed Halt and his team’s abnormal strength. The task had been to defeat slimes, which are considered the weakest of all monsters… but because Halt gave the slimes a blessing, they transformed into final-boss-level slimes, leading to an apocalyptic battle between the monsters and Halt and his family.

To Johann, that fight had felt like the fate of the world was hanging in the balance. Halt’s group actually lost to the slimes that day, but during the retest a week later, they finally managed to take them down. Even then, the fight was insane.

Johann, who had once single-handedly defeated B-rank monsters and even taken down A-rank ones with a party, had watched in awe as spells strong enough to wipe out an entire country were exchanged. Thanks to Halt’s magic barrier, Johann hadn’t gotten so much as a scratch during the retest.

Johann never asked why Halt and his team were so powerful. He figured he wouldn’t understand even if he did. After years as an adventurer, Johann knew that some people in this world were beyond the understanding of ordinary folks.

That’s precisely the reason why Johann couldn’t imagine Halt ever losing. "Of course, I’ll put up the magic barrier. It’s just that…

"What?"

"Winning this competition might not be as easy as you think."

"Huh?"

"Our first match is already looking pretty rough."

Halt glanced at Anna's team. Johann followed Halt's gaze.

"W-What the heck is that…?"

Johann, who had assumed Halt’s team would win from the moment the Guild Master told him they were participating, suddenly froze. He had believed no one could beat them, no matter who their opponents were.

But now, seeing Anna’s team, Johann felt an overwhelming sense of danger and fear, stronger than anything he'd ever felt facing even A-rank monsters. The people on Anna’s side clearly weren’t on the same level as normal humans, so his reaction was understandable.

"The one in the middle is my mother, along with my brothers, sister, and some people related to our family."

"I-I see. So, they're all related to you. Got it.”

He didn’t understand anything. Johann said that he understood, but in reality, his mind had long blanked out.

"Alright, let me explain the rules for this year's Strongest Clan Tournament. You win by either making your opponent admit defeat, knocking them out of the ring, or making them lose consciousness. If you accidentally kill your opponent, that’s an automatic loss, unless they can be revived—in that case, it’s a draw."

In recent years, revival items had become more common, mostly thanks to Halt and his family. While they were still out of reach for most people, their availability had increased enough that the tournament rules — which stated that killing an opponent would mean sure loss — had been adjusted accordingly.

"The first clan to win six matches is the victor. It looks like Halt’s team has more than ten people. As for… uh…" "My name is Anna, and I’m Halt’s mother. It seems my son has been in your care. Thank you for looking after him."

Anna said with a warm smile.

"Oh, no, I didn’t really do much."

Despite being married with kids and knowing Anna is Halt’s mother, Johann couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the woman’s beautiful smile.

"A-Anna’s group only has nine people. Is that alright?"

Technically, a clan needed at least ten members to compete, but the fact that Anna’s group was here meant the tournament organizers had allowed it.

"Yes, there is no problem on our side.”

"Well, if you’re okay with it, then let’s start the match. Both sides, send out your first fighter."

"Alright! Shall we start with the Celestial Spirit King? Are you ready?"

"Sure. I don’t fully understand the situation, but I just need to fight Halt and his team, right?"

"Exactly. I’ll leave it to you.”

Anna’s first fighter was the Celestial Spirit King. Clearly, they weren’t planning on losing this round.

"Hmm, then for our side…"

"I'll go!" Sylph, the Wind Spirit King, eagerly raised her hand.