The rules of the third trial were simple. By drawing lots, twenty contestants were paired into ten groups for combat. The ten who advanced would then be divided into five groups for battle. The top five would then draw lots again, determining two pairs of combatants and leaving one person with a bye. The final three would draw lots once more, pitting two against each other and giving one a bye. The loser of this fight would take third place, and the winner would face the person with the bye to determine first and second place.
"There's something wrong with these rules, isn't there?" a middle-aged man suddenly called out.
The young man holding a folding fan looked at him and asked, "And what would that be?"
The middle-aged man replied, "There's an obvious loophole. Among the final five contestants, if someone gets lucky and draws two byes in a row, wouldn't they secure at least second place?"
"That's right! That's clearly unfair!"
