Chapter 288: Third Week [1]

Chapter 287

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Episode 76 - Third Week [1]

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In the southern part of the Holy Academy, there was a fifty-meter-tall dome-shaped structure.

Known as ’The Arena,’ it was where the matches between the Top 10 cadets would take place.

However, since it was Monday morning, the matches scheduled for Monday and Tuesday would not be between the Top 10.

Instead, over those two days, the cadets who weren’t among the Top 10 would face each other.

At that moment, one hundred cadets, fifty from the Holy Academy and fifty from Elvenheims Academy, entered through the main entrance of The Arena.

The interior resembled a coliseum, with rows of seats evenly distributed around the main area.

There were also private rooms for professors and Third-Year cadets who had graduated from the Academy, giving them the opportunity to watch the third week’s matches firsthand.

Since there were only one hundred cadets in total, they spread out across the rows of seats.

Some formed groups, while others simply sat completely alone.

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the center of ’The Arena.’

It was an elderly man with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore an elegant suit and had his hair perfectly styled.

Using Mana on his vocal cords, the old man said:

"Attention, all cadets!"

His voice echoed throughout the Arena, causing the seated cadets to straighten up and stop talking.

"Today marks the beginning of the third week of the Academic Exchange between our two Academies."

The old man continued as his gaze swept across each of the cadets in their seats.

The distance between him and the stands was more than one hundred meters.

"It is also the final week of the three-week-long Academic Exchange. During the past two weeks, you have competed without rest, or, in some cases, found your rival; perhaps a lifelong rival, or someone who may become your rival during your time as cadets."

Some cadets nodded at the old man’s words.

"Today is the first day of the third week, which will focus exclusively on tournament-style matches. The last undefeated cadet will be crowned this generation’s Golden Star."

"A title that may mean a great deal to some of you, or become a source of admiration for others."

"However, only one of you can become the Golden Star."

"So, to avoid any unnecessary talk, let us begin the first day of the third week."

As soon as he finished speaking, the figure of the old man standing in the center of the Arena simply disappeared.

The moment he vanished, many cadets, excited to begin fighting or discover who would become the new Golden Star, erupted into cheers.

Shortly afterward, the first groups scheduled to fight on the first day left their seats and headed toward another area.

Eventually, only twenty-five cadets remained in the seats of The Arena.

Then, less than an hour later, the first match began.

***

"Aah!"

I sighed as I took a seat after finding an empty spot where no other cadet was sitting.

Then, I concealed my presence using Mana. If anyone looked in my direction, they probably wouldn’t see anything; to them, there would simply be a few empty seats.

The reason I had taken a seat instead of going to fight like the other cadets was very simple: I didn’t have a match scheduled for today.

The Top 10 cadets’ matches would take place on the third day, Wednesday.

Today and tomorrow would be the turn of the other cadets, those who weren’t among the Top 10.

Minutes passed, and eventually, the first match began.

Each match was between one cadet from each Academy, and both had to belong to the same year.

In the case of Second-Year cadets, the matches would exclusively be between Second-Year students.

However, there was no set order determining whether First- or Second-Year cadets would face each other on the first day.

"Begin!"

The shout of the professor in charge of the cadet matches echoed throughout the Arena.

The next second, both cadets drew their weapons.

The Elvenheims cadet wielded a mace, while the human cadet carried two axes.

The ax-wielding cadet had a sturdy, muscular body, while his opponent was tall and had an athletic build at first glance.

He didn’t have overly developed muscles.

Both cadets charged at the same time and swung their weapons.

Then, the two weapons collided.

Crash!

The air vibrated violently, and the sound of steel clashing against steel echoed throughout the Arena.

The two cadets exchanged a series of attacks within seconds. Their movements and skills were exceptionally high.

However, the ax-wielding cadet’s physical strength was superior to his opponent’s.

Little by little, the mace-wielding cadet began to lose ground, as if he had realized that he would eventually lose if he continued fighting at that pace.

Suddenly, Mana surged from his heart and began circulating throughout his body.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he sent the ax-wielding cadet flying with a single blow.

However, the ax-wielding cadet also used Mana and planted his feet firmly against the Arena floor, bringing his flight to a halt.

Slash!

Without giving him any time to recover, the mace-wielding cadet lunged at him again, starting another exchange of blows.

This time, whoever used their Mana more effectively—in terms of efficiency, control, and consumption—wouldn’t just gain the advantage; they would eventually be the one to claim victory.

The minutes passed quickly, and little by little, the Arena began to fill with drops of blood mixed with sweat.

Boom!

At that moment, the ax-wielding cadet was sent flying and ended up crashing into the Mana dome covering the entire Arena as a precaution.

"End of the match."

The professor in charge of overseeing the matches appeared and, after confirming that the ax-wielding cadet had been knocked unconscious, called the match to an end.

Only then did a series of cheers and applause erupt from the Elvenheims Academy cadets.

Although these were matches between cadets who weren’t even among the Top 10, securing their first victory seemed to have inflated their already massive egos even further.

As a result, they began looking down on the Holy Academy cadets and taunting them.

As for me, I simply sighed.

The match had lasted fifteen minutes.

However, both competitors had given it everything they had, and both had ended up unconscious.

The mace-wielding cadet’s victory simply came down to the fact that he managed to remain conscious for a few seconds longer than his opponent.

The rules were simple: whoever could no longer continue fighting, whether because they had exhausted all their Mana or because their injuries had rendered them unconscious, would lose.

And with that, the first match came to an end.

A few minutes later, another pair of cadets entered the Arena.

The professor appeared once again and shouted:

"Begin!"

Instantly, both cadets charged into battle, and the fight began.

The matches continued one after another. Some lasted only a few minutes, while others dragged on for much longer.

Little by little, the matches began and ended until my master finally spoke.

’The cadets of this generation are exceptionally strong.’

Most of them had recently reached Four Stars, while the less talented cadets still remained at Three Stars.

On the other hand, every cadet ranked among the Top 10 had already reached Five Stars.

’If we consider that the previous generation didn’t reach Five Stars until their Second Year, then yes.’

This year’s generation was clearly different.

The most outstanding cadets had already reached Five Stars, while the most exceptional ones were even close to reaching the Peak Stage of Five Stars.

And, of course, there were Lumina and me, who had reached Six Stars less than a month ago.

The progress of everyone else had been incredibly fast.

’Lumina always graduated from the Holy Academy after reaching Eight Stars, but...’

That had happened in the previous regressions.

In this regression, she had Awakened the Divine Body for the first time.

’Perhaps she’ll reach Nine Stars before graduation.’

Meanwhile, the others who weren’t too far from Six Stars could reach Seven or even Eight Stars.

’According to my memories, they only reached Seven Stars, but I’ve helped them progress, so things could turn out differently.’

Regardless, the future progress of Lumina, my friends, and myself could turn out completely different before graduation arrived.

Finally, I put those thoughts aside.

"Begin!"

The professor’s voice echoed throughout the Arena once again, signaling the start of another match.

A few seconds later, I realized that this was the final match of the first day.

’What time is it, master?’

’It’s four in the afternoon.’

I nodded inwardly before getting up from my seat. I slipped my hands into my pockets and walked toward the exit of ’The Arena.’

I had come to enjoy watching the cadets’ matches for a while and, at the same time, assess the differences in strength between the two academies.

However, I ended up getting lost in my own thoughts, and before I knew it, time had passed incredibly quickly.

Even so, I had accomplished my purpose without too many distractions, especially considering that Very’Daal hadn’t appeared all day.

’Mhm, I wonder why he suddenly didn’t show up.’

I thought about it for a moment.

Perhaps he was plotting something. After all, there were only two days left before the Academic Exchange ended.

Finally, I left ’The Arena’ and returned to the dormitories, intending to continue with my usual training.

The first day had come to an end.